Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1901-11-09
e.
! Out on the Pampas !
{!
By0 A
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
Frank 2" Mrs. Hardy asked.
By q. A. HENTY

Frank? 2" Mrs. Hardy asked
"The next plot to ours belongs to three
young Englishmen, and the ground be-
tween US and Rosario is also principally
occupied by English; SO that we shall
have neightJrs near, and l do not sup
pose that it will be long before we have
them all around u.s."
eff the advantages of the place are so
great, Frank, how is it that you have got
it so very cheaply? l understood from
Mr.. Thompson that land in rising neigh
borhood, and that was likely to increase
in value, was worth two or three shli-
lings, or even more, an acre.
Mr.. Hardy hesitated. well, Cara,
the land is at present upon the extreme
verge of the settlements, and the Indians
are apt sometimes to be a little trouble
some, and to drive off a few horses or
cattle No doubt, the thing has been eH-
aggerated; still, there is something in it.
and the consequence is people are rather
afraid to bid, and l have got this splen-
did tract Of land for about twenty-five
hundred dollars; and, not improbably, IN
ten years it may be worth ten times as
much"
"a great proportion of these Indian
tales are built upon very small founda-
tions," Mr.. Thompson said, cheeungly.
In another two days Mr.. Hardy and
the boys accompanied by Mr.. Thompson,
went down to Buenos Ayres and took up
their quarters at the hotel for a night.
At parting, Mr.. Thompson presented
them with a couple of fine mastiffs. Mr..
Hardy had brought brace Of retrievers
him Thnn with q hearty 10lplI
and much Misunderstanding, they said Good
by as the steamer moved off from the
shore. The heavy luggage was to follow
in a sailing vessel upon the following day.
CHAPTER III.
The voyage up the river Parana was
marked by no particular incident. The
distance to Rosario from Buenos Ayres
is about two hundred and fifty miles,
which was performed by the steamer in
about day and a half. The river is
nearly twenty miles in breadth, and is
completely studded by islands. The boys
were disappointed at the aspect of Ro-
sario, which, although a rising place,
contained under a thousand inhabitants,
and looked miserably poor and squalid
after Buenos Ayres. Here they were
met by gentleman to whom Mr.. Thomp-
son had introduced Mr.. Hardy, and with
whom he had stayed on his first visit
to Rosario. He had brought horses for
themselves and bullock carts for their
luggage.
what! are these your boys, Mr.. Har-
dy? [ had not expected to have seen
such big fellows. Why, they will be
men in no time"
Il J,1>a i voI pau
cy's commentator. They were now six
teen and fifteen years old, respectively,
and were remarkably strong, well-grown
lads. In q few minutes the luggage was
packed in two bullock carts, and they
were on their way out to Mr.. Percy's sta
ton, which was about half way to the
camp of Mr.. Hardy. The word camp in
the pampas means station or property;
it is a corruption of the Spanish word
caspos, literally plains or meadows.
Here they found that Mr.. Percy had
most satisfactorily performed the COM
mission with which Mr.. Hardy had in
trusted him. He had bought a couple of
the rough country bullock carts, three
pairs of oxen accustomed to the yoke,
half a dozen riding horses, two mich
cows, and a score of sheep and cattle to
supply the larder. He had hired four men
"a stock keeper named Lopez, who was
called the capitaz or head man, tall,
swarthy fellow, whose father was Span
lard and his mother a native woman;
two laborers, the one a German, called
Hans, who had been some time in the
colony, the other an Irishman, Terence
Kelly, whose face the boys remembered
at once as having come out in the same
ship with themselves. The last man was
an American, one of those wandering fell
T! lows who are never contented to remain
anywhere, but are always pushing on,
as if they thought that the further they
went the better they should fare. He
was engaged as carpenter and useful
man, and there were few things to which
he could not turn his hand.
They waited the next day at Mr.. Per-
cy's station, and started the next morn
ing before daylight, as they had still
ten miles to travel, and were DESTROYS
of getting as early to The ground as pcs,
sible.
The boys were in the highest spirits
at being at last really out upon the
pampas. There was no road or track of
any kind, and consequently the party
struggled along in a confused body. First
came the animals-the sheep, bullocks
and cows. Behind these rode Lopez, in
his guacho dress and a long whip in his
hand, which he cracked from time to
time, with report like that of 2 pistol.
The first bullock cart was driven by
Hans, who sat upon the top of heap Of
baggage, his head covered with very
old and battered Panama hat, through
several broad holes in which his red hair
bristled out in a most comic fashion, and
over his blue flannel shirt large red
beard flowed almost to his waist. Terence
was walking by the side of the second
cart in corduroy breeches and CATERS
and blue coat, with a high black hat,
battered and bruised out of all shape, ON
his head. In his hand he held favorite