THE BOCA.

Hokitika Guardian, 7 June 1924, Page 4

THE BOCA.

(Arthur Mills in Daily Mail)

BI'ENOS AIBES.

The Boca, Buenos Aires, is one of the most strangely fascinating places in tlie world. Seafaring men in Sydney, .Marseilles, and along the wharves of the London docks will talk of it; hut the casual visitor to liuenos Mires, speaking no Spanish and wearing a presentable suit, cannot easily go there, for in tlie Boca, they say, a man may lose his life for half a crown or the coat upon his hack. This may well lie, for life is cheap in Argentina, whether it he on the great rolling cattle plains of the rugged North or In the fashionable restaurants of Buenos Aires. It was in the Boca that I first saw something of the soul of Argentina, as much perhaps as in the marble halls of the Jockey Club or among tlie picturesque horsemen of K litre Bins manoeuvring their vast herds. One Saturday, some while after midnight, I came to a cafe hard hy the Pedro tie Mendoza. There were assembled in that cafe all manner of men sailors from a vessel bringing salt from Spain, Americans from a lumber boat, Norwegians, (Ireeks still coalbegrimed, some British seamen arrived with railway material, cstimbalo Chinese cooks, little wrinkled grinning Japanese, Italians, Syrians, Bussians. Bolshevik and aristocrat alike concealed beneath tattered coals and a

week’s growth of stubby heard—some looking for work, some avoiding it the pariah (logs el a hundred ports. Across the rubbish-littered mad, the -hiiis that had brought these men lay at anchor in an endless, stretching l.clt. themselves evidence of the mighty needs of tlie great South American capital.

On a raised platform lour musicians in shirt-sleeves played. But no one danced. The proprietor explained to in - I hat. in a neigld'ourhond where a man would draw his knife for the

tliokcr of a woman's eyes, to entourage dancing was unwise. The proprietor was something of a character himself, aide to speak seven languages, ineluding Knur. lie was a Inirly fellow and his liarmau looked pretty useful too, if trouble should arise. lin I rows weie avoided, the proprietor explained, pointing to two iiii'ii in plain dot lies in either corner of the riioui, ready to signal to him (tie

first sign of an angry glance. As we talked a girl passed h.v. She had dark, luminous eyes, swung her shapely limbs with the smoothest o| motions, and carried herself wit Ii an air of easy grace, the special in-

herit mice of her people. A litiily Scandinavian sailin', a blue clout knotted beneath a led heard, caught her arm. She tried to free hcrlielf; then words were excliangd, and she turned and laced him like a wild cat. Next moment. the proprietor jumped between the pair and pinioned the girl’s hand to the knife hilt in her stocking. The barman leapt over the counter; two other men appeared. In less than a minute the sailor was outside the cate and the girl seated calmly in Ills place. The pmprictor remonstrated with her mildly. "I am Argentine." -he said. snapping the syllables- a reply that appeared « holly S.II isfaotnrv to all concerned; lor i hev are a proud people. Ihe Argentines, who give a swift answer |..| an instill. whiTiicr it lie in the glittering call- lestaiirani Abdullah nr in the Bora on Saturday night.