be anticipated. The natural cruelty of the
old Spanish blood was exhibited in the
thousand frightful and revolting barbarities then
committed by the Argentine soldiers. Only
a few of the Indians succeeded in escaping
amidst the universal confusion. These speedily
informed their countrymen of the horrible
fate of their tribe. They have never forgotten
that dreadful day. To perpetuate the memory
of that massacre, and to mark its scene of
horror indelibly for all time, the very place,
as well as the small river there flowing on
so peacefully and bloodlessly, is called "Los
Vuesos" signifying the bones.

In the course of my residence at Azul, I
cultivated the acquaintance of one of the
Caziques of the Capamento, with the view of
gathering information as to the religion and
peculiar customs of the Pampas Indians. But
I never could obtain, any regarding the
nature and the conditions or laws of their
religion. The first caution I received in Azul,
was while walking in the sandy streets, which
are always crowded with them, that I must
avoid passing between two of them while in
mutual converse, as such an interruption is,
they consider, a flagrant insult, and becomes
usually the precursor of the most disagreeable
consequences. Of course I did not fail to note
the caution; and I had neither the courage,
nor the disposition of curiosity or mischief, to
try the experiment.

I cannot say the Pampas Indians are not
free from the vice of drunkenness. It seems
that, like other wild tribes of Indians, these
have, in their contact with more civilised
settlers, contracted the habit of occasionally
indulging to excess in spirituous liquors. In
almost all cases it will be found to be an
imported vice, the result of an, imported
temptation, too agreeable to the cravings of that
sense from which man in his rude state
derives one of his principal gratifications.
However, there is a striking peculiarity in
their mode of drunkenness which deserves to
be noted. Everybody has heard there is a
method in madness. I never heard of any
method in drunkenness; but I have witnessed
it plainly developed among these Pampas
Indians. In Azul are numerous pulperias,
or brandy-shops. Being there, it is not likely
the Pampas Indians will pass them without
tasting the liquor so much esteemed by the
Argentine soldiers. If it were intended to
make drunkards of all the Indians in the
Capamentos, no surer method could be
adopted than opening so great a number of
such shops there. Whenever the Indians
have either money or valuable property of
any description, to these shops they hasten,
usually in parties of a considerable number.
Of course the intoxicating beverage is supplied
to the extent of their means of payment; and
to many, credit is given. Amongst every
such party of drinkers, there is always one
who refuses to drink: he will not taste a
drop. Nothing will tempt him. The offer of
whatever may be at any other time operative
to seduce a Pampas Indian to perform an act
of any kind, is now quite unavailing. His
mission is to watch over and protect his
drinking companions. More vigilant than a
sentinel at an outpost, facing an enemy under
arms, does he perform his solitary duty. He
acts as paymaster or banker for all his party.
He appears to have been invested by each of
them with supreme authority for the time
being. But what is the use of authority over
a party of drunkards? How can it be
exercised beneficially while they remain in
drunkenness? Let us see. Observe him closely.
He looks around, and sees his companions in
a state of apparent helplessness, or some,
perhaps, in excessive excitement. At any
time, without consulting any of them, he
pays the reckoning for all, and with a single
word his authority is acknowledged by every
individual of the party. All disputes cease
without another word. He leads them out
of the pulperia, and even the most drunken
fellow of the party follows alertly. Nor is
this all: every man mounts his horse, and all
return together to their toldeira.

Once, while in the neighbourhood of
Patagones, our party was encamped on tli-j
border of the Colorado. One morning, very
early, myself and the six companions who
slept with me in our tent, were disturbed by
the suffocating sensation caused by thick gusts
of smoke blown down upon us by a hot north
wind. The smoke had affected my eyes, and
I therefore rose, early as it was, to enjoy the
freshness of the air. I was proceeding, slowly
strolling towards the river, when an unusual
noise proceeding from the other side of the
river attracted my attention. The atmosphere
being dark and misty, I could not see
anything to account for the noise, as our caravane
lay before my eyes, and I had ascertained
that nobody was missing. I remained watchful,
until the morning mist began to clear
away, when I was astounded in recognising
immediately the unmistakeable features of a
party of Pampas Indians, who were approaching
our caravane in their usual silent fashion.
In a moment I alarmed my companions. As
our party was numerous, and we had an
abundance of fire-arms, although alarmed, we
felt satisfied that nothing extremely serious
was likely to happen to us. But we knew
that with such neighbours of the Pampas no
precaution can be considered as superfluous.
We held a brief council, which resulted in the
mission of the young Estanciero (who
perfectly well understood the language of the
Pampas Indians, and personally knew many
of their tribes) to the advancing party in
order to ascertain their intentions. While
he advanced, we prepared everything for an
efficient defence; but happily none was
necessary. After the interchange of a few
words, the young Estanciero discovered that,
instead of any meditated hostility, it was in
fact, a party attending in honour to visit