Fig. 5. Bolera with thong 
attached. 
54 SPENCER’S JOURNAL 
thong goes round the groove; at a and b it is excellently plaited, and has 
a handle of leather (horse hide like the thong) enclosing, I think,a short 
round piece of wood. I suppose you have got plenty of these things in 
the Pitt Rivers, but they were the first that I had seen in their home 
country, and I hope to get much more later on. 
At St. Julian, I visited the Frigorifico, the one place of importance 
in all these little settlements, and had my introduction to the dietary 
system of S. Argentine, which is as 
follows. At 7 a.m. or thereabouts, or at 
any time convenient to yourself, you 
have a cup of coffee and roll. This lasts 
you till 12.30, when comes almuerza 
(z = th). Our menu at the Frigorifico 
was: Course (1) Cold ham and sheep 
tongues, plenty of the latter of course near any Frigorifico; (2) hot 
roast beef supplied by the ship (as no cows thrive in this country) with 
potatoes in their skins (all vegetables imported, as there is no water for 
the gardens); (3) liver and bacon with potatoes and cabbage. I thought 
this quite enough meat for one meal, but to my horror it was followed by 
(4) hot pork chops and vegetables. Then came (5) pastry and puddings, 
and (6) bread and cheese and coffee. Mrs. Balfour may like to know 
what Argentines and Chileans expect, if ever any find their way to you 
at Oxford. When all was over, I furtively undid a button or two, when 
my hostess was not looking, and lay back and rested. After almuerza 
there is a break till 8 p.m., broken usually by a heavy afternoon tea, 
when cena or supper with much the same menu as at almuerza occurs. 
At the present moment I am staying at a quite comfortable little 
hotel at Magallanes, and from my window look down the Magellan 
Straits with Tierra del Fuego on the east, and away to the south the 
snow-capped peaks of the southern part of the Andes. In a day or two 
I am off on a small steamer to a little settlement called Ushuaia on the 
very south of Tierra del Fuego, where I hear there are two or three 
surviving Indians. As winter is coming on, I may perhaps be marooned 
here for two or three months, but if there are any Indians, that will 
not matter. Write me a line to the Bank here; it will find me sooner 
or later. Kindest regards to Mrs. Balfour. 
Yours sincerely, 
W. Baldwin Spencer . 
