ilor's pseudonym, due to some slight resemblance, between the English
word "jerked," and the Guarani Indian one _charqui_, as pronounced by
South American people.

_Charqui_ is simply beef cut into long, thin strips, then hung over a
rope or rail, and exposed to a hot sun--in the absence of this, to a
fire--till the juices are thoroughly dried out of it. Thus prepared, it
will keep for weeks, indeed months.

The reason for so preserving it, is the scarcity of salt, which in the
districts where _charqui_ prevails, is difficult to be got at, and, in
consequence, dear. Most of the beef imported from the La Plata, under
the name of "jerked beef," is not _charqui_, but simply meat cured with
salt. Beef is preserved by a similar process throughout most parts of
Spanish America, as in Mexico, and California, and for the same reason;
but in these countries it is termed _tasajo_, and sometimes _cecina_.

_Charqui_ is by no means a dainty viand; not nice either to the nose or
palate. Those portions of it which have not had sufficient sun in the
drying process, become tainted, and the odour is anything but agreeable.
For all, it serves a purpose in those countries where salt is a scarce
commodity; and cooked--as all Spanish Americans cook it--with a
plentiful seasoning of onions, garlic, and chili, the "gamey" flavour
ceases to be perceptible. Above all, it is a boon to the traveller who
has a long journey to make through the uninhabited wilderness, with no
inns nor post-houses at which he may replenish his spent stock of
provisions. Being dry, firm, and light, it can be conveniently carried
in haversack, or saddle-bags.

By Caspar's foresight, there is a packet of it in Ludwig's _alparejas_,
where all the other provisions are stowed; and a piece cut from one of
the strips, about the length of a Bologna sausage, makes breakfast for
all three. Of the Paraguay tea they have a good store, the _yerba_
being a commodity which packs in small space.

Their morning meal is dismissed with slight ceremony; and soon as eaten,
they recaparison their horses; then leading them out of the cavern,
mount, and are off. As the _arroyo_ has long since shrunk to its
ordinary level, and the path along the base of the bluff is dry as when
trodden by them in their rush for shelter from the storm, they have no
difficulty in getting out. So on they ride up the steep acclivity to
the cliff's crest; which last is on a level with the pampa itself