The Purple Land

ng that ostrich parable I had only remained from motives of pride. I now determined to go back towards Montevideo, not, however, over the route I had come by, but m

ing it the appearance of a wild beast's cage, lounged the storekeeper smoking a cigar. Outside the bar were two men with English-looking faces. One was a handsome young fellow with a somewhat worn and dissipated look on his bronzed face; he was leaning against the counter, cigar in mouth, looking slightly tipsy, I thought, and wore a large revolver slung ostentatiously at his waist. His companion was a big, heavy man, with immense whiskers spr

o his house with him, and gave a glowing account of the free, jovial life he led in company with several other Englishmen-sons of gentlemen, every one of them, he assured me-who had b

you know. That's right-up you come. Now let me introduce you to Mr. Lamb. I'm sure he's an a

g, he succeeded in rousing his drunken companion, wh

r. Lamb. My friend, Captain Cloudesley Wriothe

y host Mr. Vincent Winchcombe's house. I had pictured to myself a charming little homestead, buried in cool greenery and flowers, and filled with pleasant memories of dear old England; I was, therefore, grievously disappointed to find that his "home" was only a me

ee them,"

nd blister beetles and things, and they a

artridge-boxes, and empty bottles. On the table were tumblers, cups, a sugar-basin, a monstrous tin teapot, and a demijohn, which I soon ascertained was half-full of Brazilian rum, or ca?a. Round the table five men were seated smokin

we've made a jolly arrangement-old Cloud-Captain Cloud, don't you know, first suggested it-and it is that every day one of the four-the Glorious Four we are called-keeps open house; and it's considered the right thing for the other nine fellows to drop in on him some time during the day, just to cheer him up a bit

making asses of themselves generally, I was not rapturously delighted with "old Cloud's" system. Still, I was glad to find myself with Englishmen in this distant country, and in the end I succ

s soul in

und out the

in big tumblers, and declared they

nd conversation. Once in about every five minutes he had implored someone in a husky voice to give him a light for his pipe, then, after two or three ineffectual

not having received his money from home, he confidentially informed me, but lived about, breakfasting in one house, dining in a second, and sleepi

isiting their native neighbours, partridge-shooting, horse-racing, etc.; but the partridges were too tame for them, they could never catch the ostriches, the natives didn't understand them, and they had finally given up all these so-called am

e things for yourselve

e the right thing, don't you

ravely, "we haven't quit

nsibly roughing it in other places, but the lofty pride of the

me than the slovenly rancho tenanted by his neighbour Winchcombe. He was the favourite of the colonists, having more money than the others, and keeping two servants. Always on his reception-day he provided his guests with

o the dense volume of tobacco smoke obscuring the room. There was a great deal of hilarious conversation; songs were sung, and a vast amount of tea, r

f running him down. Two of the hunters had provided themselves with horns, which they blew incessantly, while the others all shouted at the top of their lungs, so that our chase was a very noisy one. The fox appeared to understand his danger and to know that his only chance of escape lay in keeping up his strength till the refuge of the hills was reached. Suddenly, however, he changed his course, this giving us a great advantage, for by making a short cut we were all soon close at his heels, with only the wide level plain before us. But reynard had his reasons for what he did; he had spied a herd of cattle, and in a very

ing their victim to death, the capatas of the establishment, accompanied by three men, rode out to inquire who we were, and

s, what strange animal yo

ad just cut off, over his head. "In our country-in England-we hunt the

sed to join him, it would afford him great pleasure to

of reach of its horns; and in this way we quickly reached the house. One of the men now flung his lasso and caught the beast's hind leg; pulled in two opposite directions, it quickly came to a standstill; the other men, now dismounting, first ham-strung, then ran a long knife into its throat. Without removing the hide, the carcass was immediately cut up, and the choice pieces flung on to a great fire of wood, which one of the men had been making. In an hour's time we all sat down to a feast of carne con cuero, or meat

er rum nor tea to wash it down. When we had thanked our entertainer and were about to tur

r the stranger, and it will give me great pleasure to entertain you; but I beg you will hunt no more foxes over the ground belonging to this estancia, for you have

o the Oriental country. Then we rode back, and spent the remaining hours at the house of Mr. Girling, of the Glo