Baron  Humboldt  speaks  df  an  extraordi-
iiary  event  as  having  occurred  in  1752,  of
which  he  says  the  inhabitants  of  Paso  del
Norte  still  preserved  the  recollection  in  his
day.  "  The  whole  bed  of  the  riv^r,"  says  the
learned  historian,  "  became  dry  all  of  a  sud-
den, f<Mr  more  than  thirty  leagues  above  and
*wenty  leagues  below  the  Paso :  and  the  wa-
ter of  the  river  precipitated  itself  into  a  newly
formed  chasm,  and  only  made  its  reappear-
ance near  the  Presidio  of  San   Eleazeario.
At  length,  after  the  lapse  of  several

weeksj  the  water  resumed  its  course,  no  doubt
because  the  chasm  and  the  subterraneous  con-


140  BIO   DEL   NORTE.
ductors  had  filled  up."  This,  I  must  confecn^
savors  considerably  of  the  marvellous,  as  not
the  least  knowledge  of  these  facts  appears  to
have  been  handed  down  to  the  present  gene-
ration. During  very  great  droughts,  hovc^.
ever,  this  river  is  said  to  have  entirely  disap-
peared in  the  sand,  m  some  places,  between
San  Elceario  and  the  Presidio  del  Norte.
Notwithstanding  the  numerous  tributary
streams  which  would  be  supposed  to  pour
their  contents  into  the  Rio  del  Norte,  very  few-
reach  their  destination  before  they  are  com-
pletely exhausted,  Rio  Puerco,  so  called
from  the  extreme  muddiness  of  its  waters,
would  seem  to  form  an  exception  to  this  rule.
