The journey to Mercedes--The outskirts of Montevideo-- Santa Lucia--A pleasant town--Native quince and gorse-- San José--The terminus of a great highway--Some feats of engineering--The urban importance of San José--A modern flour-mill--Mal Abrigo--Character of the soil--A country of boulders--Some animals of the Sierra de Mal Abrigo--The surroundings of Mercedes--A charmingly situated town--The terminus of the line--Some characteristics of Mercedes--Urban dwellings--The delights of the _patio_--The disadvantages of economy in space--Streets and plazas--The hospital--A well-equipped institution--View from the building--An island in the Rio Negro--The Port of Mercedes--River craft--Some local scenes--An equine passenger--Formidable gutters--The industries of the town--The Hôtel Comercial--Colonia Suiza--Situation of the Swiss Colony--Uruguayan Campo dwellings--Method of construction--Simplicity of household removals--Aspect of deserted huts--The houses of the Swiss Colony--Habits in general of South American colonists--The range of nationalities--Liberty accorded-- Population of the Colonia Suiza--Its industries--A dairy farming community--An important butter factory--An instance of a rapid rise from poverty to riches. CHAPTER XVIII COLONIA 215 An historical town--Rarity of mines in the River Plate countries--Specimens at Colonia--Situation of the town-- Past antagonism between the capitals of Argentina and Uruguay--Present aspect of Colonia compared with the former--A sleepy hollow--Periodical awakenings of the place--Impressions of the old town--Its colouring and compactness--Fortifications of the city of discord--A warlike history--Nations that have warred together at the spot--The reddest corner in a bloodstained land-- Surroundings of the town--Crumbling masonry--A medley of old and new--A Colonia street--Old-times scenes of peace and war--Some pictures of the past--Cannon as road posts--The Plaza--An episode in the wars with Portugal-- The eternity of romance--Real de San Carlo--A modern watering-place--Its buildings--The bullring--A gigantic pelota court--Popularity of the spot--A miniature tramway--Attractions of Real de San Carlo--Vegetation on the sands--A curious colour scheme--Pleasant lanes--Buenos Aires as a supplier of tourists. CHAPTER XIX THE URUGUAY RIVER 225