you young senors I care, but for the sake of the dear
master.'

'Sing, _capataz_,' I said, 'and talk after.'

To our surprise, not one but three guitars were handed out, and the songs
and melodies were very delightful to listen to.

Then our Sandie Donaldson, after handing his cup to be replenished, sang,
_Ye banks and braes_ with much feeling and in fine manly tenor. We all
joined in each second verse, while the guitars gave excellent
accompaniment. One song suggested another, and from singing to
conversational story-telling the transition was easy. To be sure, neither
my brothers nor I nor Archie had much to tell, but some of the experiences
of the Gauchos, and especially those of our _capataz_, were thrilling in
the extreme, and we never doubted their truth.

But now it was time for bed, and we returned to the tents and lit our
lamps.

Our beds were the hard ground, with a rug and guanaco robe, our saddles
turned upside down making as good a pillow as any one could wish.

We had now the satisfaction of knowing something concerning the contents
of that mysterious grip-sack of Archie's. So judge of our surprise when
this wonderful London cousin of ours first produced a large jar of what he
called mosquito cream, and proceeded to smear his face and hands with the
odorous compound.

'This cream,' he said, 'I bought at Buenos Ayres, and it is warranted to
keep all pampas creepies away, or anything with two wings or four, six
legs or sixty. Have a rub, Dugald?'

'Not I,' cried Dugald. 'Why, man, the smell is enough to kill bees.'

Archie proceeded with his preparations. Before enshrouding himself in his
guanaco mantle he drew on a huge waterproof canvas sack and fastened it
tightly round his chest. He next produced a hooped head-dress. I know no
other name for it.

'It is an invention of my own,' said Archie, proudly, 'and is, as you see,
composed of hoops of wire--'

'Like a lady's crinoline,' said Dugald.

'Well, yes, if you choose to call it so, and is covered with mosquito
muslin. This is how it goes on, and I'm sure it will form a perfect
protection.'

He then inserted his head into the wondrous muslin bladder, and the
appearance he now presented was comical in the extreme. His body in a
sack, his head in a white muslin bag, nothing human-looking about him
except his arms, that, encased in huge leather gloves, dangled from his
shoulders like an immense pair of flippers.

We three brothers looked at