lay to the west of us at no very great distance. Behind
these jagged hills the sun was slowly setting when we erected our tents.
The ground chosen was at some little distance from the stream, and on the
bare gravel. The cacti that grew on two sides of us were of gigantic
height, and ribboned or edged with the most beautiful flowers. Our horses
and mules were hobbled and led to the stream, then turned on to the grass
which grew green and plentiful all along its banks.

A fire was quickly built and our great stewpan put on. We had already
killed our dinner in the shape of a small deer or fawn which had crossed
our path on the plains lower down. With biscuits, of which we had a
store, some curry, roots, which the Gauchos had found, and a handful or
two of rice, we soon had a dinner ready, the very flavour of which would
have been enough to make a dying man eat.

The dogs sat around us and around the Gauchos as we dined, and, it must be
allowed, behaved in a most mannerly way; only the collies and mastiffs
kept together. They must have felt their superiority to those mongrel
greyhounds, and desired to show it in as calm and dignified a manner as
possible.

After dinner sentries were set, one being mounted to watch the horses and
mules. We were in no great fear of their stampeding, but we had promised
Moncrieff to run as little risk of any kind as possible on this journey,
and therefore commenced even on this our first night to be as good as our
word.

The best Gauchos had been chosen for us, and every one of them could talk
English after a fashion, especially our bold but not handsome _capataz_,
or _cacique_ Yambo. About an hour after dinner the latter began serving
out the _mate_. This put us all in excellent humour and the best of
spirits. As we felt therefore as happy as one could wish to be, we were
not surprised when the _capataz_ proposed a little music.

'It is the pampas fashion, senor,' he said to me.

'Will you play and sing?' I said.

'Play and sing?' he replied, at once producing his guitar, which lay in a
bag not far off. '_Si_, senor, I will play and sing for you. If you bid
me, I will dance; every day and night I shall cook for you; when de
opportunity come I will fight for you. I am your servant, your slave, and
delighted to be so.'

'Thank you, my _capataz_; I have no doubt you are a very excellent
fellow.'

'Oh, senor, do not flatter yourself too mooch, too very mooch. It is not
for the sake of