[24] ¡..., salud! hail!
[25] para responder al título de la propiedad, to insure claim to the property.
[26] sequedades, abstract noun used as a concrete noun; trans., sterile lands.
[27] absoluto, taken in its literal sense here, apart, by himself.
[28] volteadas, Argentinism; separation and selection of cattle without previously rounding them up; hasty selection of cattle. Cf. Darwin’s The Voyage of the Beagle: “About two leagues beyond this curious tree we halted for the night; at this instant an unfortunate cow was spied by the lynx-eyed gauchos, who set off in full chase, and in a few minutes dragged her in with their lazos, and slaughtered her.”
[29] leyes positivas, established laws.
[30] con sendas o vados, etc., i.e., cerca de su choza, nearby.
[31] género de vida que hacían, kind of life they led.
[32] lo hacían... tiempo, gave him an air of mystery and dignity at the same time.
[33] voz cubierta, soft voice.