206 
FALKLAND ISLANDS 
CHAP. 
Gauchos, who have from infancy almost lived on horseback, say 
that, under similar circumstances, they always suffer. St. Jago 
told me, that having been confined for three months by illness, 
he went out hunting wild cattle, and in consequence, for the 
next two days, his thighs were so stiff that he was'obliged to 
lie in bed. This shows that the Gauchos, although they do 
not appear to do so, yet really must exert much muscular effort 
in riding. The hunting wild cattle, in a country so difficult 
to pass as this is on account of the swampy ground, must be 
very hard work. The Gauchos say they often pass at full 
speed over ground which would be impassable at a slower pace ; 
in the same manner as a man is able to skate over thin ice. 
When hunting, the party endeavours to get as close as possible 
to the herd without being discovered. Each man carries four 
or five pair of the bolas ; these he throws one after the other 
at as many cattle, which, when once entangled, are left for some 
days, till they become a little exhausted by hunger and 
struggling. They are then let free and driven towards a small 
herd of tame animals, which have been brought to the spot on 
purpose. From their previous treatment, being too much terri¬ 
fied to leave the herd, they are easily driven, if their strength last 
out, to the settlement. 
The weather continued so very bad that we determined to 
make a push, and try to reach the vessel before night. From 
the quantity of rain which had fallen, the surface of the whole 
country was swampy. I suppose my horse fell at least a dozen 
times, and sometimes the whole six horses were floundering in 
the mud together. All the little streams are bordered by soft 
peat, which makes it very difficult for the horses to leap them 
without falling. To complete our discomforts we were obliged 
to cross the head of a creek of the sea, in which the water was 
as high as our horses’ backs ; and the little waves, owing to the 
violence of the wind, broke over us, and made us very wet 
and cold. Even the iron-framed Gauchos professed them¬ 
selves glad when they reached the settlement, after our little 
excursion. 
The geological structure of these islands is in most respects 
simple. The lower country consists of clay-slate and sandstone, 
containing fossils, very closely related to, but not identical with, 
