brown withered grass and a few very small shrubs, all
springing out of an elastic peaty soil. In the valleys here
and there might be seen a small flock of wild geese, and
everywhere the ground was so soft that the snipe were able
to feed. Besides these two birds there were few others.
There is one main range of hills, nearly two thousand feet
in height, and composed of quartz rock, the rugged and barren
crests of which gave us some trouble to cross. On the
south side we came to the best country for wild cattle; we
met, however, no great number, for they had been lately
much harassed.

In the evening we came across a small herd. One of my
companions, St. Jago by name, soon separated a fat cow:
he threw the bolas, and it struck her legs, but failed in
becoming entangled. Then dropping his hat to mark the spot
where the balls were left, while at full gallop, he uncoiled
his lazo, and after a most severe chase, again came up to
the cow, and caught her round the horns. The other Gaucho
had gone on ahead with the spare horses, so that St. Jago
had some difficulty in killing the furious beast. He managed
to get her on a level piece of ground, by taking advantage
of her as often as she rushed at him; and when she
would not move, my horse, from having been trained, would
canter up, and with his chest give her a violent push. But
when on level ground it does not appear an easy job for
one man to kill a beast mad with terror. Nor would it be
so, if the horse, when left to itself without its rider, did
not soon learn, for its own safety, to keep the lazo tight,
so that, if the cow or ox moves forward, the horse moves