Chapter III

, Darwin, writing almost contemporaneously of conditions on the pampas, says: "It is curious how similar circumstances produce such similar results in manners. At the Cape of Good Hope the same hospitality, and very nearly the same points of etiquette, are universally observed."

[71] =acaba=. The verb is in the singular because =lo palpable y vulgar= are taken to be one and the same thing.

[72] =se aleja=. The subject of this verb and the following verbs of the sentence is =horizonte=.

[73] =despierto=, with concessive force, _though awake_.

[74] =es poeta=, _is poetical_. Notice the use of a noun with the force of an adjective.

[75] =y cómo ha de dejar de serlo=, _and how can it help being so_. =Lo= refers to the previous statement, =es poeta=.

[76] =mientras se cruzan dos palabras=, _in the twinkling of an eye_.

[77] =atraerse=. The reflexive is here the indirect object of the verb.

[78] =Masas de tinieblas..., masas de luz lívida=, in loose apposition with colores of the preceding sentence.

[79] =y muestra... poder=, _and shows the limitless stretches of the pampa as they are vividly pierced by the lightning, the symbol of power_.

[80] =Añádase=, _Let it be added_.

[81] =una atmósfera cargada de electricidad=. "On a second night we witnessed a splendid scene of natural fireworks; the masthead and yard arm ends shone with St. Elmo's light; and the form of the vane could almost be traced, as if it had been rubbed with phosphorus. The sea was so highly luminous that the tracks of the penguins were marked by a fiery wake, and the darkness of the sky was momentarily illuminated by the most vivid lightning."--DARWIN, _The Voyage of the Beagle_, describing the entrance to the estuary of the Plata.

[82] =como el pelo contrariado del gato=, _like a cat's hair when stroked the wrong way_.

[83] =la vista=, subject of the verbs =gira=, =reconcentra=, =encuentra=, in the preceding lines.

[84] =Paraná= and =Uruguay= (next line). Two rivers. V. map.

[85] =arrojan=. Strictly speaking, the subject is =ceibos y palmas=, though the meaning is clearly that _all_ the trees overhanging the banks, _i.e._, the aromo and the orange tree, shower their flowers.

[86] =flor del aire=, _flower of the air_; popular name for a plant of the genus Tillandsia, very common in Argentina. There are many varieties, with flowers of different colors. The striking characteristic of this plant is that it will grow without having its roots in the ground, getting its sustenance from the air when tied to or suspended from anything.

[87] =Guazú=, one of the rivers of the Paraná delta.

[88] =es un canto frigio=. The well-known archeologist, Sir William Mitchell Ramsay, in his article on Phrygia in the _Encyclopædia Britannica_ says: "The scenery is generally monotonous; even the mountainous districts rarely show striking features or boldness of character; where the landscape has beauty it is of a subdued melancholy character. The circumstances of the country are well calculated to impress the inhabitants with a sense of the overwhelming power of nature and of their complete dependence on it. Their mythology, so far as we know it, has a melancholy and mystic tone, and their religion partakes of the same character."

[89] =Rousseau= (Jean Jacques), the celebrated French philosopher of the eighteenth century (1712-1778), in his youth wrote a _Dissertation on Modern Music_, in which he attempted to introduce a new system of musical notation.

[90] =Copiapó=, city in Chile. V. map.

[91] =no lo han de haber adoptado=, _cannot have adopted it_.

[92] =y lo populariza... exige=, _and popularizes it by the audiences which his song gathers_.

[93] =andaluz genuino=. Most of the Spanish colonizers of Argentina were Andalusians. To this day their influence is noticeable in the pronunciation of Spanish throughout South America. The most striking difference in the pronunciation of the Castilians and that of the Andalusians is that the latter pronounce the =z=, and the =c= when followed by =e= or =i=, like an =s=. The Andalusians do not make the =s= as sibilant as the Castilians; with them it is very often a light aspirate sound.

[94] =algunos= refers to =especialidades= in the preceding sentence. It is made masculine because the word is used to denote males, _i.e._, the =tipos= and =caracteres= which are described in detail later on.

[95] =guerra civil=. The revolutionary struggle between Buenos Aires and the provinces of the interior, which broke out close upon the heels of Argentine independence, is referred to here. V. Introduction.

[96] =es de muy buena silla=, _she is a very good mount_.

[97] =ha pasado ayer=. A Spaniard would say here =pasó ayer=. This use of the perfect instead of the preterite is a common Gallicism in South America.

[98] =sierra de San Luis=, in the province of San Luis. V. map.

[99] =fallarle=, _pass sentence against him_. =Le= is dative of disadvantage.

[100] =que=, object of =considera=.

[101] =si le sucedía momentáneamente extraviarse=, _if he happened to lose the track for a moment_.

[102] "=¡Dónde te _mi-as-dir_!=" stands for "=¡Dónde te me has de ir!=" _Where do you think you will get away from me?_

[103] =unas hierbas=, _some blades of grass_.

[104] =_baquiano_=, also spelled =baqueano=. This adjective is derived from the verb =vaquear=, which in Argentina means to round up cattle. In the course of their work, the =baquianos=, or cattlemen, acquired an intimate knowledge of the country, and it was only natural, therefore, that the pathfinders, the sense in which the word is used here, should come from their midst. To-day it is also used to denote a person who is an expert in anything.

[105] =Imaginaos=. The final =d= of the second person plural imperative is dropped in reflexive verbs.

[106] =el camino que lleva=, _the road he is following_.

[107] =si no los hay=, _if there aren't any_.

[108] =el camino ha de ir al Sur=, _the road must be to the south_.

[109] =lago o arroyo de agua salada o dulce=. Salt streams and lakes are common in Argentina, particularly in the central provinces. "One day I rode to a large salt lake, or salina, which is distant fifteen miles from the town. During the winter it consists of a shallow lake of brine, which in summer is converted into a field of snow-white salt.... One of these brilliantly white and level expanses, in the midst of the brown and desolate plain, offers an extraordinary spectacle."--DARWIN, _The Voyage of the Beagle_.

[110] =El general Rosas=. V. Introduction.

[111] =lo=. Cf. 29, 2.

[112] =Cuando se aproxima=. The subject is =el enemigo=.

[113] =observa los polvos=, _observes the clouds of dust_.

[114] =el jefe obra bajo este dato=, _the chief makes his plans in accordance with this information_.

[115] =las aciertan=, _succeed in them_.

[116] =Creeráse=. The object pronoun is placed after the verb for stylistic effect. The student should avoid this use.

[117] =El general Rivera=. José Fructuoso Rivera (1790-1854), famous gaucho leader of the revolutionary movement in Uruguay. He was twice elected to the presidency of his country. Defeated in 1845 by Urquiza, he fled to Brazil.

[118] =Banda Oriental=. V. 5, 1.

[119] =Oribe= (Manuel), one of the famous "Thirty-three" liberators of Uruguay. V. Introduction.

[120] =Lavalleja= (Juan Antonio), leader of the liberating expedition of the "Thirty-three".

[121] =con toda su ciencia=. The possessive adjective =su= refers to =Ojo de Halcón= and =el Trampero=, which are different names for the hero in Cooper's _Leatherstocking Tales_.

[122] =La justicia=, _i.e._, its emissaries, the police.

[123] =enlaza una vaca=.... This is hardly so to-day, save perhaps occasionally in the depths of the pampas. But in the days of Sarmiento it was far from being an uncommon event. Cf. 9, 22.

[124] =se provee _de los vicios_=. He supplies himself with tobacco and _mate_. In the simple life of the gaucho, tobacco and _mate_ are luxuries, vices (!).

[125] =entra en baile con su pareja, confúndese en las mudanzas del _cielito_=, _joins in the dance with his partner, mingles with the others in the steps of the =cielito=_.

[126] =su morada sin limites=, _i.e._, =los cardales=, the thistle fields of the pampa.

[127] =en la provincia=, _i.e._, in whichever province the =gaucho malo= may be living, or better, roving.

[128] =Si no se le pide=, _If he is not asked_.

[129] =a menos que él lo solicite=. =Él= refers to =alguno=; =lo=, to =acercársele=; trans., _unless the traveler wishes the gaucho to approach him_.

[130] =valiente Rauch=, popular hero and gaucho leader; comparable to Custer in American history.

[131] =catástrofe de Facundo=. Reference to the assassination of this rival of Rosas. He was murdered by the outlaw gaucho Santos Pérez at the instigation of Rosas. His death was a favorite theme of the =cantores=.

[132] =el infeliz=, a term of mild contempt, _the poor fellow_.

[133] =de lo que tiene sobre su cabeza=, _i.e._, the cultured city element.

[134] =de lo que tiene a los pies=, _i.e._, the semicivilized gaucho element of the country.

[135] =Dondequiera que=, _Wherever_.

[136] No es fuera de propósito recordar aquí las semejanzas notables que presentan los argentinos con los árabes. En Argel, en Orán, en Máscara y en los aduares del desierto, ví siempre a los árabes reunidos en cafés, por estarles prohibido el uso de los licores, apiñados en derredor del cantor, generalmente dos que se acompañan de la vihuela a duo, recitando canciones nacionales plañideras como nuestros tristes. La rienda de los árabes es tejida de cuero y con azotera, como las nuestras; el freno de que usamos es el freno árabe, y muchas de nuestras costumbres revelan el contacto de nuestros padres con los moros de la Andalucía. De las fisonomías no se hable: algunos árabes he conocido que jurara haberlos visto en mi país.--EL AUTOR.

(=Orán=, port in Algeria.

=Máscara=, town in Algeria, to the southeast of Orán.

=azotera=. In Argentina reins are often made long enough so that the ends may be used as a whip; these constitute the =azotera=.

=no se hable=, _let us not speak_.)

[137] =con ser=, _though being_.

[138] =no está libre de=..., _is not free from having some accounts to settle with the police_.

[139] =lo del rapto=, _the story of the abduction_.

[140] =el poncho=. The poncho used by the gauchos is a thick woolen blanket of oblong shape, with a slit in the center so that it may fall over the wearer's shoulders. It is an inseparable accouterment of the gaucho. It is his winter coat, his raincoat, and his shield to boot, for in his dueling, to which he is much given, the gaucho fights with the knife in one hand and the poncho wrapped around the other hand and arm.

[141] =se veía salir=, _there was seen emerging_.

[142] =tomado de la cola=, _clinging to the tail_.

[143] =la sangrienta lucha=, _i.e._, the struggle between the unitarians and federalists. V. Introduction.

[144] =Andando esta historia=, _As this history goes on_.

[145] =En el