The population of Uruguay prior to the Spanish conquest--Principal tribes--Paucity of information concerning the early aboriginal life--The Charrúas-- Warlike characteristics of the race--Territory of the tribe--Stature and physique--Features--The occupations of war and hunting--Temperament and mannerisms--A people on the nethermost rung of the social ladder-- Absence of laws and penalties--Medicine-men--A crude remedy--The simplicity of the marriage ceremony--Morality at a low ebb--The prevalence of social equality--Method of settling private disputes--The Charrúas as warriors-- Tactics employed in warfare--Some grim signals of victory--Treatment of the prisoners of war--Absence of a settled plan of campaign--Arms of the Charrúas--Primitive Indian weapons--Household implements--Burial rites--The mutilation of the living out of respect for the dead--Some savage ceremonies--Absence of religion--A lowly existence-- Desolate dwellings--Change of customs effected by the introduction of horses--Indian appreciation of cattle-- Improvement in the weapons of the tribe--Formidable cavalry--The end of the Charrúas--Other Uruguayan tribes--The Yaros--Bohanes--Chanas--Guenoas--Minuanes-- Arachanes. CHAPTER XII MONTEVIDEO 151 Population--Attributes of the city--Situation of the Uruguayan capital--The Cerro--A comparison between the capitals of Argentina and Uruguay--The atmosphere of Montevideo--A city of restful activity--Comparatively recent foundation--Its origin an afterthought--Montevideo in 1727--Homely erections--Progress of the town--Advance effected within the last thirty years--The Uruguayan capital at the beginning of the nineteenth century--Some chronicles of the period--The ubiquity of meat--Dogs and their food--Some curious accounts of the prevalence of rats--The streets of old Montevideo--Their perils and humours--A comparison between the butchers' bills of the past and of the present--Some unusual uses for sheep--Methods in which the skulls and horns of cattle were employed--Modern Montevideo--The National Museum--An admirable institution--Theatres--Critical Montevidean audiences--Afternoon tea establishments--The Club Uruguay--The English Club--British community in the capital--Its enterprise and philanthropy--The _Montevideo Times_--A feat in editorship--Hotels--Cabs and public vehicles--The cost of driving. CHAPTER XIII MONTEVIDEO 161