During my visit to Paraguay I met with persons who still believe the stories of a wild tribe still extant who flee from the approach of strangers, and who roam the woods and wander along the banks of remote rivers in a state of complete nudity. This tribe is thought by some to be the degenerate result of close inter-breeding, and it is said that the children who have been left behind and captured when the tribe was suddenly surprised have been found to be incapable of learning to talk. The ape-like characteristics of these tribes have been much commented upon, and the other natives regard them as so low in the scale of creation that they have no compunction in shooting them down at sight, looking upon them as little better than thieving monkeys. These “Guaqui” Indians are reputed to have no houses or huts of any description, no clothes or ornaments, no knowledge of the use of fire, and no articulate language, facts which, if correct, would seem to class them as the lowest and most primitive human beings at present existing upon the earth’s surface. [Illustration: CROSSING THE PARAGUAY.] The history of every country is to a great extent moulded by the character of its inhabitants, and in the case of Paraguay it is not difficult to understand the causes of the interminable and ever-recurrent revolutions which are almost synonymous with the name of the republic. Nature is in one of her bountiful moods in the heart of South America, and does not invite to strenuous toil, for existence is easy and the development of its rich resources makes no appeal whatever to the indolent aborigines of the country. The swelling rivers Parana and Paraguay irrigate the fertile plains, and the warm, healthy climate stimulates vegetation to a wild profusion. The whole aspect of the country gives a feeling of repose, and especially is this true of the rivers, with their similarity of scenery and comparative absence of human habitations; whilst a journey up these in flood time is one through absolutely desolate regions. Even after three centuries of contact with virile settlers from Europe, the towns scattered throughout the country preserve the appearance of ancient centres of civilisation long abandoned. Paraguay is a country that does not change outwardly, whatever political upheavals may disturb the routine of the life of its inhabitants. CHAPTER XX _A South American Dictator_