or `` the cattle stampede on the pampas ? , '' bod would always shake his head and look expectant and soon enough his head would be swimming with tales of derring-do and high adventure , tales of beautiful maidens kissed , of evildoers shot with pistols or fought with swords , of bags of gold , of diamonds as big as the tip of your thumb , of lost cities and of vast mountains , of steam-trains and clipper ships , of pampas , oceans , deserts , tundra .