 Through a friendship struck up with the Frenchman Emile Lelieur, he learned French and gained the opportunity to read classic authors, to learn elementary mathematics and the use of logarithms.In 1919 he moved to Buenos Aires, and two years later his restless spirit led him to the jungles of Caaguazú, where he worked harvesting yerba maté.Absorbed by the rugged and primitive environment, he became interested in the life of the Guaraní people.