V 
EXPEDITION AGAINST THE INDIANS 
105 
this Virgularia explain one such case. Captain Lancaster, in 
his Voyage 1 in 1601, narrates that on the sea-sands of the 
Island of Sombrero, in the East Indies, he “ found a small 
twig growing up like a young tree, and on offering to pluck 
it up it shrinks down to the ground, and sinks, unless held 
very hard. On being plucked up, a great worm is found to 
be its root, and as the tree groweth in greatness, so doth the 
worm diminish; and as soon as the worm is entirely turned 
into a tree it rooteth in the earth, and so becomes great. This 
transformation is one of the strangest wonders that I saw in 
all my travels : for if this tree is plucked up, while young, and 
the leaves and bark stripped off, it becomes a hard stone when 
dry, much like white coral : thus is this worm twice transformed 
into different natures. Of these we gathered and brought home 
many.” 
During my stay at Bahia Blanca, while waiting for the 
Beagle , the place was in a constant state of excitement, from 
rumours of wars and victories, between the troops of Rosas 
and the wild Indians. One day an account came that a small 
party forming one of the postas on the line to Buenos Ayres 
had been found all murdered. The next day three hundred 
men arrived from the Colorado, under the command of Com¬ 
mandant Miranda. A large portion of these men were Indians 
(mans os , or tame), belonging to the tribe of the Cacique 
Bernantio. They passed the night here; and it was im¬ 
possible to conceive anything more wild and savage than 
the scene of their bivouac. Some drank till they were intoxi¬ 
cated ; others swallowed the steaming blood of the cattle 
slaughtered for their suppers, and then, being sick from 
drunkenness, they cast it up again, and were besmeared with 
filth and gore. 
Nam simul expletus dapibus, vinoque sepultus 
Cervicem inflexam posuit, jacuitque per antrum 
Immensus, saniem eructans, ac frusta cruenta 
Per somnum commixta mero. 
In the morning they started for the scene of the murder, 
with orders to follow the “ rastro,” or track, even if it led them 
1 Kerr’s Collection of Voyages, vol. viii. p. 119. 
