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flood time.  Quinces, peaches, pears, fields of cabbage and cauliflower, tobacco, oats and alfalfa were growing in well-irrigated fields.  We drove for more than an hour along one road after another, the roads paralleling the canals that were bordered with poplars and evergreens.  

When we came back on board the Ceres, a typical lunch was awaiting us - boiled black sausages and potatoes, a huge platter of Italian spaghetti, another equally huge platter of boiled ribs of beef, followed by fruit, membrillo, cheese and coffee.  There was nothing to do but sleep it off on deck, which I did until the wake of a passing launch threw a big wave into the exact middle of my back.  The rest of the afternoon we whiled away learning Argentine songs from the boys, and teaching them Bill Shippen's song:

"I'm a rambling wreck from Georgia Tech
And a helluvan engineer."

It was with real regret that we left the Ceres, Senor Chiarelli and the four boys at Zarate about five o'clock.  Here, we had been told, we would catch the train for Rosario, and from Rosario we were to proceed to Cordoba.

After Taxi-ing to the station, we watched Bill struggling with various ticket sellers and station masters.  He came back to report that the train to Rosario did not stop at Zarate, and we would have to go back to Campana, the big meat-packing town which we had just seen from the river a half hour earlier.  Back to Campana we went, by train.  The station master in Campana was anxious to be helpful, and let us pile our baggage in his room while we contemplated the uninspiring train schedule.  It seemed that we could get no train until 10.30; that train had no sleeper; it would dump us in Rosario at 2 in the morning.  There was no through connection to Cordoba.  To our amazement we learned that after two days' travel we were only an hour's ride from B.A.  where we could get a good train to Cordoba.  It meant swallowing a little pride, for we had said good-bye to everybody in B.A., but it seemed the logical thing to do to return to headquarters. [[strikeout]] About [[/strikeout]]  We caught a train marked Retiro (the station in B.A.) and to our great surprise were ejected at Villa Ballester, where we had to catch another train for Retiro.  However, we reached B.A. at 8.30, and made our way to the Continental Hotel, where we engaged light airy rooms (16 pesos for double room and bath), cleaned up, and went across the street to Maxim's for dinner.  This was a German restaurant, with excellent beer (says Bill), and delicious fried pejerrey.  At the adjoining table were four sailors from the American flag ship Quincy, and Bill got into conversation with them.  One of them had been at the Naval Hospital Laboratory in Washington and remembered hearing Bill's snake lecture!  there are three American cruisers in port, on a "good-will tour", and we are missing a lot of festivities by not staying in B.A. for the next few days.  We are invited to one party at the Embassy, and one on board the Quincy.