[224] =el locro de su refrigerio habitual=, _his customary ration of =locro=_. [225] The brother has taken a position on some branch of the tree beneath =la horqueta más alta=, so that he could pull on his lasso in the manner of a pulley. From this point, when his sister had reached the =horqueta más alta=, he could pretend he was going up, although in reality he was going down. [226] =En progresiva nitidez de sombra=, _With gradual and clear-cut shadows_. [227] Note omission of =es= after =ninguna=. [228] =payador=. Cf. 79, 16. [229] "=payadas de contrapunto=". A contest such as the one described in the note to page 79, line 16, is called a =payada de contrapunto=. [230] =Hácese... silencio=, _Silence falls again_. [231] =Juan sin Ropa=, picturesque name given to the devil by the gauchos. [232] =le ha encontrado=, _i.e._, =a la leyenda=; trans., _has found in it_. [233] =la doctrina bíblica del _Génesis_=, _i.e._, the downfall of man. [234] =su orgullo=, _i.e._, _the pride of_ =Santos Vega=. [235] =Juan Díaz de Solís=, a famous Spanish explorer of the sixteenth century who discovered the Río de la Plata, in 1516, and called it Mar Dulce, thinking he had discovered a sea. Landing on the island of Martín García, he was killed by the Charrúa Indians, a very warlike tribe that occupied the Plata basin. [236] =Sebastián Gaboto=. The name Cabot is usually connected with Newfoundland, but it has historical importance for Argentina also. Sebastian was the son of the well-known North American explorer, John Cabot. He explored the Plata and Paraná rivers during the reign of Charles V. [237] =suyos=, _i.e._, =los hombres de don Nuño de Lara=. [238] =brindando... amistad=, _in which Spaniards and Indians, mingling freely, drank to the god of friendship_. [239] =entrada ya la noche=, _when night had already fallen_. [240] =luego que supo su cautividad=, _as soon as he learned of her captivity_. [241] =llegó a permitirles=, _went so far as to permit them_. [242] =a saetazos=, _by arrow shots_. [243] =pudo=. Translate as if it were =hubiera podido=. [244] =_Corral_=. As with the English stage the first theatrical performances in Argentina were produced in a courtyard, or open lot. [245] =Una chispa... rancho=. Religious holidays in Catholic countries are often celebrated with display of fireworks, particularly St. John's day, June 24. [246] "=pacui=". Quichua Indian name for owl, same as =kacuy=. [247] =¿oísteis hablar de María?= _have you heard people speak of Mary?_ [248] =asomado=, _appearing or looking out_. [249] =me habéis prometido=. The pronoun understood is =vos=, equivalent here to =tú=. This usage is very common in Argentina. From a very dignified form of address, employed as a rule in addressing kings, it has come to be used in Argentina as the most familiar and colloquial form of address. [250] =Será=, trans., _Can it be?_ Note use of the future to denote probability or possibility.