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The Estancia Canada Seca Low lands and floods Don Anastacio, a gaucho exquisite A greatly respected man Poor relations Don Anastacio a pig-fancier Narrow escape from a pig Charm of the low green lands The flower called macachina A sweet-tasting bulb Beauty of the green flower-sprinkled turf A haunt of the golden plover The Bolas My plover-hunting experience Rebuked by a gaucho A green spot, our playground in summer and lake in winter The venomous toad-like Ceratophrys Vocal performance of the toad-like creature We make war on them The great lake battle and its results.
As the early dawn is the best time to find wild animals abroad, both birds and quadrupeds the best also for approaching them the gaucho feels pretty confident either one or other will stray within reach of their guns, bolas, or lazos. In the end it proves that his confidence has not been misplaced.
"Oh! that's plain enough," answers the gaucho. "As you see, when once launched there's no knowing where it may roll to; and often gets lost in the long grass or among bushes; unlike the ordinary bolas, which stick to the thing aimed at that is, if thrown as they should be."
Bolas passed with no more than a "Good day, Mr. Aubyn." He could have killed the man. He swung round and pushed his dark face and jutty nose into the face of Bolas. "Did you ever get some books I sent you?" "Ou, ay, to be sure, they books " He rushed with savage strides away from the man.
But he knows everything about balls of another kind the bolas that weapon, without which a South American gaucho would feel as a crusader of the olden time lacking half his armour. And it is a bola that lies before him; though one of a peculiar kind, as he sees after stooping and taking it up. A round stone covered with cow's skin; this stretched and sewed over it tight as that on a tennis ball.
They, however, have learned to fear their enemy, man, when mounted on a horse and armed with bolas; and as soon as they see a horseman, they invariably take to flight. Darwin mentions a remarkable breed of cows called the nata or niata. The animal has a very short and broad forehead, with the nasal end turned up, and the upper lip much drawn back.
It was in this country that four years previously, Juan Diaz de Solis had been massacred by a tribe of Charruas, armed with that terrible engine which is still in use at the present day among the gauchos of the Argentine Republic, the bolas, which are metal balls fastened to the two ends of a long leather thong, called a lasso.
The soldiers coming on behind are brought to a sudden stop; scarce comprehending why, till they hear the wild Tovas war-cry raised above their heads, at the same time being saluted with a shower of bolas peridas rained down from the rocks, these terrible missiles crushing in every skull with which they came into contact.
Some fifty vicunas were thus in a very short time collected, when the Indians, running among them, began throwing their bolas with the greatest dexterity, never failing to entangle the legs of the game, which they speedily killed with their clubs or knives.
His own horse's legs were also caught by the bolas, but he jumped off, and with his knife cut them free: while doing this he was obliged to dodge round his horse, and received two severe wounds from their chuzos. Springing on the saddle, he managed, by a most wonderful exertion, just to keep ahead of the long spears of his pursuers, who followed him to within sight of the fort.
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