The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-01-01

DedTu. Ills eyes are coal DIacks bright ana
fierce. and his form is often short and
wiry. He dresses in curious way His black
head is covered with an old skull cap,
soft SLOUGH hat. Upon the upper part Of his
body hangs a blanket often striped in bright
colors, through the center of which his head
is thrust. Another blanket is wound about
his waist and pulled between the legs and
fastened. Out of this lower blanket white
drawers extend down to his ankles. These
are often edged at the bottom with lace,
while bright red or blue slippers may cover
his feet He usually wears a belt OF channels
leather, which may be decorated with silver
buckles and bangles He is fond OF silver,
and decorates the trappings of his horse
with it when he possibly can. He has the
best horse he can buy, steal or borrow, and
his saddle is often adorned with silver stir
rups, while the bit of his bride is often sill
ver-plated and usually of great size A
gaucho- is never without a horse. Even if
he has to beg for enough TO eat he will stick
to his horse, the Argentine being one of
the few countries of the world where the
heggars really go about on horseback
You will see the homes of the gauchos
scattered over the pampas. Let me describe
one 1t is a mud hut fifteen feet square and
so low that you have to stoop to enter the
door. The floor is the earth, and there is no
furniture except the skulls of bulocks which
are used for seats and a table made of a
board or two, which the gaucho has prob
ably stolen from some rich land owner near
by. The only table furniture to be seen is
couple of tin pans. The gaucho does not
need cooking utensils He roasts his meat
on a spit over the fire he makes outside the
door. As the meat cooks he bastes it with
the juice which he catches in the pan, and
then cuts it off, slice at a time. He does
not need a fork, but holds one end of the
slice in his hand and clinches the other end
between his teeth, while he draws his knife
across within one-siXteenth of an inch of his
nose at every bite. His favorite dish is
carne concuero. This is meat cooked with
the skin. The meat is wrapped up tightly
in the skin, and thus cooked over the Goals.
The skin keeps in the juices, and the result
is delicious
HOSPITABLE BUT DANGEROUS.
The gaucho is very hospitable. If you
come to his hut he will take you in and give
you the best he has, although he may in
tend to stab you in the back as sooa as you
have gone few rods away. He cares little
for blood letting and is always ready to
fight. Every gaucho has his knife and is
seldom backward in using it. Sometimes he
acts like a demon, stabbing- without cause
i heard OF a gaucho who came along one
day where o woman was working with her
little boy beside her. AS the gaucho saw
the boy he said:
81 feel like killing some one''
And with that he took up the boy and
stabbed him. 1 heard of another gaucho
who shot a boy with no more provocation
than the above. Neither of these men were
hung for their murders.
The gauchos often have duels Their IA
vorite method of fighting is with knives
The duelists upon some such occasions have
their left legs tied together, each kneeIing
upon his right knee, SO that they face one
another. Each man is now given a poncho
or blanket which he throws over his left
arm and uses guard, and knife which
he holds in his right hand. At a word from
the principal the two men begin to stab at
each other, and they cut away until one
drops dead.
And do such men have wives and families?
Yes but they do not often waste their mon
ey on weddings, for weddings, you know,
come high in all South American countries.
They are performed by the priest, who must
have his fee before he will tie the golden
bands of matrimony. The gauchos are good
| lovers as we'll as good haters They are said
to be affectionate husbands and good
fathers when they are sober, though very
cruel when drunk. Almost all of them are
drunkards at times. They like to gamble
and play billiards. and scattered over the
pampas you will find here and there little
saloons, which are kept up by the gauchos.
They do not think it wrong to cheat at
cards, and the man who can cheat best is
considered the most skillful player. These
gauchos make good soldiers and some of
the best fighting of the Argentine has been
done by them. To-day the bravest men in
the army come from this class, the Argen-
tines of the city not comparing with them
in activity or bravery.
FRANK G. CARPENTER.