Part 9

There is one of the canine species here, as also in Brazil, of a mouse color and without hair! At Ensenada, I saw one of this kind; he was full grown, though not larger than a rat. His body was of a jet black, with a shining, smooth skin, without hair or even down, excepting at the tip of his tail and on the crown of his head. He was of a perfect and handsome form, nimble in his motions, and would bark and play with the manners of a lady’s lap dog. I regretted that I could not obtain him, for I considered him a very curious animal.

Fish in great plenty swarm in the river, and are some of them of a beautiful appearance. In the market, some may be seen for sale, four feet long, with gold colored scales, some of a silvery hue, and a great variety of other kinds, of which, a species of fresh water cat fish are the most numerous, and the cheapest.

Beef is sold without weighing, often at seventy five cents per quarter; and a whole sheep, ready dressed, for twenty five cents!

The slaves are always well used and fed, and the majority appear to be as much at leisure, and full as happy as their masters.

In the warm months of summer, between the hours of two and four, a person may walk through the city and not meet any moving object, a deathlike stillness pervading the once bustling and crowded streets. From the scorching rays of a verticle sun, they retire to the recesses and shades, to enjoy, in the arms of Morpheus, their favorite _siesta_, or afternoon nap. At this time, none but dogs and Englishmen, they say, (by which term they mean all foreigners) are to be seen in the streets. The shutters of the shops and houses are closed; the muleteers and _peones_ are snoring under the piazzas, and the dogs are stretched out under cover; while the shopkeeper is sleeping on his counter, and the drayman under the shadow of his cart. I have said they are _enjoying_ their siesta, but there is one drawback upon their comfort—_fleas_!—which here abound in numbers without number. The habitations having all brick floors, afford ample retreats for these formidable disturbers of dreams.

The _paysanos_ are wonderfully expert on horseback; yet having for a saddle, only a few pieces of square cloth and leather, and triangular wooden stirrups, with green hide straps, into which they hook the great toe. Their method of catching the wild cattle is very dexterous and singular. They are provided with _lassos_, which is a strip of hide line thirty feet long, with an iron ring and noose at one end, and the other secured to the saddle, at the side of which the coil is suspended. Having selected an animal from the herd, the _guacha_ takes the coil in his hand, and swinging it fairly around his head a few times, still in chase, throws out the noose with surprising good aim, the distance of twenty feet, which falls over the bullock’s head, and turning his horse, draws tight and secures him by his horns; another hunter in the rear then throws a second noose, which entraps his hind legs, and by pulling in opposite directions, the bull is easily overthrown.

The _estancias_, or large farms, in the interior, are very productive and profitable, and the fertility of the soil and the salubrity of the climate, in these provinces, render the profession of the physician little room for active service.

To conclude—the people, by which I mean the middling and higher classes, are of amiable dispositions, strong natural sense, eager for information, and ardent lovers of liberty; highly honoring their military chieftains, and often speaking with enthusiastic pride of the heroic and beloved Bolivar. The march of mind, in these vast territories, must keep pace with the rapid strides of liberty, and truth and knowledge will ultimately prevail over despotism and superstition. Living in this delightful clime, and possessing this fruitful soil, with their devoted love of country, and their ardent thirst for knowledge, the speculative and contemplative mind of the philosopher and philanthropist may look forward—piercing the veil of futurity—and behold the native of Paraguay and the rough Patagonian, enjoying with the Chilian and the Peruvian, the invaluable blessing of an enlightened government; and tribes yet unknown, filling, at the sound of the Sabbath bell, the consecrated temples of the Most High.

Far in the west, beneath auspicious skies, In fertile vales, see mighty nations rise! Where the stain’d savage chas’d the bounding deer, See crowded marts and towering spires appear. In eastern climes, though freedom’s torch expires, Here it shall flame, and still increase its fires. On fam’d Parnassus, tho’ extinct her light, It proudly burns on Chimborazo’s height. Sad Greece! with foes in fearful odds at bay, While christian nations doubt to join the fray, And friends forsake, nor prayers nor valor heed— (Shame to their souls!)—in this thy utmost need. Yet courage, Greece! thy cherish’d name shall live, And in its ancient glory shall revive; Yes! freedom’s car o’er every realm shall roll, And spread her choicest gifts from pole to pole; Oppression’s chains to endless night be hurl’d, And INDEPENDENCE crown a smiling world!

FOOTNOTES

[1] A splinter of considerable length was taken from one of them twenty days afterwards, at Monte Video.

[2] This trunk and most of its contents, I brought home with me to Boston; and on emptying it some time since, a quantity of the sand from the eventful beach was found in its crevices.

[3] Winds from the pampas or plains.