A few well-mounted men were stationed on
the summit, keeping watch; and, after talking with them for a while,
the General led me to a spot a hundred yards away, where there was a
large mound of sand and stone, up which we made our horses climb with
some difficulty. While we stood here he pointed out the conspicuous
objects on the surface of the surrounding country, telling me the names
of the _estancias_, rivers, distant hills, and other things. The
whole country about us seemed very familiar to him. He ceased speaking
at length, but continued gazing over the wide, sunlit prospect with
a strange, far-off look on his face. Suddenly dropping the reins on
the neck of his horse, he stretched out his arms towards the south and
began to murmur words which I could not catch, while an expression of
mingled fury and exultation transformed his face. It passed away as
suddenly as it came. Then he dismounted, and, stooping till his knee
touched the ground, he kissed the rock before him, after which he sat
down and quietly invited me to do the same. Returning to the subject
he had talked about during our ride, he began openly pressing me to
join him in his march to Montevideo, which, he said, would begin almost
immediately, and would infallibly result in a victory, after which he
would reward me for the incalculable service I had rendered him in
assisting him to escape from the Juez of Las Cuevas.
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