flames. I do not think any other method would have had a chance of
succeeding with such damp materials.
19th.--Each morning, from not having ridden for some time previously, I
was very stiff. I was surprised to hear the Gauchos, who have from
infancy almost lived on horseback, say that, under similar
circumstances, they always suffer. St. Jago told me, that having been
confined for three months by illness, he went out hunting wild cattle,
and in consequence, for the next two days, his thighs were so stiff
that he was obliged to lie in bed. This shows that the Gauchos,
although they do not appear to do so, yet really must exert much
muscular effort in riding. The hunting wild cattle, in a country so
difficult to pass as this is on account of the swampy ground, must be
very hard work. The Gauchos say they often pass at full speed over
ground which would be impassable at a slower pace; in the same manner
as a man is able to skate over thin ice. When hunting, the party
endeavours to get as close as possible to the herd without being
discovered. Each man carries four or five pair of the bolas; these he
throws one after the other at as many cattle, which, when once
entangled, are left for some days till they become a little exhausted
by hunger and struggling. They are then let free and driven towards a
small herd of tame animals, which have been brought to the spot on
purpose. From their previous treatment, being too much terrified to
leave the herd, they are easily driven, if their strength last out, to
the settlement.
The weather continued so very bad that we determine to make a push, and
try to reach the vessel before night. From the quantity of rain which
had fallen, the surface of the whole country was swampy. I suppose my
horse fell at least a dozen times, and sometimes the whole six horses
were floundering in the mud together. All the little streams are
bordered by soft peat, which makes it very difficult for the horses to
leap them without falling. To complete our discomforts we were obliged
to cross the head of a creek of the sea, in which the water was as high
as our horses' backs; and the little waves, owing to the violence of
the wind, broke over us, and made us very wet and cold. Even the
iron-framed Gauchos professed themselves glad when they reached the
settlement, after our little excursion.
The geological structure of these islands is in most respects simple.
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