"Manuel piled our personal belongings in one corner of the room, and slept on the floor near them. Our mules were turned into the clover-fields which surround the buildings, and afford good pasturage for cattle and mule trains. Federico told me he was obliged to pay a sum equal to about twenty cents of our currency for each animal; he and his men had all the work of collecting and managing their beasts, and the proprietors had nothing to do except to collect the money. They must make a fine revenue from the place, as each room yields a dollar a night when occupied, and everybody is or has his own servant. But perhaps they are so heavily taxed by the government that their profits are materially reduced. The governments in this part of the world do not permit a private citizen to make money rapidly except in rare instances. "We obtained beef and eggs and a loaf of bread for supper, so that we were not obliged to draw upon our mountain provisions. Manuel made an excellent omelette from the eggs; he cut the beef into small pieces, through which a long stick was thrust, and then held the meat over a fire until thoroughly cooked. I opened a can of oysters that I brought from Buenos Ayres, and prepared a savory stew in a kettle borrowed from the kitchen of the rancheria. Oysters, fresh beef, bread, maté, and the hunger of a famished wolf! what more could be required for an excellent meal? "In the morning we had breakfast (identical with the supper, but without the oysters), and were ready for the road at an early hour. When I went into the court-yard of the rancheria there were at least a hundred mules, all mixed up in the wildest confusion. There were half a dozen trains, some bound east, and the others west; the arrieros and their peons were busy saddling their animals, and as soon as one had received his cargo he was allowed to wander among the herd at will. There was a chorus of braying which surpassed a Chinese band of music or the noise of a boiler factory, and the lack of accord was emphasized by vigorous kicks on the part of the animals. How I wished to photograph the scene, and phonograph it too, at the same time! "I wondered how it would be possible to separate the animals of the different trains, but soon found out. "As each arriero completed his saddling he led out his _madrina_, or bell-mare, and tinkled her bell. Instantly his mules followed her, separating themselves from the rest of the herd without the least difficulty. Federico told me it is the bell rather than the mare which forms the attraction, as the mules will follow the bell on a strange mare but will not follow their madrina with another bell. When the mules are turned out to graze they always keep near the madrina, and their manifestations of devotion to her are constant. When she is in danger they have been known to form a circle about her and, with heels outward, make a vigorous defence.