What a pleasant thing it was to be able to ride forth
again free to go where I liked!
And so ends my snake-story, which is perhaps not very interesting; but
it is true, and therefore has one advantage over all other snake-stories
told by travellers.
CHAPTER XII
Before leaving the magistrate's _estancia_ I had made up my mind
to return by the shortest route, and as quickly as possible, to
Montevideo; and that morning, mounted on a well-rested horse, I covered
a great deal of ground. By twelve o'clock, when I stopped to rest my
horse and get some refreshment at a wayside _pulperia_, I had got
over about eight leagues. This was travelling at an imprudent pace,
of course; but in the Banda Oriental it is so easy to pick up a fresh
horse that one becomes somewhat reckless. My journey that morning had
taken me over the eastern portion of the Durazno district, and I was
everywhere charmed with the beauty of the country, though it was still
very dry, the grass on the higher lands being burnt to various shades
of yellow and brown. Now, however, the summer heats were over, for the
time was near the end of February; the temperature, without being
oppressive, was deliciously warm, so that travelling on horseback was
delightful. I might fill dozens of pages with descriptions of pretty
bits of country I passed that day, but must plead guilty of an
unconquerable aversion to this kind of writing.
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