"And now, Lopez, do you know
of any of the Gauchos in this part of the country who have ever
lived with the Indians, and know their country at all?"
"Martinez, one of the shepherds at Canterbury, Signor Charles, was
with them for seven months; and Perez, one of Signor Jamieson's
men, was longer still."
Charles at once wrote notes asking that Perez and Martinez might
accompany the expedition, and dispatched them by mounted peons.
"And now, Lopez, what amount of _charqui_ have we in store?"
"A good stock, signor; enough for fifty men for a fortnight."
Charqui is meat dried in the sun. In hot climates meat cannot be
kept for many hours in its natural state. When a bullock is killed,
therefore, all the meat which is not required for immediate use is
cut up into thin strips, and hung up in the sun to dry. After this
process it is hard and strong, and by no means palatable; but it
will keep for many months, and is the general food of the people.
In large establishments it is usual to kill several animals at
once, so as to lay in sufficient store of charqui to last for some
time.
"Terence, go up to the house and see what biscuit there is. Lopez,
get our horses saddled, and one for Terence--a good one--and give
them a feed of maize.
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