lating plain which extends between Halberger's house
and the deserted _tolderia_ of the Tovas, a horseman is seen proceeding
in the direction of the latter. He is a man about middle age, of hale,
active appearance, in no way past his prime. Of medium size, or rather
above it, his figure though robust is well proportioned, with strong
sinewy arms and limbs lithe as a panther's, while his countenance,
notwithstanding the somewhat embrowned skin, has a pleasant, honest
expression, evincing good nature as a habitually amiable temper, at the
same time that his features show firmness and decision. A keenly
glancing eye, coal-black, bespeaks for him both courage and
intelligence; while the way in which he sits his horse, tells that he is
not new to the saddle; instead, seeming part of it. His garb is
peculiar, though not to the country which claims him as a native.
Draping down from his shoulders and spreading over the hips of his horse
is a garment of woollen fabric, woven in stripes of gaudy colours,
alternating white, yellow, and red, of no fit or fashion, but simply
kept on by having his head thrust through a slit in its centre. It is a
_poncho_--the universal wrap or cloak of every one who dwells upon the
banks of the La Plata or Parana. Under is another garment, of white
cotton stuff, somewhat resembling Zouave breeches, and called
_calzoneras_, these reaching a little below his knees; while his feet
and ankles are encased in boots of his own manufacture, seamless, since
each was originally the skin of a horse's leg, the hoof serving as heel,
with the shank shortened and gathered into a pucker for the toe. Tanned
and bleached to the whiteness of a wedding glove, with some ornamental
stitching and broidery, it furnishes a foot gear, alike comfortable and
becoming. Spurs, with grand rowels, several inches in diameter,
attached to the heels of these horse-hide boots, give them some
resemblance to the greaves and ankle armour of mediaeval times.

All this has he whose dress we are describing; while surmounting his
head is a broad-brimmed hat with high-peaked crown and plume of _rheas_
feathers--underneath all a kerchief of gaudy colour, which draping down
over the nape of his neck protects it from the fervid rays of the Chaco
sun. It is a costume imposing and picturesque; while the caparison of
his horse is in keeping with it. The saddle, called _recado_, is
furnished with several coverings, one upon another, the to