STATION LIFE IN SOUTH AMERICA.

Otago Witness, Issue 1182, 25 July 1874, Page 11

STATION LIFE IN SOUTH AMERICA.

The following is an extract from a letter received last mail by a gentleman in the town from an old Otago friend in Santa Fe. Santa Fe, Bth March, 1874. "We are struggling on in this desolate pampas, and, after digging a goodly number of wells, the cattle are now settled down, and the working of the station is in good order. Cattle pay well, but the desolate life and half-savage state we are in, combined w th the wretched living, makes the money bought too dear by one-half. The men we employ are of course natives, and they are simply thieves and murderers. When they are not working at an odd time for a little money they locate in the pampas, and live by hunting and killing cattle, &c. If caught at this game, they are simply shot down, if possible, and that is an end of the matter. These gentry are therefore not a nice lot to live amongst, and they can pick up a living anyhow. They occupy huts— a few together — on land not claimed by anyone, and always have a lot of women with them, and marriage laws are not the fashion— they herd together like pigs. Some of the Euglish ■ station holders keep one of these female 3, who often have a family to the squatter, and ' when he tires out or prefers another, the old love and encumbrances are kicked out and the new one is installed. One of this tribe, with three or four children, cooks at our place for her brother, and condescends to do ditto for us ; thus she can 'boil a kettle, stick the poker through a lump of beef which ia placed in the middle of a big fire (always outside in tho open) till well roasted, when poker and beef come out together, and it is put on your table. If there is a lubra to bo got your way I should prefer her, as there are ng English, women, to be got hero, aud.

| it's a good thing for them that they do not i ooine to this country, it being such a coarse , and dirty life. The farmers are gradually ( going to the wall, and farms of all sizes are > to be got rent free, and even then cultivation won't pay. The intend to leave the coun- ' try when they get more plata. There are a few New Zealand folk hereabouts— one from ; Southland side, and one from Hogburn way. Those two have adopted the fashion of the country, and have settled down each with a I native companion. Rosario, with a population of 25,000 persons, can boast of only two 1 English shopkeepers, and they are " Glaskee bodies," and doing, I think, a paying business. A sad affair happened in our district j lately. A father, with a Hue girl of 18 years, ; settled down on some purchased land, h've miles away from any settlement, and employed some natives to build their house, etc. ; when finished, these fellows left for their own huts, IS miles distant. A short time afterwards, a native in passing saw the old man lying dead. _ He gave information of the fact to an English resident, and a few persons were got together and turned out. Sure enough, the father was dead ; he had b^en stabbed all over. A few chains off, the poor girl was found lying bound on her back, just as the brutes had left her. Prom the top of her stays upwards, all the flesh was picked clean from the bones, including the skull. The remainder of the body had not been eaten, but lefD whole, though her throat was cut, and the flow of blood therefrom had attracted the wild animals which had partly devoured the corpse. A grave was dug, and it was a sad and melancholy job to inter the corpses. Plunder was apparently part of the scheme of the outrage and black deed, but it seems nothing was discovered worth taking away — though there was money, gold watches, and other valuables there. The wretches took away the daughter's saddle and left behind a portion of one of their own, and by that the murderers were traced by all the English, who turned out and followed the clue for 100 miles, discovering their quarry at a Native dancing-party. They were seized at once, and confessed, and are to be shot. They were the very men who built the house. The Government would not give any reward to induce some Natives to discover the culprits, so the English subscribed some £100 to pay expenses. This will give you an idea of the people we live amongst. We learn that the wretches went about Southam's (the murdered man's) place gammoning to look for horses, drew their long knives, and stabbed the old man before he could look round ; the poor girl fought like a tiger. We always carry revolvers, as we never know what a Native means when he comes to one's place. Captain Inverarity, of New Zealand, is at Buenos Ayres, and has a sheep station. There are no sheep in our district, only cattle, which are lefc to themselves almost, hence there is not so much to do as with sheep, and first-class experience is not in request at present, perhaps in 50 years it might be. The quantities of hides, tallow, &c, shipped are something wuiderful, and there are nine lines of steamers trading to and from Europe, and for all this traffic Buenos Ayres cannot boast of a jetty to moor one of these steamers to ; they are anchored in mid-river, five miles out, and the loading or discharging with punts takes longer than the run home. lam counting up the days, like a prisoner in his cell, when I shnll be able to leave this happy land. Australia and New Zealand are quite good enough for me after a 20 years' acquaintance, and when I get on board, I shall wish all the "fixod" proprietors here good luck and good bye. 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I am, Sir, yonrs truly, Henry Allpass.— To the Proprioto?© of Norton s Cwaomito PiHe."— j fan,]