THE RIVER PLATE.
_Blue, glossy green, and velvet black,_
_They coiled and swam; and every track_
_Was a flash of golden fire._
_Tuesday, September 5th_.--We got under way at 6 a.m., and soon bade
adieu to Rio, where we have spent so many happy days, and to our
friends on board H.M.S. 'Volage' and 'Ready,' with whom we
interchanged salutes in passing. It was a dull wet morning, and we
could not see much of the beauties we were leaving behind us. The peak
of Tijuca and the summit of the Corcovado were scarcely visible, and
the Sugarloaf and Gavia looked cold and grey in the early mist. It was
not long before we were rolling on the bar, and then tumbling about in
very uncomfortable fashion in the rough sea outside. One by one we all
disappeared below, where most of us remained during the greater part
of the day. As for me, I went to bed for good at six o'clock in the
evening, but was called up again at ten, to see some large bonitos
playing about the bows of the yacht. It was really worth the trouble
of getting up and climbing quite into the bows of the vessel to watch
them, as they gambolled and frisked about, brightly illumined by the
phosphorescence of the water, now swimming together steadily in pairs
or fours, now starting in sudden pursuit of one of their number, who
would make an independent rush forward in advance of his companions.
_Saturday, September 9th_.--The last three days have been showery,
with squalls which have freshened to a gale, and we are now scudding
along, under all storm canvas, followed by crowds of cape-pigeons and
cape-hens, and a few albatrosses. Towards this evening, however, the
wind fell light, and we got up steam, in order to be prepared for any
emergency, as a calm is frequently succeeded on this coast by a
_pampero_, and we are now approaching a lee shore.
_Sunday, September 10th_.--Tom has been on deck nearly all night. The
shore is very low and difficult to distinguish, and the lights are
badly kept. If the lighthouse-keeper happens to have plenty of oil,
and is not out shooting or fishing, he lights his lamp; otherwise, he
omits to perform this rather important part of his duties. The
lighthouses can therefore hardly be said to be of much use. About 5
a.m. Kindred rushed down into our cabin, and woke Tom, calling out,
'Land to leeward, sir!' and then rushed up on deck again. The first
glimmer of dawn had enabled him to see that we were running straight
on to the low sandy shore, about three miles off, a very strong
current having set us ten miles out of our course. The yacht's head
was accordingly at once put round, and steaming seaward we soon left
all danger behind. The sun rose brilliantly, and the weather during
the day was very fine. Morning service was impossible, owing to the
necessity for a constant observation of the land; but, after making
the lighthouse on Santa Maria, we had prayers at 4.30 p.m., with the
hymn, 'For those at Sea.' In the night we made the light on Flores,
burning brightly, and before morning those in the harbour of Monte
Video.
_Monday, September 11th_.--After making the Flores light we proceeded
slowly, and dropped our anchor in the outer roads of Monte Video at 4
a.m. At seven o'clock we got it up again, and by eight were anchored
close to the shore. We found that our arrival was expected, and the
health-officers' boat was soon alongside. Next came an officer from
the United States' man-of-war 'Frolic,' with polite messages and
offers of service; and then a steam-launch belonging to the Pacific
Company, and another from the Consul, Major Monro, with piles of
letters and newspapers for us.
Monte Video, as seen from the water, is not an imposing-looking place.
On the opposite side of the entrance to the harbour rises a hill,
called the Cerro, 450 feet high, from which the town derives its name,
and further inland, on the town side, is another eminence, 200 feet
high, called the Cerrito. With these exceptions the surrounding
country looks perfectly flat, without even a tree to break the
monotony.
Soon after breakfast we went ashore--in more senses of the word than
one; for they have commenced to build a mole for the protection of
small vessels, which, in its unfinished state, is not yet visible
above the water. The consequence was that, at a distance of about half
a mile from the landing-steps, we rowed straight on to the submerged
stonework, but fortunately got off again very quickly, without having
sustained any damage. On landing, we found ourselves opposite the
Custom House, a fine building, with which we afterwards made a closer
acquaintance.
There is a large and very good hotel here, l'Hôtel Oriental. It is a
handsome building outside, and the interior is full of marble courts,
stone corridors, and lofty rooms, deliciously cool in the hottest
weather. Having procured a carriage, Tom and I and the children drove
through the streets, which are wide and handsome, though badly paved,
and so full of holes that it is a wonder how the springs of a carriage
can last a week. The houses seem built chiefly in the Italian style of
architecture, with fine stucco fronts, and in many cases marble floors
and facings, while the courtyards, seen through the grilles, blazed
with flowers. All the lower windows were strongly barred, a precaution
by no means unnecessary against the effects of the revolutions, which
are of such frequent occurrence in this country. To enable the
inhabitants the better to enjoy the sea-breeze, the tops of the houses
are all flat, which gives the town, from a distance, somewhat of an
eastern appearance. There are a great many Italian immigrants here,
and most of the building and plastering work is done by them.
The Paseo del Molino is the best part of the town, where all the rich
merchants reside in quintas, surrounded by pretty gardens. They are
very fantastic in their ideas of architectural style, and appear to
bestow their patronage impartially, not to say indiscriminately, upon
Gothic cathedrals, Alhambra palaces, Swiss cottages, Italian villas,
and Turkish mosques. Except for this variety, the suburb has somewhat
the appearance of the outskirts of many of the towns on the Riviera,
with the same sub-tropical surroundings. These are, however, hard
times on the River Plate, and more than half the quintas are deserted
and falling into ruins. On our way back, by the Union Road, we met a
great many of the native bullock-carts going home from market. These
huge conveyances are covered with hides, and are drawn by teams of
from two to twelve bullocks, yoked in pairs, and driven by a man on
horseback, who carries a sharp-pointed goad, with which he prods the
animals all round, at intervals. Dressed in a full white linen shirt
and trousers, with his bright poncho and curious saddle-gear, he forms
no unimportant figure in the picturesque scene. In the large
market-place there are hundreds of these carts, with their owners
encamped around them.
When we at last arrived on board the yacht again, at three o'clock, we
found that the miseries of coaling were not yet over, and that there
had been numerous visitors from the shore. Everything on deck looked
black, while below all was pitch dark and airless, every opening and
crevice having been closed and covered with tarpaulin, to keep out the
coal dust. It took seven hours to complete the work, instead of two,
as was hoped and promised, so our chance of starting to-day is over.
This seemed the more disappointing, because, had we foreseen the
delay, we might have made other arrangements for seeing more on shore.
_Tuesday, September 12th_.--The anchor was up, and we were already
beginning to steam away when I came on deck this morning, just in time
to see the first faint streaks of dawn appearing in the grey sky. The
River Plate here is over a hundred miles wide, and its banks are very
flat; so there was nothing to be seen, except the two little hills of
Cerro and Cerrito and the town of Monte Video, fast vanishing in the
distance. The channels are badly buoyed, and there are shoals and
wrecks on all sides. The lightships are simply old hulks, with no
special marks by which to distinguish them; and as they themselves
look exactly like wrecks, they are not of much assistance in the
navigation, which is very confusing, and sometimes perilous. Once we
very nearly ran aground, but discovered just in time that the vessel
we were steering for with confidence was only a wreck, on a dangerous
shoal, and that the lightship itself was further ahead. The yacht was
immediately put about, and we just skirted the bank in turning.
The weather improved during the day, and a fine sunset was followed
by a clear starlight night. At 10.30 p.m. we dropped our anchor
outside all the other vessels in the roads at Buenos Ayres, eight
miles from the shore. The lightship only carried an ordinary riding
light, like any other vessel, so that it was almost impossible, unless
you knew the port very well, to go in closer to the land at night.
_Wednesday, September 13th_.--Daylight did not enable us to
distinguish the town, for the river here is wide and the banks are
low, and we were lying a long way from the shore, outside a great many
fine-looking ships, at anchor in the roads. About nine o'clock a
German captain, in a large whale-boat, came alongside and told us we
were nearly eight miles from Buenos Ayres. Tom arranged with him to
take us ashore; and accordingly we soon started. The water was smooth
and there was a nice breeze, and we sailed gallantly along for about
two hours, until we reached the town. After anchoring, we transshipped
ourselves into a small boat, in which we were rowed to some steps, at
the end of the long rickety mole, where we landed. Some of the planks
of the pier were missing, leaving great holes, big enough to fall
through, and others were so loose that when you stepped upon one end
of them the other flew up almost into your face.
Our first business was to secure the services of a pilot, to take us
up to Rosario. The best man on the river was sent for; but when he
came he did not recommend our undertaking the voyage, as the water is
very low at present, and we might get stuck on a sandbank, and be
detained for some days, although no further harm would be likely to
occur to us. We decided, therefore, as our time is precious, to give
up the idea of making the expedition in the yacht, and to go in the
ordinary river-boat instead.
Under the guidance of some gentlemen, we then went to the Central
Railway Station to send off some telegrams, and thence to the River
Plate Bank. The treasury contains 600,000_l_. in British sovereigns,
locked up in three strong safes, besides paper-money and securities to
the amount of 2,000,000_l_. It was the Rosario branch of this bank
which was recently robbed of 15,000_l_. by an armed government force;
an unprecedented proceeding in the history of nations, and one that
might have led to the interference of foreign powers.
There was time afterwards to go round and see something of the city,
which, like many other South American towns, is built in square
blocks, all the streets running exactly at right angles one to
another. There is a fine plaza, or grand square, in which are situated
the cathedral, theatre, &c., the centre being occupied by a garden,
containing statues and fountains. The various banks, with their marble
facings, Corinthian columns, and splendid halls, are magnificent
buildings, and look more like palaces than places of business. Some of
the private houses, too, seem very handsome. Outside they are all
faced with marble, to a certain height from the ground, the interior,
consisting of courtyard within courtyard, being rather like that of a
Pompeian house.
We next went to the agricultural show, which, though not an imposing
affair to our eyes, appeared really very creditable to those who had
organised it. The horses and cattle looked small, but there were some
good specimens of sheep--specially the _rombonellis_ and _negrettis_,
whose long fine wool was, however, only to be discovered by first
turning aside a thick plaster of mud, beneath which it was concealed.
We saw also some curious animals, natives of the country, such as
vicuñas, llamas, bizcachas, and various kinds of deer, a very mixed
lot of poultry and dogs, and two magnificent Persian cats. Another
department of the show was allotted to the commercial products of the
country, animal, vegetable, and mineral; the whole forming a very
interesting collection.
In re-embarking, the disagreeable process of this morning had to be
repeated--rickety pier, rotten steps, and small boat included--before
we reached the whale-boat, after which we had an eight miles' sail out
to the yacht. It was a cold, dull night, and getting on board proved
rather difficult work, owing to the rough sea.
_Thursday, September 14th_.--The pilot came on board at seven o'clock
to take us in nearer the shore, but, after all, we found ourselves
obliged to anchor again five miles off. No ship drawing more than ten
feet can get inside the sand-banks, which makes it a wretched place to
lie in, especially as the weather at this time of year is very
uncertain. You may go ashore from your ship on a fine clear morning,
and before you return a gale may have sprung up, accompanied by a
frightful sea. Open boats are therefore quite unsafe, a state of
things which has given rise to the existence of a class of fine boats,
specially built for the service, which attend all the ships lying in
the roads. They are half-decked, will sail in any weather, and can be
easily managed by two men.
About ten o'clock we went ashore again in the whale-boat, which Tom
had engaged to wait on us during our stay, and made the best of our
way to a warehouse to look at some ponchos, which are the speciality
of this part of South America. Everybody wears one, from the beggar to
the highest official. The best kind of ponchos are very expensive,
being made from a particular part of the finest hair of the vicuña,
hand-woven by women, in the province of Catamarca. The genuine article
is difficult to get, even here. In the shops the price usually varies
from 30_l_. to 80_l_.; but we were shown some at a rather lower
price--from 20_l_. to 60_l_. each. They are soft as silk, perfectly
waterproof, and will wear, it is said, for ever. We met a fine-looking
man in one of beautiful quality yesterday. He told us that it
originally cost 30_l_. in Catamarca, twenty years ago, and that he
gave 20_l_. for it, second-hand, ten years ago; and, with the
exception of a few slight tears, it is now as good as ever. Before we
came here, we were strongly advised, in case we should happen to go on
a rough expedition up country, not to be tempted to take with us any
_good_ ponchos, as the Gauchos, or half-bred Indians of the Pampas,
who are great connoisseurs of these articles, and can distinguish
their quality at a glance, would not hesitate to cut our throats in
order to obtain possession of them.
The material of which they are made is of the closest texture, and as
the hair has never been dressed or dyed it retains all its natural oil
and original colour, the latter varying from a very pretty yellow fawn
to a pale cream-colour. The majority of the ponchos worn here are,
however, made at Manchester, of a cheap and inferior material. They
look exactly like the real thing at first sight, but are neither so
light nor so warm, nor do they wear at all well. Occasionally they are
made of silk, but more often of bright-coloured wool. In shape a
poncho is simply a square shawl with a hole in the middle for the head
of the wearer. On horseback the appearance is particularly
picturesque, and it forms also a convenient cloak, which comes well
over the saddle, before and behind, and leaves the arms, though
covered, perfectly free.
The natives, as a rule, wear a second poncho, generally of a different
colour, tucked into the waistband of their long full linen drawers
(_calzoncillos_), so as to make a pair of short baggy over-trousers. A
poor man is content with a shirt, drawers, and two ponchos. A rich man
has many rows of fringe and frills of lace at the bottom of his
_calzoncillos_, and wears a short coat, with silver buttons, and a
gorgeous silver belt, covered with dollars. His horse-fittings and
massive stirrups (to say nothing of his enormous spurs) will be of
solid silver, and his arms inlaid with the same metal. He will
sometimes give as much as from 10_l_. to 20_l_. for a pair of stirrups
alone, and the rest of his dress and equipment is proportionately
expensive. The cost of the silver articles is little more than the
value of the metal itself, which is of very pure quality, and is only
roughly worked by the Indians or Gauchos. But as Manchester provides
the ponchos, so does Birmingham the saddlery and fittings, especially
those in use in the neighbourhood of towns.
After inspecting the ponchos, we breakfasted with some friends, and
about noon started in the train for Campana. The line passes at first
through the streets of Buenos Ayres, and thence into the open country,
beautifully green, and undulating like the waves of the sea. Near the
town and the suburb of Belgrano are a great many peach-tree
plantations, the fruit of which is used for fattening pigs while the
wood serves for roasting them. There is also some scrubby brushwood,
and a few large native trees; but these are soon left behind, and are
succeeded by far-spreading rich pasture land, and occasional lagunes.
We saw for the first time the holes of the bizcachas, or prairie-dogs,
outside which the little prairie-owls keep guard. There appeared to be
always one, and generally two, of these birds, standing, like
sentinels, at the entrance to each hole, with their wise-looking heads
on one side, pictures of prudence and watchfulness. The bird and the
beast are great friends, and are seldom to be found apart. We also
passed several enormous flocks of sheep and herds of cattle, most of
them quite unattended, though some were being driven by men on
horseback. There were quantities of plovers, and a great many
partridges, of two kinds, large and small, and the numerous lagunes
were covered with and surrounded by water-fowl of all kinds--wild
swans and ducks, snipe, white storks, grey herons, black cormorants,
and scarlet flamingoes, the last-named standing at the edge of the
water, catching fish, and occasionally diving below the surface. On
the very top of some of the telegraph-posts were the nests of the
oven-bird, looking like carved round blocks of wood, placed there for
ornament. These nests are made of mud, and are perfectly spherical in
form, the interior being divided into two quite distinct chambers.
[Illustration: Prairie Dogs and Owls.]
Campana was reached by four o'clock, the train running straight on to
the pier, alongside of which the two vessels were lying, with steam
up. Passengers, baggage, and freight were immediately transferred from
the train to the boats; and we soon found ourselves steaming along in
the 'Uruguay,' between the willow-hung banks of the broad Parana. The
country, though otherwise flat and uninteresting, looks very pretty
just now, in its new spring coat of bright green.
We passed several small towns, amongst others, San Pedro and San
Nicolas, which are quite important-looking places, with a good deal of
shipping, and occasionally stopped to pick up passengers, who had come
in boats and steam-launches from far-distant villages, situated on
lagunes, which our steamer could not enter.
Just before arriving at each stopping-place, we had a race with the
'Proveedor,' and whenever she became visible at a bend in the river,
half a ton more coal was immediately heaped on to our fires by the
captain's order--a piece of reckless extravagance, for, do what they
would, they could not make us gain five minutes. The competition is,
however, very fierce, and I suppose the two companies will not be
satisfied until they have ruined one another; whereas, if each would
run a steamer on alternate days, they and the public would be equally
benefited. The fares are exceedingly reasonable, being less than 3_l_.
for the whole journey from Buenos Ayres to Rosario, including all
charges.
_Friday, September 15th_.--A violent storm of thunder and lightning,
apparently just above our heads, woke us at six o'clock this morning.
Torrents of rain followed, and continued to fall until we dropped our
anchor at Rosario, at 8.45 a.m., just as we were in the middle of
breakfast, in our cozy little stern cabin. Half an hour later we
landed, though the rain still came down in sheets, but the steamer was
now alongside the pier, and close carriages had been provided. A few
minutes' drive through ill-paved streets brought us to the Hotel
Universel, a handsome, spacious building, with marble courtyards, full
of trees, plants, and flowers, into which all the sitting-rooms open.
Above are galleries, round which the various bed-rooms are in like
manner ranged. It all looked nice and cool, and suitable for hot
weather, but it was certainly rather draughty and cheerless on such a
cold, pouring wet day, and all our efforts to make our large room, in
which there were four immense windows, at all comfortable, were vain.
Rosario, like Buenos Ayres, is built in squares. The streets are
generally well paved with black and white marble, but the roadways are
composed of little round stones, and are full of holes and
inequalities, so that, in crossing the road after heavy rain, one
steps from the _trottoir_ into a very slough of despond. The universal
tramway runs down the centre of every street.
After luncheon we made a fresh start for Carcaraña by a special train,
to which were attached two goods-vans, full of horses, and a carriage
truck, containing a most comfortable American carriage, in shape not
unlike a Victoria, only much lighter and with very high wheels. After
a short journey through a rich, flat, grass country, we arrived at
Roldan, the first colony of the Central Argentine Land Company. Here
we all alighted, the horses were taken out of the vans, saddled,
bridled, and harnessed, and the gentlemen rode and I drove round the
colony, along what are generally roads, but to-day were sheets of
water. We saw many colonists, of every grade, from those still
occupying the one-roomed wooden cottages, originally supplied by the
Land Company, standing in the midst of ill-cultivated fields, to those
who had built for themselves good houses in the town, or nice
cottages, with pretty gardens, surrounded by well-tilled lands.
The drive ended at the mill belonging to a retired officer of the
British army, who has settled here with his wife and two dear little
children. Here we had tea and a pleasant chat, and then returned to
the train and proceeded to Carcaraña, the next station on the line.
Now, however, instead of the rich pasture lands and flourishing crops
which we had hitherto seen on all sides, our road lay through a
desolate-looking district, bearing too evident signs of the
destructive power of the locust. People travelling with us tell us
that, less than a week ago, the pasture here was as fresh and green as
could be desired, and the various crops were a foot high; but that, in
the short space of a few hours, the care and industry of the last ten
months were rendered utterly vain and useless, and the poor colonists
found their verdant fields converted into a barren waste by these
rapacious insects.
Carcaraña may be called the Richmond--one might almost say the
Brighton--of Rosario. It stands on a river, the Carcarañal, to the
banks of which an omnibus runs twice a day from the railway-station,
during the season, to take people to bathe. Near the station is also
an excellent little hotel, containing a large dining-room and a few
bed-rooms, kept by two Frenchwomen; and here the Rosarians come out
by train to dine and enjoy the fresh air. It was quite dark by the
time we arrived, so that we could not see much of the flourishing
little colony which has been formed here. We therefore paddled across
the wet road to the inn, where, despite the somewhat rough
surroundings, we enjoyed a capital dinner, cooked in the true French
style. They are specially celebrated here for their asparagus, but the
locusts had devoured all but a very few stalks, besides which they
were held responsible, on the present occasion, for the absence of
other vegetables and salad. Yesterday there was a grand wedding-party
near here, the complete success of which was, we were told, somewhat
marred by the fact, that for six hours, in the very middle of the day,
it became absolutely necessary to light candles, owing to the dense
clouds of locusts, about a league in extent, by which the air was
darkened. Trains are even stopped by these insects occasionally; for
they appear to like a hard road, and when they get on the line their
bodies make the rails so greasy that the wheels of the engines will
not bite. Moreover, they completely obscure the lights and signals, so
that the men are afraid to proceed. The only remedy, therefore, is to
go very slowly, preceded by a truck-load of sand, which is scattered
freely over the rails in front of the engine. Horses will not always
face a cloud of locusts, even to get to their stables, but turn round
and stand doggedly still, until it has passed.
After dinner we once more stepped into our special train, in which we
arrived at Rosario at about half-past nine o'clock, thoroughly tired
out.