ARGENTINA FROM A BRITISH POINT OF VIEW AND NOTES ON ARGENTINE LIFE. With Photographs and Diagrams. EDITED BYCAMPBELL P. OGILVIE. LONDON:WERTHEIMER, LEA & CO. , CLIFTON HOUSE, WORSHIP STREET, E. C1910. PRINTED BY WERTHEIMER, LEA & CO. , CLIFTON HOUSE, WORSHIP STREET, LONDON, E. C DEDICATED To _all_ THE SHAREHOLDERS OF THE SANTA FÉ LAND COMPANY, LIMITED, _who take a real interest in the Company_. PREFACE. In May last I was asked to read, towards the end of the year, a paper onArgentina, before the Royal Society of Arts. The task of compiling thatpaper was one of absorbing interest to me; and though I fully realisehow inadequately I have dealt with so interesting a subject, I ventureto think that the facts and figures which the paper contains may be ofinterest to some, at any rate, of the Shareholders of the Santa Fé LandCompany. It is upon this supposition that it is published. Whilst I was obtaining the latest information for the paper (which wasread before the Royal Society of Arts on November 30th, 1910), severalmembers of the staff of the Santa Fé Land Company aided me by writingsome useful and interesting notes on subjects connected with Argentina, and also giving various experiences which they had undergone whilstresident there. I am indebted to the writers for many hints on life inArgentina, and as I think that others will find the reading of the notesas engaging as I did, they are now reproduced just as I received them, and incorporated with my own paper in a book of which they form by nomeans the least interesting part. The final portion of the book--Leaves from a journal entitled "TheTacuru"--is written in a lighter vein. It describes a trip through someof the Northern lands of the Santa Fé Land Company, and it is includedbecause, although frankly humorous, it contains much really usefulinformation and many capital illustrations, I should, however, mentionthat this journal was written by members of the expedition, and wasoriginally intended solely for their own private edification andamusement; therefore all the happier phases of the trip are noted; but Ican assure my English readers that the trip, well though it was planned, was not all luxury. To the many who have helped me in this work I tender my most sincerethanks. CAMPBELL P. OGILVIE. LAWFORD PLACE, MANNINGTREE, ESSEX, _December, 1910_. CONTENTS. PAGE ARGENTINA FROM A BRITISH POINT OF VIEW 1 HISTORY OF THE SANTA FÉ LAND COMPANY, LIMITED 33 THE VALUE OF LAND IN ARGENTINA 45 REMARKS ON STORMS AND THE CLIMATE OF THE ARGENTINE 51 SOME EXPERIENCE OF WORKING ON ESTANCIAS 57 THE SOCIAL SIDE OF CAMP LIFE 69 CARNIVAL IN THE ARGENTINE 75 HORSE-RACING IN THE ARGENTINE 79 SUNDAYS IN CAMP 87 THE SERVANT PROBLEM IN ARGENTINA 91 POLICE OF A BYGONE DAY 97 A VISIT TO THE NORTHERN CHACO 107 WORK IN THE WOODS 119 CACHAPÉS, AND OTHER THINGS 125 MY FRIEND THE AXEMAN 131 DUST AND OTHER STORMS 141 LOCUSTS 147 CONSCRIPT LIFE IN THE ARGENTINE REPUBLIC 155 ACROSS THE BOLIVIAN ANDES IN 1901 161 PROGRESS OF THE PORT OF BUENOS AIRES 185 JUST MY LUCK! 193 "THE TACURU" 199 LIST OF PHOTOGRAPHS. FACING PAGE CATTLE TRAIN ON CENTRAL ARGENTINE RAILWAY, BRINGING CATTLE TO BARRANCOSA 39 LOADING WHEAT AT ROSARIO FROM THE "BARRANCA" 40 SAN CRISTOBAL ESTANCIA HOUSE 41 WATERING-PLACE AT BARRANCOSA 42 WOOD ON THE COMPANY'S OWN LINE READY FOR LOADING 43 LOADING TIMBER AT WAYSIDE STATION 44 WHEAT READY FOR LOADING AT STATION ON CENTRALARGENTINE RAILWAY 48 THE MAKER OF LAND VALUES 50 TENNIS PARTY AT VERA 73 CARNIVAL AT VERA 77 "A DAY OF REAL ENJOYMENT" 90 SQUARE QUEBRACHO LOGS WORKED BY THE AXEMAN, SHOWINGRESIN OOZING THEREFROM 134 LOADING WHEAT AT THE PORT OF BUENOS AIRES 187 HORSES AWAITING INSPECTION 209 STACKING ALFALFA 210 ALFALFA ELEVATOR AT WORK 211 THE GREEN FIELDS OF ALFALFA 212 HERD OF CATTLE 215 EXPANSE OF ALFALFA 221 DISC-PLOUGH AT WORK 222 ROADMAKER AND RAILROAD BUILDER 223 PLOUGHING VIRGIN CAMP 226 HART-PARR ENGINE, DRAWING ROADMAKER 228 CATTLE LEAVING DIP 233 CROSSING THE SALADO 240 THE EFFECT OF A LONG DROUGHT 241 REFINED CAMPS 242 "RICH BLACK ALLUVIAL SOIL" 251 WATER KNEE-DEEP 265 QUEBRACHO COLORADO TREE 266 SLEEPERS AWAITING TRANSPORT AT VERA 267 TANNIN EXTRACT FACTORY 268 SOME OF THE HORSES 271 "AWFUL FLOOD" 276 ON THE WAY TO OLMOS 277 LIST OF DIAGRAMS. FACING PAGE IMMIGRATION RETURNS 2 AGRICULTURAL EXPORTATION 14 CULTIVATED AREA IN HECTARES 15 VALUE IN £ STERLING OF THE TOTAL EXPORTS OFARGENTINA, 1900-09 22 ARGENTINA FROM A BRITISH POINT OF VIEW. Argentina, which does not profess to be a manufacturing country, exported in 1909 material grown on her own lands to the value of£79, 000, 000, and imported goods to the extent of £60, 000, 000. This factarrests our attention, and forces us to recognise that there is a tradebalance of nearly 20 millions sterling in her favour, and to realise thesaving power of the country. It is not mere curiosity which prompts us to ask: "Are these £79, 000, 000worth of exports of any value to us? Do we consume any of them? Do wemanufacture any of them? And do we send any of this same stuff backagain after it has been dealt with by our British artisans?" It would bedifficult to follow definitely any one article, but upon broad lines thequestions are simple and can be easily answered. Amongst theagricultural exports we find wheat, oats, maize, linseed, and flour. Thevalue placed upon these in 1908 amounted to £48, 000, 000, and Englandpays for and consumes nearly 42 per cent. Of these exports. Other goods, such as frozen beef, chilled beef, mutton, pork, wool, and articleswhich may be justly grouped as the results of the cattle and sheepindustry, amounted to no less a figure than £23, 000, 000. All theseexports represent foodstuffs or other necessities of life, and areconsumed by those nations which do not produce enough from their ownsoil to keep their teeming populations. Another export which is worthyof particular mention comes from the forests, viz. , quebracho, which, inthe form of logs and extract, was exported in 1908 to the value of£1, 200, 000. The value of material of all sorts sent from England toArgentina in 1908 was £16, 938, 872 (this figure includes such things asmanufactured woollen goods, leather goods, oils, and paints), thereforeit is clear that we have, and must continue to take, a practical andfinancial interest in the welfare and prosperity of Argentina. New countries cannot get on without men willing and ready to exploitNature's gifts, and, naturally, we look to the immigration returns whenconsidering Argentina's progress. To give each year's return for thelast 50 years would be wearisome, but, taking the average figures forten-year periods from 1860 to 1909, we have the following interestingtable. (The figures represent the balance of those left in the countryafter allowing for emigration):-- Yearly Average. From 1860 to 1869 (inclusive) ... 15, 044 " 1870 " 1879 " ... 29, 462 " 1880 " 1889 " ... 84, 586 " 1890 " 1899 " ... 43, 618 " 1900 " 1909 " ... 100, 998 Sixty-five per cent. Of the immigrants are agricultural labourers, whosoon find work in the country, and again add their quota to theincreasing quantity and value of materials to be exported. Facing thispage is a diagram of the Immigration Returns from 1857 to 1909. Nature has been lavish in her gifts to Argentina, and man has takengreat advantage of these gifts. My desire now is to show what has beendone in the way of developing agriculture in this richly-endowed countryduring the last fifty years. One name which should never be forgotten inArgentina is that of William Wheelwright, whose entrance into activelife in Buenos Aires was not particularly dignified; in 1826 he wasshipwrecked at the mouth of the River Plate, and struggled onbarefooted, hatless and starving to the small town of Quilmes. [Illustration: DIAGRAM OF IMMIGRATION RETURNS. NOTE:--IN THE YEARS 1888, 1889 & 1890 THE ARGENTINE GOVERNMENT ASSISTEDPASSAGES. ] Mr. Wheelwright was an earnest and far-seeing man, and his knowledge ofrailways in the United States helped him to realise their greatpossibilities in Argentina; but, strange to say, upon his return to hisnative land he could not impress any of those men who afterwards becamesuch great "Railway Kings" in the U. S. A. Failing to obtain capital forArgentine railway development in his own country, Wheelwright came toEngland, and interested Thomas Brassey, whose name was then a householdword amongst railway pioneers. These two men associated themselves withMessrs. Ogilvie & Wythes, forming themselves into the firm of Brassey, Ogilvie, Wythes & Wheelwright, whose first work was the building of arailway 17, 480 kilometres long between Buenos Aires and Quilmes in 1863;afterwards they built the line from Rosario to Cordova, which isembodied to-day in the Central Argentine Railway. Other railways wereprojected, and this policy of progress and extension of the steel roadstill holds good in Argentina. The year 1857 saw the first railway built, from Buenos Ayres to Flores, 5, 879 kilometres long; in 1870 there were 457 miles of railroad; in 1880the railways had increased their mileage to 1, 572; in 1890 Argentinapossessed 5, 895 miles of railway, and in 1900 there were 10, 352 miles. The rapid increase in railway mileage during the last nine years is asfollows:-- In 1901 there were 10, 565 miles of railway. " 1902 " " 10, 868 " " " " 1903 " " 11, 500 " " " " 1904 " " 12, 140 " " " " 1905 " " 12, 370 " " " " 1906 " " 12, 850 " " " " 1907 " " 13, 829 " " " " 1908 " " 14, 825 " " " " 1909 " " 15, 937[A]" " " 12, 000 of which are owned by English companies, representing a capitalinvestment of £170, 000, 000. In other words, for the last forty years Argentina has built railwaysat the rate of over a mile a day, and in 1907, 1908, and 1909 heraverage rate per day was nearly three miles. This means that owing tothe extension of railways during this last year alone, over a millionmore acres of land could have been given up to the plough if suitablefor the cultivation of corn. When William Wheelwright first visited Argentina it was little more thanan unknown land, whose inhabitants had no ambition, and no desire toacquire wealth--except at the expense of broken heads. There was astandard of wealth, but it lay in the number of cattle owned; land wasof little value, save for feeding cattle, and therefore counted fornaught, but cattle could be boiled down for tallow; bones and hides werealso marketable commodities; the man, therefore, who possessed cattlepossessed wealth. The opening out of the country by railways soon changed the aspect ofaffairs. The man who possessed cattle was no longer considered the richman; it was he who owned leagues of land upon which wheat could be grownwho became the potentially rich man; he, by cutting up his land andrenting it to the immigrants, who were beginning to flock in in anendless stream to the country, found that riches were being accumulatedfor him without much exertion on his part. He took a risk inasmuch as hereceived payment in kind only. Therefore, when the immigrants did well, so did he, and as many thousands of immigrants have become rich, itfollows that the land proprietors have become immensely so. It was therailways which created this possibility, and endowed the country byrendering it practicable to grow corn where cattle only existed before, but many Argentines to-day forget what they owe to the railway pioneers;it is the railways, and the railways only, which render the splendid andyearly increasing exports possible. In 1858 cattle formed 25 per cent. Of the total wealth of Argentina, butin 1885 cattle only represented 18 per cent. Of the total wealth, railways having made it possible during those thirty years to utiliselands for other purposes than cattle-feeding. Let it be clearlyunderstood, the total value of cattle had not decreased; far from that, the cattle had increased in value during the above period to the extentof £48, 000, 000, and to-day cattle, sheep, horses, mules, pigs, goats andasses represent a value of nearly £130, 000, 000. The following tableshows how great the improvement has been in Argentine animals:-- Per Head. Cattle in 1885 were valued at an average of $13[B] " 1908 " " " 32Sheep in 1885 " " " 2 " 1908 " " " 4Horses in 1885 " " " 11 1908 " " " 25 Notwithstanding these increased valuations per head, and the largernumber of animals in the country, the value created by man's labour faroutweighs the increased value of mere breeding animals. Next to the railways the improvements in shipping have helped thedevelopment of Argentina; the shipping trade of Buenos Aires hasincreased at the rate of one million tons per annum for the past fewyears, and the entries into the port form an interesting and instructivetable: The following statement gives the total tonnage that passed through theport of Buenos Aires from 1880 to 1909, and will more clearly show theincrease and advance made in the last thirty years. These figuresinclude both steamers and sailing-vessels, and local as well as foreigntrade:-- Tons. 1880 ... 644, 7501881 ... 827, 0721882 ... 995, 5971883 ... 1, 207, 3211884 ... 1, 782, 3821885 ... 2, 200, 7791886 ... 2, 408, 3231887 ... 3, 369, 0571888 ... 3, 396, 2121889 ... 3, 804, 0371890 ... 4, 507, 0961891 ... 4, 546, 7291892 ... 5, 475, 9421893 ... 6, 177, 8181894 ... 6, 686, 1231895 ... 6, 894, 8341896 ... 6, 115, 5471897 ... 7, 365, 5471898 ... 8, 051, 0451899 ... 8, 741, 9341900 ... 8, 047, 0101901 ... 8, 661, 3001902 ... 8, 902, 6051903 ... 10, 269, 2981904 ... 10, 424, 6151905 ... 11, 467, 9541906 ... 12, 448, 2191907 ... 13, 335, 7331908 ... 15, 465, 4171909 ... 16, 993, 973 In 1897, out of the total number of steamers that entered Buenos Aires, viz. , 901, with a tonnage of 2, 342, 391; 519, with a tonnage of1, 327, 571, were British. Taking the year 1909 we find that 2, 008steamers and 137 sailing-vessels entered the port of Buenos Aires fromforeign shores with a tonnage of 5, 193, 542, and 1, 978 steamers and 129sailing-vessels left the port for foreign shores with a tonnage of5, 174, 114; out of these, British boats lead with 2, 242 steamers and 37sailing-vessels, or say 53-1/2 per cent. Of the total. Germany comesnext with 456 steamers and 2 sailing-vessels, or say 10-3/4 per cent, ofthe total. Italy with 307 steamers and 67 sailing-vessels is next, andthen France with 264 steamers. The total number of steamers that enteredand left the port from local and foreign ports is 13, 485, with a tonnageof 14, 481, 526, and 20, 264 sailing-vessels with 2, 512, 447 tons, whichmake up the amount of 16, 993, 973 tons, as shown above. In the year 1884 the experiment of freezing beef, killed in BuenosAires, and shipping it to Europe was first tried. That was successful, but an immense improvement was made when the process of chilling becamethe common means by which meat could be exported. The frozen beef tradein Argentina has had a wonderful development; it commenced in 1884, andthe export of chilled meat has progressed steadily at the rate of 25, 000beeves yearly, until, in 1908, it reached the enormous quantity of573, 946 beeves, or 180, 000 tons. Frozen mutton has remainedcomparatively steady, and has only increased by 38, 000 tons intwenty-two years, or from 2, 000, 000 sheep frozen in 1886 to 3, 297, 667 in1908, whilst "jerked beef, " which was mostly sent to Cuba and Brazil, has fallen from 50, 000 tons per annum to 6, 651 tons. The value of frozenand preserved meats exported in 1908 was £5, 233, 948. The value of live-stock in Argentina in 1908 was made up as follows:-- Cattle ... ... ... £82, 000, 000Sheep ... ... ... 25, 000, 000Horses ... ... ... 18, 000, 000Mules ... ... ... 2, 000, 000Pigs ... ... ... 1, 368, 000Goats and Asses ... 1, 000, 000 A few years ago it was common on an estancia feeding 50, 000 or 60, 000cattle to find the household using canned Swiss milk. To-day 425, 000litres of milk are brought into the city of Buenos Aires each day forconsumption, and no less than two tons of butter, one ton of cream, andthree tons of cheese are used there daily. Argentina also exportsbutter. This trade has sprung up entirely within the last fourteenyears, and in 1908 she exported 3, 549 tons of butter, the value of whichwas £283, 973. Until 1876 Argentina imported wheat for home consumption; in that year, when for many years past agricultural labourers had been arriving at anaverage of 25, 000 per annum, she began to export wheat with a modestshipment of 5, 000 tons. Thirty years later the export had mounted up to2, 247, 988 tons, and in 1908 the wheat exported amounted to 3, 636, 293tons, and was valued at £25, 768, 520. Agricultural colonies had sprung upeverywhere, and cattle became of second-rate importance; to-day thevalue of the exports of corn, which term includes wheat, barley, maize, oats, etc. , is more than double that of cattle and cattle products. Itis interesting to follow the evolution wrought by labour, intelligence, and capital in the prairie lands of Argentina. First, let us note thedevelopments on those wonderful tracts of splendid prairie lands lyingbetween the River Plate and the Andes: fifty years ago these lands wereof little account, and only a few cattle were to be found roaming aboutthem, but upon the advance of the railway they came under the plough, and, without much attention or care, produced wheat and maize. After atime improvements in the method of cultivation produced a better return, and to-day a great deal of attention is paid to the preparing of theland, and thought and care are given to the seed time, the growing, andthe harvest. When it is found desirable to rest the land after crops ofwheat and maize, etc. , alfalfa is grown thereon. Alfalfa is one of theclover tribe, and has the peculiar property of attaching to itself thosemicro-organisms which are able to fix the nitrogen in the air and renderit available for plant food. Every colonist knows the value of alfalfafor feeding his animals, but it is not every colonist who knows why thisplant occupies such a high place amongst feeding stuffs. Alfalfa iseasily grown, very strong when established, and, provided its roots canget to water, will go on growing for years. The _raison d'être_ forgrowing alfalfa is for the feeding of cattle and preparing them formarket, and for this purpose a league of alfalfa (6, 177 acres metricmeasurement) will carry on an average 3, 500 head. When grown for dryfodder it produces three or four crops per annum and a fair yield isfrom 6 to 8 tons per acre of dry alfalfa for each year. A ton of suchhay is worth about $20 to $30, and after deducting expenses there is aclear return of about $14 per acre. The figures supplied by one large company are interesting; they showthat, on an average, cattle, when placed upon alfalfa lands, improve invalue at the rate of $2. 00 per head per month, so it is easy to place avalue on its feeding properties. Thus, we will take a camp under alfalfacapable of carrying 10, 000 head of cattle all the year round, where asthe fattened animals are sold off an equal number is bought to replacethem. Such a camp would bring in a clear profit of $200, 000 per annum, and the property should be worth £175, 000 sterling. An animal that hasbeen kept all its life on rough camp, and, when too old for breeding, isplaced for the first time on alfalfa lands, fattens extremely quickly, and the meat is tender and in quality compares favourably with any otherbeef. No business in Argentina of the same importance has shown suchgood returns as cattle breeding, and these results have been chieflybrought about by the introduction of alfalfa, and a knowledge of thelife history of alfalfa is of the greatest importance to the cattlefarmer. All cereal crops take from the soil mineral matter and nitrogen. Therefore, after continuous cropping the land becomes exhausted andgenerally poorer; experience has taught us that rotation of crops is anecessity to alleviate the strain on the soil, and such an axiom hasthis become that in many cases English landlords insist that theirleases shall contain a clause binding the tenants to grow certain statedcrops in rotation. This system is known in England as the four-course shift. Knowledgegained by successive generations of observant farmers has given us thekey to what Nature had hitherto kept to herself, and to-day we know whythe plan adopted by our forefathers was right, and why the rotation ofcrops was, and is, a necessity. Men of science are devoting their livesto the systematic study of Nature's hidden secrets, and by means ofAgricultural Colleges, as well as private individual research, thesediscoveries are being given to mankind, and long before the soils ofArgentina show any serious loss of nitrogen from continuous cropping, science will probably have established means of applying in a practicalmanner those methods already known of propagating thenitrogen-collecting bacteria which thrive on alfalfa, clover, peas, soyabeans, and other leguminous plants. Almost every country is now devotingtime, money, and energy to agricultural research work. In 1908 theAgricultural College at Ontario prepared no less than 474 packages ofLegume Bacteria, and in 309 cases beneficial results followed from theapplication thereof to the soil; in 165 cases no improvements in thecrops were noticed, this may, however, have been due to the want ofknowledge of how to manipulate the bacteria, or to lack of experience innoting effects scientifically, but in any case the experiment must beconsidered successful when the results obtained were satisfactory in noless than 65 per cent. Of the trials. No greater factor exists than themicroscope in opening up and hunting out the secrets concealed in thevery soil we are standing on. If soils were composed of nothing but pure silica sand, nothing wouldever grow; but in Nature we find that soils contain all sorts of mineralmatter, and chief amongst these is lime. Alfalfa thrives on land which contains lime, and gives but poor resultswhere this ingredient is deficient. The explanation is simple. There isa community of interest between the very low microscopic animal life, known as bacteria, and plant life generally. In every ounce of soilthere are millions of these living germs which have their allotted workto do, and they thrive best in soils containing lime. If one digs up with great care a root of alfalfa (it need not be an oldplant, the youngest plant will show the same peculiarity), and care istaken in exposing the root (perhaps the best method is the washing awayof the surrounding earth by water), some small nodules attached to thefine, hair-like roots are easily distinguished by the naked eye, andthese nodules are the home of a teeming, microscopical, industriouspopulation, who perform their allotted work with the silent, persistentenergy so often displayed in Nature. Men of science have been able toidentify at least three classes of these bacteria, and to ascertain thework accomplished by each. The reason for their existence would seem tobe that one class is able to convert the nitrogen in the air intoammonia, whilst others work it into nitrite, and the third class somanipulate it as to form a nitrate which is capable of being used forplant food. Now, although one ton of alfalfa removes from the soil 50 lb. Ofnitrogen, yet that crop leaves the soil richer in nitrogen, because thealfalfa has encouraged the multiplication of those factories whichconvert some of the thousands of tons of nitrogen floating above theearth into substance suitable for food for plant life. As a dry fodderfor cattle three tons of alfalfa contains as much nutrition as two tonsof wheat. The cost of growing alfalfa greatly depends upon the situation of theland to be dealt with; also upon whether labour is plentiful or not;but, in order to give some idea of the advantage of growing this cattlefood, we will imagine the intrinsic value of the undeveloped land to be£4, 000, upon which, under existing conditions, it would be possible tokeep 1, 000 head of animals, whereas if this same land were under alfalfa3, 000 to 3, 500 animals would be fattened thereon, and the land wouldhave increased in value to £20, 000 or £30, 000. Now, if the undeveloped land is to be improved, it becomes necessaryeither to work it yourself, with your own men, in which case you mustprovide ploughs, horses, bullocks, etc. , or to carry out the planusually adopted, that of letting the land to colonists who have had someexperience in this class of work. Usually a colonist will undertake tocultivate from 500 to 600 acres, and agrees to pay to the landowneranything from 10 per cent. To 30 per cent. Of his crops according to thedistance of the land from the railway. The colonist brings hisagricultural tackle along with him, and establishes his house (usually amost primitive affair), digs his well, and then proceeds to plough. Inthis work the whole family joins; the father leads the way, followed bythe eldest child, and all the others in rotation, with the wife bringingup the rear; she keeps a maternal eye upon the little mite, who withgreat gusto and terrific yells manages somehow to cling to the ploughand to do his or her share with the rest. Is it to be wondered at thatwork progresses fast under these conditions? There is but one ideaprevalent in the family, namely, that time and opportunity are withthem. The first crop grown on newly-broken ground is usually maize; the secondyear's crop is linseed, and perhaps a third year's crop--probablywheat--is grown by the colonist before the land is handed back to theowner ready to be put down in alfalfa. The colonist's cultivation of theland will have effectually killed off the natural rough grasses whichwould otherwise grow up and choke the alfalfa. Sometimes the alfalfa issown with the colonist's last crop, and in such cases the landownerfinds the alfalfa seed, and during the sowing of this crop it is veryadvisable that either he or his agent should be in constant attendance, because the after results greatly depend upon the care with which theseeding has been done. When the colonist's contract is completed hemoves on to another part, and the owner, who has year by year received apercentage of the crops, takes back his land. Considerable outlay hasnow to be made in fences, wells, and buildings; the more there are ofthese the better, the land will carry a larger head of cattle and thecontrol of them is easy when the camp has been properly divided. The colonists are generally Italians. They are an industrious and kindlypeople, hardy and quiet, well content with their surroundings, carefuland frugal in their living, and many thousands could go back to theirown country with wealth which has been acquired by constant andassiduous attention to the economies of life. It has often been said that an Englishman will starve where an Italianwill thrive, and in some respects this is true; but it would be betterexpressed if it were stated that an Italian can adapt himself tocircumstances better than an Englishman. At the same time, I doubt if anItalian would come off best were the two placed on a desert island whereinstantaneous action, grit, and endurance were called for. Many things are said of an Englishman, and none fits his characterbetter than that which gives him the privilege of "grumbling, " and thischaracteristic becomes more marked when he is able to grumble with oneof his own kith and kin. I have heard Argentines praise Englishmen, who, they say, manage their estancias far and away beyond all others, but atthe same time they have told me that they would never allow twoEnglishmen on their place at once. It has been said that many of the immigrants do not intend to settle inthe country. Probably this idea has gained ground on account of thelarge numbers of the labouring population, who are attracted toArgentina by the high wages ruling during the harvest time, and thenfind it pays them to go home and secure the European harvest, butgenerally these men come out again to stay. They have acquired aknowledge of the country, and often enough have also acquired aninterest in some land, and they return, bringing their families, toadopt Argentina as their home--for a period at least. A glance at the statistics prepared by the authorities in Buenos Airesshows that during the last fifty-two years 4, 250, 980 persons entered asimmigrants, and out of this number only 1, 690, 783 returned, leaving inthe country 2, 560, 197 individuals, or an average of 50, 000 workers perannum. These figures have become even more marked of recent years. Taking the last five years, the country has received on an average249, 000 immigrants per annum; of these, 103, 000 went back. In otherwords, 727, 670 have made their homes within the borders of Argentinaduring the past five years, and of these at least 500, 000 wereagriculturists. It is not to be wondered at, then, that the exports, chiefly made up ofagricultural produce, have shown extraordinary progress. Facing thispage is a diagram showing the agricultural exportation from 1900 to1908. [Illustration: AGRICULTURAL EXPORTATION INCLUDING WHEAT, LINSEED, OATS, MAIZE, ETC. ] [Illustration: CULTIVATED AREA IN HECTARES. (1 HECTARE = 2. 471 ACRES)] Nothing can be more eloquent than the figures shown in this diagram. This remarkable progress, almost steady in its upward march, is not inone direction only. Argentina is an ideal country for agriculturists, and in every branch of that industry progress has been made. Greatercare is being taken to-day in working up the by-products of the cattlebusiness. More varied crops are being grown, and vegetable by-productsare being economically looked after. The forests of Argentina are alsobeing worked for the benefit of mankind. The Quebracho Colorado treeforms a very important item of export. It is sent out of the countryeither in the form of logs, of which no less than 254, 571 tons wereexported in 1908, or in the form of an extract for tanning purposes;48, 162 tons of this extract were made and exported in 1908, and a smallquantity of the wood was exported in the shape of sawdust. The totalvalue of Quebracho Colorado exported in various forms in that year was, as already stated, £1, 200, 000. This means that the Quebracho forests arebeing depleted at the rate of half a million tons per annum for exportpurposes alone, in addition to the enormous quantities used forsleepers, etc. , in the country. The area in acres under cultivation for the year 1908 was 46, 174, 250, anincrease of 265 per cent, on the land under cultivation in the year1895. The diagram facing this page shows the area in hectares cultivated from1897 to 1908:-- WHEAT--The area under cultivation for wheat shows an increase of 89 percent, in ten years from-- 8, 000, 000 acres in cultivation in 1898, to15, 157, 750 " " " " 1908 LINSEED--shows an increase of 361 per cent, from-- 831, 972 acres in cultivation in 1898, to3, 835, 750 " " " " 1908 MAIZE--increased by 250 per cent. , and other crops, including Oats, 300per cent. In the same period. The United Kingdom purchased from Argentina and retained for its own use(in round figures) during the year 1908-- WHEAT to the value of £13, 000, 000MAIZE " " 5, 600, 000FROZEN MEAT " " 9, 300, 000 ----------- Making a total of £27, 900, 000 ----------- Indeed, we buy from Argentina nearly 25 per cent. Of our total foodpurchased abroad, and she supplies nearly 29 per cent. Of our corn andgrain requirements. These figures again clearly demonstrate that we havea vital interest in the well-being of our friends across the sea. In every direction Argentina has progressed, and judging from the pastwe may look with confidence to the future; the total area of theRepublic is 776, 064, 000 acres, and certainly it is within the bounds ofreasonable forecast to consider that 100, 000, 000 acres of this land willbe, when opened up by railways, and other facilities, available forcorn-growing. To-day only one-fifth of this available area is beingcultivated, and another 43, 000, 000 acres are being utilised for feedingpurposes; thus, only 63, 000, 000 out of 776, 000, 000 acres are beingoccupied. The chief reason why more is not utilised is because there isnot sufficient labour available. Argentina has 5 inhabitants per square mile. Russia " 18 " " Canada, Newfoundland, etc. " 1-1/2 " " Australia " 1-1/3 " " U. Kingdom " 364 " " Belgium " 625 " " Germany " 290 " " Not only is there an enormous tract of land lying dormant, but theproductive power of land now under cultivation may be vastly increasedif farmers will devote their attention to improving the conditions ofcultivation. 11. 3 bushels of wheat per acre is not high-class farming, yet this is the average production for Argentina. Manitoba in 1908produced 13-1/2 bushels per acre, Saskatchewan, 17 bushels. In thefourteenth century England only produced 10 bushels per acre, but wehave improved this yield to 30 bushels, while Roumania has increased heryield from 15 bushels per acre in 1890, to 23 bushels in 1908. Francehas increased her yield from 17 bushels in 1884, to 20 bushels in 1908. Germany has increased her yield per acre from 20 bushels in 1899, to 30bushels in 1908. So that we may not only look forward to a greater areabeing placed under cultivation, but we may reasonably expect heaviercrops, if land proprietors will bring science to bear on their work ofdevelopment. Indeed, with land rising in price, with an increasinginflux of immigrants, and with more intelligent cultivation of the soil, the land must of necessity give a far larger yield than it has doneheretofore. The following tables, taken from the Board of Trade returns, show fromwhence England draws some of her supplies. They also show howprominently Argentina figures as a food producer. The first tableincludes corn and meat; the second gives corn alone, and the third meatalone:-- FOOD IMPORTED INTO AND RETAINED BY THE UNITED KINGDOM IN 1908. CORN (including wheat, barley, oats, rye, buckwheat, peas, beans, maize, wheatmeal, flour, oatmeal, and offals) £71, 103, 487 MEAT, fresh and frozen (including animalsfor food) 48, 704, 613 Total £119, 808, 100 Of this-- £ Per Cent. Argentina supplied 29, 569, 773 or 24. 68 U. S. A. Supplied 38, 229, 135 or 31. 90 Russia supplied 7, 394, 607 or 6. 18 Canada supplied 11, 907, 203 or 9. 94 Australia (including Tasmania) supplied 4, 520, 244 or 3. 77 Other Colonies and Foreign Countries supplied 28, 187, 138 or 23. 53 £119, 808, 100 or 100. 00 * * * * * CORN IMPORTED INTO AND RETAINED BY THE UNITED KINGDOM IN 1908. Argentina. U. S. A. Russia. Canada. Australia (including Tasmania). £ £ £ £ £Wheat ... ... | 13, 096, 812 10, 779, 221 2, 286, 180 6, 335, 329 2, 402, 988 |Barley ... ... | 22, 943 733, 446 2, 622, 005 205, 697 -- |Oats ... ... | 1, 463, 368 -- 1, 144, 387 6, 441 -- |Rye ... ... | -- 129, 691 93, 066 49, 009 -- |Buckwheat ... ... | -- -- 6, 677 -- -- |Peas ... ... | -- 38, 545 42, 279 105, 495 2, 345 |Beans (not fresh, |other than Haricot|Beans) ... ... | -- -- 15, 094 -- -- |Maize ... ... | 5, 603, 463 2, 023, 576 1, 107, 858 44, 822 -- |Wheatmeal |and Flour ... | 50, 597 5, 407, 119 80 809, 479 119, 440 |Oatmeal and | Rolled Oats ... | -- 183, 334 -- 207, 516 -- |Farinaceous sub- | stances (except | Starch, Farina, | Dextrine, and | Potato Flour) | -- 99, 112 -- 59, 302 -- |Bran and Pollard | 11, 932 -- -- -- -- |Sharps and | Middlings | 35, 113 -- -- -- -- |Maize Meal | -- 129, 543 -- -- -- ----+-----------+------------+-----------+-----------+----------- £ 20, 284, 228 | 19, 523, 587 | 7, 317, 626 | 7, 823, 090 | 2, 524, 773 ----------------+------------+-----------+-----------+-----------Percentage 28. 53% | 27. 46% | 10. 29% | 11. 00% | 3. 56% ----------------+------------+-----------+-----------+----------- * * * * * Other Colonies and Foreign Total. Countries. £ £ 13, 630, 183[C] 71, 103, 487 ---------------+-------------+ 13, 630, 183 | 71, 103, 487 |---------------+-------------+ 19. 16% | = 100% |---------------+-------------+ * * * * * MEAT, including animals for food, and fresh, chilled, frozen and tinned, imported into and retained by the United Kingdom in 1908: £ Per Cent. Argentina supplied 9, 285, 545 or 19. 07U. S. A. " 18, 705, 548 " 38. 41Russia " 76, 981 " 0. 16Canada " 4, 084, 113 " 8. 38Australia (including Tasmania) supplied 1, 995, 471 " 4. 10Other Colonies and ForeignCountries supplied[D] 14, 556, 955 " 29. 88 48, 704, 613 " 100. 00 The lesson shown here is one worthy of attention. We see that Argentinasupplies England with one-fourth of her imported food, and U. S. A. Supplies nearly one-third. Therefore it behoves both England andArgentina to see that America does not so manipulate things that sheacquires the control over our meat and food supplies. Argentine authorities should not only exercise the law sanctionedFebruary 4th, 1907, concerning the inspection of factories, but theyshould enforce greater care in seeing that all Argentine saladeros andpacking-houses are manipulated with intense care, and cleanliness shouldbe insisted upon; it would be a bad day for Argentina should ever suchan outcry be raised against her saladeros as that which a few years agowas directed against the North American packing houses and for a timeruined the canning industry of the United States, and yet we findAmerican methods being introduced into Argentina without let orhindrance. If our soldiers and sailors are to be fed upon canned meats, let those who are responsible for purchasing the food, at least see thatthe food is prepared under healthy and sanitary conditions. The corn-growing industry of the Argentine Republic is an intenselyinteresting subject. Before railways and steamships brought the foreignproducer into close competition with our own farmers, Argentina did notproduce enough grain to supply her home consumption, and cattle werebred only for their hides, tallow and bones. In the course of time, whensteamers superseded sailing-ships and the world's carrying capacitythus became enormously increased, Argentina saw her opportunity ofbecoming a keen competitor in the food market. Corn-growing became ahighly remunerative business, although much still remains to be learnedconcerning the handling of wheat. Both in the States and Canada grain ishandled in a cheaper and more expeditious manner than in Argentina. Anenormous amount of grain is dealt with in the Wheat Exchange ofWinnipeg, but a further big impetus will be given to this industry whenthe wheat-fields of Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba are connectedwith a deep-sea port on Hudson Bay; this will be an accomplished fact in1915, and as this route means a thousand miles less haulage by land, andeight hundred less by sea to the chief European ports than by anyexisting route, it is bound to become the popular one; the chief factor, however, in making it a useful wheat outlet is the established fact thatHudson Bay, although many miles north of Lake Superior, remains freefrom ice for a period of one month after Lake Superior is tightly frozenup. Argentina may look forward to keen competition with Canada and Siberiafor many years to come; on the other hand, the U. S. A. Will steadily showa smaller quantity of wheat available for exportation, and the followingtable throws some light upon the wheat position:-- Argentina and Uruguay have increased the area of their wheat-growing land brought under the plough in the last ten years by 124 per cent. Canada in the last ten years by 120 per cent. Russia in the last ten years by 27 per cent. United States in the last ten years by 14 per cent. No country in the world has shown such wonderful capabilities forgrowing linseed as the Argentine, and her average production for thefollowing five-year periods show this expansion:-- Years. Production in Tons. 1894-1898 193, 0001899-1903 382, 0001904-1908 839, 000 In ten years she increased her production by 335 per cent. In the sameperiod India increased her production by 3. 8 per cent. , and NorthAmerica by 105 per cent. , whilst Russia was unable to keep up hersupply. The world's total linseed production for 1908 was made up as follows:-- Argentina produced 1, 101, 000 tons. North America produced 694, 000 tons. Russia produced 470, 000 tons. India produced 360, 000 tons. Here again we find Argentina leading. Moreover, she exported nearly thewhole of her production, whilst North America, Russia, and Indiaexported less than half a million tons between them. It is more than probable that by 1920 Argentina will be able to export, as the result of agricultural work, more than £100, 000, 000 worth ofproduce per annum. It is interesting to note that, as the presentfigures reveal, allowing for a population of 6, 500, 000 and anagricultural produce export of £48, 335, 432, each individual in Argentinahas sent abroad, after producing enough from the land to keep himself, goods to the value of nearly £8. The diagram facing this page shows what has been accomplished byArgentina in the last ten years. [Illustration: DIAGRAM OF VALUE IN £ STERLING OF THE TOTAL EXPORTS OFARGENTINA 1900-1909. ] In actual money value the exportation of wheat, linseed, oats, maize, other grain, flour, bran, and middlings is, in round figures, asfollows:-- 1900 £15, 485, 0001901 14, 319, 0001902 13, 634, 0001903 21, 050, 0001904 30, 065, 0001905 34, 047, 0001906 31, 530, 0001907 32, 818, 0001908 48, 335, 0001909 46, 100, 000 CATTLE. The value derived from the cattle industry and its allied produce is ofgreat importance to the Argentine Republic. The exports from thisindustry may be divided into four heads, namely:-- LIVE ANIMALS; RAW PRODUCTS; MANUFACTURED OR PARTLY MANUFACTURED MATERIAL AND BY-PRODUCTS. Since the closing of English ports in 1901 to the importation of livecattle from Argentina, the trade in the export of live stock has fallenoff considerably; the total value did not in 1908 amount to more than£568, 966; Belgium took 65, 224 sheep, Chili took 45, 114 cattle and 14, 394sheep, Bolivia took 3, 383 head of cattle and 10, 676 sheep, and 16, 000asses and mules, while horses were imported into England, Africa, Portugal, Brazil, Uruguay, Chili, Bolivia, and Paraguay. Exports of raw products, which include frozen and chilled beef andmutton, hides, sheepskins, wool, and such things as horsehair, tallow, jerked beef, etc. , represented a value of £19, 549, 231 in 1908. Manufactured or partly manufactured material, including prepared tallow, meat extracts, meat, butter, cheese, lard, dressed leather, etc. , represented £2, 454, 760, whilst the by-products, including bones, driedblood, guano, waste fats, etc. , were valued at £430, 734. Thus, Argentina's total export from the cattle industry (after supplying herown needs) was over £23, 000, 000. Argentina's live stock on hand when the last census was taken in May, 1908, was as follows:-- Cattle ... ... ... 29, 116, 625Sheep ... ... ... 67, 211, 758Horses ... ... ... 7, 531, 376Mules, swine, goats, and asses 6, 098, 802 representing in value £129, 369, 628. The favourite breed of cattle is the Shorthorn, and they comprise 84 percent, of the classified breeding cows; the Herefords only figure out as6 per cent. , but, undoubtedly, a more careful and completeclassification will lead to modifications in these figures, for at thepresent time no less than five and a-half million cows are returned asCriollo cattle, in other words, unimproved stock. Not until the year 1885, when it became possible to send frozen meat toEurope, did estancieros pay serious attention to growing cattle for meatproduction, and now, with an ever-increasing quantity of land beingplaced under alfalfa, the Argentine Republic is fast becoming theleading factor in the production of meat to satisfy the world'sconsumption. Cattle on the outside fringe of occupied lands are still very coarse andrough, with a distinct strain of the Hereford about them; they are, however, a useful herd and most suitable for the districts they occupy, where they often have to undergo the hardships of shortage of pastureowing to drought, and little or no water, indeed, it is a marvel howthese animals exist at times; and assuredly no refined breed of cattlecould live where the Criollos not only manage to thrive, but generallyto return a satisfactory result to their owners. The cattle on rancheswhich are nearer to the seaports, manufacturing centres, or railwaystations show distinct improvements. Greater care is bestowed upon them, and the main consideration is never lost sight of--it is the ambition ofevery estanciero to have his cattle graded up so that they are lookedupon as "freezers, " which means that they are good enough to bepurchased by one or other of the refrigerating companies, who takenothing but the best. In 1888 cattle running the northern camps (which then represented theextreme outlying posts) were only valued at $6 per head. In 1890 the value had risen to $10 per head. " 1900 " " " 15 " " 1908 " " " 28 " " 1910 " " " 40 " The question of stock raising and the object to be obtained must restwith the owners: they must decide whether the land is to be utilised forfattening cattle or for breeding the high-class animals for which thereis an ever-ready market. To show the enormous value of animals and thehigh standard to which agricultural lands can be brought, mention mustbe made of two estancias near Buenos Aires, viz. , those belonging toMessrs. Cobo and Messrs. Bell, where splendid stock is always to befound. To give some idea of the high price paid for first-class pedigreeanimals, it may be mentioned that £3, 800 was paid for a prize Durhambull which was sold to Argentina! At the cattle show at Buenos Aires held in July, 1910, Herefords forkilling realized from £850 to £1, 000 per animal! These latter highprices were, however, evidently paid by the agents of Cold StorageCompanies for advertising purposes. One representative explained thatthe freezing Companies desired to encourage breeders, and that hisCompany paid the high prices mentioned above so as to let the breedersknow that they would always be paid high prices for first-class cattle. When we consider the really important position which Argentina takes asa food producer, it appears incredible that the English nation (businessmen and the general public alike) is so extremely ignorant, as a rule, of prevailing conditions. I do not refer to those who have investedtheir money in the many channels known to the River Plate circle. Butmen holding high official positions speak of our commercial interests inArgentina as "something between a hundred and a hundred and fiftymillions, " and then in a whispered side-speech indicate the dangers ofrevolution. Often it is suggested that the chances of death from small-pox, yellowfever, and even from murder are a serious drawback to what mightotherwise be a country possible to live in. It makes one very indignantto hear these statements from the lips of those who probably have neverleft their own country. Let me assure you they may be swept aside, andwere it not for their frequent reiteration it would be unnecessary tosay that there is not one grain of truth in these suggestions as appliedto the state of things to-day. Nearly one-fifth of the population of Argentina is centred in and aroundBuenos Aires. It is a city of 1, 200, 000 inhabitants, many of whom aremillionaires; but at the same time there exists much poverty within itsprecincts--poverty caused in no small degree by the viciousness of therich, but to a far greater extent by the rooted objection of certainclasses to go out to the camps where, during the harvest time at least, wages are high and labour is anxiously awaited. When we compare the health of this city of Buenos Aires with that ofother large cities, we can see what has been done in the way ofimprovements in the last few years. A glance at the following tableswill give some idea of what has been accomplished. The natural increaseof the population of Buenos Aires between 1898 and 1907 was 19. 1 per1, 000, and no other city equals this. The increase in London was 8. 8 per 1, 000. " Berlin " 8. 5 " " New York " 5. 7 " " St. Petersburg " 4. 6 " The birth-rate of Buenos Aires for 1908 was 34. 3 per 1, 000. " " London " 25. 7 " " Berlin " 23. 3 " " New York " 28. 5 " " St. Petersburg " 27. 5 Both these tables are, however, probably affected by the great number ofimmigrants finding their way to Argentina, many of whom remain in BuenosAires. The health of the City may be well gauged by the death-rate for the year1907. Buenos Aires stands well with 15. 2 per 1, 000 inhabitants. London has a death-rate of 15. 1 " "Berlin " " 14. 8 " "New York " " 18. 6 " "St. Petersburg " 25. 7 " " (Undoubtedly the high rate shown by the last-named city is greatly dueto the foul condition of the Neva. ) To appreciate thoroughly the position which Buenos Aires now holds, andthe strides which have been made in regard to the sanitation of theCity, we have but to look at the past. Between the years 1889 and 1898the death-rate per thousand was as high as 22. 9 per 1, 000; from 1899 to1908 it was only 16. 6, and now the record stands at 15. 2 per 1, 000. The authorities are justly proud of what has been done, and will notdiminish their efforts so long as there is work to do and problems tosolve. I should like to state once more the fact that the United Kingdomdepends upon Argentina for nearly one-fourth of her food supplypurchased abroad. I want to impress upon your mind the seriousness ofthe position, for this proportion of one-fourth will be largelyincreased in the near future, for reasons already stated. The question has often been asked, "Is it safe to buy land inArgentina?" But the drift of this query too often is merelyself-interest; in other words, it really means "Can I successfullyspeculate in land?" Clearly the matter is solely a personal one, noother consideration is thought of, so one is tempted to give an evasiveanswer. Should the questioner, however, be a young fellow, with God'sgift of health and plenty of truth and grit in him, who wants not onlyto acquire the land, but to work it, then, indeed, there is but oneanswer, and that is in the affirmative--let him go, and let him everremember that he is an Englishman and that England is judged by theconduct of her sons: but do not let him make the great mistake anewcomer so often falls into, which is, that because he is an Englishmanall other nationalities must be inferior, and that by some sort ofdivine right he has been created lord of all. Let him realise that thosewhom he meets in Argentina are as noble and pure as those he left athome. Argentina offers to-day a splendid opening for the best ofEngland's sons, but she does not want the loafer nor the ne'er-do-well. Can it be wondered at that England's prestige is seriously injured whenso many of the "wasters, " and worse, are sent from the country? It isbut natural that from these, who go to foreign countries, England isjudged. To my mind we should send abroad men who are bound to succeed, men who never forget that from their behaviour the Mother Country willbe appraised. Argentina will embrace and reward them, but she will spurnand despise the dissolute and drunken. The advice I would give to all those thinking of trying Argentina as afield for agricultural work is to remember that to be successful onemust begin at the bottom, the harder the school the better will be theresult: you cannot detect and correct the faults which militate againstsuccess unless you have been through the mill. Not long ago I sent a boyout to Argentina and painted the first two years of learning in the newcountry in rather lurid colours. I explained and dwelt on thehardships--indeed, I described it as "a dog's life. " Within a year, thelad wrote home to his parents and mentioned all that I had told him, butfinished up by saying, "There's plenty of 'life' about it, but not much'dog. '" The truth is that the boy had accepted things as they came alongand had adapted himself to his surroundings, and, I predict, he willnever regret having left his home, where opportunities were cramped bysmall surroundings, for the wider field of Argentina. A great many Englishmen resident in Argentina, whose sons are lookingforward to finding their life's work in that country, send their boyshome to England to be educated. Far be it from me to deprecate thetraining acquired by English public school life, but it might well beworth while to consider the other phase. The boy who has had hisschooling in Argentina and goes through his training and passes into oneof their Universities will have to his credit something which cannot bebought by money or influence by boys straight out from home. He willhave been a fellow student, and worked shoulder to shoulder with men whowill in due time occupy positions of power and influence, and it is justas well to weigh out these things before deciding where to educate yourboy. A boy born in Argentina, whatever the nationality of his parentsmay be, is by Argentine law an Argentine subject, and should be broughtup to appreciate that he is liable to be called upon to go through amilitary course: the Argentine boy, who has had just as gentle anupbringing as the English boy, is compelled to serve his time in thearmy if called upon, and generally the discipline engendered by thistraining has not only been good for him, but is a distinctly valuableasset to the country, and the English boy, as well as a boy of any otherparentage born in the country, will be obliged to go through thismilitary training if required. I venture to think that were England to adopt compulsory militaryservice in some shape or form, we should hear a great deal less of theunemployed and "don't-want-work" demonstrations. To attempt to give a picture of Argentine life is impossible in theshort time at my disposal. Imagine to yourself, if you can, a country of1, 212, 600 square miles whose borders extend from well within the Tropicsto away down south to the everlasting snows, embracing all kinds oflands, from the very richest of soils to ice-capped and rocky peaks, andyou must admit that to attempt to describe the various conditions oflife therein is wellnigh impossible. Life is much what the surroundingconditions make it--on the extreme edge of cultivation it is distinctlyrough, on the inner camps refinement steps in, and in the cities youwill find just what society you wish. Amongst the cosmopolitanpopulation of Buenos Aires there are many men and women of the highestculture and education. There are many Argentines, who stand out prominently from the throng ofbusy pleasure-seekers, who are devoting their lives to improving thesurroundings of those less fortunate fellow-creatures who have fallenupon the thorny path, and whose portion is often the cup of bitterness. Indeed, I have ever found the Argentine desirous of helping those whoseek advice and assistance; but he spurns the foreigner who degradeshimself and his country by acts of folly which would not be permitted inhis native land. Englishmen often fall into the great error of keeping themselves tothemselves. Possibly this trait is engendered from birth and training byour insular position, but it is a great pity to carry it too far, forthe Argentine people do appreciate the thoroughness of our countrymen, and are ready to welcome the right sort. We have taught the Argentinesmany of our national sports and games, and they have entered into themwith such thoroughness that the teachers have often had to admit thatthe pupil has proved better than the master. Travelling has become an integral part of the education of the Argentinefamily to-day, and it is quite general to find young children speakingfluently four or five languages. I could wish that those who have Argentine friends would insist upontheir seeing, when in this country, some of the Englishman's homesurroundings, for hotel life, theatres, dinners, and music-halls are allvery well in their way, but to see the real inwardness of English lifeyou must follow the Englishman to his country home. My experience isthat the Argentine will always refuse an invitation to your home atfirst, because of the trouble which he believes you will be put to, butdon't take "no" for an answer; simply make him come, and he will thankyou afterwards for his experience of English home life. Just a word or two, for fear I have left an impression that Argentina isthe El Dorado which lies beyond the seas. There are such things aslocusts, floods, droughts, and frosts in that country. The first of these--locusts--are indeed a plague which to-day it seemsalmost impossible to annihilate, for I have little faith in man'sattempts effectually to stop or decrease this pestilence; on the otherhand, Nature always seems to be on the alert to prevent an overthrow ofthe balance of things. Those who have spent their lives in the RiverPlate district have seen this appalling plague crushed by means whichNature, in her own good time, has thought fit to use. With regard to floods and droughts, these can, at least, be modified bymen, and means are now being adopted to conserve the floods and rendertheir waters available in time of drought. From frosts we seem powerless to defend ourselves, and it is only thosewhose work is in close touch with the growing and handling of crops whocan fully appreciate the damage done by late frosts. No country is free from drawbacks of some sort or another, and thesetroubles which I have just mentioned will not prevent the forward marchof progress in Argentina. FOOTNOTES: [A] These figures are approximate [B] The dollar referred to throughout this paper is the Argentine paperdollar, which since 1899 has had a fixed value, and is worthapproximately 1s. 9d. Previous to that date its value fluctuatedconsiderably. [C] A list of the other Colonies and Foreign Countries which largelycontributed to this total will be found on the following page. [D] The other colonies and foreign countries which largely contributedto the totals mentioned are as follows:-- DENMARK--Barley £22, 708 Meat 5, 988, 573 ROUMANIA--Corn, etc. £2, 564, 538 Meat nil. TURKEY (including CRETE)--Corn, etc £1, 383, 971 Meat nil. TURKEY, ASIATIC--Corn, etc. £1, 344, 322 Meat nil. CHILI--Corn, etc £1, 099, 660 Meat 10, 682 BRITISH INDIA--Corn, etc £2, 226, 668 Meat nil. NEW ZEALAND--Corn, etc £30, 585 Meat 4, 168, 649 HISTORY OF THE SANTA FÉ LAND COMPANY, LIMITED. In the years 1881 and 1882, Messrs. C. De Murrieta & Co. Acquired ablock of land from the Government of the Province of Santa Fé, and inDecember, 1882, sold one undivided half-share thereof to Messrs. Kohn, Reinach & Co. Messrs. Murrieta & Co. And Messrs. Kohn, Reinach & Co. , having decided to develop the said lands, formed the Santa Fé LandCompany, and the prospectus appeared in July, 1883. The area sold to the new Company was said to comprise about 650 Spanishleagues, or 4, 336, 150 English acres, and the price to be paid to thevendors was £1, 050 per league. In order to provide a port of shipment on the Rio Parana the Companybought a further lot of 323 acres in the Colony of Romang. In addition to the original block of land, the Company has since boughtthe following areas:-- The estancia of La Barrancosa, 10, 801 hectareas, say 26, 678 The estancia of Santa Catalina, 4, 049 hectareas, say 10, 002 A strip of land at Guaycuru on the eastern boundaryof the Company's forest lands, 1, 636 hectareas, say 4, 041 A piece of land at Venado Tuerto, 37 hectareas, say 91 A piece of land at Arrufo, 100 hectareas, say 247 A piece of land at Tostado, 50 hectareas, say 123 41, 182 Since the beginning of the Company the total area of land sold hasamounted to 709, 549 acres (up to 30th June, 1910). It is calculatedthat the land comprised in the Bazan claim, to which reference is madelater on, measures 582, 914 acres. Upon this supposition the Company nowowns 3, 044, 100 acres. The original price paid for the Company's lands worked out at about 3s. An acre. The original capital of the Company was £875, 000, of which over £675, 566was paid to the vendors, leaving a balance of £199, 434 to meet thepreliminary expenses and the initial cost of opening up the newproperties. After some years it was found necessary to write off aportion of the capital, and accordingly, in 1897, the Company's landswere re-valued at approximately 2s. 9d. An acre. The present Directors of the Company are:-- Mr. CAMPBELL P. OGILVIE (_Chairman_). Mr. IVOR BEVAN. Mr. GORDON H. BROWN. LORD HAWKE. Mr. LOUIS H. KIEK. Mr. T. E. PRESTON. Capt. The Hon. F. C. STANLEY. The London Office is at 779, Salisbury House, Finsbury Circus, London, E. C. , and the Secretary of the Company is Mr. David Simpson. The HeadOffice in the Argentine is at 761, Avenida de Mayo, Buenos Aires, andthe following are the principal officers of the Company in Argentina:-- Mr. HUGH M. RATTRAY (_General Manager_). Mr. W. B. WHIGHAM (_Manager of the Cattleand Lands Department at Sun Cristobal_). Mr. R. N. LAND (_Manager at Santa Catalina_). Mr. T. SCOTT ROBSON (_Manager at La Barrancosa_). Mr. G. L. C. GITTINS (_Acting Manager of the Woods Department_). SHARE CAPITAL. The original shares of the Company were £10 each. It was decided in 1897to reduce them to £7 fully paid, which placed the capital at £612, 500. Shortly afterwards each £7 share was converted into seven shares of £1each. In 1906 the shareholders authorised the creation of £200, 000 of freshcapital, which was issued to them in two blocks of £154, 000 in 1906 and£46, 000 in 1907. Fresh capital was authorised in 1908, viz. , £187, 500, of which £161, 608was issued in 1909, and further lots have since been issued, bringingthe total amount of authorised capital to £1, 000, 000, and of issuedcapital at 30th June, 1910, to £982, 347. An issue of £50, 000 Six per Cent. Debentures was made in January, 1904;and the whole amount was redeemed on the 1st July, 1909. BAZAN LANDS. Part of the area sold to the Company consisted of a block ofapproximately 88 Spanish leagues, or 530, 000 English acres, which becamethe subject of negotiations and lawsuits between this Company, theProvincial Government of Santa Fé, and other parties, lasting for morethan twenty-five years. The area in question lay to the West of the RioSalado, and, at the time when this Company was formed, was supposed tobe included in the Province of Santa Fé. Soon afterwards the Province ofSantiago del Estero put forward a claim to the lands on the ground thatthe boundaries of that Province extended eastwards to the Rio Salado, and it therefore disputed the right of the Province of Santa Fé to sellthe lands to Messrs. Murrieta & Co. In 1882. By an Agreement with the Government of the Province of Santa Fé, theSanta Fé Land Company took proceedings in the Supreme Courts of theProvince to establish its rights to the land in dispute on theunderstanding that if the Company failed to establish its claim, theGovernment of the Province of Santa Fé would indemnify it for its loss. In the result the Company was evicted from the lands, and entered intonegotiations with the Government of the Province of Santa Fé forindemnification. These negotiations went on for some years withoutcoming to any practical conclusion, and at last the Company commenced alawsuit against the Province and won it. After further delays andnegotiations the Government agreed to issue bonds in respect of theCompany's claim, and, in July, 1909, the Company agreed to accept$3, 212, 000 paper Bonds of the Province, carrying interest at 3-1/2 percent. , with an amortisation of 1/2 per cent. , the coupons beingavailable for payment of land tax. The Government further undertook toratify the original titles of the Company, and to make a survey at thejoint expense of both parties, for the purpose of ascertaining the exactarea comprised in the original transfer. Any lands found to be in excesswere to be paid for by the Company to the Government at the rate of$13. 50, paper, per hectarea (about 8s. An acre). The price of suchexcess lands was to be recouped by the Government from the Bonds issuedto the Company, and the Government retained $712, 000 Bonds for thispurpose, pending the result of the survey. [Illustration: _Cattle Train on Central Argentine Railway, bringingCattle to Barrancosa. _] RAILWAY COMMUNICATION. At the time of the formation of the Company, the nearest railway wasthat belonging to the Central Argentine Railway, and the nearestrailway station was Rosario, but some years later, the lines nowbelonging to the French Railway Company of the Province of Santa Fé werelaid between Santa Fé and San Cristobal. Subsequently the Central NorteRailway, which stretches northwards from San Cristobal to Tucuman, wasbuilt by the National Government, and in 1907, the National Governmentbuilt a line from Santa Fé to San Cristobal _via_ San Justo. The Company have built a railway from a point north of Vera running intotheir forests, and extend it from time to time as the development of thewood industry demands. They further own a line from Margarita to LaGallareta, where the extract factory of the Compania Tanin de Santa Féis situated. The Company propose to build a railway from San Cristobalto penetrate to their northern properties, and have applied to theArgentine National Government for a railway concession in connectiontherewith. ADMINISTRATION. After various changes of centre the administration offices of theCompany were, in the year 1902, divided between San Cristobal for thecattle and lands department, and Vera for the woods department, but, in1906, the woods department was placed under the supervision of theGeneral Manager of the Company, who lived at San Cristobal, and, in1908, the central offices were moved from San Cristobal to Buenos Aires. Through the latter office all the work of the Company in Argentinapasses on to the London office, the managers at San Cristobal, Vera, Santa Catalina, and La Barrancosa, having to concern themselves onlywith the technical and administrative work carried on under themrespectively. COMPANY'S BUSINESS. The Company's business has been mainly divided into three branches, viz. : (1) land sales and rentals; (2) cattle industry, and (3) timbertrade. The first two branches are conducted from San Cristobal, situated at theS. W. Corner of the Company's original lands, and for many years the siteof the central offices of the Company in Argentina, whilst the timbertrade is conducted from Vera. SAN CRISTOBAL DEPARTMENT. A township was started at San Cristobal in 1884, and now numbers 4, 500persons. The Administration House and other buildings for the use of the GeneralManager and Staff of the Cattle and Lands Department were erected aboutthree miles from the town, and the whole now forms a large and handsomeestablishment, equipped with the most modern requisites for carrying onthe work of the estancia. The cattle lands have been divided up into sections, which are managedby officials of the Company, under the control of the administration atSan Cristobal. The office there and the offices on the various sectionshave recently been connected up by telephone. These sections arePolvareda, Michelot, Los Moyes, and Lucero (which lie to the North andNorth-East of San Cristobal), and Las Chuñas, which forms theNorth-Western corner of the Company's lands. [Illustration: _Loading Wheat at Rosario from the "Barranca. "_] [Illustration: _San Cristobal Estancia House. _] SANTA CATALINA AND LA BARRANCOSA. In January, 1897, the Company rented the estancia of Santa Catalina, which is situated about five miles from Los Cardos on the CentralArgentine Railway and about 150 miles South of San Cristobal. Here thestock which was brought down from San Cristobal was fattened beforepassing on to the markets. At the same time the Company continued thesowing of alfalfa which had been begun by the proprietor, and ultimatelydecided to buy the camp and use it as an establishment for breeding finestock. The terms of the purchase were that the price should be paid byway of an annuity, payable during the joint lifetime of the owner andhis wife. In 1909 this method of payment was compounded and satisfied infull by an allotment of shares of the Company. The practice has been that the male calves born on this estancia shouldbe sent North to the general herds kept at San Cristobal and theadjoining sections, and that the progeny of these animals should in turnbe sold as fat cattle. To facilitate this business the Company found it necessary to acquire acamp specially adapted for fattening purposes in the Southern part ofthe Province, so that they might be brought into closer touch with themarkets of Rosario and Buenos Aires. They accordingly bought theestancia La Barrancosa in 1906, and have been constantly increasing thearea there under alfalfa, equipping it with a full complement of wellsand fencing. This estancia lies half way between the towns of San Isabeland Venado Tuerto, from the latter of which it is distant about sixteenmiles. But, during the year 1909, a new broad-gauge railway line wasopened, leading from Rosario to Bahia Blanca. It passes right throughthe estancia, and by means of a station just outside the boundary theCompany have fresh means of despatching their animals to Rosario. VERA DEPARTMENT. The headquarters of the Woods Department is situated about eight milesN. W. Of the town of Vera, which stands at kilometre 250 north of theCity of Santa Fé on the line of the French Railway Company leading fromSanta Fé to Resistencia. Sawmills and offices were built, which involvedthe presence of a considerable number of work-people, for whom houseshad to be provided. Consequently, a small village has grown up at theplace. A branch railway was begun in 1905, at a point 13 kilometres north ofVera town, on the French Railway, to penetrate westwards into theCompany's forests, and has been extended to a point called Olmos, lying30 miles away. Along the line two or three hamlets have sprung up, wherepeople connected with the wood industry reside, as well as the Company'sofficials who control the timber in the neighbourhood. In 1904 the Company entered into an agreement with Messrs. Albert andCharles Harteneck, Frederick and Charles Portalis, and Hermann Renner, to bring out a Company to work a factory for the manufacture of tanninextract from the wood of the Quebracho Colorado tree, and this factorywas ultimately built within the Company's properties at a place calledLa Gallareta, which is situated 17 kilometres north-west of the Stationof Margarita on the French Railway line. The Santa Fé Land Company havealso built a branch line from Margarita to this tannin factory. [Illustration: _Watering-Place at Barrancosa. _] [Illustration: _Wood on the Company's Own Line ready for Loading. _] THE FOLLOWING TABLE SHOWS THE FINANCIAL POSITION OF THE COMPANY FROM1898 TO THE PRESENT TIME. Year Share Capital. Deben- Profit. Loss. Placed Balance Dividendending. Tures to Forward. (percent. ) Autho- Issued 6 per cent. Reserve. Rised. And fully paid. £ £ £ £ £ £ £30th June, " 1898 612, 500 612, 500 ... 420 ... ... Cr. 420 ... " 1899 612, 500 612, 500 ... ... 1, 650 ... Dr. 1, 230 ... " 1900 612, 500 612, 500 ... 11, 757 ... ... Cr. 2, 870 1-1/4" 1901 612, 500 612, 500 ... 9, 854 ... 2, 000 " 3, 068 1-1/4" 1902 612, 500 612, 500 ... 20, 746 ... 10, 000 " 6, 158 1-1/4" 1903 612, 500 612, 500 ... 23, 988 ... 10, 000 " 7, 896 2" 1904 612, 500 612, 500 50, 000 28, 332 ... 6, 000 " 8, 790 3-1/2" 1905 612, 500 612, 500 50, 000 36, 483 ... 6, 000 " 8, 648 5" 1906 812, 500 612, 500 50, 000 48, 183 ... 6, 000 " 11, 018 6-1/2" 1907 812, 500 766, 500 50, 000 82, 700 ... 12, 000 " 20, 398 8" 1908 1, 000, 000 812, 500 50, 000 91, 463 ... 86, 628[E] " 20, 611 10" 1909 1, 000, 000 812, 500 50, 000 115, 375 ... 20, 000 " 22, 549 10 and Bonus of 1-1/2 [Illustration: _Loading Timber at Wayside Station. _] FOOTNOTES: [E] Including £76, 623 from Share Premiums. THE VALUE OF LAND IN ARGENTINA. When one goes to a foreign country, and more especially when he intendsto settle there with the idea of making a fortune, he naturally turnshis attention to the value of the land, as from this he draws his viewsof the prosperity of the country. Now, twenty-five years ago theArgentine had comparatively very few railways; consequently, the landsat any long distance from Buenos Aires (the capital) were at a very lowvalue. The province of Buenos Aires, the largest in the country, hasalways been the most populated, and its lands have always commanded thehighest prices, and these have risen tremendously, but not so much oflate years in proportion as land in the northern provinces. During theyears 1885, 1886, 1887, and 1888, there was a great boom in land. Foreigners were pouring in, bringing capital; great confidence was putby foreign capitalists in the country, several railways had run out newbranches, new railways were built, new banks were opened, and a verylarge extent of land was opened up and cultivated, and put under wheatand linseed, harvests were good and money was flowing into the country. Then came a very bad year, 1889; the harvest was practically lost owingto the heavy and continuous rains which fell from December till Julywith hardly a clear day. This, together with a bad government and therevolution of 1890, created a great panic and a tremendous slump in allland, from which it took a long time to recover. Where people had boughtcamps and mortgaged them, which was the general thing to do in thosedays, the mortgagees foreclosed, and, when the camps were auctionedoff, they did not fetch half what the properties had been bought for inthe first instance, some four or five years previously. This, naturally, had a serious effect on the credit, soundness, and finances of thecountry, but really, the crisis was not felt until some three or fouryears after, and it was 1896 and 1897 which were very serious years forthe country. To give one an idea of the value of land in four or five of theprincipal provinces of the country, I must begin with the QueenProvince, as it is called, viz. , Buenos Aires. In 1885, property in thecity centre was worth 2s. 6d. To 3s. 6d. A yard, whereas to-day it hasbeen sold up to £200 sterling per yard, while suburban lots of 20 yardsby 60 yards realised £5 and to-day are fetching £150, and camp landshave risen from £10, 000, to £100, 000 the square league. Of course thisis within a radius of 30 to 50 leagues of the city; lands away to thesouth and west may yet be bought at £10, 000, and, still further southtowards Neuquen and the far Pampa, at £2, 000 per square league. Theprovince of Buenos Aires is not considered good for alfalfa growing, buthas good natural grass camps. The province of Santa Fé is a large province, extending from thenorthern boundary of the province of Buenos Aires to Santiago delEstero, and contains what is known as the Gran Chaco. The southernportion of this province is largely dedicated to the production ofwheat, linseed, and maize, for which it is admirably adapted. There arealso large estancias carrying vast herds of cattle, sheep, and horses, while the northern portion has vast forests of very fine and valuabletimber. [Illustration: _Wheat ready for Loading at Station on Central ArgentineRailway. _] The first part of this province to be developed was the country aroundRosario, the large port on the River Parana, where ocean-going steamerscall. This, together with good railway accommodation in all directionscombined with excellent land in the district, facilitates thecultivation of cereals on a very large scale. Property in Rosario itselfis very valuable, and from £30 to £50 a yard is a common figure. In theimmediate district of Rosario land is rarely sold in large areas, butmay be calculated at £20 an acre, whilst 40 leagues further north it isto-day worth £50, 000 a league. I know of one estancia of one leaguewhich was bought in 1885 for £2, 000, resold, after being sown down inalfalfa and divided into paddocks, without further improvements, at£12, 000 (this was in 1903), and again sold in 1909, certainly withfurther improvements as regards watering arrangements and more paddocks, house, and sheds, etc. , in fact, a fair model estancia in good workingorder, for £60, 000. Land on the south-west of Rosario, and about 40leagues distant, has in the twenty-five years risen from £2, 000 a leagueto £40, 000 a league. This is for virgin camp, and to-day in thesedistricts the average price can be stated at from £30, 000 to £40, 000 perleague, yet 300 miles further north land--good land--can be had at from£4, 000 to £6, 000 per league. The next province, Cordoba, is one of the most hilly in the country, andhas been one of the most developed during latter years. Some twentyyears ago this was almost considered a desert, where one was toldnothing would grow and cattle could not live. To-day it is one of themost prosperous; wheat and linseed are great products here, whilealfalfa, when carefully treated, that is, not overstocked, lives forever on account of the sandy soil, and water being so near the surface. These lands twenty years ago were valued at about £500 to £600 perleague, while to-day it is difficult to acquire land under cultivationor alfalfa at less than £30, 000 per league. In the Northern part of thisprovince are very valuable stone quarries. Another province that is advancing very fast is that of San Luis. Here, again, it has been found that alfalfa is at home, and thrivessplendidly. This, again, is a very sandy soil, and consequently is muchsought after, but this land has not yet touched the value of that in theprovinces already mentioned; it will not stand so much cropping, andwill not carry the same amount of stock, but still the average price forvirgin camp is from £5, 000 to £10, 000 per league. In this province thereis a very large extent of very poor land, covered with a small shrub, which is not worth more than £2, 000 a league. Mendoza is a more northerly province, and mostly dedicated to the grapeand wine industry, while a lot of fruit is also exported from there. Wine is made in very large quantities, and a lot of very good quality. The value of land varies very much. The greater portion is worth atpresent very little. The great point is to get the water concessions forirrigating; without irrigation the land is useless. A good vineyard inits prime, with good irrigation rights, is worth as much as from £40 to£50 per acre, while the ordinary camp land is at about 7s. Per acre. [Illustration: _The Maker of Land Values. _] REMARKS ON STORMS AND THE CLIMATE OF THE ARGENTINE. The Argentine Republic, like all hot countries, is subject to very greathurricanes and storms. They occur most frequently in the spring andsummer, when very sudden changes of temperature take place. Thethermometer has often been known to drop 25 degrees within half an hour. A great deal of damage is always caused, trees which have taken years ofcare and trouble are ruthlessly uprooted, roofs blown off, windmillsblown down, haystacks turned over, and valuable animals struck bylightning. The terrible closeness and stillness which generally precedea "tormenta" are certain forerunners of bad weather and storms. Aterrible hailstorm which took place some time ago will always beremembered by its spectators. The usual signs of it were evident; theatmosphere had become very close and it had been extremely hot for somehours before. Though only about 4 p. M. , it got peculiarly dark and astrong gale began to blow, and distant sounds of thunder were heard. Asudden lull came, which meant that the storm was about to break; sheetsof lightning of every description were followed by deafening peals ofthunder, which made man and beast tremble. Then there came a downfall ofhuge hailstones; they were just like big lumps of jagged ice; some ofthem measured about six to eight inches round and weighed over half apound. This storm did a fearful lot of harm; not a leaf was left on asingle tree, and hundreds of birds lay dead all around. Though veryviolent, this hailstorm did not last more than ten minutes, in whichtime an incalculable amount of destruction took place. In September, 1909, a very bad cyclone suddenly came on us. The skyturned black and blacker, and the clouds looked horribly wicked. Suddenly a terrific gale got up, which caused every window and door torattle in a most alarming manner, though they had all been as wellsecured as possible. The dust seemed to filter in just the same, and infive minutes the house was an inch thick in it. We heard a loud bang andthen another over our heads, and on looking out of a window we saw theroof of one of the outer buildings lying on the ground; part of it hadbeen blown over our house and had carried away the chimney, a big ironone, on its way. We were told afterwards that the cook had had to useall her force against the kitchen window to keep it from bursting open, as, if the wind had got in, it would have carried away that roof aswell. This hurricane lasted for about an hour and a-half; as soon as ithad abated somewhat we went out to see the result. Everywhere reignedhavoc and confusion, the whole place looked an old ruin, brick-bats, tiles, broken branches, loose sheets of corrugated iron lying allaround; three roofs had been blown away, several windmills knocked downand carried 100 yards away, and lovely old trees had been completelyuprooted. The natives, frightened of remaining in their own quarters, had, intheir terror, deserted them and taken refuge, with their wives andchildren, in the open camp, where they fondly imagined they were safer. Out in the camp the roofs of most of the "puestos, " or huts, had beenalso carried away, leaving the occupants exposed to the cold rains andwinds which followed. A peculiar feature of this storm was that it was not at all general; atthe neighbouring "estancias" it was not felt at all, and some of the"peons, " who were riding in the camp at the time, said they could seethis whirlwind coming a long way off at a tremendous rate and that itlooked like a column of red smoke; they could not feel the effects ofthe wind either, although they were not more than half a mile away. This storm was followed by very heavy rains which lasted for about tendays, during which our house was flooded, as the wind had lifted thetiles and the rain was driven in through every possible place. Another time, when driving home from the town of Vernado Tuerto, we werecaught in a very bad dust storm. Things became so black that we couldnot see where we were going, so we had to halt. The wind was so strongthat the men had to get out of the carriage, which was a heavycovered-in waggonette, and hold the wheels down to prevent it from beingoverturned. We all looked like seaside niggers, as the dust and rainfalling at once came down like mud on us all. One gets quite hardened tothese severe storms. On one occasion a very rough wind began to blow, but, as it was a steady gale, no one took particular notice of it. Itwas after dinner, and everybody was busy playing cards. The wind madesuch a deafening noise that you could hardly hear yourself speak;presently some of the occupants of the house thought they would have alook outside to see if things were all right; when they were surprisedto see an outer building, used for stores and machinery, roofless, andthe roof nowhere to be seen; it was discovered afterwards on the top oftheir own house, and they had never heard it happen. The climate in the Argentine is very variable; we have great extremes ofheat and cold. It is healthy as a rule, except in the swampy districtsor during a very wet season, when a great many residents suffer fromrheumatism. People talk about the sudden changes of English weather, but we aretreated just the same; one day it will be brilliantly hot and fine, andanother day cold and miserable. One part of the country or another is generally suffering from drought, when in another part they are being flooded out. In the winter there is much more sunshine than there is in England; inthe early morning it is bitterly cold, at noon on a fine day it isblazing hot, and then, as soon as the sun goes in, it freezes hard. In the summer, of course, the heat is very great, but, as it isgenerally dry, it is quite healthy. SOME EXPERIENCES OF WORKING ON ESTANCIAS. I came out with my brother on a tramp steamer from Penarth. We tookthirty-one days. However, time passed fairly quickly, chipping off rustand painting the decks, after we got over our sickness. Rain fell heavily as we landed at Buenos Aires, two typical _gringos_(greenhorns), not knowing a word of Spanish. I went to a first-classhotel, whose proprietor I had met in England. My first attempt to speakSpanish was in a tram. I asked the conductor to stop; getting out Isaid, "Mucha grasa" (much fat), instead of "muchas gracias" (manythanks)--then called the man a fool for laughing. We stopped in Buenos Aires a week and our bill came into hundreds ofdollars, which took a big slice off our small means. We then went to an estancia (farm) in the Province of Cordoba. Theestancia was fifty-one miles square, owned by an Argentine family. Themanager was a North-American, well known in camp life. The estancia consisted of three sections, one where I went, anotherwhere my brother was, and the other the headquarters. I was under a young Scotchman. The camp was fifteen miles, with 3, 000cows, 2, 000 steers, and 500 mares. There was my companion, one peon(man), a boy, and myself. My house was made of mud walls and floor, azinc roof, with a little straw. It was cool in summer, but very cold inwinter. There was one room for ourselves, where we slept and ate, onefor the cook (when we had one), and a kitchen. Under my bed I had asnake's hole; a long black snake came out in the night, and, on hearinga sound, would go back. I did everything to kill it, but with nosuccess. Also I had two kittens which slept in my bed. One night I feltsomething soft by my feet. I thought it was the kittens, but, putting myhand down, I found my feet covered with blood. I jumped out of bed, andfound a young hare half eaten and my sheets covered with blood. The first thing I had to do was to skin a cow, and it made me feel veryuncomfortable to look at the horrid sight. The next day I was sent tofetch the fat from a dead cow. When I got there I could not see any fatand wondered what it was. I saw the intestines and carried them bodilyon my new recado (native saddle). My horse got excited and I arriveddead beat. I told my companion I had the fat: then he burst out laughingand said I had got the intestines. Needless to say my recado was theworse for wear. The food was different from what I was used to, and I felt ill for atime. In the summer I was up at between three and four, having "maté-cocido"(cooked Paraguayan tea--the native drink) with a hard biscuit; ateleven, breakfast of puchero (big pieces of meat boiled in a pot), thenmaize with milk and a biscuit. Sometimes tea at four, but very seldom;supper consisted of an asado and maté at seven or eight o'clock. I had charge of two valuable stallions--they had a stable of mud andstraw. At branding time the capataz (foreman) came up with his men for a week. Up before three o'clock, quite dark, we branded 6, 000 calves, and Ienjoyed it. The Boss seldom came; when he did, his trap would be sure to run over apiece of wire, and then we heard of it; nothing missed him. Then our cook began stealing provisions from the store box. We changedthe locks three times, and each time she bought a key to the same. Onenight I asked her for some coffee. She said there was none. I could seeshe had some in a small bag, and I went to fetch it. She took up a knifeand threatened me. I soon twisted the knife from her. Our food was bad, my companion was careless, and frightened of her. One day he had a row, and she got the sack, using strong language. We then did our own cookingfor eight months: the first one home from camp had to begin cooking. The meat we got was often green and bitter. All the time we had pucheroand asado, and an occasional ostrich egg. Ostriches swarmed everywhere, and it was good sport lassoing them. Ifound one nest with fifty eggs, laid by different birds. My cooking wasrather a failure at first, the smoke was so thick we could not see eachother. I was told to cook maize for dinner. I made a big fire, andcooked for three hours, and was then told I had the stallions' maize. Another time it was very dark; our candles, made of old clothes andgrease, had run out. I had made some good soup, and put the pot near thetable, then, walking by, put my foot in it: the hot grease made me hop, and took the skin off my foot. Our table was an old greasy box; we hadno plates, nor forks, just a big knife. Sometimes, coming in very tiredfrom a hard day, we had no strength to chop wood and make a fire; wejust went to bed. Many days we only had an asado and maté. Maté I amvery fond of--it is so refreshing and sustaining. My brother was only eight miles away: his section was under alfalfa, andhe had a comfortable house. One dark night, going home from his place, Ifollowed a fence until I came to a cross fence. I was going slowly, when, all of a sudden, my horse stopped dead, and I shot over the fence, the bridle and halter came off, and away went my horse, leaving me tocontinue five miles on foot. Bizcachas (like a big badger) were numerous. One day we dug a two-metrehole, and next day found eight live ones. They have teeth one and a-halfinches long. Our nearest village was eighteen miles away, where I met some Englishfriends, and played tennis or had some other amusement. I used to startback at 2. 30 a. M. To be in time for work. One night I had to cross a bigfield, without a path or fence for a guide. It was dark, and lightninghard. I made for a light, which I thought was the house. Going for sometime, I came to a fence--I was lost. I unsaddled and lay down to sleep, the rain was pouring hard, when I heard a donkey braying, so I shouted, and was answered by a man in a puesto (out-station). The light I saw wasa village twelve miles away. My companion was very slack, and the patrons came up and sacked him. Then I went to the estancia house for a month, breaking in colts fordriving. I felt rather sad at leaving my rough work. It was hard work, but I never had better health. My Boss then earned $15 per month, and his wife cooked for the men. Nowhe is one of the richest men in the country. There was no opening there, so the Boss sent me to a New Zealander whohad half a league of camp, all fine stock, good alfalfa and splendidwater. He had a big house and I expected I would live well. My firstwork was to dig up locusts' eggs for a week under a hot sun, with theground very hard. The Boss was a man of forty-two, very red-faced andextremely rich, but as mean as possible. Our meals took about six to eight minutes, fast eating; he would watchevery mouthful. At tea he would take a lot of milk and give me a little;he finished soon, while I burnt my throat. He allowed me a slice ofbiscuit for each meal. His cook only got $10 a month. In the winter we were in bed by six to seven. His clothes were a disgrace to any peon. He had native trousers thatbutton at the foot, with top boots, no socks, his heel and big toe weresticking out, no vest, only a shirt and an old hat, where the grease ofmany years was visible. He was a splendid worker--I have not seen a better one. We used to catchlocusts in a big zinc box pulled by two horses; the locusts were putinto sacks, and after being left standing for four days, were carted tothe village, where he got 10 cents a kilo. The smell in carting thesedead locusts was simply terrible. Then I helped pick ten square ofmaize, which at first took a little skin off my hands. At branding timewe lassoed each calf to cut off the horns. I had to sit on their necks, and got smothered in the face with hot blood. The Boss was very proudbecause his monthly account only came to $12 for four of us: biscuits, sugar, tea, and other things. He sent his clothes once in three monthsto be washed. He had few friends, no one ever came to visit him, andevery Sunday he shut himself in his room. He bought the place for$90, 000 and sold it for over double. He was a thorough campman, but somean. One cold winter 500 cows died of starvation; rather than sell themat a low price he let them starve. The last thing he said was, he was"going to New Zealand to marry an ugly lady, but she has plenty ofmoney. " His countrymen called him a disgrace to his country and themeanest in the Argentine. Then a kind friend found me a place on a well-known estancia in the sameprovince. The manager, the second-manager, and the book-keeper were allIrish, born in the country. I had a good horse, which I rode fifty milesto the estancia. The second told me to have my food with the peons (men), which wasrather disheartening. I tried to eat in the kitchen, but the French cookkicked me out, and for ten months I fed with the peons; they were verygood fellows. The second and the book-keeper had meals together. Thesecond-manager did no work: up at half-past eight, he went to the train, had a drink at the shop, then came back for dinner, slept untiltea-time, then went to see the train pass again and have another drink, and came back at all hours. He had been there fourteen years and wasonly getting a hundred a month. The chief work was loading cattle and sheep for the big freezingfactories. The trucks were rotten. One night we finished at 11 p. M. , after a hard day's work, three of us unloaded 300 quebracho posts inunder three hours. I had a French gardener in my room who did nothingelse but spit and talk politics. The Boss took me to learn shearing. I had to shear, gather the wool, sort it and pack it up. Each man got five cents a sheep, but it was hardwork, all done by hand. Then I cut alfalfa for a fortnight--a nice easy job. A Catholic priest came to stay for eight days--Mass every day at 7 a. M. And 8 p. M. , sometimes three a day. No work at all. Everyone had togo--the book-keeper did not, so he got the sack. I, as a Protestant, went to the sermons, which were very good. It was wonderful; these roughcampmen went away quite tamed for a time. The last night the Boss gotmarried at half-past twelve at night to a native lady. Another time, while we were at Mass, someone came to say the gardener was dying--weraced down, the priest in front ready to hear his confession, but whenwe got there the gardener was calmly smoking his pipe, greatlysurprised. An inspector of locusts stopped all the summer. He did nothing but eat, sleep, and drink whisky. We had locust-killing machines of everydescription, but we did not kill ten kilos. The days I enjoyed were when we started out early to part some animalsin a herd of over a thousand. At eleven we would have an asado and maté, and give our horses a drink, then finish parting, and get home athalf-past seven. The horses look wrecks, and no good, but they work allday--mostly galloping--and are splendid stayers. The Boss's brother, a very nice man of fifty, married a servant of theBoss, a girl of eighteen. Great excitement is caused by races. The Boss was keen, and the mentalked of nothing else for days. Every Sunday there are races. Once Irode my horse bareback in three races of 200 metres, and won a bottle ofbeer, a packet of tobacco, and a knife. Then I was put in charge of fine stock. I had ten Durham bulls, twothoroughbred stallions, one Pecheron, eight rams and twelve pigs. I hada boy under me. I also had to saddle up the Boss's and the Second'shorses, and harness the traps. Sometimes I had to wait till eleven atnight, very tired, to unsaddle the Second's horse, as he had been makinglove to the Stationmaster's sister. The work was very interesting and hard, even on Sundays or feast days, watering, cleaning the animals, and curing any foals that were ill. I then moved to another room near the stable, with a newly arrivedItalian who knew no Spanish nor English, also an Irishman just arrived. They could not speak to each other. The Irishman slept on the floorevery night, and poured kerosene all over him to keep insects away. Oneday he poisoned five pigs, giving them the dip-water to drink. He hadfew clothes. He would turn them inside out, and often had three pairs oftrousers and two shirts on. One day the Boss was out: the men were taming some wild colts in thecorral. I took French leave and went. I got on five. None had had asaddle on before or even been handled. We lassoed them, pulled them downand put on the bridle. Then five men held a long rope and one put on thenative saddle, with stirrups big enough to get your toes in. Then theytied a red handkerchief round my head. I mounted gently but quickly. Then the rope was taken off and away the colt went as fast as possible, with one man on each side to shove you either way, all the time buckingand plunging. I did not fall, but one stirrup broke. One laid down andwould not move. It tried to bite everyone. When they go fast and buck atthe same time it is very hard to stick on. On the 25th of May, the great holiday in this country, I went to anestancia to see some friends. On my way back we had to cross a deepriver. The coachman drove across, but one wheel went into a big hole andthe jerk sent me out on my head, where the wheel passed over my hair, missing my head by inches. I was senseless. A crowd of women came andbegan weeping--they thought I was dead--then I was taken in a processionto the chemist, who sent me to a hospital, where I found my collar bonebroken. I did nothing for three weeks. This estancia is a splendid one for learners, because there is a littleof everything. Once I had a month with the threshing machine, sleepingout with the mosquitoes, and getting meat nearly raw for food; but a lotof money can be made from the harvest. Then, after a few weeks' holiday to England, we came back, and I wentdown south with my brother to sow alfalfa seed. We had a caravan onwheels, and learned how to plough and sow. We went to a camprace-meeting, where every estancia has its own tent, there is racing allday and dancing at night. I often look back upon these jolly times. Work was exacted with anythingbut kindness, but the life was simple and very healthy, and manypleasant reminiscences are talked over when it is my luck to join othersaround the camp fire before falling to sleep with nothing but abullock's head as a pillow and a "recado" as a blanket and the glorious, starry sky above one. THE SOCIAL SIDE OF CAMP LIFE. To an outsider, life in the camps or country might be considered veryslow: the distance between the estancias being so great, the ordinaryform of social life is quite impossible; for instance, when one goes topay a call on a neighbour, even a first call, it means going for theday, starting in the cool of the morning and returning in the evening, and so allowing the horses to have a rest. Of course, if everyone had amotor-car, this might not be necessary; but as yet they are very few andfar between. This is no doubt owing to the bad roads; in most districts, after a few hours' rain, the roads are flooded, and what is worse still, "pantanosa" (thick, sticky mud). Most estancieros keep open house, and are only too pleased when people"drop in, " which they do at all times and for any meal, almost without a"by your leave. " An estancia house has to be very elastic, and ready toprovide, at a moment's notice, board and lodging for unexpected guests. This is quite the nicest way of entertaining one's friends--no fuss ofpreparation, and, more often than not, a very jolly evening of cards, music, or games. It is a delightful country for men, a healthy, open-air life, withplenty of hard work and hard riding; each man has from four to sixhorses allowed him for working purposes, and then, as a rule (talking ofthe English mayor-domo), he has two or three polo ponies of his own. Sunday is the great day for polo; there is very little time in our busyArgentine even for a practice game during the week, so Sunday means amerry meeting of friends wherever there is a polo club in the district, people going in six or seven leagues (or even more) from one side ofthe town to meet friends who have come an equal distance from the otherside, a thing they might not do for months if it were not for the poloclub. Each lady takes her turn in providing tea on these polo Sundays, and there is great competition as to who makes the best cakes, especially as it often falls to the lady herself to make these luxuries. Wherever there is a polo club the most exciting event of the year is theSpring Race Meeting, two days' racing, often followed by a polo match ortournament with neighbouring clubs, and always as many dances aspossible, as it is the only time in the year when enough girls can becollected together; every estancia house has its own party, as many ascan be crowded in, including friends from Buenos Aires and Rosario, whodelight in these camp meetings, and she is a proud hostess who can counta few girls amongst her party. I may as well add here that girls arealmost "non est" in the camp, many districts for leagues and leaguesround not being able to boast of one English girl. [Illustration: _Tennis Party at Vera_. ] Most clubs hold a Gymkhana Meeting in the Autumn, which makes one moreexcitement in the year: it is a very merry meeting as a rule, withalways a dance or two if enough girls can be found. During the Winterseason (from April 1st to September 1st) the shooting is very good inmost parts, and many good shooting parties are given where there isenough game to make it worth while asking one's friends. The bagconsists of partridges, martinetta (similar to the pheasant) and hares(which are not considered worth picking up); when there are a number ofguns, dogs are not used, but two men on horseback drag a wire throughthe grass (several in a line, if a big party), which forces the birds torise, and the guns walk behind. Peons on horseback, carrying sacks, keepclose up to them and pick up the birds as they fall, and close on theirheels comes a big brake, into which are emptied the contents of thesacks as they get too heavy. The ladies of the party follow in all sortsand conditions of vehicles, cheering on the shooters and dispensingmuch-needed refreshments. A shoot is always followed up by a jollyevening, after a hot bath and a good dinner. The men, forgetting howtired they are, are quite ready to sing, dance, or play bridge until thesmall hours. Another great event not to be forgotten is the visit of theCamp Chaplain: he goes from one district to another holding services, every Sunday in a different place. In a well-populated district he wouldhold one about every two months, but to some places, where there arenext to no English people, he would probably only go about once or twicea year. Church Sunday is quite an event, and again gives one anopportunity of meeting friends from a distance. The parson is verylenient with us as a rule, and does not object to any form of amusementin the afternoon, such as polo, tennis, cricket, football, or golf, andencourages the young men to come to _Church_ (usually a room hired forthe occasion) in costumes suitable for such. Our poor Camp Chaplain doesnot have an easy time; distances are so great that more than half histime is spent on the train. [Illustration: _Carnival at Vera_. ] CARNIVAL IN THE ARGENTINE. Carnival falls every year during the week before the beginning of Lent. It is a general holiday, and much fun and amusement are crammed into thefew days which precede the dull season of fasting. Carnival is more observed in camp towns than in the bigger cities, wherethe custom of celebrating it is very much on the wane, and where the lawforbids water-throwing and other such damp forms of amusement, which arewinked at by the more lenient authorities in local towns. It is really quite a pretty sight to see a camp town during carnival. The one main street, which does not boast of pavements, and is generallya yard deep in dust, is gaily decorated with bunting and festoons. Smallstands are put up every ten yards or so, in which the "caballeros" takeup their positions and pelt the "senoritas" with confetti and"serpentinas" (blocks of different coloured paper which look like rollsof tape about 30 or 50 yards long). The elite of the "pueblo" driveround in the procession; ladies, some in the very latest creations, andsome in beautiful fancy dresses, parade round in flower and ribbonbedecked carriages. A prize is generally given to the best decoratedconveyance, and to the best fancy costume, which causes a lot ofcompetition and jealousy amongst the fair sex. On an estancia, carnival is celebrated in a much more drastic fashion. On one place, the giddy members of the household have a very rowdy timeof it, and make things very lively for the unwary. On one occasion, theydetermined to give the mayor-domo his share of the general drenchingwhich he had missed; so when he rode in at midday, after a long and busymorning's work in the camp, he was welcomed with a volley of buckets ofwater, which were emptied over him from the top of the house, where thedelinquents had taken up their advantageous position. Another time a certain young damsel, a guest in the same house, saw fromthe window her hostess entertaining one of the boys, a fresh arrivalfrom England, who had ridden over from a neighbouring estancia. Promptedby her daring friends she was induced to take up a jug of water, andstealing up behind his chair, emptied the contents of the vessel overthe visitor's head, and then bolted; the injured party, after recoveringhis self-possession, rose to the occasion and gave chase, and after adesperate struggle, and in spite of penitent apologies, she was borneoff by her captor and deposited in the first tub he happened to see, which turned out to be a freshly painted rubbish barrel. There is not much respecting of persons on these occasions, the girlsgenerally combine against the boys, who, as a rule, come off best. Themost binding promises are made on both sides, who vow not to throwanything larger than a "globo" (a small balloon filled with water, whichbursts when it touches anything solid) or "poms" (leaden squirt full ofscent); but in the excitement of the fray which follows all isforgotten, and buckets of water, the garden hose, and even the duckingof some in water troughs, are the final outcome. The scene after an afternoon or evening's battle is very funny; girls, with their hair lying in dripping masses over their faces and shoulders, their dresses, generally the oldest of thin cotton ones, clinginghopelessly to their wearied forms, present a truly comic sight. Whenthey are all tired of strife, they retire by common consent to thehouse, where, after discarding their soaking garments and taking a warmbath, they are ready to discuss the glories of the day over amuch-wanted dinner. HORSE-RACING IN THE ARGENTINE. HORSE-RACING IN THE ARGENTINE. In this country a great deal more racing goes on than in Europe, and itis not confined to the moneyed classes only. Even the "peones" holdtheir small meetings and match their grass-fed ponies. Estancieros andmayor-domos have camp race-meetings once or twice yearly at all thelarger polo clubs, and at Palermo and Hurlingham every class of societyin Buenos Aires may be seen on the stands. At Palmero race-meetings are held frequently, almost weekly in fact, onSunday afternoons; and the stands are generally well filled. On days offestival, when there is a special programme, the place is crowded, andthese occasions correspond, more or less, with the more importantmeetings in England. The course is of earth, and perfectly flat, so that the only thing whichinterferes with the view is dust. The stands are magnificent and thedifferent grades of society are divided by railings, while at the backof each may be seen the row of offices of the "Sport, " which is thebetting system of the country. This consists of tickets, which are sold at a fixed price, with the nameof one of the entries. After the race there is a great rush to theoffices, made by those who have bought the winner, to collect theirwinnings, which are the total receipts, minus a small percentage, divided by the number of those who bought the winner. In this way a veryhot favourite will pay very little more than the original purchasemoney, while an outsider who wins will pay his backers perhaps ten, oreven twenty times their deposit. There is also private betting, ofcourse, but no public bookmakers. The horses are of very good quality, though not up to the standard ofthe classic races in Europe. A number of youngsters are imported yearlyfrom England and the United States, and among them usually some goodselling-plate winners, and one or two that have been placed infirst-class flat races. The country also produces some excellent horses, and they are improving every year; the stud farms are already well knownin Europe as some of the best in the world. Of these, the mostimportant, perhaps, is the "Ojo de Agua, " so-called from its famousspring, which waters all the stables as well as dwelling quarters. It isthe home of the famous Cyllene, whose offspring we expect to see winningraces in the near future; Polar Star, scarcely less known, andItuzaingo, a native of this country, are his present companions; whilethe remains of Gay Hermit, Stiletto, Pietermaritzburg, and Kendal, allof whom are well known among turf circles at home, rest beneath itssoil. There are several other equally famous stud farms, such as the"San Jacinto, " the present home of Val d'Or, who won the Eclipse Stakesfrom Cicero, the Derby winner of that year; at another, Diamond Jubilee, whose list of victories is long, resided for the latter part of hislife. Nor are the jockeys unworthy of their mounts, and some very fine ridingmay be witnessed both at Palermo and Hurlingham. In contrast to these races, run on a well-ordered course, and watchedfrom luxurious stands, are the native "cancha" meetings, held, probably, at some country public-house, and run on a "cancha, " consisting of asoft piece of road, or along a fence where there are no holes. The racesconsist of matches arranged between two ponies, over short distances. The start is made only by agreement of both the jockeys, and thus manyhours are wasted in their manoeuvres to get the advantage of one anotherat the start. If the judges have money on the loser, the race is oftengiven a dead heat, and has to be run again. The pony of most endurancehas usually the best chance of winning, though the race itself is short, as his rival may be tired out by repeated false starts. Large sums ofmoney often change hands at these meetings, as the native is a borngambler, and understands this primitive method of racing better than themore complicated systems of the regular course. Owing to this, and tothe competitors' efforts to cheat one another, not infrequently knivesare drawn during the heated discussion which follows the race. The ponies are, for the most part, taken straight off the camp, thoughin some cases they have been fed on maize and trained. They are riddeneither bareback or with the native "recado, " and catch-weights: as maybe gathered from the method, it is usually "owners up. " Between these two extreme classes of racing in this country are theEnglish camp race-meetings, which are held by all the larger polo clubsonce or twice a year. Being of rare occurrence, and as some, if not all, of the faces are open to members of other clubs, these are among thechief social gatherings in camp life: in many cases there is a smallpolo tournament attached, as it is the best opportunity for those whocome from a distance, and could not come twice. Therefore it usuallymeans a two or three days' holiday, and often a dance, or someentertainment in the evenings. Old friends exchange reminiscences, andnew acquaintances are formed; while the ladies also make the best of theopportunity to put on their smartest frocks and hats. The races themselves, too, are the source of considerable talk andexcitement: both horses and jockeys are well known by sight orreputation to the chief part of the company, and any "dark horse" or newarrival, is inspected with care and anxiety by his rivals. The class of horse entered varies between the three-quarter bred and the"criollo" with no pretence to breeding at all, who often carries off theshort polo pony sprints. Occasionally there may be a thoroughbredentered who has been found wanting at Palermo or Hurlingham, but theseare few and not always successful, as the longest races do not oftenexceed about a mile and a-half. As the weights correspond tosteeplechase weights at home the jockeys are practically alwaysamateurs, and a large percentage of "owners up" is always found. Youngmayor-domos who have never ridden at a meeting before often findthemselves ranged alongside of Grand National riders at the start, andsome amusing incidents have occurred, though there is some very goodamateur riding to be seen as well. The betting is on a smaller scale generally than at the native meeting, and is often conducted by someone setting up as a public bookmaker; atother times a "sport" is formed after the fashion of Palermo. Also theauction of all entries before the start of the races in the American wayis a great favourite; the total receipts for each race are dividedproportionately between those who bought the winner and "placed" horses. There is opportunity for a little horse-dealing too, and many good poloponies to send home or play in the tournaments have been picked up inthis way. The shorter races for ponies under polo height give anopportunity to the polo player, and the mayor-domo who cannot train hisponies for longer distances, to try the mettle of their mounts againstoutside and purer blood. Nowadays most of the entries are trained to some extent, though notmany go to regular training establishments. To have a reasonable chanceof running well in the longer races, however, it is necessary to haveyour mounts in stable exercised regularly and fed on corn. It is onlyquite lately, however, that even so much training has been adopted atall generally. In the old pioneer days of English estancias, when theseclubs were formed, they raced ponies taken straight off grass and keptfit by riding the regular rounds of camp and stock. There are many tales of the great "rags" that happened in those days, and curious incidents of racing, too. On one occasion a winner of a polopony race was objected to as over height. The measurement was to betaken after the end of the meeting; and it must be remembered that allponies out in the camp are unshod. The man who had come in second wentround to the stables before the measuring and noticed in the winner'sstall a number of large pieces of hoof recently chopped off. The ponypassed with an inch off his forefeet and nothing was said, though it hadbeen obviously over height. That evening at bridge the owner happened towin considerably from the man who had lodged the complaint, who, whenthe score was to be settled, threw down some pieces of hoof on the tablesaying, "Take back your dirty chips. " Nowadays, of course, things are not quite so rough and ready, and mostof the clubs are affiliated, and run under Hurlingham or the Jockey Clubrules, so that good sport and good feeling prevail. In fact the camp manlooks forward to these occasions as the best bits of sport and amusementthat he will get during the year. SUNDAYS IN CAMP. SUNDAYS IN CAMP. In no place is Sunday more looked forward to and enjoyed than in camp. Holidays on the estancia come but seldom, and were it not for thewelcome break that gives the campman a day of rest every week, his lifewould be a round of work, and probably make him the proverbial "dullboy. " All the busy working-days are so filled with the various dutiesthat when evening comes and dinner is over the tired worker has littleinclination for reading or any other relaxation, the thought of thatearly bell which rouses him before sunrise makes him take advantage ofevery hour's sleep he can. At an hour when the townman is thinking ofbeginning the evening's amusement at theatre or concert, the campman issleeping the sound sleep that fresh air combined with hard work neverdenies. But on one evening an exception is made to these early hours, and that is Saturday. With the pleasant feeling of a week's workcompleted and the morrow's rest before them, our campmen begin theirweekly holiday by an extra hour or two at billiards or music, or perhapsa rubber of bridge, turning in with a fervid "Thank goodness, to-morrow's Sunday. " Then the pleasure of waking at the usual hour (4a. M. Or even earlier in summer) and remembering that it is the blessedDay of Rest, and having time to enjoy the extra hours, then the luxuryof dressing at one's leisure, choosing the collar and most becoming tieand adjusting them with care, and coming out in spotless white duck orsmart riding breeches, ready to enjoy whatever sport is in season;tennis is mostly played all the year round; and when birds are plentifula shoot on the lagunas attracts the sportsman, the "bag" making awelcome variety to the dinner table; snipe, partridge, hares, and manyvarieties of duck are common in a season that has not been too dry. Then, to those lucky ones who have a polo club within reach, Sundayduring the winter season is a day of real enjoyment. The game, which in England can only be played by men of means, can onthe estancia be enjoyed by all at little expense, the useful littleArgentine horses being easily trained to the game. Sometimes one finds afew enterprising golfers who, with not a little trouble, make a few"greens" and do a couple of rounds just to keep their hand in, but it isnot a general camp game. It will be seen, however, that the Day of Restis not one of idleness, but rather a healthful and beneficial change ofexercise. Church service enters but seldom into the camp Sunday--such privilegesare rare, although now camp parsons are more numerous than a few yearsago--but at best one can only count on one or two services a year. Whena Church service _is_ held he would be a carping critic indeed who isnot satisfied and pleased with the earnest attention with which theservice is followed and the vigorous singing of hymns and chants inwhich all the boys join so lustily; it is a reminder of Home to them, and the familiar service is thoroughly enjoyed. The Day of Rest, so essential to one's well-being, seems to come roundwith such surprising rapidity that we may say truly it proves thatestancia life, with its long hours of hard work, so far from beingmonotonous or wearisome, is a happy life. Where time flies past quicklyit means it passes happily, and amongst the most pleasant of the days wespend in this land of sunshine we must count the Sundays in camp. [Illustration: "A Day of Real Enjoyment. "] THE SERVANT PROBLEM IN ARGENTINA. THE SERVANT PROBLEM IN ARGENTINA. We often hear complaints from friends at home about the trouble theyexperience over obtaining and keeping good servants, and there is nodoubt that the servant problem is a serious one in England, and isgetting worse every year; but it pales into insignificance when comparedwith the trials and tribulations of those who live in the Argentine andhave to keep house. From all one hears, those living in Buenos Aires and the larger townshave a terrible time of it with their servants, especially if they arenot overburdened with the good things of this world in the shape of hardcash; but my experiences have been confined to the camp, so that of thetown side of the question I cannot speak. I have been three years in the province of Cordoba, and all the servantsI have met with except one were Argentines from the foothills of theCordoba Sierras. They were without exception quite untrained as far as the English ideagoes, and the first thing to do with them was usually to teach them theprimitive ideas of cleanliness. The first servant I had was an ancientfemale named Andrea, about forty years old, and it proved quiteimpossible to get her to see the necessity of keeping anything in thekitchen clean, as she seemed imbued with the idea that it was greatwaste of time washing saucepans and frying-pans, as they would only getdirty again when next used, and the most she could be persuaded to dowas to rub them round inside with a bit of old newspaper or a handful ofgrass. Needless to say, after a time I got tired of these methods, andso we parted. My next servant, Angelina, was one of the best I had, as she was clean, which was a great consideration, and also she was quick to learn andsoon picked up the rudiments of cooking according to our ideas; hergreat failing, however, was that she was anything but honest, and couldnot refrain from petty pilfering; and another drawback to her was herobjection to wearing shoes or stockings in the hot weather; in spite ofbeing constantly told that she must not appear without them, she wouldinsist in doing so, and this was a continual cause of trouble. After getting rid of No. 2 our real troubles began, and we had eightchanges in ten months. At the time we were living in wooden huts abouttwo miles from a village which was a summer resort for rich people fromBuenos Aires, and this caused a dearth of servants during the summermonths, as the place was full from the beginning of December to the endof March, and people who came up for the summer and rented housesusually were willing to pay anything to get servants, with the resultthat we outside would get none, or only the cast-off ones. Nos. 3 and 4stayed but a short time. My fifth attempt was a terrible girl, too dirtyfor words; and though apparently willing to learn, too utterly lackingin intelligence to ever learn anything. She used to get herself into themost awful grimy condition, and one incident during her time with me isworth mentioning. I had with great difficulty one day got her tounderstand that a wood floor could not be properly cleaned with a grassbroom dipped in cold water and just swished about over it, and, by goingdown on my knees with a scrubbing brush and hot water and soap, andgiving a practical demonstration of how a floor should be washed, hadstarted her away to clean it, and judged that I might safely leave her, to attend to the other household duties in the kitchen. I must tell youthat the day previously I had given her a practical lesson inblack-leading a stove by doing it myself while she looked on. Well, after an hour in the kitchen I returned to see how she was getting on, when I found to my great pleasure that not content with scrubbing thefloor, she had also attacked the stove with hot water, soap, andscrubbing brush, with the result that my hard work of the previous daywas all undone and the whole room well sprinkled with black specks andthe stove a mass of rust. Two weeks of similar experiences finished ouracquaintance, and she gave place to No. 6. After I had spent three weeksteaching No. 6 cooking, she quietly informed me that she was leaving atthe end of the week to take up a place as cook in Rosario, as she nowknew enough cooking for the position; so I had not only wasted all mytime in teaching her, but had paid her into the bargain for learningenough to leave me. The next servant, No. 7, Alexandrina, was, I think, the worst. She was aSpaniard from Barcelona. She was an awful individual, and would insiston wearing clothes of so light and scanty a nature that she was notdecent to have about the house; also, whenever we happened to have ajoke of any sort to laugh over at meals, she used immediately to come infrom the kitchen to see what was going on, and I had the greatestdifficulty to get her to return to the kitchen. I had to get rid of her, because her moral reputation was anything but good, and two days in theweek she refused to get out of bed, and told me to do my own dirty work, as she was ill; so at the end of two weeks she had to go. No. 8, Maria, was a girl direct from the sierras, and was very stupid and silly, anddid not a single thing. One day I was buying vegetables, and she askedme why I wanted to buy roots, and when I told her they were to eat, shesaid even poor people could afford to buy meat, and she would not eatthem. One day I took this girl out with me to do some shopping, andcalled on some people who had a piano. It was twilight, and someone wasplaying the piano, and she rushed in the room and out again, with herface very white, and said someone was beating a big, black animal in thecorner of the room, and it was screaming dreadfully with the pain. Thisgirl's mother was a very talkative old lady, and would insist on comingwith three children every day and taking up her position in the kitchen, and when once she commenced to talk, one could not get away from her. Atthe end of the month she came for the girl's pay, and wanted me to payher more money, which I was not willing to do, as I had been unable toteach her much; so she asked if her daughter might go away for the dayand night, as she had to bath. This I was only too willing to agree to, and let her go; but they returned in the middle of the night, andremoved all her belongings. After a few days I managed to get No. 9, whowas a widow with two children: but she only stayed two weeks. Our tenthand last attempt was made with No. 4 once more, as she was again able tocome to us. She stayed two months, when we went away for four weeks'holiday. A week after our return I paid her in full for the month, though she had never been near the house all that time, and she promptlysaid she could not stay with us any longer, and left. We nearly got toNo. 11, as we engaged a girl to come at $20 a month to start with, andshe was to come the next morning at eight o'clock to begin work. Shearrived at 10 a. M. , and informed me that, as we had paid our lastservant $25 the month, she could not come for less. I was so sick andtired of my experiences that this finished me, and I decided to dowithout any servant. Since then, for the last year, I have done the workmyself. POLICE OF A BYGONE DAY. POLICE OF A BYGONE DAY. Yes, times have changed since I went to San Cristobal just twenty yearsago. For then the English were pioneers, so to speak; not in a countryof savagery, but of semi-savagery, a very different and much worsematter. I wonder is A. J. , the Chief of Police, still to the fore? Yegods, how that man tried to break my heart, and how nearly he succeeded!I was a Mayor-domo then, and G. Was my boss, standing in the place ofthe owners to me. The boss had a mortal dread of the police and theirpowers, seen and unseen. So that when the worthy Chief of Policesuddenly decided to add the trade of butchering to his many lucrativebusinesses, I received orders to sell him cows at twenty-five per cent. Less price than I sold to any of his competitors. Thus, whereas I wasselling them at twenty dollars paper, then worth about one pound perhead, I had to sell him at fifteen shillings, with the inevitable resultthat he almost immediately became master of the situation and the entirelocal market became his, enabling him to charge what he liked for meat, while I was forbidden to raise the price of the cows sold him. Insatiable in his greed, he began to ask for cattle twice a week, alwaystaking from ten to twenty animals, until one day, after exceptionallywet weather, I protested that it was not possible to round up the stockin the then state of the camp and destroy so much grass for a smallbunch of cows. Unlucky thought and ill-judged protest! For when he urgedthat the inhabitants of the town were starving, and that a small pointof half-breed heifers would do to go on with, I received orders to lethim part out from our best herd. Twenty fine half-bred Herefords did hepick while I almost shed tears of blood, though all the time, of course, I had to show a smiling face. This sort of thing had been going on for some time, when one of theboundary riders told me that the fence between the town and one of ournearest paddocks had been cut during the night. "Then mend it up, " said I. "Sir, it is mended already. " Not a week had passed before the same man brought me the same report. SoI determined to "parar rodeo" (round up the cattle) immediately, andcount them. Twenty heifers short in one square league, and in less thana month! This thing had to stop. I told the Capataz to take the boundaryrider off that beat, without telling him why, and then the Capataz and Ipatrolled the fence night after night for a week, during which it wasnever cut. We put a new boundary rider on, and three mornings later he came to seeme bright and early, saying that not only had the fence been cut, butthat there were distinct traces of cattle having passed out recently. After assuring myself that there was no doubt about the matter, for Ifound the hoof marks of what I calculated to be not less than twentyanimals, I went post haste to my friend the Chief of Police, neverdoubting that after all the favours shown him he would prove a friend inneed. I was young then. "You don't say so, Don Ernesto!" said his podgy, putty-faced littleHighness. "Where was it? When was------ By heavens, somebody shallsuffer for this! Just let me or any of my soldiers catch the thieves, and not one of them shall reach Santa Fé alive. Now, I'll tell you what. Just leave it to me, and don't you worry nor think any more about thematter, much less mention it to a soul. In less than two days I'll havethe thief or thieves here in the stocks. " I told him plainly that that was not my programme, and that, whatever hedid, I was not going to leave that fence unpatrolled until I could movethe stock out of the paddock. "Then this is what we'll do, Don Ernesto. You shall be one of us. Youcome and dine with me at six o'clock this evening, and afterwards we'llgo out with the sergeant and five or six men and catch 'em. " It was about the equinox, if I remember rightly--the springtime, wheneverything is lovely and lovable: the camp flowers all in bloom, thearoma of the trees burdening the air with delicious perfume, the freshverdure and plenty of grass, the powerful, stout-hearted bounding of thehorse (no longer "poor") beneath one, and, above all, the great issueexpected of the business in hand, the most important business to me inthe world at the time--all these combined spelled but one word, "Hope!" Carbine in hand, Colt in holster, I arrived at his residence. There hewas, sitting at the door of his corner house, whence he could look downthree streets at once. How like a spider, I thought. His welcome was cordial, but he seemed to smile at my eagerness, andtold me that he never dined before eight. "But let us sit here in the cool of the evening, " said he, handing out achair for me to sit by him on the footpath, "and let us take somerefreshment to while away the time. But, tell me, where did you say thatthe fence was cut? But did you really see signs that cattle had passed?Preposterous! The sons of guns shall suffer for this. Eh well, I'm gladof it in a way--glad to have a little work, and perhaps a littleexcitement. It doesn't do to have a too orderly district, for theGovernor and his satellites in Santa Fé imagine I'm lazy and not lookingafter my business if they hear of no commotions. That black fellow yousent me the other day, Don Ernesto--the fellow that was molesting a madwoman in the camp--- I've got him seventeen years in the line for that. I wish you would send me a few more, for hardly a letter comes fromSanta Fé in which I am not asked to send in recruits, so hard up arethey for Provincial soldiers. " Just then a poor Italian colonist came up, hat in hand. He, too, and allhis class were pioneers in those days, and God knows what they suffered. "Well, what d'ye want?" asked my companion. "Sir, " said the wretched man, stuttering in his nervousness, "one of mybullocks has been stolen, and I know the thief. I have been to theJustice of the Peace, and he told me to bring the thief to him; but, sir, the th-thief refuses to come. " "_Bueno_! Ten dollars, and ten dollars _down_, " roared the majesty oflaw. "But, sir, ----" "No! But me no buts! Ten dollars at once, or I'll call the sergeant tolock you up until you can get it. " I could see that the poor fellow's heart was breaking as he drew themoney from his pocket and handed it over. Smilingly the bully turned tome and said, as his victim walked slowly away, "I'll bet you that thatman doesn't come around to molest me again. I'll guarantee to you, DonErnesto, that there isn't a district in the whole province where so fewappeals for justice are made. " At last it was dinner-time, and, being ushered into a dirty room with abrick floor, dim light and grimy tablecloth, I seated myself at thetable with my host, his secretary, the doctor, and a clerk. The dinnerwas in the usual native style of those days: ribs of beef roasted onthe gridiron, beef and pumpkin boiled together, to finish up with"caldo, " which is simply the water in which the beef and vegetables havebeen boiled, with a good thick coating of grease. No sooner had we begun dinner than it was noticed that we had no wine. "No wine! How's this? What d'ye mean?" as he angrily turned to thesergeant who was waiting. "If you please, sir, So-and-so and So-and-so, " mentioning the name of alocal firm of storekeepers, "say that they can supply no more wine untilthey can get some of their accounts settled. " "How dare you bring me such a message as that! Take the corporal with acouple of men and bring a half-barrel at once--in less than threeminutes, or I'll know the reason why. " The barrel was brought, and, with a bit and brace, quickly tapped, andthe wine set flowing round the table. The dinner dragged on and on, until I thought he meant us to sit thereall night. Ten o'clock came, half-past, and then eleven. Then I began tosmell a rat. I kept on urging the necessity for action, but it becamemore and more evident that the Chief was fooling. He pressed wine uponall and upon me in particular, while he drank little himself, althoughhe pretended otherwise. At last, I could stand it no longer, and got upin no very good humour to go. "No, but stop, Don Ernesto! Where are you going? Sit down again. Thehorses are not saddled yet: not even caught up. Sit down and havepatience and we'll all go with you in good time. " It was after twelve when at last we made a start. There were the Chief, the sergeant, a corporal, four men, and myself. We rode slowly in anortherly direction until we came to a small gate in the fence, of whichI had the key. All the way thither the Chief, while commending me for myforethought in bringing arms, had been impressing upon me the importanceof not using them, no matter what happened, "Because, you see, you arenot an arm of the law, and if you were to shoot anyone, I should beobliged to arrest you and send you to Santa Fé. " When we got through the fence, what was my surprise when the Chief said, "Bueno, Don Ernesto, you and I have had a long day. What I propose isthat you and I off-saddle and doss down here, while the sergeant and menpatrol with muffled bits and spurs at a short distance from the fence. Then the moment they hear anything they can come and let us know!" In vain I protested that this was not my idea at all, and that I toowanted to do the patrolling, but when he told a man to take the saddleoff my horse and shake down a bed for me, I thought it wiser toacquiesce, or, at least, appear to do so. I shall never forget thatnight. How we talked and talked and talked as we lay beneath thebrilliant stars, I, boiling with rage and anxiety under my assumedtranquillity, while he, doubtless, was as much annoyed at having to keepme in conversation. It must have been nearly four o'clock when I toldhim that I really must sleep. "Bueno, " said he, as he rolled over on hisside, "hasta mañana. " In five minutes he was snoring. Even so, I did not dare to move, forfear that he might be foxing. About an hour passed, during which hemoved, coughed, expectorated, and had other signs of consciousanimation, much to my disgust, until at last I thought the snoringsounded too genuine to be shammed, so I crept towards him and whisperedin his ear that I thought I heard sounds of movement. But his snoringwas rhythmic and swinish, so I gathered up my saddle and gear and stoleover to my horse, which was picketed some yards off, and proceeded tosaddle him up. In doing so, my stirrups somehow clashed and thought itwas all up, for what a fool I should look if he woke and discovered me. But it was all right: the music continued. I led the horse for some little distance, then mounting, I rode him downalongside the fence for about a mile until I came to a fresh gap in it. Horror! Even though it was but what my suspicions had depicted, therealisation came as a shock to me. "The--! The--!" To repeat myexpressions would edify no one. Guided by the signal-lights at the station, I moved along at a smarttrot and soon recognised the quick tramping of animals ahead. Then Idrew back, and as the day was just breaking, I drew round to the westside of the cavalcade, so that I might see without being seen. Yes, sureenough, there were six military chacots outlined against the great skyand a troop of animals ahead of them. I halted to let them get well away from me, and then, with rage andhatred in my heart, swearing vengeance all the while, I galloped as hardas ever I could to the estancia, to impatiently await the uprising of myboss. "We must wire, or one of us must go to the Governor in Santa Fé atonce, " I urged. But what was my disgust to be met with but a quiet smileof amusement! "Not if I know it, " said he. "Why, good God, man, do you want to haveall our throats cut? This man is a personal friend of the Governor's, and what satisfaction do you think we are likely to get out of that?" "Then let us go to the Consul, the British Minister, or even to thePresident of the Republic?" A quiet smile with a negatory shake of the head was the only answer. A fortnight later I sought him in his private sitting-room and found theChief of Police sitting in an easy-chair. "Ha! ha! ha! Don Ernesto. So you caught us, did you? Well, it was worththe fun. I never laughed so much in all my life as when I awoke thatmorning and found that you had given me the slip!" A VISIT TO THE NORTHERN CHACO. After three years on an estancia in the vast monotonous, treeless, butmost fertile plains of the Central Argentine, under scorching sun, driving rains, and biting wind, one feels that one would like to see ariver sometimes, animal life and more congenial surroundings; and so Idetermined to visit the Northern Chaco, that enormous tract of landwhich lies North of Santa Fé and stretches right away for many hundredsof miles to North, East, and West. Leaving Rosario by the night express, one crosses the great, slightlyundulating plains, probably among the richest in the world for thegrowth of wheat, linseed, and maize, reaching Santa Fé early thefollowing morning. This town, the capital and Government centre of theprovince, is rather an uninteresting place; chiefly noticeable in it arethe great number of fine churches and the magnificent sawmills owned bya large French company. Santa Fé is supposed to be one of the mostreligious centres in the Republic. More than once it has almost beenwashed away in an eddy of the giant Parana in flood, the water risingfour feet in the houses on the highest level in the town. After spending a day of sight-seeing in Santa Fé, we embarked atnightfall for Vera, the headquarters of the Santa Fé Land Company's wooddepartment, arriving there in the early morning. The land around herefrom the train appears to be a dry, salty country, devoid of herbage, and only valuable on account of the excellent forest trees and timber. Our morning meal was taken in the station waiting-room (the onlyrestaurant in the town), and consisted of cold coffee and what theArgentine understands by boiled eggs, which have in reality been inboiling water half a minute, and which, in order to eat, one has to tipinto a wine-glass and beat up with a fork, adding pepper and salt, etc. This is the general way of eating eggs in South America; an egg cup isone of the few things one cannot get in the country without going to anEnglish store in Buenos Aires. Leaving Vera at 8 a. M. The train goes at a snail's pace along the branchline to Reconquista, covering the distance of about thirty leagues infive hours. Arriving there in the sweltering midday heat, we were met byan English friend and his capataz, the latter dressed in his enormousslouch hat, deerskin apron, and silver spurs weighing probably a fullkilo. One cannot help noticing at once the different type of natives; from theslow, slouching, don't-care kind of men, which one sees in Cordoba andSouthern Santa Fé, to the quick, straight, hawk-eyed half-IndianChaquenos. Reconquista on a hot summer's day is one of the dirtiest places on thisearth, which is saying a good deal. One drives through streets two feetdeep in light sandy dust, which hangs in clouds all over the town. Thereis an excellent hotel in the centre of the town, built on typicalSpanish plans with fine large open patios, which are filled withsplendid tropical plants and ferns. Having washed off the dust of threedays' travel from our weary persons, and having changed into moresuitable travelling gear, we sat down to an excellent spread. In the cool of the evening we made a tour of the town, being mostinterested in the cigar factories, where we bought excellent smokes for$2 a hundred, all hand-made from pure tobacco leaf by the brown-huedlasses of Reconquista. The rest of the evening we spent in unpacking our native saddles, andpreparing everything for our long horseback journey--not havingforgotten to see that our tropilla of fifteen grey ponies were fit andready to make an early start next morning. Three a. M. Next morning found us out in the "corrales" having our poniesallotted to us by the capataz--we found the tropilla on "ronda"--thatis, in a corner with a lasso tied across in front of them, the height oftheir chests, and all facing outwards. This is the most general way ofteaching horses to stand in the Chaco, as, if taught to stand singly, they would fall too easy a prey to the Indians and gauchos. In order tosaddle these ponies we had to "manear" them, that is, tie their forelegstogether, for without this they refused to let us put the blankets ontheir backs. All being ready, we started off, four of us, two in front and twobehind, with eleven loose ponies between us. By this time the sky wasbeginning to grow light, and evidently the fresh morning air haddisagreed with my friend T. 's horse, which suddenly cleared down a sidestreet with his head between his forelegs and his back arched like thebend in an archer's bow. After some seconds of this amusing sight T. Managed to get the pony'shead up and came along again, looking very warm and beaming; hispink-nosed pony quite satisfied that he would have to carry more thanhis own weight for some distance further. Leaving Reconquista on the north we crossed, over an old railwayembankment, a large stretch of low country, through which a small streamglided with winding course, and jogging along league after league wegradually got into more interesting country: little clumps of trees withvery thick undergrowth, clinging creepers, bright-coloured flowers, andgorgeously plumaged birds. All along the sides of the roads were little farms, apparentlyuncultivated, except for small patches of wonderfully grown maize andbrowning linseed. Practically all these farms are owned by Swiss andGerman peasants, each one with his small herd of cows and workingbullocks. We changed our ponies every three or four leagues, always going at thesame jog-trot, stopping occasionally at a wayside inn to wet our parchedthroats with fresh well water (with a drop of caña in it to kill themicrobes), and smoking hard all the time to keep off the swarms ofmosquitoes. After travelling ten leagues or so we began to leave these habitationsbehind us, and got into wilder country with no fences, only longstretches of undulating land, dotted with patches of splendid-lookingtrees and enticing shade. The road occasionally crossed small streams, which gradually became moretropical looking, until we came to quite a large river, two or threehundred metres wide, looking beautifully peaceful and oily. Standingabove on the bank, in the shade of some magnificent quebracho trees, welooked down upon this lazy stretch of perfect scenery, when suddenlythere was a slight disturbance in the water and a small black dotappeared on the top of the water. The capataz at once pulled out hisrevolver, all of us doing likewise, only to have to put them back again, as the dot had disappeared as quickly as it came. This was the firstsign of wild animal life we saw, the "jacaré" or alligator. In the morecivilised parts of the Chaco, these animals, as well as the carpincho orwater-hog, are getting quite rare, and having been so much shot at andworried they need the most careful stalking. As we got further away, we came upon many more of these streams, alllooking much the same; some had bridges over them made of quebrachologs, laid endways on and covered with earth, very dangerous to crossafter wet weather or floods, especially at night, as they are generallyfull of holes where the earth has fallen in. At 10 a. M. Each day we unsaddled for lunch, which was generally composedof "charque" or salted beef, biscuits, and coffee. The first night weslept at the last habitation which we saw, a small wayside inn. Arrivingthere late in the evening, we had the greatest difficulty in obtainingentrance on account of the chorus of barking, snapping dogs, and onaccount of the innkeeper's fear of drunken gauchos. Another early start on the second day saw us well on our journey bysiésta time, which we spent on the edge of a very fine forest. Theafternoon was very hot, and we did not start off again until 4 o'clock. During the evening we swam across a small river which we foundoverflowing its banks on account of the local rains, and, as darknessfell, we found it almost impossible to see our way on account of thefireflies, which made such a glare in front of us that the slight trackwhich we had been following was almost invisible. It was a very darknight, and once or twice we felt rain. We had to go very slowly, so thatwe should not miss the track. Thus we trotted on in Indian file, each ofus now leading spare horses, in silence, except when one of us asked howmany leagues it was to the estancia, only to jog on again for whatseemed two or three hours, until almost midnight. With a cheerful yellwe suddenly came on a barbed wire fence, and after hunting about for atime, a wire gate. Immediately tongues seemed to be mechanically loosened and theconversation flowed freely, discussing the ride, horses, comingstiffness, and all the things that one has to talk about after two anda-half days in the saddle. On reaching the estancia about 2 a. M. , noneof us needed much bed, and throwing our things down on the grassoutside, we soon were dreaming of alligators, broken bridges, swimmingrivers, etc. About 10 o'clock the next morning I awoke to find myself on a most neatlittle estancia high up on a hill, overlooking, across a slight valley, magnificent forests where one could see the glint of running water. The house was brick floored and had four very nice rooms, which had beencolour-washed by my friends with excellent success. The ceilings at onceattracted attention, being of a deep-coloured black wood, well oiled andseasoned. "Timbo" it is called, and is the best carving and furniturewood in the country. Out in the garden were oranges, lemons, citrons, pomegranates, limes, and all kinds of luxurious fruits and vegetables. In a small fencedpaddock at the end of the garden, were sweet potatoes, pea-nuts, cotton, tobacco, and some magnificent maize. The men's huts were made of mud over a cane network, and the roofs weremade of split palm trees, hollowed out and made in the form of a large~~~~~~~ the palms being placed concavely and convexly alternately, making fine drainage for the heavy rains. The whole place was surroundedby a ring of fine chaco paraiso trees and "ombu. " The horse corrals wereall _palo a pique_, that is, made of solid posts, stuck in closetogether side by side, and about two metres high, with no wire. The camp was more or less on the real banks of the Parana, sloping awayto the river four leagues away, and forming one of the most fertilespots in the Republic. This low-lying land is the finest and cheapestgrazing in the north, but it is unreliable because it is quite inundatedin time of floods, when the cattle have to be withdrawn to higher camp. During various excursions on the following days we saw tracks of"tigers" (leopard) and "lions" (puma); the kill of the latter, a smallgazelle buck, "guasuncho, " we found neatly covered up with grass andleaves, and easily distinguishable from the tiger's kill, which isalways left uncovered. A very fine tiger's skin was brought in onenight, measuring 1. 84 metres from the tip of the nose to the root of thetail, and 1. 56 metres across. The man had suddenly come across it whileon foot in the monte, and after wounding it with his Winchester had runit down with his dogs and killed it. One evening we caught sight of a tapi (tapir) coming down to drink, butwere unable to shoot on account of the bad light. Each day we saw manywild pigs ("chancho moro") and various kinds of wild cats, including thesplendid "gato once" or ounce cat, whose skin is one of the finest, andonly to be compared with the "lobo" or golden otter, which has a mostmagnificent fluffy pelt with a golden tint on the tips. The latter isunfortunately getting very rare now. The great wolf or "aguaras" is still common, and is a very statelybeast, as he slopes along with his hind-quarters well under him, withpricked ears and shaggy black mane. The forests here are mostly in long strips and clumps, with excellentpasture land between them; and they contain, among other commoner chacotrees, lance wood, four crowns, and tala. Amongst the strange treesthere is one enormous broad-leafed tree called "guapoij, " which has longcreeping roots, which cling on to neighbouring trees and gradually pullthem down and absorb all their goodness, killing them, and in somemarvellous way apparently eating them up. One finds occasionally one ofthese trees embracing another bigger than itself, and gradually rootingit out of the ground. On all low ground one generally finds "Zeibos"--a tree with very softwood and very pretty branches of scarlet flowers. The wild apricot or "ijguajay" grows everywhere, and looks a verytempting fruit, fatal, however, to most Europeans, as it is a verypowerful purge. The Indian children eat the fruit with joy, and itapparently has no bad effect on them. The forests are full of all kinds of animals, and, in addition to thosealready mentioned, there are red deer, black and brown monkeys, andbear, and the ring-tailed coons, which latter make noises like thegrunting of pigs. Of ground game there are foxes, tattoo or mulita, armadillo, andostriches. Amongst the birds the most common are various kinds of hawks, includingsome very much like the great bustard, English brown buzzard, and ospreyfalcon, and two or three kinds of parrots and cockatoos, the greenparrots being the curse to agriculturists, eating all the maize, as thelocusts do in the South. There are many different kinds of "carpinteros" or woodpeckers, most ofthem having most wonderful plumage of brown, green, scarlet, blue, andyellow. A strange bird which is not often seen is the "tucan, " a small blackbird, with a beak almost as big as his body, and of a splendid orangecolour with a scarlet tip; he is a top-heavy looking little chap whenseen seated on an orange tree, his favourite haunt. Amongst table birds there are grey pheasants, martinetta, andpartridges. Of wild fowl, there are enormous varieties, including the"pato real" or great tree duck, whistling mallard, various kinds of tealand shovellers, widgeon, muscony and hooded duck, black-headed geese, grey geese, and swans. Amongst water-birds are the black, grey, andwhite "garza" or heron. The latter are especially valuable on account ofthe splendid feathers on the back of their necks. Of the smaller birdsthere is the gallinetta, a kind of landrail, the curse of huntersshooting wild duck, their wretched screech warning every bird in thedistrict. The beautifully coloured and almost transparently wingedgolden moorhen covers every stretch of water inland, and the "chaja" orwild turkey, one of the most useless birds in the Chaco, and quiteuneatable, sends forth his dismal cry "chaja. " The kingfishers are, perhaps, the most noticeable of all the riverbirds, and are of all sizes, from the small European variety to onealmost ten times their size. Gorgeously plumaged, they skim, likeflashes of light, over the water, which is full of all kinds of fishincluding "Dorado, " a splendid fighting fish, excellent eating, whichcan be caught with rod or fly, and goes up to 10 kilos in weight;"Suravi, " a great mud fish, which is seen sometimes basking out ofwater, weighing up to 50 kilos, with enormous head, and good eating;"Savala, " the mud-eating cruiser, which one sees nearly always with itstail out of water, and which makes excellent revolver shooting;"Palmieta, " the curse of the Chaco streams and rivers, making bathingunadvisable on account of its hostile assaults on the extremities of allforeign bodies; and the "rallo, " or sun fish, a large flat fish with along tail. Thus was spent a week of happy days of excursions and explorations, where sometimes we had to walk through great distances of undergrowthand the everywhere-abundant prickly cactus, cutting our way with largecavalry swords, always with our eyes skinned to catch sight of somestrange bird, beast, or flower. Sometimes we waded for miles throughswamps, which, in some places, abound with enormous water snakes up to 6metres long. We put up all kinds of water-fowl, as we struggled on, splashingthrough rivers, clambering up and skeltering down slippery banks, reaching home tired and weary every night to recount all the day'sdoings, sitting out in the patio in the cool evening, eaten up bymosquitoes. So ended my holiday, with hurried packing, much toast-drinking, and afinal little farewell dance to the accompaniment of guitar, gramophone, mouth-organ, and accordion. The journey south was of no great interest, half on horseback, half in "galera, " or public mail coach, with, asfellow passengers, a German traveller, a curé (most jovial of beings, who had brought enough food with him to feed a whole regiment), a headof police and his men, and two coach boys. The coach, with five young horses tied in abreast, went bumping andjolting along hour after hour, until we came to a big river, unfortunately in flood. The horses were unhitched, tied together andswum across; a boat coming from some unseen corner, took passengers andluggage across, leaving the coach itself alone, with a long wire tied tothe end of the pole. The horses were fastened to the end of this wire onthe other side of the river, and then, with a whoop and a cheer, thecoach tumbled head-over-heels into the raging flood, twisting andturning in all ways, first one side up and then the other, until at lastit reached the near bank. And so we travelled on, back to civilisation;a tiring journey in dust and heat by rail, bringing us home to the sameold flat, treeless, priceless plains of the Central Argentine, to dreamfor many days of birds, fishes, animals, flowers, trees, good friends, and the fine natives of the Northern Chaco. WORK IN THE WOODS. WORK IN THE WOODS. The worker in the forests is of necessity an early riser, the nature ofhis task requiring that he should be up betimes. His preparations forbreakfast are simple, and he is ready to start out after half an hourspent in imbibing a few matés full of yerba infusion. The cartmen tie intheir bullocks, kept overnight in a corral, and drive off to bring inwood prepared by the axemen, the bullock-herd takes his charges topasture and the men's employer mounts his horse to visit the camp of hisaxemen, or goes to the store to fetch meat and provisions. The axemengenerally live in tents or temporary shelters, convenient to their work, and some distance from the contractor's rancho. They have to work hard, stripped to the waist in summer; they fell the trees, and either squarethe logs for baulks and sleepers, or cut the bark and outside layer ofwhite wood off to make logs for export, working by moonlight when theheat of the day is excessive. Their food consists of biscuits, calledGalleta, dried to the consistency of flint; these they soften in soupmade from fresh meat or dried "Charki. " To this soup is added rice, maize, or "Fido's, " which is coarse macaroni. The favourite roast, called the "Asado, " is made from ribs of beefimpaled on a stick and placed near the fire till sufficiently cooked. This delicacy, usually as hard as nails, is enjoyed by the men, who cutoff portions, which they hold in their teeth, while, with a jack-knife, mouthfuls are sawn off close to the nose, at the risk of shortening thatorgan. Water is drunk, or coffee sweetened liberally with moist sugar. This coffee is made in the country, chiefly from beans or maize, with alarge percentage of chicory to give it body. It is picturesque to see a long string of carts enter a deposit to thesound of pistol cracks from long whips, and to watch the cartmen unloadthe heavy logs. A cartman will load his cart with logs of a ton and upwards, each withthe aid of his team of bullocks, placing the chains so that the animals, at the desired moment, by advancing a short distance, roll the log fromthe ground on to the cart. In the case of very heavy logs the cart isplaced upside down on the log, which is then bound to it, and thebullocks pull the whole thing over. The distances which have to becovered by these carts are considerable, fifteen miles in the day is notunusual, changing bullocks once en route, but a great deal depends onthe roads being dry, as in wet weather the wheels sink up to the hubs inthe mud and the roads are soon dotted here and there with loadsabandoned till better conditions enable them to be reloaded anddelivered at a depository. These cartmen are hardy fellows and work wet to the skin, covered withmud up to their knees, or, again, hidden in the dust from the roads, which envelopes the moving carts in a choking cloud. It is little to be wondered at if the axemen and cartmen, when pay dayarrives, go in for a spree, which for them usually takes the form ofgambling, enlivened by dancing and drinking till daylight. The result of sojourning in the woods does not, as might be expected, have the effect of making these men unsociable, and they embrace everyopportunity of attending a race meeting or dance. When the men areexcited by drink quarrels are frequent, and the police search them forarms before admitting them to a Re-union. Arms are carried ostensibly as a precaution against meeting withIndians and bad characters in the lonely recesses of the forest, and themen like to carry a knife and a good revolver, or, better still, aWinchester, to enable them to get a shot at any wild animal they maycome across, the skins of these being much prized. They take a pleasurein presenting a visitor with a puma skin or other trophy of the chase. Among these people one looks for, and finds, the primitive idea ofhospitality, an unaffected welcome and willingness to give of the bestthey have. Here are men independent by virtue of their labour, whichgives them sufficient for their daily wants. They have no thought forthe morrow or what will be their lot when too feeble to work. The axemen, who are natives of Italy and Austria, are very good workmen, but compare unfavourably with natives of the country, being extremelydirty in their persons, to such a degree that it is a disagreeableexperience to have to interview them in an office, whereas the Argentinenative puts on his best apparel when he goes to an estancia. The forest workers are nomads, and, as the woods get cut out, move on tofresh camping grounds, leaving the woods to revert to their formersolitude, a haunt for the wild animals, who creep back once silence hasreturned. CACHAPÉS, AND OTHER THINGS. CACHAPÉS, AND OTHER THINGS. To a man coming from the Southern Camps to the forest belt of Santa Fé, the cachapé must appeal as something peculiar to the district, and mostessentially local. He has had a surfeit of carts with two wheels, each12 feet high, and dragged by anything from sixteen to twenty-eighthorses; Russian carts, like Thames punts on four wheels, no longer amusehim, while American spring carts are much too European to warrantunslinging the Kodak. But the cachapé--here is something not to belightly passed over. Lying idle it may not strike him at first sight asa cart, but rather as a remnant of some revolution, when, tired ofwaging light operatic war, the army disbanded, leaving theirgun-carriages to serve more peaceful purposes. Two pairs of short, squat, enormously powerful wheels; between, andjoining them, a roughly hewn pole and various chains in an apparentlyhopeless tangle. Yet see them in work--every niche doing its work, everychain taking ten per cent, more strain than it was ever intended totake, creaking, groaning, crashing into holes, crawling laboriously oversnaps and trunks to fall again with its load of four tons with ajerking, swaying, and straining as though struggling to free itself fromits load, and you recognise the _raison d'être_ of the queer littlecart. The capaché is not without its humorous moments. Supposing the cartmenfind a log too heavy to load in the ordinary way; they do not return andinform the boss that the log must be hoisted by mechanical means orpropose high-priced cranes. Seeing that obviously they can't put the logon the cart, they accept the alternative and put the cart on the log, chain it on securely, then haul everything right side up again with thebullocks and proceed to the unloading station. Once there, it might besupposed that they would tumble the cart over again, but here theintelligent foreigner is misled. The correct proceeding now is for thecartmen to lie on their backs and push with their feet, after the mannerof the gentlemen in music halls, who, reclining on sawed-off sofas, twiddle gold-spangled spheres with their toes; only our cartmen lie inwater and mud and the gold-spangled sphere is changed for a three-tonlog. The force the men can exert in this position is little short ofmarvellous. Out one crawls, reviews the situation, then back againunder, a creak, a combined push, and over the wheels comes the log, throwing up the mud and water for 50 feet around. Then back they goagain for another load six miles through the forest. Wet through, theirclothes hanging in ribbons from shoulders and belt, one day's mud cakingon another's, and with a long sword stuck through their belt in front, they present a figure comical enough were it not that one knew the otherside of the picture. Reeking with inherited consumption, they live the one life which iscertain to kill them before they are forty. Wet through and chilled, they are called upon again and again to suddenly exert enormousstrength, since no man can desert his cart. He must "get there. " He mustget out of his trouble. He eats largely when and how he can, and when hehas saved any money the merry "Taba" bone charms it from him in a waytoo universal perhaps to call for any remark. Sometimes he finishes hiscarting days through too decided opinions as to the other man'sintegrity in playing "Taba"; sometimes on his canvas bed in a hut of mudand branches, his browny yellow face and sunken eyes asking no pity, betraying no emotion; in either case he is rarely over thirty-five andoften leaves a wife and children. I say "wife and children, " since it sounds the usual thing; but, as amatter of strict fact, the ceremony of getting married is deprecatedamong them, as it signifies "Putting on side, " and is only resorted towhen they are in a village and there is a chance that the presents thatare given will more than compensate the tremendous expense they have togo to. Speaking to a gentleman of this kidney, I was informed that whenthe cross-eyed blacksmith Strike got married, it cost him three dollarsand a-half (say 5s. ) in fire crackers alone, and my informant went on tosay that the only case he knew of where marriage had been reallysuccessful was that of the fair-haired carpenter, who was married andasked all the bosses on the place, who each gave something, with whichhe was able to buy a sewing machine for the eldest girl, then aged six. But, mark you, lest you should judge them lightly, remember that theirunwritten pact is just as binding to them as our formal marriage tie isto us, and that in their way they are probably better husbands andfathers than your Balham clerk. In their young days they may chop andchange, which changes are generally marked by little iron crosses in thewoods, but, once they have settled down, desertion is far rarer than incivilised countries. I have seen a native workman with his shoulderblade in his arm-pit, his face cut to ribbons, and with pieces ofcasting sticking to his back through the carrying away of a crane, cavilagainst the idea of being taken into the township where the doctor was, lest his old woman, unused to a town life, should find the surroundingsuncongenial. This in a broken, muttered whisper, twelve hours after theaccident had happened, during which time every new arrival had beencalled upon to witness the peculiar nature of his injuries. Much has been said about the terrible wickedness of the lower-classnative, his gambling, his immorality, his almost fanatical desire tomurder everyone he sees; and for complete and detailed lists of crimesand monstrosities appeal to any newcomer, who will be delighted to holdforth on the subject; but when one has lived with them and worked withthem under varying conditions, and has suffered in some degree what theysuffer, one hesitates to condemn them offhand. Blackguards they are--but manly, humorous blackguards. Immoral, one mustconfess them to be, according to our lights, but even in England "Customfrom time immemorial" is held as law. The vast majority will steal raw hide gear as a cat steals fish, butwill not touch your money, much as in a community of young men propertyis common to all with the same exception. They will lie if scared, orrather will substitute for the truth something they think you would liketo hear, and they will do as little work as you will let them. But, have a bad case of sickness in the house and ask a man to go out atmidnight with the carriage to get the doctor, or to go on horseback onhis own horse twenty miles for medicine, and he goes as quietly andpleasantly as though he were going about the most commonplace work. Heexpects no tip, no extra wage, nor is he lauded as a hero. He may havecome down, horse and all, in the dark, but is happy if he has notsmashed the bottle of medicine, and he resumes his work on return, justas if he hadn't been up all night riding at a hard canter over brokenground full of holes and snags. No, he is by no means an ideal worker, neither is he half so bad as he'spainted, and I'd rather meet him in the next world than lots of men whoboss him in this. MY FRIEND THE AXEMAN. MY FRIEND THE AXEMAN. Eighty square leagues of dense forest. One is inclined to feel a triflesmall and overcome when this fraction of Mother Earth is put into one'shands (metaphorically), with orders to know all about it and to be ableto answer all questions as to what is going on in it. The work is like most other occupations: not quite so romantic as itsounds at first, but as interesting as one cares to make it. One's main employment can best be illustrated by a leaf out of a mentaldiary. Fulano de Tal, axeman, wants credit for provisions at the almacen orgeneral store--Has he sufficient wood cut to warrant it? It is theMayor-domo's business to find out. With this end in view, he rides along "The Mangy" watercourse till hecomes to the lowland of "The Blind Cow. " The barking of half a dozenmongrel curs leads him into the edge of the forest, and he comes uponthe residence of Fulano de Tal. The man has perhaps recently moved tothis spot, and has not had time or energy to build himself a "rancho, "and therefore the homestead consists of about four yards of canvasstretched across the branch of a tree like the roof of a tent. Beneath this is a "New Home" sewing machine, a Brummagem bedstead, and asmall trunk, made burglar-proof by innumerable bands and fastenings ofbright tin, or even gilt wall-paper. Scattered around are the littleFulanos, in costumes varying from nothing to very little. Their mother ceases her cooking operations, wipes her hands on thenearest child's head, and invites the visitor to dismount. He answers that he is looking for her husband, and she directs him witha sweep of the hand which covers a quadrant of the compass and includesseveral square leagues of thick forest. Taking a likely track, however, he soon hears the ring of axe-strokes, and finds his man patientlychipping away at a felled tree, which is rapidly taking the form of abaulk, with the sides as smooth as if sawn. His horse is tied up near, and he takes the Mayor-domo through his"corte, " showing him the wood prepared for the carters. Give him achance and he will count every log twice (most likely he has alreadyplastered mud over the marks which show the rotten patch in the wood, and is wondering whether he has cleared the black sufficiently off apiece of "campana" to persuade a reasonable man that it is really freshwood). It is part of the inspector's stock in trade to know these and a myriadother tricks, too numerous to take separately. The typical axeman in the Santa Fé Chaco is more genuinely "childlike"than, and quite as "bland" as, the famous Celestial. He never quitegrows up; he will spend his last dollar on a mouth-organ when he isforty, and give a wild war-whoop of delight as a stack of newly piledsleepers falls crashing to the ground. He loves sweets and the bright clothes which he wears with childishdignity on feast-days and holidays. His _amour propre_ is tremendous, and influences his code of honour to agreat extent. The first ten commandments he will break most cheerfully, but the eleventh--"Thou shalt not be found out"--he respects to the bestof his power. Stealing, for instance, he regards as a pastime, but call him a thiefand you must be prepared for trouble. A perfect instance of this can bequoted in the case of an estanciero who found a peon wearing one of hisshirts. [Illustration: _Square Quebracho Logs worked by the Axeman, showingResin oozing therefrom. _] "You are wearing my shirt, " said the master. "No, Señor; I bought it inthe store. " "But you stole it from me, " insisted the estanciero, pointing to the tab at the front, where his name was written in markingink; "there is my name on it. " The man, being quite illiterate, had not reckoned on such damningevidence, but he recovered himself and replied with dignity: "Very well, Señor; if it is yours, take it; _but don't call me a thief_. " Honesty is with them, admittedly, a matter of degree. A man will alwayssay if questioned about some small deficiency, "Do you think I wouldswindle you for a matter of two dollars?" or "Do you think I would riskmy credit with the Company for the sake of _one_ calf?" To be honest ina case where a larger profit is involved is a height of integrity towhich he does not even pretend. "I am going to be frank with you"--thatis an expression which puts the wise man on his guard, for it isgenerally followed by a cascade of lies. Business must be done on a completely different basis to that whichobtains in England. To return to our friend Fulano, for instance: hewishes perhaps to ask for an increase of fifty cents per ton on hiswood, and introduces the subject by a short conversation about thepoints of his horse, passing on to the bad state of the bullocks andenlarging on the chance of a rainy winter. You have just decided that hehas nothing more to say and are preparing to leave him, when he makeshis request with as much circumlocution as possible. To have comestraight to the point would have been contrary to all his ideas ofcorrect procedure. I have heard two natives make one another's acquaintance with a bout ofverbal sparring which an Englishman would obviate by a single sentence, such as "Good morning; Mr. Brown, I believe?" "Yes, " the other wouldanswer, and the business would be entered upon immediately. The Spanish blood, however, calls for some such dialogue as thefollowing, which is taken from real life. _A. _--"Good day. " _B. _--"Good day. " _A. _--"How are you, Señor?" _B. _--"Very well, thank you, Señor; how are you?" _A. _--"Very well, thank you. " _B. _--"I am glad. " _A. _--"Equally. " _B. _--"Don't mention it. " _A. _--"I am speaking to Mr. Juan Sosa?" _B. _--"At your service. " _A. _--"At yours. " _B. _--"Equally. " _A. _--"It gives me great pleasure to know you. " _B. _--"Equally. " They are flowery always, whether in greeting, praise, commendation, orin denunciation. In illustration of the last point, I once heard a cartman give vent to aquite Olympic challenge. His cart had stuck in a deep rut up to the axles, and he commencedoperations by addressing his bullocks with tender words and soft namesswiftly followed by lurid curses. This proving useless, he invokedhigher powers, and called on his pet saints by name--"Help me, SanPedro, San Geronimo, Santa Lucia, San Juan. " Still no result:-- Then his patience failed entirely--"If you won't help me, San Pedro, " heshouted, "come down and I'll fight you;" "Come down, San Juan, and I'lltake you both on together. " Still no reply. Taking his hat off he placed it on the ground, made the motion ofclawing his guardians from the skies and placing them in his hat. "Stay there, San Geronimo; Stay there, San Juan; Stay there, San Marco. " When his hat was full enough for his satisfaction he leapt into the air, came down on it with both feet, and continued to dance on it for aboutthree minutes. Thus, for a real or imagined slight, the streak of black blood will showup and convert a friend into a relentless enemy. It is not surprising when one considers the lack of civilisinginfluences which ought to be exerted from the top downwards, but whichhave no root in the highest power they know, which is the arm of thelaw. It might be interesting to note a few proofs of the corruptionwhich exists among those who wield the local weapons of justice--amongthe commissaries, police, and justices of the peace. The Chief of Police of----, for instance, a town of only about 7, 000inhabitants, refused £2, 000 a year for the local gambling rights. Again, a gardener, whom I knew, was put in jail for being drunk anddisorderly. On going to the place some time later I found the man stillimprisoned. "Why, " I asked, "for such a small offence"? "We found, " wasthe answer, "that when sober he was such a good workman that we couldnot spare him from the job of cleaning the stables. " On the other hand, a friend of mine was dissatisfied with the policemanhe had, and sent the sergeant into the township to exchange him foranother. The man returned with a particularly villainous-lookingspecimen, and when asked where he had got him, explained that the Chiefof Police had told him to look among the prisoners for a suitable man, give him a uniform and take him. "I thought this was the best of them; but they all wanted to come, " heconcluded ingenuously. Another commissary in the north of this country flattered himself on hisrevolver-shooting, and used to perform the feat of shooting the hat offa man's head without hurting him. He was in the local bar one day when apeon entered with a brand new white hat; it was an opportunity not to bemissed. Crack--and the man fell with a bullet through his temple insteadof his hat. Did the Comisário stand stricken with remorse, or burst intoself-reproach? No. He moved the body with the toe of his boot andremarked: "Carramba, I am getting a very poor shot nowadays. " A story which was told me in the province of Rio Negro, and which waswell vouched for, contained serio-comic elements of which I believe theperpetrator, whom I knew personally, quite capable. An old man who owned a considerable quantity of land, died intestate. Aman who lived with him, Garcia by name, had no idea of letting theproperty go to distant unknown relations, and concocted the followingplot (obviously with the connivance of the neighbouring Justice of thePeace, who was a friend of his). The law allows that a sane man "in articulo mortis, " and past the powerof speech, may make statements by signs: so when the Justice wassummoned to the house, Garcia told him that the man was not yet dead, and wished to make his will. Garcia seated himself at the foot of the bed, while the Justice at theside addressed questions to the deceased on the following lines:-- "Do you wish me to record your last will and testament?" The corpse nodded. "Do you wish your property to pass into your cousins' hands?" The head moved from side to side. "Do you intend to make Garcia your sole legatee?" The deceased nodded several times. Two witnesses were brought, and the business was settled withcommendable promptitude. I think it was Garcia himself who explained, some time afterwards, thatas the dead man wore a full beard and whiskers, it was easy enough tohide the strings passing from his ears and chin to the foot of the bedunder the coverings. In this connection I have since heard that one of the legal ceremoniesin a coroner's inquest in Central America is to solemnly ask thedeceased who killed him. To return to the point, however; if such things exist among those in thehighest positions of trust it is not surprising to find wholesalechicanery among the lower orders; that they realise their shortcomingsis evidenced by the fact that if they wish to impress you with the truthof a statement, they add "palabra de Ingles, " i. E. , "on the word of anEnglishman. " Their Indian descent is answerable for a great deal, the white and blackblood being so mixed that it is almost impossible to note the dividingline. Their dusky ancestors were blessed with an extremely limitedintelligence, only being able to count up to four. The followingincidents were related to me by an old estanciero. He once saw atrainload of Indian prisoners who had had oranges given them throwingthe skins against the windows and showing great surprise when they fellinside. In another instance a woman came with her daughter to place her indomestic service at the estancia, and as the mother did all the talking, the estanciero's wife asked if the daughter could speak Spanish. "Oh, yes, " answered the mother, "but she is barefoot, and would notpresume to talk Spanish unless she had shoes on. " This same girl at first insisted on turning up the carpet whenever sheentered a room and walking along the boards at the side. I fear that I have given a black character to the people I work among, but there are lights as well as shades, and I have had many a wearyhour's ride wiled away by the philosophy and anecdotes of some peon orsmall contractor, without mentioning the enjoyment of that hospitalitywhich is a characteristic of the nation. Beside a camp fire, under the stars, while the maté pot passes from handto hand, or when huddled under a horse cloth with the rain dousing thelast embers, I have found the Correntino, or Santa Fecino, a cheery anduncomplaining companion, who compares well with the recently arrivedEnglishman, who, under the same circumstances, is generally sleepy orbad tempered. Treat him well and he will treat you well, but if it is necessary tochasten him for his soul's good, keep your hand a little nearer to yourrevolver than his is to his knife. DUST AND OTHER STORMS. DUST AND OTHER STORMS. Life in South America has many and varied experiences, though not souncomfortably exciting perhaps to-day as they were, when more than threeyears seldom passed without a revolution of some kind, either nationalor provincial. The year 1893 was marked by two revolutions in Rosario, the first provincial and the second national, with perhaps little morethan two months between them. It sounds terribly alarming to hear that arevolution has broken out, and pictures of the French Revolutionimmediately rise before one, but, fortunately, those of South Americancities are not of that calibre; reports and rumours fly about of theterrible things that are going to be done, but these generally end inrumour, and after a few persons, those who have nothing to do with themovement, have been killed, probably by soldiers letting off theirrifles up some street just on the chance of hitting something (oftenthat at which they are _not_ aiming), the revolution fizzles out veryquickly. In the second revolution of 1893 great excitement was caused in Rosarioby a revolutionary gunboat being pursued by a Government boat and anaval battle (!) being fought on the river outside Rosario. These twoboats blazed away at each other till the revolutionary gunboat wasreduced to a wreck; the Government boat then threatened to turn its gunson Rosario unless the revolutionists capitulated. The town was giventwenty-four hours to decide, and, after various disasters, including aterrible battle, had been threatened, as usual the revolution came to asudden end, on this particular occasion owing to the revolutionistleader, D. Alem, committing suicide. That same year, 1893, distinguished itself by drawing to a close with three of the mostterrible dust storms ever seen in a country that, after any lengthenedperiod of dry weather, suffers from dust storms of a greater or lesserdegree. The first of these occurred early in December, after many monthsof drought, on a brilliantly sunny afternoon. Standing at the front doorof a house at Fisherton, a suburb about six miles from Rosario, wenoticed right down in the S. W. , on the horizon, great banks ofgrey-looking clouds, which, to our surprise, seemed to be rollingrapidly up the sky towards us. They had a most alarming appearance, forthese masses of grey cloud approaching so rapidly seemed to portend astorm of terrible force. In less than twenty minutes from the time wefirst saw the clouds the afternoon had changed from brilliant sunshineto pitchy darkness. So rapidly had the darkness come on us that no onewas prepared, and no matches or lights were forthcoming; so there westood in a room in absolute darkness, no glimmer of light even revealingwhere the windows were situated in the room. Though all doors andwindows were closely shut, we could feel the dust entering in cloudsthrough the cracks, making it quite unpleasant breathing. When the stormcaught us we had to stand and wait, I must own with some fear as to howit was going to end. Up to this time the storm had come up and fallen onus in total silence: now, after about ten minutes of pitch darkness, wecould hear in the far distance the wind coming. It came up with cyclonicforce, and then everything in the way of tins and buckets began to beblown in every direction, and the horses to gallop about neighing, evidently very much frightened. The wind was the forerunner of the rain, which gradually began to clear the air, though, of course, for some timeit rained mud, much to the detriment of the houses, and to anyoneunfortunate enough to be caught out of doors in the storm; indeed, oneof our friends, who insisted on starting for the station just as thestorm descended on us, was found crouching under his umbrella by one ofthe posts of the railway fence, with a face as black as a sweep's, and, by then, deeply repentant that he had started for the station againstadvice. Indeed, many caught out in camp by the storm lost their livesthrough falling into wells, and, in some cases, the river. But, fortunately, nowadays--principally, I fancy, owing to the larger area ofcountry under cultivation--these dust storms do not recur. LOCUSTS. During the past century considerable study has been centred upon thelife and habits of the locust, mainly from the desire to seek itssubjugation and destruction, and, whilst much general biologicalinformation has been written upon the subject, there are things which wedo not yet know about this insect or its habits. We do not know whatprecise influences cause their migration, nor do we know what is theexact length of life of the locust or its breeding power, or the preciselocality in any country which may be defined as its permanent abode. Locusts are classified under the order of orthopterous insects of thefamily Acrydiidae, and are very closely related to grasshoppers. There are a large number of species, the differentiating features beingmore or less the form and sculpture of protorax, the size of the head, the length and size of the prosternal spine, the comparative length andsize of the hind thighs and shanks, the amount and arrangement of thetegmina mottlings, the comparative length of wings, and the generalbuild of the entire insect, which may be robust or fairly slender. A general description of the distinctive physical features of migratorylocusts might be given as a strong, wild-looking head, a strong collarinside which the neck moves, powerful and peculiarly-formed legsattached to a short, strong, square trunk or thorax, four wings, twoantennae or feelers, six legs, and a long segmentary abdomen. The groundcolour of the locust is generally brownish, straw, or red, but itscolour varies somewhat according to the particular season of the yearor some other peculiar circumstance, but nothing certain is known as towhat influences the shade of colour. Mere ground colour is immaterialand does not signify a new species. Besides having a pair of compound eyes which form so noticeable afeature in its head, there are three other simple little eyes, placedlike shining dots at three angles of a triangle below the two feelers. The mouth, which is a fearful apparatus, consists of nine distinct andwell-marked organs; an interior or upper lip, consisting of a platedeeply cleft and capable of opening enormously; two true jaws orpowerful mandibles; and two pairs of jointed organs called (maxillary)palpi, and two lower jaws. The mandibles and jaws move laterally fromright to left. The thorax or trunk consists really of three rings. To the first isattached the two front legs; to the second, the two middle legs and thefirst pair of wings, and to the third, the two hind legs and the secondpair of posterior wings. Along the posterior margin is a well markedserrated (spinous) arrangement by means of which the locust adheres andgrips forcibly. The trunk appears to be full of a fatty sort ofsubstance. The abdomen consists of a number of horny segments which are joinedtogether by an elastic membrane, a construction which enables the insectto extend its body several centimetres beyond its normal extent. It canalso be increased in thickness. The front and middle feet of this insect are short and weak, but thelength, strength, and formation of the hind legs enable it to takeextraordinary leaps. A full-grown locust can jump seven or eight feet inheight, whilst it is said to be able to leap more than 200 times thelength of its body. The female is normally larger by 1/4 or 1/2 inch in length than themale, and has a rather thicker body. The average length of the migratory locust is from 2-1/2 to 3 inches andabout 3/8 inch in thickness in the abdomen. Locusts generally lay theireggs in the spring, and the manner in which the females, having selecteda favourable site, make an excavation in the earth for depositing theireggs is intensely interesting and wonderful. At the very extremity of the abdomen the female has two pairs of hornyvalves or hooks, each pair placed back to back with their pointsdirected outwards, and arranged so that all four hooks can be broughtwith their points close together. By this means a sharp pointed lever isformed which can be turned around, evolved, and forked. With thisapparatus she drills a small hole and by means of a series of muscularefforts and the continuing opening and closing of the valves providedwith the formation of the abdomen, she actually bores to a depth of 6 to7 centimetres, or about 3 inches. Here she deposits her eggs--normallyabout eighty--regularly arranged in a long cylindrical mass andenvelopes them in a spumous or sort of glutinous secretion, so that thewhole are quite tapped up and level with the surface of the ground. Thissubstance when dried is more or less impassable and affords protectionto the eggs from the elements and secures an easy outlet to the surfacefor the young locust when hatched. The eggs resemble in shape grains ofsmall rice and are about 1/4 inch long. The eggs hatch in from twenty-five to sixty days, usually about fortydays, but the period may vary a little according to temperature, humidity, etc. The young locusts are known as "hoppers, " in which stagethey pass some forty-five or fifty days before arriving at the fullydeveloped stage known as "fliers. " To reach the "flying" or "migratory"stage they pass through six different states, changing the colour oftheir skin several times, gradually approaching to full growth, andfinally growing wings. They have no quiescent stage, and whilst they are naturally yetincapable of flight, their locomotive powers are very considerable, andthey are very destructive, for their voracity is great. Comparativelyspeaking, the flying locusts do less damage to the growing crops thanthe hoppers, who devour everything clean before them. It is interesting to state that the "hoppers" in the first stage are inlength about 7 to 9 mm. , or not quite one-third of an inch, and that thefeelers have thirteen divisions, extending to twenty-seven divisions atfull growth. During the cold weather they usually gather together in thousands, clinging closely to all kinds of vegetation and to each other. In thisseason the general rule seems to be that comparatively little food istaken of any kind. For the purpose of watching the development of theireggs, several hundred locusts have been opened during the winter monthsby entomologists, and invariably their cases have been found empty. Perhaps the most feasible suggestion as to the cause of their migratoryimpulse is that locusts naturally breed in dry sandy districts in whichfood is scarce, and are thus impelled to wander in order to procure thenecessaries of life. The rate of travel varies according to circumstances. With anunfavourable wind, or little wind, they seldom travel more than fivemiles an hour. At other times, when the wind is favourable, they willcover fifteen to twenty miles per hour. When on the wing it is certainthat a distance of 1, 000 miles may, in particular cases, be taken as amoderate estimate of flight, and whilst, probably, it is often muchless, it is sometimes much more. Their height of flight has beenvariously estimated at from forty to two hundred feet. "A dropping fromthe clouds" is a common expression used by observers when describing theapparition of a swarm. It will not be denied that the presence of locusts in force constitutesa terrible plague. They make their appearance in swarms and eat upeverything. It is wellnigh impossible to estimate the number in a cloudof locusts, but some idea may be formed from the fact that when they aredriven, as sometimes is the case in a storm, into the sea and drowned, so many are washed ashore, that it is said by one observer that theirdead bodies formed a bank of nearly 40 miles long and 300 yards wide, and many feet in depth, and the stench from the corruption of theirbodies proceeded 150 miles inland. When a swarm of locusts temporarily settles in a district, allvegetation rapidly disappears, and then hunger urges them on anotherstage. Such is their voracity that cannibalism amongst them has beenasserted as an outcome of the failure of other kinds of food. Locusts have their natural enemies. Many birds greedily devour them, infact a migratory swarm is usually followed by myriads of birds, especially sea gulls; they are often found 150 to 200 miles inland. Often a flock of gulls will clean up a "manga" of locusts; they devourthem by thousands, and will then go to a neighbouring laguna, take alittle water, and throw up all they have eaten, and at a given signal gooff again to fill up with more locusts, only to repeat the operationtime after time. Predatory insects of other orders also attack them, especially when in the unwinged state. They have still more deadly foesin parasites, some of which attack the fully developed locust, but thegreater number adopt the more insidious method of attacking the eggs. Many inventions have been brought out with the object of exterminatingthe locusts, some of which, at least, have doubtless been partlysuccessful, but determined and combined effort by the nation and landproprietors is imperative if the remedial and preventive measuresproposed are to reap the success hoped for. The Agricultural Defence Department reports having spent $10, 561, 540 mn. From 1st January, 1909, to 31st May, 1910, in fighting the locusts. Thetotal area invaded was 135, 000, 000 hectares (about 337, 500, 000 acres). From 1892 to date, and with what is required for the present year, $54, 000, 000 have been spent in combating locusts and like plagues toagriculture. CONSCRIPT LIFE IN THE ARGENTINE REPUBLIC. The life of a conscript is more agreeable than most people in theArgentine Republic imagine it to be, although it has its disadvantagesas well as its advantages. Every year all over the Republic a drawing takes place, calling to arms, for a year in the Army or two in the Navy, Argentines who have attainedthe age of twenty-one. At an average 12, 000 to 15, 000 are called outevery year and distributed in the different regiments, according toheight; from 1. 75 metres upwards to Cavalry, middle height to Infantry, and short men to Artillery. For eight months the troops are drilled daily, and at the end of thisperiod a big manoeuvre is held in which every regiment has to take part. This manoeuvre is divided into two parts: in the month of September alltroops pertaining to the I. , II. , and IV. Regions are mobilised, and inNovember those of the III. And V. The daily routine is as follows: At 4 a. M. At the call of a bugle alltroops have to rise, and the roll is called over; at 4. 30 a. M. Coffee isserved; at 5. 0 every morning orders are given to saddle-up horses andarm, and they have to be ready to leave the barracks at 5. 30 for morningdrill on horseback or to go to the shooting range, according to thetime-table; the drilling continues till 10 o'clock, at which hour thetroops are due back at the barracks, having to go through a course ofdrilling on foot up till 11 o'clock. At 11 o'clock the troops have to turn out and clean and brush down theirhorses until 11. 30, at which hour lunch is served out; after which theyare allowed to do as they like (except leave the barracks) till 1. 30p. M. ; from 1. 30 to 3 p. M. The troops are drilled on foot, and at 3 p. M. "Maté-cocido" is served out; at 3. 30 they have to attend class until4. 30 p. M. , either on "Campaign Service, " "Military Duties or Laws, " oron the "Carabine or Sword"; every other day class is given on thedifferent parts of a horse, and on how to look after and clean same. From 4. 30 to 5. 30 p. M. There is revision and cleaning of arms. At 5. 30dinner is served out, after which those who have leave are allowed outuntil 10 p. M. , or in some cases until 4 a. M. Next morning. Those drawn for the Navy have to go through a preliminary course oftraining on shore before being sent on board the training ship"Sarmiento, " which every two years leaves Buenos Aires for a trip roundthe world, occupying, on an average, eighteen months. There are certain allowances made for students, who at the age ofnineteen are allowed to enlist in the 8th Cavalry, where they have toserve for three months. At the end of this period they are put through avery severe examination, and should they pass, are promoted to the gradeof Sub-Lieutenant of the Reserve, having to serve for a month every yearin a regiment allotted to them. The advantages of conscription are many. It brings half-breeds from allparts of the Republic in touch with civilization, it teaches themobedience, respect for their superiors, and, above all, how to shoot. After their year's service they leave the barracks knowing a good dealmore about things in general than when they entered them. There is also the better class of lads to be considered. Conscriptionteaches them a few things also, viz. , to knuckle down (which is a greatfailing of the Anglo-Argentines), and be made to do things which theyhave not been accustomed to, clean out stable, etc. , and look aftertheir equipment properly, as anything they may happen to lose isdeducted from their wages, which are very small, $5 per month. The food in the Army is good and plentiful: there is coffee in themorning on rising, a mid-day meal and dinner, which are usually similar, consisting of soup and "puchero" (a national dish made of beef andvegetables boiled), and an occasional dish of "pulenta" (boiled maize). The general treatment in the barracks is good. There are cases ofmiscarriage of justice and ill-treatment, but these are rare. Aconscript may have to suffer punishment although in the right, and isnot allowed to protest his innocence against an officer until after hehas completed his punishment. ACROSS THE BOLIVIAN ANDES IN 1901. Recollections of a journey from the Peruvian port of Mollendo to theBolivian interior, which the writer made in the year stated, are heretranscribed. No rhetorical merit is claimed, facts only are related, andthe compiler of the manuscript only hopes that his efforts may, in partat least, justify a cursory perusal, without exhausting the patience ofthe readers, or overtaxing their indulgence. These notes are transcribednearly ten years after the trip was made, and any readers who may havevisited Bolivia at a more recent date are requested to make allowancefor such modifications or change of conditions of which they can be theonly judges. I have crossed the Andes Chain in other places farther south, in Chile;but on this occasion I will confine my observations to the trip asheaded. Mollendo is one of the worst ports on the Pacific coast, but is of someimportance on account of the fact that the railway through Peru to LakeTiticaca starts here. All vessels have to lie at least half a mile fromthe land on account of the constant heavy swell, and the landing isalways attended by a certain amount of danger, so much so that notinfrequently passengers have to be "slung" on to the landing stage inbaskets made for the purpose. Like most of the South American coast fromValparaiso northwards there is little or no vegetation, and the sceneryis not of the kind generally associated with tropical climes, of whichone reads so much. Sand dunes and waste meet the eye on all sides, andthe traveller for the interior is generally glad when the railwayjourney commences. Of the country through which the railway takes one there is not much tobe said, but the attention of the traveller is at once called to themarvellous ingenuity of the famous engineer Meiggs, who built therailway. Gradually rising as the coast recedes, the train reachesArequipa, at an elevation of 7, 500 feet, and distant from Mollendo about200 miles. Arequipa has about 45, 000 inhabitants, and, while ratherprettily situated in a small valley surrounded by high volcanoes, itdoes not have anything of particular interest to attract one. Moreover, it suffers frequently from earthquakes, which does not surprise one whenyou look at the giant volcano "El Misti, " towering up to 18, 000 feet, atno great distance off. The houses are all built with "vaulted"foundations, the better to resist the "earth-tremblings, " but on thisoccasion I did not experience any shocks. Leaving Arequipa behind, the ascent continues until the highest point isreached at Crucero Alto, where a notice board indicates that we are now14, 666 feet above sea level. It is before reaching this altitude thatthe wonderful enterprise of the engineer shows up. The line goes onwinding and climbing, twisting back again but always ascending, forhours, until a point is reached where passengers, looking down from thecarriage windows, may see right below them, only a few feet down, theactual railway track over which they have passed an hour before. At oneplace there are actually _three tracks visible, _ one right below theother, just like steps and stairs, and I believe there is nothing quitelike it in Argentina. Leaving Crucero Alto the descent is very gradualuntil Puno is reached, on the shore of Lake Titicaca, but still at analtitude of 12, 000 feet or more. I did not actually see the town, whichis a short distance from the station, but went straight on board the"Coya, " the steamer which was to ferry us across to Chililaya or PuertoPerez, on the Bolivian side of the immense lake. [F] The distance in thisdirection is about 110 miles, and the passage was made in ten hours, during the night, so that I had not on this occasion an opportunity ofseeing the surrounding scenery. On another occasion I saw too much of it, as the steamer missed thecanalized strip which extends several miles out from Puno, and weremained hard aground for thirty hours. We had over a hundred Japanesepassengers--immigrants going to the rubber country--and all armed withhuge revolvers; but as the food lasted out until we were relieved byanother small steamer belonging to the railway company they were kept ingood humour, and they gave no trouble at all. Before floating againabout 100 tons of cargo had to be transhipped to the other steamer, andwhen we again got into the deep channel it was again transferred to thes. S. "Coya. " This latter boat was about 150 feet long; it was quite acomfortable boat, and the food and bedding were decent, when youconsider the part of the world you were in. The bill of fare and winelist contained many quaint delicacies, and I shall never forget how theprinter of same spelt the word indicating Scotch wine (commonly known aswhisky). He was quite phonetic from the Spanish point of view, and theword read "Güiscki, " but it tasted all right. Landing at the Bolivian side of Puerto Perez, the immense plateau whichcovers all the centre of Bolivia stretches out on all sides landwards, until it meets the inner and higher range of the Cordilleras. La Paz, the then capital of Bolivia, on account of the fact that thePresident, General Pando, lived there, was our next objective point, and we found the old "Diligence Coach, " drawn by eight horses, awaitingto convey us the forty-two miles across the plain. This part of thejourney is most uninteresting, and the road was only fair. All along itis the same level, stony ground, entirely devoid of trees, and coveredcompletely with large, round stones. These latter the Indians have togather in heaps, and thus make some open patches for growing theirpotatoes and grain, which, with their "Chalona, " or sheep dried in thesun, are their principal foodstuffs throughout the year. Besides, thesurplus produce is conveyed to the larger towns on llamas, and thererealised to the best advantage. It is a very interesting sight everySunday morning to see the "market, " and the curio hunter would just bein his element, as not only do the Indians bring in vegetables andfruits, but all sorts of native silver in quaint shapes, and ornamentsmade by the Indians themselves can be picked up very cheaply. Thedresses of the Indian squaws are also very picturesque, and, as far as Ican remember, red, green, and bright yellow were the dominating colours. But I am getting away from the main subject. Right ahead of us there is the gigantic Illimani, silent and majestic, with its perpetually white crown rising 22, 000 feet above sea-level. Onebegins to wonder where La Paz can be, as the plain seems to extend rightto the foot of the mountain. Keeping steadily on, however, the coacheventually arrives at the brink of a hitherto unnoticed hollow, and thescene that here awaits the traveller is magnificent in the extreme. Todescribe the view baffles my limited vocabulary. There you are lookingdown on the roofs of the houses in La Paz, which lies snugly 1, 200 feetbelow you. It just seems that you could drop a stone on to them, soprecipitate are the cliffs; but it is the enormous drop that deceivesthe eye, because, of the route over which the coach passes, six mileshave yet to be traversed before getting into the town. I have seen LaPaz from the top of the "Cuesta" both by day and night, and the lattereffect, while losing much of its grandeur and magnificence, on accountof the darkness, almost surpasses in beauty that of the daylight vision. The whole city is lit up by electricity, and it just seems as if onewere gazing _down_ on another firmament, if such a thing can beimagined. I repeat, that to fully appreciate this special scenery wordsfail me. Allow me to transgress once more. On the first occasion that I reachedthe top of the entrance to La Paz it was under rather "sporting"circumstances, which, I think, I may be excused for interpolating here. I had come on horseback and _alone_ from the mining town of Coro Coro, sixty-six miles off, and it is a very hard and tiring journey. Theelevation above the sea varies from about 14, 000 feet to 12, 000 feet atthe La Paz end, and therefore great speed is impossible on account ofthe rarity of the air. Apparently I had journeyed too fast for my horse, as the poor animal died when I was still eighteen miles from La Paz. Here was a nice "kettle of fish. " It was all right enough as long asdaylight lasted, but when darkness overtook me I was fairly "in thesoup. " Not knowing the road, and there being nothing to guide me and noone to consult, I simply walked along slowly, hoping to strike upagainst some Indian settlement, and pass the night somehow or other. Itrudged along for goodness knows how long until I eventually did hearsome sounds indicating that at any rate I was nearing some encampment orhabitation. I could hear what was supposed to be music, and in the darkmade my way, as near as I could judge, in the direction of the sound, and in about half an hour my efforts were rewarded, as I had overtaken aband of roving Indians, all in fancy dress, playing funny reedinstruments and dancing continuously as they travelled. They could notspeak Spanish, but at that time I knew sufficient of theirlanguage--"Aymara, " as it is called--and soon explained to them myposition. I was allowed to accompany them, as I found they also werebound for La Paz, and soon became a lifelong friend of theirs when Iproduced a small bottle of whisky which I had with me. The experiencewas of a unique nature for a white man, but I must confess I ratherappreciated the novelty than otherwise, and when I reached La Paz about1 a. M. I felt that I had had quite an adventure, which might easily havehad a more sinister termination, had my Indian escort shown the otherside of their nature. Well, to come back to our old coach, which I thinkI left at the top of the La Paz entrance, I resumed my seat and got intothe city at mid-day. I put up at an excellent hotel, of which there wereseveral, and at once bethought me of looking for work, as the balance inmy bank (otherwise my pocket) did not warrant my looking upon my visitto La Paz as one of pleasure only. At the time I write of there was onesolitary Britisher resident in La Paz, and he was a Scotchman likemyself. This was before the railway from Oruro was built, and he wasproprietor of the coaches that ran, once a week, from La Paz to thesouth; and I understood had quite a remunerative business. La Paz is apeculiarly situated city, as the reader may imagine from my descriptionof its position. The streets are mostly hilly and steep, with theexception of one or two which run parallel to each other on both sidesof the valley, at the foot of, and in the centre of which flows, the LaPaz river. This it bridged in about half a dozen places for horsetraffic, and while, for most of the year, there is scarcely any water inthe river, when the snow melts it is converted into a veritable roaringtorrent; and I happened to be present during one of the most seriousaccidents that had ever occurred from this cause. It had rained very copiously for some days, and the river had risenenormously--in fact higher than ever before recorded--and many were thepredictions as to how the bridges would stand the weight of water. Theusual sightseers were about, and, unfortunately, a large number of thempaid the penalty with their lives. They had been duly warned that acertain bridge was dangerous and threatened to give way, but thisevidently excited their curiosity all the more; at any rate, a crowdtried to cross, with the result that the bridge tumbled into the ragingstream, carrying with it over 200 people, and many of them weredrowned--the exact number was never known. Quite an important city is La Paz, and a large number of wealthymine-owners reside there, drawing their incomes from rich tin mines inthe neighbourhood. There are also numerous stores from which the wantsof the distant population that reside in the rubber country aresupplied. The larger proportion of the inhabitants are Indians, and Icannot help remarking that the Bolivian Indians, men and women, areabout the ugliest type of human creatures I have yet seen. Besides, theyare very illiterate, and it is estimated that, of the total populationof Bolivia, only about 30 per cent. Can read or write. In the south, Aymara is chiefly spoken; but further north, Quechua is the commonerlanguage. I saw several bull fights in the bullring of which the townboasts, but they were so very disgusting that I refrain from nauseatingmy readers with details. The Cathedral was only half completed when I was there, and I understandis still in the same condition. I was forgetting to mention that therewas no British Minister or Consul in La Paz, and the story goes that, atsome previous period, a Bolivian President compelled the Britishofficial representative to ride round the plaza seated on a donkey, butwith his face to the tail; the consequence being that the Prime Ministerof Great Britain figuratively wiped Bolivia off the map. Anything whichwe required from the Diplomatic Service had to be obtained through themedium of the British Minister resident in Lima, in Peru. This may nowbe altered, but I am not aware of the fact. I remained several months inLa Paz in the employment of a Bolivian magnate, but the remuneration notbeing commensurate with my ambitions, I eventually arranged to accompanythe proprietor of a very large rubber forest on a trip to his propertieson the higher reaches of the River Amazon, and hence my privilege ofbeing able to offer you a perusal of my experiences across the innerranges of the Cordillera mountains. His daughter also accompanied him, and, although the journey is a most uncomfortable one in more ways thanone, she stood the fatigue of many days' riding on mule-back, overtrails which did not deserve the name of roads, just about as well asany of the rest of us. For a trip of this kind many provisions have to be made, as very littleindeed can be procured on the journey in the way of good food orlodging. We accordingly had to carry our beds and bedding, and in facteverything we could think of in the form of clothes, food, firearms, and, of course, the necessary accompaniment in liquid form. Most of ourbaggage and what we might not require at a moment's notice we sent onahead with a day's anticipation, and eventually on the 20th May, 1901, our caravan departed from the then capital of Bolivia, at 8 a. M. Ourconveyance, to start with, consisted of a coach drawn by four mules, andit took much longer to climb the steep "Cuesta" than it had taken us todescend on previous occasions already mentioned. However, our animalswere good and in about an hour and a-half we reached the top of thehill, and I took what proved to be my last view of La Paz City. The journey for the first forty miles is over the same ground as I havealready referred to, in the direction of Lake Titicaca, and there isnothing more to be said about it, beyond that we changed animals at aplace called Ocomisto, this being simply a few Indian huts where thereis always a supply of grain and water for the animals, and the ordinarycountry fare for the passing traveller. There was a long journey aheadof us, so we only remained during the time that was occupied inoutspanning the tired mules and inspanning the fresh lot. At 1 o'clockwe reached Machacamarca, another "tambo" or resting-place, and were verydisgusted to find that our pack animals, which we had dispatched the daybefore, had got no farther than this point. Our desired destination forthe night was the Indian town of Achicachi, twelve leagues off, but asit was now quite out of the question to think of travelling our baggageanimals so far before night should overtake us, we had to change ourplans and therefore directed our coach towards Guarina, another Indiantown on the shores of Lake Titicaca, but much nearer than Achicachi, andwe eventually arrived there at 5 p. M. , having covered, more or less, fifty miles since morning. The journey seemed longer, as the country isso much alike all along the route; but as the roads were fair, travelling was quite comfortable. Guarina is purely an Indian fishing village, and the only white peopleare the Bolivian half-caste authorities. As I have already stated, thereare no hotels or even lodging-houses in these Indian towns, and ordinarytravellers have just to hunt about until they find a place suitable toput beds for the night. However, as my friend was a "personage" inBolivia, in other words, a man of position and power in politicalcircles, we of course fared considerably better than we should otherwisehave done had he not been with us; and we were invited to put up in thehouse of one of these men in authority. He did his best for us in theirfrugal way of living, and gave us a meal consisting of "Chairo, " whichis soup as black as coal, and made from frozen potatoes which are called"chuno. " These are about the size of walnuts, hard and black, and haveto be well soaked before cooking, and then they are not a savoury bite. The next plate consisted of "Chalona, " already described as lean sheepdried in the sun, and which, generally speaking, is very repugnant inappearance, smell, and taste. Never mind, we were hungry and partook ofwhatever was brought along, until the "inner man" cried content! Themeal, I may add, was washed down with a cheap "wine" distilled fromcheaper raisins, but it was something wet, and for the time sufficed. Our pack animals arrived at Guarina about 7 p. M. , and we very soon hadour things unpacked and occupied our beds, knowing that a pretty earlystart would be made in the morning. The night passed uneventfully, andat daybreak we got under way, bound for Achicachi, about five leaguesoff. There is still a road for vehicles to this town, and keeping alongthe shores of Lake Titicaca, we reached this larger Indian town about 9a. M. The population was about 5, 000 Indians, but it is a veryuninteresting, bleak spot, and we only remained long enough to have asquare meal, which we were again fortunate enough to have provided forus by the reigning magistrate. That over, we then dispatched our coachon its return journey to La Paz, and thought of our other means oftransport for the forward journey. Good mules we had sent ahead, andwere now awaiting us saddled and ready, and we at last got started onthis the more arduous part of our journey inland. Our destination forthe night was Gualata, a small holding belonging to my fellow-traveller, and we reached it at about 1 o'clock, having climbed probably 2, 000 feethigher up the mountains. Cultivation of cereals and potatoes is carriedon on a limited scale, owing to the altitude, and taking it all round, the house, although comfortable enough, was situated in about as bleakand bare a spot as it is pretty well possible to imagine. Nevertheless, it was peopled by about sixty Indians, who turned out intrue Indian style in their beautifully coloured robes and makinghorrible discordant noises which were intended for music--all, ofcourse, to show their appreciation of their "patron. " Here, of course, we got all we required, and as there were any amount of fowls to be had, our bill-of-fare improved in accordance. There was nothing to dospecially, and we did not feel inclined to move about much at thiselevation above the sea, so we were quite pleased when bed-time cameround, and without any ceremony each retired to their respective couches_on the floor_. Owing to excessive cold, however, sleep was out of thequestion, and it was a relief when day dawned on May 22nd. Afterrefreshing ourselves with a cup of tea we set out for Sorata, distantabout six leagues. Travelling was now much slower as the roads were verybad, and in some places very steep and covered with loose stones. Thismade the foothold bad for the mules, but we trusted to the usefulanimals entirely, letting them go along on a loose rein to choose theirown footing, which they did very successfully. We passed the Indianvillage of Illabaya, perched on the side of a hill, and all plotted outin small squares for the cultivation of vegetables, etc. , of which webought a supply for our own use. The highest point we passed was over14, 000 feet, and then began the gradual descent into the pretty littletown of Sorata, 6, 000 feet lower down. The path was not of the best, andthe pace was very slow; but the scenery was quite refreshing comparedwith what we had already passed through. Sorata is indeed very pretty and quaint, and although comparatively outof the world, a traveller can spend a short time there pleasantly, andpersonally speaking, the few days we remained were very enjoyable, thanks once more to my friend's influence. For a change we did not sleepon the floor, and by way of recreation I scented out a billiard table, not a good one, it is true, and the balls were rather elliptical; but asI had once personated the "Mikado, " _à la Gilbert & Sullivan_, theconditions were not so disconcerting as they would doubtless have beento a less famous personage! Sorata, being the nearest town to theBolivian rubber districts which export their products to the Pacificcoast, is naturally of more consequence on that account, as allmaterials and merchandise for the interior must pass through the handsof the Sorata merchants, while the rubber exported to the coast alsofinds its way through the medium of Sorata agents. There is the usual plaza in the centre of the town, where the youth andbeauty disport themselves in the way peculiar to these mountainousregions, which consists of walking round and round at a good pace tokeep up the circulation, as the weather is nearly always cold in Sorata. Illampu, the competitor of Illimani and Aconcagua, and which claims tobe the highest peak in South America, rises up magnificently right aboveand round the town, and visitors for the first time must really wonderhow they are to find a road to cross these gigantic mountains, as thetown appears to be so completely shut in. However, on 27th May we started to ascend the track forming the way tothe interior, and got a fine send-off by the inhabitants, the moreimportant of whom turned out to bid us adieu and wish us luck over acase or two of beer. The climb before us was a constant one for 18miles, and to-day we were to pass the highest point of our entire trip. This we reached about midday, at just under 16, 000 feet. We were abovethe perpetual snow-line for a short time, and it was piercingly cold, besides we had to go slowly on account of the thin air, but we keptsteadily on and reached an old mining establishment called "El Injenio"at 5 p. M. , having done 24 miles in all since morning. There is a long, steep descent to the old mining camp by a narrow winding track cut outof the mountain side, and as the drop on one side to the little streamdown below was about 40 to 50 feet, and there was no protecting fence ofany kind, we decided to get off our mules, and accordingly completed theworst part of the way on foot, and of course this made travelling verymuch slower. Apparently, gold-washing had not been carried on for a very long time, as although the main building still has a roof, the whole place has avery deserted look about it; but, nevertheless, it still affords acovering for weary travellers like ourselves, and we soon began toselect the most comfortable looking corners for our beds. There was anold Indian there who earns a meagre existence by selling forage topassing travellers for their beasts of burden; and he was also utilisedby us for getting a fire ready and boiling water for a welcome cup ofwarm tea. One thousand feet above our heads, as it seemed, we could see Llane, another of these quaint, Indian hamlets, but the appearance of theexceedingly precipitate track up to it did not excite us in any desireto make the ascent. After partaking of some food, we got under ourblankets in the usual way at sunset to once more sleep the sleep of thecontented traveller. By 6. 15 next morning we were again in the saddleand under way--the road was now even narrower than before, about twofeet wide only--winding round and round the mountain side, ascending allthe time, and in some parts far too steep for comfortable riding. Fromnow onwards the journey was over tracks, not roads, and many of theascents and descents were so steep that it was quite out of the questionto attempt to negotiate them on muleback. We, accordingly, withphilosophic patience had just to accept the inevitable, and get off andlead our animals over these now really dangerous parts. Some of theprecipices down to the river bed were now much deeper, and had we slidover, we might have experienced considerable inconvenience at thebottom, and a greater difficulty in getting up again. The roads becameworse and worse, and really they could be given no other name than"goat-tracks, " but the mule is a wonderful beast, and let him have hishead (on no account attempt to guide him), there is not much fear of anyserious trouble. Our sleeping place for the night was to be at an oldruin of a house at a bare, but more level, opening in the mountains, called Tolapampa, and before reaching this we had to negotiate much theworst pass on the whole route. This is called the "tornillo" (screw), and it is a real corkscrew path, cut out of the mountain side at anangle of about 50 deg. , and about 450 feet of a climb. Riding was of course impossible, and we scrambled more than walked untilwe safely got over the top, very tired and puffed out. The mules withtheir cargo followed our example, and it was wonderful to see how theykept their feet; as one false step might have sent them to the bottom, carrying everything behind them too, and on more than one occasion thishas happened, the animals falling, generally being killed outright inthe fall. Pushing on as fast as possible, it was not till 4 o'clock p. M. That our residence for the night loomed in view, and it did not inspireone that it could supply much in the way of home comforts. Sure, the oldhovel had walls and a roof, but beyond that there were no windows, andwhere the door ought to have been there was only a hole in the wall, butnothing to close it with to keep out the intense cold. We, of course, knew when we started that we would have to rough it, sothere was no use grumbling now, and therefore set about at once to getsomething to make a fire with. With great good fortune we, after a greatdeal of searching and gathering, obtained some old rubbish that burned. I say with good luck, because this is a treeless region yet, at anelevation of 10, 000 feet, and fuel is naturally always at a premium. Forcooking it did not matter so much, as we had a spirit lamp, but it wasto warm our bodies and keep up our spirits that made the fire sodesirable. Darkness was on us before we finished our evening meal, andwe looked forward to the night with no very pleasant forebodings--and itdid turn out a tiresome night--it rained all the time and the cold wasextreme--so much so, that we eventually sat up most of the time, hopingby daylight to move on to a more charitable atmosphere. I think I should not miss this opportunity of relating an experience ofmine when I journeyed over the same route on another occasion. Then Iwas only accompanied by two Indians--no white people--and was travellingtowards Sorata. I remember very well we reached Tolapampa, alreadydescribed, in the afternoon, it having rained constantly all day. I wassuffering from malaria very acutely, and the high levels at which we hadbeen travelling also affected me grievously. I arrived at Tolapampasoaked to the skin, shivering cold, and really more dead than alive. Toaggravate matters we could not light a fire--everything was wet--and Ican assure you it was anything but a bright outlook for us. Another gangof about ten Indians also turned up, and we did look a sorry lot. However, these natives, seeing that I was so weak (I had had malariaalmost constantly during the previous six months), did all they could toget me to "buck up, " and kept moving me backwards and forwards to warmmyself, which operation I well remember was a very tedious one. Theyalso tried to get me to eat of their cold frugal fare; but that wasbeyond me; and after they decided it was time to rest for the night, Iscrambled in _amongst them_--Indians all round me--so as to benefit fromthe heat of their bodies. It was neither a very pleasant nor a veryclean position that I occupied, and I can hardly realise how I had thecourage to do what I did; but the facts remain the same, and at any rateI got some rest. It poured all night, and when at daybreak I suggested to my men that itwas time to start, they positively refused to move until the rainceased. I brought all my persuasive powers to bear, but it was of noavail, and as I had decided to go on alone, all I got out of them was apromise they would follow me at 10 o'clock. It was very disappointing, but I was determined to get forward at all cost. I therefore started onmy lonely journey at eight o'clock, with the rain, and at times sleet, coming down in bucketfuls; I could hardly see in front of me at times, and it was destined to be a trip of which I shall always retain veryvivid recollections. On this occasion, owing to the excessive rains, allthe little mountain streams, which under normal circumstances are of noinconvenience to travellers, had been converted into veritable roaringtorrents, causing me on more than one occasion to think twice beforeattempting a crossing. To condense matters as much as possible, let meremark that it rained all day; travelling was not only difficult butpositively dangerous, and I, being so ill, could hardly keep my seat onmy mule. All this made travelling so slow that I was still a long wayfrom "El Injenio, " my objective point for the night, when darknessovertook me. I had the narrow, dangerous paths to go along which I havealready described, and I therefore did not trust to getting over them onmuleback, but took the safer and, in my opinion, more sensible plan ofleading my animal. This was tedious work, but it was to become worsevery soon. I arrived at one of those swollen mountain streams, theappearance of which in the darkness fairly frightened me. My mule wouldnot look at it, and for a while I did not know exactly what to do. Icould judge that it was four or five feet deep, and rushing past at agreat rate. Neither mule nor I could ever have hoped to keep our feet ifwe had attempted crossing, as it was about thirty feet wide. I left mymule and commenced to reconnoitre along the side, when I came to whathad been a bridge, but which was partly washed away, leaving a gap ofabout four feet in the middle, as far as I could judge in the uncertainlight, and over which it was impossible for a mule to go. Leaving mymule, I made a good jump, and, fortunately, got over all right, but, after all, I did not know in the least where I was, and, beforeattempting to return to my animal, I started to go forward in the hopeof at least striking some sheltered spot where I might pass the night. Meantime, however, I heard a crash, and, as it turned out, away had gonethe remainder of the bridge, leaving me on one side, and now completelyisolated from my mule and saddle-bags. There was no use fretting, so Icontinued moving on--it was now dark--feeling my way, and keeping verycarefully away from the river. I had not proceeded very far before myprogress was all too suddenly arrested. I did not until the next morningknow what actually did take place, but the facts are as follows: Ingroping my way along I had actually been walking on the very edge of asort of precipice, and apparently had simply stepped over the side. Atany rate, I rolled to the bottom, which, luckily for me, was only aboutfifteen feet; but it was quite a bump, and I wondered where I hadactually landed. As it was so black, and I did not know anything of mysurroundings, I simply made up my mind to remain where I had fallenuntil morning. I ought to tell you that, although I had plenty ofmatches, they were all wet with the rain, so that they would not light, and I had to remain in darkness all night. My saddle-bags were with themule, and I did not even know now where the animal might be. I wassoaking wet, shivering with ague, nothing to eat, plenty of cigarettesand matches, but unable to smoke or even make a light, so mydisagreeable plight can to some extent be imagined. Moreover, there wereabout six inches of water all round me, so that I could not attempt tosleep. The cold was intense, and I can safely say that I never spentsuch a long, disagreeable, and dreary night in all my previousexperience, and I hope never to be compelled to do so again. There arebears in this district also, but I am thankful to say that I was notmolested in any way. Towards morning the rain slackened, and when daylight came I never feltmore thankful in my life. I climbed out of my nest, and there, onlyabout a hundred yards away, was my faithful mule standing exactly as Ihad left him. I waited until the water in the stream had gone downsufficiently, and crossing on foot, with the water about two feet deep, I mounted my mule, and then recrossed on muleback. I knew from thenumber of hours I had travelled on the previous day I could not be farfrom Injenio, and I was right, as in less than an hour I saw mydestination right ahead of me. I was in a pitiful condition, and couldhardly stand up. The old Indian recognised me and got me dry wraps aftera fashion, and I got under his dry blankets. I could not eat, but Idrank a large quantity of "Aguardiente, " which at least put some lifeinto me. In the meantime I did not know what had become of my packanimals and Indians, but I was not in a state to worry about them, anddidn't. Instead, I kept my bed for about thirty hours, until I wasrevived somewhat. Then, luckily, my men turned up, and I was able tocontinue my journey to Sorata. Well, we left Tolapampa about 6 a. M. , and for the best part of the daythe route was over country very similar to that passed on the previousday; but we were descending rapidly now, and the temperature becameperceptibly much warmer, in fact, by the afternoon we had indicationsthat soon we should arrive in the "montes, " where we would havevegetation in abundance, and consequently we would at least have someshade during the heat of the day. The road, nevertheless, continued tobe very rough and broken, and we had frequently to dismount and lead ouranimals for long distances at a time. The long pass of Margurani wasunusually tiring, as it was down hill most of the time, and over looserocks and stones, which were very hard on our poor feet. Pararani, asmall stopping-place, was reached about 2 p. M. , and as both we and theanimals had just about had enough of it, we decided to remain for thenight. We were now right in tropical surroundings, and the beautiful palms andferns, not to mention the magnificent butterflies of all colours, were agrateful contrast to the scenery we had been accustomed to since we leftSorata. We were now only about two thousand feet above sea level, andthe weather was very hot indeed, mosquitoes and other worrying insectswere very plentiful; but, bad as they can be, they seemed trivialtroubles compared with what we had come through. At this "puesto" wewere better treated, as we obtained vegetables, bananas, and oranges, and with our tinned stuffs made quite a decent repast. The place wasowned by a Spaniard, and he, along with his wife, cultivates a littlepiece of ground, and supplied passing travellers with general rationsfor both man and beast. The place was clean in comparison with what wehad been accustomed to, and we seemed to sigh a mutual sigh of contentat our good luck in reaching this "oasis. " We rested all afternoon, andgot to bed early, and, although there were rats about, I slept "like alog, " I was so fearfully tired. In the morning, however, I awoke refreshed, and with our usualpunctuality got away at 6 o'clock, feeling that at last we were nearingour journey's end, as we now directed our animals' heads towardsCopacabana, the nearest of the rubber forests belonging to my friend. This was only three or four leagues off, and the going was somewhatimproved also, so our progress was a good deal faster than usual. Duringthe greater part of the present journey, the weather, so far, had beenfairly good, that is, taking into consideration the high regions throughwhich we had come, but we were not fated to be so successful on this ourlast day. In fact, we had not gone far, when a really characteristictropical shower baptized us properly, and continued during the whole ofthe rest of the day, the result being, as may be imagined, that wearrived at "Copacabana" like the proverbial "drookit mice. " As the pathwas beneath the trees all the way, we got the full benefit of the raindripping from the branches overhanging, which was just like a showerbath all the time. However, I got into dry clothes, and, I think, feltwhen I got into the Estancia house, that after all the "roughing, " thetrip was, in part, compensated for by the new experiences I had gonethrough, making my way over these very mountainous regions at such avery high elevation. However, I remained for over a year in the rubber districts, and had anopportunity of seeing how the work is carried on and of judging of theenormous profit which must result to the lucky owners. Unfortunately, the climate is of the very worst, and the malaria being of a verymalignant nature, is very hard on white people. I had my full share ofthis "terciana, " as it is called, and sometimes wonder how I reallymanaged to work my way to the outside world again. In conclusion, let me express a modest hope that the perusal of myhumble effort to put personal adventures on paper may at least convey tothe reader some idea of what has to be experienced if one chooses to bea wanderer like myself in remote places, and that he or she may to acertain extent enjoy the result nominally, without going through thehard work involved in the actual performance. FOOTNOTES: [F] Allow me to remind the reader that Lake Titicaca is the highestwater in the world which is navigated by steam. [Illustration: _Loading Wheat at the Port of Buenos Aires. _] PROGRESS OF THE PORT OF BUENOS AIRES. The first Custom House built for the port of Buenos Aires was in 1603. The only work carried out in the harbour up to the end of the eighteenthcentury was the construction of thirty-five metres of brick quay-wall atthe site of the "Arsenal" on the Riachuelo. We find that althoughbetween the years 1852 and 1858 many plans were presented for buildingof piers, these were only carried into practice and built by theGovernment under the technical direction of Engineer E. Taylor; a newCustom House replacing the fortress, a timber pier for loading andunloading goods, and another pier for passenger traffic at the localityof the old mole. In the year 1878 the Riachuelo was first opened fortraffic for sea-going ships, and in 1879, 197 vessels with 55, 091tonnage had entered the Riachuelo. As early as 1862 Ed. Madero turnedhis attention to the question of docks for the port of Buenos Aires, andin 1865 applied for permission to construct them at his own cost, butthe application was rejected. Four years later he presented anotherapplication, which suffered the same fate. In 1869 the total exportsfrom Buenos Aires were 397, 722 tons, the bulk of which were loaded atthe Riachuelo, and steamers over 100 metres long frequented the harbourabout the time of 1870. It was not until 1882 that Ed. Madero succeededin obtaining the concession of building the docks for the port of BuenosAires. The docks were to be constructed on the river side of the city, between the gasworks on the north and the Riachuelo River on the south. The trade of the City of Buenos Aires up to the time of the opening ofthe South Basin had nearly all been carried on between the shore and thesteamers by lighters and small steam tenders. The usual anchorage forthe ocean steamers was in the "bar anchorage, " a distance of aboutfourteen miles from the city. The cargoes were transhipped intolighters, which brought them as near to the shore as possible, and fromthis point they were taken to the Custom House in specially-constructedcarts with very large wheels. Passengers were transhipped in the baranchorage into small tenders, and were brought to a point about 500metres from the end of the passenger mole. From these tenders, whenthere was sufficient water, they were taken ashore in small boats, while, if the water was too low to go alongside the mole, they also hadto be brought ashore in carts. In many cases, however, passengers werebrought on in tenders and landed at the Riachuelo wharves, which werethen under construction. The first steamers that arrived in the RiverPlate were those of the Royal Mail Company, followed by the FrenchMessageries Maritimes, and shortly afterwards by the Lamport & HoltLine. Up to the year 1870 these lines, and a few more that were started, progressed very slowly, although the rates of freight were then veryhigh; but after that trade increased gradually, and not only a fairnumber of sailing-vessels arrived yearly, but the regular lines ofsteamers increased their number of sailings. The great drawback was thedeficient state of the port, where steamers had to lie at a distance offourteen to sixteen miles, and most of the sailing-vessels at ten totwelve miles from the shore. There was no channel dredged, and even theRiachuelo was so scantily supplied with water that lighters drawingseven to eight feet were sometimes for weeks prevented from getting outto deliver their cargo to the sea-going vessels in the outer roads. Thedischarge was exclusively effected into lighters, which, apart from theheavy expense incurred by the receiver of the goods, presented the greatobjection that a considerable portion of the cargo was often broachedand pilfered before it reached the shore, claims for which had to bepaid by the ship. Another point was that many of these lighters were oldsailing-vessels or steamers, and, in the unseaworthy and leaky statethey were in, often arrived with their cargo considerably damaged. Onthe completion of the South Basin on 28th January, 1889, passengers wereable to embark or disembark with a little more comfort, and cargoes werelanded on the quays. Docks 1 and 2 have each a water area of 23 acres, being 570 metres long by 160 metres wide, with a quay length of 1, 420metres. No. 3 Dock has a water area of 27 acres, is 690 metres long by160 metres wide, with a quay length of 1, 660 metres. No. 4 Dock has awater area of 25 acres, is 630 metres long by 160 metres wide, with aquay length of 1, 535 metres. All these four docks, when they were originally finished, had a depth of23 feet 9 inches below low water, so that, however low the river may be, there should never be less than 23 feet 9 inches in the docks. Sincethen dredging has been going on and the docks have been deepened toreceive larger vessels. The docks are united by passages 20 metres inwidth, each passage being crossed by a swing bridge. Dock No. 4 isentered at its northern end by the north lock. This lock opens into theNorth Basin, which has a water area of 41 acres and a quay length of1, 409 metres and a depth of 21 feet 3 inches. The total area of thebasins and the four docks is 174 acres, and the total length of quays8, 482 lineal metres. The following are the dates the various basins anddocks were opened to traffic:-- South Basin ... ... ... 28th January, 1889 South Lock, Dock No. 1 ... 31st January, 1890 Dock No. 2 ... ... ... 26th September, 1890 Dock No. 3 ... ... ... 31st March, 1892 Dock No. 4, North Lock, North Basin, and Graving Docks ... 7th March, 1897 First half of North Channel... 15th June, 1897 Second half of North Channel, buoys and beacons ... ... 31st March, 1898 The timber sea-wall was built to a level of 16 feet above low water, andthe stone sea-wall to 19 feet. Originally there were built three shedsin the South Basin, three sheds and two warehouses in Dock No. 1, twowarehouses and two sheds in Dock No. 2, five warehouses in Dock No. 3, and four warehouses in Dock No. 4, the total capacity of these sheds andwarehouses being 525, 510 cubic metres, and the floor area 192, 800 squaremetres. Since then, several warehouses have been built, and some burntdown. The total cost of the harbour works as contracted for by Ed. Madero was $35, 000, 000 gold, or, say, about £7, 000, 000. This includesthe South Basin, Dock No. 1, Dock No. 2, Dock No. 3, Dock No. 4, NorthBasin, North Channel, Graving Docks, machinery, etc. The following statement shows the total tonnage that passed through theport of Buenos Aires in 1880, 1890, 1900, and 1909, and clearly showsthe advance made in the last 30 years. These figures include steamers and sailing-vessels, and local as wellas foreign trade. 1880 ... ... ... 644, 750 tons 1890 ... ... ... 4, 507, 096 tons 1900 ... ... ... 8, 047, 010 tons 1909 ... ... ... 16, 993, 973 tons In 1909 we find that 2, 008 steamers and 137 sailing-vessels entered theport of Buenos Aires from foreign shores with a tonnage of 5, 193, 542, and 1, 978 steamers and 129 sailing-vessels left the port for foreignshores with a tonnage of 5, 174, 114; out of these, British boats leadwith 2, 242 steamers and 37 sailing-vessels, or, say, 53-1/2 per cent, ofthe total. JUST MY LUCK! I really have had rather bad luck. As you know, I was wrecked on my wayout from the Old Country. The good ship "Southern Cross" met her fate ona rock in Vigo Bay, and my luggage met its fate at the same time. Thiswas something of a blow, but I expected to be treated a little morekindly by fate when once my destination was reached; I would be astranger in a new country, and fate is proverbially kind to tyros ofevery sort. R. M. S. P. "Danube, " which carried the shipwrecked passengers of the"Southern Cross" from Vigo to Buenos Aires, arrived at the Argentinecapital towards the end of January. At the conclusion of my journey, oneof my fellow-passengers, to whom I was saying good-bye, gave me thissound piece of advice: "Take care of yourself, and the country will takecare of you. " I don't suppose I can have taken care of myself, forwithin two months I was down with typhoid fever. This is how fate treatsstrangers in a new country. You know that I had the good fortune, shortly after my arrival, to findemployment with the Santa Fé Land Company, and immediately on my fallingill, the Manager of the estancia sent me to bed, and reduced me to amilk diet. Two days later he himself took me down to the Buenos AiresBritish Hospital, and it is to this fact, and to the sensible treatmentwhich I received in camp, that I in great measure owe my quick recovery. The journey to Buenos Aires was made as comfortable as possible. Evenso, however, I must have been slightly delirious, for I rememberthinking that everybody in the train was wearing a pink shirt withouteither coat or waistcoat. This must surely have been a delusion. I reached the hospital on a Sunday morning, and was promptly carriedupstairs to a private ward. Though my temperature was now as much as 104deg. , and my faculties were naturally not at their quickest, I could nothelp noticing the cheery look of the ward. There were flowers on thetables, the patients were obviously well cared for, everything wasscrupulously clean, and the British nurses looked both efficient andattractive. The scrupulous cleanliness, together with the latest andmost approved methods of treatment, were indeed a feature of thehospital in all its aspects. It was a short time afterwards that one of the doctors, after carefullydiagnosing my case, ordered me to the medical ward, where there would begreater facilities for giving me a course of baths. In the medical wardmy treatment was as kind and as careful as formerly, but my newsurroundings had for the moment a rather depressing effect. I was justable to realise that the cases around me were more serious than in theprivate ward, and that both doctors and nurses were more grave andintent on their work. I was soon, however, to become delirious again, and for the next few days was more or less oblivious to my environment. After a short time I became more alive to what was happening around me. We typhoid patients had four cold baths daily, and those patients who intheir normal existence were unaccustomed to one warm bath a week weresomewhat inclined to rebel. This was amusing. My sense of humour wasreviving. The company here was certainly more mixed than in the privateward--consisting as it did of every class and of every nationality, fromMontenegrin to Turk, but it was not on that account any the lessentertaining. Two or three berths away a brawny Scot of monsterdimensions, who was convalescent after an acute attack of rheumatism, would every night before getting into bed say, with a certain naïvete, and without any sense of proportion, that he was going to his "littlenest. " And yet people accuse Scotsmen of a lack of imagination. Oneither side of me lay a typhoid patient--each delirious. The one on myright hand imagined he was at home drinking beer in Plymouth, and theone on my left, an Italian workman, would persistently call for hisboots. It seemed he wished to return to his work and did not think anyother article of dress necessary. The weather at the time was certainlyhot, and this may have suggested such a daring flaunting of theconventions. It is curious that among typhoid patients this illusion ofdoing some action without sufficient clothing is rather prevalent. Imyself at one time imagined that I had been discharged from the hospitalwith only the top of my pyjamas and a travelling rug. As I would carrythe travelling rug on my arm, it scarcely compensated for the lack ofother apparel. Through all these vagaries on the part of the patientsthe nurses remained kind and careful as ever. This was especiallyconspicuous in one case, where a patient insisted that his nurse was aChinese pirate, and behaved accordingly, but she gave her charge thesame excellent attention as before. At this time I began to be troubledwith the pangs of a great hunger. After subsisting for five weeks onmilk alone, my food diet began with small doses of cornflour and withlarge doses of castor oil, but at last there came a chicken. I shallnever forget that first chicken, nor the nurse who brought it to me. HowI tore those bones--of the chicken, not the nurse--apart, and how Iattacked them in my fingers so that I should not leave any of the goodmeat. Eventually my bed in the medical ward was required for a moreserious case than myself, and I was sufficiently well to be returned tothe private ward for a few days of convalescence. The patients here werecertainly more companionable than in the medical ward, and they sufferedfrom less grave complaints. They were for the most part victims ofaccidents, and were all nearly well enough to leave the hospital. In theevenings we generally had some sort of amusement among ourselves. The_pièce de resistance_ was more often than not a wrestling match betweenthe man with the amputated foot and the man who had undergone anoperation for sciatica. As both performers were in ordinarycircumstances compelled to use crutches, their efforts were distinctlyhumorous. It was after two months of medical treatment that I was able to leavethe British Hospital, and it was only when on the point of leaving thatI realised what we Britishers owe to this institution. The building itself is constructed on the most approved designs, it isfitted with every modern appliance, both medical and surgical; thetreatment is excellent, the percentage of cures remarkable--not a singlecase has been lost in the medical ward during the current year; thedoctors are not only experienced, but efficient; and finally, thenurses--but perhaps I have already dwelt with sufficient emphasis ontheir virtues. All the same, thank Heaven I return to camp in a week, and may fate dealmore kindly with me in the future. "THE TACURU. " "THE TACURU. " PATRON SAINT: GEORGE WASHINGTON. No. 1. _Saturday, March 26th, 1910. _ When we consider the already overstocked journalistic world, andremember the innumerable papers and magazines which greet one at everystreet corner and nestle in every armchair, we feel that an apology isdue to our readers (if any) for our temerity in swelling the overflow ofperiodicals, but let us assure you our reasons for putting another paperon the market are purely altruistic. It is no idea of mere gain, or evena desire for notoriety that urges us to issue "The Tacuru"; we haveundertaken this responsibility because we know that the world would bethe loser did we refuse to give to the public the highly scientificimpressions formed by an extraordinarily intelligent party of pilgrimsduring a unique journey into the wild uncultivated northern lands of theArgentine, especially as some of the most intellectual (the superlativeadverb is well chosen) members of the band have promised to give theirscientific views on the lands through which we shall pass daily. Thoughthis expedition is only advertised to last a fortnight, yet we have nointention of closing our paper at the end of that time, for we arecertain that once the public have been educated to appreciate thehigh-class literature and useful information which it will be the aim of"The Tacuru" to supply, we shall have created a demand and interestwhich not even Halley's comet can rival, and we shall endeavour tosatisfy that demand daily. Our only fear was that lest the world shouldbe kept waiting for the publication of our paper, for though everythingwas in readiness yesterday for an early start to-day, the elementsseemed inclined to delay us, and when rain had fallen steadily nearlyall day, The Instigator of the trip was seen to clench his jaw yesterdayafternoon, as he remarked "We cannot start till Monday. " This fiatcaused dire consternation; the idea of waiting for two days when allthose carts were packed ready for our immediate outset, filled the partywith annoyance, and had it not been for the fact that The Instigator isa man not to be trifled with, it is possible remonstrances might havebeen raised. But, fortunately, each member of the party only possessedthe angelic variety of temper, so no expostulations were made, and peacewas maintained. This unequalled patience under trials was rewarded, andgreat was the joy of the party when at 8 p. M. It was found that the rainhad ceased, and the moon shone forth in such a way as to influence TheInstigator to rescind his decision and declare an early start forto-day. Rumour has it that The Jehu and his aide-de-camp and Our Hostess sat uptill 12. 30 a. M. , finally arranging "places in the carriages, foodsupplies, blankets required, " and all the innumerable details which madefor the party's comfort. Before we publish the impressions, contributed by one member of theband, on to-day's trip, we think our readers might appreciate a slightcharacter sketch of each of our "Staff. " There are nine Pilgrims. FIRST: _The Instigator_. Well, he's right when you know him, but you dowant to know him first. What possessed him to suggest that we shouldtrek away north, goodness only knows, unless he was fired by a desire toimitate the Cook-Peary journeys, or it may have been the celebrated"Cristobal Cocktails" which inspired him to do great deeds. We hear that coming out from England he earned a reputation on boardship as an auctioneer, and once even sold a live lord for a fewshillings to the highest lady bidder. As a camp man he is a marvel, never seen on horseback, but generally discovered on his hands and kneesfudging about with a thing he calls a pocket microscope, andoccasionally going off into hysterics over some clod of earth, a leaf, or some weird microbes which he says are feeding on the alfalfa roots. Talking of feeding, The Instigator can eat anything, his motto is "_toutjour_"; he has the digestion of an ostrich, and says "it is just as wellto make a good meal while you are about it, for you never know when andwhere you will get the next. " His best friends cannot say he is musical(save when others are trying to sleep); but he has a favourite song, andit is that old music-hall classic entitled "Do, do, be always on thedo. " However, he is a very good fellow, and notwithstanding that squarejaw of his, which seems to hint at the possibility of "a man of wrath"existing in that silent thoughtful being, he is kindness itself to all, and never fails to do his share of work as it comes along. SECOND: _Our Guest_. The Wild Man discovered this _rara avis_ in arailway carriage, babbling for "Kwilmez Beer, " so he was brought along, and he had not been long at the Estancia before he was running firstfavourite in the Popularity Stakes. He was always ready for anything, and it must have been his desire to acquire knowledge which induced himto come with the party. The Saint has undertaken to explain to him howcolonists thrive on the 8 per cent. System, and to teach him how manygrains of maize make "ocho. " We doubt whether she will succeed in thelatter attempt, for we fancy Our Guest will never leave eight grains ofmaize uneaten; he is a wonder for that delicacy, and feeds on itconstantly, and we hear rumours that he intends to take some maize cobshome with him to his native country, and proposes to feed his "team" onit. THIRD: _The Delineator. _ This is a misnomer, he really should be called"The Photographer, " but that sounds so common, and his views are souncommon that we called him The Delineator instead; besides, he alwaystravels about with maps and charts (his own, or someone else's) and whenappealed to as to what course we should take, replies in a cold, hardvoice, "North by North, just as she goes. " Like the rest of the party, he has never travelled quite the road we are going now, but the prospectof collecting a few new varieties of butterflies, moths, insects, andplants caused his eyes to light up with a wild gleam when he heard ofthe trip, and the yarns he spins of things unseen by the ordinary sobermortal are ever a joy to the listener, and make them whisper, _se non èvero è ben trovato. _ FOURTH: _The Jehu. _ There is but one name for a man who handles hisfour-in-hand over tree-trunks, tacurus, and tussocks, as our coacherdoes. He drives as not even his namesake drove; in rain, in sunshine, inlight, in darkness, over smooth ground or rough, he guides his steedswith consummate skill and care, which is wonderful to see. After a morethan usually big bump he turns to his passengers with a cheery "Allaboard?"; then gives his attention once more to the animals of which heis so fond, and in which he takes such pride. His knowledge of thehorses he drives is marvellous. The Jehu is a man of great perceptionand information, and has a pleasant knack of being able to convey hisknowledge to others. He and The Instigator have great arguments togetherwhich interest all listeners by day, but the discussions are notfollowed with quite so much delight by those who are privileged to hearthem at night, when they often degenerate into a snoring competition. FIFTH: _The Wild Man_--had been driven south by stress of weather andstrikes. We should like to say something nice about him, for he alwayscarries revolvers, knives, and cameras, but we fear that our kindestremarks may be misunderstood by one so unused to a quiet civilisationwith no revolutions, so we refrain from all personal comments. Thisproduct of a land of luxuriant vegetation has a quaint penchant forcollecting matchboxes (filled), old boots, deer horns, and any oddthings lying about the camp belonging to himself or other people; stillhe is always cheerful and content, never grumbles, and can give valuableinformation respecting the ways of the natives who look upon him as aman and a brother. SIXTH: _The Chaperon_--has his uses. It will be his business to see thatwe are housed, clothed, and fed. The horses and peons will also be underhis care, and if anyone wants to grumble about anything The Chaperon isthe person to abuse. Tent-erecting is what he considers himself to bevery good at; but rumour has it that his best accomplishment ishairdressing (ladies or gentlemen, English or foreign styles). Hisresources know no bounds; he has been seen to fasten up a pair ofleggings with bits of stick. His powers of annexation, both mentally andmaterially, are indeed marvellous. He prefers to make his bed on thebricks or the cold, hard ground, and then enlarges on the comfortthereof; he generally takes his food standing up, and is always on thespot ready for any emergency when required. SEVENTH: _The Saint_--is a lady who will give away anything in herpossession, save chicken or eggs. Just now she is making donations ofpipes, tobacco, handkerchiefs (her own or The Instigator's), and goodadvice on matrimony. She is a person of importance, and is very keen oncollecting knowledge which she is always ready to impart to others;unfortunately, some of her efforts to improve humanity have not beenabsolutely successful, but she is never discouraged, and takes up thenext case on the list with equal enthusiasm. Most of us have to thankher for some good thing or other. She will do her best to keep everymember of the party up to the mark, physically and mentally. Heraccomplishments are numerous. EIGHTH: _My Lady_--is a general favourite; she will look after the lotof us in her own gracious fashion. Everyone goes to her for advice, sympathy, or help, which she is always ready to give. Even without hertea-basket she would be an absolute necessity for the social success ofthe trip, for, as the advertisements say of patent sweepers and theEncyclopaedia Britannica, "no party is complete without" her, so everyone was glad to hear that she had agreed to accompany the northernpioneers. Those favoured ones who have seen her "on the boards, " whisperthat her histrionic genius is marvellous; we, who are not among thefortunate number, can only say that if her acting equals her talent forgiving (when required) a really concise, lucid description of anything, it must indeed be wonderful. Her quotations, too, are so ready and apt, though occasionally they remind us, by their vagueness, of her namesakeand favourite book. NINTH: _The Kid_. Why she is brought along, nobody will ever know. Itmay have been as a "contrapeso" ("an addition of meat or fish ofinferior quality, thrown in to complete the weight, " _vide_ ArturoCuyas' Dictionary), but we think she came with the sheep. Anyhow, it wasnot until the first part of the journey had been accomplished that shewas discovered bleating in the corner of one of the coaches. We had ameeting to decide whether she should come on with us or not, andarranged to put her on the job of tidying up for the trip; but herhopeless incompetence and ready impertinence to her superior officers, necessitated instant dismissal without a character. However, as she isreally not worth the trouble of sending back, we locked up the tea tin, and let her continue the journey on the condition that she will not talktoo much, awake or asleep. With any luck, we may yet lose her somewherein the wilds. * * * * * The one disappointment expressed by all the party was that Our Hostessdecided not to accompany us on the trip, but to await our return atCristobal. We started out from the estancia house as soon as the ladies' luggagecould be brought downstairs, and we should like to remark, in passing, that it was a very affecting sight to see Our Guest, The Delineator, andThe Wild Man lifting and carrying heavy boxes and baggage (with nothought of gain) out to the peons, who, under the able direction of TheChaperon, loaded them scientifically on to one of the four carts, which, when ready, were sent on ahead with the nine peons who had been told offfor the trip. Cameras appeared from every available corner as weprepared to move, and many invaluable photos of the start of the caravanmust have been secured by those who gave us such a hearty send-off. Whenat last Our Hostess had put in the final cushion and rug, and providedus with biscuits and bull's-eyes, and was satisfied that even she coulddo nothing more for our comfort, we parted from her with great regret, promising that she should receive numerous marconigrams concerning ourwelfare, and our travels en route. First went off the four-in-handdriven by The Jehu, who had four members of the party in his care; hewas followed by The Chaperon, who drove a pair, and looked after therest of the explorers. There is an old saying, "Give a dog a bad name and you may as well hanghim. " The truth of this saying has never been better exemplified thanin the case of the Chaco, which long held the reputation of being goodfor nothing. Rumour had it that the northern land was useless; life wasimpossible there for the white man; indeed, it was supposed that cattleeven could not live there on account of the mosquitoes and garrapata;and Indians were said to be as thick as flies, and equally disturbing. The Santa Fé Land Company has been one of the pioneers who steadilyfought down these reports, and by showing what good cattle could be bredthere, and what crops grown, has gradually opened up the possibilitiesof the northern lands to colonists and investors. Slowly but surelyworkers came north, first in fear and dread, but later with confidence, and now the cry is "They come, and still they come. " Before we had gonefar on our journey we had an opportunity of conversing with one latelyarrived colonist. A wonderful crop of maize attracted our notice, and westopped to speak to the great, jolly, strong-framed Italian who hadgrown it. He has moved up from the south with his wife and family, andhis fellow-workmen. They started ploughing, and though it was late inthe season, he was persuaded to try a catch-crop of maize, with theresult that he has to-day banked $5, 000, when he never expected tosecure a chance harvest. And so sure is he that the land will repay alllabour and time expended upon it that he is anxious to take up a leagueand colonize it with his fellow-countrymen. It is the same story all through the northern lands; anyone with pluck, adaptability and grit can do what this man has done: indeed hard workand perseverance will as amply reward the labourer in the northern landsas they have done in the south. The sight of this great crop of valuablemaize, on land which a few months before was a mere waste, brings thewords of the Psalmist forcibly to one's thoughts, for surely of nocountry could it more truly be said than of the Argentine, "Dwell inthe land, and be doing good, and, verily, thou shalt be fed"; andperhaps there are few countries in which there are less openings for theman whose mind is not set towards "doing good": the Argentine has littleroom for the shirker. [Illustration: _Horses awaiting Inspection. _] The rain of yesterday relieved us from the trials of dust on ourjourney, but it also made the going very heavy, and instead oftravelling for the usual two hours before relieving horses, we wereobliged to make an early stop for a change. This is always aninteresting sight, for the animals are so well trained. Our total numberis 87, and when a halt is called, these animals are all lined up in arow, generally against a wire fence. At the word of command they rangethemselves, backed close against the fence in a long line with theirheads outwards. Packed tightly together they await the inspection oftheir master, who chooses the animals he requires, and as they arestanding thus they allow themselves to be haltered up and led quietlyaway from the line to be harnessed. Their training is wonderful, but itis really amusing to watch the expression of the horses as they stand ina row while the selection takes place, they seem to be saying "Please, sir, not I this time. " Where no wire fence is available, the peonsstretch a rope or lasso out, and the horses will line up against that inthe same manner. During our first change of horses, unexpectedexcitement occurred. The Saint perceived a plaid horse--at least this iswhat she called it, and we believed it to be German for piebaldhorse--from which a peon had dismounted. This horse must have remindedher of the circus-riders of her childhood (or possibly her action wasowing to temporary aberration); anyhow, without a word of warning, sheleapt astride the native saddle and gave a short display of how itshould be done. However, fortunately from her point of view, thoughdisappointingly from that of the spectators, the piebald animal had notbeen trained to circus tricks, and only quietly ambled along for a fewyards, during which time the cameras came into full play. After TheSaint had been persuaded to dismount, and the horses were harnessed up, an onward move was made, and it was not long before we met our host forthe day. He had ridden to the furthest outposts of his section to joinus, and under his guidance we were conducted to two or three spots, where The Instigator inspected rodeos of animals in his charge. We arrived at the Section house of Polvareda about midday, and foundthat our host had prepared an alarmingly sumptuous repast for his influxof visitors: as course followed course, roast ducks dodged the turkey, and were pursued by plum pudding, etc. , we began to wonder if our hostthought that meal would have to last us for the fortnight of our trip. But we discovered that he came from the West of England, and had notforgotten the ideas of hospitality current in that part of the world. Rumour had it that he himself had been seen carrying about pails ofscalded milk at 4 a. M. This proceeding explains the delicious Devonshirecream and butter we are enjoying. The afternoon was spent in driving or riding round the section toinspect various windmills, more groups of cattle, wells, fencing, andnew alfalfa, etc. Our host, as we were driving round, took theopportunity for giving us a short, successful exhibition of buck-jumpingwith his steed, whether willingly or not, neither he nor historymentions. At eventide, another excellent repast was provided, and TheSaint was so impressed by the catering and culinary skill of our host, that she decided to inaugurate a prize to be won by the bachelorestanciero who shall provide the best meals for the hungry nomads duringthe trip; certainly our host for to-day has put the standard very highfor the other competitors. A short telephonic communication was heldduring dinner with Our Hostess at Cristobal, and "All's well" wasreported on both sides. * * * * * [Illustration: _Stacking Alfalfa. _] [Illustration: _Alfalfa Elevator at Work. _] * * * * * "THE TACURU. " No. 2. _Sunday, March 27th, 1910. _ The party did not sit up late last night; they had a short talk on theverandah for the sake of digestion, and then all retired to bed, butalas! not to rest. Foolishly they had imagined that mosquitoes werethings of the past, and no nets were put up, with the result that oneand all soon learnt that for fresh blood and newcomers there was aplethora of these little demons waiting with their irritating song, sting, and bite: from some of the party we learn complaints of othersongs, more human, and more nasal, and it is believed that it was OurGuest who was heard at midnight to be murmuring the chorus of afavourite song, viz. , "Hush, boys! No noise! Silence ebryting! Listen, and you'll hear de little angels sing. " At least it says "angels" in thesong, but the word Our Guest used sounded like "demons, " but probably hewas dreaming of the "ping" of bullets and the roar of battle as thesnores resounded through the room, or, one might almost say, through thehouse. Very early this morning there were cries for The Chaperon: he waswanted to tell the time; he was wanted to bring water for ablutions; hewas wanted to tell us when breakfast would be ready; he was wanted togive advice or remedies for mosquito bites, and, in general, for a shortspace of time, he justified his existence. When at last the members ofthe party had collected themselves from all sorts of odd corners, coffee (with the addition of bacon and eggs, and several other things)was served, and the interval, before the order "All aboard" was issued, was chiefly occupied in observing and discussing the effects of ourfirst night's experience of bichos. Our Guest, after due deliberation, laid down some useful rules for future guidance, the chief being, "Neverbe without a Mosquitero": his face and head were literally enlarged onthis point, and he assured us that a mosquito's proboscis is animpressive point. Apparently The Kid, too, would have liked to give herviews on mosquitoes and their ways, but her uninteresting remarks werecut short by The Wild Man's order of "kennel up, " and, given a bottle ofcana, she seemed quite happy. Our Guest seemed to have an impression, also, that someone had blundered. He knew someone had slumbered (somehad not), and plaintively he begged that he might be allowed in futureto sleep at one estancia further ahead of the rest of the party. Most of the nomads had had some slapping acquaintance with mosquitoesduring the night, and the showing of bites, swellings, lumps, etc. , onlyended when The Jehu ordered the bugle to be sounded for an onward move. We were well under way before half the lamentations had been entered inthe station complaint book. Bidding adieu to Polvareda, where the green fields of alfalfa show themarch of progress, we pushed forward, but as we left we were unable todecide whether it was a desire to escape observation (and, perhaps, thetoo-effusive thanks of the lady members of the party), or a violenttoothache, which caused our host to conceal himself in a huge blanketwrapped around his head as we left, but we fear it was toothache thatnecessitated the extra wrappings. [Illustration: _The Green Fields of Alfalfa_. ] We had not gone far on our journey before we crossed the bridge over LasConchas. The manager of the next section met us soon afterwards, and weinspected the cattle on his domains. On our way from Polvareda toMichelot we passed the emporium of the Universal Provider of the North, in other words, "the stores, " where most of the necessities and many ofthe luxuries of life can be obtained. The Saint can never resist thedesire of a bargain, and others of the party were anxious to see allthat the stores contained, so we made a halt and inundated the building, where everything was extraordinarily neat and clean, shelves piled highwith bales of bright-coloured cottons, cloths, and handkerchiefs; hatshanging in long lines, brilliant saddle-cloths, pipes, knives, tobacco, axes, leather goods and harness, every variety of tinned foods, barrelsof flour, sugar, etc. , all arranged with precision, and showingcleanliness and method at every turn. Some men were sitting on thebenches, smoking and drinking and chatting together, for apparently "thestores" constitutes the local rendezvous and news agency for milesaround. The Saint at once made purchases, for no place is stamped on her memoryunless she has spent money there. She wanted to make the whole partypresents of hats, handkerchiefs, or pipes, but she was restrained, andultimately satisfied her generosity by choosing the best saddle-cloththe establishment could supply, and one or two hats. We went into theliving-rooms of the storekeeper, and found the same attractive neatnessthere. A gramophone occupied a side table, and skins and pictures werehanging on the walls. The storekeeper's wife and her sister wereattractive Englishwomen; there were two or three children running about, but none of them could speak anything but their father's nativelanguage. After this inspection we drove on, and we are glad to be ableto register the fact that Our Guest for once acted up to the first partof the old adage, "Earn sixpence a day and live up to it. " The Jehu'scoach had stayed behind for a while, to allow The Instigator to observeand note a great many things which were no business of his at all, andthe peons had likewise remained, but The Saint, having fulfilled hermission of purchasing whenever possible, was content, and anxious to geton to the Section house for a rest before her afternoon ride, so TheChaperon drove on with his coach, and we are assured, on what weconsider good authority, that when Our Guest perceived a closed gate inthe way, and no peon at hand, he leapt from the carriage (perhaps "flew"would be a better word) and opened that gate. Possibly he had been firedwith ambition to earn money while inspecting those crimson and bluehandkerchiefs at the stores, for we know he appreciates "colours"; but, whatever his motive, he _did_ open that gate, and let it be recorded tothe honour of his fellow-passengers that his action was not allowed topass unappreciated or unrewarded. When all the party were collected atMichelot estancia house, lunch was served on the verandah by adour-looking Oriental, who apparently combined the duties of cook andparlourmaid in his own somewhat yellow person, and very well heperformed his task, but as he went silently about his business ofserving this large party, which he did with a slow precision andapparent utter disregard of his master's orders, he reminded usirresistibly of the soi-disant American definition of "Life, " and webegan to wonder whether it were not a Chinaman who summed up existencein the words, "After all, Life is only one d----d thing after another. " [Illustration: _Herd of Cattle. _] A short siesta followed lunch, and after an early tea everyone mountedhorses or carriages and went forth to see the sights of theSection--everyone, that is to say, save The Chaperon, who had other workto do; he it was who discovered and averted what might have been adisaster. Some members of the party were quite content as long as theywere given three cups of tea, others fancied cocktails, and some babbledfor cocoa. It was suddenly found that the supply of this last usefularticle was running short. The Kid not being a cocoa-drinker, casuallysuggested filling up the tin with tannin extract or dust; she said "itlooked the same and nobody need smell it, " but The Chaperon declined toresort to subterfuges and rode off to the stores to supply a deficiencycaused by his own lack of attention. At Michelot, as at Polvareda, great progress has been made of lateyears, alfalfa laid down, fences and wells made, and the cattle areimproving yearly. Our last sight, before the inspection for the day wasfinished, was a wonderful rodeo of 3, 000 cattle, which we viewed fromthe vantage point of the banks of a newly made reservoir. It was astriking picture, which will not easily be erased from the memory ofthose who saw it. The cattle, with their long continuous lowing, wererounded up below us, and away on the horizon the sun was setting withthe glory one never sees better elsewhere than over a plain, leaving, asit rapidly sank from sight, marvellous shades of gold and crimson on thefantastically shaped clouds. Save for the animals and their drivers justaround us, the whole vast space seemed so still and empty, yet on everyhand were traces of man's labour and skill, conquering a tract of landwhich was almost valueless a few short years back. On our return to the house we found dinner for us on the verandah. Thiswas a delightfully cool method of taking food, but rather apt to attractbeasties, and although the philosophers and friends of the partyarranged the lights to keep away insects as much as possible, andsucceeded in their efforts, some members of the party preferred to takeno risks and dined with veils wrapped around their heads, only leavingtheir mouths available. The Wild Man caused some excitement before wesat down to dinner by introducing us to a beast he called a "railwayinsect. " It certainly strongly resembled a railway train, with its greenlight on its head, red at the tail, and luminous yellow lights all overits caterpillar-like body; it was a most interesting discovery, and theWild Man went up in everyone's estimation for a few minutes. TheOriental again served us with silent steadiness. It was suggested thatone of our "boys" should assist him in the task of waiting on the partyof twelve, but notwithstanding the fact that he had been told he mightkick round any boy he chose to make an assistant, he waived aside alloutside help with the words "no good, " and continued on his wayimperturbably. The Instigator, with The Delineator and The Jehu, had a long discussionafter dinner on various Argentine subjects too deep for the ordinarymortal, though The Wild Man and The Chaperon seemed to be trying to takean intelligent interest in the conversation. Our Guest sat silent, looked sad, and on being offered a penny for his thoughts, he murmuredthat he was wondering whether he would be allowed any sleep to-night. Doubtless he felt wearied, because, as it is Sunday, The Chaperon hadbeen allowed to take a half-day off for his own amusements, and OurGuest, perhaps stimulated by his financial success of the morning, offered to fulfil the duties of chaperon during his absence; but weregret to say that we cannot candidly advise Our Guest to take upchaperoning as a means of livelihood, for though willing and tactful, helacks the long training and apprenticeship necessary for continualservice in this arduous work. The ladies seemed happier, for they had noted the mosquito nets overeach bed in their room, and they looked forward to a peaceful night. Wehad our usual communication with Our Hostess over the telephone beforeretiring, and received and gave satisfactory reports from both sides. A correspondent wishes to know if any of our readers can name the authorof these lines:-- "Heaven gives sleep to the bad, in order that the good may beundisturbed. " He would also like to know if this generally acceptedquotation is quite correct, or whether the "un" is a misprint. Repliesto "O. G. , " c/o THE TACURU. Owing to the innumerable applications which we have received foradvertising space in our widely circulated periodical, we have decidedto open our columns to advertisements at the rate of 50 cents per line, applications to be sent to "The Advertisement Editor, " THE TACURUOffices, c/o The Jehu, First Coach. All orders must be prepaid. * * * * * ADVERTISEMENTS. WANTED. --Bricklayers who can build straight. --Apply Manager, Michelot. RIDING TAUGHT by a lady, side-saddle or astride; fees go toCharity. --Apply "T. S. , " c/o TACURU Offices. BOOT CLEANING undertaken in best style. Gents', per pair, $1; Ladies', per pair, for the asking. --Orders received by "T. C. , " Offices of thisPaper. * * * * * "THE TACURU. " No. 3. _Monday, March 28th, 1910. _ Owing to the care with which the mosquito nets had been put up, therewere few complaints of bites when the party assembled for breakfast, butthe conversation chiefly degenerated into an argument on phonetics. Thedifferent rooms held various views on the harmonizing of sounds. Had itbeen a glee competition we should undoubtedly have given the award tothe verandah party. Sleeping on the bricks seems to bring out thesweetness of a treble voice as nothing else can do. The Saint and MyLady both remarked that they were very fond of music, but they could notappreciate being awakened from their beauty sleeps, by the announcementin a raucous voice of "No, thank you. " They do not wish for a moment toimply that The Kid was not perfectly justified in refusing whatever shedid refuse, but they would like her in future to confine herconversations to the daytime if possible, and to leave their nights inpeace. It was a happy thought on the part of The Jehu to suggest apicnic at the Waters Meet to-day, before our forward move on to LosMoyes, and after breakfast we started out. First we went to inspect thesite where the new house is to be built, then on to the pretty littlemonte near by, where some picturesque photographs were taken of thecavalcade of riders. We paused in this tiny monte, for it is anintensely interesting spot from a botanical point of view, and with careand attention should be so for some years to come. In an extraordinarysmall compass this wood contains more varied specimens of trees than onewould ordinarily see in a day's journey. So on to Waters Meet. Here oneis afforded an opportunity for studying the watershed of this portion ofArgentina. Three rivers meet here, the Concha, the Calchaqui, and theNorthern Salado. The latter is the only perennial river in that region;it rises in the snowy peaks of the Andes, in the province of Salta, miles away, and it is not to be wondered at, that, though it is aslow-moving river and meanders through the Gran Chaco, in the times offloods its swollen waters overflow their banks and flood immense tractsof land. Thomas Page, an American Admiral, in the year 1855, navigatedthis river from its junction with the Parana to the spot where we wereto-day, but when he went up it there was so little water in the riverthat he had to give up the idea of continuing his pioneer task ofexploration. It had been his intention to open up the river for trade, and there is no reason why this should not be done at some future date. The Calchaqui goes under different names at various places. It rises onthe great swamps on the North-East of the Santa Fé Land Company'sterritory, and flows through a chain of lakes and cañadas until it runsinto the huge laguna "Del Palmar, " and thence along what used to be theEastern boundary of the Santa Fé Land Company's lands, until it joinsthe Salado. The Calchaqui must drain at least 150, 000 acres of land, and the RioConcha has a watershed of about 60 or 70 thousand acres. It is not knownwhat the area of the watershed of the Salado is, but it must be immense;therefore it can be understood that the meeting-place of the waters ofthese three rivers is an interesting spot geographically, and we wereall glad to have seen it. On our arrival at the Water Meet we had ourfirst introduction to the native "asado, " and we all hoped it would notbe the last. The peons collected (apparently from nowhere), in less timethan it takes to write about, sticks and odds and ends for a fire, overthe ashes of which they broiled the meat, holding it over the heat onlong skewers of wood. The meat was brought to us cooked, still on theseskewers, and each one cut off, or had cut off for them by The Jehu, theportion he or she preferred, and a very hearty and merry meal was madeby all. The resulting silence of repletion was only broken by a murmurfrom The Saint of "My heart is full, " which sentiment, anatomicallyamended, was echoed by all. [Illustration: _Expanse of Alfalfa_. ] When active exertion was once more possible everyone repaired to thebanks of the Waters Meet, and a spot being found where there were nodead fish lying about, the ladies (under the tutorship of Our Guest andThe Jehu) indulged in a little rifle-shooting at bottles. We fear thatwe cannot record any marvellous marksmanship on their part, for thebottles were still bobbing about on the water when the ladies' partyretraced their steps to the "camp. " A cup of tea was suggested beforethe returning drive, and it was thought possible (though not probable)that The Kid might be useful on this occasion. However any hopes in thisdirection were speedily dispelled when (after a great deal of noise andtalk) she appeared with a thick black liquid, which proved absolutelyundrinkable. True it was poured from a tea-pot, but anything less like"tea" as one usually meets it at 5 o'clock, could scarcely be imagined, and the air seemed full of the unspoken query, "Has everyone a use inthis world?" The drive back to the estancia house was as pleasant asthat of the morning, and there we found the Chinaman (who, owing to thestrenuous exertions of The Chaperon, now appeared with considerably lesshair, and obviously a more swollen head), had gauged correctly theincompetency of The Kid, in the brewing of his native beverage, andconsequently had prepared a beverage which might pass for tea, and wasenjoyed by all. After this refreshment a move was made, the luggage hadgone on, and the party followed in their two coaches. We now began toapproach a more pleasing country, and drove through little montes ofscrub and trees, with a few bright-coloured verbena and cacti growingnear the ground, making a brave show, and that larger optunia, theprickly pear, with its silver grey appearance and the bright crimson ofits fruit showed up occasionally against the low trees. Altogether, theland had a more homelike and less expansive appearance, as it was brokenup by these little groups of trees. It was a glorious drive. We werefavoured with another exquisite sunset which shed weird and beautifullight over this strangely quiet and empty country. As the four-horsechar-à-banc had started some minutes ahead of the more modest two-horsevehicle, it was to be supposed that it would reach the destination, LosMoyes, first, and we hear that there was some consternation expressed bythe party of the smaller coach when, on their arrival they found thatnothing had been heard, or seen, of the more ambitious vehicle. However, The Chaperon on being appealed to, impassively murmured "They're allright, " and started to give orders for unloading, and putting up bedsand generally arranging matters as if the section house belonged to him, and this callousness on his part, we are told, calmed the otherssufficiently to allow of their enjoying the remnants of the sunset, undisturbed by any thoughts of the horrible fates which might (but werenot likely to) have overtaken their companions. Certainly Los Moyes section house is most prettily situated, with anexpanse of alfalfa beyond the little front garden, and trees in thedistance opening to show a glimpse of the smallest lake. There are threeof these lakes not far from the house, and fishing is carried on, bymeans of spearing, in their waters. Long after the last trace of sunsethad faded from the sky, The Jehu appeared with his coach, and a rush wasmade by the hosts of Los Moyes, and their earlier arrivals, to ascertainthe cause of this delay. All anxiety was quickly allayed by one glanceat the face of The Instigator. He was exuberant with joy. The rest ofthe occupants of the coach seemed rather less excited, and more weary, as they explained that The Instigator had sighted in the far offing asteam plough, and despite murmurs of "the dinner waits and we are tired"from The Delineator and The Wild Man, he insisted on investigating thatplough, in fact on trying it himself, and it was with difficulty he waspersuaded to return to the coach, and continue the drive home. Webelieve the credit for this latter achievement is due to The Delineator, who, with tact worthy of a diplomat, suggested that if an early returnto the ploughing were made next morning, photos could be obtained of themachine and its work. This bait was successful, and The Instigator wasgently enticed away with promises of "to-morrow. " [Illustration: _Disc-Plough at Work. _] [Illustration: _Roadmaker and Railroad Builder_. ] After everyone was assured that everyone else was safe, The Instigatorcame back from his Elysium, dreamily to finish the quotation of TheDelineator and The Wild Man with "Said Gilpin, So am I, " and we all satdown to dinner, during which meal much merriment was caused by adifference of opinion between The Saint and her host on "dogs andspecies of dogs. " Our enemies, the mosquitoes, were not so virulent asusual to-night, perhaps owing to the eucalyptus trees which are growingnear the house; anyhow the party could venture to sit out after dinneron the verandah, which was already covered with beds for theaccommodation of some of the party. Thus, with an audience seated onchairs and beds, The Instigator talked of the plough and of itsmarvellous work in opening up hitherto unused tracts of land. Want oflabour has retarded development considerably, and until quite recentlythe northern camps were very much handicapped by the lack of labourers, and of men with brains to guide the labour. Not only was there adeficiency of men, but often so many of the working bullocks weredrafted off to the forests for timber haulage, that it left a sparsenessof them for agricultural purposes. The remedy, however, presented itselfby the utilisation of the traction engine. The breaking-up of freshlands has always been the trouble facing the colonist. In dry weather it is almost impossible to get the plough, drawn by horseor bullock, into the ground, and the drought so punishes the workinganimals that often when rain comes they are too weak for their work, andthe colonist is unable to take the best advantage of the season, butmechanical ploughing obviates all this, and gives him the virgin land insuch a condition that with the means at hand he is able to cultivate anarea sufficiently large to ensure him success. As we sat thus on the verandah in the moonlight, plans were made for thefollowing day. It was decided that a visit to the plough should occupythe morning, and a row on the lake, or ride round it, the afternoon, before proceeding to Lucero. Fishing was spoken of, but we could notmanage everything in the short time we had at our disposal at Los Moyes, so we found that probably the fishing would have to be given up. Thus, in the security of the possession of clear consciences and mosquitonets, the party retired to rest. * * * * * Prepaid advertisements received at the office of this paper before 6p. M. Will be inserted in the next day's issue. "M. L. " writes in answer to "O. G. " that the quotation he gives is fromthe writing of the Persian poet Sâdi. The quotation is quite correct, for though Sâdi travelled for a great number of years in Europe, Asia, and Africa, he never travelled with the present Company in theArgentine, therefore he did not realise that the sleep of the bad coulddisturb the good. Modern thought is inclined to differ from his views. * * * * * ADVERTISEMENTS. LOST. --Two rubber sponges and two blankets. When finished with, pleasereturn to the Manager, Michelot. £10 REWARD. --Lost, one pearl-drop ear-ring; may be under the carpet. Finder will be rewarded as above, on returning same to "T. S. , " Officesof this Paper. * * * * * "THE TACURU. " No. 4. _Tuesday, March 29th, 1910. _ This morning, alas! did not fulfil the promise of last night's sunset, for a drizzling rain was falling when the party collected for breakfast, and we were afraid that not only would the fishing expedition beimpossible, but also that the ploughing inspection might have to bepostponed, and all were anxious, after the enthusiasm of The Instigator, to see that engine at work. Our host had sent some men out in the earlymorning to secure fish for our delectation, but they were unable tospear more than one, and this large aquatic animal was now hanging upunder the verandah, causing a great deal of interest to the variouscurious members of the band; needless to say, The Instigator was busydivesting the fish of scales, examining them under his ubiquitousmicroscope, and insisting on everyone observing the marvels of Natureshown in this manner. We think that this was the psychological momentwhen the rest of the party began to appreciate the powers of thatmicroscope, and insinuations were made to the owner that it would be apity to take such a beautiful pocket instrument back to Europe, in caseany accident should happen to the boat during the voyage, and themicroscope be lost. The Delineator and The Wild Man appeared to be the chief favourites forthe prize, and knowing the acquisitive propensities of The Chaperon, allwere surprised to note his passiveness during the competition; however, he explained his inertia by saying that his sleep had been disturbed byvisions for which no microscope was needed. He offered to sketch what hehad seen, but could give no more definite description in words than"figures on the blind" and "streaming hair, " so he was left alone torecover his nerve. The Jehu then pointed out that his prophecy hadproved correct, and the misty rain had blown off, leaving a clear skyand fine weather, so a start was made _en masse_ for the scene of theploughing operations. A slight lameness on the part of one of the steedsmade it necessary for the smaller coach to return for change of animalsafter a few hundred yards. The Wild Man occupied the few minutes of thisdelay to the best possible advantage. The owner of the house andchattels was away, and The Wild Man, stimulated by The Chaperon made avery productive tour of the rooms and verandah, resulting in greatsatisfaction to himself. When the coach was ready with fresh horses, and The Wild Man hadsatisfied himself that nothing of value had escaped his observation, another move forward was made, and on arriving at the ground the smallerparty found that the occupants of the first coach were already on theplough, having ousted the colonists for the time being. This plough wasworking on rough virgin ground, turning over more land in one hour thantwo men and four horses can do in England in a whole day. Each member ofthe party took their turn on the plough, and enjoyed the pleasurederived from turning over the untouched soil, and of feeling that theywere helping to start the development of Nature's truest source ofwealth. The engine was drawing twenty disc-ploughs, and could ploughtwenty-eight to thirty acres of land a day, week in and week out. Until recent years land in the Argentine Republic has been ploughed insmall areas by animal labour, the farmer or colonist often employing themembers of his family to assist him, and thus saving expense. Owing, however, to the immense harvests and the vast tracts of country awaitingdevelopment, it has become necessary to work on a much bigger scale, andto bring in the aid of machinery. In some places the ordinary form ofsteam plough has presented many practical disadvantages. They are heavyand unwieldy, and apt to sink in soft ground, from which they areextricated with difficulty. This is likely to cause damage, or moreserious accidents, through explosion. Further, they require a constanttrain of water-carts and fuel wagons, and a staff of at least sixpersons to work them. At the spot where this engine was working thelatter objections were obviated, as both wood and water were plentiful. In general, these difficulties are largely overcome by the adoption ofthe naphtha motor engine, which has been brought to a state ofconsiderable perfection in Great Britain and the United States. It canbe employed not only for ploughing and threshing, but also for traction, excavation, and embankment work, etc. An engine and plough will break upone hectarea of camp per hour, and some of these machines with tworelays of workmen will break 108 hectareas per week. In a month of onlytwenty-three working days they will break up a league of camp. [Illustration: _Ploughing Virgin Camp. _] The price of naphtha is gradually decreasing in the Argentine Republic, and the oil wells of the country will probably make the cost of fueleven less by-and-by than it is to-day. Areas of fertile camp, which have hitherto lain fallow, owing to theirbeing intersected by canadas, and difficult to get at, can now betreated by the motor plough, with the result that their value willrapidly rise. In an actual case near the Central Cordoba Railway, peopleare to-day offering $118 per hectarea for land which was bought twoyears ago for $25 per hectarea, but during the two years it has beenthoroughly ploughed and drained by mechanical means. In nearly all the northern lands small trees grow irregularly all overthe camp, and in order to plough the land these trees must be dug up. Machines are manufactured in the United States to deal with landcontaining tree roots. They perform the double operation of cuttingroots under ground and ploughing up the surface, but they have not yetbeen introduced into the Argentine in large numbers. Other machines digholes for fence posts at the rate of fifty holes per hour, and they canbe so accurately gauged that the posts may be firmly fixed withoutexpending much labour in ramming. The naphtha engine is likewise used with great advantage for tractionpurposes. A striking instance of this is to be found at Rio Gallegos, where many naphtha engines are engaged in the work of carrying wool overa track of more than 300 kilometres, a feat which would be quiteimpossible with animal labour, owing to the rocky and broken conditionof the roads. As the Santa Fé Land Company owns a great diversity of land, they haveused both the steam traction and the naphtha engines, and time will showwhich machine is to be recommended. It is a pity that the agricultural implement importers of Buenos Airesshould have recently formed themselves into a ring to lift prices, because their doing so will certainly tend to lessen the progress whichagriculture is making in the Argentine. These combinations, however, will not deter the Company from continuing its "march of progress, " butit comes hard on the colonist, who, after all, is the chief factor inbuilding up the fortunes of the great importing houses of Buenos Aires. One of the greatest competitors of the British-built traction engine isthe Hart-Parr oil engine, a splendid agricultural tool, which isinvaluable where ordinary fuel is not easily procurable. It was with great difficulty The Instigator could be persuaded to leavethe plough, and at one time his enthusiasm (and the engine) carried himout of sight, and those remaining at the starting-point grew speculativeas to whether he would return before dark. However, a recommencement ofdrizzling rain apparently cooled his ardour, and restored him to theparty. The nomads gladly turned their thoughts and coaches towards thesection house, realising as they went the sweet truth of the words, "Theploughman homeward plods his weary way. " Lunch awaited them, and thefish of the morning appeared in a more pleasant guise, to be enjoyed byall. After lunch, the rain showing no signs of clearing off, the partyhad to give up all idea of the lake proper, but watched one form infront of the house instead, and wondered how it would be negotiated whenthe time came for an onward move. So they sat on chairs, baggage andbenches under the verandah, and tried to keep awake, while observingthe steady downpour. One member of the party at last gave up thestruggle against the inevitable, and sank gracefully into the arms ofMorpheus, represented by the bags of biscuits and other impedimenta. Aphoto was secured of him as he lay half concealed amongst theportmanteaux, packages and "pan. " We refrain from publishing it, becausethe chief feature of the picture is in the boots of the sleeper. (Wetrust no weak humour is intended in the preceding paragraph?--EDITOR. ) [Illustration: _Hart-Parr Engine, drawing Roadmaker_. ] A slight diversion was caused by a repacking of some goods after lunch. It seems that the bottles, with contents (a most important item), hadbeen forgotten, and The Wild Man was approached with a request that thebottles might be transported to Lucero in his bag; of course, hecheerily acquiesced, but as the whole of the contents of his bag had tobe turned out to pack the bottles scientifically, and as that baghappened to be the same receptacle in which The Wild Man had secretedthe various articles collected during his tour of appreciation thismorning, developments were interesting to all, save to the man who hadlaboured under the delusion that several horns and other articles whichappeared from the bag, were still in his own possession. However, probably remembering The Wild Man's character (_vide_ page 205), he saidnothing, but calmly looked on as his goods were repacked and removedfrom his sight for ever. All honour to such unselfishness. After a cup of tea and farewells, the ladies were transferred to thecoaches in a highly skilled manner, and a damp drive to Lucero followed. One sheet of drizzling rain surrounded us all through the journey, andnone were sorry when, after a side slip or two, the coaches drew up (notbefore it was quite dark) outside the estancia house. A change into drygarments was very welcome, and there was to be noticed for the firsttime since the start of the Tacuruers, a dull air of respectabilityover the party, as they collected for their evening meal. Shirt fronts and pretty frocks appeared once more, for here we had alady presiding over the table. Still the old proverb proved true "Finefeathers do not make fine birds, " and some members of the party did notlive up to their costumes. It may have been the good dinner, or thegenial glow of a fire that upset their behaviour, but the fact remainsthat there were two or three unusual occurrences during the course of amerry meal. The Kid was observed to be burying her face in a spoonful ofjelly, and others seemed to be performing a sort of a general postduring the repast. However, all ended well, and after coffee varioushome pets were introduced by our hostess, who is a devoted lover ofanimals. A nutria appeared and some friendly dogs, and we heard of tamefoxes and diminutive ponies to be seen next day. It was a great regretto everyone that The Delineator did not put in an appearance for dinner;he pleaded headache and retired to bed early, perhaps in the hope ofgetting some sleep before The Instigator came to share the room. * * * * * ADVERTISEMENTS. HARD CASE NO. 1. --"T. K. " writes to inquire the proper procedure underthe following circumstances:--"A lady receives a plate of jelly atdinner, the gentleman on her right at once takes up her spoon andcommences to feed her with the jelly. " What should she do? And if sheallows herself to be fed, is it etiquette, this year, for the gentlemanon her left to give her a slight push, which results in her nose meetingthe jelly in the spoon? We offer the problems to our readers, and aprize will be awarded for the best solution sent in. LOST. --One pair deer's horns, nicely coloured. If this advertisementmeets the eye of T. W. M. The owner would be very glad to have the hornsreturned to Michelot, but does not wish to make a point of it. FOUND. --The reward of £10 for lost ear-ring is withdrawn; owner foundlost property herself, and has paid for her advertisement. * * * * * "THE TACURU. " No. 5. _Wednesday, March 30th, 1910. _ Much to everyone's relief The Delineator appeared at breakfast lookinghimself again; he replied to the enquiries showered upon him that hisindisposition could be explained in the words used by Herbert Spencer, when he defined life as "The continuous adjustment of internal relationsto external relations. " The Delineator said that that formula, when oneconsidered the various cookings, including the Oriental style we hadlately sampled, exactly described the cause of his passing illness, fromwhich he was now happily recovered. The morning was bright, and nothing but the drying mud remained toremind us of the rains of yesterday. At breakfast some strange taleswere told of a frightened nutria which generally slept peacefully undera wardrobe in the dressing-room; but last night the room had anotheroccupant, whose sleep was not so peaceful as that of the nutria, and atthe first sound of a snore the poor animal was so scared that it leaptfrom its usual bed and rushed round the room till it found a way ofescape, through the window, to a more restful soot. Cattle-dipping was to be the sight of the morning, and as soon as theout-door menagerie was explored, under the guidance of our hostess, whohas a wonderful knack with all animals, the coach and cavalcade ofriders set forth to the scene of operations. Here we found a largenumber of animals ready to be dipped. This process is necessary to cleanthe animals from the garrapata. This is a tick which has been, and stillis, the terror of the north. It is the means of transmitting to cattlethe disease known as "Texas Fever. " The rough native cattle do notsuffer badly from this fever, but any newly imported fine stock from thesouth generally succumb to it. Time after time wealthy men who realized the menace this pest was to thenorth have attempted to fight it, but their efforts have not beensuccessful. Often their loss has been immense, sometimes as many as 95%of the total animals brought into the neighbourhood from the Province ofBuenos Aires have died. Undoubtedly these constant failures helped to give the northern districta bad name, but the experiments with the animals should have beencarried on by means of acclimatisation. Animals for the north should becarefully handled, and with constant vigilance, adapted to theirsurroundings. These are the principles on which the Santa Fé LandCompany have been working, and they confidently predict that before longthey will be selling pedigree bulls with tick on them. When this is anaccomplished fact, another great barrier to the progress of the northwill have been broken down. The cattle tick has two phases in its life. [Illustration: _Cattle leaving Dip. _] After establishing itself on the animal, the tick becomes a bloodsucker, and at certain seasons animals running wild over unbroken camps, become literally covered with these bichos; consequently the cattle fallback in condition, and the mortality amongst them mounts up to anappallingly large percentage. To obviate this the dip is used, and hascome into general use. The animals are collected from afar, and broughtinto the corral (a strong enclosure), from which there is a woodenpassage, having many contrivances useful for marking, branding, anddehorning cattle, all of which are used in their due season; but fordipping purposes this passage terminates in a precipitous slope, and theanimals are gently forced along it from the corral to plunge suddenlyinto a prepared bath of a strong solution, which kills every tick; so itfollows, that if the animal has been totally submerged, it is absolutelyfree from the parasite. The object of dipping is to kill all kinds ofinsects and parasites which trouble the bovine race; especially so thecommon Louse (the Dermatodectis Bovis) which is the scab producer. Theworst pest is, however, the cattle tick or Garrapata, and known underthe scientific name of Boophilus Annulatus. This latter is the harbinger of the microbe of Texas Fever or Tristeza, as it is known in the Argentine. The remedies that are principally employed are of a tarry basis andprepared so as to be easily mixed with water, usually in the proportionof 1 to 100. The amount of mixture used is 2. 60 litres, and the cost works out at 10cents. Per head. The greatest number of animals that the Santa Fé Land Company have beenable to put through the dip in a day is 6, 700, working from 6 a. M. To 5p. M. Animals certainly are frightened the first time they take this bath, butvery soon they find the comfort of its effect, and come to like andenjoy it. The cattle we saw dipped to-day had mostly been through theprocess several times before, and walked calmly down the passage, seeming to enjoy their scramble through the dip. On emerging from thedip, the animals stand in a small corral on the other side, and are keptthere for a while to allow the liquor to drain off their hides, and findits way back to the tank. Some of the younger animals seemed scared at the first plunge, andthough a very great point is made of the fact that they must all becollected and driven into the corral and down the passage, with theutmost gentleness, some of them grew so disturbed at the unusualproceeding, that they leapt on to the animal in front instead of slidingdown the dip as the older animals do. However, there are always plentyof men under the superintendence of the mayor-domo to see that no harmcomes to any animal, and though in the early days of dips, broken legswere not unusual occurrences, nowadays there are very seldom anyaccidents, though thousands of animals may be dipped in a few hours. Oneman holds a curious sort of wide blunt prong, with which he presses theheads of any animals, who have not been totally immersed, under theliquid as they pass him, thus ensuring the destruction of all parasites. After this inspection The Instigator and company were taken on to seeland which was being broken by bullocks, and thence to the Rio Salado, (which we are hoping to negotiate much further north to-morrow), andreturned in time for lunch. After a short pause for rest and a cup oftea, the party, this time with their host and hostess, set off forvarious windmills, earth tanks, etc. , which were of recent erection, andwere to be reviewed by The Instigator. Everything he saw seemed to givesatisfaction, and a weary but happy band returned to the house fordinner, in the course of which some native dishes were introduced to us. Another lovely sunset favoured us this evening as we drove homewards, and we hear that My Lady and The Wild Man almost came to a seriousquarrel over the shapes of various beautifully tinted clouds. One said acertain cloud resembled a bear, the other said it was exactly like apork pie "shot" with a diamond tiara, and the matter was still underbitter discussion long after the cloud in question had faded away into anebulous mist. The evening was calm and still, and we all sat outsideafter coffee, discussing the unknown journey of to-morrow, and theperils that might befall us on our way across the camps. The Instigatortalked emphatically, and quite unnecessarily, of "an early start isimperative, " till we all grew tired of his insistence and retired tobed, where some of the party wondered under what circumstances theywould be sleeping to-morrow. * * * * * CORRESPONDENCE. LUCERO, _March 30th, 1910. _ DEAR SIR, May I use the valuable medium of your paper for the purpose of announcing that anyone who wishes to accompany the explorers on the excursion, under the guidance of The Jehu and myself to the wild north, must be ready, decently clothed and fed, with a supply of patience and drinkables in their personal luggage, not later than 6 a. M. , to-morrow, March 31st, 1910. I am, Yours, etc. , THE INSTIGATOR. P. S. --While taking suitable precautions for the safety and happiness of those who entrust themselves to our care, we wish it to be understood that we cannot hold ourselves responsible for any loss of wearing apparel or other goods, temper, meals, or rest, caused by rain, mosquitoes, frogs, snakes, overeating, or the incompatibility of other passengers, or from any cause whatsoever. --T. I. _To the Editor of "The Tacuru. "_ _March 30th, 1910_. SIR, We should be glad to know if anything can be done to stop the public nuisance in the shape of the amalgamation of two members of the party, who are obviously descended from some long ago Christy Minstrels. We believe that, taken separately, one at a time, at long intervals, the aforesaid members can be tolerated for a few minutes (personally, we find them nauseating to a degree, under the most favourable circumstances), but together, when they attempt to be bright and amusing, and fancy they have a sense of humour and intelligent wit, they are absolutely impossible. They might have been useful (say in 1500) as the final torture decreed by the Inquisition, but in this year of grace of 1910, they are unwarrantable, and we shall be grateful if immediate steps can be taken for their separation, if not for their entire suppression. We are, Dear Sir, still suffering from violent headaches, caused by being shut up in the same coach for three hours with these imbeciles. Yours truly, T. D. And M. L. * * * * * HARD CASE No. 1. The prize of five cents has been awarded to a correspondent O. G. (who isrequested to forward his real name and address as soon as possible) forthe best solution to the Hard Case we published yesterday. He says thatin those circumstances the lady should undoubtedly allow herself to befed, and should do all in her power by opening her mouth widely, andturning her head slightly in the direction of the gentleman on herright, to assist him in his self-imposed task, and thus to avoid givinghim the impression that he had committed an unusual social solecism incommencing to feed her. Numerous correspondents have sent in solutions, but we consider theabove the best. Several answers have also been sent to the second partof the question, and all agree that the gentleman on the left had noshadow of excuse for causing the lady's nose to rest in the jelly. Sucha proceeding is totally without precedent in the highest circles. * * * * * "THE TACURU. " No. 6. _Thursday, March 31st, 1910. _ THE LARGEST CIRCULATION OF ANY DAILY PAPER PUBLISHED ON THIS TRIP. Everyone was astir early this morning, remembering The Instigator'sfinal warning last night of the necessity for an early start, but, onassembling for breakfast at 7 a. M. , The Instigator himself was missed. His hawk-like eye (we apologise to Our Guest) had noticed some Galpon, or drinking trough, or something, which he must, of course, investigatebefore leaving Lucero, and dragging off The Delineator and The Jehu, hequite forgot breakfast and the "early start, " as he fussed over hisnew-found interest, and it was not until he was captured forcibly by asearch party that his companions were allowed to come in tobreakfast--after the rest of the party had finished. Much to everyone'sdelight the morning was bright and fine, and all promised favourably forthe excursion into the unknown. While waiting for the start, considerable interest was caused by thehome-building operations of some birds, who were constructing a nestunder the eaves of the outbuilding, and manipulating the mud for itsconstruction in a most clever manner. One bird flew off to get some mudwhile the other energetically fashioned the last piece into shape in thenest, then, when the first returned, the second bird flew off to get hercontribution of clay; so the moulding of that nest grew apace while wewatched its progress. Before we set out a pleading message came (and it was not the first, either) from those left at headquarters, begging us to give up ourexploration scheme, and, in view of weather reports, to return in peaceto the civilisation of San Cristobal; but needless to say, nothingdaunted, The Instigator still kept to his determination to see all therewas to be seen, and the more people try to dissuade him from a thing, once he has decided to do it, the more fixed becomes his intention to dothat thing. So, expostulations were useless, the final preparations andfarewells were made, a last communication held with Our Hostess atCristobal, before our passing into the wilds, and the Tacuru coacheswith their freight of precious humans, and still more precious food anddrink, started off from their pleasant rest at Lucero. Someone was heardto murmur as the coaches drove off-- "Then hey! for boot and horse, lad, And round the world away; The Instigator _must_ have his tour, lad, And _never_ will give way!" But this puerile parody met with the indifference it deserved, and, accompanied by the Section Manager, we commenced our journey, travellingfor some hours over the land which is in his charge. "Monte, " too, seemed to consider that his presence as a guide and friend would benecessary to the party, and came along with us; he is a "wild" dog ofthe deerhound type, who was taken as a tiny puppy from a litter found ina wood near Los Moyes, and has ever since been devoted to his captors. There is a calm air of disinterested abstraction about "Monte" which isvery satisfying, and he is undoubtedly a philosopher. One of the twoIndian guides we picked up during the day's journey also had a dog, butit was of a very different appearance and character to "Monte. " "Monte"looked on mankind in general as needing his care and supervision, whilethe little black smooth-haired terrier felt "the great passion" for onealone. His master was evidently his god, and if he lost sight of"master" for two minutes it was really touching to hear his cries, almost like those of a child, as he tried to trace his master throughthe shallow water which we sometimes crossed. His yelps as he splashed along, nose to the ground, almost voiced thesentiment:-- "Rank and wealth I pass unheeding, Never giving them their due; For my heart and soul are needing, Nothing in the world but "YOU!" And he and his "YOU" were never very far apart. In a country where kindness to animals is not considered necessary, andis very rarely found, this example of devotion between dog and man wasall the more noticeable and appreciated. Needless to say, as soon as TheSaint observed it she wanted to "give the man a present, " and was onlyrestrained from doing so because she had nothing suitable forpresentation in her luggage, or in that of The Instigator. About one o'clock we came to the banks of the Salado, concerning thecrossing of which river we had heard so much. We had been told it wasimpossible and impassable; that the rains had swollen the river too muchfor a safe passage; that at the best of times the banks were too steepand slippery for carts to negotiate, and that all idea of crossing hadbetter be given up. The Instigator and The Jehu merely smiled when theyheard of these difficulties, but some members of the party had wonderedhow the traversing of that river was to be accomplished, and they wereagreeably surprised, on reaching the spot chosen for crossing, to findthat a tenant had built a narrow "tajamar, " or earth bank, across theriver, which at this place was not very wide. Everyone dismounted, thehorses were taken out, and all hands were in request to pull thevehicles across. First went the coaches, then the luggage carts weredragged over. To illustrate the difficulties of the proceedings wepublish one of the many photos taken, during the crossing of thetajamar. Our Guest was one of the first to help in the conveyance ofthese carts. Apparently, since the gate-opening episode, he has "learntthe wisdom early to discern true beauty in utility, " for he is always tothe fore when work is to be done, and in this case his athletic trainingproved the truth of the Yankee expression that "It's muscle that tells. "The Delineator and The Wild Man, as usual, when real hard work presentsitself, "thought the party would like photographs of it, " and, armedwith their cameras, retired to safe distances, where the work could notpossibly interfere with them or they with it, and took photos of theprogress of the carts. We cannot complain, however, of their action (orinaction, rather), for the resulting pictures make a good memorial ofthe crossing of the Salado by the "Tacuruers. " The ladies rushed toassist when they saw that photos were being taken, but, as the cartswere well over the danger line by the time the ladies were at theropes, we have no pictured record of their deeds, which, we may note, were really quite valueless at this point. [Illustration: _Crossing the Salado. _] [Illustration: _The Effect of a Long Drought_. ] Once the horses, carts, and luggage were safely across the tajamar themore serious business of cocktails and lunch was thought of, and, in anincredibly short time, the usual asado of meat, brought from Lucero, wasunder discussion. The unfortunate sheep who were still spared were let out for a shortrun. The Kid, too, was set free in the hopes that she might possibly proveuseful now, but, judging from her attitude during the preparations forlunch, we should say those hopes would not be fulfilled. As we rest after our arduous crossing of the Salado, our thoughts areinclined to wander to the awful tragedy enacted here in the year 1904. It was a disastrous year for many of the northern camp men. There was anappalling drought of long continuation, for which all the northern campswere totally unprepared; the river over which we have just passed becamethe concentration spot for all that is most terrible at such times. Itis not exaggerating the case when we say that 15, 000 animals (some ofthem having travelled south for 100 miles or more), forced by instinct, and guided by wire fences, came to drink from the foul, polluted chainof water-holes which then represented this river. One can imagine thehorror and distress of it all--not a blade of grass for miles, whereto-day the vegetation is luxuriant, and not a drop of water in thisriver on whose banks we are resting, only a few mud-holes in whichhundreds of decaying carcases were embedded. This is what the cattlefound after their long journey south, through which they were dailygrowing weaker. It is not surprising to hear that, at one place aloneon the river-bed, over 3, 000 hides were taken off dead animals, and, probably, it is well within the mark to say that at least another 1, 000were lost. Well may we wonder, "Why this terrible suffering and loss?"And the answer comes back, "Human negligence. " It was the want of wellswhich caused all this misery; cattle will bear drought for a long time, but the actual want of water maddens them and causes the death ofthousands. If the northern camps are to be colonised and are to becomeprosperous, the first necessity is the obtaining of a supply of goodwater; second in importance only to the water supply is the fencing ofthe camps, by which means a control over the cattle is established;refined camps, better grasses, and alfalfa, will all follow in duecourse; and anyone who has studied these northern lands would have nohesitation in predicting that these camps will, in time, prove just asprofitable as any in the vast Republic of Argentina, and this is sayinga good deal, as those who have travelled over the rich southern campswill realise. But, for his own sake, and for the sake of the cattle inhis care, let it be the first business of the estanciero to provide goodand sufficient wells, so that the terrible history of 1904 may never berepeated. [Illustration: _Refined Camps. _] However, the scene is different to-day, with a pleasant sunshine, thecrisp air sweeping over the uncultivated camp of natural grasses, andplenty of water in the river; but we cannot linger, so, after the pipeof peace for some, and a short siesta for others, "the all-aboard" buglewas sounded, horses were put in, carts packed once more, and, after afarewell to our host--who was returning to the section house--we went onahead into the wilder regions, and had a pleasant, though rather short, drive for two or three hours before The Jehu called a halt. He explainedthat we should require at least an hour for the unloading and erectionof the tents, tables, etc. , before dusk; therefore, as the sun was onlya hand's breadth from the horizon (roughly speaking, an hour beforesetting), we must dismount. He had chosen a pleasant spot for the campof the night, not far from a small ranch, and here the coaches halted. Of course the luggage carts could not come up until some time later, astheir loads were so much heavier, and My Lady became even more popularthan usual when she suggested that the wait should be beguiled with acup of tea, and produced her tea-basket from the coach; true, we foundthat there was no tea, but My Lady had plenty of cocoa. Water wasobtained from the house near by, and a very welcome cup of cocoa handedround, accompanied by an unexpected slice of cake which apparentlyappeared from nowhere, and which disappeared equally effectively, for itwas decidedly useful fodder and appreciated as such by all. We discovered here that our friend "Monte" had declined to go back afterlunch with his present master to Lucero, but had chosen to accompany hispast master on this expedition. His presence was an agreeable surprise. He was found surveying the party with his calm scrutiny, and apparentlyhe approved of our spot for camping, also of the cake. As The Chaperon could find no work to do before the carts arrived, he, for once, relaxed from his terrible strain of usefulness, and tided overthe tedious hour by trying to "throw the knife" in the most approvedcowboy manner. As each member of the party had had their "tea" (he waspractising with the knife which was used for the carving of thecake--and anything else, when needed), no one objected to this harmlessamusement on his part, provided he did not pitch the knife on to theirtoes; and, after long exercise, with the help of The Wild Man, who isan adept at these tricks, The Chaperon at last succeeded in "throwingthe knife" to his satisfaction, and others' terror. A sigh of reliefescaped the lips of those who were dodging the knife when they saw theluggage-carts looming in the distance. They at once drew the attentionof The Chaperon to the approach of the carts, and were rejoiced to seehim return the weapon to its sheath (in his leggings), and stiffen intothe attitude of action once more. No sooner were the carts on the spot than every member of the party wasat work, or pretending to be so. Poles were taken off the carts, luggageuncovered, canvas was everywhere, yells for "the mallet" alternated withthe resounding blows struck, with the same, by the strong men of theband, tent-pegs bristled all over the ground, everyone wanted the hammerat the same time, and apparent chaos reigned for half an hour; then, behold! as by magic, the din ceased, two tents had been securelyerected, floored with canvas, the luggage was placed under anothercovering of canvas, a table, with plates, knives, forks, etc. , was readyin an open space, camp-stools stood around it, beds, blankets, sheetsand pillows galore were in each tent, and the smell of roasting meat inthe distance rose pleasantly upon the air. The place looked as if theparty had been accustomed to camp there regularly once a week, so wellwas everything arranged. Nothing had been forgotten which could addcomfort, for all hands had been working hard, and each peon, too, haddone his share; in fact, the sight would have rejoiced the soul of themost ardent, red-tied Socialist, for surely never did a community carryout more thoroughly the principle of "each one working for the happinessof others. " True, there was no trade union to limit their exertions, butthat was an omission for which we may be thankful. As the dusk quickly deepened, the peons gathered round their fire, overwhich the meat was cooking, a little distance from the camp site; thelamps were lit and hung from poles, and the party looked withsatisfaction on their handiwork. It would have made an interesting, andnot unpicturesque illustration, if one could have obtained a photo ofthe "Primera Vista" camp that evening. But it was at this time, just when all seemed smiling and happy, thatthe travellers were to go through their first real trial, for here thediscovery was made of a serious loss. It was spoken of in whispers atfirst, but gradually the whispers increased to a murmur as the lossbecame generally known; yet neither man nor woman quailed, and nonecould have told from their outward bearing the bitter struggle they wereinwardly facing. A cynical traveller once said, after noting theinnumerable number of statues in the land, "South America has evidentlyproduced a phenomenal number of heroes, " but we are inclined to thinktheir tale has not been told if those who bore their trouble so bravelythat night are to be "unhonoured and unsung. " Think what it meant, youwho may read this, in years to come, in civilised places, comfortablyseated in your armchairs, conveniently near the cellaret, and, --honourour brave! They had at least two days to face (with no prospect ofobtaining supplies anywhere) and they discovered, here, that _the caseof whisky was lost, _ left behind, vanished--they knew not what, onlythat it had disappeared! Theirs not to reason why, Theirs not to moan or sigh, E'en though their throats were dry, Noble "Tacuruers"! True, the comforting thought that they still had a bottle and a-half ofthe precious drink with them may have helped them to keep their spiritsup with the hope of pouring spirits down, but a bottle and a-half isnot much amongst so many thirsty souls for three days, and, we repeat, that great courage and bravery was shown by the equanimity with whichthe party bore the news of their loss. A minor loss was that the dinner napkins were not forthcoming, but thatsurprised no one, for they were in the charge of The Kid, and, ofcourse, she had forgotten them at Lucero. We believe she said somethingabout their being "left to be washed" there, but no one listened to her, and we used glass cloths instead. At our first camp evening meal everyone did justice to the goods thatThe Chaperon provided. Coffee was not forgotten, and, after theirdinner, the more musical members of the band tried to sing--it kept themosquitoes off--and when "a catch" was attempted even the bicho coloradowas cowed into silence. We had looked forward to hearing the guitarplayed by one of the peons here. He had brought his instrument with him, but, unfortunately, had dropped a large packing case upon it, which didnot improve its tone, and this accident prevented our hearing thenational dances played on a guitar in the open camp as we had hoped todo. Weary with the exertions of the day the party turned their thoughts andsteps early towards those tents where rows of little bedsteads, eachwith its mosquito net above, looked so attractively inviting, and beforelong lights were out and peace reigned as far as possible. "Thus done the Vales to bed they creep, By whispering winds soon lulled asleep. " Guards were set and they, with Monte, were left to protect the horsesand camp through the night. CORRESPONDENCE. _March 31st, 1910. _ SIR, I feel that, as I am in a measure responsible for the presence of the two people to whom your correspondents of yesterday object, I should like to apologise, through the medium of your paper, for the inconvenience these two people have caused, and to assure your correspondents that steps shall be taken to prevent a repetition of the annoyance. The fact is, that both of them are so rarely out of Bedlam at the same time that I had not realised the necessity for keeping them apart, nor the danger of their amalgamation, but they shall be kept in separate coaches in future, and I can only express my sincere regret for the mischief and trouble they have caused. I am, Yours, etc. , THE INSTIGATOR. * * * * * A correspondent writes to know if any of our readers can solve thefollowing problem for her:--"'A' starts on a seven days' journey witheighty-seven horses, he loses two, one of which he finds next day, andat the end of the week has 110 horses. " The enquirer has searchedthrough her "Hamblin Smith" but can find no honest method of solution. * * * * * ADVERTISEMENTS. EXPERT GUIDE. --Anyone requiring a really good guide, thoroughlyconversant with the Chaco, ways of wild Indians and animals, pleaseapply "T. W. M. , " Offices of this paper. Good shot, can cook and sew, able to point out all the beauties of nature, animal and vegetable. Terms moderate. Inspires confidence in the most timid ladies by hiswinning smile. LOST. --One tin of gingerbread biscuits (Huntley & Palmer). No reward isoffered, as they will probably be eaten by the time this advertisementis in print. If anyone would return the tin, as a recuerdo, to Lucero, advertiser would be obliged. LOST. --Lucero. Several good horses. * * * * * Several correspondents have written to know whether it is not a menaceto the rest of the community for one member of the band to sleeppromiscuously on the bricks, or anywhere else handy, at night. Two orthree say they have tripped over him in the dark and consider it wouldbe a safeguard if anyone preferring to spend the night in this way werecompelled by law to burn an anchor or other light. They are quitewilling to believe that the offender had had at least one "starboardlight" at some period of that night, but that light had lost its powerof illumination at the time our correspondents tripped over theprostrate figure, and they wish to suggest that in future, peoplesleeping out should use some means to safeguard unwary passers-by. (Wegive the complaint the publicity it deserves and trust steps will betaken to right the matter. --ED. ) "THE TACURU. " No. 7. _Friday, April 1st, 1910. _ ADVERTISE IN "THE TACURU"--THIS ENSURES YOUR WANTS BEING KNOWN IN EVERYCOACH. We fancy that most of the party were awake to see the dawn this morning:it may have been that they only saw the first streaks of light betweenthe openings of their tent as they lay in bed trying to soothe theitching of the mosquito bites, but we think that few were asleep as thesun rose gloriously from the mists on the horizon. It was a strangesight, the sudden flooding with bright sunlight of that rough camp land, which scarcely owned a tree or shrub. It may be the primitive barbarianlying dormant in all of us though hidden under generations ofcivilization, which makes us feel a close communion with Nature when wesee her in these great uncultivated wastes; but, whatever the causes ofthe sympathy, these pictures, of wild untouched Nature, leave animpression and a longing more deep than any experience gained in yearsof civil life; none will ever regret having seen that sunrise on theplain, though all regretted the cause of their wakefulness this morning. Of course The Chaperon was up and clothed (he always seemed to be) andready to get basins of water, looking-glasses, shaving materials and allluxuries for the others. The ladies were heard to enquire why he did notbring them early tea and hot water, but, on the whole, he combined theduties of valet and maid fairly efficiently. Rumour has it that The Chaperon had given instructions that he was to becalled by the guard an hour before dawn, so, in the dark, he wasawakened by hoarse whispers of his name and gentle shakings. After hearose it occurred to him that it felt more like the middle of the nightthan the morning, and he enquired of the peon what time it was, theanswer coming in soft Spanish, "Can't say, the cocks have not crowedyet!!!" On investigation The Chaperon found it was scarcely 4 a. M. , sospent the remaining two hours sitting round the camp fire with thepeons, alternately dozing and sucking maté. We believe he heard someexpert opinions on the subject of the "roncadors" of the camp during hisvigil. At any rate he had full opportunity for proving the reality ofRuskin's words, "There is no solemnity so deep to a right-thinkingcreature as that of dawn. " At the same time he was heard to murmursomething to the effect that he would prefer a little less of the "deepsolemnity" and a little more of "deep slumber" another morning. Scarcely were the toilets, and the packing of personal luggage, accomplished, before a request was made that the mosquito nets and bedsmight be removed for loading, and, as we emerged from the various tents, the breakfast-table greeted us ready laden with tea (from the kettle), sardines, jam, peons' biscuits, etc. True, the only milk procurable wassome condensed milk, which had "gone solid, " there were not enoughknives to go round, and a few other irregularities, but no little itemsof that sort ever disturbed the temper of The Tacuruers; they simplyremarked with the other "Autocrat of the Breakfast Table, " "Difficultiesare Nature's challenges to you, " and used one spoon for all their cups, tore off lumps of bread with their fingers (when they could get hold ofa loaf), and used the same plate and knife for jam and sardines alike, and enjoyed their early meal. [Illustration: "_Rich black alluvial Soil_. "] There was one subject that did cause sore feeling, and that wasmosquitoes. We had thought we knew all about them, we were proud withthe conceit of nets, ammonia, and veils, but our pride had a fall. Comparatively speaking, we had only known mosquitoes theoreticallybefore (though that knowledge was bad enough); last night we learnt ofthem practically, none of us had thought of _tucking in_ our nets, andmosquitoes seemed to swarm up under each net before we had been in bedfor half an hour. Little peace did anyone get through those long nighthours, and, though a voice came from one of the tents about 2 a. M. , remarking clearly above the intermittent snores, "Oh! how lovely, " fewechoed the sentiment, and the speaker assured us this morning that shewas only dreaming, and that her words did not refer to insects of anykind, neither were they made in connection with the upheaval caused by"Monte" at one period of the night. He had taken up his quarters at oneend of the ladies' tent, but was disturbed from his beauty sleep by thesudden barking of a dog outside the other end of the tent. This, ofcourse, must be seen to; it was his duty, so, leaping up, he rushedthrough the tent, lifting up each one of the low beds, and theiroccupants, as he passed under them on his way to quell the outsidenoise. The ladies forbore to scream, though they thought of earthquakes, but settled down again to their occupation of trying to kill mosquitoes, quietly, in the dark, and to snatch moments of slumber occasionally. After breakfast, Our Guest was rather unkindly "put on" by TheInstigator to dig holes, to ascertain how deep the rich, black, alluvialsoil reached; the ladies energetically washed up the breakfast things, which occupation resulted in The Kid once more, and this time finally, being given notice to leave, without a character, owing to generalincompetence, impertinence, and lack of ability to wash out tea-cloths. By 7 a. M. The coaches and carts were ready, horses rounded up, the"Primera Vista" camp was struck, and the march onward recommenced. Butnot before The Chaperon had pointed out a terror that "might have been. "After breakfast he approached us with a stick held at arm's length, onwhich hung a dead, slimy-looking, grey snake, about 4 feet long. Heexplained that this reptile had crawled over the neck of one of thepeons as he lay on the grass last night. This had happened before wewent to bed, and we felt grateful to The Chaperon for having saved usfrom another horror last night by keeping the fact, and snake, tohimself until we were leaving that camp. The first part of our drive to-day was a new experience; we had passedover a few ant-hills before on our journey, but now we came to a landwhere it was difficult, if not impossible, to dodge them; they literallycovered the ground, and the South American ant-hill is a power to bereckoned with. It is not the yielding mass composed of soft earth andother heterogeneous materials as found in England, which can bedemolished with a kick, should anyone have sufficient temerity to layhimself open to the attacks of the inmates by thus disturbing them; butthe homes of the black ant, and the Amazon ant, in Argentina are quite adifferent affair. They are, usually, solid, hard masses of earth fromthree to four feet high, very wide at the base, and covered entirelywith coarse grass. They present an unyielding obstacle to any vehicle, and the wheels of even a heavily laden cart make no impression on them, but they are not unlikely to cause the overturning of that cart, andeven traction engines suffer from the sudden drop caused by thesegigantic sugar-loaves. Therefore it will be easily realized that theinnumerable ant-hills through, and over which, we drove, were noinconsiderable menace to the safety of the party, and it was only due tothe great care and skill of our drivers in threading their way amongstthese obstacles that the inmates of the coaches were not upset timeafter time. As it was, no accident of the slightest descriptionoccurred--only a few bumps and jolts as we ascended or descended one ofthe ant-hills, which are so difficult to discern in open camp, where thewhole land is covered alike with long grass. The worst part of ourtravelling did not last more than three or four hours; then we came tosmoother country, fewer ant-hills, and occasional small lagunas, theland growing slightly undulating, though still bare of trees, and, afteranother three hours' driving, during which we had many changes of horsesand several "helps" from the guides over extra bad pieces of travelling, we could see in the distance the position of the Lake Palmar and thetops of the palms which grow on the farther shore. It was during this part of our day's journey that the peons made twocaptures of live animals in an armadillo and a nutria. These men haveextraordinary good and far sight, and observe any movement in the grass, yards ahead of them. They at once killed both animals, for they areexceedingly fond of armadillo flesh, and cook the animal in its skin. It was decided that horses and drivers alike would require a rest whenwe reached the shores of the lake, and, after our cocheros had madefutile attempts to cut figures of 8 with their respective four andtwo-in-hands on the invitingly firm, yellow sands which surround LakePalmar, all dismounted, horses were taken out, and, while lunch wasbeing prepared, the party wandered on the shores of the lake trying tofind remnants of extinct monsters, fossilised palms, and otherimprobable things. The Instigator rushed up and down picking leaves tobits, collecting sand and examining it under the microscope (which is, as yet, his), tasting the water of the lake, and generally trying tofind a way of teaching Nature how to improve on her own handiwork. Itreally seems a pity She does not engage him as her expert consultingengineer. My Lady and The Saint did discover a boar-hound's tooth on thesands, and two teeth of a nutria, very pretty in their long, gentlecurve, white at the root and gradually deepening to a reddish-brown atthe end; but both these finds were absolutely valueless, and, thoughthere was talk of having the teeth set as brooches, etc. , connoisseurs, such as The Wild Man, knew well that the "finds" would be dissolved todust long before they could reach the civilisation of a jeweller's shop. The tiny banks which slope down from the camp to meet the widestretching sands of the lake are covered with scrub and low trees of theacacia type, and, on one of these low trees, eked out with camp stools, the party, wearied with their search for curios, settled down to awaittheir mid-day meal. It was gently broken to us that the sheep had atlast been sacrificed, and would shortly appear before us in a differentguise. The slaughter must have been most humane, for no one of us hadheard the slightest cry or sound of distress, and now the flesh wasbeing cooked. The peons would always prefer to cook all meat in thehide, if they were allowed to do so, and it is only with constantwatching that they are prevented from thus wasting the valuable skins ofanimals. They are enormous meat eaters, which is scarcely to be wonderedat, considering how scarce green food is. They live on meat, maté, andhard biscuits. The bright idea occurred to someone that a _hors-d'oeuvre_ would beacceptable, considering how long ago we had had our meagre early morningmeal, so the only available article, a tinned Dutch cheese, wasattacked; and none but those who have tried, under similarcircumstances, one of the soft Dutch cheeses which one obtains in theArgentine, would be able to understand how very good it can be. As itwas handed round (to everyone on the same knife), hunger, open-air, andthe exercise of the ant-hills caused it to be appreciated more thanusual, even beyond its deserts, if possible. As the party were thus collected (mostly with their legs tucked away toprevent the climbing operations of the black ants with which the groundwas swarming), The Instigator took this opportunity to try to ridhimself of some of the responsibility of the trip by calling a meeting(the whole nine were already there), and putting it to the vote as towhether The Kid, now that she had lost her companions the sheep, shouldbe turned adrift to find her way back again as best she could, drownedin the lake, or allowed to accompany the party for the rest of thejourney. A wild gleam of joy lit the eyes of everyone who knew anythingof her at this prospect of getting rid of the trial. Both the ladies, and everyone who had known her for longer than the week, voted, handsand feet, for her extinction, but four of the men were foolishly toopolite to express their real wishes. So she herself was left with thecasting vote, and chose to go on! Thus The Instigator's well-thoughtplan to remove an incubus was frustrated. He was so disgusted with hisfailure in a laudable object that, directly after "lunch" (which meanteach one cutting off from the half-sheep, that was handed round, thepiece he or she preferred), he went off with his microscope trying tofind other interests, and in a few minutes was growing unduly excitedover a shrub on which he discovered some most unusual excrescences. These shapeless masses of earth, apparently growing on the shrub, he wasexamining from all points with the naked eye before submitting them tomicroscopic investigation, and it was only when Our Guest came up andremoved some of the earth from one of the excrescences that TheInstigator, who was watching intently, noted that the mass resolveditself into the shape of one of The Saint's shoes, which had been hungup on the shrub to dry after her lake-searching expedition. Foiledagain, The Instigator collected The Delineator and My Lady, and startedto walk to the northern end of the lake, where The Jehu could pick themup, when the washing, packing and harnessing allowed of an onward move. We are told that for once The Kid, perhaps stimulated by her recentnarrow escape from total extinction, really did do some work here. It istrue we only have her word, an indistinct murmur from The Chaperon, andsome clean plates to vouch for the statement, as all the other membersof the party remaining were lying in more or less graceful slumberousattitudes in carts, under trees, or anywhere else, enjoying forty winks. Some excellent photos were obtained of the sleeping beauties as they laythere resting, but their modesty caused them to beg for forbearance inthe publication of any of the pictures thus obtained. Before the actual start was made, The Jehu, Our Guest, The Chaperon, andThe Wild Man tried their hands at some revolver-shooting. Naturally, thedrivers, after their long hours with the reins, could not do themselvesjustice with the more dangerous weapons, but, combined with Our Guestand The Wild Man, they left a fair show of broken bottles in the lake, rather to the surprise of the lookers-on. Neither of our cocheros could resist the further opportunity of figuresof eight as we drove off on the hard sand, but we believe they were notencouraged in these exhibitions by their passengers, and, skirting theNorth part of the lake they came to a little ranch where they hadarranged to meet the three walkers, who had discovered diversinteresting specimens of animal, vegetable and mineral kinds duringtheir very pleasant stroll round the lake. Here they were sitting atthe ranch awaiting the arrival of the coaches, and they introduced thenewcomers to a marvellous collection of tame birds with whom they hadmade acquaintance. The owners of the ranch had six or seven birds ofdifferent kinds, which flew about and pitched on anyone's shoulder orhand, or on the carriages, and were most friendly; in fact, one big birdwas so willing to become attached to us that we could scarcely persuadeit to leave the coach when we were ready to drive on. We allowed those who had driven to the spot a few moments in which todismount and greet the neat little mistress of the ranch, with whom wehad already made friends, and her pretty children. The roofing of thislittle ranch and its out-houses was most interesting. It was carried outentirely with trunks of palm trees. These, split in half and cleared ofall sap, made very effective roofing, placed alternately in concave andconvex form, so that the ridges of the two lengths of trunk placed barkupward rest in the hollow of the intervening trunk. Naturally, all rainwater drains off the convex half into the concave trunk and flows downthese gullies into the water course formed of another hollowed palmtrunk running along the lower edge of the roof. A more suitable andrainproof roof could scarcely be designed. The mistress of the house wasmost anxious to entertain us to tea, but, having picked up our guidefrom Vera, who it was arranged should meet us here with letters, wecould not spare time for further delay, and once more started off withthe guide ahead of us. After leaving the ranch we turned to the eastward, and before longpassed over the Calchaqui river (which is more generally known as theGolondrino here). This was not a difficult matter. After crossing the Calchaqui we enter quite a new country, the land isperceptibly higher, the grasses are finer and trees begin to appear. First we came to the tall palm trees on the edge of the forest, and veryimposing they were, then small montes gave place to the regular woodswhich stretch North on this side of the river, and trees abound. Thescenery was altogether more tropical. Occasional flocks of bright pinkflamingoes made a welcome touch of colour as they stood on the edge ofsome little laguna, or, disturbed by the unusual approach of coaches, flew off in the distance. Hares were to be seen now and then, andsometimes even one of the small wild deer of the forest was noticedbefore it rushed off to the shelter of the trees. Unfortunately, about this time, the sun, which had been so friendly allday, became overcast with clouds, and the sky assumed a threateningappearance; but, notwithstanding the wise head-shakings of those whoknow the country (The Delineator and The Jehu in particular), the partyrefused to be downhearted, and asserted that rain was the most unlikelyevent, and, in any case, they intended to enjoy their present drivethrough scenery which was not unlike that which would be found in anEnglish park; the great expanses were gone, and in their place we hadslightly undulating stretches of grass bordered with trees of all kinds. The whole aspect of the land had changed and the country here wasextremely pretty, though no distant views could be obtained owing to thethick growth of the trees and the impossibility of finding any but theslightest rising ground. We arrived, before long, at a little ranch, in the neighbourhood ofwhich we were to encamp for the night. The spot was very different toour camp of last night, for here we were surrounded with trees, and nearby a flock of sheep, belonging to the ranch, were feeding. Before theheavier carts could arrive, and the work of tent-erecting commence, there was plenty of time for a cup of tea, with the aid of My Lady'suseful basket; but all the water that could be obtained from theso-called "well" at the ranch was half mud, and, though this was usedwith great success, we could only secure two mouthfuls of tea from eachcup, as the rest of the contents was composed of mud. We believe The Kidwas rather annoyed about this, and felt distinctly aggrieved, but shedid not dare to give vent to her feelings, and the matter did not worrythose who were looking forward to "cocktails" before dinner, and wellthey deserved those "cocktails, " for by the time the carts arrived theatmosphere had become intensely close; a slight drizzle seemed only toadd to the damp heat, and the work of unloading and erecting tents, andbeds, and unpacking in that warm, steaming air, which was intensifiedunder the coverings, was no light one; but here, again, everyoneperformed their quota, whether large or small, for the general good. Before long the tents were up. Three were erected to-night, as, owing tothe rain, we should be obliged to have food under canvas. The Instigatorcaused great admiration by cunningly using trees as supports in theerection of the tents under his supervision, and thus hurrying matterson. Everything was finished, beds made, luggage under cover, the tablelaid ready in the tent, and lamps lit and suspended before the shorttwilight had given place to complete darkness, and The Saint once moreearned the blessings and gratitude of all by thoughtfully insisting on ageneral "washing of faces. " As she marshalled the party in front of her, and attacked each one with sponge and towel, we were irresistiblyreminded of a board school; but that sponge of toilet vinegar, after thedamp heat and all the work, was one of the most refreshing thingsimaginable, and everyone felt cleaner and more cheerful after thisablution, and ready to attack the poor little armadillo, which had beencooked; this meat tastes very much like sucking pig. The rain, which wascoming down heavily by this time, was powerless to damp the spirits ofthe party as they sat down to dinner. They were only troubled becausethey feared this would be their last evening meal in camp, and thatCivilisation might again claim them for her own to-morrow, for a greatdeal of the enjoyment of this trip has been due, undoubtedly, to itsincomparable freedom. So they spent the time in eating, and holding amutual admiration society meeting. Each decided (between the mouthfulsof mutton and armadillo) that every other member of the party was justthe nicest person that he or she had ever met, and, as there was no onethere to contradict the obviously erroneous statements, all weresatisfied and content, and drank each other's healths with enthusiasm, and--whatever else was left. Someone even tried to murmur somethingkindly about The Kid. Above all, the Instigator was eulogised, andrightly, too, for his genial influence helped everything to go well; noone could have grumbled at the little inconveniences which they had hadto put up with at times, while The Instigator was so cheerful andanxious for others' comfort and careless of his own through all. Hisinterest in, and enthusiasm for, his Company know no bounds. Get him tohold forth, and he will tell you how, in the early days of the Company, matters were quite different from what they are to-day. The shares stoodthen at five shillings each, and the bankers refused to allow anoverdraft of £2, 000, and when it became absolutely necessary to havemoney he actually made advances out of his own pocket to supply therequisite funds. Shortly afterwards matters began to improve, and when he visited theproperty in 1900 he was able to send this reassuring message to theGeneral Meeting:--"I honestly believe the worst is past, and that infuture we shall progress. " He always appraises the work of others whether the result of theiroperations is successful or not, and he will appreciate the mental andmanual exertions expended on the undertaking by the employees of theCompany at their true worth. All he asks of his colleagues andsubordinates is that each one shall "play the game" in every sense ofthe word to the best of his ability. He never paints the prospects of abeginner in rosy hues; in fact, he has been known to speak of thehardships and privations which a young man must be prepared to gothrough on first joining the Company as being comparable to "the life ofa dog. " To-day the men who have been through those first years ofnecessary self-denial and hard work are grateful for the training theyhave received and anxious to work their best for the Company. For a long while the party sat talking of their experiences on thistrip, and of the Company and its prospects. The travelling over thiscomparatively unknown land had been a revelation to most; the dormantwealth lying in the camp must be enormous, but men, money, and brainsare needed to exploit it. Unfortunately, it is still difficult to getcolonists for these more northern districts, but when the railway whichis contemplated becomes an accomplished fact, as it assuredly must, people will be attracted further north, colonisation will be easier, theland will yield its hundredfold, and some one will, in time, haveperformed the great deed of "making two blades of grass grow where onlyone grew before. " It may seem to those accustomed to the narrower lifeof towns, a lonely, empty life to spend one's years and energiesimproving these wild lands; but assuredly the man who labours here withthe best that is in him, not only earns a great reward for himself inthe gradual development and growth of that land, but has deserved wellof mankind in general, and will, some day, receive his "Well done, " thanwhich there is no higher praise, as surely as those whose lives havebeen spent in the more public fields of civilisation or in militaryprowess. For some, obscure reason it is generally supposed that the man whospends his life in agricultural pursuits is bound to have his mentalabilities dulled by the continuous round of duties connected with theland and the care of animals. The origin of this idea is difficult toimagine, unless it be that agriculture is the oldest and most necessarypursuit of mankind; but surely the man who has to keep a perpetual watchon wind, weather and workers, animal and vegetable kingdom and naturalphenomena, and be ready to anticipate any change, besides beingthoroughly in touch with all the latest improvements, mechanical andmaterial, in reference to his calling, and conversant with the rulingprices in the best markets, cannot be held to be a man whose perceptionsare becoming blunted by his business. It is certainly true that thereare many who do "let things go, " but that class is not confined toagriculturists alone, and in agriculture, as in all other callings, those who "let things slide" very shortly find that most things haveslid away from them irrevocably. Certainly the Argentine is no place forthe man disinclined for exertion. She holds rewards, and great rewards;but only for the resolute who are prepared to lead a strenuous andself-denying life of labour, exposure and fatigue, and who come to herdetermined to win the best from her rich lands, and to take everyopportunity as it comes in their way for improving their knowledge. Plans were made for to-morrow's journey; there was talk, if the day wasfine and the way possible, of going first south-east to the tanninfactory at La Gallareta, then due north to Las Gamas, but it was fearedthat the recent heavy rains in this district would have made theundertaking of the two journeys on one day inadvisable, and the Indianguide persuaded the "leaders" that it would be wiser to go straight toLas Gamas to-morrow and leave the visit to the factory for Monday. Thiswould give Tuesday for Santa Lucia and Wednesday for Vera. Sarnosa andOlmos could be visited from one or the other of these two estancias, and, leaving Vera on Friday afternoon, San Cristobal would be reached onSaturday evening. As we dispersed in the rain to our various tents, a slight thunder andlightning storm commenced, but, notwithstanding this, we were happy inthe assurance that our troubles from mosquitoes were likely to be lessvirulent to-night, owing to our proximity to the sheepfold of the ranch. Therefore, as good disciples of the immortal Pepys, we quote--and withappropriate action--"So to bed. " * * * * * ADVERTISEMENT. OUT OF WORK. --Advertiser wants situation as general help; might beuseful in tea-taster's office; hard work not so much an object as highwages and comfortable living. Advertiser could take immediate situation. No references. --T. K. , _Second Coach_. * * * * * ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. T. C. Writes in answer to the arithmetical problem of yesterday's date, "Yes, if A starts with 87 horses, loses 2, and finds 1, he does end thejourney with 110, for he collects 24 more at the last estancia. Onlyexperts can do this; hence your correspondent's failure to find asolution. " LOST. --One watch and chain (said to be gold), trinkets attachedcontaining several locks of hair and portraits of ten or twelvegentlemen. If finder would return portraits and hair, owner would beobliged. --T. K. "THE TACURU. " No. 8. _Saturday, April 2nd, 1910. _ THE CIRCULATION OF "THE TACURU" WENT UP LITERALLY BY LEAPS AND BOUNDSYESTERDAY MORNING, FAR BEYOND THE EXPECTATIONS EVEN OF THE EDITOR. The morning dawned damp and dreary; rain had fallen steadily all nightlong, and still continues. Neither The Chaperon nor anyone else had anopportunity for seeing "the golden exhalations of dawn" this morning. To-day's "exhalations" were chiefly those of moisture, and the only goldwe saw was supplied by the light of the paraffin lamps which TheChaperon, always on the look out to anticipate our wishes, provided forus to see our way to wash. The water for ablutions was obtained from themud-hole which did duty for a well at the ranch, and its appearance wassomewhat disconcerting. However, with skill, one could scoop up a littleof the surface of the water for a splash without disturbing the thickstratum of mud at the bottom of the basin; things might have been worse, and everyone felt that on such a damp day washing at all was merely anæsthetic waste of energy. By the time dressing was accomplished it wassufficiently light for the lamps to be dispensed with, and we assembledfor breakfast in a dull-grey atmosphere. Hot tea, even though half mud, was very good. We believe that the leaf of a certain cactus has thepower of clearing water absolutely; if it is dropped in a vessel ofwater, it and the mud settle at the bottom, leaving the water quiteclear; but though several varieties of cacti were tried this morning, none were successful; apparently the special kind did not grow aroundour camp. [Illustration: _Water Knee-deep. _] No one seemed much disheartened by the rain; even the peons, thoughalready wet through in their scanty garments, were cheerfully smiling asusual, with no thought of grumbling. Monte, too, was calmly ready toaccompany us, despite the bad weather. Owing either to the skilful manner of tucking in the nets adopted lastnight, or to the neighbourhood of the sheepfold, mosquitoes had nottroubled us nearly so much as on the previous night; only the continualflashes of lightning and the soft rumblings of thunder during the steadydownpour had been able to disturb our deep slumbers. As soon as possible the tents were taken down, packing accomplished, anda start made. Fortunately the ant-hills were considerably fewer innumber to-day, but the ground was ankle deep in water everywhere, andfallen tree trunks hidden under the, in some places, really deep water, formed a considerable danger in our path. However, again owing to theskill of our drivers, no accident occurred all through that long drivein unceasing rain, which shrouded all but the most immediate view. Ofcourse, constant changes of horses were necessary, as, for eight hourswe drove through water, above and below, to our destination. Theaccomplishment of that drive of his four-in-hand from the absolutelyunsheltered position on the box was no small feat on the part of TheJehu; we all felt an even deeper admiration for his pluck and endurancethan before, as he steadily pursued his way on that terrible day, whenhis whole body and especially his hands must have been numbed throughand through with the cold and wet. The Chaperon, too, had an arduousday, though his work was not so strenuous as that of The Jehu. At onespot, when under trees we made a change of horses, The Chaperon was seento be wading through water, knee deep, as he handed round the onlyrefreshments available--ginger-bread, biscuits, beer and gin--to guestsand peons alike, all drinking gratefully from the same small measure. That drive is something to be remembered; it was executed under the mosttrying circumstances with not a single complaint or grumble from anyone, but an increased thankfulness on the part of the passengers that theywere in such good hands during the trip. The land through which we droveto-day is covered with trees of various kinds; large forests exist onthe eastern side of the Calchaqui, bordering the river for its entirelength; the trees of these forests are chiefly Algarrobo the wood ofwhich is not unlike our walnut in appearance, but extremely hard; indays to come this timber will be used in great quantities for makingparquet flooring. It seems almost incredible that the city of BuenosAires should import millions of square metres of ready-made parquetflooring when the Argentine produces magnificent timber of far moresuitable and better wearing quality for the purpose than any used inimported parquet. As we have journeyed eastward, trees have become muchmore numerous, and splendid timber is to be seen on every side. Mostnumerous amongst the trees is the Quebracho Colorado, which supplies oneof the hardest timbers the world produces. The trees have a peculiarappearance, for their leaves are quite small and the trunks have a roughbark from which often hangs moss-like lichen, of which, by the way, cattle are very fond. The photo on the opposite page gives a generalidea of a tree's appearance. The wood, which is light in colour when first cut, becomes dark red uponbeing exposed to light and weather, and it is intensely hard. [Illustration: _Quebracho Colorado Tree. _] The word "quebracho" (pronounced KAYBRATSHO) signifies axe-breaking, andeven modern tools do not retain their edge long when working on thiswood. The wonderful durability of the wood renders it a perfect material forrailway sleepers, and this has been appreciated by the Government ofArgentina to such an extent that they have decreed that the laying ofnew railways is to be upon sleepers made of the hard woods of theCountry. [Illustration: _Sleepers awaiting Transport at Vera. _] The forests of the Santa Fé Land Company have produced in the lasttwelve years over a million Quebracho Colorado sleepers. One drawback to the wood is that it has the peculiarity of splittingaround the heart of the tree. This is caused by the accumulation ofresin at certain periods, and is probably connected in some way with theexcessive moisture or dryness of a particular year's growth. The tree is often attacked by a boring grub, which enters by making avery small pin prick opening, and during its existence in the tree growsand bores an ever enlarging hole until often it becomes half an inch indiameter. It would seem almost incredible that a grub could live eitheron the resins in the tree or be able to bore through what is one of thehardest woods in the world. Of recent years this timber has also been put to another use--that ofproducing tan. When used for this purpose, the tree was cut down, itsouter sapwood removed, and then taken to the river to be finally shippedto the United States of America or to Germany. It was soon found that the railway and shipping freight charges absorbeda considerable amount of the profits to be obtained in making thistannin extract abroad, and, therefore, extract factories were erected inArgentina. The process of obtaining the extract is very simple; the logsare first put through a machine which reduces them to chips, the chipsare then boiled in water till all soluble matter is extracted from them, and the solution obtained is concentrated down to the consistency ofpitch; in this form, after being dried, it is exported, and is used bytanners the world over. The great necessity and essence of success, inthe present way of working the business, is good water and plenty of it. We do not know who first noticed the tannin material oozing out of thesetrees, but no doubt attention was called to the fact by pools in theneighbourhood of the trees being often red in colour. Undoubtedly theGermans first took this business up on a large scale, and to-day theyhold an enormous quantity of forest lands. Hitherto the extract has been brought on to the market in a solid statevery much after the style of Burma cutch. The Santa Fé Land Company haverecently produced the material in a fine powdered state, absolutelypure, and containing a great deal less moisture than any other form ofextract on the market, and they are about to erect a factory to workthis process in connection with their saw mills at Vera. This newprocess requires very little water as compared with the old method, andcan be adopted, in huge areas hitherto unsuitable for the industry. About mid-day we approached a plaza, or wood deposit, of the LaGallareta Factory, situated on the Company's Lands. Rain had beenfalling in torrents for days past, and the tracks (called by courtesy"roads") had one and all become deep crevasses of soft mud, loads oftimber had been left here and there in the wood, just wherever the cartconveying it had stuck, and in many places the water was so deep thatnot a vestige of these obstacles could be seen. Our coaches had to bedriven under (or perhaps we should say "over") such circumstances asthese for about three miles, and this part of our journey was absolutelydangerous; the greatest credit is due to the drivers and those in chargeof the party that no serious accident occurred, for, about mid-day, theway was truly terrible, and one never knew when a tree trunk, small orlarge, lying hidden under the water, would cause a terrific jolt to thecart, despite the utmost efforts on the part of our cocheros. However, we passed from the extreme danger zone into the comparatively smoothwaters of the flooded lands. So we drove on, our drivers and guidesbecoming more and more chilled with the rain and cold, but alwayscheerful, till at last wire fencing and other signs of civilisationmarked our approach to the precincts of Las Gamas. This was indeed awelcome sight to the party, for all were beginning to feel the need offood and shelter, and though the "passengers" in the coaches werecomparatively dry, despite the continual downpour, the drivers were wetthrough long ago and the peons had not been dry since dawn. [Illustration: _Tannin Extract Factory. _] No one was sorry when "The Jehu, " to shorten the drive, ordered some ofthe wire fencing to be dropped so that we might proceed in a straightline to the house instead of making the considerable detour to the gate. It was past three o'clock when, after a side-slip or two, and consequentmeeting with gate-posts, we drew up in front of the estancia house andnoticed on the outbuildings a damp flag trying to flap a weary "welcome"to the party of Tacuruers. The first thing was to get The Jehu from hisdriving seat and into a warm bath, and the same treatment was meted outto The Chaperon, and hot whisky and water for all! Our host and hostessgave us such a genial welcome and the big room looked so dry andinviting, with a wood fire crackling in the grate, that our troubles, which had, during the long hours of to-day's tedious drive, assumedreally serious proportions, were soon forgotten as we sat down, in anincredibly short time, to a hearty meal of roast turkey and mince pies!We almost fell to wishing each other a Happy Christmas, andinstinctively wondered if roast chestnuts would form part of theafternoon's programme. Unfortunately, chestnuts of an allegorical kind_did_ enter into the proceedings. Meanwhile, the rain continued itsunceasing downpour. It was some time before the baggage waggons arrivedon the scene, and, needless to say, they and their contents were verydamp. But the peons soon had the goods unpacked, and ere long were happyand dry in the big galpon round a roaring fire, which they must havebadly needed. Their behaviour all through this terrible day, sometimesunder most trying circumstances, had been splendid, and it says a gooddeal for master as well as for man that not once was a sound ofdiscontent heard. In fact, the men often suggested themselves littlethings in which they thought they might help the caretakers of theparty. It was a relief to us all to know that the work of those peonshad ended for the day with the caring for the horses and unpacking ofthe goods. Monte still accompanied us, but here he had to be kept under strictsurveillance, for dogs were numerous on the premises, and several ofthem were not of the kind who brook any encroachment, however harmless, on their preserves; so poor Monte was perforce shut up, away from thehouse, where Bear and his companions could not take exception to thepresence of an interloper. The late afternoon and evening were chieflyspent in having warm baths, which were most grateful after the, ofnecessity, somewhat sketchy ablutions of the past three days. Now thatthe safe arrival of the luggage was an accomplished fact, and thetravellers clothed and fed, there seemed little reason for late hours, and it was not long after dinner when the general dispersal took place. We only waited to hear a few selections of songs on the beautifulgramophone which our host had received a few months ago as a Christmasgreeting from England. It must be difficult for those at home torealise what an immense amount of pleasure a good gramophone can give tothe dwellers in the far camp lands. This instrument was in constantrequest, and both the machine and records were extraordinarily good. Still, even this great attraction did not tempt the party to sit uplate; everyone was tired and exhausted, and our cocheros, moreespecially the Jehu, must have been worn out with their exertions of theday. We can only hope they will suffer no after ill effects from theirarduous task and severe drenchings. [Illustration: _Some of the Horses. _] Our horses have been simply wonderful during this trip. We have driven, ridden, and brought along nearly 100 animals for 150 miles, and have notlost one upon the journey. This speaks volumes for the care and trainingbestowed upon the animals at the head estancia, and we are inclined tothink that few other places could supply as many animals to do suchtrying work. The fitness of our animals is owing entirely to thecontinual attention and care they receive daily at the estancia. * * * * * _We are sorry to be obliged to hold over all correspondence, advertisements, etc. , to-day, as, doubtless owing to the floods, nocommunications had reached us up to the time of going to press. We hopeall correspondents will accept our sincere apologies for the unavoidabledelay in dealing with letters and orders; all despatches shall receiveour earnest attention as soon as they come to hand. _ "THE TACURU. " No. 9 _Sunday, April 3rd, 1910. _ Dawn showed us no respite of the drenching rain; the paths, the garden, and the camps were all flooded with the continuous rain of yesterday andlast night, and still it poured. After disposing of a more substantialbreakfast than had fallen to the lot of the travellers for some days, there seemed little to do save listen to the dulcet strains of thegramophone, which proved a welcome diversion. A considerable disturbancewas caused by a dog fight under the table round which we were sitting;whether intentional or not on the part of the animals, the rout of theladies was complete, and the dogs were only separated by the calmprocedure of some of the men who held them under the water taps untiltheir ardour was cooled. Monte was out of all this trouble, for he hadbeen consigned to the security of the galpon to avoid trouble concerningrights of way which would assuredly have arisen between himself and Bear(the big bulldog of the estancia) had they met. Bear amused the companyby presenting a truly comical sight, some minutes later, when he decidedto have a drink after his fight; he walked with majestic mien up to thewater spout, which jutted out from the house a few feet from the ground, and, poking out his heavy under-jaw, collected the flow of water in hismouth in a most satisfying way, for a few seconds. Of course, TheInstigator started off pacing and measuring the room's verandah, etc. , in order to devise a scheme for the best improvements for the estancia, and before long he and The Delineator had made out a plan which woulddrive any member of the R. I. B. A. To desperation, but caused its authorsenormous joy. The Jehu and The Chaperon were occupied for some time inseeing to the comfort of their men and animals, and trying to dry thetents, clothes, etc. , by the huge fire in the galpon in which the peonswere housed for the day. We are told that one Tacuruer tried to employthe morning remuneratively by opening a temporary barber's shop on theverandah, and advertising "hair-cutting and shaving"; possibly he mighthave built up a successful business in time, but unfortunately for himhis first customer's beard was too unyielding for the ordinary scissorsand the customer objected to the way in which the horse clippers wereused on the hirsute growth of his chin, and talked of his treatmentafterwards in a way that did not inspire confidence in the othermight-have-been customers, who were observed to slink away one by onefrom the barber's chair as if it were infected. We regret that awell-meant enterprise on the part of one of The Tacuru party met withsuch a poor reception. A gleam of ceasing rain--it was not sunshine--gave courage to some ofthe more energetic members of the party to go forth to inspect the heapsof wood about to be made into charcoal in the neighbourhood of theestancia, if any could be reached on dry land. For to-morrow the visitto the La Gallareta factory will occupy the day, and the Charcoal pilesare too interesting a sight to be left unvisited now that we are in thewood department of the Santa Fé Land Company. In the northern districts where trees are numerous it is necessary to"distroncar" the land before the soil can be brought into conditionsuitable for the plough. In other words all the trees and roots must beremoved before ploughing operations commence. But the timber so obtainedis not wasted; the branches and all pieces not big enough to be used forsleepers, etc. , are cut up into various suitable lengths and piledtogether in such a manner that when finished the heap presents theappearance of a huge beehive; the centre of this dome running from theapex to the ground is a hollow cylinder; this tube or pipe is filled upwith the small sticks and twigs from the trees, and when all is inreadiness the contents of the cylinder are fired from the top, the fireslowly burns downwards and sets light to the surrounding logs which intheir turn smoulder till they become charcoal. But the match is notapplied until the whole mass of wood has been covered up and plasteredover with mud, to prevent the entrance of any air. The kiln thus formsan enclosed retort, and the wood is carbonised and makes excellentcharcoal, which eventually finds its way to Buenos Aires and othercities, where immense quantities are used for cooking and heatingpurposes. If all goes well, the kiln being well built, and no airadmitted, some thirty to forty tons of charcoal are produced from one ofthese heaps; not infrequently, however, the crown breaks in; this allowsthe air to enter, the wood is completely burnt, and the labour expendedon this "horno" is represented by a few cartloads of useless ash. Thethought of these possible failures was too much for The Instigator; heheld forth, at length, upon the advisability of bringing a littlescience to bear upon the problem of preventing any waste of the materialitself or of the by-products. His theory is that to make the best use ofnature's lavish gifts in the way of wood products, an iron or brickstill should be erected, on the inside of which the heavy tarry productswould naturally accumulate, and so find their way to the base of thekiln where they could be collected and run out into casks forutilisation, whilst the lighter vapours are condensed in the hood of thestill to be chemically treated later for their highly valuableproperties, and the charcoal itself would be a more certain productionfrom these brick or iron kilns than it is from the present heaps. Atthis point of his lecture the weather became impossible, and when TheInstigator discovered that he was expatiating to the camp and rainalone, he, too, turned to seek the shelter of the estancia house, whither his audience had long ago fled. For some time we watched thestorm as it worked up with intense fury. The lightning as it illuminatedthe whole camp was a wonderful sight, it seemed to flash (and this wasbefore the dinner hour) yellow light from the north, red from the south, and a bright white light from the east, and was of long continuance. Theculminating point seemed to come when an appalling crash was heard andsomething appeared to have been struck by lightning. This drove theparty indoors, though from the time of the crash (we found later that itwas the telephone which had suffered), the storm abated and only steadyrain continued. However, nothing more could be done out of doors, andeveryone was glad of warmth and shelter, while they hoped for a betterday to-morrow. Songs occupied the evening, and most of the party retired early to bed. The Editor regrets that up to the time of going to press to-day, theadvertisements, correspondence, etc. , due for yesterday's issue had notreached the office; he fears they may have been lost, and requests thatall orders may be repeated. * * * * * The following advertisements of to-day's dating have been sent in:-- HAIR CUTTING AND SHAVING while you wait. --Lowest prices. Large supply oftools, or customers may bring their own instruments if preferred. Goodstyle guaranteed. Customers' comfort not so much considered as thoroughwork. Satisfaction certain. --T. C. , THE VERANDAH. WANTED. --Reliable Barber--for clipping advertiser's beard weekly, at ownresidence. May be required to travel. Gentleness much appreciated;advertiser would give valuable information on any subject in return forBarber's services. --T. I. , LAS GAMAS. * * * * * WANTED--By several people; good book on "How not to lose at Bridge. "Anyone possessing a copy of this valuable work for sale, please quotelowest price to The Editor, _Tacuru_ Office. * * * * * Monday, April 4th, 1910. The Editor and Staff of "The Tacuru" announce with great regret theunavoidable demise of the journal known and respected by all as "TheTacuru. " This valuable and instructive periodical has become a necessityto every happy home. The Editor hoped long to continue his beneficenttask of bringing a daily joy into the lives of all English-speaking andreading people; but, alas, just as he bore "his blushing honours thickupon him, " there came a flood, an awful flood, and carried away hishopes and printing press (we believe some people were drowned, too). Therefore we must, perforce, bid our readers "farewell, a longfarewell. " Though not, we hope, for ever. Printing presses are notunique, and some day, in the land of civilisation, we hope to be able tomake our loss good and bring happiness and information once more tocountless millions. In case any of our readers would like to erect amonument of gratitude to "The Tacuru, " in memory of the enjoyment, orotherwise, this paper has brought into their lives, we would mentionthat the printing-press and a few lives were lost on the way to Olmos. We are able to publish a photo of extreme interest, depicting thecounting of the loss after the deluge. With this, and our deepestregrets, we must pause, trusting that some day our great work may berenewed under similarly happy circumstances, by the same staff, to whom, and to all contributors, willing or unwilling, a thousand thanks. [Illustration: _"Awful Flood. "_] [Illustration: _On the Way to Olmos. _]