160 
THE GOLDEN EIVEE. 
the country we passed through was a rolling 
plain, but now and again a sudden pointed hill 
or range stood up out of it. We came to a few 
small towns, but generally the stations were just 
dumped down at far intervals. The people 
always collected to watch the arrival of the 
train, the horses tied to a fence, with that air of 
quiet resignation typical of the Paraguayans 
themselves. Women went up and down the 
platforms, in fresh print dresses, selling cigars, 
eggs, and oranges: and when everyone had 
quite finished making his purchases the obliging 
train started again. Its arrival was something 
of an event, as the up train only ran three days 
a week, and the down train the other days, I 
believe. 
On reaching Encarnacion we heard that a 
revolution had broken out in the capital, but 
we decided not to turn back. All day we 
wandered across the level country, watching its 
wide stretches, with a handful of poor long¬ 
horned cattle feeding on it, the tiny huts with 
their poultry pecking round the doors, and the 
barefooted, brown-skinned children. A poor 
and beautiful land, needing money to develop 
its possibilities. Late in the evening we 
reached Asuncion, and found the station 
guarded by police. The revolution was in full 
swing, we were told, but it seemed of a mild 
brand. We lived in our railway compartment 
in the station, and wandered about the little 
