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which, like the ferns of the antediluvian world, reach eighty feet in height, and which at their base are scarcely of the thickness of a man's body; there grow the barba de pao, literally, the beard of trees, which are used as towels, and those climbing plants which, by their multiplied interlacements, render the forests inextricable; there are those clearings, named campestres, in which rise up entire cities: Lima de Serra, Vaccaria, Lages ;-not only three cities, but three departments,of Caucasian population, Portuguese origin, and of Homeric hospitality.

There the traveller has no need to say anything or ask for anything. He enters the house, goes straight to the chamber of his hosts; the servants, without being called, come to take off his shoes or boots, and wash his feet. He remains as long as he likes, goes away when it suits him, takes no farewell, returns no thanks if it be his good pleasure, and, in spite of that forgetfulness, he who comes after him will be no worse received than he has been.

This is the youth of nature, this is the morning of humanity.

CHAPTER XVII.

THE LAGUNE OF LOS PATES.

WHEN I arrived at Pirantinino, I was received in the most amicable manner by the government of the republic. Bento Gonzales-a true knight-errant of the age of Charlemagne, brother in heart of the Oliviers and the Rolands, vigorous, active, loyal as they were, a real centaur, managing his horse as I have seen no one manage one but General Netto, the accomplished model of a horseman- -was absent on a march, at the head of a brigade of cavalry, to fight Sylva Tanaris, an imperial leader, who, having passed the canal of SanGonzales, was infesting that part of the province, then the seat of the Republican Government, and a little

village charming from its Alp-like position, the chief place of the department of the same name, and entirely surrounded by a warlike population, perfectly devoted to the cause of liberty.

In his absence, it was the minister of finance, Almeida, who did the honours of the city to me.

One word about Rio Grande, situated, as may be supposed from its name, upon some great river, or else a great river itself. Rio Grande is the lagune of Los Patos-the lake of the ducks; it may be about thirty leagues long. With the exception of some shallows, of which we shall have to speak presently, it is deep, and peopled with caymans; it is formed by five rivers, which throw themselves into it at its northern extremity, and which have the appearance of the five fingers of a hand, the palm of which is the end of the lagune. There is one spot from which all the five rivers may be seen at once and which on that account, is called Viamao. I have seen the hand. Viamao had then changed its name, and was called Settembrina, in commemoration of the republic proclaimed in September.

Finding myself unoccupied at Pirantinino, I asked to be allowed to join the column of operations directed upon San-Gonzales, under the President. It was there I saw that valiant man for the first time, and passed several days in intimate intercourse with him. He was truly the spoilt child of nature; she had given him everything which constitutes the true hero. Bento Gonzales had attained his sixtieth year when I knew him. Tall and slim, as I have said, he rode with admirable grace and ease. When on horseback, he might have been taken for five-and-twenty. Brave and fortunate, like one of Ariosto's knights, he would not have hesitated an instant to fight with a giant, though he had the stature of Polyphemus, and the armour of Ferragus. He had been one of the first to shout the cry of war, not with any view of personal ambition, but like every other child of this warlike people. His

camp living was that of the lowest inhabitant of the prairies-roasted flesh, and pure water.

The first day we saw each other, he invited me to his frugal meal, and we chatted away with as much familiarity as if we had been companions and equals from childhood. With so many natural and acquired gifts, Bento Gonzales was the idol of his fellow-citizens; and with so many gifts, strange to say, he was almost always unfortunate in his military enterprizes, which has confirmed me in the belief that chance goes for much more than genius in the events of war and the fortune of heroes.

I followed the column as far as Camodos-a pass of the canal of San-Gonzales, which joins the lagune of los Pates to Meun. Sylva Tanaris had retired precipitately thither, on hearing that a column of the republican army was approaching. Not being able to come up with him, the President fell back. I naturally did as he did, and eventually took, with him, the route to Pirantinino. About this time we received the news of the battle of Rio-Pardo, in which the imperial army was completely beaten by the republicans.

CHAPTER XVIII.

ARMING OF THE LANCIENS AT CAMACUA.

I was then charged with the arming of two lancions which were upon the Camacua, a river nearly like that of the canal of San-Gonzales, and which, as it did, debouched into the lagune of Los Patos. I had got, together with sailors from Montevideo and others Í found at Pirantinino, thirty men of all nations. It must be admitted that, unfortunately for him, my dear Louis Carniglia was among them. I had besides, as a new recruit, a colossal Frenchman, a Breton by birth, whom we called Gros-Jean, and another named François, a true filibuster, a worthy frère de la côte.

We arrived at Camacua: there we found an American, named John Griggs, who, from a farm belonging to Bento Gonzales, where he lived, was in the way of completing the equipment of two sloops. I was appointed chief of this little fleet, still in construction, with the grade of capitano tenente.

This construction was a curious affair, and did honour to the well-known American persistence. The wood was fetched from one side, and the iron from another; two or three carpenters cut the wood, a mulatto forged the iron. It was thus that the two sloops had been built, from the nails to the iron rings of the masts.

At the end of two months the fleet was ready. Each vessel was armed with two small bronze pieces; forty blacks or mulattos were added to the thirty Europeans, and made the number of the two crews amount to seventy men. One of the lancions might be of about eighteen tons, the other from eleven to twelve. I took the command of the larger, which we christened Le Rio-Pardo. John Griggs received the command of the other, which was called the Republican.

Rossetti had remained at Pirantinino, charged with the editorship of the journal "The People."

The

We began, as soon as the construction was finished, to emerge upon the lagune of los Patos. A few days were passed in making insignificant prizes. The Imperialists had to oppose to our two sloops of twentyeight tons the two, thirty ships of war and a steamvessel. But we had on our part the shallows. lagune was only navigable for large vessels in a kind of canal running along the eastern shore of it. On the opposite side, on the contrary, the land was cut into a declivity, and we ourselves, notwithstanding we drew so little water, were obliged to run aground more than thirty paces before we reached the shore.

The sand-banks advanced into the lagune nearly like the teeth of a comb, only these teeth were very wide apart. When we were obliged to run aground, and the

guns of a ship of war or a steam-boat incommoded us, I used to cry—

Now, my ducks, to the water!"

And my ducks jumped into the water, and by strength of back and arms, lifted the lancion, and carried it to the other side of the sand-bank. In the midst of all this, we captured a boat richly laden; we took it to the western coast of the lakes, néar Camacua, and there we burned it, after having taken from it all it was possible to find.

men.

This was the first prize we had taken that was worth the trouble; it afforded great delight to our little fleet. In the first place, every one had his share of the booty, and with a reserved fund I had a uniform made for my The Imperialists, who had quite despised us, and never missed an opportunity of laughing at us, began to perceive our importance on the lake, and employed numbers of boats to protect their commerce. The life we led was active, and full of danger, on account of the numerical superiority of our enemies, but at the same time attractive, picturesque, and in harmony with my character. We were not only sailors; in case of need we were horsemen; we always found in the moment of danger as many horses as we wanted, indeed more, and we were able to form within two hours a squadron, not very elegant, it is true, but formidable. All along the lagunes were estancias which the neighbourhood of the war had caused their inhabitants to desert. We there found cattle of all kinds, horses and food; besides which, in every one of these farms there were portions of cultivated land from which we reaped wheat in abundance, sweet potatoes, and often excellent oranges, this country producing the best in all South America. The horde who accompanied me, a truly cosmopolite troop, was composed of men of all colours and all nations. I treated them with a kindness perhaps a little out of season with such men; but there is one thing which I can affirm, and that is, that I never had to repent of that kindness,

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