158 
BANDA ORIENTAL 
CHAP. 
estancias, and these few are situated in the neighbourhood of 
damp valleys, where fortunately neither of these overwhelming- 
plants can exist. As night came on before we arrived at our 
journey’s end, we slept at a miserable little hovel inhabited 
by the poorest people. The extreme though rather formal 
courtesy of our host and hostess, considering their grade of 
life, was quite delightful. 
November 22 nd .—Arrived at an estancia on the Berquelo 
belonging to a very hospitable Englishman, to whom I had a 
letter of introduction from my friend Mr. Lumb. I stayed 
here three days. One morning I rode with my host to the 
Sierra del Pedro Flaco, about twenty miles up the Rio Negro. 
Nearly the whole country was covered with good though coarse 
grass, which was as high as a horse’s belly ; yet there were 
square leagues without a single head of cattle. The province 
of Banda Oriental, if well stocked, would support an astonishing 
number of animals ; at present the annual export of hides 
from Monte Video amounts to three hundred thousand ; and 
the home consumption, from waste, is very considerable. An 
estanciero told me that he often had to send large herds of 
cattle a long journey to a salting establishment, and that the 
tired beasts were frequently obliged to be killed and skinned ; 
but that he could never persuade the Gauchos to eat of them, 
and every evening a fresh beast was slaughtered for their 
suppers ! The view of the Rio Negro from the Sierra was 
more picturesque than any other which I saw in this province. 
The river, broad, deep and rapid, wound at the foot of a rocky 
precipitous cliff: a belt of wood followed its course, and the 
horizon terminated in the distant undulations of the turf-plain. 
When in this neighbourhood, I several times heard of the 
Sierra de las Cuentas : a hill distant many miles to the north¬ 
ward. The name signifies hill of beads. I was assured that 
vast numbers of little round stones, of various colours, each 
with a small cylindrical hole, are found there. Formerly the 
Indians used to collect them, for the purpose of making neck¬ 
laces and bracelets—a taste, I may observe, which is common 
to all savage nations, as well as to the most polished. I did 
not know what to understand from this story, but upon 
mentioning it at the Cape of Good Hope to Dr. Andrew 
Smith, he told me that he recollected finding on the south- 
