. The Spanish-American republics . our for Paraguay, the transport by water from Rosario being cheaperthan would be the transport by bullock carts from the country districtsof Paraguay into the towns. We also take on board some rough re-cruits, under the conduct of three dirty soldiers, accompanied by theirwomen folk and children, to whom quarters were assigned on theupper deck abaft the beam. These recruits are, I am informed, jail-birds and criminals who, instead of being kept in prison, are sent todo duty in the frontier corps at Formosa in the Gran Chaco, and tokeep the Indians at bay when
. The Spanish-American republics . our for Paraguay, the transport by water from Rosario being cheaperthan would be the transport by bullock carts from the country districtsof Paraguay into the towns. We also take on board some rough re-cruits, under the conduct of three dirty soldiers, accompanied by theirwomen folk and children, to whom quarters were assigned on theupper deck abaft the beam. These recruits are, I am informed, jail-birds and criminals who, instead of being kept in prison, are sent todo duty in the frontier corps at Formosa in the Gran Chaco, and tokeep the Indians at bay when necessary. The soldiers, it appears,seize every opportunity of deserting, and the runaways now formbands of brigands far more dangerous than the Indians. Several en-gineers whom I met, who had been engaged in various railway surveysand expeditions in the Chaco, reported that they were constantly mo-lested by these brigands, but very rarely had any trouble with theIndians. The system of criminal recruits is of course bad, but per-. UP THE RIVER PARANA. 349 haps it is the only practical way of getting men for the wild frontierservice, where pillage takes the place of pay. The recruits and theirescort formed a picturesque group with their varied costume and theirmore varied skins, ranging from white through bronze to absoluteAfrican black. The women were Indians, it being the Argentineusage in warfare against the aborigines to kill off the men, and to dis-tribute the captive women as wives for the troops. The only baggagethat these creatures had consisted of ponchos, a guitar, an accordion,and several kettles and gourds for making mate, or Paraguayan tea,which they drank from morning until night. Our English tourist andhis wife were very much scandalized at the dirty ways of these soldiers,and particularly at the manner in which the women washed the chil-dren, taking a mouthful of water, then spitting the water into theirhands and rubbing it over the faces. This operation is cons
Size: 1252px × 1996px
Photo credit: © Reading Room 2020 / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., boo, bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, bookidgrispanishameri00chil
