Francisco Our Little Argentine Cousin

branding already under way. Several dozen peon gauchos had assemb

young animals; they have n

so large surely they could not stray on to a neighbou

the neighbouring ranches to gather in the strayed ones; and if our brand is on them there is never any question as to their owner. I am gradually having th

gs, two of which are longer than the third. The ends of these thongs are attached together and when the gaucho uses them he raises his hand holding these ends above his head and whirls them around and around to gather momentum, then opening his hand the weapon flies away t

S OF THE TRES AR

other held it by a rope around its fore-legs, and a third blazed the lines of the Tres Arroyas brand on its hip. The mark was in the shape

who had not missed one single detail of the performance. "They are not fi

ly, although very little of them goes to waste when they are skinned. Look over yo

his uncle used to point with, and saw tier after tier of poles, f

who was near-by, the Colonel inquired

red the superintendent. "These are very good ones

sufficient nourishment for the long hot ride, and now his hunger was aroused by odours th

t here with the gauchos

r almuerzo, which is in process of cooking over yonder behind that clump of willows. Bef

o to their breakfast now, the lad

h man mounted his own pony, for an Argentine cowboy never walks, be his journey

ied pace. They found the men gathered about in grou

ide one of the huts. Each man, without ceremony, had "fallen to" and helped

and, each man would sever the bite about two inches fro

plates," said the Colonel in an undertone to Fr

end of summer," and he gave a sharp blow to his horse, another to Barboza,

sting it with salt water, which he had brought in a bottle. In the coals below were sweet potatoes roasting in their jackets. So tempting were the combine

e offered him by Manuel. "I think I could eat with my han

raising a few. Meat and galletas, the hard biscuit of the Pampas, often three or

es me back to other days. Many times on our ex

one while we eat and r

moking, savoury lamb. "I've never told you of the expedition of General Roca into Patagonia. I was command

the narrow strip between the Andes and the Pacific Ocean, which belongs to Chile. This country is not the barren, unproductive coun

ke the land from the Indians of Patagonia? They

at will. But the winters there are most severe, especially when a pampero blows; so, during the winter months, they drove their immense droves of cattle to the northward into the foothills of the Andes, where it was warmer. During these winter sojourns close to the frontier of our R

er to Buenos Aires, instead of extending and growing as they s

y had made any trouble. I s

esident, he sent General Roca, who was my general, and the

a fierce race, giants in size and strength. Do y

something to do with their feet

ts in the sand and because of their magnitude, he believed them

efeat by digging great trenches, twenty feet deep and twenty feet wide,

earth was scattered, and when all was ready he se

in torrents then. The Indians, unsuspecting, fell headlong, thousands of them, into the trenches, and the few that were unhurt by the fall or by being crushed in the

and armadillos must have grown fat on the

eyes were ablaze and his cheeks

tream, now that we have finished our meal, and I wil

ostriches?" eagerl

ee, we were digging those same trenches and could not spare many of the men for hunting. I was ill and could no

u on that expedition?

. It was José who told us how the Indians catch ostriches;

ped his hands

ircle. The ostriches and guanacos that were thus imprisoned in the circle of fire were

ancisco's eyes and he sat with

, I'll tell you.

pointe

t think that's fair

proud of the boy's loyalty to his conviction,

u may sit in judgment on

mself, commands him; and I don't think hunting animals in that fashion is fair. The little English boy I play with at school is always saying that we Spaniards are

r to gain our ends with the least expenditure of energy. I want you, above all things, my lad, to be broad-minded, and able to see your own shortcomings, so think this matter ou

he men that are able to see their national deficienc

hes. How would you catch the

e he saw them do it in Chubut Territory; t

dded, smoking

chance with them for their lives, and if the ostrich can't outrun them, then, when they are within throwing distance, they whirl the bolas around their legs and trip them. He says it is fun to see a

sense of smell, they can scent a human being over a mile aw

e puma skin in the lib

metros in length. Are those guanaco skins in the dining-room at the es

asts of young ostriches; it is as soft as down and marked brown and white. The Pa

interest you. It is a vicu?a, and one of the finest I have ever seen. It was presented to your great-grandfather, General Lacevera, by a chief of the Incas, as a vicu?a robe is worn only by one of royal blood among the India

and I shall be

ortunes come to you in life, Ni

as scarcely on his pillow when guanacos, vicu?as a

TNO

] R