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 stand the sun and the rain. They are thus naturally fitted for the hazards of an overland journey through difficult country.

During the time that I spent at Embarcación a number of troops of cattle arrived at the place. ‘The photograph (Fig. 70) shows the type of cowboy, or gaucho, engaged in the cattle business. The curious broad flaps on either side of the saddle are the guardamontes which the gaucho wears as a protection. It is made of thick cowhide and is stiff and tough. In addition to it he wears a coleto, made of soft hide, very flexible and agreeable to the touch, which is carried most of the time folded across his saddle. When he is out in the scrub chasing cattle the coleto is thrown over head, shoulders, and back, and pro- tected by this and the guardamontes in front of him on the sad- dle he can gallop along without fear of being scratched by the thorny scrub through which he must ride in order to round up the cattle. At night he sleeps on the guardmontes and covers himself with the coleto. He eats only charqui (jerked beef) and rice, with a little corn. The group that I saw consisted of about ten boys and a man. The company had received their pay and were setting off in a most light-hearted and casual manner upon their long journey of 250 miles on the home trail to the Pilcomayo, whence they had come. They were Indian and Spanish half-breeds or quarter-breeds. Their pay was about 40 pesos a month.

The cattle are driven in to the railroad station from Feb- ruary to August. After that it is too dry for the business, for there is little grass to keep them in condition and water is too scarce, the watering places being too far apart. A drove of sev- eral hundred is in charge of five or ten mounted boys and men. The Chaco cattle fetch 75 or 80 pesos apiece at Embarcación, and it costs 4 pesos a head to ship them to Salta. They are sold to mountain drivers at about 115 pesos apiece.

After being fattened in the cornfields and alfalfa meadows of Salta the cattle are gathered in troops of 50 to 100 each and under the care of drovers are taken first over the lower ranges