Narrative of the surveying voyages of his majesty's ships Adventure and Beagle (vol.2): between the years 1826 and 1836 : describing their examination of the southern shores of South America, and the Beagles's circumnavigation of the globe

160 HORSEMANSHIP RACING — GAMBLING. party. In armour, and upon their best horses, they sally forth to meet the intruders. Having met, they ask why their land has been invaded, and desire the strangers to return to the place whence they came. The non-compliance of the intruders is a signal for action ; they close — fight — and one party, being vanquished, loses all its property. The manner of fighting has already been mentioned. The horsemanship of the Patagonians is not equal to that of the northern Indians : yet it is not indifferent. From their weight, and the openness of their country, they do not habi- tually ride so hard, or practise so many manoeuvres as the Araucanian,* who can hang at the side of his horse while at speed, directing him by voice and rein ; or even while going through a wood can cling quite beneath his belly for a short time, still urging on and directing him ; but such feats, per- formed by naked men, who are almost centaurs, surpass the powers, or rather the dexterity, of the bulky, well-fed, and heavily-clothed Patagonian. The Patagonians are very fond of racing. At almost every leisure hour either horses or play engage their attention, for they are also great gamblers. Race-courses are regularly marked out, but they are very short, not a quarter of a mile in length. These short bursts at the utmost speed seem absurd, till one considers that in hunting wild animals, attacking or escaping fx-om the sudden attack of an adversary, such short starts are of the utmost importance. They bet upon the horses, and sometimes stake even their wives and their children. Payment is faithfully made, even to the uttermost. The cards with which they play are pieces of skin, with figures * The Araucanian hangs at one side of his horse to shelter himself from the lances, halls, or shot of his adversaries, or to avoid trees. At a distance, a troop of these Indians advancing irregularly, might seem to an inexperienced eye merely loose horses, of which so many are seen in the Pampas ; but to another Indian, or to a trained gaucho, the attempt to conceal themselves would avail them nothing, because the horses' action, and manner of going, would, at a glance, show him that they were guided by riders.