Gauchos

Gauchos, the collective name of the semi. nomad, Hispano-American inhabitants of the pampas, or grassy steppe lands of the Argentine Republic. They are essentially a pastoral people, who are said to take their name from the Araucanian word gachu, meaning "friend," "comrade," and used as a form of courteous salutation between strangers meeting in the wilderness; but the etymology is doubtful. The Gauchos live entirely in the saddle, and, being excellent horsemen skilled in the use of the lasso and bolas, are employed, like the North American "cowboys," to look after the half-wild herds of the Argentine stock-breeders. They are excessively polite and hospitable, and Darwin assures us that he never met with "even one instance of rudeness or inhospitality "from any of them ( Voyage Round the World, ch. viii.) All speak Spanish exclusively, and, in fact, are of nearly pure Spanish descent.