Adventures Among the Red Indians

SION OF

out of him he became a mere savage, ignorant, dirty, brutal and crafty; but it is something of a surprise to us to learn that, during the first quarter of the nineteenth century, he occasionally shook off much of his savag

gent leader, Artegas, who seems to have given him some education and to have developed in him the great natural foresigh

the white man and the red; and though, in the end, the Indians were badly beaten and the tribe almost annihilated, in the early and middle stages of the contest there seemed every likelihood

he news of Andresito's advance was alarming enough, for it would probably mean financial ruin, if nothing worse; but to the more excitable Portuguese residents it was absolute paralysis. People went stark mad with panic; the seven hundred Indians became seven, and even sev

d together in self-defence. But before anything in the way of concerted effort could be agreed upon, rumour became fact; Andresito and his Indian cavalry were within half a mile of the 34 city. Two Portuguese men dropped dead in the street

out a terrible punishment if British life and property were not respected; and, to his great relief, the man soon came riding back w

ndian soldiers take possession of it. Nothing could less resemble a horde of uncivilised invaders than these seven hundred men. Headed by the handsome young Andresito and his Spanish-Peruvian secretary, Mexias, the Guaycurus halted and dismounted at the sou

their wives, screaming, threatening, and entreating. The Indian boys were liberated slaves, and it appeared that wherever Andresito had found a native child in captivity, he had freed him and taken a white boy priso

In future, try to remember that India

d, began to converse amicably with the principal inhabitants of the town. The cowardly commandant, Bedoya, had found a place of concealment; perhaps his conscience pricked him, for only a few weeks before he had instiga

and after a few days, the Englishman's influence over him became so great that, during the young leader's occasional outbursts of ungove

lousy of Mexias, the Indian chief's secretary-a vulgar toady and adventurer who could not be loyal to white man or red, and who, alarmed at th

s and unwise to ignore the natural barrier that exists between the white and the coloured races; but that is no reason why a man should be gratuitously insulted because he is an Indian; and when A

ison among criminals of the lowest type. His elder daughter at once went to Andresito's hotel, but could not obtain an interview with him till the next day. Then the chief happened to be in a good humour, and after some littl

s to be followed by a display of picturesque Indian dances. Very few of the Spaniards or Portuguese accepted the invitation

waite household was again disturbe

d the merchant,

t last night are to come and report themselves; the gentlemen at

and there found all the best-known white women of Corrientes gu

erefore I have invited you here to teach us better. When each lady has

not stopping to point out 38 that they were being punished for the misdeeds of others, they readily yielded to the chief's

g out, with fingers or penknives, the tufts of shabby grass that grew plentifully between the cobble-stones! The heat was so suffocating that th

en, and by the thought of the terrible amount of bloodshed for which he would be making himself responsible. Abandoning that idea, he fell back on plans for escape. This would be difficult, if not impossible, for Indians were

great dignity and politeness, and were very loud in their praise of British fare-particularly 39 of the "plom puddin Ingles" with which the host regaled them. A

e are your compatriots, Se?

of England as I have done. Did you not know that all the people in your

, broke it and threw the pieces over his shoulder, calling on the Indians to do the same. Now this was not at all an uncommon Spanish custom; but Miss Postlethwaite had strong objections to seeing every glass in the house broken, at a time when communic

sion to inform his guests with great insolence that the substance of all the 40 savouries was horse-beef. This elegant practical joke was his last. The following evening h

ough their leader's inability to press on to further conquests till he was reinforced by the troops of Indians, half-castes, or insurgent whites for which he was waiting. To Mr. Postlethwaite there now seemed no more risk in flight t

would rest themselves and their horses for a few hours, when Juan, his Spanish cook, pointed back to some moving objects at the foot of the long hill whose summit they had just reached-Indians, from the w

row E

in escaping to the banks of the Parana. A pursuing body of Indians almost captured them, but the boat'