Gaspar the Gaucho: A Story of the Gran Chaco

Over the broad undulating plain which extends between Halberger's house and the deserted _tolderia_ of the Tovas, a horseman is seen proceeding in the direction of the latter. H...

Riding at a gentle amble, so that his daughter on her small palfrey may easily keep up with him, Halberger in due time arrives at the Indian village; to his surprise seeing it i...

Soon after the trio of trackers have re-entered the _algarobia_ grove, a frizzling, sputtering noise is heard therein; while an appetising odour spreads all around, borne afar o...

Just as the last glimmer of twilight is taking departure from the plain, the three who had sought concealment under the roosting-place of macaws, slip quietly out of the copse,...

Could the hunter-naturalist but know what has really occurred in the Tovas tribe, and the nature of the party now approaching, he would not stay an instant longer on the banks o...

Midnight's hour is past, the moon has gone down, and in the Indian town there is darkness and silence. Every one is asleep, or seems to be; since no light shines either in _told...

The house of the hunter-naturalist was placed at some distance from the river's bank, its site chosen with an eye to the picturesque; and no lovelier landscape ever lay before t...

For some seconds, Rufino Valdez is in a state of semi-bewilderment, from his lips proceeding exclamations that tell of surprise, but more chagrin. Something of weird terror, too...

Soon as Nacena had started on return to the town, the gaucho and his companions commence making preparations to descend from the hill. Not by the road leading down to the _tolde...

From their new point of departure, the trackers have no difficulty about the direction; this traced out for them, as plain as if a row of finger-posts, twenty yards apart, were...

Just as the young cacique has yielded to the tempter, surrendering his last scruple of conscience, his horse dips hoof in the stream, that of the Paraguayan plunging into it at...

Fortunately Ludwig's exclamation has been uttered in a subdued tone of voice; but lest in his agitation he may speak louder, the gaucho grasps him by the arm, and cautions silen...

The solitary _estancia_ which for two years had been the happy home of Ludwig Halberger and his family, but late the abode of deepest sorrow, is once more revisited by a gleam o...

Straight across the cemetery goes Gaspar, with Shebotha in his arms, nor stops he till back on the spot where the path leads down to the outer plain. Arriving there, he deposits...

In some respects similar to the experience of Aime Bonpland was that of Ludwig Halberger. Like the former, an ardent lover of Nature, as also an accomplished naturalist, he too...

The silence of the camp is not of long continuance; Gaspar being the first to break it. For the gaucho, having a stronger stomach, and consequently a quicker digestion than the...

At the crisis described, the Indian party is no longer travelling upon the Pilcomayo's bank, nor near it. They have parted from it at a point where the river makes one of its gr...

As they make towards the tree, which has erst served others than themselves as a guide to the crossing-place, the nature of the ground hinders their going at great speed. Being...

Though the dialogue between Nacena and Shebotha's slave was in the Tovas tongue, she who has overheard them inside the hut has sufficient acquaintance with it to make out that t...

Caspar has been mistaken in supposing the other two asleep. One of them is--Ludwig, who sleeps soundly, and to all appearance peacefully. Not that he is indifferent to the serio...

If the Tovas chief be in danger of receiving punishment from his people for carrying into captivity the daughter of his father's friend, there is also danger to the captive hers...

Just about the same time that the party of trackers had turned to take departure from the barometer-tree, a cavalcade of a very different kind, and composed of a greater number...

In their fresh "spurt," the trackers had not proceeded very far when compelled to slacken speed, and finally come to a dead stop. This from something seen before them upon the p...

An attack by electric eels, however ludicrous the thing may seem, is not so looked upon by those whose ill luck it has been to experience it. That these slippery creatures posse...

Notwithstanding what I have said of the Chaco remaining uncolonised and unexplored, I can tell of an exception. In the year 1836, one ascending the Pilcomayo to a point about a...

Gaspar's promise to give them a dinner of the three orthodox courses-- fish, flesh, and fowl--was only meant in a jocular sense. For the flesh, their stock of _charqui_ is not d...

To solve the seeming enigma of Rufino Valdez travelling in the company of the Tovas Indians, and on friendly terms with their young chief--for he is so--it will be necessary to...

Rising from their knees, and resuming their seats upon the ledge, they return to the subject of discourse, interrupted by their devotional interlude; Caspar declaring it his fix...

Short time stays Kaolin and his party by the _estancia_: for the newly-elected chief of the Tovas is a man of ready resolves and quick action, and soon as his story is told, wit...

That same sun which became so suddenly obscured over the _salitral_, to shine again in the later hours of the afternoon, is once more about to withdraw its light from the Chaco-...

The _tolderia_, so named, stands upon a level plain, near the shore of a large and beautiful lake, whose numerous low-lying islets, covered with a thick growth of the _moriche_,...

There is no mystery about Shebotha's disappearance nor aught out of the way save in the adroitness with which the aged crone contrived to effect her escape. Soon as touching the...

What the upshot of Valdez's errand as commissioner to the Tovas tribe may be told in a few words. That he has been successful, in some way, can be guessed from his being seen in...

As they are now in the midst of amorphous darkness, it might be imagined nothing could be done but keep their place, or go groping idly about. Not so, however. Gaspar has no int...

An odd spectacle the trio of trackers would afford to anyone seeing them on the _salitral_ now, without knowing what they are at; one riding directly in the wake and on the trac...

Only a short while are they undecided. It seems good as certain that the Indians have kept to the river, for some distance further on, at all events. Therefore, it will be time...

Travellers on such an errand as that which is carrying the gaucho and his youthful companions across the Chaco, do not lie abed late; and they are up and stirring as the first s...

A night of dread suspense has been passed at the estancia of Ludwig Halberger. No one there has thought of sleep. Even the dark-skinned domestics--faithful Guano Indians--touche...

Gaspar allows no time to be lost, but instantly commences taking measures for the _garzoneando_--whatever that may be. As yet neither of his young companions has been told what...

To be shut up in a room with a royal Bengal tiger, or what amounts to the same a cave of small dimensions, is a situation which no one will covet. Nor would it be much improved...

While waiting for the gaucho to rejoin them by the fire the two youths are not silent, but converse upon the event which saddens and still mystifies them. For up till this momen...

Under the shadow of the _algarobias_ the trackers sleep undisturbed. Ludwig, however, has troubled dreams, in which gymnoti play a conspicuous part. He imagines himself still fl...

It yet wants full two hours of sunset, as the gaucho and his companion come within sight of the estancia. Still, so distant, however, that the house appears not bigger than a do...

"_Hijos mios_; we can't do better than head due westward. That will bring us out of the _salitral_, somewhere. Luckily there's a sun in the sky to hold us to a straight course....

Impossible to describe the feelings of Caspar, when having recovered his feet after the tumble out of his _recado_, he finds that Shebotha has got away from him. It is some cons...

Spread before you a map of South America. Fix your eye on the point of confluence between two of its great rivers--the Salado, which runs south-easterly from the Andes mountains...

While the gaucho and his silent companion were still in halt by the edge of the _sumac_ wood, another horseman could be seen approaching the place, but on the opposite side of t...

Another sun is rising over the Chaco, and its rays, red as the reflection from a fire, begin to glitter through the stems of the palm-trees that grow in scattered topes upon the...

As they might truly anticipate, the gaucho's conjecture proves to be correct. A road runs up to the summit of the hill on its western side; not direct, but somewhat zigzagged, i...

A hasty breakfast is prepared; but, as the mutton bone is now quite bare, they have to fall back on another kind of flesh-meat, which the provident Caspar has brought along. Thi...

Having dragged the dead beast out of their ponchos, they are about to re-adjust these as before, when it strikes them there is no longer any need for closing the cave's mouth. T...

It is scarce necessary to say, that the storm that over took the Indian party was the same of which the barometer-tree had given warning to Gaspar and his young companions. But...

As the darkness, due to the storm, has now been succeeded by the more natural darkness of night, the trackers, for this day, cannot proceed further, were they ever so eager. Bes...

When Gaspar, on first sighting the _biscachera_, poured forth vials of wrath upon it, he little dreamt that another burrow of similar kind, and almost at the very same hour, was...

It is the day succeeding that on which the hunter-naturalist was carried home a corpse, sitting upright in his saddle. The sun has gone down over the Gran Chaco, and its vast gr...

After passing the _biscachera_, the trackers have not proceeded far, when Caspar again reins up with eyes lowered to the ground. The others seeing this, also bring their horses...

Whether his young companions be sleeping or awake, the gaucho does not stay by their side; but, almost as soon as seeing them disposed along the earth, slips out from under the...

"But is it certainly the old _cacique_?" he adds, again stooping down and raising the selvedge of feather cloth, which had fallen back over the face. Once more exposed to view,...

Once more the sun is going down over the pampa, but still nothing seen upon it to cheer the eyes of the Senora Halberger, neither those first missing, nor they who went after. O...

After a day's rest at their old _tolderia_, the two parties of Tovas, now united in amity, set out on return to their Sacred Town. And along with them goes the Senora Halberger,...

In a rush Aguara goes, fast as his animal can be urged by heel and voice. For, while so roughly separating the two girls, these had shouted in alarm, and his ear had caught othe...

stick in his crop for the remainder of his life; and I shouldn't wonder if it's his hand has been here. Odd, those tracks of a shod horse; four times back and forward! And the l...