Chapter 16 Sixteen on the Argentinian plains

After everyone was happy for a while, all the people who arrived later, except perhaps the major, had a common feeling: they were dying of thirst.Fortunately, the Guamini River is not far away.We started on the road again, and arrived near the small courtyard at seven o'clock in the morning.As soon as he saw the dead wolves in the front and back of the yard, he knew how fierce the defensive battle was last night. After a while, everyone drank enough and had a very rich breakfast in the yard. Everyone said that Nandu's rib meat was delicious, and the grilled armadillo was even more delicious.

If you eat less, you will be sorry to God, and you should eat until your stomach bursts.Paganel said. He ate too much, but his stomach was not distended, for he drank the clear water of the Guamini, which he found to have an unexpected digestive power. Glenarvan did not want to stay here long, and at ten o'clock in the morning the order to advance was given, and the buckets were filled with water, and they were all on their way.The horse is well-drunk, fed, and rested, and exhibits a high degree of activity, almost always maintaining a hunting pace.The slightly moist soil has also become more fertile, but it is still uninhabited.On November 2nd and 3rd, the journey was uneventful.On the evening of the third day, tired from their long journey, they rested at the end of the Pampa district, on the border of the province of Buenos Aires.They left Talcahuano Bay on October 14th, and now it has been 22 days, and they have traveled 730 kilometers, that is to say, nearly two thirds of the distance have been covered by luck .

The next morning they crossed the dividing line between the plains and steppes of Argentina.It was in this area that Tarcafe hoped to meet the Indian chief who had detained Captain Grant. Among the fourteen provinces of Argentina, the province of Buenos Aires is the largest and richest.This province is bordered on the south by the Indian country between longitude 64° and 65° east.The province's land is particularly fertile and the climate is particularly pleasant.Food and tall vegetables are everywhere.The ground is flat and extends to the foot of the mountains of Tandil and Tabalcon. To the satisfaction of our travelers was the marked improvement in temperature since leaving the Guamini.Here, the average temperature often does not exceed seventeen degrees Celsius, as the fierce Patagonian winds constantly stir up the air waves in the air.Therefore, after being exposed to the heat, everyone felt very refreshed.They all moved forward with excitement and confidence.But, no matter what Tarcaf said, the district seemed to be completely uninhabited, or, more correctly, the people who lived in it had completely emigrated.

This eastward route passes through many lakes and marshes, some of which are salty and some of which are fresh.On the shores of the lake were many nimble birds hopping, the merry larks singing, and the beautiful tangara with its plumage like that of a hummingbird.These beautiful warblers flapped their wings happily, paying no attention to the starlings with red epaulets and red breasts singing on the bank.Among the thorn bushes, the hanging nests of the anubi birds swayed like hammocks used by the Caucasians who lived in the colonies.There are many gorgeous ibis by the lake, walking with neat steps, flapping their fiery red wings in the wind.People see their nests, there are.Three meters high, a bit like an oval, and thousands of them perched together, like a small town.Paganel was disappointed that the ibis did not fly away when the traveler approached.

For a long time, I wanted to see how the Toki flies.he said to the major. OK!said the major. Now that I have an opportunity, I will take advantage of it. Take advantage of it, Paganel. You come with me, Major.Come too, Robert, I need witnesses. Saying this, Paganel let his other traveling companions go first, and walked towards the group of red-winged birds, followed by Robert and the major. When he got to the place where the bullet could reach, he loaded the gunpowder and fired with a bang. Immediately all the ibises flew into the air. Paganel picked up the binoculars and watched carefully.

How about it?When the birds were out of sight, he asked the major, did you see them fly? Of course, unless you are blind, you will always see. Do you think they look like feathered arrows when they fly? Nothing like it. It can't be compared at all.Robert added. I have long believed that it is not the case!The scholar said that he looked very satisfied, but there is one person, who can be said to be the most proud of the humble people, that is my fellow countryman, the famous Chateaubriand [Note: French writer at the beginning of the 19th century. ], he actually used feather arrows to compare the ibis!ah!You see, Robert, literary metaphors are the most dubious of all!Do not trust metaphors all your life, and use them only as a last resort.

You should be satisfied after experimenting like this, right?asked the major. So satisfied. I am also satisfied.Hurry up, because your famous countryman has left us two kilometers behind. When Paganel caught up with his traveling companion, he encountered Glenarvan talking to Tarcave and suffering from his lack of Spanish.Takaf stopped several times to observe the distant horizon, and every time he observed it, his face showed a look of surprise.Glenarvan saw that his entourage and interpreter were not around, so he wanted to ask him directly, but they still couldn't understand each other after trying their best.Therefore, as soon as he saw Paganel from a distance, he called out: Come quickly, friend Paganel!Tarcaf talks to me and we don't understand each other!

Paganel talked to Tarcafe for a few minutes, then turned to Glenarvan and said: Tarcaf was surprised to see a very strange phenomenon. what phenomenon? It is in these plains that it is usual to meet many Indians walking up and down in groups, or driving the plundered cattle in the pastures, or running all the way to the Udas Mountains to sell their weasel blankets and Whips made of leather thongs, now not only can’t meet Indians, but even the traces of their passing can’t be found. What reason does Tarcaf think they did not come up these plains? He couldn't say why, just surprised.

What kind of Indians did he expect to meet in this area? I want to meet that group of Indians who had foreign captives in their hands, that is Kafgula.The group of Indians led by chiefs such as Catleyell or Janstruz. What kind of people are these chiefs? Thirty years ago they were tribal leaders with supreme authority, but they were driven to the side of the mountain.Henceforth they were tamed, as tame as the Indians could possibly be.They wandered in the plains of Panpa, and also in the province of Buenos Aires.They were brigands in this region, and I was as surprised as Tarcaf that I didn't see them now.

That being the case, what should we do?Glenarvan asked again. Let me ask. Paganel talked with Tarcafe for a while and said: I think his opinion is very likely, it is this: we continue to go east until we reach Fort Independence, which is on our route, and when we get there, If we have not heard from Captain Grant, we shall at least know where the Indians of the Argentine plains have gone. Is this Fort Independence far?Glenarvan continued. Not far, in the Tandil Mountains, about ninety kilometers from here. when will we arrive the night after tomorrow. Glenarvan was disappointed by this unexpected event.It's unthinkable not to meet a single Indian in Pampa.Usually there are too many Indians here.Something special must have forced them out of here.The more serious question was: If Captain Grant had been a captive among a tribe in the district, was he now being taken north or south?The question made Glenarvan hesitate.No matter what, they must grasp the clues of Captain Grant's movement.After much deliberation, it is better to follow Takaf's opinion!Go to Tandil Village first, and at Tandil Village, at least you can find someone to talk to.

When it was almost four o'clock in the evening, I saw a hill on the horizon from a distance. The hill was quite high, and it could be counted as a mountain in such a flat area.That is Mount Tabalcon, at the foot of which the traveler spends the night.The next day, crossing the mountain couldn't be easier.The sand undulates like waves, and the slope is not steep.Those who have climbed the high and low rocks of the Andes really don't take these hills seriously, and the mountain roads here hardly slow the horse's haste.At noon, we walked through the abandoned fortress of Tabalkun, which was the first fortress of the chain of forts built in the south of the mountain to prevent the locals from shooting and looting.Here again no Indians were encountered, which surprised Tarcave all the more.Towards noon three men trotted across the plain with guns on horseback, and observed the little caravan.They kept people from approaching them, and escaped with incredible speed.This made Sir very angry. They are gauchos.Thalcave said that the name he had given to these natives had caused disputes between the major and Paganel. ah!gaucho.The major responded, Ugh!Paganel, the north wind is not blowing today, what do you think of these guys? I think they look like great robbers. My dear scholar, how far is it from being a robber to being a robber? But one step, my dear major! Paganel's admission made everyone laugh. Instead of being angry, he made a very interesting comment to the Indians: I don't remember where I read it: Arabs have a very ferocious expression on their mouths, but gentle eyes.Looking at the natives of America now, it is exactly the opposite.The eyes of this group of people are particularly fierce.A professional physiognomist could not have described Indians more correctly than he did. At this time, according to Tarcaf's order, everyone moved closer together.No matter how wild and uninhabited the place is, one cannot but be wary of attacks.But this precaution is superfluous.That night, everyone rested in a deserted village, which was originally the place where Chief Catleyell usually assembled his team.Tarcaf saw no sign of recent occupancy.He had to check the ground, and he found that no one had occupied the village for a long time. The next day, they entered the plain again.The nearest large pastures near the Tandil Mountains are now visible.But Tarcaf decided not to stay in those places, and went straight to Fort Independence to inquire about the news.He especially wants to know why there are no people in this area. Since passing the high and low rocks, there are very few trees.Now trees have appeared again, most of which were planted after Europeans arrived in America.There are neem trees, peach trees, poplars, willows, and bean curd trees. These trees grow very fast and well despite no one taking care of them.These trees usually surround the perimeter of the stables.Cattle, horses, sheep, etc. are raised in the livestock pen.Livestock are marked with a brand representing the owner.Many strong dogs guarded the perimeter of the corral.The slightly salty soil at the foot of the mountain grows the best grasses and is excellent for livestock.So people chose this place especially to build a ranch.Each ranch has a steward and a foreman, and they have four helpers for every thousand head of livestock. This group of people lived the lives of the great shepherds in the Bible.Their herds were perhaps larger than those of the herdsmen who filled the Mesopotamian plains with their cattle and sheep.But the shepherds here have no family life, and the owners of the pastures in Pangpa are all big merchants who sell cattle and horses, and there is nothing like the old patriarchs with many children and grandchildren mentioned in the Bible. These are the words Paganel explained to his traveling companions.On this point he talked a lot about his ethnology, and made some very interesting comparisons of different races, which even interested the major.It can be seen from the expression. Once again Paganel had the opportunity to show his companions one of the mirages that are common in such flat fields: many pastures look like islands from a distance, surrounded by aspens and willows as reflections. In clear water, and this clear water is often in front of pedestrians and retreats as pedestrians advance.The phantom was so real that the human eye could not discern the reality. On November 6th, I encountered several large pastures and one or two places where livestock were slaughtered. This kind of place is called Shaladro.As its name indicates, kill it with salt and bacon.This bloody work begins in late spring.Send people to the ranch to bring the livestock from Shaladro, and use a lasso to catch one. The technique is superb. Hundreds of heads are killed once, and the skin and meat are cut after killing.But the bull will often resist.In this case the butcher becomes the matador.This kind of occupation is very dangerous, but they are skilled and extremely cruel.All in all, the scene of this massacre is appalling.Nothing could be more creepy than the surroundings of such a landowner.The air was stinky, and the courtyard was filled with the screams of the butcher, the barking of dogs, and the wailing of dying livestock. At the same time, thousands of birds of prey from the Argentine plains flew from tens of kilometers around , snatching the shivering wreckage from the butcher.For now, though, these slaughterhouses are silent, calm, and deserted, because the time for mass slaughter has yet to come. Takaf urged Toka forward.He was going to Fort Independence that night.The horse is spurred by the owner, following Taojia's example, galloping among the tall grasses.On the way, I also met a few village households, all of which were deep trenches and high fortifications. There was a balcony on the main house. The residents in the village had weapons, and they could shoot the bandits in the plain from the balcony.Greenarvan might be able to get some of the information he needed in those villages.But the safest way is to inquire in the village of Tandil.Because, not far along the way, we crossed the Lohuiso River, and after a few kilometers passed the Shabarev River.In a few moments the horse's hooves were on the first grassy slopes of Mount Tandil.An hour later, the village of Tandil was visible, hidden deep in a narrow valley with the battlements of Fort Independence on top.