/. Q m * / tt* ® hrol "9'«/ jr^. ^‘th, PRINCETON, N. J. Purchased by the Hamill Missionary Fund. Division F 2 8 1 5 ,Bs§± Section Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2016 https://archive.org/details/pampasandesOObish THROWING THE LASSO. THE PAMPAS AND ANDES. A THOUSAND MILES’ WALK ACROSS SOUTH AMERICA, NATHANIEL H. BISHOP, ISlebcntf) lEtution. BOSTON : LEE AND SHEPARD, PLTBLISHERS, Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1868, By LEE AND SHEPARD, ' In the Clerk’s Office of the District Court of the District of Massachusetts. Copyright , 1883, By Nathaniel H. Bishop. TO PROFESSOR SPENCER F. BAIRD ASSISTANT SF.C’Y OF THE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, IFis ©torli is Dtbicutcb, AS A TOKEN OF SINCERE REGARD, BY HIS FRIEND, THE AUTHOR. PREFACE TO THE ELEVENTH EDITION I am called upon by my publishers to write an introduction to a new edition of this book ; and the opportunity is thus afforded me to answer the many letters of inquiry with which readers of my travels have honored me. At the age of seventeen, having much idle time upon my hands, I thought it best to utilize it in the study of Man and Nature, by commencing to explore, on an humble scale and w r ith modest capital, the great plains of South America. On the sixth day of November, 1854, I shipped before the mast, at ten dollars a month, upon the bark Manto, Charles Stinson, master, bound for Buenos Ayres. By the consent of the captain I was allowed to leave the vessel after reaching South America, in order to pursue my walk across the continent. The economist may be pleased to learn that my cash capital when I left Boston was forty-five dollars. To this I added the wrnges of four months upon leaving Buenos Ayres, which swelled my resources to eighty- 4 PREFACE. live dollars. While detained several months m the interior by the snow blockade in the Andes, I supported myself by running the mill of Don Guillermo Buena- parte, whose truthful adventures 1 have given the reader in the last part of this volume. Upon reaching the Pacific 'coast I again became a sailor, with ad- vanced wages, and made the passage around Cape Horn to Boston, where I landed after eighteen months’ absence, during which time I had traversed more than twelve thousand miles of ocean, besides enjoying my experiences afoot in the Pampas and in the Andes. When I balanced my expense account, the figures showed that I had returned five dollars richer than when I set out on my long journey, which would prove that ample funds are not a necessity to the pedestrian explorer. The hardships of such a journey proved an excellent physical as well as mental discipline. A pedestrian journey brings the traveller into close communion with his fellow-man and with natural objects, giving him knowledge at first hand by actual contact with things, of a character which books fail to supply. This familiar intercourse with human nature makes to him “ all men akin,” and teaches him the great lesson taught, more than eighteen hundred years ago, by the Good Master, to “ love thy neighbor as thyself.” The Author. Lake George, Warren Co., N. Y. June, 1881. CONTENTS. CHAPTER I. PASSAGE OF THE RIVER PLATA. I-hc Bark M. — First Glimpses of Life in the Forecastle. — An old Salt, and forecastle Etiquette. — A self-constituted Guardian. — An- other old Salt, and how he spliced the Main-brace. — Farewell to Boston. — The Passage. — The tropical Seas. — The Rocks of St. Paul’s, and their Natural History. — First Visit of the Pampero. — The “ Doctor’s ” poetical Effusions U CHAPTER II. IN THE RIVER PLATA. We enter the River Plata.— Land. — Montevideo. — Another Pam- pero. — Effects of the Hurricane. — Its Season. — We arrive at the outer Roads at Buenos Ayres M CHAPTER III. BUENOS AYRES — THE PROVINCE AND CITY. Letters from Home. — A Visit to the City. — Its Population. — This tie Forests. — Agricultural Resources. — Public Edifices of Buenos Ayres. — Improvements. — Soil and Water.- - Slavery and its His 5 6 CONTENTS. torv. — Don D. F. Siirmiento. — Paper Currency. — General Ro- sas and his cruel Tyranny II CHAPTER IV. VISIT TO THE TIGRE AND BANDA ORIENTAL. i new Acquaintance. — Preparations for a Journey. — The Departure. — The Cochero and his Vehicle. — Residence of the late President. — Agriculture. — Fuel. — San Fernando. — Mr. Hopkins and United States and Paraguay Navigation Company. — Yerba. — We leave the Tigre. — Arrival at the Banda Oriental. — Wild Dogs. — Estancia. — Departure for the Las Vacas River. — A Revelation. — An Ignis Fatuus. — Estancia House, and Cattle Farm. — The Proprietor at Home. — Inhospitable Reception. — The Peons. — Insulting Treat- ment. — An Irishman and his Opinions. — We reach the River — Gold Prospects. — We return to the Tigre. -- My Companion's CHAPTER V ASCENDING THE PLATA AND PARANA. Rosario. — Departure from the Tigre.— A Dialogue.— 1 visit the M — The Irish Barrister’s Son. — I return to the City. — Leave Bue- nos Ayres. — Banks of the River. — El Rosario. — Schools, Ac. — Enterprise of the People. — Diligences. — The Press. — Vigilantes. - ParanA — Its Position. — Bank. — Railroad and its Prospects. . M CHAPTER VI. A VISIT TO THE PAMPA COUNTRY. 4 new Acquaintance. — An Invitation. — We set out upon the Plains.— Incidents of the Journey. — A Pampa Lord. — We visit his Mansion. — The House and its Inmates. — Cattle. — Niata Breed. — Ostriches. Riding a wild Colt. — Trial of Horses. — The Boliadores. — Estancia Life. — The Gauchos. — Duties on the Cattle Farm. — Feast Days and Aguardiente. — Customs of the Gauchos. — Training Colts. — The Herdsman’s Dress 71 CONTENTS. 7 CHAPTER VII. LIFE ON THE PAMPAS. Don Jos4 and my new Guardian. — Preparations for Departure.— Pampa Carts. — Method of driving Oxen. — Fresh Meat. — A Santa. — Farewell to Rosario. — The Caravan. — A Halt. — Novel Mode of (looking. — First Lesson in Gaucho Etiquette. — A Name. — Habits of the Bizcacha. — Burrowing Owls. — First Night in the Pampas. . 1C1 CHAPTER VIII. LIFE ON THE PAMPAS — CONTINUED. A new Dress. — Riding a Ram. — Deer.— Parrots. — Mirages. — A Troop of Carts. — A Pantana. — Grass on lire. — Another Cara- van. — Armadillos. — Guardia de la Esquina. — A sad Story. — Ir- reverence of the Peons. — Cabeza del Tigre. — Indian Attack. — Saladillo — I visit a Rancho. — Punta del Sauce. — Its Inhabi- tants. — A geographical Dispute. — La Reduccion. — Paso Dnrazno. — Cerro Moro in the distance. — Indian female Spies 11) CHAPTER IX. FROM RIO QUARTO TO CERRO MORO. Rio Quarto. — Indian Incursions. — A novel Method of charging a Cannon. — Scarcity of Bread. — A Bath. — The Peons’ Objection to Bathing. — Ox-brain Soup. — A mule Troop. — The Madrina. — Ar- madillos. — Their Habits. — A Caravan from Mendoza. — Bread and Ovens. — Preparations for a hungry Time. — A Prostration 131 CHAPTER X. FROM RID QUARTO TO CERRO MORO — CONTINUED. Prospects and Experiences. — The Peons’ dislike for the “ Gringo.” — Fear of Dr. Carmel. — Little Juan. — Suspicious Movements. — Sympathy of the China Women. — Intrigue. — The Breakfast.— Don Manuel lacks Etiquette. — Sickness. — A Dream 15! 8 CONTENTS, CHAPTER XI. SAN LUIS AND THE SALINE DESERT. Don Manuel the Capataz. — His Services as Baqueano. — A Mendoza Troop of Carts. — Approach to the “ Interior Town.” — Appearance of San Luis de la Punta. — The Governor. — Indian Troubles. — A Captive. — Indian Attack. — Treatment of Foreigners. — On the Tra- vesia. — Watering Places. — Cacti. — Cochineal. — Condiments. — Suline Mineral. — Its Properties and Analysis by Dr. A. A. Hayes. — Conjectures as to its Origin 181 CHAPTER XII. ON THE TRAVESIA. We cross the Desaguadero. — Artificial Canals. — La Paz. — Results of Irrigation. — View of the Andes. — An Invitation to Dinner. — Gor- mandizing of the Peons. — Santa Rosa. — Goats. — Alto Verde. — Camp on the Road. — A Bath. — Goitre. — Preparations for entering Mendoza. — The little China. — Arrogance of the Santiagueiios. — Plants of the Travesia. — Dwellings. — A Dialogue. — We enter the Town. — An English Doctor. — Cool Treatment. — Circo Olympico. — A Visit to Plaza Nueva 183 CHAPTER XIII. MENDOZA. A Disappointment. — Mendoza. — The Alameda. — The Governor. — Houses, Churches, Ac. — Doings of the Priests. — The Confession- als. — Padre A. — Madcap young Ladies. — Musical Bells. — Theatre. — Inhabitants. — The Goitre. — San Vicente. — School Library. — Newspaper and Press of Vansice. — Celebration of the 25th of May. — Soldiers. — Circus Performers. — Arrival of Indians from the South.— Veracity of the Cacique. — The Correo and his Men. — Casuchas. — Snow Travel. — A new Character introduced. — Destruction of the City. — Departure for San Juar — The con- suming Lake. — Tishes. — Arrival at San Juan 1M CONTENTS, 9 CHAPTER XIV. A WINTER IN SAN JUAN. At San Juan. — Wet and dry Winters. — Don Guillermo Buenaparte. — Visit to Causete. — I become a Miller. — Natural History. — The Mill. — New Characters. — The Scenery. — A curious Lot. — Inhabitants of San Juan. — The Town. — Trade and Productions. — Agricultural Tools. — Irrigation. — Don Jose the Penitent. ... 211 CHAPTER XV. A WINTER IN SAN JUAN— CONTINUED. A Mine. — A new Acquaintance. — An Account of the Prowess of a Diablo. — His Dress. — Horse’s Trappings. — The Rastreador. — His Skill. — A Translation from Sarmicnto 222 CHAPTER XVI. VIENTE DE ZONDA. Regarding ‘he Zonda Wind. — Miers’s Opinion. — Courses of the Zondas. — A Wind of long Duration. — South Wind. — Speculations upon tb« Starting-point of the Zondas 232 CHAPTER XVII. ADVENTURES OF DON GUILLERMO BUENAPARTE. Don Gu lo rmo relates his Adventures. — Leaves New Bedford — De- serts iis Ship for another. — Rock of Dunda. — Terrapin Island. — Suff 1 ,-ings and Escape from the Place. — Marquesas Islands. — Le» ves the Vessel. — Life among the Cannibals. — Cruel Fate of his Companions. — Settles down to Marquesan Life. — A Ship. — Es- & ■— of Don Guillermo. — Other Adventures. — Leaves Chili. — Ad- t «al Remarks 241 10 CONTENTS, CHAPTER XVIII. CROSSING THE ANDES. Preparations for leaving San Juan. — I leave the Mill. — The Port House — The Minister and his friendly Offer. — The Flecha. — El Du- razuo. — The Hut and its Occupauts. — The Binchuca. — A blood- less Battle. — El Sequion. — Chinas. — A Troop of Mules, and a Night with the Capataz. — Up the Valley. — A Hut and a pretty Senorita. — An elevated Plain. — Camp. — Sunrise in the Andes. — The Road to Uspallata. — Don Fernando. — An Invitation. — Farewell to Uspallata. — Indian Structures. — Asad Tale. — Cueste de la Catedral. — La I’unta de las Vacas. .............. *57 CHAPTER XIX. CROSSING THE ANDES — CONTINUED. Descent of the AndeB. — Baqueano Mule. — Waiting for the Snow to crust over. — Strange Scenery. — Below the Snow. — Another Snow- Hut. — A Drift. — Travellers from Chili. — Preparations for ascend- ing the Cordillera. — Remedy for the Puna. — A hard Road. — On the Cumbre 296 CHAPTER XX. FROM THE ANDES TO THE PACIFIC. fassage down the Valley. — Eyes of Water. — The Chilians and their Characteristics. — San Rosa. — A Chilian Welcome. — A Feast. — The River Aconcagua. — Quillota. — At Valparaiso. — Departure tor Home 30* A THOUSAND MILES’ WALK, CHAPTER I. PASSAGE TO THE RIVER PLATA. O NE cold November morning, in compliance with previous orders, I reported myself ready for duty at the shipping office of Messrs. S. and Iv., Commercial Street, Boston, and having received, as is customary, one month’s wages in advance, proceeded with my baggage to Battery Wharf, at the foot of which lay the bark M., destined to be my future home for many weeks. As but one of the crew had already gone on board, I had ample leisure for examining the vessel, on board of which I was to receive my first lessons in practical seamanship, and to endure privations hitherto happily unknown to me. The M. was not prepossess- ing in appearance, and I confess that her model did not give a favorable idea of her sailing qualities : vessels, like horses, have peculiar external points by which their virtues may be judged, and their speed determined. As I gazed upon her long, straight sides, square bows, and box-like hull, it seemed to me that her builders must have mistaken her ends; for, certes , had her spars been reversed, she would have made (in 12 A THOUSAND MILES WALK. better progress by sailing stern foremost. Some know- ing ones, who have since examined this specimen of marine architecture of twenty years ago, have sustained my suspicion that the M. belonged to that enduring fleet of cruisers, now scattered over the great deep, which were originally built in the State of Maine, of which report is made that “ these vessels are built by the mile, and sawed off according to the length ordered by the buyer.” The mate, who was occupied in receiving live stock, — i. e., two young pigs, — ordered me to stow my things “for’ard;” an order somewhat dilHcult to comply with, as the forecastle was well filled with firewood, ropes, blocks, swabs, and the various other articles used on shipboard. I crawled down the dark passage, and was feeling about to discover the dimensions of a sailor’s home, doubting, meanwhile, whether, in reality, this narrow hole could be the abode intended for human beings, when suddenly a gruff voice called down to me, “ Come, youngster, bear a hand ! Make yourself live- ly ! We must clean out this shop before the crew come down ; stir yourself, and pass me up the pieces.” Obeying these peremptory commands, I applied my- self to work, and in an hour’s time my companion declared the place “ship-shape, and fit for sailors.” I would remark, en passant , that this declaration was made in the face of the fact that mould and dust cov- ered the timbers and boards, and cockroaches filled the many crevices. “ But,” said my companion, with w philosophical air, “if the place were carpeted, and lighted with a fine lamp, the fellows would be the PASSAGE TO THE RIVER PLATA. 13 more dissatisfied ; the better treated they are, the worse they growl.” At tlie time I inwardly dissented from the truth of this remark ; but subsequent experi ences taught me the old salt was right. As I had beer* of service in removing all the lumber, 1 thought to repay mvself by securing a good bunk, and therefore chose an upper one. After I had given it a thorough cleaning, and had carefully stowed away my mattress and blanket, one of the new crew entered the forecastle, and, on noticing my labors, at once re- moved my bed, and placed his own in its place, remarking, at the same time, that it was a highly im- polite and lubberly action for an understrapper to “bunk down where he didn’t belong; upper bunks were men's bunks; lower ones, boys’.” Although I pleaded ignorance of the etiquette of the forecastle, and selected another resting-place, my shipmate con- tinued his lecture on the rules of the sea, and hinted at the future “ rope’s-endings from the little man aft,” as he called the mate, in store for me. During his harangue two or three of my old school- fellows came aboard, and, on visiting my quarters, remarked upon the poor accommodations and filthiness to which I was to be doomed ; upon which remark the old tar broke out with, “ And so this is a young gentleman going to sea for the first time ? O, ho ! All right. I’ll be his guardian, and keep an eye on him when he’s aloft, and, to start fair, if my opinion was asked, I’d say we’d better go up the wharf^ and 6plice the matter over a social glass.” At this hint, so delicately conveyed, we gave the fellow a sum sufficient to allay his thirst, had it been never so great, and he 14 A THOUSAND MILES’ WALK. at once took leave of us, only to return, however, in a few minutes, declaring that he had lost every cent, at the same time reiterating his offer to become my friend for a consideration. The noise of the tow-boat now called us on deck, where we found a perfect Babel of confusion, caused by the throng of porters, boarding-house runners, idlers, and sailors’ friends, who were giving and receiving ad- vice in quantities to last until the vessel returned to her port. About this time I was touched on the shoulder by a rough-looking personage in a sailor’s dress, who took me aside, and inquired if I really in- tended going to sea. “ Because,” said he, “ if you are, let me give you a bit of advice. I’m an old shell , and can steer my trick as well as the next one ; and as we’re to be shipmates, and you’re young, all you’ve got to do is to stick close to me, and I’ll larn yer all the moves.” After showing so kind an interest in my affairs, he hinted, like the other man, that there was “still time enough to step up to the house, and splice the main brace.” As I was ignorant of this point in seamanship, I handed him some money, that he might perform it alone, when he disappeared. I saw nothing more of him for the next half hour; and it was only when the vessel was about moving off that he staggered over the rail, to all appearances well braced ; and as he expressed a desire to handle all on board, from the “ old man ” (the captain) “ in the cabin to the doctor ” (cook) “in the galley,” I concluded that his splicing had received especial attention, and that his strands would not unravel for several hours to come. These scenes on board of the M, while getting PASSAGE TO TflE RIVER PLATA. 15 audcr way, were comparatively tame to others that 1 have since witnessed on other vessels. I have known men to be carried on board ship by boarding-house keepers, who had enticed them into their dens of in- famy, and who had drugged them so powerfully that they did not recover their senses until the vessel had left the port. In this manner, fathers of families, me- chanics, tradesmen, and other persons wholly unfitted for a sea life have been carried off, unknown by their friends. When full consciousness returned to the un- happy victims, they sought the officers for an explana- tion, when I have seen them so beaten and kicked, that in apprehension for their lives, they bowed in submission to a tyranny worse than that of slavery itself. After lying for more than twenty-four hours, wind • bound, in the outer harbor, all hands were called before daylight, and though the mercury stood but a few de- grees above the freezing point, the decks were washed down ; after which operation the anchor was weighed, and we set sail out upon the bosom of the broad Atlan- tic. When we were fairly under way, we were set to work stowing away chains and ropes, securing the water casks upon deck, lashing the anchors upon the rail ; then a short breathing spell was allowed us. While looking to windward, an old sailor, with whom I had commenced a friendship, which I was determined to strengthen, said, “Here, boy: do you see that land, there ? It is the last you will see until we drop anchor in the River Plata.” I gazed long upon it. It was Cape Cod. Its white sand-hills looked cold and drear, as the sea beat against their bases, some of which wi re 16 A THOUSAND MILES’ WALK. Bniooth and sloping, others steep and gullied by th« rains. An hour after this the breeze freshened, the light sails were taken in, and the topsails double- reefed ; and as the sea ran higher, and our little vessel grew proportionably uneasy, I began to experience the uncomfortable nausea and dizziness of seasickness, which, added to the repulsive smell and closeness of the forecastle, completely overcame my fortitude, when retiring to my bunk I tried to make myself comfortable. About five o’clock in the afternoon all hands were mustered upon the quarter-deck, and the watches chosen. To my satisfaction I was selected by the mate, and had the further gratification of finding that old Manuel, my friend, had also been chosen for our watch — a result which evidently delighted him as much as myself. Ours was the larboard watch, and remained upon deck, while the captain’s, or starboard watch, went below. The duties of sea life had now fairly commenced. The two hours that followed, from six to eight, were passed in a pleasant conversation with the old French- man, Manuel. He informed me that he had his eye on the moves of the crew, and he concluded that there was but one sailor on board : it was left to my sagacity to infer that he meant himself. Two of the crew, who had shipped as ordinary sea- men, were ignorant of the duties for which they had contracted, and each man in the forecastle had shipped as an American-born citizen, with protection papers received from the Custom House, which legally as- serted him as such. These papers they had obtained PASSAGE TO THE RIVER PLATA. 17 from their boarding-house masters, who had purchased them at twenty-five cents each, and had retailed them to their foreign customers at seventy-five cents apiece. Of this American crew, two were Germans, or Dutch- men (an appellation given by sailors to all persons from the north of Europe), one of unknown parentage, who could only speak a few words of English, two Irishmen, one Englishman, another who swore point blank to being a native-born citizen of the States, an old mariner from Bordeaux, and myself. The law that makes it the duty of a captain to take with his crew a certain proportion of native-born Americans, had surely not been complied with here. To one of our crew I cannot do otherwise than devote a few lines. The “ doctor,” or cook, had already introduced him- self, and informed us in a short and patriotic speech, delivered at the galley door, that he would confess that his father was a distinguished Irish barrister, and that he himself possessed no little share of notoriety in the old country. He had once been taken by a cele- brated duchess, as she rode past in her carriage, for a son of the Marquis of B. His amusing vanity drew many expressions of contempt from the tars, who pro- nounced him to be “ an idle Irish thief,” which only served to make him wax more warm in his assumptions of gentility. He was interrupted in the midst of a high-flown harangue by the loud squealing of the pigs, which squealing reminded him that his duties must not be neglected for the purpose of edifying a crowd of ignorant tars. Our watch lasted until eight bells, when I went be- low, but had very little appetite for supper — a mea! 2 l8 A THOUSAND MILES* WAl K. consisting of salt beef, biscuits, and a fluid which the cook called tea, although, on trial, I was sadly puzzled to know how it could merit such an appellation. Of the three weeks which followed this flrst expe- rience of nautical life and its miseries, I can say but little, as I labored during this period under the exhaust- ing effects of seasickness, which reduced me to such a degree of weakness that I once fainted on the flying jib-boom, from which position of peril I was rescued and brought in by my friend Manuel. But this dis- tressing malady wore away, and at last became alto- gether a memory of the past. Despite hard fare and labor, I not only recovered my lost flesh, but grew rugged and hearty, and, moreover, became tolerably familiar with the duties of a life at sea. I have alluded to our cook, and to his ineffable con- ceit, mock sentimentality, and Hibernian fertility of invention. It was his opinion that the “low-lived fellows” on board ought to feel highly honored by the presence ir their midst of at least one gentleman — a title which he continually arrogated to himself. I am sorry to say, that as a cook he was not “ a success.” lie cared very little about the quality of the food he served to us ; and its preparation was usually a subordinate consid- eration, with him, to the indulgence of his master pas- sion, — the perusal of highly-colored novels, — to which he devoted every possible moment. In the hope of improving my wretched diet, I ap- plied myself to the study of this man’s character, and, having soon discovered his assailable point, supplied him with some works of fiction more entrancing than PASSAGE TO THE RIVER PLATA. [9 any lie had hitherto possessed. I bought them just before our leaving home, thinking that peihaps some such an opportunity might offer for making a friend- ship with some of my messmates. His delight at re- ceiving them was extreme ; and I received in exchange for my favors many a dish that added a zest to my food, which it had hitherto altogether lacked. Whenever I wished to be entertained with some mar- vellous account of “life in the highest circles of Great Britain,” I had only to request from the sympathetic cook a passage or two from his eventful life. It was his constant lament that he had never kept a dialogue (diary) of his tn vels, which, according to his account, must have surpassed those of most mortals in adven- ture and interesting incidents. Of our crew, his countryman, the “boy Jim,” was his favorite. This Jim was the red-sbirted sailor who had promised to instruct me in all the “moves” of an ex- perienced salt, before we had left the wharf at Boston. A very few days of our voyage, however, served to prove, that he not only had no claim to the title of “old sa’t,” but also that he had never learned to “steer a trick at the wheel.” The first order that he received from one of the mates was, “ Boy Jim, lay aloft there, and slush down the foretop-gallant and royal masts!” Seizing a tar bucket, and pointing aloft, he exclaimed, “Shure, sir, and which of them sticks is it that ye mane?” thus laying bare his ignorance of all nautical matters, and bringing on himself the ridicule of the whole ship’s crew. As with head winds we slowly drew near the vari- ables, or horse latitudes, rainy weather, accompanied 20 A THOUSAND MILES 5 WALK. by squalls of wind, commenced, and for twenty-on# days and nights we were wet to the skin : clothes, bed- ding, all were saturated from the effects of a leaky deck ; and it was a common occurrence to find, on awakening from slumber, a respectable stream of water descending into the close and crowded forecastle. When on deck our oil clothes did not protect us, for from our having worked in them constantly, the oil coating had worn off : so, at the end of a watch, we wrung out our under garments, and turned into our narrow bunks, where we quickly fell asleep, and forgot our miseries and troubles, until we were aroused to them by the gruff” voice of some sailor of the other watch, shouting down the companion-way, “Ay — you — Lar-bowlines — ahoy — there; eight — bells! Lay up here, bullies, and get your duff.” Or, perhaps, “Do those fellows down there ever intend to relieve the watch ! ” exclaimed in no pleasant tones by the captain of the other watch. The rainy season was succeeded by as delightful weather as we could have desired. A fair wind sprang up a few days before crossing the line, and with strain- ing canvas we sped on towards Buenos Ayres. The days passed pleasantly, and our duties became light, and agreeable. Enjoyable as were these tranquil days, the nights were still lovelier in those latitudes. Tho moon 6eemed to shine with an unwontedly pure and spiritual light, and with a brightness known only to the clear atmosphere of the tropics. As we glided along, night after night, under a firma- ment studded with countless lights, and over a broad expanse ruffled with short, dark waves cui'ling crisply PASSAGE TO THE RIVER PLATA. 21 li< to foam, I could hardly conceive a scene of more quiet beauty. Standing upon the foiecastle deck, a glorious vision frequently met our gaze : a phospho- resc .nt light gleamed beneath the bows, and streamed along the sides and in the vessel’s wake, looking like a train of liquid gems to the imaginative observer. If we looked aloft to the white canvas of our wide-spread sails, we seemed borne along by some gigantic bird, of which the sails were the powerful wings, to the distant horizon, in which were the Southern Cross and other larger constellations, burning, like beacon lamps, lead- ing us on to our destined port. During these days and nights our attention was not unfrequently attracted to the dwellers in the deep, which were constantly sporting around us. Schools of black -fish and porpoises continually crossed our track ; And large numbers of flying-fish often shot across our bows, sometimes leaving at our mercy a few stragglers upon the decks. Upon such nights as I have described, when acting as lookout by the windlass bits, old Manuel frequently came to my side, and conversed upon the various topics connected with his past life, which had been an event- ful one. He was born in Bordeaux. His mother died when he was an infant, leaving him to the care of his father, who owned and commanded a small vessel en- gaged in the coasting trade. While very young, Manuel preferred playing about the streets of his native city, and hiding, with other boys, among the vines which covered his father’s dwell- ing, to following any plan of education proposed by his father. Under the direction of an uncle, however, T2. A THOUSAND JULES WALE. ho attended school when nine years old, and learned to read and write during the two succeeding years. So rapid was his progress, that the uncle, who was wealthy, offered to defray his expenses if he would fit himself for the university ; but Manuel preferred following the fortunes of his father for a season, and accordingly sailed with him along the coasts of F'-ance and Spain. But the voyage was not destined to be a pleasant one. The boy was continually offending his father, who was a cold and unlovable man ; and one after- noon, while performing certain antics upon the main- topsail-yard-arm, the old gentleman called him down, and rewarded his exertions with a lusty application of the end of the main sheet, which rope’s-ending was not to Manuel’s taste. He availed himself of the first opportunity, deserted the vessel, and joined a fine ship sailing to Havana. Before reaching Cuba he had be- come acquainted with the ropes, and not wishing to return to his parent until time had soothed his outraged feelings, he left the ship, and became a destitute wan- derer in a foreign land. He was at that time twelve years of age. Being led into bad company, he joined a slaver, bound for the west coast of Africa. The ga- lota in which he sailed reached the Rio Congo, and received on board nine hundred negroes, nearly all of whom were landed safely in Cuba. His wages, as boy, amounted to fifty dollars per month ; but, though en- gaged in so profitable an undertaking, his sense of right caused him to leave his unprincipled associates, and to seek employment elsewhere. Since that time he had served beneath the flag of nearly every mari- time nation, and had also fought in the China wars PASSAGE TO TIIE RIVER IH.ATA. 23 For thirteen years he had sailed from Boston and New York, choosing the American republic as his adopted country, for which he was willing, as he declared, to shed his Lest blood, should necessity require. While conversing with Manuel, one morning before sunrise, I was surprised by his suddenly jumping to his feet and scanning the horizon. At length he exclaimed, “There is a sight you may never see again. I have crossed the line many times in this longitude, but never beheld that before to-day ! ” At this moment the mate, who had been keeping a long lookout, disappeared be- low, returning in a moment with the captain. Looking in the direction pointed out by the old sailor, I dis- cerned far away to the south-south-east, broken water; and, as the daylight advanced, we were soon able to distinguish two detached and rugged rocks, rising out of the sea, together with many smaller peaks rising out of the water around them. One of these bore a strik- ing resemblance to a sugar-loaf. This group was the St. Paul’s Rocks. When first seen they appeared dark and drear; but, as our vessel approached them, we discovered that the excrements of myriads of sea- fowl, with which they were covered, had made them of a glistening white, presenting a strange appearance, not wholly devoid of the picturesque. Here, at no less a distance than five hundred and forty miles from the continent of South America, these peaks, the summits of mountains whose bases are planted in unfathomed depths, arise. The rocks lie in longitude twenty-nine degrees fif teen minutes west, and are only fifty-eight miles north of the equator. The highest peak rises but fifty feet A THOUSAND MILES’ WALK. 24 above the sea, and is not more than three quarters of » mile in circumference. These isolated rocks have been visited by a few per- sons only. Darwin, the naturalist, made a thorough investigation into their natural history. Among birds, the booby gannet and noddy tern were found; both species being very tame, depositing their eggs and rearing their young in great numbers. Darwin, in his account of the tenants of these rocky islets, observes, “It was amusing to watch how quickly a large and active crab ( Grapsus ), which inhabits the crevices of the rocks, stole the fish from the side of the nest, as soon as we had disturbed the parent birds. Sir W. Symonds, one of the few persons who have landed here, informs me that he saw these crabs dragging even the young birds out of the nests, and devouring them. Not a single plant, nor even lichen, grows on this islet ; yet it is inhabited by several insects and spiders. The following list completes, 1 believe, the terrestrial fauna: A fly ( Olfersia ), living on the booby, and a tick, which must have come here as a parasite on the birds ; a small brown moth, belonging to a genus that feeds on feathers; a beetle ( Quedius ), and a wood-louse from beneath the dung ; and, lastly, numerous spiders, which, I suppose, prey on these small attendants and scavengers of the water-fowl.” I afterwards met, among the many roving characters with whom the traveller becomes acquainted, a person, who, in his younger days, had been engaged not only in privateering, but also in the lucrative, though inhu- man, slave traffic. He knew of many instances when slavers and freebooters had been obliged to visit St. PASSAGE TO THE RIVER PLATA. 25 Paul’s from necessity, not only for the purpose of seer r- ing the rain-water that is caught in the cavities and depressions in the rock, but also to procure a supply ( f the fish which play about the islets in large schools, or, n ore properly, perhaps, shoals, or schules. Although our vessel was built before the age of clippers, and consequently made slow progress through the water, St. Paul’s was far astern by ten o’clock. A fiesh breeze sprang up, and, as it continued fair, wo were wafted along smoothly day after day towards our destined port. At length the sudden changes of the atmosphere, and careful consultations of the officers, and admoni- tions “to keep a bright lookout ahead,” warned the forecastle hands that we were nearing the Rio Plata, the great River of Silver , whose broad mouth we were soon to enter, there to gaze upon the shores of another continent. The nights seemed cooler, and the beautiful appear- ance of the heavens, as the sun, with a broader disk, sank beneath the western horizon, particularly attracted our attention. As it slowly disappeared, clouds of many varied hues gathered above it like heavy drapery, as if to conceal its flight ; while others, taking the form of long ranges of mountains, with here and there a tall peak towering up into the clearer firmament, presented a panorama of exquisite beauty and grandeur. But all evenings were not of this description. Sometimes the heavens darkened, and for two or three hours not a breath of air moved the murky atmosphere. Long, dark swells came rolling towards us from the south- east, sure indicators of the distant pampero , the hum 26 A THOUSAND MILES 5 WALK. cane of La Plata. When these swells were visible, tha crew at once became active : every light sail was snugly furled, and the topsails double reefed, for our captain was a prudent man, who had sailed long enough in these latitudes to know the fearful devastation that is often occasioned by the 'pampero. Before our voy- age terminated we had an opportunity to appreciate this trait in his seamanship. One afternoon, when within four or five days’ sail of the mouth of the Plata, the sky became overcast with murky clouds, while the distant thunder and lightning in the south-west warned us of the proximity of the hurricane. “All hands” were called, and we hurried to our stations ; but before everything could be made snug aloft, a fierce shower of hail descended, pelting us mercilessly ; and glad enough we were to get below, at four bells, to supper. The wind increased, and blew very hard for an hour or more, when it became calmer; but still the heavy sea came rolling towards us, mak- ing our stout bark toss and pitch about as if old Neptune were irritated at her sluggish ways. We congratulated ourselves at our easy escape from the pampero, but we should have remembered the old saying, “Never shout until you are out of the wood.” As we were below, discussing various subjects, we were joined by the cook, who descended the ladder, requesting the loan of a novel, declaring that he was dying by inches of the “onwy.” “Get out of this, you and your trash !” shouted an old tar: “this is no place for distinguished characters.” But the “doctor” did not appear to be disconcerted PASSAGE TO THE KIVKK PLATA. 27 in the least at this rude salutation and reference to his pretensions. “ Ah, boys ! ” he exclaimed, with a touch of senti- mentality, “how can ye be so boistherous ? Here we are, every hour dhrawing nearer and nearer to that mighty river which runs past Buenos Ayres; and does not the thought of it inspire ye with romantic feelings ? As for meeself, I can scarce shape at night for the ec- static thoughts that crowd me brain. Ye may all laugh,” he continued, as some of the sailors interrupted him with a boisterous laugh, “but it does not alter the case in the laste, for it is thrue. To-night, when I was standing in the galley, the thought came to me, that perhaps the boy here,” pointing to myself, “ would like a few stanzas of poetry for his dialogue (diary), which he is keeping ; so I, in my mind, composed a few lines, which, if he wants, I will recite to him. At this, some of the sailors exclaimed, “Get out of ‘his, for a dirty sea-cook as you are, and don’t attempt to spoil sensible people.” I, however, said that I would be pleased to receive ms stanzas, and, preparing my pencil and paper, wrote down the following lines as he recited them, together with the interpolations and remarks of the sailors, Striking a beatific attitude, the poet began : — • *' I saw her; yes, I saw her.” Old Salt (gruffly). “ What if you did ? If she saw you, she sickened, I dare swear! ” The Doctor (continuing). “ Tripping along so gayly, With mantilla fluttering in the wind." 28 A THOUSAND MILES' WALK. Old Salt 2d. “Shaking in the wind’s eye, in a squall.” The Doctor. “ Eyes like a dove’s in mildness, Or an eagle’s in its wildness.” Old Salt 1st. “ More like a hen’s with one chicken.” Old Salt 3d. “Or a sick rooster with one tail- feather.” The Doctor. “ Smiles they were sweet, Lips together did meet.” Old Salt 1st (dubiously). “Lips together did meet? I wonder, mateys, if she wasn’t smacking them after a glass of grog? ” The Doctor. “ Clamors of war and terrible drums, Noise of trumpets and the hum of tongues, Can frighten the timid, but not her; For brave as a lion, dauntless as fire, She’s ruled by love, and not by ire.” Here some of the sailors pretended to faint ; others reeled off to their bunks, saying that the doctor’s poetry was “ worse than his duff, and that wasn’t fit to give a measly hog;” while one old fellow ascended to the deck, declaring that he “couldn’t sleep after hearing such blasted nonsense, until he had taken a salt junk emetic.” The doctor would have continued his poetry, not- withstanding the ridicule of the “low, ignorant fellow's,” as he called them; but he was interrupted by the voic* PASSA.'JK TO TITR P.IVER PT^ATA. 29 of the mate, calling down to the cook to “ doctor the binnacle lamp,” when the poet hurried up the Jom- oanion-way, leaving me to turn in, and dream of “Lips that together did meet, Clamors of wars, and terrible drums,” until the man at the wheel struck eight bell* KO A THOUSAND HIDES WALK. CHAPTER H. IN THE RIVER PLATA. ngth the day for making preparations for near- • land arrived. One fine afternoon the order was given to have everything ready for entering the river. All hands were kept on deck, and every one manifested an unusual readiness to work. The lashings were cut adrift from the anchors; the chain drawn out of the locker, and overhauled upon the deck; and the other matters attended to, which are not to be neglected on a ship about coming to an anchorage. Towards night, the changing color of the water, which in the deep ocean is of a dark blue, but which had now become of a greenish tinge, told us of the proximity of land. At sunrise of the next morning, the cry of, “Land on the starboard bow!” awoke me from a sound slumber. II urrying on deck, I was able to discover a faint streak of red in the distant horizon, which a sailor declared to be “the loam of the land;” and by eight o’clock the low shores of the Uruguayan republic were distinctly visi- nle from our deck, and the monotony of our sea life was at an end As it was necessary to take a pilot on board, we were obliged to first make Montevideo, the great seaport of the Banda Oriental, or Uruguayan republic, which IN THE KiVEK PLATA. 31 country, as most of my readers are doubtless aware was formerly a constant bone of contention between Buenos Ayres and Brazil, but is now independent of both, and according to all accounts promises to become the greatest producer of wool of the South American republics. A light breeze wafted us past the rocky isle of Flores Lo Montevideo, where, about dusk, we dropped anchor it a distance of three miles from the shore. While aloft, I had time to observe that a conical mountain, with smooth sides, and crowned by an old fort, was connected with the main land by a peninsula, in such a manner that a fine bay was formed, where a large fleet of vessels were lying at anchor. The fort on the mount showed a light, four hundred and seventy- live feet above the level of the sea. The town lies on the opposite side of the bay, to the eastward of the mountain, from which fact it derives its name. By the time the sails were furled, and several addi- tional ranges of chain overhauled, night came on, and the anchor watch was set, with orders to call the mate if it lightened in the south-west, the region of pam- peros. My watch was from nine to ten : when I was re- lieved, I went below with a light heart, and “ turned in ” to my bunk, with the prospect of unbroken rest. It was perhaps an hour later that I was awakened by the confused sounds on deck, caused by the “ letting go ” the second anchor, and the loud calling down the companion-way for “all hands on deck.” Hurrying ibove, we found that a pampero had struck the vessel, which was moving through the water at the rate of at 32 £. THOUSAND MILES* WALK. least four miles an hour before the force of the hurri- cane. When the second anchor became fast, however, tTie vessel’s course was checked, she swung around, broadside to the wind, and held her ground. Tho force of the wind striking our backs was so great that we were obliged to take shelter beneath the bulwarks to recover our breath. The darkness was intense, save when flashes of light- ning illumined every headland along the coast, and threw out in bold relief the mountain and its castle. But duty called us from the protection of the bulwarks to the chain lockers. Vainly, however, did the officers vociferate their commands; not a word could we un- derstand ; but we instinctively laid hold of the chain, and, guided by flashes of lightning, paid out many fathoms. Hardly had we accomplished our object in giving scope to the cable, when a noise like thunder announced that one of the sails, the main spencer, had broken adrift, and in an instant it beat and clattered across the quarter-deck. From side to side it tore, cut- ting the rigging to pieces, with the block at its clew. Half an hour’s labor was ineffectual in securing the sail, though ends of braces were strongly passed around it; it continually broke loose, tumbling upon the deck all the men who were clinging to it, and we might have labored much longer, had not Manuel crawled aloft, and cut the sail adrift, by coming down the jack-stay, knife in hand. The spencer had not been securely fastened before from between the harness-casks, the mizzen staysail, which had been carefully furled, seemed endowed with life, for in an instant it ran up its stay like a bird, and was at once torn to shreds. EFFECTS OF THE HEKKICANE. 33 At this point the prospect was fair for a wreck The captain brought an axe on deck to prepare for the last resort. But such a fierce wind fortunately could nol last long ; its own force must prove exhaustive : it soon came only in gusts, and two hours later it had greatly subsided. The scene now around us challenged our attention: and, until morning, I leaned across the rail, completely engrossed with the many curious phenomena before me The air was filled with electrical flashes, which at times rendered the tall mount plainly visible, and brought out the spars of the fleet in the bay in weird- like prominence against the gloomy background. The fort on the height seemed clothed with flame, while the short, quick waves around the vessel gleamed with phosphorescent light. 'The pampero had struck the vessel during the watch succeeding mine, and the man on duty became so frightened that he did not call the mate. Luckily, that otficer discovered the true state of affairs in time to prevent a serious disaster. The dawn of the following morning revealed a sight such as might be expected after so violent a hunicane. In one part of the harbor were two vessels, whose crew? were hard at work in clearing: them from the entangle- ment of their rigging, which was completely wrecked. Close by lay two others, with their topmasts gone, and in the distance were many others in a similar con dition ; while from the town came floating logs, boxes, barrels, and other lumber in great quantities, telling of the havoc of the pampero. The effect of the wind was even felt to a greater ex- tent farther up the river, where some fifteen or twenty 3 34 A THOUSAND MILES WALK. small vessels were capsized, and many of the crews drowned. A new and beautiful English bark, that had left her anchorage for Buenos Ayres the night before, we saw two days afterwards; but she was nothing but a dismantled hulk, with only the stump of her mizzenmast left : every spar had been blown away, and one of her men killed by a falling mast. Though the pampero season generally lasts from March to September, this wind is likely to blow at any time; and a careful captain will always be prepared for it. The state of the mercury in his barometer, to- gether with the appearance of the heavens in the south- west, must be carefully watched. These winds, coming from the cold summits of the Andes, sweep first across an undulating, then a flat country; and, meeting no obstacle to break their force, do great damage to the set- tlements about Buenos Ayres, as well as to the shipping in the River Plata, and are felt many miles out to sea. The River Plata, at its entrance, between Cape St. Mary on the nortn coast, and Cape St. Antonio on the south, is one hundred and seventy miles; and we can see that the pampero , in traversing this broad channel, has a most unobstructed course. At noon a pilot came aboard, bearing a letter from the owner’s agent; and at about eleven o’clock the fol lowing night we hove up both anchors, and, with a fine breeze, sailed up the river. Thirty-six hours later, we dropped anchor in the outer roads of Buenos Ayres, seven or eight miles from the city, whose plastered dwellings and lofty cathedral were plainly seen fioin the decks of our vessel. BUENOS AYRES. 35 CHAPTER III. BUENOS AYRES. — THE PROVINCE AND CITY. 1 “^OR a whole month I was obliged to remain by the vessel, awaiting the arrival of the orders that were to set me free. During this period, to pre- pare the vessel for a long stay, the lighter spars were sent down, the flying jib-boom sent in, sails unbent, &c. The tides in the River Plata are governed by the wind, and have no regularity in rising ; the cur- rent of the river is at the rate of three miles per hour. Vessels drawing above eleven feet of water remain in the outer roads, while smaller craft can approach with- in two or three miles of the city; all of these discharge and receive their cargoes by the assistance of lighters, generally schooner-rigged, and principally manned by foreigners, — chiefly French, Italian, Spanish, and Por- tuguese. At last, about the 20th of February, a Boston vessel entered the river, bringing letters from home, and I was gratified by the information from the captain, that, after seeing the American consul, who had received orders to discharge me from duty, I should be at lib- erty to depart on my long pedestrian journey. I went ashore at the earliest opportunity, and at once called upon Colonel Joseph Graham, the American consul, 86 A THOUSAND MILES’ WALK. who received me with great kindness, but condemned my intention of crossing, alone, so wild a country, with the people and language of which I had no ac- quaintance ; he, however, furnished me with the neces- sary papers of protection, together with letters of intro- duction to various persons in the interior. During my stay in the consul’s office Dr. Henry Kennedy, a young North American physician, came in, and although a stranger to me, presented me, after a few minutes’ con- versation, with a letter of introduction to Mr. G — n, a resident of Rosario. This act of kindness towards a stranger proved the generous character of Dr. Kenne- dy, and it is with a feeling of gratitude that I recall his name here. I was now my own master, and at once went about the city in search of information rela- tive to crossing the country. The consul and one or two other parties had given me the names of persons to whom I was to apply for the necessary information to guide me in my journey. I was surprised, however, to find that the foreign mer- chants knew so little of the interior ; for, after several days’ inquiry, the principal fact that I learned was, that to cross the pampas on foot it would be necessary to accompany one of the troops of carts that carried merchandise to the other provinces, as otherwise I would find it impossible to obtain food or to follow the right trail. One of my informants was a stout little Irish gentleman, who quoted a message sent to Sir Woodbine Parish, by a gentleman who crossed the country several years before; and as his description is almost true of the Buenos Ayrean, or southern road across the pampas, I will present it here. He said, DESCRIPTION OF THE PAMPAS. 37 “ The country is more uninteresting than any I ever travelled over, in any quarter of the globe. I should divide it into five regions ; first, that of thistles, inhab- ited by owls and biscachas; second, that of grass, where you meet with deer, ostriches, and the screaming, horned plover; third, the region of swamps and mo- rasses, only fit for frogs ; fourth, that of stones and ravines, where I expected every moment to be upset ; and, last, that of ashes and thorny shrubs, the refuge of the tarantula and binchuco, or giant-bug. “ And now,” continued the little Irishman, “ I ask leave to put you a question. How many days can you onveniently go without water? “Two or three, perhaps,” I replied. “ Well, then, you will never last to cross the plains,” was his encouraging answer ; “ for, mark you, a merchant of this city crossed last summer, and went without water for twenty-one days. I think you had better return to America, and give up travelling for information.” Such were the stories — some true, and many, like that of the Irishman, utterly fabulous — that were told me by the different individuals upon whom I called during my short stay in Buenos Ayres. In the course of my inquiries I learned that a train of wagons would shortly leave Rosario, a small town upon the River Parana, about two hundred miles north of Buenos Ay res, for Mendoza, a town situated at the base of the Andes, and I resolved to visit the place in time to catch the caravan. A steamboat plied between the city of Buenos Ayres and Rosario, but as i< was not to sail for a fortnight, I had ample time for surveying the adjacent country, and even foi 38 A THOUSAND MILES' WALK making a flying visit across the Plata to the Banda Oriental. The State of Buenos Ayres usually monopolizes the attention of visitors to the region which is known as the Argentine Confederation, on account of her favor- able situation on the seaboard, her possession of the only maritime port in the vast confederacy, and the predominating influence which these advantages have secured to her in peace as well as in war. The state contains an area of fifty-two thousand square miles, and is, consequently, but little larger than the State of New York. Her population, according to an estimate formed some ten years since, amounted to some three hundred and twenty thousand souls ; of whom one hundred and twenty thousand are inhabitants of the city, while the remainder are sparsely distributed over the extensive plains that commence a few miles from he coast, and, running inland, stretch across and far >eyond the limits of the state. The population of the city itself is composed of a great variety of types and colors, among which, however, the whites are rapidly predominating ; as every year introduces new blood from Europe and North America, while parties inter- ested are doing their best, in connection with the gov- ernment, to divert a portion of the Irish immigration from the United States towards their own province. The government furnishes immigrants with land free of charge, but an extortionate price is not unfrequently paid, in the end, for a farm. The study of the mixed races which inhabit, not only this province, but also the entire region between the Parana and the Cordillera, has as yet received but RESOURCES OF BUENOS AYRES. 39 little attention from the student- of ethnology. The lines of demarcation, however, between race and race, are clear and distinct ; and the future ethnographer ol this region will have no difficulty in tracing the popu- lation, through its intermediate stages of gauchos, zam bas, mestizos, etc., to its origin with the immigration from Old Spain and other European countries, and to the aboriginal and negro stocks. Throughout the state the soil is richly alluvial to a depth of two or more feet, beneath which lies a stratum of clay, differing in kind and quality according to its location. Thus strata of white, yellow, and red clays have been discovered in different regions of the same province, furnishing the population with abun- dant material for the manufacture of tiles, bricks, and innumerable articles of pottery. For nearly two hundred miles west of the La Plata, the soil produces a luxuriant growth of herbage, which is choked, however, in many places, by extensive forests of gigantic thistles, which grow to such a height that men, passing through them on horseback, are hidden by the lofty stems. So heavy is this growth that, at times, the thistle fields are impassable to man, and serve to the wild animals of the pampas as an undis- turbed lair. These thistles are fired, from time to time, by the gauchos; after the ground that they covered has been burnt over, a fine sweet crop of grass starts up, upon which the cattle feed luxuriantly. A native author, of eminent accuracy, who has care fully studied the statistics and resources of the prov- ince of Buenos Ayres, has published the following estimate of the value of real estate and other property in the country, in 1855: — 40 A THOUSAND MILES’ WALK. State of Buenos Ayres , its Extent , Value,