On the Pampas; Or, The Young Settlers

by G. A. Henty

  CHAPTER III.

  A NEW LIFE.

  Tide was fortunately high, and the boat containing the Hardys andthe lighter portion of their luggage was able to get up to thelanding place without the carts being called into use. As theyapproached the land they were hailed in a hearty voice, andgreetings were exchanged between Mr. Hardy and his friend Mr.Thompson--a sunburnt-looking man with a great beard--in a Panamahat and in a suit of spotless white.

  "Why, Mrs. Hardy," he said as they landed, "you hardly look a dayolder than you did when I last saw you--let me see--fourteen yearsago, just as this big fellow was beginning to walk. And now, if youplease, we will be off as soon as we can, for my estancia isfifteen miles away. I have made the best arrangements I could forgetting out; but roads are not a strong point in this country, andwe seldom trust ourselves in wheeled vehicles far out of the town.You told me in your letters, Hardy, that the young people could allride. I have horses in any number, and have got in two very quietones, with side-saddles, which I borrowed from some neighbors foryour girls; but if they prefer it, they can ride in the trap withMrs. Hardy."

  "Oh, no, please," Maud said; "I had much rather ride."

  Ethel said nothing, and her mamma saw that she would rather go withher. Accordingly, Mrs. Hardy, Ethel. Sarah, and some of the lighterbags were packed into a light carriage, Mr. Thompson himself takingthe reins, as he said he could not trust them to any one buthimself. Mr. Hardy, the boys, and Maud mounted the horses preparedfor them, and two of Mr. Thompson's men stowed the heavier trunksinto a bullock cart, which was to start at once, but which wouldnot reach the estancia until late at night.

  As the party rode through the town they were struck with thenarrowness and straightness of the streets, and at the generallyEuropean look of everything; and Mr. Thompson told them that nearlyhalf the population of Buenos Ayres are European. The number ofpeople upon horseback also surprised our young travelers; buthorses cost only thirty shillings or two pounds, and grass is soabundant that the expense of their food is next to nothing;consequently every one rides--even shepherds look after their sheepon horseback. The horses seemed very quiet, for in front of most ofthe offices the horses of the merchants could be seen fastened by ahead rope to a ring, grooms not being considered a necessity.

  Once out of the town, the riding horses broke into a canter; forthe road was so good that the horses in the light carriage wereable to go along at full speed. As they proceeded they passed manyhouses of the rich merchants of the place, and all were charmedwith the luxuriance and beauty of the gardens. Orange and lemontrees scented the air with their delicious perfumes; bananas, treeferns, and palms towered above them; lovely butterflies of immensesize, and bright little humming-birds, flitted about among acountless variety of flowers. The delight of the young ones wasunbounded.

  Presently they left the mansions and gardens behind and drove outfairly into the country. Upon either side the plains stretched awayas far as the eye could reach, in some parts under the plow, butfar more generally carpeted with bright green grass andmany-colored wild flowers. Everywhere could be seen droves ofhorses and cattle, while dotted here and there over the plain werethe estancias of the proprietors.

  It was a most delightful ride. The horses went very quietly, butthe boys found, to their surprise, that they would not trot, theirpace being a loose, easy canter. The last five miles of thedistance were not so enjoyable to the party in the carriage, forthe road had now become a mere track, broken in many places intoruts, into which the most careful driving of Mr. Thompson could notprevent the wheels going with jolts that threatened to shake itsoccupants from their places, and they felt as if every bone intheir bodies were broken by the time they drew up at their host'sestancia.

  Here Mrs. Thompson came out to greet them. She had been a greatfriend of Mrs. Hardy in their young days, and great was theirpleasure at again meeting after so long a separation. Mr. Thompsonhad already, explained that his wife would have come over to meetthem, but that at the time he had left home it was not known thatthe Barbadoes had arrived. She was due, and, as a measure ofprecaution, the horses and cart had for the last two days been inreadiness, but the exact date of her arrival was of courseuncertain.

  Mr. Thompson's estancia was a large and picturesque building. Itwas entirely surrounded by a wide veranda, so that at all hours ofthe day relief could be obtained from the glare of the sun. Infront was an extensive garden; and as Mr. Thompson had made it oneof his first objects when he built his house to plant a largenumber of tropical trees and shrubs, these had now attained aconsiderable size, and afforded a delicious shade. At a shortdistance behind the house were the houses of the men, and thecorrals, or enclosures, for the cattle.

  The interior was handsomely furnished in the European style, exceptthat the floors were uncarpeted, and were composed of polishedboards. Everywhere were signs that the proprietor was a prosperousand wealthy man. Mr. Thompson had only one son, a lad of about thesame age as Charles Hardy. To his care Mrs. Thompson now assignedthe boys, while she conducted Mrs. Hardy and her daughters to theirrooms.

  In half an hour the party reassembled at dinner, to which they alldid ample justice, for their long row and ride had given them thekeenest of appetites. They were waited upon by an Italianman-servant; and Mrs. Thompson said that there were a good many ofthis nation in Buenos Ayres, and that, although they were notconsidered good hands for rough work, they made excellent servantsmany of them having been waiters in hotels or stewards on boardship before coming out.

  During dinner the conversation turned chiefly upon English friendsand affairs, and upon the events of the voyage. After it was overGeorge Thompson proposed to the boys to take a stroll round theplace before it became dark. The gentlemen lit their cigars andtook their seats under the veranda; and the two ladies, with Maudand Ethel, went out into the garden. The conversation of Mr. Hardyand his friend turned, of course, upon the country, its positionand prospects, and upon the advantage which the various districtsoffered to newcomers. Presently the dusk came on, followed rapidlyby darkness, and in half an hour Ethel came to summon them to tea.The boys had already come in, and were full of delight at theimmense herds of cattle they had seen. As they sat down to thetea-table, covered with delicate English china, with a kettle overa spirit-lamp in the center, and lit with the subdued light of twoshaded moderator lamps, Maud said, "It is not one bit like what Iexpected, papa, after all you have told us about hardships andworking; it seems just like England, except the trees and flowersand butterflies."

  "Do not be afraid, Maud," her father said, laughing--for her voicehad a tinge of disappointment in it--"you won't be cheated out ofyour hardship and your work, I promise you. Mrs. Thompson will tellyou that it was a very different sort of place when she first camehere."

  "Yes, indeed," Mrs. Thompson said, smiling; "this was considered avery lonely place when we first settled here. We had a little hutwith two rooms, and it was more than six months before I could geta woman servant to come out, and then it was only one of ourshepherds' wives, who knew nothing of cooking, and who was onlyuseful in drawing the water and sweeping the floors. In time thecountry became more settled, and there are stations now sixty orseventy miles beyond us."

  The next week was spent in riding over the estate, which consistedof four square leagues--that is to say, was six miles each way--andin examining the arrangements of the enclosures for the cattle. Atthe end of that time Mr. Hardy started on a tour of inspectionthrough the provinces most likely to suit, provided with numerousletters of introduction from his host. While he was away the boyswere to assist upon the estate, and to accustom themselves to thework and duties of the life they were to lead. Into this theyentered with the greatest zest, and were in the saddle from morningtill night, getting more and more sunburnt from constant exposure,until, as Mr. Thompson told them, they looked like two younggauchos. The gauchos are the natives of the country. They arefine-looking men, with Spanish faces. Their dress is verypicturesque. They wear loose calzoncillas o
r drawers, worked andfringed round the bottom. Above this is a sort of shawl, soarranged that it has the effect of very loose trousers. Theseshawls are generally of bright colors, woven in stripes, andsometimes of black cloth edged with scarlet. The white calzoncillasshow below this garment, and above a colored flannel shirt is worn.The boots are long and are made of undressed leather. They wear abroad leathern belt, with pockets in it; in this a knife, too, isalways stuck. Upon _fete_ days they come out with gay silverornaments upon themselves and their horse-trappings. Their saddlesare very clumsy and heavy, and are seldom used by Europeans, who,as Mr. Hardy had done, generally bring English saddles from home.After an absence of a month Mr. Hardy returned with the welcomenews that he had made his choice, and had bought at the publicauction a tract of four square leagues, upon a river some twentymiles to the south of the town of Rosario, and consequently only afew days' journey from Buenos Ayres. Mr. Thompson looked a littlegrave when he heard the location of the property, but he only saidthat he was very glad that his friend had fixed upon a spot whichwould make it easy for the families to see something of each other.After the first greetings were over Mr. Hardy proceeded to satisfythe curiosity of his hearers as to the new property.

  "It is six miles square," he said, "that is, about twenty-fivethousand acres, and I bought it for about sixpence an acre. Thereis a good-sized stream runs through it; there are a good manytrees, considering that it is out on the Pampas; there are severalelevations which give a fine view over the plain, and upon one ofthese our future home will stand. A small stream falls into thelarger one, and will, I think, be useful. There is an abundance ofgame; ducks, geese, and swans swarm upon the river. I saw a goodmany ostriches out on the plains. And, lastly, the soil appears tobe excellent. A great point is, that it is only distant twentymiles from Rosario, a most rising town; so that the value of theland is sure to increase yearly, as new settlers come around us."

  "That is a most important point," Mr. Thompson said. "Rosario isthe most rising town in the country, and the land around it iscertain to be very much sought after in a few years."

  "Are there any settlements near, Frank?" Mrs. Hardy asked.

  "The next plot to ours belongs to three young Englishmen, and theground between us and Rosario is also principally occupied byEnglish; so that we shall have neighbors near, and I do not supposethat it will be long before we have them all round us."

  "If the advantages of the place are so great, Frank, how is it thatyou have got it so very cheaply? I understood from Mr. Thompsonthat land in a rising neighborhood, and that was likely to increasein value, was worth two or three shillings, or even more, an acre."

  Mr. Hardy hesitated. "Well, Clara, the land is at present upon theextreme verge of the settlements, and the Indians are apt sometimesto be a little troublesome, and to drive off a few horses orcattle. No doubt the thing has been exaggerated; still there issomething in it, and the consequence is, people are rather afraidto bid, and I have got this splendid tract of land for abouttwenty-five hundred dollars; and, not improbably, in ten years itmay be worth ten times as much."

  "A great proportion of these Indian tales are built up upon verysmall foundations," Mr. Thompson said cheeringly; and Mrs. Hardy'sface, which had been a little serious, cleared up again, and inlistening to her husband's account of his travels, she forgot allabout the Indians. The boys, however, by no means did so; and asthey were going to bed Charley said: "I think there is some chanceof a row with the Indians, Hubert, for I noticed that Mr. Thompsonlooked grave when papa first said where he had bought the land.Depend upon it, we shall have some fun with them after all." Theywould have thought it still more likely had they heard theconversation between their father and Mr. Thompson after the ladieshad gone to bed.

  "Why, my dear Hardy, how came you, with a wife and family, to thinkof buying land so exposed to the Indian attacks? Every season, whenthey come down, they sweep off the horses and cattle from theoutlying settlements, and murder the people if they get a chance. Ilook upon it as madness."

  "There is a good deal in what you say, Thompson, and I thought thewhole matter over before I bought it, There is a risk--a greatrisk, if you like; but I hear the Indians seldom attack the housesof the settlers if they are well prepared and armed. They dooccasionally, but very seldom. I shall be well prepared and wellarmed, and have therefore no fear at all for our personal safety.As to our animals, we must protect them as well as we can, and takeour chance. It is only for two or three years at most. After thatwe shall have settlements beyond and around us; and if emigrationkeeps on, as I anticipate, and if, as I believe, Rosario is tobecome a very large and important place, our land will eventuallybe worth five dollars an acre, at the very lowest. I shall takecare not to invest my whole capital in animals, so that I cannot beruined in one blow. I think that at the end of five years you willagree with me that I have done wisely."

  "I have no doubt that your property will increase very much invalue, as you say, Hardy, and that in the long run your speculationwill be a very successful one; but it is a terrible risk, I think."

  "I do not think so, Thompson. We shall be a pretty strong party: weshall have certainly two men besides ourselves. The boys couldbring down their man at three hundred yards, and I should doconsiderable execution among a body of Indians at six or seven; soI have no fear--not the least in the world."

  In another two days Mr. Hardy and the boys, accompanied by Mr.Thompson, went down to Buenos Ayres, and took up their quarters atthe hotel for a night. At parting, Mr. Thompson presented them witha couple of fine dogs, which he had bred from English mastiffs: Mr.Hardy had brought a brace of fine retrievers with him. Then, with ahearty adieu and much hand-shaking, they said "Good-by" as thesteamer moved off from the shore. The heavy luggage was to followin a sailing vessel upon the following day.