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diff --git a/43366.txt b/43366.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 9883571..0000000 --- a/43366.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,13892 +0,0 @@ -Project Gutenberg's Through the Heart of Patagonia, by H. Hesketh Prichard - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - -Title: Through the Heart of Patagonia - -Author: H. Hesketh Prichard - -Illustrator: John Guille Millais - -Release Date: July 31, 2013 [EBook #43366] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THROUGH THE HEART OF PATAGONIA *** - - - - -Produced by Melissa McDaniel and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was -produced from images generously made available by The -Internet Archive) - - - - - - - -Transcriber's Note: - - Inconsistent hyphenation and spelling in the original document have - been preserved. Obvious typographical errors have been corrected. - - Italic text is denoted by _underscores_. - - On page 168, "Cocao" should possibly be "Cacao." - - On page 210, "zipp" should possibly be "zip." - - On page 268, "baling" should possibly be "bailing." - - On page 278, "1 o'clock P.M." should probably be "1 o'clock A.M." - - - - -THROUGH THE HEART - -OF PATAGONIA - - [Illustration: TEHUELCHE HUNTING SCENE] - - - - - THROUGH THE HEART - OF PATAGONIA - - BY - H. HESKETH PRICHARD - F.R.G.S., F.Z.S. - - FELLOW OF THE ANTHROPOLOGICAL INSTITUTE; AUTHOR OF - "WHERE BLACK RULES WHITE: A JOURNEY - ACROSS AND ABOUT HAYTI" - - WITH ILLUSTRATIONS FROM DRAWINGS IN COLOUR - AND BLACK AND WHITE BY - JOHN GUILLE MILLAIS, F.Z.S. - - AND FROM PHOTOGRAPHS - - NEW YORK - D. APPLETON AND COMPANY - 1902 - - - - - PRINTED IN ENGLAND - - - _This Edition is for sale in the United States of America - only, and is not to be imported into countries signatory to - the Berne Treaty_ - - - - - TO - C. ARTHUR PEARSON - - - - -CONTENTS - - - CHAPTER PAGE - - INTRODUCTION xiii - - I. PATAGONIA 1 - - II. SOUTHWARD HO! 15 - - III. THE BATTLE OF THE HORSES 33 - - IV. THE BATTLE OF THE HORSES (_continued_) 50 - - V. THE RIVER VALLEYS 67 - - VI. MANNERS AND CUSTOMS OF THE TEHUELCHES 85 - - VII. TEHUELCHE METHODS OF HUNTING 104 - - VIII. THE KINGDOM OF THE WINDS 116 - - IX. ROUND AND ABOUT LAKE BUENOS AIRES 130 - - X. THE GORGE OF THE RIVER DE LOS ANTIGUOS 144 - - XI. SOME HUNTING CAMPS 156 - - XII. BACK TO CIVILISATION 167 - - XIII. JOURNEY TO LAKE ARGENTINO 181 - - XIV. THE DOWNSTREAM NAVIGATION OF THE RIVER LEONA 196 - - XV. A HARD STRUGGLE 211 - - XVI. WILD CATTLE 224 - - XVII. ON THE FIRST ATTITUDE OF WILD ANIMALS TOWARDS - MAN 235 - - XVIII. THE LARGER MAMMALS OF PATAGONIA 247 - - XIX. FIRST PASSING THROUGH HELLGATE 261 - - XX. DISCOVERY OF RIVER KATARINA AND LAKE PEARSON 277 - - XXI. HOMEWARD 287 - - A FEW WORDS ABOUT THE FUTURE OF PATAGONIA 294 - - APPENDIX A 301 - - I. ACCOUNT OF THE DISCOVERY. BY DR. MORENO 301 - - II. DESCRIPTION AND COMPARISON OF THE SPECIMEN. BY - DR. A. SMITH WOODWARD, F.R.S. 305 - - (a) DESCRIPTION - - (b) COMPARISONS AND GENERAL CONCLUSIONS - - III. DESCRIPTION OF ADDITIONAL DISCOVERIES. BY DR. A. - SMITH WOODWARD, F.R.S. 315 - - IV. DESCRIPTION OF PANGOLINS, ARMADILLOS AND SLOTHS. - BY H. HESKETH PRICHARD 330 - - APPENDIX B 334 - - ON A NEW FORM OF PUMA FROM PATAGONIA. BY OLDFIELD - THOMAS, F.R.S. - - APPENDIX C 336 - - LIST OF PLANTS. BY JAMES BRITTEN, F.L.S., AND A. B. - RENDLE, M.A., D.SC. - - GLOSSARY 341 - - INDEX 343 - - - - -LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS - -FULL-PAGE ILLUSTRATIONS - - - Tehuelche Hunting Scene (In Colour) Frontispiece - Facing page - Outfitting in a Patagonian Store 22 - - The first guanaco 26 - - A daughter of the Toldos 80 - - A New Cure for the Measles (In Colour) 86 - - A Tehuelche cacique 90 - - A Tehuelche matron, showing hare-lip 94 - - Children of the Toldos 98 - - Tehuelche matrons 100 - - A Tehuelche beauty 102 - - Boleadores 104 - - Sons of the Pampas 110 - - The Tehuelche Toldos 114 - - Onas stalking guanaco 120 - - Store-clad Indians 124 - - Tehuelche spying guanaco (In Colour) 132 - - Best head of Huemul (Xenelaphus bisulcus) Shot by the author 146 - - Rest-and-be-Thankful Camp 150 - - Huemul in summer coat (In Colour) 152 - - Descending the Barranca 158 - - Guanacos descending a hillside (Photogravure) 160 - - A Patagonian lagoon (In Colour) 168 - - The Italian engineers' waggon 174 - - Sierra Ventana 176 - - The drinking place (Photogravure) 186 - - Fiord of Lake Argentino, showing forest on Mt. Avellanada 190 - - End of Southern Fiord of Lake Argentino 192 - - The Wild Man (Photogravure) 194 - - The World of Ice 202 - - The fire 220 - - A glade in the Lake Rica Forest 226 - - The Leader of the Herd (Photogravure) 230 - - As it was in the beginning 232 - - Camp Thieves (In Colour) 244 - - Pearson's Puma " 252 - - The North Fiord 264 - - Our launch among the ice 270 - - Another view of the Glacier de los Tempanos 274 - - Eventide 278 - - The last reach 284 - - -TEXT ILLUSTRATIONS - - The pampas (showing first division) 1 - - One of our Gauchos 1 - - Among the Andes 3 - - A Tehuelche Cacique 7 - - Lakes and the distant Cordillera (showing second division) 8,9 - - A Patagonian Estancia 11 - - Argentine Gaucho 12 - - Half-breed Gaucho 13 - - J. B. Scrivenor 17 - - T. R. D. Burbury 20 - - Welsh Settlement of Trelew 21 - - Humphrey Jones, Jun. 23 - - The start on our long trek 27 - - Mr. Langley's Estancia on the road to Bahia Camerones 29 - - Frederick Barckhausen 31 - - A pampa round-up 34 - - J. B. Scrivenor (geologist) and mula 39 - - The big Overo, a buckjumper 41 - - The hunter's return 44 - - Felis concolor puma 45 - - Guanaco hounds (father and mother of the author's hound, Tom) 46 - - Ready to be cargoed 50 - - Mrs. Trelew 52 - - Yegua Rosada 53 - - The Asulejo 54 - - Cargoing-up 56, 57 - - The author's two best horses, the Cruzado and Alazan 59 - - Settlement of Colohuapi 64 - - Our brand 66 - - The Germans 69 - - River Senguerr, where disaster overtook us 71 - - The Old Zaino 72 - - The Guanaco (an intimate of the Old Zaino's) 73 - - The Alazan colt (nearly killed on the Senguerr) 74 - - Wildgoose Camp 77 - - Bad stalking (califate-bush on pampa) 78 - - Wati! Wati! (Tehuelche exclamation of surprise) 83 - - Indian Toldo 85 - - Arrowheads and knife, found near Colohuapi, Chubut (now in - collection of Mr. E. M. Sprot) 89 - - Beauties of Tierra del Fuego 108 - - Tehuelches visit Gallegos 113 - - On ahead 118 - - Horsham Base Camp 123 - - Lake Buenos Aires 126 - - Senor Hans P. Wagg, of the Argentine Boundary Commission 128 - - Inlet of Lake Buenos Aires 131 - - The horses retrieved 135 - - Sterile ground to north of Lake Buenos Aires 139 - - Lake Buenos Aires from the Canadon of the River de los - Antiguos 145 - - Grassy camp 154 - - Young guanaco 156 - - First huemul camp 162 - - The off-saddle 165 - - Jones smokes the pipe of victory 166 - - The Indian trail 171 - - River Olin 172 - - River Belgrano 174 - - The home of the Indian who gave us mutton 176 - - La Gaviota 177 - - Santa Cruz 178 - - Residents of Santa Cruz 179 - - The main street, Santa Cruz 182 - - Ford on the River Santa Cruz 184 - - Estancia of Mr. E. Cattle 193 - - The launch, with Mr. Cattle and Bernardo on board 197 - - Bernardo Haehansen 207 - - Where the squalls came from 215 - - Forests under the snows where wild cattle breed 224 - - Edge of forest 233 - - Guanacos on sky-line 237 - - The huemul doe which touched the author. Photographed with - small camera as she retired 243 - - Best head of huemul (Xenelaphus bisulcus) shot by the author. - Side view 249 - - Head of guanaco 254 - - Guanaco chico (captured with lasso) 256 - - Red mountain wolf (Canis montanus) 260 - - Hellgate 262 - - Beyond man's footsteps 265 - - Glacier de los Tempanos 273 - - Glacier and glacial detritus 275 - - Canadon of the River Katarina 281 - - River Katarina 283 - - Lake Pearson 285 - - Punta Arenas 292 - - The author 293 - - Skin of Grypotherium, outer view 306 - - Skin of Grypotherium, inner view 307 - - -MAPS - - Map showing route of Expedition through Patagonia 36 - - Map of the Eastern Portion of Lake Buenos Aires 172 - - Map of Lake Argentino and District (showing routes) 188 - - - - -INTRODUCTION - - -Patagonia is a country about which little is known to the world in -general, books dealing with it being few and far between, while the -aspect of that quaint tail of South America and its wild denizens has -practically never before been pictorially brought under the eye of the -public. The following pages have been written with the idea of -familiarising my readers with the conditions of life in Patagonia, and -of reproducing as strongly as possible the impressions we gathered -during our journey through regions most interesting and varied, and, -as regards a certain portion of them, hitherto unvisited and -unexplored. - -The original motive with which these travels were undertaken lay in a -suggestion that a couple of years ago created a considerable stir -amongst many besides scientific people, namely, that the prehistoric -Mylodon might possibly still survive hidden in the depths of the -forests of the Southern Andes. In a lecture delivered on June 21, -1900, before the Zoological Society, Professor E. Ray Lancaster, the -Director of the British Museum of Natural History, said: "It is quite -possible--I don't want to say more than that--that he (the Mylodon) -still exists in some of the mountainous regions of Patagonia." Mr. -Pearson, the proprietor of the _Daily Express_, most generously -financed the Expedition in the interests of science, and entrusted me -with the task of sifting all the evidence for or against the chances -of survival obtainable on the spot. - -During the whole time I spent in Patagonia I came upon no single scrap -of evidence of any kind which would support the idea of the survival -of the Mylodon. I hoped to have found the Indian legends of some -interest in this connection, and I took the utmost pains to sift most -thoroughly all stories and rumours that could by any means be supposed -to refer to any unknown animal. Of this part of the subject I have -given a full account elsewhere. - -There then remained to us but one thing more to do, and that was to -examine as far as we could--I will not say the forests of the Andes, -for they are primeval forests, dense and heavily grown, and, moreover, -cover hundreds of square miles of unexplored country--but the nature -of these forests, so as to be able to come to some conclusion on the -point under discussion. This we did, with the result that I personally -became convinced--and my opinion was shared by my companions--that the -Mylodon does not survive in the depths of the Andean forests. For -there is a singular absence of animal life in the forests. The deeper -we penetrated, the less we found. It is a well-known fact that, where -the larger forms of animal life exist, a number of the lesser -creatures are to be found co-existing with them, the conditions -favouring the life of the former equally conducing to the welfare of -the latter. Our observation of the forests therefore led us to -conclude that no animal such as the Mylodon is at all likely to be -existing among them. This is presumptive evidence, but it is strong, -being based on deductions not drawn from a single instance but from -general experience. - -Still I would not offer my opinion as an ultimate answer to the -problem. In addition to the regions visited by our Expedition, there -are, as I have said, hundreds and hundreds of square miles about, and -on both sides of the Andes, still unpenetrated by man. A large portion -of this country is forested, and it would be presumptuous to say that -in some hidden valley far beyond the present ken of man some -prehistoric animal may not still exist. Patagonia is, however, not -only vast, but so full of natural difficulties, that I believe the -exhaustive penetration of its recesses will be the work not of one man -or of one party of men, but the result of the slow progress of human -advance into these regions. - -I have recorded some of my observations upon the habits of Patagonian -game, and have written somewhat fully upon that most interesting -race, the Tehuelche Indians, but I have abstained from very lengthy -appendices, for these would be of purely scientific interest. - -It is my hope to be able to return to Patagonia and to go further into -the many interesting subjects to which my attention was drawn. In any -book that may result from this second journey, I look forward to -including lists of various zoological, palaeontological, and botanical -collections, all the materials for which have not at the moment of -writing arrived in England. - -I would very cordially acknowledge the unfailing help which Dr. F. P. -Moreno has accorded to me in every way, and would specially thank him -for the photographs and maps he has allowed me to use in the following -pages. My thanks are also due to Dr. A. Smith Woodward, F.R.S., for -his kind permission to reproduce his description of the Mylodon skin -and other remains discovered at Consuelo Cove by Dr. Moreno; to Dr. -Moreno for permitting me to reprint his account of that interesting -discovery, and to Mr. Oldfield Thomas, F.R.S., for allowing me to make -use of his description of _Felis concolor pearsoni_, the new -sub-species of puma which we brought back. I further offer my -acknowledgments to the Zoological Society, in whose "Proceedings" the -two first-mentioned papers originally appeared. - -My best thanks are also due to the Royal Geographical Society, who -lent us instruments and gave us every aid in their power, and also to -Dr. Rendle and Mr. James Britten, of the Botanical Department of the -British Museum, for their kindness in preparing a botanical appendix. - -I must record my indebtedness to Mr. John Guille Millais for the pains -he took with his illustrations for this book. Before I started, my -friend, Mr. Millais, drew me some sketches of huemul, guanaco, and -other Patagonian animals. These I showed to the Tehuelches, and was -once taken aback by being offered a commission to draw an Indian's -dogs. He offered me a trained horse as payment. The praise of the "man -who knows" is, after all, the great reward of art. - -My thanks are also due to Mr. Edward Hawes, who kindly overlooked the -proofs of this book to correct the spelling of the Camp-Spanish. And -I would add the name of Mr. Frank A. Juckes, who saw to the outfitting -of a medicine-chest. - -I would not omit grateful mention of Senor Garcia Merou, the late -Minister of Agriculture of the Argentine Republic, of the late Senor -Rivadavia, the then Minister of Marine, to Senor Josue Moreno, to -Messrs. Krabbe and Higgins; also to Mr. Ernest Cattle, Mr. Theobald, -of Trelew, and to the many kind friends who live in the Argentine -Republic. - -I am indebted to my friend, Alfred James Jenkinson, Scholar of -Hertford College, Oxford, for his kindness in preparing photographs -for reproduction. - -Most of all I owe a debt (a debt which runs yearly into compound -interest) to my mother, who is accountable for anything that is worth -while in this book, and who has collaborated in its production. - - H. HESKETH PRICHARD. - - - - - [Illustration: THE PAMPAS (SHOWING FIRST DIVISION)] - - - - -CHAPTER I - -PATAGONIA - - Physical features of Patagonia -- The pampas -- Climate -- - Discovery of Patagonia by Magellan -- Description of the - natives -- Sir Francis Drake -- Other travellers -- Dr. - Moreno -- Coast-towns -- Farms -- Gauchos -- Emptiness of - interior -- Route of expedition. - - -Patagonia forms the southern point or end of the South American -continent and extends, roughly speaking, from about parallel 40 deg. to -the Straits of Magellan. Up to very recent times the geography of this -southern portion of the New World has been in a nebulous condition. -Vast tracts of the interior of Patagonia are as practically waste and -empty to-day as they were in the long-past ages. It is certainly -curious that this land should have been left so completely out of view -when the great overspill of European humanity looked overseas in -search of new homes where they might dwell and expand and find ample -means of livelihood. - - [Illustration: ONE OF OUR GAUCHOS] - -Perhaps the description of Patagonia given in the earlier part of the -last century by Darwin had something to do with this omission. He -spoke of it as a land having "the curse of sterility" upon it. He -dwelt on its desolate appearance, its "dreary landscape," and it would -seem that his undervaluing of the country of which, after all, he had -but a short and curtailed experience, influenced the whole circle of -the nations, with the result that only during the last thirty years or -so have the peoples who desire to colonise been discovering how -desirable and profitable is the great neglected land of the south. - -Patagonia has grown to its present condition very rapidly. Not so long -ago it was almost entirely given up to Indians and the countless herds -of guanaco. Now there are farms upon the coast, and a few settlements, -such as Gallegos with its 3000 inhabitants, and Sandy Point or Punta -Arenas, still more populous with 11,000. Behind this narrow strip of -sparsely inhabited coast-land the immense extent of the interior lies -vacant. - -Patagonia strikes the traveller as huge, elemental. Its natural -conformation is stamped with these characteristics. From the River -Negro on the north it tapers gradually to the Straits of Magellan on -the south. Three great parallel divisions, running north and south, of -plain, lake and mountain, each strongly marked, make up the face of -the country. From the shores of the Atlantic the pampas rise in gently -graduated terraces to the range of the Andes, while between them are -strung a mighty network of lakes and lagoons, some connected by -rivers, others by channels, many of which shift and alter under the -influence of climate and other local causes. From the sea to the -Sierra Nevada stretch the pampas, all tussocky grass, thorn, guanacos -and mirages. On the western rim of the pampas the Cordillera stand -against the sky, a tumult of mountains climbing upwards, their loftier -gorges choked with glaciers, their hollows holding great lakes, -ice-cold, ice-blue, and about their bases and their bastions thousands -of square miles of shaggy forests, of which but the mere edges have -yet been explored. - -Within its 300,000 square miles of surface Patagonia offers the most -extreme and abrupt contrasts. Flat pampa with hardly a visible -undulation, mountains almost inaccessible in their steep escarpments. -Side by side they lie, crossing many degrees of latitude, the -contrast descending to the smallest particulars, mountain against -plain, forest as opposed to thorn-scrub, rain against sun. The wind -only is common to both more or less, though it is felt to a far -greater degree upon the pampa. The contrast extends to the coasts. The -eastern coast is a level treeless series of downs with few bays to -offer shelter to shipping; the western coast, on the contrary, is -grooved and notched with fjords, and the beetling headlands loom dark -with forests. - - [Illustration: AMONG THE ANDES] - -Roughly speaking, the country to the east of the Andes belongs to -Argentina, that on the west to Chili: between them lies a long strip -of disputed territory. From this great dividing-line rivers flow into -both oceans, into the Atlantic and into the Pacific. On the eastern -side of the range, where our travels took us, the rivers cut -transversely across the continent to the Atlantic. Such are the -Chubut, the Deseado, the southern Chico, which joins with the Santa -Cruz in a wide estuary before reaching the ocean, and the Gallegos. At -the mouth of each of these a settlement has sprung up. - -On the western side the mountains approach more closely to the sea, -some of the glaciers on the heights of the Andes actually overhanging -the Pacific. The shore is there deeply indented with winding and -intricate fjords, and dense dripping forests grow rankly in the humid -climate, for the rainfall on the Chilian side of the Cordillera is -extraordinarily heavy. - -Patagonia is the home of big distances. The Boer used to boast that he -could not see the smoke of his neighbour's chimney. On the Atlantic -coastland of Patagonia it is often three, four or five days' ride to -the nearest farm. The holdings are measured not by the acre or any -analogous standard but by the square league. One farm alone in Tierra -del Fuego is 400 square leagues in extent. The distances are at first -appalling. A man accustomed to cities would here feel forlorn indeed. -One stands face to face with the elemental. As you travel into the -interior, Nature, with her large loose grasp, enfolds you. There is no -possibility of being mentally propped up by one's fellow man. Empty -leagues upon leagues surround you on every side, "the inverted bowl we -call the sky" above. - -Who, having once seen them, can forget the pampas? Evening, and the -sun sloping over the edge of the plain like an angry eye, an inky-blue -mirage half blotting it out, in the middle distance grass rolling like -an ocean to the horizon, lean thorn, and a mighty roaring wind. - -Out there in the heart of the country you seem to stand alone, with -nothing nearer or more palpable than the wind, the fierce mirages and -the limitless distances. - -This wild land, ribbed and spined by one of the greatest mountain -chains in the world, appears to have been the last habitation of the -greater beasts of the older ages. It is now the last country of all to -receive man, or rather its due share of human population. - -It must not be forgotten that this is the nearest bulk of land to the -Antarctic continent. It thrusts forth its vast mass far into southern -waters, and beyond lie a covey of islands, small and large, upon the -outermost of which is situated the famous Cape Horn. - -On the Antarctic continent there is no life to speak of. In Patagonia, -the nearest large land, the human race has been, through the -centuries, represented by a few thousand nomad Indians, who in their -long rovings followed certain well-known trails, from which only a -very rare and venturesome individual thought of deviating. Far outside -these paths dwelt, according to the native imagination, dangers and -terrors unknown. You can follow the same trails to-day. Picture to -yourself a dozen or twenty field-paths running side by side, -obliterated by the fingers of the spring, and invisible under your -feet, but strangely growing into distinctness half a mile ahead, -waving onward towards the pampas. Such is the Indian trail. - -People in England, one finds, are divided into two groups as to their -opinions of the Patagonian climate. One group maintains that the -country must be tropical, since it is included in the continent of -South America; the other that it is an ice-bound region, for the good -reason that it lies close to Tierra del Fuego. Oddly enough, both are -in a degree justified, for the summers there are comparatively hot, -but the severity of the winter, when snow lies deep on the country, -and cutting winds blow down from the frozen heights during those -months that bring to us our long English evenings, is undeniable. - -Some day, no doubt, the land will lose its untamed aspect; it will -become, as others are, moulded by the hand of man, and expectant of -him. But now the great words of one whose eyes never rested on Andean -loneliness marvellously describes it: - - A land where no man comes nor hath come - Since the making of the world, - But ever the wind shrills. - -The discovery of Patagonia dates from the early part of the year 1520, -when that most intrepid of explorers, Ferdinand Magellan, forced his -way doggedly down the east coast in the teeth of continuous storms. -With his little fleet of five vessels he pushed on in the hope, which -few if any of his companions shared, of finding a strait joining the -two great oceans, the Atlantic and the Pacific. Upon what foundation -he based this belief cannot now be certainly told, but the analogy of -the Cape of Good Hope and rumours that obtained among the geographers -and seafaring captains of the day, helped, no doubt, to confirm his -own idea that some such outlet existed. As early as 1428, a map of -the world, described by one Antonio Galvao as "most rare and -excellent," showed the Straits of Magellan under the name of the -"Dragon's Tail." This map, being carefully kept in the treasuries of -Portugal, was, it may fairly be presumed, known to Magellan. Also -there were two globes, made in Nuremberg shortly before he sailed, in -which the channel between the great seas was clearly indicated. - -For all that, the existence of a passage was far from being an -established fact, but Magellan undauntedly continued his voyage down -the Patagonian coast in search of it. He reached the harbour now known -as San Julian on March 31, 1520, and there proposed to winter. - -Almost at once the famous mutiny against his authority broke out, -headed by those who desired to turn back, and who had no faith in the -existence of the strait. One of the rebel captains was stabbed upon -his own deck, a second executed ashore and a third marooned. The -commander of the fourth ship, the _Santiago_, was a friend of -Magellan's, who stood by his leader throughout the troubled time. - -Weeks passed by, the winter settled down upon them with great -severity, and yet no sign of native inhabitants had been perceived -upon the shore. The Captain-General sent out an expedition to go -thirty leagues into the interior, but the men returned with a -disheartening account of the country, which they described as -impassable, barren of the necessities of life, and, as far as their -experience went, entirely devoid of inhabitants. But one day not long -after, a native appeared upon the beach who cut antics and sang while -he tossed sand upon his head. This man was successfully lured on board -of Magellan's ship. He was dressed in skins, with clumsy boots of the -same material, which last fact is supposed by some authorities to have -led Magellan to call the people the Patagaos, or big feet. Pigafetta, -an Italian who accompanied the exploring fleet, wrote an account of -this Patagonian's appearance. "So tall was this man that we came up to -the level of his waist-belt. He was well enough made, and had a broad -face, painted red, with yellow circles round his eyes, and two -heart-shaped spots on his cheeks." He further says the man was armed -with a bow and arrows, the bow being short and thick and the arrows -tipped with black and white flint heads. In another place Pigafetta -asserts that the least of the Patagonians was taller than the tallest -men in Castile. - - [Illustration: A TEHUELCHECACIQUE] - -Magellan treated the man with kindness, and soon other natives paid -the Spaniards visits. With them they appear to have brought a couple -of young guanacos, leashed together and led by a cord. They stated -that they kept these animals as decoys for the wild herds, who on -approaching the tethered guanacos fell an easy prey to the hunters -lying in ambush close at hand. - -The Patagonians are said to have eaten rats, caught on the ship, -whole, without even removing the skins! However, they seem to have -been peaceably disposed towards the Spaniards, until Magellan, being -struck with their great height, resolved to take home some specimens -of the race as curiosities for the Emperor, and consequently he -entrapped two of the young men while on board his vessel. Seeing, -however, that one of these Patagonians grieved for his wife, Magellan -sent a party ashore with a couple of the natives to fetch the woman: -but on the road one of the natives was wounded, the result being that -the whole tribe took to flight after a slight skirmish with the -Spaniards, one of whom died almost instantly after being struck by an -arrow. From this event it would seem that the Patagonians of that -period used poisoned arrows, as do the Onas of Tierra del Fuego -to-day. These people do not employ vegetable poison, but leave their -arrows in a putrid carcase until they become infected. - -The next navigator to visit the shores of Patagonia was Sir Francis -Drake in 1578. He also commanded a small squadron of five vessels, -and, curiously enough, had to cope with a plot against his life when -in the same harbour of Port San Julian. The story is well known. Mr. -Thomas Doughty, the chief mutineer, was given his choice of death, or -of marooning, or to be taken home for trial. He chose death, and was -accordingly executed. Drake speaks of the natives as being no taller -than some Englishmen. - - [Illustration: LAKES AND THE DISTANT CORDILLERA (SHOWING SECOND - DIVISION)] - -During the next hundred years various expeditions touched upon the -coasts, some captained by Englishmen, such as Narborough, Byron, and -Wallis. The two latter differ a good deal from each other with regard -to the stature of the Patagonians. Byron mentions a chief 7 ft. high, -and adds that few of the others were shorter. Wallis, on the other -hand, gives an average of from 5 ft. 10 in. to 6 ft., the tallest man -measured by him being 6 ft. 7 in. At an earlier date than either of -these a Jesuit named Falkner, being in Patagonia, mentions a _cacique_ -some inches over 7 ft. - -In 1783 the traveller Viedma penetrated into the interior and -discovered one link of the long chain of lakes lying under the Andes, -which still bears his name. He gave the people an average of 6 ft. of -stature. Some fifty years after this, H.M.S. _Beagle_, with Darwin on -board, touched at many points of the coast, and short trips inland -were undertaken. Darwin's journals give the first detailed account of -the country. He agrees with Captain Fitzroy in describing the -Patagonians as the tallest of all peoples. - -During the years 1869-70, Captain George Chaworth Musters, of the -Royal Navy, spent several months with the nomad Indians, traversing a -great distance in their company, and becoming acquainted with many -interesting facts concerning their habits and customs. Since the -publication of his book in 1871 practically nothing exhaustive has -been written about Southern Patagonia. One or two travellers have -given short accounts of visits there, but the serious opening up of -the country is due to the initiative and energy of Dr. Francisco P. -Moreno, whose first excursion to Patagonia was made in 1873. In the -following year he carried his investigations as far south as the River -Santa Cruz. In 1875 he crossed from Buenos Aires to Lake Nahuel-Huapi -and the Andean Cordillera, between parallels 39 deg. 30' and 42 deg.. In 1876 -he visited Chubut, and ascended the river Santa Cruz to its parent -lake, which he proved was not that discovered by Viedma in 1782, but -another lying farther south. To him is due the earliest suggestion of -the great system of lakes which are situated in the longitudinal -depression that runs parallel with the Cordillera. - -Again, in 1879, Dr. Moreno crossed the country to the Cordillera on -parallel 44 deg.. Up to that time surveying in those regions was by no -means exempt from danger, on account of the hostile attitude of the -tribes. The amount of valuable work done by Dr. Moreno did not end -with his personal expeditions. Each summer of late years the Argentine -and Chilian Boundary Commissions have been surveying and opening up -the country. First and last Dr. Moreno must always be regarded as the -great geographer of Patagonia. - -Among the gentlemen engaged on the boundary work I should like to -mention the Norwegian Herr Hans P. Waag, who, on behalf of the -Argentine Commission, penetrated from the Pacific coast up the river -De las Heras to Lake Buenos Aires, and from thence overland to Trelew. -It would be difficult to overpraise the work of this traveller. - -Others, who as pioneers, travellers, scientific men, or surveyors, -have taken a part in the good work of making the interior of Patagonia -known to the world are Baron Nordenskjoeld, Mr. Hatcher, and the -members of the Chilian and Argentine Boundary Commissions. I think -that in any such list as the above mention should be made of those -who first settle in a district, and who realise in greater degree than -even the pioneer explorers the difficulties and drawbacks of a new -country, and undoubtedly their hardihood is of immense and enduring -value. I would, therefore, include the name of the Waldron family, who -have taken a large part in settling the southern districts of -Patagonia and also in the colonising of Tierra del Fuego. - - [Illustration: A PATAGONIAN _ESTANCIA_] - -With this brief reference to the more important journeys hitherto made -in Southern Patagonia, it may be well to give here some description of -the country as it appears to-day. There are upon the eastern coasts -some settlements, as I have mentioned, and also the Welsh colonies of -Trelew, Dawson, Gaimon, besides these a very small and recent one -exists at Colohaupi, near Lake Musters, and another, The 16th October, -far away in the Cordillera. This last is the single settlement of any -size south of parallel 40 deg. in the central interior. - -A fringe of farms runs along the coast, and at the mouths of the -rivers are situated little frontier towns, such as San Julian, Santa -Cruz and Gallegos. Towards the south and along the shores of the -Strait the fringe of farms has grown broader and the country is more -generally settled, the Chilian town of Punta Arenas being an important -port. The few vast straggling farms are given up chiefly to -sheep-breeding, the main export being wool. But cattle and horses are -also raised in large numbers, for the land has proved very suitable -for pasturage. The farm buildings vary, of course, in many ways: some -are large and comfortable homesteads, others mere squalid huts, but -one and all are almost invariably roofed in with the universal -galvanised iron. - -The Welsh colonists have introduced a good strain to the growing -population, and there are constant wholesome as well as vicious -importations. In a country where shepherding of one sort or another is -the chief industry, it is inevitable that some equivalent of the -cowboy of the North must be developed. The Gaucho is the Patagonian -cowboy, and he is manly and picturesque enough to be very interesting. - - [Illustration: ARGENTINE GAUCHO] - -The Gauchos are picturesque both in their lives and in their -appearance: a pair of moleskin trousers, long boots, and a -handkerchief usually of a red pattern, a slouch hat of black felt, and -a gaudy poncho serve them for apparel. The poncho, which is merely a -rug with a hole in the middle for the head, makes a comfortable -great-coat by day and a blanket by night. - -A Gaucho may be sprung from any nation on earth. Even as the shores of -Patagonia are washed by the farthest tides of ocean, so the same tides -have borne to people her solitude a singular horde of massed -nationalities. But it is the man born in the country of whatever stock -who becomes the true Gaucho. Infancy finds him in the saddle, and he -grows there. Other men can stick on a horse, but the Gaucho can ride. -Living as they do, they form a class alone. On horseback they are more -than men; on foot, I am half tempted to say, less, for they would -rather ride fifty miles than walk two. They are farm-hands, shepherds, -horse-breakers, occasionally good working vets, and when they prosper -they buy waggons and go into the carrying trade; in fact, they form -the foundation of Patagonian life. - -The coast settlements are similar to such places all the world over: -storekeepers, men who run wine-shops, traders, and the usual sort of -folk who form the bulk of dwellers on the edge of civilisation. - -In Patagonia it is not difficult to leave civilisation behind you, for -between lat. 43 deg. and 50 deg. S. the interior, save for a very few pioneers -and small tribes of wandering Tehuelche Indians, is at the present day -unpeopled. When the line of the Cordillera is reached, you come to a -region absolutely houseless, where no human inhabitant is to be found. -Comparatively speaking, but little animal life flourishes under the -unnumbered snow peaks, and in the unmeasured spaces of virgin forest, -which cover those valleys and in many places cloak the mountains from -base to shoulder. Hundreds of square miles of forest-land, gorges, -open slopes, and terraced hollows lie lost in the vast embrace of the -Patagonian Andes, on which the eye of man has never yet fallen. - - [Illustration: HALF-BREED GAUCHO] - -Our travels took us over a great part of the country. Starting in -September 1900, we zigzagged from Trelew by Bahia Camerones, to Lakes -Colhue and Musters and along the River Senguerr to Lake Buenos Aires. -After spending a time in the neighbourhood of that lake, we followed -the Indian trail for some distance, then touching the Southern Chico -we reached Santa Cruz on the east coast in January 1901. Leaving most -of the expedition there, I returned with two companions by the course -of the River Santa Cruz to the Cordillera, where I remained for some -months, and in May I once more crossed the continent to Gallegos to -take ship for Punta Arenas, the only port in Patagonia where a steamer -calls regularly. I left Patagonia in June 1901. I compute that the -whole distance covered by the journeyings of the expedition cannot -have fallen short of 2000 miles. - -Of the zoology of Patagonia little is known. Of the fauna and flora of -the Cordillera of the southern central part it is not too much to say -that practically nothing is known. Patagonia thus offers one of the -most interesting fields in the world to the traveller and naturalist. - -With these preliminary remarks, I will beg the reader to embark with -me upon the Argentine National transport the _Primero de Mayo_, bound -from the port of Buenos Aires for the south. - - - - -CHAPTER II - -SOUTHWARD HO! - - Leaving England -- Start -- _Primero de Mayo_ -- Port - Belgrano -- Welsh colonists -- Story of Mafeking -- First - sight of Patagonia -- Golfo Nuevo -- Port Madryn -- - Landing -- Trelew -- A pocket Wales -- Difficulties of - early colonists -- Other Welsh settlements -- Older and - younger generations -- Welsh youths and Argentine maidens - -- Language difficulty will arrange itself -- A plague of - "lords" -- Lord Reed -- Trouble of following a lord -- - Itinerary -- Travelling in Patagonia -- Few men, many - horses -- Pack-horses -- Start for Bahia Camerones -- - Foxes, ostriches, cavy -- On the pampas -- Guanaco -- - First guanaco -- _Mate_ -- Dogs -- Farms -- Indians -- - Landscape -- Mirages -- Vast empty land -- _Canadones_ -- - _Estancia_ Lochiel -- Seeking for puma -- Killing guanacos - -- Many pumas killed during winter months--Gauchos. - - -We arrived at Buenos Aires early in September 1900, and on the 10th we -embarked again on board the _Primero de Mayo_, one of the transports -of the Argentine Government, by which my companions and myself had -courteously been granted passages to Patagonia. The _Primero de Mayo_ -is a boat of 650 tons. We carried an extraordinary amount of deck -cargo, for there were a good many passengers on board, as these -transports offered the sole means existing at that time[1] of -communication by sea with Argentine Patagonia. - -We started about one o'clock. Lieutenant Jurgensen, the _commandante_, -was good enough to invite us to dine on that night with the officers -in the deck-house. He subsequently extended his invitation to cover -the entire voyage. After dinner we went out upon the deck. It was -starlight, and the _Primero de Mayo_ was steaming down the brown -estuary of the Plata. - -First night out! What a penance it is! It is "good-bye" translated -into heaviness of heart, and it knows for the time no future and no -hope. You can only look back miserably and long for lost companionship -and - - All dear scenes to which the soul - Turns, as the lodestone seeks the pole. - -It is a time when romance fades out, and nothing is left save the grey -fact of recent partings and the misery of unaccustomed quarters. - -First night out--when one renews acquaintance with the thin cold -sheets and those extraordinary coverlets whose single habitat in the -world appears to be upon the bunks of steamers. Our fellow passengers -also seemed very much under the same influence of greyness. They had -packed themselves round the saloon-table, and were keeping the -stewards busy with orders. - -There were not only a good many people, but peoples, on board; all -nations in ragged ponchos with round fur caps or those pointed -sombreros that one associates with pictures of elves in a wood. As -wild-looking a crew were gathered for'ard as ever sailed Southward Ho! -Germans, Danes, Poles, and heaven knows what other races besides; each -little party formed laagers of their possessions and resented -intrusion with volley-firing of oaths. There was one laager in which I -found myself taking a particular interest; it was made up of two men, -a woman, and her brood of children. Their only belongings appeared to -consist of four ponchos, a _mate_ pot and kettle, and a huge basket of -cauliflowers. They crept in and entrenched themselves between the -cauliflowers and the port bulwark in the waist of the ship. From there -they did not move, but sat swaying their bodies during the entire -voyage. Was Patagonia an Eldorado to which those people were -journeying? On that dark night, as the ship slid groaning and creaking -over the brown waters, the dark scene, lit by stray blurs of light, -called up a memory of Leighton's picture, "The Sea shall give up its -Dead." - -Among the passengers was the Governor of Santa Cruz, Senor Don Matias -McKinlay Tapiola, who speaks English very well. There were also one or -two gentlemen interested in sheep-farming in Patagonia. Of these, Mr. -Greenshields, whose _estancia_ or farm we visited later, owned the -credit of having broken new ground in colonising a part of the country -some one hundred and fifty miles south of the Welsh settlement of -Trelew. The earlier sheep-farms lay about Punta Arenas, eight degrees -to the southward, and there the men of the south swore by the south, -and much difference of opinion existed as to how sheep would flourish -in the more northerly region chosen by Mr. Greenshields. But it seemed -that his daring was likely to be richly repaid, and that many, when -they heard of his success, would follow his example. - - [Illustration: J. B. SCRIVENOR] - -At length it was bedtime, and we turned in with the comforting -reflection that when we woke "first night out" would be over. - -Next morning land had sunk from sight and there was a light -ground-swell, but the _Primero de Mayo_ was rolling heavily, a trick -that Government transports possess and seem to regard in the light of -a privilege all the world over. The evenings and the mornings followed -each other in grey but serene regularity, till on the 12th we turned -coastwards, heading for Puerto Belgrano, and ran between low, green, -hummocky banks up a stretch of shallow, mud-coloured water to our -anchorage. It was a reddish sunset with lightning playing continuously -upon the horizon, and while we were at dinner a thunderstorm broke -with heavy rain. That night we were permitted the privilege and -amusement of choosing the morrow's _menu_. We chose a truly British -repast; roast beef, jam-roll and plum-pudding figuring amongst the -items. There are no employments too trifling to help one to pass the -time on board a ship doing service as a coaster. As to the -arrangements made for our well-being on the transport, the Minister of -Marine had, I was informed, kindly given most generous orders with -regard to our treatment. - -In the morning we disembarked forty-two sailors for the four -men-of-war lying at anchor in the bay. Then we sailed away again for -the south with a warm sun upon the crowded planking and a cold wind -blowing aft. It was at this time that I altered my original plans and -decided on landing at Puerto Madryn, our next stopping-place, instead -of at Santa Cruz, which lies some seven degrees of latitude farther to -the south. Upon hearing that winter had not yet relaxed its grip on -the country south, it became clear that the horses down there would be -thin and in poor condition, with the spring sickness upon them, and -therefore quite unfitted to start upon such a journey as lay before -us. The new scheme also promised a saving of time, as the _Primero de -Mayo_, owing to the necessity of calling at various little places on -the way down to Santa Cruz, would be a good deal delayed; besides, the -horses we required could probably be got together more quickly at -Puerto Madryn. - -We had a number of Welsh with us on the transport, who were on their -way home to the Welsh settlements of Trelew, Gaiman and Rawson. In the -evenings of the voyage it was their custom to forgather and sing -psalms in Welsh, psalms the sound of which took one's memory back to -the Scottish hills and the yearly ante-communion preachings in the -open-air. The surrounding greyness aided the idea--grey sea, grey sky, -grey weather. - -By the way, on board we learnt a fact, or so we were assured it was, -about the South African War, which is certainly not well known even -among those who love the Boer. One night at table, one of the diners -solemnly declared that at Mafeking the English ate the flesh of the -Kaffirs and were thereby enabled to hold out for so long. He was not -attempting to hoax us, he really believed the fable himself, poor -fellow! I did not gather the gentleman's name. - -Coming on deck on the morning of the 15th, we saw, drawn across the -western sea-rim, a low brown line. Above it a sky of steel-blue -gleamed coldly and below a wash of grey sea. This was our first view -of Patagonia. All day we crept along the grim, quiet, solitary-looking -cliff, until at last the _Primero de Mayo_ was swallowed up in the -vast embrace of the Golfo Nuevo. It was between evening and night when -we approached our harbourage, Puerto Madryn. The half-lights were -playing above it, and the afterglow of the sunset still shone feebly -behind the land. We saw only raw cliff capped by dark verdure--the rim -of the vast pampas which roll away in rising levels league upon league -towards the Andes. - -The sea was cold, the wind was cold, the land looked forlorn and -a-cold. Presently from it a little boat put out containing a figure -wrapped in a long military cloak. This was the sub-prefect, who thus -welcomed us to these desolate shores, for Patagonia from the sea is a -desolate prospect indeed. It would be difficult to give an adequate -idea of the dismal aspect presented by Puerto Madryn upon that -evening. Suffice it to say that the settlement consists of half a -dozen houses and a flagstaff; the first crouch on the lip of the tide -and the second shivers above on the bare pampa-rim. - -There seals and divers haunt the sea, a few guanaco-herds live upon -the coast-lands, and there, in inhospitable fashion, the little colony -of human beings clings, as it were, upon the skirts of great -primordial nature. In the evening lights the cliffs showed curiously -pallid above a strip of dead sand and shingle, only the sky and the -water seemed alive. - -Next morning we hoped to get our baggage ashore and were moving early -with that object in view. But the trend of public opinion in Puerto -Madryn appears to be towards the conviction that there is no sort of -reason for hurry under any circumstances. Hence the cargo disgorged -itself slowly, and after interminable waiting we found our particular -share of it would not be reached that night. It was, in fact, not till -the afternoon of the second day that we achieved a partial recovery of -our belongings from the holds and took the first consignment of it -ashore. The morning had broken clear and fine, but mid-day brought a -change. And by the time we had our boatload completed and rocketed -away shorewards at the tail of the _Primero de Mayo's_ steam-launch, a -beam sea was flying in spray high over us. - -There was an anxious moment when the launch slipped the towing-cable -and the sailor in the bows flung a rope, which dropped short of the -black wooden jetty, and we were swept some boat-lengths away by a big -broken sea. To be swamped at the moment of landing!--the thought was -too disastrous to be dwelt on; half our rifles and a box of -instruments were on board. It cost us a long hour and a half of hard -work before everything was safe ashore. And while we toiled a dozen -seals came and stared at us with their doglike faces, and lazy, solemn -eyes. - - [Illustration: T. R. D. BURBURY] - -When all our property had been brought to land, luckily without -mishaps of any kind, I left Scrivenor with our _peones_ to bring up -the heavy baggage and went on with Burbury to Trelew by the miniature -train which plies to and fro between the Welsh colony and the coast. -From Trelew a ten-days ride takes you beyond the farm of the last -settler and into the waste places of the pampas. - -Trelew is a new and pocket Wales, but very much Wales all the same. To -prove the accuracy of this statement it is only necessary to say that -the waggon which set us on the first leagues of our way belonged to a -Jones, that another Jones accompanied the expedition to the -Cordillera, that I negotiated with a third Jones for a supply of -mutton to take with us for use on the first part of our journey, that -I was introduced to several Williamses and did business with various -Hugheses. And all this in a day and a half. - -Trelew itself is a bare settlement of raw-looking houses and shanties, -which has started up on the emptiness of the pampas. It cannot lay any -claim to picturesqueness, and a pervading impression of being -unfinished adds a suggestion of discomfort to the place. All round -about the mud houses the pampa rolls away to the distances, harsh, -stony, overgrown with little humpy bushes of thorn and dotted here and -there with wheat-land. All through and over the settlement you are -never out of hearing of three languages--English, Welsh and Spanish. - - [Illustration: WELSH SETTLEMENT OF TRELEW] - -For thirty-five years the Welsh have lived in this little colony of -their own founding. Exactly all the reasons which led them to forsake -their far-off homes for Patagonia it would serve no purpose to set out -in detail, but the root of the matter appears to have lain in the fact -that they objected to the laws relating to the teaching of English in -the schools; and, having the courage of their convictions, they came -several thousand miles across the sea to escape the _regime_ they -disliked. At present, however, they seem to have slipped from the -frying-pan into the fire, for they like still less the Argentine code, -by which every man born in the Republic is subject to conscription and -Sunday drilling. - -Some time ago the colonists of Trelew appealed to England to intercede -for them with the Argentine Government with a view to obtaining -release from these disabilities. But as the Welsh had of their own -free will deliberately placed themselves under the Government of the -Republic, it was impossible for England to interfere, and this fact -was notified to the suppliants, much to their disappointment and -disgust. Even when I was there they remained rather sore over the -matter, complaining that England had taken all the money subscribed -for the expenses of the appeal and given them no redress in return. - -The difficulties and hardships which must inevitably have beset the -commencement of their settling in Patagonia, contrasted with their -present condition, show the Welsh to be splendid people. The resolute -spirit that drove them to emigrate across the seas has served to make -their township there, though perhaps not particularly inviting to look -at, a flourishing one in its quiet pastoral way. They have laid a -railway, as has been said, to the coast at Puerto Madryn and -established a telephone. Spanish and Welsh live here as neighbours. -The Spaniard keeps the store while the Welshman farms, growing a -certain amount of grain, but his chief business lies in breeding -horses, cattle and sheep. - -The Welshmen are not wanting in keen business quality. Any one who has -tried to buy horses in Trelew will bear me out in this statement. The -mere fact that a stranger has arrived in their colony, who wants to -invest in horseflesh, awakens all their commercial instincts, and they -are not at all behind the rest of the world in knowing how to form a -combine for the purpose of plundering the Philistines. Quite right -too. A man who can resist making a bargain over a horse whenever he -gets the chance is, like "the good young man who died," over-perfect -for this corrupt old world. - -From their first settlement the Welsh have spread south through the -coast-towns of Patagonia, and six weeks' journey from Trelew they have -formed another settlement in the Cordilleras to the north-west which -they have called the "16th October Colony." Thither waggons are always -trekking, and waggon-drivers and others who return bring with them -glowing and rosy descriptions of the young settlement of the interior. -The adaptability of the Welsh to the peculiar needs of colonisation is -very remarkable. They have certainly stepped into the "larger life" -with success. - - [Illustration: OUTFITTING IN A PATAGONIAN STORE] - -The influence of the new conditions of existence, so different from -that of the Welsh peasant in his own country, is very noticeable in -several ways. The older and the younger generation are unlike each -other now, and will probably continue to become more so as time -goes on. Physically the younger people are far better developed than -their elders, red-faced, open-eyed, straight-backed boys in big felt -hats, each with a bright-coloured handkerchief knotted round his neck -and the guanaco-wool poncho hanging from his shoulders. They are very -picturesque and look their best on horseback. In this matter of riding -also there is a wide difference between the styles of the old and the -young men. The latter, who are Patagonian born, seem to be part of -their horses, but the elders, however excellent long practice has made -them, never attain to the proficiency of their sons. - - [Illustration: HUMPHREY JONES, JUN.] - -Although the colony of Trelew is to-day in a more or less flourishing -condition and very Welsh, a grave danger menaces it. In fifty years -time how will it be with the racial element? Will there be as many -Welsh then as now? I fear not, and the result is difficult to foresee. -The danger takes the form of the dark-eyed Argentine maiden, who is -rather apt to "make roast meat of the heart" of the Welsh youth. While -the Welsh girls do not take very readily to Spanish-speaking husbands, -the Welsh boys fall very much in love with the daughters of the South. -So it is to be concluded that the language difficulty will settle -itself, or, at any rate, become more easy of arrangement with each -succeeding generation. If the girl you love speaks only Spanish, it is -quite obvious you must learn Spanish in order to be able to talk to -her, and, under the circumstances, you will not find the task a very -hard one. Then children nearly always show a preference for the -mother's tongue and speech in contradistinction to that of the father. -Probably, if these prophecies were uttered in Trelew, the men of -to-day would scoff at them. But onlookers often see most of the game. -In 1865 the Welsh, in deep sorrow, left their own land to escape the -tyranny of the English law, as they considered it, which sought to -force upon them the English language. Their desire was to preserve -their own tongue. And flying from Scylla they will fall (and to some -degree have already fallen) a prey to Charybdis. But it is a very -pleasant Charybdis, typified by a dark-haired, dark-eyed, lissom -maiden, who will bear them sons no longer of the old pure-bred Welsh -stock, but of a mixed race. And so the effort of the forefathers, who -fared overseas to found a new home, shall be made null and void. - -Now and again it is the fate of frontier towns to be stirred to their -depths by some incursion from the old world they have left behind -them. Trelew was still recovering from such an experience when we -arrived there. The settlement, in short, had been suffering from a -plague of lords. First appeared an aristocrat, who wished to travel in -the interior, and he bought up horses with a lavish hand, and -generally made preparations which, no doubt, filled the purses of the -inhabitants. This gentleman's projected tour, however, fell through -for some reason, and he departed whence he had come into the unknown -world outside of Trelew's daily cognisance. - -Presently after him followed a second "lord," who gave his name as -Lord Reed, and who was received with open arms by an enthusiastic -community. A run of lords appeared to be setting in, and was regarded -by the Trelewians as a distinct dispensation in their favour, which it -was their happy duty to work out thoroughly to their own advantage. By -some mistake Lord Reed had left his ready money behind him, and, -therefore, borrowed pretty extensively from the kind-hearted Welshmen. -After a time Lord Reed vanished, and upon inquiry being made it was -discovered that no such title as Lord Reed was to be found in the -Peerage of Great Britain. When this fact became established, more than -one Welshman is reported to have gone out after Lord Reed with the -family gun, and, I believe, he was finally caught with a lasso! But -the incident was not without its bearing on our personal affair, for -the Bank of Trelew would have nothing whatever to say to my Cook's -letter of credit. In vain I recited my credentials, and gave such -proof of genuineness as was in my power to give. They would none of -me. The bank evidently argued that it was easier to pretend that you -were a _bona-fide_ traveller than that you were a lord. Lord Reed too; -it was rather a taking title. I could not at first understand where -the humour of the question, put to me by several people I met in -Trelew, of "Are you not Lord Prichard?" came in. In fact, it was -disconcerting; but later on, when I heard the above story, I did not -grudge the colonists any fun that might be got out of the situation, -for certainly Lord Reed, taken all in all, had been far from a subject -of pure amusement to them. - -We remained six days at Trelew making those last few purchases which -were necessary with the small stock of extra money that I had left -myself as a margin. It was directly owing to Lord Reed that I finally -set forth into the interior with but thirty dollars in Argentine notes -and large drafts on Cook and Son, which were quite useless. Although -the wilderness does not seem a likely field for spending money, yet, -before our travels were at an end, I was glad to sell horses to supply -the needs of our party. - -The journey which lay before us to Lake Buenos Aires was about six -hundred miles in length, and this distance might be subdivided into -three stages: the first, from Trelew to Bahia Camerones, where the -expedition became complete; the second, from Bahia Camerones to the -Lakes Musters and Colhue; and the third, to Lake Buenos Aires itself. -My instructions gave me an entirely free hand, within reasonable -limits, as to the number of men I might take with me. - -I had from the first been convinced that the smallest number possible -would also be, in our case, the wisest. The immense extent of the -country to be traversed, and the difficulties which must inevitably -lie in our way to hinder and delay us, as well as the practical -emptiness of the country, which requires that an expedition shall be -self-supporting, were salient facts; and our plans had to be made and -modified in relation to these facts. The mobility of the party was the -main point to aim at. Hence it was necessary to cut down the -_personnel_ of the expedition to as low a number as possible, and it -was further most important to have plenty of horses and to spare. - -The difficulty of feeding several men when travelling through such a -country was obvious, and therefore not to be thought of, as, besides -the four horses each individual needed for riding, the extra animals -for carrying provision and bedding, clothing, tents, &c. had to be -taken into account. No pack-horse should be allowed to carry his load -two days consecutively, and, in fact, one day's work in three is -enough. If waggons are taken, each should be allowed three teams of -six horses each. - -With such ideas in view, those arrangements were made which, in fact, -enabled us to cover the distances we achieved. Any expedition of this -sort is killing work for the horses, and it stands greatly to -Burbury's credit that we lost but one out of nearly sixty during the -months we spent in Patagonia, and that one was a colt that died of -eating poison-shrub. - -There is not the slightest doubt that the policy that spells success -in Patagonian travel is summed up in the words, "Cut down your men and -your stores, and take enough horses to enable you to move lightly and -rapidly." - -On September 21 we left Trelew in the afternoon. The weather was -magnificent. Our caravan at this period consisted of a couple of -waggons as well as the horses. Two _estancieros_, Messrs. Greenshields -and Haddock, accompanied us, as our way led past their farms. I sent -the waggons ahead and rode on afterwards with Burbury and Humphrey -Jones senior. When we came to the place fixed on for our first camp we -found the men had gone on, for there was no water there. We pushed -forward in the dark, and presently the fire of the encampment -glimmered out in front of us; it seemed to be quite near, but it took -a good while to reach. We heard an occasional fox, and as we sat round -the fire a few birds passed in the dark, calling. The first night in -camp is like the first night at sea, a gloomy time. - - [Illustration: THE FIRST GUANACO] - -The next day we again had a bright sun with a strong west wind. We -chased some pampa foxes and an ostrich (_Rhea darwini_) and killed two -of the former. Jones and Burbury caught a cavy (_Dolichotis -patagonica_). So we marched on over the rolling downs day after day, -sometimes catching a glimpse of the sea, sometimes journeying across -pampas where the far horizons met in pale blue sky and puffed white -clouds above, and below grass and endless scrub. We saw Cayenne plover -(_Vanellus cayennensis_) at an early stage of our travels. - - [Illustration: THE START OF OUR LONG TREK] - -I have already mentioned the herds of guanaco that roam the interior. -This animal belongs distinctively to South America, and is to be found -nowhere else in the world. Darwin writes of it as follows: "The -guanaco, or wild llama, is the characteristic quadruped of the plains -of Patagonia.... It is an elegant animal in a state of nature, with a -long slender neck and fine legs." In colour the guanaco is of a -golden-brown with white underparts, the hair upon the sides being -somewhat long and fleecy. Enormous herds of from three to five hundred -live upon the pampas, and we were aware that we should chiefly depend -for meat on those we might chance to shoot during many months to come. - -One evening, when I was riding ahead with the troop of horses, I saw -my first guanaco. Coming round a bend of the winding _canadon_, I -looked up and perceived him. The sight was highly picturesque. It was -an old buck standing alone on the top of a cliff some two hundred feet -high and looking down at me. He was posed against a background of pale -green glinting sunset. I had hardly time to unsling my rifle before he -bounded away. We saw many thousands afterwards, but somehow in the -nature of things I shall never forget that first one. - -On the coast-farms, which, it must be recollected, are many of them -scores of square leagues in extent, the guanaco grows comparatively -tame, becoming used to the passing of mounted shepherds; but in other -parts of Patagonia, noticeably in the valley of the River Chico of -Chubut, through which we passed later, they are very wild, allowing no -human being to approach within half a mile. This is owing to the -Indians, who hunt them perpetually in that district. - -Once in camp in Patagonia life is very enjoyable, though perhaps the -enjoyment varies with the amount of game to be seen. Up at sunrise, -when the sun pokes its big bald lemon-coloured head out of the -bed-clothes of the sky. Then some early camp-man stirs and rises, and -waddles down to the wet grey ashes of yesternight's fire, and soon a -weak trail of smoke goes rocketing away in the wind. The big pot is -put on and breakfast is made and eaten. Then the cargo is packed, and -the horses are rounded up by a Gaucho or two, riding bareback. We -saddle up and the caravan moves off on its leagues-long march. - -Marches vary from fifteen miles to forty, and when the afternoon sun -waxes less strong the horses are off-saddled and turned loose, the -waggons unpacked and the camp-fires lighted. _Mate_ eternally, a -roast, tea afterwards and a pipe, and then the sleeping-bags. _Mate_ -or _yerba_, I must explain, is the great drink of the pampas, and is -most invigorating. A cup or tin is half filled with the yellow powdery -leaves, to which is added a little cold water, followed by hot. It is -drunk through a _bombilla_ or tube, the maker of the decoction taking -the first pull, and afterwards it passes from hand to hand, and I must -add from mouth to mouth, round the circle. It is the greatest insult -to refuse to partake, and when the originator of the brew happens to -be an old and rather unappetising Tehuelche lady, the effort to take -your turn and look pleased is often something of an ordeal. - -Day after day went by in much the same manner, but few remembrances -remain with me more vividly than the pampa fox and cavy hunting which -we enjoyed during those early times of our expedition. Four lurchers -of sorts and my big greyhound, Tom, trotted behind our horses, and -when game was sighted we went after it at full gallop. In that keen -air nothing can be more exhilarating than such a chase over the -broken ground of the pampa, where we were often successful, but among -hummocks and hills the quarry frequently made good its escape. - - [Illustration: MR. LANGLEY'S _ESTANCIA_ ON THE ROAD TO BAHIA - CAMERONES] - -On the 25th we passed a farm that was quite English in -appearance--wire-fences enclosing sheep and lambs on downs that -descended in undulations to the sea. By evening we were in broken -country patched with red rock. The horses were rather troublesome; -Hughes, one of the Gauchos, rode an untamed mare and gave a good -exhibition of horsemanship. Among the sheep and the hills an Indian -rode down from the high ground; he wore a poncho of red and black, -tinted like autumn trees. His camp consisted of a little fire of three -or four sticks, by which squatted his _china_. He took his place -beside her, and watched our line of waggons and horses wind away out -of sight. - -From Trelew to Camerones the country was for the most part like the -bare deer-forests of the Scottish Highlands, brown bracken being -replaced by _espinilla_ (thorn, a general term) and the green shrub -called by the Welshmen "poison-bush," the same blue sky above, the -same occasional lochlike lagoons. For the first two days or more the -pampas stretched to the rim of the horizon, empty and somewhat harsh -even in the sunlight. Now and then mirages like squadrons of cavalry -hovered along the edges of them. A few guanaco and ostriches, a -sprinkling of cavy, and many pampa foxes seemed to eke out an -existence there. It was a land of vast prospects, a scene laid forth -with a sort of noble parsimony, which--as in the case of a miser so -miserly that for the very exceedingness of his vice you respect -him--was yet stupendous in its one or two grandly simple salient -features, and drove the spectator to that admiration which verges -upon fear. Picture one such characteristic vision of Patagonia. As far -as eye could reach a spread of wind-weary grass, roofed by a -wind-blown sky, an eagle poised far off, a dot in the upper air. -Nothing more. - -A man alone within this vast setting seemed puny. Lost here, without a -horse, he would be the most helpless of things created. It was across -this gigantic primordialism that our way led us. Three times we made -our camp upon the bare pampas, three times in one or other of the many -_canadones_ before reaching Bahia Camerones. You may be voyaging at an -easy jog over the pampa, seeing the land roll apparently quite level -to the horizon, when suddenly you come upon a spatter of white sand, a -track leading between the shoulders of the pampa, you dive down and -are lost to sight in a moment; then, perhaps, for four miles or for -fourteen you are riding a couple of hundred feet below the level -spread of the pampa, and as you pass the guanaco on the cliff tops -watch you uneasily. To be lost in such a land is the simplest possible -matter. - -On the 27th we arrived at the Estancia Lochiel, where Mr. Greenshields -most kindly entertained us. This _estancia_ is situated at the head of -a _canadon_, which drops away to the sea eight leagues distant. It -consists of a small colony of wooden houses with corrugated iron -roofs. The Lochiel Sheep Farming Company, of which Mr. Greenshields is -manager, have 15,000 sheep and forty square leagues of camp. "Camp," -you must understand, in Patagonia means land. - -The day after our arrival Scrivenor and Burbury accompanied Mr. -Frederick Haddock to his farm, eight leagues away, in order to bring -back the horses I had purchased by contract in Trelew. I remained -behind as Mr. Greenshields' guest, for a puma was reported by the -shepherd to have killed five sheep upon the edge of the farm during -the previous night. - -Macdonald, the Scotch shepherd, Barckhausen and I set out to see if we -could find the puma. On my way to the spot I shot my first guanaco. He -appeared upon the skyline doing sentinel, possibly against the very -puma we were after. We rode under the hill on which the guanaco was -watching, and he began to move uneasily. At the bend of the hill was a -small hollow, and, as we rode through this, I told my companions to -ride on and threw them my _cabresto_ (leading-rope of a horse). I slid -off the horse and crawled up the hill. Upon the bare face of it was a -thicket of poison-bush, and into this I ultimately made my way. The -sentinel guanaco was there above me, stretching out his long neck, and -every now and then giving his high neighing laugh. When one hundred -and twenty yards off he saw me, and I had to snap him quickly. Swing -went his neck, and away he galloped with his swift, uneven gait. I -thought I had missed him, when, to my delight, he began to slacken -speed, and finally lay down in an ungainly attitude, his long neck -crooked in a curve in front of him. I crawled nearer, and up he got -and was off again. I ran down to my horse and mounted, and Macdonald -let Tom, my hound, loose. We galloped the guanaco up. He was very sick -indeed, and inside of three hundred yards Tom pulled him down again. -The Mauser bullet had hit him two inches behind the shoulder about -half way down the body. It had not come out. How he managed to get so -far I cannot understand. We then went onwards, and saw by the way -several herds of guanaco. I did not shoot any more, however, as they -were uncommonly tame, and there was, of course, mutton at the -_estancia_. We reached the spot on the hills above the puma's kill, -low thorn bushes, vast mountain and blue sea, but no sign of the puma -was to be found. These animals will often travel four or five leagues -after a kill. - - [Illustration: FREDERICK BARCKHAUSEN] - -By the way, when you fire at a guanaco they will sway their heads -downwards with an odd sort of ducking motion. Not one individual but a -whole herd will do this at any unaccustomed sound. The effect is most -curious. - -While at Bahia Camerones our party was completed. We took with us -five Gauchos, who are active, handy men as a rule. The population of -the country is largely composed of Gauchos; in fact, they form the -foundation of Patagonian life. - -They live by the horse, and the horse lives by them. They drive mobs -of cattle or of horses for owners across three degrees of latitude to -sell them. They have been born in the camp, live in the camp, and will -very likely die there also. In Patagonia they treat their horses in a -method very different to that which we employ in our crowded country. -There nature gives grass, water, and the horse; man tames the animal -as little as possible from his wild state, and forces an alliance with -nature. At night the mares are hobbled and the horses turned loose; -while the Gauchos light their camp-fire and drink _mate_ through the -_bombilla_. - -At the first light next morning they take it in turn to bring in the -troop, which they do with an astonishing swiftness. Sometimes, of -course, the horses "clear," and then it is that the Gauchos in charge -find them by tracking. - -In a country intersected by deep _canadones_, which offer a secure -hiding-place in their many hollows, this is a difficult matter. The -tracks perhaps run easily through a belt of soft marsh, and then are -invisible upon a pampa of shingle and thorn. - -A true Gaucho must be able to do a number of things--to back an -untamed colt, to lassoo, to use the _boleadores_, which are heavy -stones attached together by a hide rope, and are to the Patagonian -what the boomerang is to the Australian aborigine. He must be able to -cook, to make horse-gear from the pelts of beasts, to find his way -without a compass from point to point, by instinct as it were. - -The Gaucho shares with the poet the honour of being born, not made. -This proves that Gaucho work is Art, with a big A. Take, for instance, -the power of driving single-handed a big mob of wild horses and -keeping them compact. No one who has not tried it can imagine what -heartbreaking work it is to a beginner. One learns to do it after a -fashion in time, but never like the man who has been bred to the -craft. - -FOOTNOTE: - -[1] Since writing the above I learn that a German line has put -steamers upon this route. - - - - -CHAPTER III - -THE BATTLE OF THE HORSES - - Leave Bahia Camerones -- Horses wild -- Decide on taking - one waggon -- Bell-mare -- Names of horses -- Breaking-in - of horses -- German _peones_ -- Horses stray -- Gaucho - trick -- Watching troop at night -- Four languages -- - Signalling by smokes -- Searching for horses -- Favourite - words and phrases -- Nag of the baleful eye -- _Canadon_ - of the dry river -- Bad ground -- Flies -- Ostrich eggs -- - Shooting guanaco -- River Chico of Chubut -- Puma's visit - at night -- Condor -- Lady killed -- Singing in camp -- - Stormy night -- Breakdown of waggon -- Guanaco on stony - ground -- Long chase -- Guanaco's death. - - -I will not bore my readers with all the technicalities of our -preparations for the real start. - -Suffice it to say that our total belongings were stowed upon a waggon -and on the backs of four pack-horses. We had in all sixty horses, and -eight men. About forty of these horses had been running wild upon the -pampa for eight months previous to our acquiring them. During that -time they had been lost and had only been recaptured shortly before -our arrival in Trelew. The purchase of them was, however, the best -speculation I could make under the circumstances, since all the -animals were good and sound. Had I bought by small instalments in -Trelew, not only would every man within journeying distance have very -naturally attempted to palm off upon me the worst and most vicious -animals he possessed, but the horses, not being used to one another's -company, would have been impossible to keep together at night upon the -pampas, as the various sections composing such a _tropilla_ would -inevitably have scattered to the four points of the compass. - -Patagonian horses, which are descended from those brought over by the -Spaniards in the sixteenth century, are never stabled, but are turned -out rain and snow in their troops. These troops or _tropillas_ consist -of any number from six animals to thirty, and to each is assigned a -_madrina_, or bell-mare, which is never ridden, and which is trained -to be caught easily. At night she is hobbled, and her troop remain -round about her. Naturally a well-trained _madrina_ is one affair, -while a badly-trained one is quite another. In my mob of horses I had -four troops, two good madrinas and one bad one, while the fourth was a -_rosada_, whose sole object in life seemed to be to get away from her -own troop and to kick any one who came within ten feet of her. - - [Illustration: A PAMPA ROUND-UP] - -When you desire to put a strange horse or colt into a troop, it is -necessary to couple him to the _madrina_ for some days, after which he -will remain with the troop. The _madrina_ should never be driven in -hobbles, a mistake that is often made when bringing in the horses of a -morning. A horse used to hobbles can travel in them four or five -leagues in a single night, so the reason why the mares should not be -allowed ever to become used to travelling in hobbles is obvious. The -_madrina_ has a bell attached to her neck, and the last sound heard -before you sleep is the soft tinkle of these bells and the comfortable -sound of feeding horses, unless the troop happens to take it into -their head to make off, in which case you will have a long ride upon -their tracks in the morning. - -The horses throughout the Argentine Republic are known by their -colours (for which the Spanish language supplies an extraordinary -variety of terms signifying every tint and shade), and to these names -they answer. Some of the names are melodious and pretty--_alazan_, -which means chestnut, _cruzado_, the name given to a horse that -possesses alternate white feet, the off fore and the near hind foot, -or the other way round. There is a theory among the Gauchos that a -_cruzado_ will never tire. I cannot do better than give a list of the -names of the horses of my own _tropilla_, though, of course, there are -many others: - - _Alazan_, chestnut. - - _Asulejo_, bluish-grey and white in patches. - - _Bayo_, fawn. - - _Blanco_, white. - - _Cruzado_, with crossed white feet. - - _Gateado_, yellow with black stripe down back. - - _Horqueta_, slit-eared. - - _Moro_, grey. - - _Oscuro_, black. - - _Overo_, piebald or skewbald. - - _Pangare_, brown or bay with fawn muzzle. - - _Picaso_, black with white blaze and white legs. - - _Rosado_, red and white in patches, roan. - - _Rosillo_, strawberry. - - _Tordillo_, grey. - - _Tostado_, toast-coloured. - - _Zaino_, brown or dark bay. - -The taming of these horses is a business of which an account may not -be uninteresting. The methods used are of a very rough description. -The colt is caught from the _manada_, or troop of mares in which he -was born, with a lasso, a head-stall is put on him and he is tied up -to the _palenque_, or centre-post of the corral. Here he is left for -twelve hours or so, during which he generally expends his energies in -trying to pull the _palenque_ out of the ground. He is then saddled -up, generally with an accompaniment of bucking, and the Gaucho who is -to tame him climbs upon his back. Another mounted Gaucho is near by to -"ride off," which he does by galloping between the colt and any -dangerous ground or object. Probably the colt will begin by bucking, -but if he does not do so during his first gallop it by no means -follows that he will turn out to be free from the fault. Indeed it is -quite probable that he may be soft and fat after his easy youth upon -the pampas, and not till about the fifth or sixth gallop will he show -such vices as are in him. At first he is ridden on the _bocado_, which -is a soft strip of hide tied round the lower jaw. This answers to the -heavy snaffle which is the first bit a colt has to submit to in -England. - -The Gauchos of Patagonia are not nearly patient enough with the mouths -of their mounts, spoiling many by harsh treatment. Different colours -in horses are supposed to indicate different temperaments; thus they -say a _Moro_ colt is generally docile, while a _Picaso_ has the -reputation of being very much the reverse. - -The horses of Northern Patagonia--such as were ours, for they came -from the banks of the Rio Negro--are reputed to be more spirited than -those bred in the south. But this theory is possibly owing to the fact -that the average Gaucho of the north is a better rider than his -brother of the south. The horses are, I fancy, much the same. - -Many Patagonian horses are what may be called "quick to mount," -starting at a canter as soon as their rider's foot touches the -stirrup. This also is the fault of the breakers-in. There are few -tricks more annoying or, upon a hillside, more dangerous. - -After this short description my readers will be able to understand -more fully the happenings which I am about to describe. - -On October 3 we set out from Mr. Greenshields', and at the moment of -starting Fritz Gleditzsch, a German from Dresden, whom I had brought -with me from Buenos Aires, and whom I had engaged on the best -recommendations, came to me and told me that he could not go farther -because he had had no meat to eat upon the previous night. As the -meat-shed was situated about two hundred yards from where my men were -encamped, and as he had free access to it, I began to understand that -Fritz was something of an old soldier. Had I been able to get another -man to replace him on the spot I should have done so, but with my -large troop of horses I was more or less in the hands of my _peones_, -a not uncommon difficulty to overtake the traveller in Patagonia, and -one upon which many _peones_ count. - - [Illustration: MAP SHOWING ROUTE OF EXPEDITION THROUGH PATAGONIA.] - -The real reason for Fritz's recalcitrance turned out to be the -arrival in my camp of a compatriot and erstwhile companion, Hans -Hollesen, who had applied to join the expedition. I took them both -along, for, having paid Master Fritz's way from Buenos Aires, I did -not relish the notion of obtaining no return for the outlay, and I -knew that, once we passed Colohuapi, I should be master of the -situation. - -I heard months afterwards from a New Zealander, who had been on board -the _Primero de Mayo_ with Fritz, that that gentleman was looking -forward to a soft job, and had boasted that he would certainly desert -us if we marched more than ten miles a day. - -Our first march was about three leagues, and we made our camp beside a -small shallow lagoon upon which a couple of ashy-headed geese -(_Bernicla poliocephala_) were swimming. I shot them both for the pot. - -It was about six o'clock when we camped, and Burbury, who was in -charge of the horses, took every possible precaution to prevent their -straying, a very likely contingency upon their first night in the open -pampa. In spite of the fact that the horses were watched all night, -morning found us with but thirty-seven out of the whole number. Soon -after daylight Burbury, with some of the men, rode out to recover -them. They returned unsuccessful. During the morning a wandering -Gaucho came into camp and said he had seen some horses in a _canadon_ -near by. The Welshmen rode out there but came back disappointed, as -the horses were not ours. At eleven o'clock next morning I sent three -of the men back to Mr. Haddock's, from whose _estancia_ the lost troop -had been acquired, the probabilities being that they had headed back -for home. But shortly after Burbury and the Germans returned with the -horses, which had travelled about nine miles, and were discovered -calmly feeding in a _canadon_. It was Burbury who discovered them by a -smart piece of Gaucho work. - -Next night, October 6, we watched the horses in turns. It was a cold -night lit by a moon. We had some reason to believe that our Gaucho -friend of the day before had not been altogether innocent in -connection with the straying of the horses. Such a man will ride -quietly through the scattered horses feeding in the gloom and -stampede them. He will follow a small mob and drive them into some -fold of the hills, such as, no doubt, he knows a dozen of, and hide -them there until, after several days, a reward is offered by the -owner. The Gaucho will then ride casually into the camp, drink a -_mate_, hear the story, and remark that he is well acquainted with the -country round. If asked whether he can give any opinion as to the -whereabouts of the lost horses, he says, "_Quien sabe?_" but suggests -they may be in a "_canadon muy limpio_," to which horses often stray. -In reply to any question as to where the _canadon_ may lie, he -replies, "Over there," and waves his hand half round the compass. He -may add that he is looking for seven mares of his own that strayed -away last Friday week or he would himself undertake the office of -guide. If any hint of payment be given, he goes on to say that, since -his mares have been lost so long they may remain lost a little longer, -while he guides and aids the travellers in their search, not, of -course, for the money's worth, that will not recompense him for the -mares, which may wander away altogether out of the province because of -his delay in looking for them, but because he would do a kindness to -persons for whom he has conceived a liking. So he acts as guide, and, -after a decent interval, finds the horses and pouches his reward. It -is an excellent trade, as there is no risk and plenty of emolument to -recommend it, and, in fact, it is a common enough trick in Patagonia. - -I sat most of the night by the fire--except when my turn came to ride -round the horses, which we had placed in a small hollow--writing up my -diary by the light of the fire, and watching the men ride in and out -of the moonlight and the shadows. As the night advanced the cold -increased. The moon left us about 3.30 A.M. and it became very dark. -As I circled on my beat I passed by a wild cat. Morning found the -horses all right. We had, however, to delay a little to allow of our -men returning from Haddock's. - -On October 7 we fared forth once more upon our way, and the ill-luck -that had attended us at this first camp was with us up to the last -moment of the three days we spent there, for as the waggon began to -move off an _alazan_ fell beneath the front wheel, which passed clean -over his near fore leg. Strangely enough, owing to some inequality of -the ground, the waggon, although very heavily laden, did not hurt the -animal. He was not even cut, and when we got him up he resumed his -journey as if nothing had happened, and eventually turned out one of -our best horses. - - [Illustration: J. B. SCRIVENOR (GEOLOGIST) AND MULA] - -We now made two or three good marches in succession, but on October -10, in spite of all precautions, the horses belonging to the black -mare's troop deserted her.[2] Upon this, finding that until the horses -of the different troops became more used to each other, it would be -almost impossible to keep them together on the open pampas, where, as -a further disadvantage, the grass was poor and sparse, and the horses -had to scatter a great deal to feed, I decided to cut across to the -Rio Chico of Chubut and march along the river valley, the tall cliffs -of which would serve as a barrier to prevent the _tropilla_ straying. -Never was such an awful place as these pampas in which to lose -anything, or, worse still, to get lost yourself. You ride a hundred -yards or so and you are in some deep-mouthed _canadon_, lying flush -with the pampa, and out of sight of your companions in an instant. - -On the expedition we spoke four languages--Spanish, English, German -and Welsh, but English was more used than the others. - -On one occasion we had to light a couple of fires to signal some of -the men who were out looking for horses; one of these spread rather -much, but was easily put out with a spade. It is strange how small an -area burns in that part of the country, even with a high wind to help -the flames. The weather was windy and bitterly cold. - -I extract the following from my diary: - -"_October 10, evening._--I write this by the camp-fire. The men take -it in turns to cook. Two armadillos (_Dasypus minutus_) have been -caught by the Germans. They are strong little beasts; you can hardly -pull one, which has half buried itself in the ground, out with both -hands. We roast them whole with hot stones and they taste like -chicken. Fritz and Hollesen went for the horses this morning and found -three of the Trelew troop gone, the Tordillo, the Zaino, and the -Blanco, and this although one was _maneado_ and the other two tied -together. This is a great hindrance. We got the waggon ready on the -interminable pampa and decided to strike down at once for the Rio -Chico by way of a large _canadon_ four and a half leagues long. This -will add some days to our journey to Colohuapi. But if we continue -losing and searching for horses, shall we ever get there? One day we -cover twenty-one miles, the next nothing, because of strayed horses. -Nor can you _soga_ them up, for the grass is poor and they must have a -large range. Here we are in this huge country looking for horses upon -and about a pampa intersected by many _canadones_, each of which would -take an entire week to explore thoroughly. At breakfast I decided to -march, sending Jones, who is a good tracker, off to see if he could -find the horses where he found them yesterday. - -"We have a big buck-jumper, a piebald, which is a strong horse suited -to the waggon. It took an hour and a half to get him harnessed, and we -started on the back track, for the _canadon_ we must strike lies a -league behind us. Barckhausen was to ride an untamed black horse with -the strangest light blue glimmering eyes, which for some reason makes -me repeat over and over to myself the lines of Q.: - - "His glittering eyes are the salt seas' prize, - And his fingers clutch the sand. - -"Rather far fetched, but so it always is. One notices how much in -camp-life a man gets into the habit of a 'Punch, brothers, punch'--a -haunting phrase which he applies to everything. In one case it is some -grim and grotesque oath that he mentally lives on, sometimes it is a -line of a hymn, sometimes it is a bit of an advertisement. There are -few books in the camp, and mine not out yet from the tin box. The -Welshmen have a Bible in their own language; Hollesen has a paper of -short stories about missing heirs and such like; Scrivenor has -'Pickwick.' - - [Illustration: THE BIG OVERO, A BUCKJUMPER] - -"But to return to Barckhausen. The nag of the baleful eye would not be -caught, and had to be chased about the pampa by Hughes and myself. -Finally, Jones got a lasso on him, and he danced at the edge of the -lagoon with four men at the other end of the lasso. We tied his legs -in slip-knots and pulled him over, and when quieter saddled him. He -bucked around with the saddle. At length Barckhausen got up and rode -him the whole afternoon. It was a terrible job driving the horses, and -that even though we were in the _canadon_. - -"On each side of us were bare, bald grass hills, rolling in hummocks -and their sides sprinkled with thorn-scrub. In the centre, winding in -sharp bends, a dry river bed. Towards evening, after travelling all -the afternoon down the _canadon_ since one o'clock, I rode on and -found the bed of the river held water in four places. Near the third -of these we camped. Saw an ostrich and a few sentinel guanaco. Caught -an armadillo. The scenery here consists of alternations of pampa and -_canadon_, _canadon_ and pampa, and over all the tearing wind, which -seldom drops. - -"I have given out two tins of jam and one of Swiss milk, one of coffee -and milk and some vegetables. Sometimes we soak our biscuit and bake -it. It is very good treated so. I am writing this by the fire at seven -o'clock. Coldish. - -"Jones has not turned up yet, and must have had to sleep out in -nothing save a blanket, poor chap! He was to have cut our tracks and -followed them up. - -"_October 11._--All our _tropillas_ right this morning, and at 8.30 I -rode out of the camp and met Jones, who had found the three strayed -horses about a league from the old camp. - -"We started and made our way down the empty river-bed, which now -broadened and was pebbly, like a Scotch trout-stream. Before we left -Mal Espina _estancia_ the foreman told us the road down the _canadon_ -was very clear--'_muy limpio_,' and only four and a half leagues in -length, but we have been in it two days and are in it still. About 5, -as I was riding ahead with the troop of horses, I came upon the track -of wheels in deep scrub. I went back to the waggon and found it on the -left bank of the river-bed. Upon one side were thorn-bush and sand, -and upon the other a swampy _vega_ of wet grass. Through this the -track led, and into this the waggon lumbered, then two of the horses -foundered in the black mud and the waggon sank. Of course that put an -end to our day's journey, and I sent on Jones to bring back Burbury -and the troop. We were in a land of many flies, chiefly sand-flies, -which buzzed and stung horribly. Jones had tied up the horses on the -Rio Chico and we could not reach them to-night. Fritz found sixteen -eggs in an ostrich's nest and Hollesen found one. The one was fine but -the sixteen were chickenny. - -"We all turned to, unloaded the waggon and pulled it out with some -toil from the marsh, and before dinner loaded it up again. - -"By evening we reached the _canadon_ of the Rio Chico and camped upon -the banks. - -"_October 12._--With an effort got away by nine o'clock. I rode on -down the _canadon_, as we had no meat and some was wanted. We appear -to be now entering a good game country. Saw five ostriches. I rode the -big Tostado. He loped lazily across stony ridges, which crawl to the -foot of the purple hills that are on the other side of the Chico. Two -herds of guanaco fled while I was on the horizon. I cantered a long -way, it seemed very far, over the rolling ridges of pebble and -thorn-bush. Mirages smoked and danced on the horizon. I came at length -to the waggon-track which runs through the wild gorge of the Chico, -and is only used about once or twice a year. I rode down this track, -and at the side found a single ostrich egg. Shortly after I sighted -the horses, which Jones had tied up here and there. I left my belt and -the egg, and went back into the scrub to seek for that game which I -could not find. Saw one guanaco, but it had seen me first, and would -not let me approach within a quarter of a mile. Sighted the horses and -waggon far away on the high ground and rode to meet them. Put them in -a new troop and got away again at one o'clock. Found that if I could -not shoot a guanaco we must open our reserve of tinned meat, and I did -not wish to begin upon it so soon. Rode on ahead of the troop -revolving these matters. My horse was extra lazy. I was thinking of -the ostriches I had observed when I saw over a ridge to the left the -ears of a guanaco. There was a dry nullah-bed which curved in beneath -the ridge. It was pebbly and sparsely set with thorn. I lay down and -crawled until I came to some water, and then I looked again. I could -see the first guanaco, an old buck, peering with his long neck -swaying, and looking at the Tostado which I had tied up. To tie up -your horse in view is the most successful thing you can do in this -country of long-necked game, and of game which is so often pursued -with dogs and on horseback. Sometimes the most ordinary game takes, -from the circumstances surrounding its pursuit, a reflected interest -not its own. So it was in this case; nor, indeed, is the guanaco -always an easy quarry, in fact it is a shy animal in the districts -where it is hunted by Indians.[3] I crawled along, just a thorn-bush, -and that a lean one, between me and detection. I had set my hopes on a -low green belt of poison-scrub, and this I attained at last. From it I -saw a foot of the big buck's neck and the heads and ears of six more. -I had made up my mind to take a fine bead shot, but he gave me no -chance of doing so. I had only time to snap him as he saw me. The -bullet smashed his neck. As the others ran away I put two shots out of -four into one, and killed it as it entered the scrub of thick, thorny, -califate bushes that lived hardily there in the valley. I went on -after shooting the guanaco and left Fritz and Hughes to cut up the -meat. We made a league and a half through the gorge of the Chico when -up came Fritz and said the waggon was broken down by, so he explained, -a "horse falling on the pole" within a hundred yards of where I had -shot the guanaco. This was a disaster indeed. Here were we just doing -a good march when this wretched breakdown occurred. We turned the -troop and went back only to find the waggon, a league away, coming -merrily towards us. They said it could go no farther, but after -repairs it achieved a league and a half more. - - [Illustration: THE HUNTER'S RETURN] - -"Passing along we agreed it was a good country for lions (_F. c. -puma_, locally called lions). We encamped beneath a high cliff, sixty -feet of moss-grown basaltic rock beside the muddy river, where it -winds through the marshes. In the night the dogs began to bark, for a -lion came into camp. We could hear it moving by the dead camp-fire -among the pots and pans. Burbury fired his revolver in its direction; -he was sleeping on the outside of the tent. This morning we have found -the lion's lair, twenty yards up in the rock above our camp. Fritz -said last night, 'And if you hear me cry out, it is the lion, he zomp -on me.' - - [Illustration: _FELIS CONCOLOR PUMA_] - -"Fritz is very jocular sometimes: 'Aha, my little horse, he zomp!' and -'Mine little bitch, you go and catch a guanaco.' To-night he was -roasting an ostrich egg and it exploded and shot him all over with -yellow yolk. He remarked, 'He is goot, this egg, but he smell a bit of -skunk.' - -"_October 13._--Mending waggon, no wood. At ten o'clock waggon mended -but needed a rest in the sun till the hide of guanaco we had bound it -with should dry. So I decided to take to-day as our Sunday and march -to-morrow. Burbury is making a plum-duff. Served out tobacco this -morning. - -"Mock Sunday and at rest, a time for dreaming. Away at home the trees -are browning. How one's heart turns to them and dreams of them! The -men born out here wonder how we can look forward to the happiness of -going home, perhaps for the sight of some village church hidden in -English lanes and fields. Half the charm of this life we are living -out here lies in thinking of our return to the land that gives us all -comfort and a silent welcome of green springs. Went out to-day after -the lion and found tracks, but the ground was too hard for following -them up. He lives in a valley of grey dead bush. As we went away from -the dead guanaco yesterday, a condor (_Sarcorhamphus_ _gryphus_) -appeared and dropped on the carcase almost before we left it. - - [Illustration: GUANACO HOUNDS. (FATHER AND MOTHER OF THE AUTHOR'S - HOUND, TOM.)] - -"_October 14, Sunday._--We got away at nine o'clock and came fast. The -muddy narrow Chico flowing through a land which looks as if it led -over the edge of the world. It reminds one of a flowering wilderness. -Last night we tied up the dogs, and dear old Tom howled till I had to -get up and correct him. When up I let poor little Lady loose, the last -service I was ever destined to do for her, for to-day the waggon went -over her belly, and she lies dead on the track a few leagues back. She -was six months old, always cheerful, and wagging her whip of a tail, -always up to the march. Half an hour before she died I saw her hunting -a young fox, her first. She had brown eyes and I had got fonder of her -than I knew. Tom used to drive her from her food, biting her, and from -the softest bed, and I am now glad to think I sometimes made him give -way to her. Just before Lady's death, I shot a cavy (_Dolichotis -patagonica_) with the Mauser. He gave me a nice shot sitting up on -his haunches, near the track on the skyline of a low bare ridge. -Yesterday we had a very fine _puchero_ or stew, pickled eggs given me -by Pedro at Camerones and two plum-duffs made with waggon-grease by -Burbury, who is quite a _chef_ at plum-duff. After our meal we had out -the concertina and found that Burbury knew 'The Church's One -Foundation,' and Jones a melancholy Welsh hymn. - -"The two best of my horses have sore backs. - -"We spent an hour trying to get the waggon up a steep ridge 100 feet -high, and had to unload and all work at it. Made a long seven leagues -and encamped at the foot of a ridge with 200 yards of dead bush -between us and the yellow Chico. Going very pebbly, the ground here -and there burnt up and arid. It is always in such places that the -mirages are most common. - -"_October 15._--Got off 8.40. At 11 unloaded waggon, which was in -great danger of turning over. Scrivenor photoed it. At 2.20 waggon -horses unfit to go farther. Camped by the Chico; shot a yellow-billed -teal. - -"_October 16._--Out of humour all day, first, because, I found one of -the cameras put unprotected into the waggon among the tins of potted -meat, &c. Wearily, wearily we wend our way towards the blue distant -hills of our desires. Even as in life we wend towards distant -ambitions, and, coming up to them, find new ones arise upon the -horizon beyond, and so we travel all our days, looking longingly -ahead. This valley of the Chico is a wild place, conical hillocks of -sand have now taken the place of the bush-covered ones. The Chico -remains yellow and winds greatly. Purple hills crown the distance. It -is all high-coloured and clear-shaded as in a picture. - -"To-day, coming round a bend of the Chico glen, I saw seven guanaco -feeding in the valley. They had seen me and begun to move, so I -galloped round the ridge, and as I jumped off my horse one passed and -halted within seventy yards. The herd made a pretty picture standing -on the bare, desert-brown hillside in the tearing wind. I clean missed -the buck with the first shot, and only killed him as he ran off, -hitting him low behind the shoulder. The wind was blowing hard to-day -and full in our faces. - -"A windy night, the sand of the river-bed driving and filling -everything. Presently we shall crawl into our sleeping-bags and, with -our feet to the wind, bid any weather defiance. A pipe is a mighty -ally. Here am I in the little 4 ft. tent which Burbury and Scrivenor -have pitched to sleep in, wrapped in a poncho a-reek with the smoke of -Indian camp-fires, enjoying a pipe and writing this, and as it grows -too dark to write and the wind roars and bellows louder down the -river-bed, I shall sit here watching the red glow of my pipe and -dreaming. - -"_October 17, 9 o'clock._--A month hence from to-day will be my -birthday. Where shall we be? At the Lake Buenos Aires, I hope. Several -horses this morning have sore backs, and Burbury, excellent fellow, -has been doctoring them. - -"How the face of this country changes with the weather! Bleak and -windy even in warm sunlight, though fine and bracing; in evil weather -it wears an aspect of forlornness. The farther you penetrate into -Patagonia the more its vast emptiness weighs on you and overwhelms -you. - -"_Eleven o'clock._--Where shall we be a month hence? Where, indeed? -To-day we had a great disappointment, and I hardly know how to write -of it. The natural difficulties of the country are very great, but -with care, in spite of boulders and hard-going, it seemed as if I -could get my waggon up to the foothills, and I looked forward to -bringing back many specimens in it. But after 300 and odd miles of -travel a particularly hummocky valley proved too much for its -endurance. When the horses tried to move it this morning it broke up -altogether, and here it lies! - -"Total day's march, 200 yards. Burbury and Jones have ridden on -towards Colohuapi, where there are some pioneers' huts, to try and get -wood and bolts. What is to be done? I do not know. Take to -_cargueros_? We could bring back no specimens to speak of in that -case. One must wait and see what Burbury can get from the people at -Colohuapi. The camp is in a valley and is surrounded by bare mud cones -100 feet in height, a few bushes shiver in the throat of the upper end -of the gorge. In the gorge and round our camp-fire spreads a growth of -rank lean weed, full of yellow flowers, and a few small wind-polished -stones lie at the base of one of the ant-heaplike hills. - -"'Oh, the dreary, dreary moorland! Oh, the weary, weary shore' (of the -Chico)! I took my gun down to the river and shot five widgeon (_Mareca -sibilatrix_) and six martinetas (_Calodromas elegans_). - -"Late in the evening Scrivenor and I went up over the ridge of bare -hills rather with the idea of shooting, if possible, a condor we had -seen poised high up. Sight at back came off Scrivenor's Mauser.[4] We -went on and saw a herd of guanaco, one much nearer than the rest, and -we crawled towards him. The stones were a penance. The only cover was -thorn, and little of that up there on the high pampa above the valley -where our camp is. At two hundred yards I shot and hit him, but he -went on, and presently swayed his neck and lay down. I crawled up and -had a shot at his neck. Thereafter followed periods of cantering in a -rickety way, followed by periods of lying down, and at last we went -round over a rise and crawled down on him. I thought he was dead but -for the shadow of his neck, and I crawled on with but one cartridge -left in my gun. As I neared him, up he got and I fired again and hit -him. He was growing very weak. Scrivenor shouted that he had no -revolver, and so here were we with only our knives. I followed the -guanaco and Scrivenor went round. I was upon him first but my knife -was weak. Scrivenor, startled from his usual calm, and with a shout, -leaped at the guanaco and caught him round the neck. So we bore him to -earth and slew him. I examined him for wounds and found four. Two of -the shots were vital, yet he had led us a chase of two and a half -miles, and we had to carry the meat back to camp. Arrived there, and -preparing a meal by the fire, in came Burbury and Jones. They had met -a Gaucho trekking to Colohuapi, who told them that Colohuapi was yet -twenty-five leagues away and that there were no bolts or wood to be -had there. I went to bed and smoked, feeling pretty sad. There is but -one thing to do. We must jettison some of the cargo and sew up the -rest in the skins of guanacos, and go forward with pack-horses." - -FOOTNOTES: - -[2] When a mare is in foal--as was the case with the black mare--her -troop will often desert her and wander away, but when the foal is born -the horses become very much attached to it. - -[3] Darwin describes the guanaco as "generally wild and extremely -wary." - -[4] This happened in the case of two Mausers I had with me. One came -off at the third shot from the mere recoil--a serious business. - - - - -CHAPTER IV - -THE BATTLE OF THE HORSES--(_continued_) - - First march with pack-horses -- Difficulties -- Friendship - among horses -- The melancholy Zaino -- Revolt of an old - philosopher -- Shifting cargoes -- Reach River Chico -- - Guanaco-shooting -- A glimpse of a puma -- Pumas and sheep - -- Arrival at Colohuapi -- Hospitality of pioneers -- The - value of horse-brands. - - -Morning (19th) came to us very grey with a pallid sun, and ushered in -the first day of the new system. We found it necessary to use sixteen -horses as _cargueros_ or pack-horses. In the early dawn we caught the -chosen animals, and tied them up to the smashed waggon. It is one of -the inconveniences of pampa travel that bushes strong enough to hold a -horse which is at all restive are few and far between. In that -particular spot there was absolutely nothing in the way of a bush, -however small, which could by any chance have borne the strain. - - [Illustration: READY TO BE CARGOED] - -So we tied them up to the waggon and they immediately proceeded to tie -themselves and their headropes into still more complicated knots: they -made cats' cradles, reef-knots, sliding nooses, a dozen knots one knew -and a dozen one had never dreamed of. Of the sixteen horses, half had -never had a cargo on their backs until that day; we had meant to break -them in, but the waggon succumbed too soon to the hardships of the -way, and before we had had time to carry out our intentions. - -During the three days we remained in camp among the strong-scented -yellow flowers where the waggon lay, all hands had been hard at work -sewing up stores into the skins of guanacos, which I had killed for -food on the march. The proper arranging of packs for horses is a very -difficult matter; shape, size and weight have all to be considered. -Each cargo should be divided into three portions, the balance of the -two sides being carefully adjusted, and the centre piece, that which -surmounts the pack-saddle, should not be more than twelve inches high. -There should be at least two rugs and a sheepskin underneath the -saddle. As we had not enough sheepskins, the pelts of guanaco were in -some cases made to serve our purpose. Several different forms of -pack-saddle have each of them points to recommend them, but to my mind -the form used on the cattle-plains of North America is preferable to -any other, and is more easily loaded, as the horse can be led between -the two side-packs, which are hung along upon hooks attached to the -wooden frame of the saddle. The whole cargo is best kept in place by -means of a couple of _cinches_ or girths. This form of pack is, -however, but little used in the Argentine Republic. With such -pack-saddles Haehansen and I, at a later date, travelled one hundred -and fifty miles, during which it was not necessary to stop more than -once or twice to readjust the cargoes. - -During the whole of our subsequent wanderings, the horses entered so -much into our lives that some descriptive remarks having regard to the -peculiarities of each will perhaps not be out of place. Any one who -has been thrown very much into a close association with horses can -hardly have failed to notice the extraordinary friendships which these -animals not infrequently form between themselves. - -Among our troop there was a pale bronze-coloured horse to which the -Spanish language assigns the term _Gateado_. This creature's whole -life was spent in close attendance upon the largest horse in the -_tropilla_, a piebald, called by us the Big Overo. The Big Overo was a -buck-jumper, and when we wanted to catch him, he and the Gateado, his -intimate, were wont to evade us together. If we could catch the Big -Overo by craft, the Gateado was as good as captured also; but if, -unluckily, our first attempt upon the Big Overo failed, both animals -made a point of charging about the camp and frightening all the other -horses. On one occasion, when it was judged well to give the Big Overo -a lesson, Hughes _bolassed_ him and after a gallop of a couple of -hundred yards he came to the ground in an inextricable tangle.[5] The -Gateado remained by his side and allowed himself to be caught without -any struggle. After a time the intimacy between these horses grew to -such a pitch that we gradually dispensed with a rope for the Gateado, -knowing that if the Big Overo was once tied up his friend would stand -beside him and allow us to put on his cargo quietly. This odd -friendship finally reached such an extreme that when the Big Overo was -_sogaed_ out for the night, the Gateado was in the habit of giving up -his hours of feeding in order to satisfy the claims of friendship. The -feeling was mutual, for the Big Overo manifested almost as many proofs -of his preference. - - [Illustration: MRS TRELEW] - -Another case of friendship was struck up between two of the -_madrinas_, but this was an essentially feminine affection, all upon -one side. The Rosada would follow the Trelew mare, who was in foal, -and would hardly allow her to feed in peace. Mrs. Trelew, as the men -nicknamed the round-barrelled old black mare, objected very strongly -to the advances of her admirer, and once they had a regular quarrel -owing to Mrs. Trelew kicking the Rosada with such force as to nearly -break her ribs, which the latter rather resented. The Rosada was a -vicious unbacked brute within five yards of whose heels it was unsafe -to approach, and she, in common with the long-maned Little Zaino, -acquired the execrable habit of attempting to kick any one who on -horseback ventured to come near. This is a trick that is very rare -even among the most untamable and vicious horses, which, although they -will kick a man on foot, will seldom do so when he is mounted. - - [Illustration: YEGUA ROSADA] - -Then there was the Old Zaino, a melancholy animal of the sardonic -school. He was the worst of all the horses. I remember once Burbury -making me laugh very much by saying in a moment of indignation: "You -haven't been a colt these thirty years, you evergreen son of a -buckjumper!" This horse had a way of coming to standstill in the very -centre of the troop on the march, and, after regarding us with a -patient but baleful eye, he would solemnly buck all his cargo off and -attempt to kick it to pieces. At one time he was used as a -riding-horse, having, indeed, a turn for speed, but his paces were so -rough and his trick of rearing as one was mounting so uncomfortable -that we were compelled to make him one of the _cargueros_. - -But perhaps the horse that caused us the most amusement was the -Asulejo. He was a sort of uncertain dapple-grey in colour, and to look -at him you would say that a more quiet, lazy, say-nothing-to-anybody -little bit of old age did not crop the grass in Patagonia. Often and -often did we feel sorry for that little animal and lighten his load. -One afternoon, as we came along with the waggon, he seemed to be -thinking more and more of the past, of the time when he had the power -to make his riders sit tight and used to be a creature of some -truculence. He had upon his back a light cargo of cooking-pots, and it -took the undivided attention of one man to keep him at a walk. We -fixed our camp upon an open plateau of coarse grass and thorn beside a -lagoon in a shallow hollow. The cargoes were pulled off and the cook -of the night made a grateful smoke ascend. I took a shot-gun and went -after some geese for the morrow's breakfast. It was, perhaps, an hour -and a half later, and a good league from camp, that I heard the -neighing of horses, and was surprised to see seventeen of our troop -hurrying off, as it were, upon some unknown errand. And well in front -of them--could I believe my eyes?--was the horse we knew as the -Asulejo, but his eye was brighter and he neighed in the joy of his -heart as he trotted friskily along! He was the obvious leader of the -revolt. No sooner did he see me than he fell behind, trying to look as -though one of the younger animals had lured him from the path of duty, -but that pretence did not serve, and after driving him back into camp -we put _maneas_ on him, upon which he recognised with the philosophy -of age that he could not fight against the inevitable, and so retired -into the lee of a thorn-bush, where he lay down to dream, no doubt, of -the days when things were different and he had been a scampering -three-year-old on the banks of the River Negro. - - [Illustration: THE ASULEJO] - -However, to return to our journey, and our earliest attempt at -marching without a waggon. It was first and last one of the most -trying days that we experienced. To begin with, the eight fairly -well-behaved horses were cargoed up, and then the wild ones were taken -in hand. The first of these happened to be the Gateado. His load was -flour and tinned beef. He allowed himself to be saddled up with no -more than the usual accompaniment of blowing and snorting. He even -suffered his cargo to be slung and the noose to be slipped along the -_cinch_ until it was in place. - -Every horse needs two men to put on his cargo. One ties the knot and -hauls while the other takes in the slack. The latter has to hold up -his side of the cargo with his shoulder, and to do this must get -pretty nearly under the animal. - -In our case, although we jettisoned a portion of our -belongings--including, I am sorry to say, a number of birds which I -had spent my evenings in skinning, and which I truly grieved to leave -behind--some of the packs were of necessity rather unwieldy. This, -indeed, is almost always the case during the earlier stages of any -expedition. - -The behaviour of the Gateado was similar to that of many of the -_cargueros_. He waited until his man was well under, and then he came -into action with a series of diabolically well-aimed, one-legged -kicks. Having after a little got rid of us by this means, he went on -to buck all his cargo off, and then stood with his saddle cork-screwed -round under his belly. Jones held on to the head-rope, or no doubt the -Gateado would have completed his performance by clearing off into the -low hills or hummocks which surrounded the place. - -Most of the others were, in their separate ways, as bad as the -Gateado. Some bucked, some reared, some would not be approached, but -all agreed in one thing--all, when cargoed up and ready for the start, -solemnly lay down and rolled on their cargoes. If they got them loose, -the wretched animals rose again and bucked them within reach of their -heels, after which they extricated themselves by kicking. - -That morning was, indeed, a study of shifting cargoes. They came off -all ways, bucked off, kicked off, rolled on. Some stuck out to port of -the horse and some to starboard, a few hung disconsolately beneath the -_carguero's_ body. Again and again we did our part, and again and -again the horses defeated us by their horrible tricks of lying down -and rolling. Meantime the sun had risen, and heat and flies were added -to the long tally of the day's disagreeable items. A very heavy wind -was also blowing, which made it exceedingly difficult to place the -saddle-cloths upon the horses' backs. I have often noticed that, when -saddling up a colt or wild horse, it is well to make use each day of -the same saddle-cloths, as he grows used to these, and does not fear -them, especially if you allow him to bite and smell them. - - [Illustration] - -At length, however, shortly after midday the horses began to get worn -out. The cargoed ones ceased to struggle and lay still, tongues out, -fat-barrelled, like a troop on a battle-field, humped with cargo and -grotesquely dead. In the fighting-line, I remember, remained only a -horse named Horqueta (the slit-eared), and the indefatigable Gateado. -Horqueta's cargo consisted of a pair of tin boxes, for, bucking apart, -he was a fairly steady pack-horse. He and the Gateado were the last to -be finished, the others having yielded after the long struggle of the -forenoon. - -All would now have gone well had it not been for the fact that the -handles of one of the tin boxes upon Horqueta were loose. The moment -we let him go he began to buck and the unlucky handles to beat a -devil's tattoo upon the body of the tin box. He made off into the -troop of cargoed horses, and the noise he brought with him proved too -much for their nerves. They scrambled up to their feet and four of -them broke away in different directions. Five minutes later we -surveyed once more a scene of scattered cartridges, flour, oatmeal, -sacks of beans, clothes, skins bumped out with tinned provisions, and -I don't know what else. They lay in confusion among the grass and -bushes in the valley, and up and down the slopes of the conical mud -hills. The Germans were reduced to inarticulate oaths, and the -Welshmen looked out of heart. - -But to camp upon a failure is the worst of business and of policy, and -so the men were laughed into a good humour, and we all went at it once -more, the ammunition and our other goods were collected and the -cargoes were fixed up yet again. - -It was ten minutes past three o'clock by my watch when we rode slowly -up the cliff that lay between Waggon Camp and the River Chico of -Chubut. We reached the top without mishap, chiefly, I think, because -the horses were now fairly exhausted with their exertions. At the top -of the rise we stopped and looked back; our broken waggon lay dark and -low among the coarse yellow weeds, the afternoon sun, still warm, beat -upon the bald hills, and that was the last we saw of our unlucky camp. - -The procession moved slowly on, and we did not rest until twilight, by -which time we had travelled between twelve and thirteen miles. Our -march now lay along the banks of the Chico. The going was soft, and -more bushes began to appear on the landscape. That night we celebrated -our first _carguero_ journey by serving out cocoa for all hands. - -The night we struck the River Chico was a very cold one, the -temperature falling 12 deg. below freezing-point. These figures, however, -give no idea of the cold, as one of the characteristics of Patagonia -is the prevalence of tremendous winds. And when these blow from the -direction of the Cordillera, they bring with them chilly memories of -the snows over which they have passed. Wind, of course, increased the -rigours of the cold, and I remember that during the night on which we -felt the cold most severely the temperature did not fall below 35 deg.. - -The next morning we got off about 10.30, having less trouble with the -_cargueros_. I went on in front to choose our way, which here passed -over very bad ground. - -At the midday halt it was found that only part of a haunch of guanaco -had been brought on from the last camp. I therefore galloped on ahead -with a shot-gun and shot thirteen ducks, of which only six came to -hand, as several fell among the reeds in the marshes which fringe the -river. Of these six ducks, four were brown pintails (_Dafila -spinicauda_) and two were Chiloe widgeon (_Mareca sibilatrix_). In the -afternoon I exchanged the shot-gun for the rifle, as a few more -guanaco-skins would be very handy for various purposes and meat was -wanted. About four o'clock, when riding behind the troop, I saw a -guanaco among the hills to the east. I was fortunately mounted upon -the Cruzado, who had by this time learned to stand to shot and to -remain standing when his reins were dropped over his head. He was -infinitely the best shooting-horse in the troop, and I used always to -ride him when game was wanted, although, owing to his being a large -horse, his canter was not suited to riding behind the _tropilla_. He -had come to us with a very bad name for throwing himself back, which -is one of the nastiest tricks a horse can possess. But this he soon -gave up, and except that he always remained rather hard to catch in -the mornings, was what an advertiser would call "a thoroughly -confidential horse." I am glad to think that when I left Patagonia he -became the property of Burbury. - - [Illustration: THE AUTHOR'S TWO BEST HORSES, THE CRUZADO AND ALAZAN] - -The Cruzado seemed to enter into the spirit of the chase, and in the -present instance went off at a fast canter towards the hills. The -guanaco had moved from his point of vantage upon the top of a conical -hill of mud, and had probably, according to the custom of these -animals, sought another eminence. I thought he had seen me, in which -case he would at once have made for the highest point within reach, -but, as I came into the throat of the gorge where there were some mud -hills, I saw him again upon the side of a large hummock one hundred -feet or so in height. I immediately tied up my horse. - -The guanacos of the valley of the Chico were very wild owing to the -fact that the Tehuelche Indians hunt them there during the months of -October and November. This valley was once celebrated for the -abundance of its game, but of recent years the herds seem to have -moved westwards and northwards. This guanaco was the first we had seen -that day. - -I crawled up the hill, sinking to my knees at every step into the dry -mud. When half-way up I saw the ears of the guanaco appear against the -sky-line. I lay down, and he remained still and utterly unconscious of -my presence for some minutes. He was watching my companions, who, with -the horses, were moving off into dimness down the valley. Presently he -ran forward one or two steps and gave out his high-pitched neighing -laugh in a sort of strange defiance at our retreating troop. He was a -very old buck with dark markings on his face. He was about fifty yards -away, and when I fired he reared and fell backwards. I threw out the -cartridge, and at the same instant seven guanacos, startled by the -report, dashed across the valley and galloped along parallel to me on -the other side of the _canadon_ at about one hundred yards distance. I -fired at the second one because it looked fat, and brought it to the -ground. The guanacos now turned in great affright and raced past me -again, when I dropped two more. This brought them to a standstill, as -they had not yet made out where the shots were coming from, and no -doubt I might have been able to shoot the entire herd, but we had now -enough skins. When I rose the remaining four sprang down into the -valley and disappeared up the opposite _barranca_. - -I now went to the top of the hill, where I had fired at the old buck, -and found that the bullet had broken his neck. He was, as I had -surmised, a very old animal, and bore upon him traces of an encounter -with a puma. The skin of his neck was immensely thick and his teeth -were worn down. One of the other guanacos, which had fallen upon the -far side of the valley, proved to be a year-old doe, so it was -unnecessary to take any of the meat of the buck. I now signalled, and -Burbury soon joined me to help in cutting up. - -When we overtook the horses we found that the hounds, Tom and Bian had -killed a cavy (_Dolichotis patagonica_), so that we had a good stock -of meat. The cavy is excellent eating, resembling English hare. I was -told that Tom had not covered himself with glory, for, although he -proved himself very fast, and turned the hare, it was Bian that killed -it. Bian was a rough, yellow lurcher, who stood the rough ground and -hard experiences of our journey very much better than Tom, although -the latter was a well-bred hound with a pedigree to back his -pretensions. Bian belonged to young Jones. - -During the day we observed enormous flocks of Chilian widgeon (_Mareca -sibilatrix_) as well as some grey teal (_Querquedula versicolor_). - -On October 22, as we had expected, we arrived at Colohuapi, the -farthest settlement in the heart of Patagonia. Near by lie twin lakes -Colhue and Musters. About one o'clock, coming over a rise, we saw the -Lake. As the sun was shining it was very blue, and upon the far side -rose the hills. The mournful whistle of waterfowl in countless flocks -was to be heard. A breeze from the north-west was blowing across the -lake, and there was that peculiar wet smell in the wind which can only -be derived from a passage across wide waters. - -This day the Gateado bucked off his cargo of tinned meats and was -unfortunate enough to give himself a deep wound in the pastern. Jones -tied it up with his handkerchief, and the horse was so lame that we -thought it would be necessary to leave him behind at Colohuapi. As it -turned out, however, being of a very strong constitution, he improved -rapidly, and was with us to the very end of our journeyings. - -Our march on this occasion was upwards of twenty-seven miles, and at -the end of it I rode ahead to choose a place for a camp. Earlier in -the day Burbury, who was riding the Colorado, a half-broken colt that -had had only a few gallops, got into difficulties, and I relieved him -of a bag which he was carrying. I had tied this bag to my saddle, but -just before we camped it came loose, and, thinking I was not going to -have any other chance of shooting, I slung it over my rifle, which I -was carrying across my shoulder as usual in a sling. I had chosen a -valley to camp in and turned round to jog quietly back to meet the -troop, when with the tail of my eye I caught sight of an animal which -I thought was Tom, but it looked too large, and I turned my head to -see it more fully. There, fifteen yards behind my horse, staring at -me, switching its tail slowly from side to side, and standing full up, -was a fine male puma (_F. concolor_). I rolled off my horse, which, -fortunately, had neither seen nor winded the puma, and began to -unsling my rifle. In the middle of the operation, when I already had -the hindering bag upon the ground, the puma, which up to that moment -had continued to lash its tail and stare at me, turned round and loped -off at the cumbrous and uncouth canter habitual to these animals. At -one hundred and fifty yards it stopped for an instant, but was off -again at once. I attempted to mount my horse with the idea of -galloping down the puma, an easy thing to do, as these animals never -run far, and are readily blown, but the horse, which happened to be a -mule-footed _oscuro_, known as Mula, became quite unmanageable. I at -once coo-ed and was joined by young Humphrey Jones, who in eighteen -years' residence in Patagonia had never seen a puma, and as he had -strong sporting instincts, was extremely anxious to encounter one. We -followed the track of the lion--as the puma is locally called--but -after topping the hill it led along a bare slope and was lost in a -clump of high dry bush, where it was quite hopeless to find the -creature. We rode back into camp very disappointed. - -Just as Mr. Selous remarks that hunters sometimes spend years in -Africa before they come upon their first lion, so many a man is as -long in Patagonia before he comes across his first puma. The puma is a -very furtive and cowardly animal, and though we saw so few during our -months of travel, I have no doubt that many a puma watched our troop -passing across the pampa from the safe cover of rocks and bushes. -Seeing or not seeing pumas is purely a matter of luck, and the tales -concerning pumas having attacked men, which abound in the country, are -generally fabrications. A puma with young will attack man if he -stumbles upon her and her family, and my friend Mr. Waag told me that -on one occasion a puma in the Cordillera had shown evident signs of -attack. In the majority of cases, even when wounded, the puma will -only snarl and spit, and the Indians, as well as the Gauchos, despatch -it with the _bolas_. - -The puma is a terrible foe to the sheep-farmer, levying heavy toll -upon flocks, and often enjoys a long career of sheep-killing before -strychnine or the bullet puts an end to its existence. - -The snow is directly responsible for the death of a great many pumas, -for when it is lying on the ground the animals can easily be tracked. -At this season the shepherds of the _estancias_ near the coast attempt -to clear the ground of their very unwelcome visitors, the weapon most -commonly used being the .450 revolver, and the shot is often taken at -a distance of less than ten paces. The puma is very easy to kill, -especially if the first shot is well placed. It is the first shock -which tells in the case of these animals. - -Great sport could, no doubt, be had with the puma were he hunted with -a pack of dogs that would bay him and distract his attention. The -average hound of the country is, however, far too wise to pit himself -against such an animal, and will often even refuse to acknowledge the -scent. - -That night the lake, as seen from the camp, was wonderfully beautiful. -The waters were leaden-grey bounded by faint blue hills, with soft -mists of an unearthly green clinging about them. The only sounds to be -heard were the wash of the ripple on the shore and plashing of -wildfowl. - -On October 23 we made as early a start as possible, and pursued our -way over very level pampa, which had not yet been hardened by the sun -of spring. We put up an ostrich (_Rhea darwini_) from _his_ nest, and -found three eggs. Presently there appeared in the centre of the pampa, -ahead of us, three little huts of earth and three black cattle. Save -for one gorge through which the River Senguerr flows, and through -which we afterwards took our way, a perfect circle of hills of greatly -varying heights surrounded the small settlement. The huts belonged to -a Welshman named William Jones, who, with his wife and six children, -had trekked out here some six or eight months previously. - -One of the three huts, which was untenanted, Mr. Jones put at our -disposal, and after taking off the cargoes, Burbury and Scrivenor -accompanied me across to William Jones' home. Mrs. Jones received us -with hospitality and treated us to _mate_ with milk, tea and scones, -and we got a sight of ourselves in the looking-glass. The wind of the -pampas had removed all the skin from our faces, and we were a good -deal unlike the individuals who had started from Trelew some four or -five weeks before. - - [Illustration: SETTLEMENT OF COLOHUAPI] - -That night the men slept inside the hut, but it was too warm for my -sleeping-bag, so I took up my bed and went out, passing the night on -the lee side of the hut. Perhaps what delighted us most was the fact -that in the shelter of the hut we were able to smoke our pipes in -peace, safe from the buffeting of the wind. - -At dawn Mrs. Jones kindly sent her children over with a pail of milk. -It would be impossible to imagine any more healthy specimens of the -Welsh race than these sun-kissed, clear-eyed youngsters. Ruddy and -brown and strong, the air of the wilderness had need of no better -proof of its splendid health-giving qualities. I gave the children -chocolate from our store, a luxury to which they were not accustomed, -and which they enjoyed immensely. - -William Jones had brought his wife and family to Colohuapi in a -waggon, following the banks of the River Chico from Trelew. His -journey had, however, been made late in the year, when the marshes -were dry, and his waggon had been more suited to the hardships of the -way than was ours. - -Two other Welshmen with their wives lived higher up the valley, and -the full strength of the colony was made up by a Swede named Oscar, -who acted as _comisario_, and an Argentine who had settled on the -other side of the river. To the last-named gentleman Burbury paid a -visit on the following day. - -Now set in another era of preparation. We purchased sheepskins and -laid in a stock of mutton, and on the 25th once more made a start. -Before taking leave of Colohuapi I should like to record my -appreciation of the great kindness which the settlers there extended -to us especially Mr. and Mrs. William Jones, the latter of whom was -thoughtful enough to bake us a large loaf to speed us on our way. On -the eve of our departure we gave a small dinner, at which the _menu_ -was as follows: Mutton _puchero_, made with desiccated potatoes and -cabbage; stewed apple-rings and milk; lime-juice tablets; chocolate -food; and two tins of sardines. I was very sorry not to be able to add -a bowl of punch to the feast, but the fact was I had with me but three -bottles of brandy, and those for purely medicinal purposes. - -The country round about Colohuapi is very suited for cattle-breeding, -but, of course, the chief difficulty encountered by the colonists are -those connected with transporting their produce to the market, as the -district is not yet in any way opened up. But I hope and believe that -a prosperous future lies before the young settlement, and much of the -good to come should certainly fall to the lot of the Welshmen William -and Walter Jones, whose pioneer efforts deserve great reward. At -present it is a hard life that the colonists are obliged to lead, -divided as they are by more than a couple of hundred miles from their -nearest white neighbours. One could not help being struck by the -solitary aspect of the two or three small huts, set as they are at -present on the edge of the hill-encircled empty plain. - -Just as we were off from Colohuapi, the _comisario_ rode up and -proceeded to make the necessary examination of our horses. In this -connection very strict laws obtain throughout the northern provinces -of the Argentine Republic. In a country where horse-breeding is -carried on upon so extensive a scale, and where, besides, the animals -are allowed to wander freely upon the wide spaces of the pampas, a -strong check must be placed upon any infringement of the law of -property. A strict system of registration and surveillance as to -brands upon horses must be kept in force, and is, in fact, one of the -first steps towards security. - -The brand, which I had registered in Trelew, and which was invented by -Burbury, represented the rising sun. It was an excellent brand, as it -had not much "fire" about it, and was very different to any other mark -we came across. Another point to be considered in choosing it was that -it would be a difficult one to fake. Our branding took place at Bahia -Camerones, Mr. Greenshields being good enough to allow us to use his -corral for the purpose. Our half-wild horses did not permit us to -operate upon them without a struggle. A few days after the operation -the burns caused by the iron had quite healed. - - [Illustration: OUR BRAND] - -FOOTNOTE: - -[5] Except in very rare cases the _boleadores_ should not be used to -catch horses. For a kicking animal they are, however, a good -corrective. - - - - -CHAPTER V - -THE RIVER VALLEYS - - Arbitrary distribution of animals in Patagonia -- Trouble - with Gauchos -- Indian guide -- Germans turned back -- - _Canadon_ of River Senguerr -- Bad weather -- Old Zaino - again causes damage -- Loss of clothes, ammunition, &c., - in the river -- Shooting upland geese -- River Mayo -- - Hailstorm -- A day's sport in Patagonia -- Shooting a wild - cow -- Was it a wild cow? -- Musters' account of wild - cattle -- First meeting with Tehuelche Indians. - - -In consequence of the visit of the _comisario_ we were somewhat late -in starting from Colohuapi, but nevertheless made a good march of -about fifteen miles, and camped in the valley, after driving the two -horses past a bend of the river that would prevent them from -attempting to break back towards their pasture at Colohuapi. The day -was very warm indeed and the night rather cold, the thermometer at -midday and at night being respectively 74 deg. F. and 37 deg. F. - -We were now upon the banks of the River Senguerr, the Senguel of -Captain Musters. - -The extraordinary tameness of the upland geese in the neighbourhood of -Colohuapi was very remarkable; they allowed one to approach within -eighty yards before bestirring themselves. After the first day's march -beyond Colohuapi we never saw again any specimen of the Patagonian -cavy (_Dolichotis patagonica_), although round the shores of the lakes -Musters and Colhue these animals abound. It is strange that the -habitat of the cavy should be so sharply defined, considering that -there appears to be no apparent reason, such as alteration of the -nature of the ground or vegetation, to account for the fact. The -armadillo (_Dasypus minutus_), which is found in numbers on the north -bank of the River Santa Cruz, is entirely absent from the south bank, -nor, to my knowledge, has a single specimen ever been secured there. -This instance of the distribution of the armadillo agrees with other -facts of the same kind which are common to Patagonia. The rivers -running from west to east across the continent mark the limit of the -distribution of some of the mammals. Thus I am assured the jaguar -(_Felis onca_) is not to-day found south of the River Negro. And the -puma does not exist in Tierra del Fuego, the dividing water in this -latter instance being the Straits of Magellan. The guanaco, however, -is distributed throughout the whole of Patagonia and also in Tierra -del Fuego. I met with this animal deep inside the Cordillera, and -indeed once, with consecutive shots, I killed a huemul and a guanaco. - -About this time it became apparent that neither Fritz nor Hollesen, -the German Gauchos, were very much in love with the hard work and -hardships which they conceived lay before them. It was a favourite -trick of theirs to fall out of the troop on the plea of fixing a -cargo, and then, as soon as we were lost to sight, to sit down and -smoke their pipes; in fact, they had determined to take things easy. -On the evening of our leaving Colohuapi Hollesen asked me for some -cartridges for his revolver, saying that when working under the -Argentine Boundary Commission he had had a quarrel with an Indian -concerning the Indian's wife, and that he feared meeting him, for the -man had sworn to be revenged. - -During the night the dogs ate about ten kilos of mutton which we had -brought with us from Colohuapi, although it was wrapped up in a tent, -so the next morning we were forced to breakfast upon an old gander, -that made a very tough and tasteless _puchero_. Our next march was -about six leagues, and that evening an Indian rode into our camp and -offered to guide us across the pampa to Lake Buenos Aires. He was a -Tehuelche, and he told us that some of his tribe were encamped in the -valley of the River Mayo at its junction with the River Chalia. All -the following day, leaving the river and guided by the Indian, we rode -across bare stony pampa devoid of game, and in the evening, after -passing three lagoons, we made our camp round a spring of water. As, -owing to the depredations of the dogs, we had no fresh food, I took -the gun and attempted to stalk a couple of upland geese. - - [Illustration: THE GERMANS] - -As I was returning unsuccessful, Burbury met me and told me that the -Germans had again been giving him trouble. I was prepared for the -news, as I had noticed they were inclined to shirk work of late, -constantly lingering behind and in every way making themselves -objectionable. On an expedition where there is naturally plenty of -work for every one, it is useless to have men who growl at doing their -fair proportion of it. They were also trying to influence the other -Gauchos, for this trick of deserting at a critical time, when their -services cannot be replaced, is a very old one with _peones_, who on -such occasions can sometimes force their employers into giving them -disproportionately high wages. I was, of course, resolved not to yield -to their demands but to push forward, even if they left us. I -consulted with Burbury, who agreed that we could manage without their -help, though it would leave us awkwardly short-handed. - -On arriving at the camp I asked the Germans the reason of their late -behaviour, but they could give me no satisfactory answer, but burst -into a tirade about an inoffensive companion, Barckhausen, which was -obviously only an excuse to cover their real designs. I told them they -must in future behave properly or else leave my camp next morning. -After a certain amount of talk and bluster Fritz said that not only -Hollesen and he but the Welsh _peones_ would in that case turn back. - -During the course of the evening I spoke to Jones, who informed me -that Fritz had persuaded him to desert, but on my pointing out that -this would not be a very wise proceeding, he at once threw in his lot -with us. - -In the morning, finding I was of the same mind, the Germans again -informed me of their wish to turn back. I therefore gave them food to -last them upon their journey to civilisation, as well as the worst -buck-jumper of the troop, and told them to leave the camp as soon as -possible. Fritz, after some further talk and after remarking to -Hollesen in German that they had better have stayed after all, climbed -on to the horse and rode away. - -The Germans at the outset had been admirable workers, apart from their -cunning, which tinged most of their conduct. Yet perhaps, if they had -gone on with us, we might have paid for Hollesen's misdoings with the -Indians, by getting into trouble with the tribe who had saved his life -and whom he had so scurvily requited. As it happened, a few days later -we came upon the very tribe with whom he had had to do. - -I will now take some extracts from my diary: - -"_October 28._--The Germans left us this morning. I think we shall be -all the better without them. Immediately on their departure I -determined to march to the _canadon_ or valley of the River Senguerr, -giving up the route suggested by the Indian, as it was likely that the -horses would stray upon the pampa. It was necessary to decrease the -weight of some of our cargo, which we at once set about doing. The -reason for this was that, having so few men, each pair of us would -have to look after six _cargueros_, or pack-horses, and we were -consequently obliged to lessen their number. - -"While we were getting ready a thin rain and a yelling wind came down -the _canadon_ as we started to catch the horses. The salt marsh over -which the Germans had gone lay behind us, and ahead were shallow -lagoons around which the tussocks whistled in the wind. But I think we -none of us noticed the inclemency of the weather, we were soaked to -the skin as we worked, and in an hour and a half--a record as to time -in cargoing up even with the aid of the men who had gone--we had -loaded the last _carguero_ of the twelve, and with extra ropes hanging -to the saddles, a brandy bottle protruding from each of the pockets of -Barckhausen and with Jones perched high and stirrupless upon a sack of -beans, we set off." - -Providentially, not a single cargo shifted, although we covered -something like fourteen miles. I should have mentioned that one of the -reasons which weighed with me in again seeking the _canadon_ of the -River Senguerr was the fact that four of the horses had strayed in the -night. It was our intention to camp as soon as we reached a suitable -place in the valley and to scour the country for the lost horses. -This, however, turned out not to be necessary, as we came right upon -the truants grazing in the mouth of a small rift in the cliff of the -_canadon_. One of them cantered out with a neigh to meet the troop -upon the hillside. - -It rained so heavily in the night that we put up the tent and were -glad of its warm shelter. Morning came with pearl-grey mists in the -valley. We worked like slaves, and our hands became very sore with the -new cargo-ropes. - - [Illustration: RIVER SENGUERR, WHERE DISASTER OVERTOOK US] - -The next day, had I but known it, marked the last of our misfortunes, -for after that we enjoyed as good luck as we had hitherto experienced -the reverse. - -We spent most of the morning in slowly marching a couple of leagues, -and then Scrivenor, who was leading, came back to say that our way was -barred by a sheer cliff, close under which the river ran. Burbury, -however, was of the opinion that it would be easier to proceed than to -attempt to scale the tall _barranca_, which was our only alternative -choice. We straggled across the half-dry marshy grass that fringed the -river-bed, which here winds greatly. - -Presently we climbed on to a steep slope on the cliffs, where directly -below us the river ran with a current of about three knots. The -passage along this slope was very difficult, and we were driving the -horses with infinite care. The face of the cliff was scarred with the -traces of a landslip. One of the horses, the Old Zaino, so called not -because of any weight of years, but on account of the gravity of his -demeanour, climbed up and up, in spite of all our efforts, among the -shifting earth and loose stones until he was some hundred feet above -the main body of the troop. He was a tall, ewe-necked animal, and -always bore an exasperating expression of insulted dignity. He was -carrying a cargo of flour. - -When he had, in his own opinion, managed to get sufficiently ahead of -his companions, he stopped dead and looked down upon us with a baleful -eye as we toiled beneath him. Then suddenly, but methodically, he -began to descend towards us in a succession of devastating bucks. No -cargo, tied with ropes, could withstand such treatment. The _cinch_ -gave way, and he and his pack arrived simultaneously in the middle of -the troop. - - [Illustration: THE OLD ZAINO] - -He cannoned against a black horse carrying ammunition and oatmeal, and -it began to slide down the cliff towards the river on its haunches. -The remainder of the horses stampeded, some fell, some got into -impossible positions.... For several minutes the big black horse hung -within measurable distance of violent death upon the rocks below, but -Barckhausen made a great effort to save him, and succeeded, though the -cargo was kicked off in a most perilous place. Only a guanaco track -led along the steep hillside, and over the edge of the slope our -belongings dropped into the river a hundred feet below. Each lifted a -small cloud of spray as it fell and floated serenely away on the -current or sank from sight. The water was dotted with the various -packages. All Burbury's clothes, some of mine, flour, oatmeal, a case -of corned beef, six hundred rounds of ammunition, and the -concertina--these were among our losses. - -A salvage-party was at once despatched to attempt the rescue of such -of our goods as were still swimming, while the rest of us collected -the horses and returned with a sufficiency of ropes to enable us to -get down the cliff, for upon the ragged edge left by the landslip and -overhanging the river some of our things had lodged. We felt that we -were for the time being out of luck. We had not long lost the waggon, -and now followed the losing of important stores and the yet more -important ammunition. We knotted together eight of the cargo-ropes, -and while Scrivenor and I were doing this, Barckhausen retrieved one -of the boxes of ammunition, and told us that there were a couple more -farther down, and out of reach, he feared, which had stuck in the soft -earth of the landslip. However, with the aid of the rope I managed to -bring both up to safe ground. - - [Illustration: THE GUANACO (AN INTIMATE OF THE OLD ZAINO'S)] - -"During this time we could see Burbury and Jones far away in the -valley, where the river narrowed and the current swinging near the -bank offered a hopeful chance of catching the floating articles. They -succeeded in dragging ashore most of the packages, but Burbury's -clothes, which were in a brown waterproof bag, sank, the bag, I fancy, -having filled with water. Our total losses thus amounted to 200 -12-bore cartridges, a tin of Mauser ammunition, a 25-kilo bag of -oatmeal, and the clothes. On the whole we could not help thinking -things might have been very much worse. - -"The horses had meantime come to a standstill in a patch of high grass -farther along beneath the _barranca_, and there we rounded them up and -re-cargoed. - -"When this was done it was found that we had another place, almost as -difficult as that upon which we had come to grief, to surmount. This -time, however, Burbury led a horse in front, and the others followed -meekly in his track. We had wasted several hours in negotiating the -first _barranca_, and it was soon time to camp. As we had no meat, I -went to see if I could not kill some geese (_Chloephaga magellanica_), -which I had observed upon a neck of land, that stretched out into the -river. There were five geese, and I was lucky enough to kill two, -both females, which are very much more tender than the males. On one -side of the camp was a chain of small lagoons, evidently formed by the -overflow of the river, and in one of these I saw a flock of brown -pintails. These were easily stalked behind the rushes, and the -discharge of two barrels of the 12-bore left five upon the water. At -dark a storm of rain blew up. - - [Illustration: THE ALAZAN COLT (NEARLY KILLED ON THE SENGUERR)] - -"_October 30._--This cargoing work is very wearisome, and has got upon -our nerves. Even in one's sleep one sees the reeling, writhing mass of -kicking and struggling _cargueros_ on the white and ragged-sided -_barranca_.[6] Got off at 10.30 and reached the River Mayo, a very -small stream here, flowing through a wide valley lined by bare steep -cliffs 200 feet or so in height. We are all becoming quite expert with -the cargoes; Burbury and Barckhausen, and Jones and I work in pairs. -The newness has now worn off the ropes, and hauling on them does not -any longer cut our hands. Still an occasional cargo shifts, and the -horse, wildly refusing to be caught, gallops away kicking at his -cargo. Thus did the Alazan to-day, scattering Mauser ammunition among -the bushes, and kicking the spout from our last kettle, so that we can -only fill it half full. - -"There is comparatively little game in this bit of country, few -guanaco, and those very wild because of the Indians, whose beat we are -now approaching. When there is rain, which fortunately is not often, -we have to carry our change of clothing upon our saddles to dry them. -To-day Jones was very much loaded up with his extra breeches and top -boots, that were wet, a gun-cover, fifty rounds of ammunition dropped -by the Alazan, two ducks, a telescope, and a water-bottle! - -"_October 31._--Soon after we started a big cloud blew out of the -south and brought with it a heavy hailstorm, which whistled before a -driving wind. The horses would not face it, but huddled together in -the centre of the valley. We encamped early as we needed meat. Jones -and I left the camp here among the sand-dunes in the valley and went -a-hunting. We rode up a _canadon_, in the centre of which our horses -foundered in some very bad ground. Getting out of this we struck a -stretch of desolate pampa, across which we cut towards the big -_canadon_ of the Mayo in order to explore the route which we must -follow upon the morrow. To my surprise we presently came to a clear -stream, flowing through another wide _canadon_, which joined the Mayo -from a south-westerly direction. Can this be the River Genguel? The -Indian guide told us that it would take us a month to get from here to -Lake Buenos Aires. If it is the Genguel, however, we should arrive at -the lake in ten marches--a very different matter. It would be as well -to halt to-morrow for the day, so that an observation may be taken to -determine this point, and also to enable us to go hunting, as we have -but one duck in the camp, and, since our losses at the Senguerr -_barranca_, it is more than ever necessary to save our stock of tinned -provisions. - -"To-day the Old Zaino, this time fortunately not carrying a cargo, -again attempted to repeat his trick of the Senguerr _barranca_, but -was circumvented by Burbury and Barckhausen. - -"_November 1._--To-day Scrivenor shot the sun 70 deg. 56' W. long, and 45 deg. -39' S. lat. So the river we saw yesterday is the Genguel, which is -excellent. Jones and I went out to shoot for the pot. As there were no -guanaco in the neighbourhood, he took the Paradox and I my 12-bore, -and we confined ourselves to following some flocks of upland geese -which we had observed in the valley. I will describe the day's sport -at length, as it was very typical of Patagonian wild-fowl shooting in -a fairly good district. - -"We rode our horses, of course, I taking the Cruzado and Jones -'J.V.E.' a small brown animal, so called because he bears that brand -upon his flank. The first geese we came upon were a party of five -standing upon an island in the Mayo. As it was impossible to stalk -these birds we tried driving, and I sent Humphrey Jones, who, by the -way, was a very keen sportsman, to attempt to drive them over me, -where I had taken up my quarters in some bushes upstream above them on -the bank. Jones meantime made a large circle and galloped up towards -them. When he was within about 200 yards they rose, and honking -indignantly made straight up in my direction, flying, however, a -little too wide. They went down again about a quarter of a mile away, -and we repeated our tactics, I remaining where I was. I could not help -thinking how much time was saved by Jones being on horseback. Had he -been on foot it would have taken him a long time in that bare valley -to fetch a circle big enough. As it was, in five minutes the birds -were again on the wing, and this time they gave me a chance and I -brought down two; one, however, falling on the other side of the -river, had to be abandoned." - -Any one who travels through Patagonia cannot fail to be struck by the -enormous quantities of upland geese (_Chloephaga magellanica_) which -abound in the vicinity of the rivers and lagoons. At this time a great -many of the birds are paired, but at a latter date in the valley of -the Coyly we once made a camp round which the country in all -directions was covered by thousands of these geese. After our shot -Jones rejoined me and we proceeded to the edge of a small lagoon, -where he told me he had seen some ducks. On approaching it I examined -the birds through my telescope and discovered them to be brown -pintails (_Dafila spinicauda_). I held the horses while Jones enjoyed -the stalk, which ended in his killing two of the birds, to retrieve -which it was necessary to wade into pretty deep water. - -We now rode towards the valley of the Genguel, and there flushed -innumerable snipe, at which we did not shoot, as we could not afford -to waste ammunition on so small a bird. We next descried a flock of -nineteen geese, which were peculiarly wideawake and would not allow us -to approach for a long time, and presently we deserted their pursuit -in favour of that of a single old gander that was standing upon the -shingle beside the river. I got up quite close to this bird and had a -rising shot at him as he flew across the stream. I killed him quite -dead, but it seemed impossible to retrieve him, and we were rather -disconsolately watching his body drift away when it struck us that -Jones, who was very clever with the lasso, might manage to recover it -at a point where the current brought it within reach of our side. We -therefore galloped parallel to the bird along the bank, and after one -or two ineffectual efforts, Jones succeeded in getting the lasso round -him, and so dragged him in. - - [Illustration: WILDGOOSE CAMP] - -"We next had lunch which consisted of _mate_. As we sat waiting for -the kettle to boil, several blue-winged teal (_Querquedula -cyanoptera_) passed over us and went down in a small marsh towards the -Genguel. After these Jones had another stalk, and killed two. As he -was returning a couple of geese flew over at about thirty-five yards -distance, and he dropped the female quite dead. It is extraordinary -what an amount of shot these geese will in a general way carry off -with them. For all my shooting in Patagonia I used No. 4 shot and 26 -gr. of ballistite. The gun which I used most was a 12-bore moderately -choked in both barrels, and this I found answered every purpose of -wild-fowl shooting in Patagonia excellently. - - [Illustration: BAD STALKING (CALIFATE-BUSH ON PAMPA)] - -"At reasonable ranges a number of black-necked swans (_Cygnus -nigricollis_) fell to this weapon. - -"After picking up the goose, we again turned our attention to the -nineteen that I have mentioned earlier. They then went on a good -distance downstream, and here, under cover of the rushes, we stalked -up within twenty yards of them, and shot three as they rose. One of -the flock swung back, and both of us fired at him, bringing him down. -Thinking we had enough geese, we decided to follow the ducks, which we -did in a rather desultory manner. We bagged two more, both pintails, -before we returned to camp in the evening, having had a very pleasant -day's sport." - -Although I never attempted to make a big bag upon any day during the -time I spent in Patagonia, yet, no doubt, an enormous quantity of -geese could be shot in a single day. Quite close to the settlements a -couple of hundred might be secured by two guns in a day, and during -the migration a far greater number. - -The whole of the valley of the River Chico is excellent for -wild-fowling, and I expected the numbers of birds to increase as we -drew nearer to Lake Buenos Aires. And certainly in the _canadon_ of -the River Deseado I was not disappointed, but of that I will write in -its due place. - -On November 2 we resumed our march, still following the valley of the -Mayo, past the scenes of our sport of the previous day. A little after -midday Jones saw a whitish object among some bushes at the edge of the -river and asked my leave to go and see what it was. Presently he came -riding back to say it was a wild cow and that he had observed her -through the glasses. She was nearly a mile distant, and, taking my -rifle, I rode off with Jones and we stalked her to about 200 yards. We -again examined her carefully through the telescope, and seeing that -she was five or six years old and unbranded, the fact of her belonging -to a wild herd rather than being a truant escaped from the settlements -two hundred miles away appeared to be certain. It was with -considerable keenness that we crawled up nearer, as wild cattle afford -the best sport of all Patagonian animals. - -These wild cattle have some of them been wild for many generations, -their remote ancestors probably being the herds which the Spaniards -originally possessed in the Valdez Peninsula on the east coast during -the earlier occupation of Patagonia. Since then from time to time -numbers of cattle escape from the coast-farms and run wild, and, -joining the older free herds, breed wild. Such herds are still to be -found in considerable numbers among the foot-hills of the Cordillera. -Musters in his book gives an account of meeting with a wild bull. "We -had expected before reaching this point to have found cattle in -considerable numbers, but the warmth of the day had probably driven -them into the thickets to seek shelter..... Presently ... after riding -about a mile, I espied two bulls. Two men were sent round to endeavour -to drive the animals to a clearing where it would be possible to use -the lassoo.... At the end of five minutes ... a yell from the other -side put us anxiously on the alert, and we had the gratification to -see one of the animals coming straight towards our cover. Alas! just -as we were preparing to dash out, he turned on the edge of the plain, -and after charging furiously at his pursuer dashed into a thicket, -where he stood at bay. We immediately closed round him, and -dismounting, I advanced on foot to try and bring him down with a -revolver. Just as I got within half a dozen paces of him, and behind a -bush was quietly taking aim at his shoulder, the Indians, eager for -beef, and safe on their horses at a considerable distance off, -shouted, 'Nearer, nearer!' I accordingly slipped from my cover, but -had hardly moved a pace forward when my spur caught in a root, and at -the same moment _el Toro_ charged. Entangled with the root, I could -not jump on one side as he came on; so, when within a yard I fired a -shot in his face, hoping to turn him, and wheeled my body at the same -instant to prevent his horns from catching me, as the sailors say, -'broadside on.' The shot did not stop him, so I was knocked down, and, -galloping over me, he passed on with my handkerchief, which fell from -my head, triumphantly borne on his horns, and stopped a few yards off -under another bush. Having picked myself up and found my legs and arms -all right, I gave him another shot, which, as my hand was rather -unsteady, only took effect in the flank. My cartridges being -exhausted, I returned to my horse and found that, besides being -considerably shaken, two of my ribs had been broken by the encounter. - -"The Indians closed round me, and evinced great anxiety to know -whether I was much hurt. One, more courageous than the rest, despite -the warning of the cacique, swore he would try and lasso the brute, -and, accordingly, approached the infuriated animal, who for a moment -or two showed no signs of stirring; just, however, as the Indian was -about to throw his lasso, it caught in a branch, and before he could -extricate it the bull was upon him. We saw the horse give two or three -vicious kicks as the bull gored him. At length he was lifted clean up, -the fore-legs alone remaining on the ground, and overthrown, the rider -alighting on his head in a bush. We closed up and attracted the -bull in another direction, then went to look for the corpse of our -comrade, who, however, to our surprise, issued safe from the bush, -where he had lain quiet and unhurt, though the horse was killed. This -little incident cast a gloom over our day's pleasure, and lost us our -Christmas dinner, as Orkeke ordered a retreat to the spot where we had -left our mantles, although we tried to persuade him to attack the -beast again, or, at any rate, remain and eat some of the dead horse, -and try our luck next day, but he was inflexible.... On our way across -the plain previously described, wild cattle were seen, and one chased; -but he, although balled by Orkeke, contrived to slip the _bolas_, and -escaping to cover, stood to bay, where he was left master of the -field." - - [Illustration: A DAUGHTER OF THE TOLDOS] - -In the present instance, however, nothing at all exciting was in store -for us. My first bullet struck the cow behind the shoulder a little -high, she went down upon her knees, and a second shot brought her to -the ground. On our approaching she staggered to her feet, whereupon -Jones gave her a shot in the brain. We then set about grallocking and -skinning our quarry, and were delighted to find that she carried a -good deal of fat. We were at the time running very short of this -essential article of diet, for, as has been said, the guanacos supply -none at this season of the year, when they are still in poor condition -after the hardships of the winter. - -When we had finished cutting up the meat, we packed it as well as we -could upon our saddles and rode away. The amount of meat with which we -had laden our saddles made them extremely uncomfortable; this was very -much so in my own case, as I was riding a little black horse whose -temper was not of the sweetest, and which had been but seldom ridden -since our start, and was consequently very fresh and skittish. We had -spent a long time over our task of cutting up the cow, and the troop -had gone far ahead. After riding about an hour we saw a white bull -upon the hillside above us, but on using the telescope perceived it -carried a brand upon its flank. We therefore left it in peace. - -A little later, as we were riding under the western _barranca_ of the -_canadon_ of the River Mayo, we came upon some fairly fresh tracks of -sheep. This fact, taken in conjunction with the appearance of the -white bull, made me begin to wonder whether it was possible that the -cow I had shot might not prove to be a tame one. We pushed on more -rapidly, the tracks growing sharper and more distinct. Presently the -tracks began to run into beaten lines, and such always mean in -Patagonia that man is not far off. As we rode we discussed the chances -as to who the owners of the sheep would turn out to be, and this we -found sufficiently exciting, as we had beheld no strange face for many -a day. - -Very soon, as we rode round a curve of the cliff, we came in sight of -five armadillo-shaped tents lying snugly in the valley. We had not -expected to come upon the Indians, who, so our guide had told us, were -in the valley of the River Mayo, until some time later, but this was -undoubtedly the encampment to which he had alluded. A number of sheep -and of horses, together with a small herd of cattle, proved them to be -an unusually rich tribe. - -The remainder of our party, on sighting the huts of the Tehuelches, -had halted and were waiting for my arrival. We now rode together in -the direction of the tents, and, while we were yet afar off, the -hounds about the squat tents broke into a chorus of barking. As we -drew nearer we could see that the tall figures, wrapped in -guanaco-skins, were standing in the openings of the _toldos_, on the -look-out for the arrival whose presence had been heralded by the dogs. -The sun was setting by this time over the high cliffs of the -_canadon_, and the _toldos_ threw lengthened shadows upon the ground. - -When we came within a short distance, the Indians stepped forward, -finely developed men, of a swarthy brown, with high cheek-bones, their -coarse black hair falling round their faces, and tied about the brows -with a red band. The tents seemed to be full to overflowing of old -women and lean hounds, all huddled together upon the ground, and a -crowd of curious faces peeped forth. The _toldos_ were made of -guanaco-skins, sewn loosely at their edges, and supported squarely on -awkward-looking props or posts, forked at the top to admit the -ridge-poles. The skins were fastened to the earth outside with wooden -pegs. These dwellings appeared to be anything but weather-proof, for -at the seams and lower edges were gaping slits, through which the sky -or the ground was visible. As to the shape of the _toldos_, if you can -imagine a very squat, deep-draught boat, cut off at rather beyond the -half of her length, and turned upside down, you will have some idea of -their appearance. On the roof, and about the wooden props, pieces of -guanaco-meat had been hung out to dry in the sun. Within, as I have -said, upon the skins which strewed the floor the dogs and grandmothers -of the tribe were mingled. - - [Illustration: WATI! WATI! (TEHUELCHE EXCLAMATION OF SURPRISE)] - -It was our first experience of a Tehuelche encampment, and perhaps the -most remarkable feature of it was the presence, in one form or -another, of the guanaco. Some of his flesh was cooking at a fire -outside the tents, the _toldos_ themselves were composed of his pelts, -the ponchos which some of the women were weaving were made from his -wool, the boots were formed of his neck-skin, some of the horse-gear -of his hide, the men's _capas_ of his skin, while dogs, men, and women -alike were fattened upon the food he provided. As I stood there, -examining all these things, my mind kept running upon the cow which I -had killed, and which I was now more than half afraid might have -belonged to the Indians. If such proved to be the case, I knew that -they would resent it very bitterly, and even perhaps attempt to make -some sort of reprisals upon our horses. The idea of saying nothing -about it, were my surmise as to the chance of its having been their -property correct, struck me as being the least troublesome course to -pursue; but nothing is more abhorrent than dealing in this way with -aboriginal tribes. Personally, I should look upon picking the pocket -of a civilised person as, in comparison, almost a meritorious action. -I may as well say at once that I told them of the matter of the cow -through the _vaqueano_ or guide whom I hired from their tents, and -offered to pay for it if it happened to be their property. The -_vaqueano_, however, said that no cow of that colour belonged to their -herd, and, taking into consideration that she was six years old and -unmarked, I made my mind easy on this point. - -I shall now break off from the thread of my narrative and give a -description of the Tehuelches, detailing the facts which I gathered -about them during my residence in Patagonia. I will only preface it by -saying that few peoples are more interesting to study than the -Tehuelches, of whom various travellers have given such widely -differing accounts. - -FOOTNOTE: - -[6] Any traveller, settler or cattleman who is acquainted with the -vagaries of _cargueros_ will understand our position. Some of the -horses which we used as _cargueros_ had never before had a saddle upon -their backs. - - - - - [Illustration: INDIAN _TOLDO_] - - - - -CHAPTER VI - -MANNERS AND CUSTOMS OF THE TEHUELCHES - - Indian method of curing measles -- Driving out the devil - -- Magellan -- _Patagon_ -- Long boots -- Reports of - travellers -- One of the finest races in the world -- - Nomadic -- Hunters -- Decreasing in numbers -- - Introduction of horses -- _Bolas_ -- No history -- Keen - bargainers but not progressive -- Features -- Good teeth - -- Women -- Morality -- Young and old women -- Half-bloods - -- _Paisanos_ -- Reserved in character -- Habits -- - Infants' heads bandaged -- Dance -- Wives bought -- Price - of a wife -- Marriage ceremony -- White man in _toldos_ -- - Bad influence -- Connections of white men and Tehuelche - women -- Dress and adornment of women -- Work -- Lazy race - -- High wages -- Ceremonies and customs -- Religion -- - Gualicho -- Fear of Cordillera -- Fat hunger -- Tehuelche - lives on horseback -- Esquimaux and Tehuelche -- Primitive - peoples and their habits -- Food -- Tobacco -- Pipes -- - Language -- Tribal government -- Physical strength -- - Decreasing numbers -- Men of silence and men of uproar -- - Courtesy of a Tehuelche. - - -Snow lay in the hollows so deep that only the lean crests of the -higher bushes could thrust themselves through its surface. The wind, -which had driven the snowstorm of the morning away to the east, swept -drearily down out of an evening sky where neither sun nor sunset hues -were to be seen, nothing but a spread of cold and misty grey, growing -slowly overshadowed by the looming promise of more snow. - -In the middle of the level white pampa two figures upon galloping -horses were visible. As we came nearer we saw that one was that of a -man clothed in a _chiripa_ and a _capa_ in which brown was the -predominating colour. He was mounted on a heavy-necked powerful -_cebruno_ horse, his stirrups were of silver, and his gear of raw-hide -seemed smart and good. As he rode he yelled with all his strength, -producing a series of the most horrible and piercing shrieks. - -But strange as was this wild figure, his companion, victim or quarry, -was stranger and more striking still. For on an ancient _zaino_ sat -perched a little brown maiden, whose aspect was forlorn and pathetic -to the last degree. She rode absolutely naked in the teeth of the -bitter cold, her breast, face and limbs blotched and smeared with the -rash of some eruptive disease, and her heavy-lidded eyes, strained and -open, staring ahead across the leagues of empty snow-patched plain. - -Presently the man redoubled his howls, and bearing down upon the -_zaino_ flogged and frightened it into yet greater speed. The whole -scene might have been mistaken for some ancient barbaric and revolting -form of punishment; whereas, in real truth, it was an anxious Indian -father trying, according to his lights, to cure his daughter of the -measles! - -It appeared that the girl had taken the disease in an extremely acute -form, and Indian belief and reasoning run something on these lines: - -First fact--The child was possessed by a devil of great power and -ferocity, who set up such a trouble inside her body that it came forth -through her skin in blotches and spots. - -Second fact--A devil is known to dislike noise and cold. All devils -do. Hence the ride of the unlucky patient without a shred to protect -her from the strong west wind snow-fed with bitter cold, and the -almost incredible uproar made by the old gentleman upon the dark brown -horse. - -If one concedes the premises, it must be admitted there was method in -his madness. - - [Illustration: A NEW CURE FOR THE MEASLES] - -The above account was given me by Mr. Ernest Cattle, an accurate -observer, whose knowledge of the wild districts of Patagonia is -unique. - -Such is the Tehuelche Indian of Patagonia to-day, and facts tend to -show that he has in very few particulars departed from the customs, -manner of living and modes of thought which distinguished his -forefathers in the dawn of authentic Tehuelchian history. The earliest -mention of the natives of Patagonia occurs on the occasion of the -discovery of the country by Magellan in 1520. They were described as -men of huge stature, giants in fact, and the very name Patagonia is -said to be derived from the epithet "_patagon_," or "large feet," -which the Spaniards bestowed upon them on account of the enormous -tracks their footsteps left upon the sand of the seashore. The -Tehuelches are not, as it happens, a large-footed though they are a -tall race, but, considering the curious persistency of habit, which is -one of their chief characteristics, the idea taken up by the Spanish -is easily explained. The Tehuelches wear boots of _potro_ (colt-skin) -or guanaco-skin, which project in a narrow point some inches beyond -the toes. There can be little doubt, judging by all else we know of -them, that their ancestors of Magellan's day wore the same shape of -foot-gear. The impressions left by such boots would very naturally, on -being observed by voyagers, take their place as indications of a race -of giants. In connection with this idea I may mention that several -early writers united in giving a very bad name to the Tehuelches. No -reputation could be more totally unmerited. From reading such accounts -one would be left with the conviction that the Tehuelches are -blood-thirsty and barbarous savages. This is certainly not the case -now, and I do not believe, judging from all I saw of them under -various circumstances, that such accusations could ever have been -deserved. Some travellers appear to have fallen into the error of -confounding them with other Indian races of South America, whose -characteristics and history differ absolutely from the people of whom -I am writing. - -We see here how easy it is for travellers to make mistakes. More than -one writer has charged them with the habit of eating raw flesh; -whereas they cook the meat for food, but on occasion they will eat raw -fat and drink the warm blood of the ostrich, which facts, no doubt, -have given rise to the above misstatement. - -Although not giants, the Tehuelches are certainly one of the finest -races in the world. Most of them average 6 ft., some attain to 6 ft. 4 -in. or even more, and in all cases they are well built and well -developed. Physically, the men are splendid fellows, who look yet more -nobly formed and proportioned because of the ample folds of the skin -_capas_ and _ponchos_ in which they wrap themselves. Their way of -life tends to muscular excellence, but even taking that into -consideration the development of the arms, chest, and, in fact, the -whole body above the loins is extraordinary. But the lower limbs are -sometimes disappointing, being, in fact, the lower limbs of a race of -riders.[7] - -The Tehuelche Indians of Patagonia are essentially nomads, living -chiefly upon the proceeds of their hunting, and, in a less degree, -maintaining themselves upon sale or barter connected with their -limited holding of domestic animals. Agriculture or tillage is -absolutely unknown among them. The hunting-ground is farm enough for -them, and they pitch their tents of skin where they will, or change -their quarters at the dictates of necessity or whim. They always break -camp if a death occurs among the tribe, for the spot is then -considered accursed. And they are, of course, also largely influenced -in their movements by the wanderings of the guanaco herds, which form -their principal quarry. - -There are five existing camps of Indians to be found in Patagonia. I -visited two of them and a third small outlying group. Their numbers -have sadly decreased since the days of the opening 'seventies, when -George Chaworth Musters made his abode in the tribal _toldos_ and -followed with them in their wanderings. He speaks of two tribes of -Tehuelches, the northern and the southern, only distinguishable by a -slight difference of dialect, and who met and intermarried, although -they did not object to espousing opposite sides in a quarrel. Other -tribes whom he mentions did not inhabit the part of the country of -which I am writing. - -The Tehuelches proper appear to have been fairly prosperous and -numerous in his day, but even then he says, speaking of them: -"Supplies of rum procured in trade at the settlements ... and disease, -small-pox especially, are rapidly diminishing their numbers." Things -have undoubtedly gone from bad to worse in this unhappy direction, and -I am inclined to think that the number of Tehuelche Indians surviving -at this period can be little over a few hundreds in number. Rum is -undoubtedly their chief foe. Drink to the uncivilised man is a danger -against which he is provided with no defence, either social or moral. -Having once tasted its fatal pleasures, he has no reason for -forbidding himself an indulgence his animal nature craves. - - [Illustration: ARROWHEADS AND KNIFE, FOUND NEAR COLOHUAPI, CHUBUT. - (NOW IN COLLECTION OF MR. E. M. SPROT)] - -Since the day on which the Spanish adventurers first sighted the -Patagonian coast, perhaps the one "event" in the history of the -Indians may truly be said to be the introduction of horses into their -land. Otherwise they seem to have altered little in their way of life. -Magellan says they came down to the ship clad and shod in -guanaco-skins; they are clad and shod in guanaco-skins to-day. Their -tools and knives were sharp-edged flints; I have seen the Indians skin -their quarry with precisely the same weapons. - -Bows and arrows were indeed in use among the tribes when the Spaniards -visited the coast; these have now been superseded by the _boleadores_, -an innovation which in its present form came into fashion after the -Indians began to know the value of the horse. The _bolas_ is the -weapon of the Tehuelche. With it he kills his game, and with it also -he catches wild colts, and finds it useful in his simple process of -training. The _bolas_ is made up of three thongs of raw hide fastened -together at one end, the other free ends having attached to them -stones or bits of pot-iron sewn up in skin. The Indian throws his -weapon with marvellous accuracy at any animal he may be pursuing, and -the thongs coiling instantly round the legs or neck of the creature, -bring it to the ground, or, at any rate, entangle it hopelessly. - -It may well be judged that this race have no history. They remain in -touch with the methods and customs according to which their -forefathers were wont to live centuries ago, and who in their turn had -derived them from still older generations. Though most of the men now -possess cheap store knives of steel, I have seen, as I said before, -many a quarry skinned with the prehistoric flint knife. They are an -intelligent people, indeed keen where bargaining is concerned, as long -as they are sober; yet they seem to be entirely lacking in that -quality which would enable them to forget the past with its -traditional usages and methods, and to follow even remotely the -sweeping onward rush that, like a tornado, carries with it the lagging -races of mankind. Although the men possess unusual strength, they do -not in the least know how to apply it. Their faces are somewhat flat, -although the features are more or less cast in the aquiline mould, and -fairly regular. The hair is coarse and lustreless, its blackness -relieved by a fillet or handkerchief of scarlet. Their teeth are -excellent, toothache being almost unknown in their tents. Although -they bathe, I have never observed among them any article that would in -any way correspond to the tooth-stick of other nomadic peoples. Their -beautiful teeth are perhaps due to their habit of chewing a gummy -substance that exudes from the incensio bush. Musters, in his book, -says they use this as a dentifrice. - - [Illustration: A TEHUELCHE CACIQUE] - -The women are not, according to our European ideas, beautiful, and -such comeliness as they may sometimes possess in youth blossoms and -fades quickly. They are, however, strong, and much of the camp work -falls to their share. The older women can boast of a brand of ugliness -all their own. Age to these ladies brings several vices in its -train. Most noticeable is a craving for strong waters, a weakness from -which the younger women are entirely free. - -The morality of the Tehuelches is, on the whole, admirable. -Unfaithfulness in the wife is rare, and not often bitterly revenged. A -point as regards the morality of the women is to my mind rather -luminous. While the younger _chinas_ are unexceptionable in their -moral virtues, the older women cannot be so highly commended. They are -rather apt to wander from the stricter paths of decorum. When the -husband of one of these elderly houris dies, as soon as the due period -of mourning is past, the bereaved one will take up with any male in -her tribe for either a longer or a shorter period. For ugliness sheer -and unrivalled these grandmothers of the tribes stand alone. Also, as -they get on in years, these ladies often run to fat. I remember one -immense woman in the _toldos_ on the pampas between Lake Argentino and -Gallegos, who had put on flesh in a manner and to an extent almost -unbelievable. - -The younger women, while the flush of girlhood is still upon them, -possess a certain comeliness which I can only describe by the -adjectives "savage" and "stolid." Yet the abundant coarse black hair -hanging round the heavily quiet faces, in which the features, though -flattened, are still slightly aquiline, the wide-open, patient eyes, -the healthful colour, and the strong, white, even teeth, which their -slow smiles disclose to you, make them, on the whole, a personable -race. - -The half-bloods, as is usual, often possess real beauty, the alien -strain giving them that vivacity which the pure race seems to lack. - -Some of the pictures show an unsightly slit of the lip in the case of -a few _paisanos_.[8] This hare-lip is by no means universal, but is an -hereditary peculiarity that appears in many of the members of one -special household. The arrival of a stranger in the camp makes the -women retire shyly within themselves, and it is only by chance--as it -is in the case of wild animals--that the new-comer ever sees the -unaffected and natural character shine out. When in contact with -whites the Tehuelche man also becomes reserved, the whole expression -of his countenance changes, and he is very suspicious of being laughed -at, a point on which he is very susceptible, and which he deeply -resents. - -I cannot but think that the constant accusations of uncleanliness that -have been brought against the Tehuelche Indians are due to the single -fact that their dogs are allowed to live in the _toldos_. The result -in a country where scab is common may be left to the imagination. But, -apart from the crawling things which inhabit his _toldos_, the Indian -is fairly cleanly, bathing each day and swimming in the lakes and -lagoons. The women make excellent mothers, and the father is -inordinately proud of his offspring, especially of his sons. Of how -many races can so many good things be truthfully said? - -They have a singular custom of bandaging the heads of infants in such -a manner as to produce a flattening of the back of the skull. It might -be worth the while of physiologists to go deeper into the matter, with -a view to discovering how far this alteration in the brain-space -determines the character of the individual operated upon. Interesting -results might thus be obtained and some vexed problems solved. - -A certain stage in the life of each girl is celebrated by a festivity -in the camp. An ornamented _toldo_ is put up temporarily for the -girl's occupation, and the young men of the tribe march round it -singing while the women howl, probably with a view to exorcising any -evil spirit who may be lingering about the camp.[9] The ceremony is -followed by a feast, and the evening winds up with a dance. The men -alone take part in this, and it consists in circling round the fire, -pacing sometimes slowly and sometimes quickly. A few dance at a time, -accompanying their movements with a constant bowing or nodding of the -head, which is adorned with tufts of ostrich feathers. When one party -is tired out another takes its place. - -Wives, of course, are bought and sold, but when a lady is purchased by -a suitor whom she happens to dislike, there is trouble for the -bridegroom, and conjugal obedience is only enforced after struggles, -of which the not infrequent result is that the mark of the lady's -teeth remains permanently upon her lord. - -The price of a wife varies, as must be expected in the natural course -of things. Strangely enough, a girl's value often depends upon the -number of her brethren, who must receive two horses apiece. To buy a -bride with means or rather animals of her own, an heiress in fact, who -comes of well-to-do people, as much as a hundred mares have been -given--or shall I say paid.[10] - -When desirous of carrying on matrimonial negotiations the would-be -bridegroom must always employ a go-between. To omit this ceremonial -method of approach would be an outrage on etiquette. I conclude, -though I do not know it for a fact as regards Patagonia, that the -go-between in that country gets his pickings from both sides as his -congener does elsewhere. - -The marriage ceremony is delightfully simple. After the preliminary -bargaining has been successfully brought to a close, the happy -bridegroom mounts his horse and rides to the _toldo_ of his intended -and hands over his appointed gifts, receiving those of the parents in -return. He then carries back his bride amid the cheers and cries of -his friends, and in the evening there is a feast. Musters remarks that -on these occasions the dogs are not permitted to touch the meat or -offal of the animals killed, as it is considered unlucky if they do -so. - -The gifts which are exchanged between the parties form in a more or -less degree a marriage settlement, for in case of divorce her parents' -gifts accrue to the wife. Polygamy is allowed but not much practised -among the tribes. - -Few phenomena are to my mind more unaccountable than the action of the -white man who "goes fantee." - - "Went fantee, joined the people of the land, - Turned three parts Mussulman and one Hindoo, - And lived among the Gauri villages, - Who gave him shelter and a wife or twain." - - -This singular mental or moral warp which results in a man "going -fantee" is by no means uncommon in Patagonia. Of course, as may be -imagined, a certain proportion of such men fall to this condition at -the end of the career variegated. Others prefer ruling in Cathay to -serving in any other community more dignified; others again take -daughters of the land to wife because their trade lies with the -Indians. - -There is, however, one very strong objection to this latter course of -marrying, Tehuelche fashion, a _china_ of the _toldos_, and that is -that all the relatives of the lady in question are apt to quarter -themselves upon the bridegroom. Occasionally the white man objects, -but I imagine that the cases of those who object successfully are -rare. But there is one _estanciero_ in Patagonia who is the father of -two buxom daughters by a Tehuelche wife. These girls are now grown up, -and their tribe was encamped during the winter of 1900 not two hours' -ride from the dwelling-place of their father. Yet I am assured the -father never aided the tribe or his own offspring in any way, although -that winter was so severe that starvation visited the _toldos_ of the -tribe. A man of this mettle is, however, not frequently to be heard -of, and cases of a quite laudable affection having existed between a -white man and a _china_ are on record. - -But, at the same time, it must be repeated that the influence of the -white who goes to live among the Indians as one of themselves, almost -without exception, makes for evil. I have already spoken of the -offspring of the mixed unions. The Tehuelche blood gives to the faces -of the half-breed women an expression of sad patience, while the -Spanish connection adds certainly to their gift of beauty. - - [Illustration: TEHUELCHE MATRON, SHOWING HARE-LIP] - -The women have very simple ideas of adornment. They generally take the -form of silver necklets and the red fillet bound in their hair.[11] -Their dress is composed of the picturesque guanaco-skin _capa_, or -mantle, worn with the wool inside. Woman, to tell the truth, holds no -such bad position among the Patagonian Indians. She does the cooking, -but little else that can be called hard work, except the taking down -and pitching of the _toldos_ when the tribe break camp. They carry on -a slack industry in the form of weaving _ponchos_ from guanaco -wool. Some species of earth is used for dyeing the wool, but the -resulting colours are dull. In this particular the Tehuelches differ -from the Indians of the northern pampas, whose dyeing materials are -derived from herbs, and give brighter tints. These _ponchos_ and -saddle-rugs made by the _chinas_ are much prized and sought after as -curiosities, hence the makers demand very high prices for them--even -up to thirty or forty dollars each. - -The women also spend some of their time in sewing together the skins -of guanaco or ostriches into rugs, using sinews for thread. Rugs of -this kind and bunches of ostrich feathers form the staple commodities -which they offer at the settlements for sale. - -The hair of the adult animal, being harsh and coarse, is of less value -in the market than that of the young guanaco; therefore the hunters -endeavour to secure chiefly the pelts of the young guanaco, some of -the rugs being even made from the skin of the unborn, which is cut out -of the mother a few days previous to the date when they would -naturally be dropped. At certain seasons enormous numbers of these -pelts are to be seen drying, pegged out, beside the Indian _toldos_. - -The time of year during which the hunting of guanaco _chicos_, or -little ones, is carried on includes the latter half of October and the -month of November. - -I am afraid it must be confessed that the Tehuelches are a very lazy -race. Nearly everything which makes any demand upon their -energies--with the exception of hunting--seems too much trouble for -them to do. Few individuals become even comparatively rich, and even -then live none the better for it. One could never guess whether a man -were rich or poor by his dress; he carries no sign of improved -circumstances in his person or bearing. The owner of two thousand -beasts will come into camp and sit by your fire, putting in a plea -with the humblest for a cupful of _mate_. Occasionally an Indian will -act as a guide across the empty distances of the pampas. They have an -excellent idea of the value of their services and of the paper _peso_ -of the Argentine Republic. They set a high price upon themselves--a -_vaqueano_, or guide, demanding five dollars a day or seventy dollars -a month. - -But however this quality may seem to approximate to civilisation, the -customs with which he still surrounds the events of birth, sickness, -and death are the old cruel forms that have been perpetuated through -the ages, and they stamp him as remaining even to this day the very -slightly diluted savage. - -In some cases when a child is born, a cow or mare is killed, the -stomach taken out and cut open, and into this receptacle while still -warm the child is laid. Upon the remainder of the animal the tribe -feast, and when they feast they carry out the notion thoroughly. After -eating their fill, they lie about gorged and half insensible and let -the world spin on. This is a quiet festivity, and only takes place in -this modified form when the tribe happen to be out of fire-water. - -But should there be liquor at hand, the younger women, who never drink -on such occasions, go round beforehand and gather up every knife, -hatchet, or, in fact, all and any weapon they can find, and bury them -in some hidden spot about the camp.[12] This custom, which is in its -own way pathetic, speaks for itself. Under the influence of liquor the -nature of the peaceable Indian becomes completely changed. It maddens -him, and the dance round the fires often ends in a free fight. - -A variation of the foregoing birth-ceremony is yet more savage. If a -boy is born, his tribe catch a mare or a colt--if the father be rich -and a great man among his people, the former; if not, the latter--a -lasso is placed round each leg, a couple round the neck, and a couple -round the body. The tribe distribute themselves at the various ends of -these lassos and take hold. The animal being thus supported cannot -fall. The father of the child now advances and cuts the mare or colt -open from the neck downwards, the heart, &c., is torn out, and the -baby placed in the cavity. The desire is to keep the animal quivering -until the child is put inside. By this means they believe that they -ensure the child's becoming a fine horseman in the future.[13] - -If an Indian dies the place becomes accursed. The camp is immediately -removed to a fresh locality. When the dead man or woman is buried, -certain ceremonies are observed about the grave, evidently with a view -to enabling the departed to start in another life with an adequate -outfit. Horses and dogs are slaughtered, so that he may have the means -to pursue and kill the guanaco in the land of ghosts. Food and dead -game are also placed in the grave to supply his needs at the outset of -the new existence. Should the dead happen to be a child or a person of -tender years, fillies and colts are slaughtered at the burial. - -In former times, and in fact until quite recent years, it used to be -the custom to place beside the corpse the silver-mounted horse-gear of -the dead man, and to close the grave upon it. In a land where life -depends not infrequently upon the strength of your raw-hide -head-stall, for instance, the value of sound gear is properly -appreciated; therefore this particular precaution for the welfare of -the dead shows a very practical solicitude on the part of the -survivors. To-day the Tehuelches still bury these possessions in the -grave, but the custom is only continued with a reservation. Instead of -leaving the valuable gear under the earth for all time, they now at -the end of a twelvemonth dig it up again. How they reconcile this -economical arrangement with the comfort of their lost friend I do not -know, but it may be suggested that they imagine the inhabitant of -another world has had full time in the course of a year to make -suitable new gear for himself. - -The religion of the Indians is interesting. It consists, of course, in -the old simple beliefs in good spirits and devils, but chiefly devils, -which, with variations dependent on climate and physical environment, -represent all over the world the spiritual creeds of uncivilised -races. The dominant Spirit of Evil, as feared by the Tehuelches, is -called the Gualicho. And he abides as an ever-present terror behind -their strange, free, and superstitious lives. They spend no small -portion of their time in either fleeing from his wrath or in -propitiating it. You may wake in the dawn to see a band of Indians -suddenly rise and leap upon their horses, and gallop away across the -pampa, howling and gesticulating. They are merely scaring the Gualicho -away from their tents back to his haunts in the Cordillera--the wild -and unpenetrated mountains, where he and his subordinate demons groan -in chosen spots the long nights through. - -The expedition under my command happened to encamp near one such place -upon the southern shore of Lake Rica. It was a moonlight night, and -loud rushing noises broke the peace of every hour of it. There -happened to be a huge glacier on the opposite side of the lake, from -which great pieces became detached at frequent intervals (for the mass -of the glacier overhung the cliff), and these plunged with strange, -loud explosions, I might almost call them, into the water. Such are -the noises that terrify the Indian; he cannot explain them, and it is -small wonder they excite his fears in the highest degree. For it must -be remembered that in all practical ways the Tehuelche is a very brave -man. Yet no pay can tempt him within the region of the Cordilleras, -where to his superstitious mind the near presence of the Gualicho is -manifested by those awful groanings and sounds which no human agency -known to him could by any possibility produce. - -In common with other savage peoples, the Tehuelches believe the Good -Spirit to be of a far more quiescent habit than the spirits of evil. -Long ago, at the epoch of Creation perhaps, the Good Spirit made one -effort for the benefit of mankind,[14] but since then he has been -otherwise occupied, and shown himself little interested with earthly -matters. Like Baal, he is perchance upon a journey, or perchance he is -sleeping. The result is the same; his worshippers must take care of -themselves as well as they can, and the best method which offers is to -ward off by all means in their power the attacks of the maleficent -influence. For the Gualicho is of a very active disposition, and shows -no scorn of small things. On the contrary, he is quite capable of -descending upon a single Indian to punish him for an offence and to -work him harm. - - [Illustration: CHILDREN OF THE TOLDOS] - -It is a humiliating reflection that the great mass of peoples have -always been, and will always be, far more ready and fervent in -propitiating an evil spirit, or endeavouring to avert the action of -any punishing power, than in seeking the favour of the Good Spirit or -returning him thanks for benefits received. Human nature under the -frock-coat of civilisation is much the same as under the _capa_ of the -Tehuelche. - -By inference one can see that the Patagonian believes in a future -life--a life much on the lines of his earthly one, but abounding in -those things which he most desires, and which here he finds in short -measure. I only know that the land he is going to after death is a -land flowing, not with milk and honey, but with grease. On the pampas -of life here below the guanaco is lean and seldom yields an ounce of -fat, and as I have myself experienced the craving for fat, or -fat-hunger, I know it to be a very real and uncomfortable demand of -the human system. But in the Patagonian Beyond the guanaco herds will -be plump and well provided with supplies of suet, and the -califate-bushes always laden with ripe and purple berries. - -The traditions of the tribes go back to the epoch when they hunted on -foot and used bows and arrows, as well as the _bolas_, armed with a -large single ball of stone. That period may be one hundred, or -possibly a hundred and fifty, years ago. Then a tribe of Pampa Indians -rode down out of the north and brought to the Tehuelches the -inestimable boon of horses. - -At the present day no worse evil can happen to an Indian than to be -left without a horse and dependent on his own legs. He rides -perpetually, and in consequence has almost lost the walking -capabilities of other men.[15] He lives upon horseback, and there -earns his living, so to speak. With his dogs he rides down his game, -but he has no skill in tracking any more than the dogs. But, for all -that, his sight is keen; the quality of extraordinary long-sightedness, -which distinguishes men used to scanning vast levels of sea or land, -is essentially his. - -The Tehuelche, although in many ways offering a complete contrast, yet -in some points forms a strange parallel to the Esquimaux. The -Esquimaux has never seen a horse, the Tehuelche never uses a boat, -although his land abounds in sheets of water. Both races are eminently -sluggish and peaceable. Both fear evil spirits, which they fancy live -in particular localities. It is indeed a far cry from Greenland to -Patagonia, but if you substitute the horse for the kayak and the seal -for the guanaco, you will find that, although separated by space and -race and circumstance, a certain resemblance between the people of the -Far South and of the Far North exists. And of both races little evil -can be said. - -These primitive peoples, living close to nature, divided from man's -original state only by the thinnest and filmiest of partitions, attain -in a wonderful degree the art of doing without things. The Esquimaux -starts upon a long day's hunting, with the thermometer marking many -degrees below zero, upon nothing save a drink of water! A luxury such -as coffee is said to enervate him.[16] The Patagonian Indian rides out -of a morning having taken nothing at all in the way of sustenance. But -he puts a pinch of salt in his belt, and when his dogs pull down their -first guanaco or ostrich, he draws off the blood and swallows it mixed -with salt. - -The tribes live to a considerable extent on guanaco, and it is -practically their life-work to follow the wanderings of the herds -through the changing seasons. But the flesh of the ostrich is more -palatable, and is, consequently, preferred when it can be procured. -They drink _mate_ in large quantities, which, as has been shown, is -the universal habit on the pampas, where it is, in fact, -indispensable, supplying, as it does, to a certain extent, the place -of vegetables, besides having the valuable quality of refreshing and -invigorating in a quite extraordinary degree. - -They rarely smoke pure tobacco; it is too precious. They mix it with -about 80 per cent. of califate-wood shavings. Once, when short of -tobacco, I tried their mixture, and in truth there are many worse -smokes upon the English and American markets. The califate is -certainly a little acrid, but burns with a very blue smoke. I fancy -one could get on tolerably well with this faked tobacco, aided by a -bit of imagination and a strong throat. - - [Illustration: TEHUELCHE MATRONS] - -For the most part the tribes use stone pipes of a very singular -coffin-like shape. One Indian, however, possessed a silver pipe, the -stem of which had begun life as a _bombilla_, or silver tube for -drinking _mate_ through. Musters mentions frequently seeing the men -become insensible after smoking, which would lead to the supposition -that they use some drug corresponding in its effects to opium. I never -observed a single instance of this sort, although I smoked the -camp-fire pipe on many occasions with Tehuelches. In fact, of those I -met, two out of three were not smokers at all. - -The language of these people is very guttural, and one word is used to -signify a number of different things, which proves its elementary and -simple character. In most of their camps Spanish is understood more or -less, and with even a slight knowledge of this tongue one can get on -very well. - -Practically the Patagonian is governed by no tribal laws. He does not -need their restraint, for, save when drunk, he seldom commits crimes -of greater or less magnitude. In politics he is democratic apparently, -for though it is true that a _cacique_ is at the head of each camp, -his authority seems limited to ordering the plan of the hunt. If any -individual objects he can leave the community, an alternative -extremely distasteful to so gregarious a people. Quarrels and fights -are of very rare occurrence, except when there is drink in the tents. -The natural peacefulness of the Indian is certainly commendable, for -his muscular development is enormous. He can tear the skin from a -guanaco after merely raising enough with his knife to give him a -hand-grip. - -Once it was a free and a happy life that they lived, with fortunes -ruled by the changing of the seasons. In those days, five-and-twenty -years ago, they were scattered throughout the country, moving along -the Indian trail. Now, in the whole of my long travel through -Patagonia, I came upon only three encampments of them, and I have -reason to believe I visited nearly every one that exists at the -present day. It is probable that I may be their last chronicler; they -will be brushed off the face of the earth by the sweeping besom that -deals so hardly with aboriginal races, and is known as "civilisation." - -The cause of their disappearance is not far to seek. You may dust a -savage people with Martinis and increase their manhood, if the -punishment be not severe and too prolonged, but as sure as the whisky -bottle--the raw, cheap, rot-gut country spirit--is introduced among -them, a primitive people is doomed. In all sorts of places in the -world I have seen this baleful influence at work. - -The Indians, as I knew them, are a kind-hearted, docile and lazy race. -In all the dealings I had with them I found them invariably most -courteous. Treat them as you desire they should treat you, and not in -the odious "poor-devil-of-a-heathen, beast-of-a-savage" sort of style, -which obtains with some of our own countrymen abroad, I am sorry to -say, and you will receive a grave and quiet consideration, and they -will call you _buen hombre_, a good man. - -Progress, the white man's shibboleth, has no meaning for the -Patagonian. He is losing ground day by day in the wild onward rush of -mankind. Our ideas do not appeal to him. He has neither part nor lot -in the feverish desires and ambitions that move us so strongly. As his -forefathers were, so is he--content to live and die a human item with -a moving home, passing hither and thither upon the waste and open -spaces of his native land. He is far too single-minded and too -dignified to stoop to a cheap imitation. He does not shout aloud that -he is the equal of the white man, as more vulgar races do. It has -often struck me that the primitive races of the world might be put -under two heads--the men of silence and the men of uproar. Among the -men of silence we have the Zulu, the North American Indian, the -Tehuelche, and some others. These silent peoples cannot exist, like -the negroes, as the camp followers of civilisation. They have not the -ya-hoop imitative faculty of the negro race. They are hunters, men of -silence and of a great reserve. When they meet with the white man, -they do not rush open-mouthed to swallow his customs. - -The men of silence will, in the savage state, take a hint as quickly -as an English gentleman; the men of uproar will only accept a hint -when it is backed by a command. The Tehuelche will not remain at a -camp-fire where he is not wanted. He lacks passion, perhaps, but -appreciation pleases him. His dignified courtesy can best be -exemplified by a story. - - [Illustration: A TEHUELCHE BEAUTY] - -At one time, while we were travelling across the pampas and had camped -for the night, an Indian rode in upon us in the twilight. The Indian -did not talk Spanish, nor could we speak Tehuelchian. In silence he -joined us at our evening meal and stopped afterwards to smoke a pipe -of tobacco, then he got to horse and rode away. - -The next morning our horses were missing; they had evidently strayed -during the night. I went out to look for them, and after a time saw -them far away across the pampa advancing towards me in a compact mob. -A rider was driving them up. As soon as he saw me, and I had -recognised our guest of the preceding evening, he sent forward the -horses at a gallop in my direction, and, wheeling round, was off and -out of sight in a moment. He did not wait to be thanked, and yet it -was obvious, from the condition of the horses, that he must have found -them a long way off and driven them for a considerable distance. It is -in courtesies of this kind that the silent peoples excel. - -I am no wild admirer of the noble savage. He is, generally speaking, a -highly objectionable person. But to see a race--so kindly, -picturesque, and gifted with fine qualities of body and mind--such as -the Tehuelches, absolutely at hand-grips with extinction, seems to me -one of the saddest results of the growing domination of the white man -and his methods of civilisation. - -FOOTNOTES: - -[7] There is, however, a great variation in the development of the -lower limbs in different individuals. - -[8] This name is preferred by the Indians themselves. To call them -_los Indios_ is a breach of etiquette. _Paisano_ means, of course, son -of the land, a title in which the Tehuelche takes pride. - -[9] The evil spirit is supposed to take up its quarters behind the -_toldos_. - -[10] While prosecuting the inquiries which led to the compilation of -this account of the Tehuelches it was thought that the author desired -to take a bride from the _toldos_. He was informed that seven mares -would purchase a young and efficient helpmate. - -[11] Tehuelche beauties are not above wearing a tail of false hair. - -[12] On the occasions I describe, even the _asadores_ (iron spits -three feet in length and sharpened at the end which enters the ground) -are taken away and buried by the young women. - -[13] These customs are now dying out. - -[14] According to Tehuelche beliefs, the Good Spirit created the -animals in the caves of a certain mountain called "God's Hill," and -gave them to his people for food. - -[15] Here I disagree with Captain G. C. Musters, who claims excellent -walking powers for the Tehuelches. That they can walk well if forced -to do so is possible, but we need look no farther than their boots to -perceive that they rarely go afoot. The Patagonian pampas are covered -with thorn and the thin foot-covering of the Indians would be torn to -pieces in the course of a two-hours tramp over such ground. - -[16] Nansen's "Esquimaux Life." - - - - -CHAPTER VII - -TEHUELCHE METHODS OF HUNTING - - Hunting season -- Surefooted horses -- Description of big - hunt -- Ring round game -- Splendid riding of Tehuelches - -- Horses dislike jumping -- Game killed and spared by - Tehuelches -- Difference of their hunting methods from - those of the Onas of Tierra del Fuego -- Artistic - perception of Onas -- Ill-faith of early settlers -- - Indian trail -- "No place for us" -- Deterioration of - horses -- They prize piebalds -- Method of breaking in -- - Perfect riders -- Helpless on foot -- Staying powers of - horses -- Dogs -- Evil of liquor trade -- National sin of - permitting this traffic -- Picture of trader -- Drinking - bout of Tehuelches -- Gambling for horses -- Fatal - weakness of Tehuelches -- Another instance. - - -During the latter half of October and during November, which is the -Patagonian spring, the Tehuelches hunt the guanaco _chicos_, or young -guanaco. - -At this period the young have not all been dropped, and the most -prized pelts are those of the unborn young, which are obtained by -killing the mother. These pelts, being very soft and fine in texture, -are used to make the most valuable _capas_ or robes, and if sold out -of the tribes at the settlements, bring in the highest prices. - -At this season the Indians move to their favourite hunting-grounds; it -is, in fact, to them the most important period of the year. Two -requisites are necessary to make their hunting a success: the first is -plenty of game, and in this there is rarely any disappointment; the -second is good ground on which to hunt it. As long, however, as the -guanaco do not take absolutely to the crags, the Indians, with the -help of their sure-footed unshod horses, are able to levy a heavy toll -on the herds. - -The method of hunting adopted by the Tehuelches is interesting enough -to call for description at length. On the morning of the hunt, the -Indians saddle up a good long-journey horse apiece, they also catch -each man his fastest mount, upon which he puts a _bozal_ and -_cabresto_, as well as a bit in his mouth. The hunter rides the former -horse, and leads the latter for use later on. - - [Illustration: BOLEADORES - FOR OSTRICH - FOR GUANACO - FOR HORSES - (_IN THE COLLECTION OF THE AUTHOR_)] - -The big herds of guanaco have meantime been located, and the plan of -the day's hunt arranged by the _cacique_. All the hunters start forth -in couples, riding in different directions, and so form an immense -circle, into the centre of which they systematically drive the game. -They then signal their whereabouts to one another by means of smokes -until the ring round the guanaco is complete. Each hunter is -accompanied by his dogs, of which he possesses probably a score. Six -or eight gaunt hounds of no particular breed, but whose characteristic -points run chiefly to legs and teeth, follow their master. As the -circle narrows the terrified game huddle together in the centre of it, -and there may be seen hundreds of guanaco, many ostriches, and -possibly a puma or two. The guanaco bucks pace upon the edge of the -herd, and give out their neighing, half-defiant call as their human -enemies approach. - -The positions assumed by guanaco when under the influence of curiosity -and fear are most singular. They will stand staring at the Indians for -many seconds, and will then dash off at a wild gallop with the strange -leaping run peculiar to them. The necks, too, swing and sway at all -conceivable angles, and whenever their ears are assailed by a sudden -sound, I have seen a whole herd, upwards of one hundred strong, sway -their necks to within a couple of inches of the ground almost in -unison. - -In the meanwhile the Indians draw remorselessly nearer, dismount from -their saddle-horses, leap on their led animals, and precipitate -themselves from all sides upon the frantic herds. The horses that are -left have generally been carefully schooled to stand when their reins -are dropped forward to the ground over their heads. The Indians howl -and roar as they dash down upon the guanaco, whirling their -_boleadores_ round their heads. This _bolas_, with which they hunt the -guanaco, is very heavy, and the three balls are generally made of -stone, but they use a lighter form for the capture of the ostrich. In -the case of guanaco _chicos_, clubs are often employed. - -Holding his weapon by the shortest of the three _sogas_, or thongs, -and while going at full gallop, the Indian launches it at the long -neck of the guanaco; a doe is always selected if possible. Extremely -expert in its use, the rider's weapon probably reaches its mark, and -the quarry, maddened by the tightening of the _sogas_, bucks and -rears, until she becomes hopelessly entangled. - -I have mentioned that the Tehuelches hunt in pairs. The companion of -the Indian who has thrown the _bolas_ then leaps to the ground and -despatches the guanaco. Meantime his comrade has dashed forward at the -tail of the herd, and has probably secured another animal. The dogs, -too, do their part, and as the storm of the chase sweeps across the -pampa, it leaves the ground in its path dotted with the yellow-brown -forms of the slain. - -The chase tails itself out for many miles, and may be followed over -desolate leagues marked by lines of dead guanacos and dropped -_boleadores_ which have failed to carry home. I should be afraid to -say how many animals are killed at one of these singular battues. To -see the Indian hunt the guanaco is to see the art of rough-riding -exemplified. How they gallop! Down one sheer _barranca_, or cliff, and -up another. The roar of loosened stone behind them. The guanaco jink -and dodge and break back, always making for the highest ground in the -vicinity. - -The dexterity with which the horses of the hunters keep their feet is -truly wonderful. They will go at full gallop anywhere, and hardly ever -fall or miss their footing. There is, however, one thing which they -universally dislike, and that is jumping in any of its forms. Here and -there in some parts of Patagonia the pampa is cut and scored with -fissures a few feet in width. To have your horse stop dead, both feet -together, on the edge of one of these and violently shy away at an -acute angle is no uncommon experience. Generally, however, a certain -amount of inducement and coercion at length takes them over in a -complicated buck. - -When the chase has run itself out, the lean dogs are fed upon the -grosser parts, the pelts of the young are pulled off, and the meat, -such of it as is wanted, is cargoed or packed upon the horses, and the -hunting-party jogs back to the shelter of the wigwams, made from the -skins their fathers and their grandfathers slew before the white men -began to move southward and to overrun the land. - -The Indians kill no bird save the ostrich, and this is a curious -fact, because the lagoons and pools literally swarm with great flocks -of upland geese (_Chloephaga magellanica_), which are very fair -eating. Perhaps the reason why they spare the geese arises from the -fact that they have no weapons suitable for killing them. On one -occasion when I shot a brace of geese, the Indians seized upon them -and pronounced them "good." Also, they kill few animals but the -guanaco and the puma. Had the guanaco a reasonable amount of fat upon -it, the life of the Indians would be idyllic, but in this the guanaco -fails. Of lean meat he supplies plenty, for he is a large beast, but -though he lives in a land where sheep grow fat and well-liking, the -long-necked Patagonian llama retains his leanness and his running -condition. - -Although it may be slightly outside the province of this book, I -cannot help contrasting the very different methods employed by the -Onas of Tierra del Fuego, who are after all only separated from the -Tehuelches of Patagonia by the narrow Straits of Magellan, in hunting -the same animal. The Onas do not use horses, and kill the guanaco with -bows and arrows. When they perceive a herd, they surround it as the -Tehuelches do, but, of course, the circle is on a much smaller scale. -It is their aim to remain invisible to their quarry, for which -purpose, during their stalk, they are in the habit of wrapping -themselves in the skins of the animals which they have formerly -killed. Once the herd is surrounded, it is with the same accompaniment -of screams and shouts that the hunters rush in to secure their prey. - -The dissimilarities between the Tehuelches and the Onas are -numerous.[17] While the Tehuelches are peaceful, the Onas are warlike. -There is a story current that the only white man who has ever lived in -the very primitive dwelling of boughs, which are all the Onas have to -shelter them from a bitter climate, was a Scotchman whom the Indians -had captured. He was with them three weeks, and his face was adorned -by a singularly luxuriant crop of orange whiskers. The Onas are -reported to have amused themselves by pulling these out in instalments -by the roots. Might not some anthropologist base a treatise upon "The -Artistic Perceptions of the Onas of Tierra del Fuego" upon this -occurrence? - - [Illustration: BEAUTIES OF TIERRA DEL FUEGO] - -The Onas are also a tall people, although not equalling in height my -friends the Tehuelches, and their physical development is less -conspicuously remarkable. The Ona woman does not, as does the -Tehuelche _china_, form an attachment to a white suitor, appearing to -have no desires outside her own race and people, but under certain -circumstances the women have shared the hearthstone of the foreigner. -Polygamy is allowed and practised among them. There is something of -the spirit which characterises the Gipsy of Europe about this people; -they are quite ready to take all they can get from the alien, while -they at the same time maintain a bitter rancour against the hand that -gives. But this is not, as it is in the case of the Gipsies, the -continuance of an original dislike and implacability, but rather the -result of the infamous ill-faith which leavened the dealings of the -very earliest visitors to the coasts of Tierra del Fuego. - -I must confess that all my sympathies are on the side of the primitive -races, who on coming into contact with the white man suffer those -outrages on their best feelings which, I am sorry to say, are only too -common. You must understand, however, that I in no way refer to the -settlers of this generation. My remarks must be taken to refer to the -first pioneers. At the present day--so Burbury, who has had a great -experience of Tierra del Fuego, informed me--the Indians there are -treacherous and absolutely implacable, and do endless harm in their -periodical raids upon the "white guanaco," as they call the sheep. -They do this not only when hunger presses them, but at all times out -of a spirit of revenge. Sometimes they drown the sheep and leave them -in the ice, where they keep good for weeks, during which time the Onas -feast on them. - -Patagonia bears upon its length the clear-cut and long-drawn initial -of the Tehuelche race. By this I mean the Indian trail, which can be -followed from water to water, from good camp to good camp, stretching -from Punta Arenas in the south to Lake Buenos Aires in the north and -beyond it. Up and down this trail and along others, less extended, -generations of Indians have wandered with their wives and children, -their tents and horses. We struck it when travelling south from Lake -Buenos Aires, in the early January of 1901. It was hard to distinguish -the Indian road from any parallel series of guanaco-tracks, which here -line the country in numbers, and, indeed, it was only by keeping a -sharp look-out for the hoof-prints of horses that we were able to -follow the trail at all. It runs along under the Cordillera at a -varying distance of about twenty or thirty miles from their bases. It -was a sad remark that an Indian made to us while talking about the -ancient wanderings of his people. "Once," he said, "we had the sea -upon the one side of us, and upon the other the Cordillera. But this -is not so now. The white man is ever advancing upon one side and the -Cordillera remains ever unchanging upon the other. Soon there will be -no place for us; yet once the land was ours." - -One would imagine that a people so dependent on their horses for the -very necessities of life would give attention and care to the breeding -and improvement of the stock. But this is far from being the case. The -Tehuelches appear to be, like other far less intelligent races of -uncivilised peoples, incapable of much forethought. They live for -to-day and make little provision for to-morrow. As a case in point, -they are allowing their horses to become very deteriorated. The -animals are, almost without exception, to use a Spanish term, -_manero_, which means of a spoiled temper. In some localities they -have been crossed with the horses of the settlers which have a strain -of English blood, and the result is animals of spirit and of -character, but _muy manero_. The Tehuelches prize white horses, and -_overos_, or piebalds, exceedingly. The backs of their horses are -generally badly galled, but this is no matter for surprise, as they -often ride upon a sheepskin flung anyhow across the beast. The method -of breaking-in or taming is simple and severe in the extreme. It -consists of leaping on a raw colt and galloping him to exhaustion. One -reason why their horses are falling below level certainly is that the -Indians have a foolish trick of riding two- and three-year-olds both -hard and far. A colt of this age once fairly "cooked" by an over-long -ride will never be of very much use afterwards. - -And yet these people are peculiarly dependent upon their horses. They -will not walk ten yards if they can ride them. And they have -undoubtedly carried the art of riding to the last perfection. I never -knew what riding really meant until I went to Patagonia and saw the -Indians on horseback. We once asked an Indian what he could do if he -were left on the pampa without his horses. "Sit down," he said. This -man, however, was not a Tehuelche but a Pampa Indian. - - [Illustration: SONS OF THE PAMPA] - -The horses are far from large, the average running to about thirteen -hands, but they are wiry, untiring beasts, and some show extraordinary -speed. The manner in which they carry the heavy well-developed Indians -is wonderful. They are entirely fed on grass. When the camp is made, -they are simply turned out to graze upon the pampa, where frequently -the grass is sparse and poor enough, though near many of the Indian -camping-grounds good _vegas_ of rich grass exist. In winter, of -course, the _tropillas_ become very thin and in poor condition, but at -that season they have infinitely less work to do, as there is hardly -any hunting, and the camp is usually stationary for the coldest -months. - -The hounds of the Indians are something like our lurcher breed. In the -tents they lie about among the rugs and bedding. They are -irreclaimable thieves and very cowardly. A good guanaco hound is, -however, of very great value, for a pair of accomplished hounds, -skilled in the chase, represent a capital upon which an entire family -can live. - -One of the strongest feelings which I brought away with me from -Patagonia was a hatred of the trader who battens upon the failings of -the Tehuelches. If he hears of a festival or any tribal ceremony, he -arrives upon the spot with drink. He sells liquor in exchange for -horses, and when his customers are well steeped in the poison he -brings, he makes some magnificent bargains. His influence is -far-reaching and fatal as far-reaching to the picturesque and harmless -race out of whose degradation and death he makes his living. Savage -races may survive war and internecine struggles, and the decimation -not infrequently caused by a cruel rule such as was T'Chaka among the -Zulus, but they never survive the Civilisation of the Bottle. The -horrors of the wars of history would pale beside the cold-blooded -slaughter, the gradual, malignant, poisoning processes which the most -self-satisfied and religious nations of the world allow to continue -year after year, I should say century after century, among the -aboriginal tribes, who live nominally under their protection. The -pioneer trader with his stores of cheap maddening liquor is free to -sell as much as he pleases, although it is a well-known fact that such -trading means ruin and extermination to the unhappy ignorant folk who -buy. The sin after all is national rather than personal, for the -trader has his living to earn, whereas the nation which is responsible -for allowing him liberty to traffic puts out no hand to stay the evil. -I do not in the least bring any charge against the Argentine -Government; we British are guilty of the same crime or carelessness, -and in some of our dependencies terrible object-lessons of precisely -the same kind can be observed. - -Let me draw a picture of one of these traders for you. A lean stooping -man of Paraguayan extraction, dressed out in store clothes which he -but half filled. A plump face of the caste peculiar to the lowest type -of the Latin peoples, with a full greasy-lipped animalism stamped upon -it, after the manner of his kind. The lean body and fat face formed a -contrast that struck you with repulsion as an actual deformity. This -fellow played a very old trick upon a batch of Indians and -considerably enriched himself thereby. - -The Indians had come in upon the outskirts of a coast-town, rich with -the sale of a six-months harvest of ostrich feathers, guanaco-skins -and other such merchandise as they gather from the pampas. After some -drinking and a variety of games of chance, our friend the trader -started an argument as to which of the Indians owned the swiftest -horse. A race was soon decided upon, the trader most liberally -offering a prize in the shape of a bottle of drink. The race was to be -ridden bare-back, as is usual in contests of this description among -the Indians. The trader further suggested that the race should be run -off in heats. A horse with a white blaze and a very fine head won, and -his proprietor, a tall Indian in a black poncho, received the prize, -which he, with help, soon disposed of. After this the talk fell -naturally upon the merits of the respective horses. - -"Your _picaso_ is a good horse," said the trader to the tall Indian, -"but I have a horse in my troop that could leave him far behind." - -At first the Indian laughed, but the trader's boasting and insistence -presently stung him to resent the aspersion on his mount, and he said -he should like to see the thing done. - -The trader jumped at the opportunity. The Indians had had sufficient -drink to destroy their ordinary cautiousness, and were ready to take -up any challenge. - -"The loser to forfeit his horse to the winner," continued the trader, -who had laid his plans beforehand. He then called a Chileno lad, who -soon appeared leading a big lean _alazan_. It was easy for any seeing -eye to recognise that the animal had been tied up the night before and -was in quite fair racing trim; besides which, the Indian's _picaso_ -was already tired with the previous races. The Chileno boy swung up -and the two horses came thundering along their course. The Indian's -weight also told as compared with the lightness of the Chileno boy, -and the result was altogether a foregone conclusion. - - [Illustration: TEHUELCHES VISIT GALLEGOS] - -But this by no means ended the business. The Indians were excited and -ripe for any amount of gambling, and being skilfully handled by the -trader they did not leave the settlement until he had stripped them of -all their possessions. The tall Indian, who had come in with eighty -dollars and five horses, returned to his camp with a two-kilo bag of -_yerba_ and on a horse which he had been forced to buy for the return -journey from the trader at, of course, the trader's own price. - -There are many Indians who avoid the coast-towns, but although these -do not go to the trader, the trader, as I have mentioned in another -chapter, comes to them. - -Throughout Patagonia, upon the rim of civilisation, are scattered -_boliches_, or frontier drink-shops, whose liquor sales consist -chiefly of "champagne cognac," whatever that potion may be. These -establishments hold out a perpetual temptation to the passing Indians. -The frequent presence of silver gear, such as the Tehuelches possess -when fortune smiles upon them, that is almost always hanging from the -ceiling of the neighbouring store, tells its own tale. An Indian has -rarely enough money to "look upon the wine when it is red," or rather -upon the unwholesome jaundice tinge of "champagne cognac," so he pays -in kind; and when once the craving for drink grips him he will gamble -away everything to satisfy it. This infatuation appears to lay a -fatally strong hand upon the uncivilised peoples. They have no -principles to stay them, no scruples to overcome, they have found a -short cut to a wild species of happiness, and one cannot wonder that -they seek its extraordinary pleasures as often as possible. So it is -that liquor has destroyed whole races, wiped them clean off the face -of the earth. Some one has written: - - Oppression and the sword slay fast, - Thy breath kills slowly but at last, - -and it is certainly a terrible truth in this connection. - -I can call to mind two Indians, whom I saw ride up to a _boliche_ near -Santa Cruz. They offered a contrast to one another which it is not -easy to forget. The first was an Indian with a close-shut mouth and -the dark and ponderous dignity of the big Tehuelche. His gear was -richly studded with silver, and his saddle covered with embroidered -cloths. His head was bare, save that his brows were bound with a band -of red finery. He made a picturesque and imposing figure as he -cantered up on his white horse with its glinting eyes. Followed the -second. He, too, was an Indian, but his gear was guiltless of silver, -his _bozal_ was worn and blackened with age. The best thing he -possessed was his horse. He wore an ancient tail-coat, once black but -now green, this in conjunction with a _chiripa_, or Indian loin-cloth, -gave him an appearance sufficiently incongruous. Instead of the -quiet dignity of the first man, his face expressed little save -vacuity. He was a pitiful object in the strong pampa sunshine, his -health evidently broken by frequent orgies. And no doubt he had been a -self-respecting Indian enough--before the trader came within the -province of his knowledge. - - [Illustration: THE TEHUELCHE TOLDOS] - -FOOTNOTE: - -[17] The Tehuelches are enormously above the Onas of Tierra del Fuego -in the scale of civilisation. A Fuegian woman has been known to live -in the Tehuelchian tents, but how she came there I am unable to say. -On the other hand, I have never heard of any Tehuelche living with the -Tierra del Fuegians, and cannot conceive such a state of things to be -possible. But the Tehuelches will mix occasionally with the Araucanian -tribes of Northern Patagonia, and intermarriages are common. - - - - -CHAPTER VIII - -THE KINGDOM OF THE WINDS - - Como No -- Wind and driven sand -- Laguna La Cancha -- - Como No's dogs -- Cold winds -- Lake Buenos Aires and - Sierra Nevada -- Cross River Fenix -- Stony ground -- - Skeletons of guanaco -- Fine scenery -- Short rest -- Colt - killed -- Base camp made -- Boyish dreams -- Sunday -- - Routine at Horsham Camp -- Driftwood round lake -- - Constant wind -- My tent-home -- Scorpions -- Guanacos -- - Engineers' camp -- Cooking-pots -- First huemul. - - -We now set forth upon the last stage of our journey to Lake Buenos -Aires. I had hired one of the Indians to guide us across the high -pampa. He was, although dwelling in the tents of the Tehuelches, not a -Tehuelche. He called himself a _Patagonero_, and belonged to one of -the tribes of Pampa Indians of the north. His tribe, he told me, were -Christians. Before we left the Indian encampment, one of the older -ladies belonging to it began to paint her face in horizontal lines of -black, whether with a view to capturing our hearts or not I cannot -say. - -We left on November 3, and accomplished a very long march in the face -of somewhat trying conditions. The Indian rode ahead with his dogs on -the look-out for ostriches. A mighty wind from the west, cold with the -snow of the Cordillera, blew in our faces, bringing with it showers of -sand that stung us sharply. We could hardly persuade the horses to -meet the wind, and their hoofs kicked up still more sand for our -benefit. We were off shortly after nine o'clock, and about noon I -would have given much to say "Camp." When fighting with the elements -one goes through three distinct stages. First, there is the stage -exultant, during which you feel the joy of battle, and struggle -rejoicingly. The second comes when the irresistible tires you down, -however strong you are, and forces the sense of your puniness so -plainly upon you that you feel a sort of hurt despair, and a half -impulse to give in before a force so far beyond you. Last of all, you -go on enduring until you become, as it were, acclimatised, and -inclined to laugh at the despair you experienced a while previously. -So it was on this day's march. About noon I said to myself as we were -crossing the high pampa above the _barranca_ of the River Chalia--a -desolate spot, rough and tussocky, and gambolled over by Titanic -winds--"We will camp at four sharp." The decision at the moment was a -comfort, but in the end we did not camp until close upon seven -o'clock, blind with sand, and our hands bleeding from the cold and the -harsh friction of the cargo ropes. - -It was as we approached this camp that I saw beside a lagoon of -snow-water two American oyster-catchers (_Haematopus palliatus_) which, -no doubt, had nested in the vicinity, as, on my going closer, they -rose and circled with their darting flight above my head, but I failed -to find the nest. There were many guanacos about, and I was not -surprised to hear that this lagoon, Laguna La Cancha, was a very -favourite encampment of the Indians. The scenery surrounding the pool -is peculiarly inhospitable. Some one remarked that it reminded him of -Dore's illustrations to the Inferno, adding, "If you were to put heat -to it, it would be Hell." Huge rolling downs, bare hills, and no -vegetation save a few tussocks and scattered meagre shrubs. The Indian -said the winter hits this land very hard, and the whole district is -buried under snow, only the high, bald tops of the hills being -visible. - -The next day was Sunday, but not on this occasion a day of rest. One -thought of the bells ringing far away at home and the concourse of -people moving along the winter roads. Here was wind, cold, and a -march, cargo to be fixed and refixed to the day's end, then a windy -camp-fire, and after a short sleep till dawn. Hitherto the toil had -been hard, but we were nearing the lake, and looked forward to a time -of rest and hunting. - -We were rich in meat with the cow, sheep, a Darwin's rhea caught by -the Indian's dogs, and three geese. The hounds of the Indian proved -themselves to be troublesome thieves. Burbury and I were obliged to -sleep beside the meat. Besides being cunning thieves the dogs were -cowards. They were to all intents and purposes wild as regarded their -habits. Yet good guanaco-hounds represent very sterling value to -their owners, whose livelihood they procure. The best at the work I -met with in Patagonia were those which belonged to this Indian guide. -We called the man Como No because, whatever question was put to him, -his invariable reply took the form of "_Como no?_" or "Why not?" You -said perhaps, "It is not far to the next camping-ground, is it?" -"_Como no?_" he would answer. After some three hours at an amble, you -would repeat your inquiry. "Is it much farther?" "_Como no?_" The most -impossible queries met with precisely the same response. - - [Illustration: ON AHEAD] - -However indeterminate Como No may have been in his mental attitude, -his dogs were definitely good ones. He owned a big brindled dog, a -small black one and a couple of yellow pups. Como No had a habit of -riding far ahead of the general troop of men and horses, his figure -making a far-off outline etched in black against the cold blue horizon -of the pampa. Sometimes, when he lost sight of us for any length of -time, he would burn a bush to give us our direction by the smoke, and -we would follow on, driving the pack-horses and those free ones which -were not being used either for riding or cargo at the time. Presently, -perhaps, when rounding a low thicket, we would come suddenly upon him, -squatted on his haunches beside a dead ostrich, from which he had -stripped the feathers. These feathers, though far inferior to those of -the African ostrich, or of _Rhea americana_, are worth anything from -two to four dollars. - -As he rode forward again, his dogs would range on either side of him. -By-and-by they would again start an ostrich or a guanaco, and pull it -down within 500 or 600 yards. Whereupon Como No would ride up, drive -them off, kill and cut up the quarry, giving the hounds the liver, -strip the feathers if it happened to be an ostrich, and then mount and -ride on once more. This performance would be repeated over and over -again during the course of the march, until, before we saw the last of -him, his saddle had become an enormous bunch of feathers, from out of -which his body and shoulders protruded in a quaint manner. - -At night these dogs, however, were a terrible nuisance. They would -forage about the camp for food, and pull down the meat we had placed -on bushes and devour it. Such was eventually the fate of the last -remnants of the mutton we had with us, and the loss was all the harder -as we knew that the stolen mutton was the last we were destined to -taste for months. After that we lived on lean guanaco. - -By this date we had gradually climbed to some 1200 feet above the -sea-level, and the temperature was extremely cold. Our reindeer-beds -became a great comfort. - -The 5th began with an hour of welcome sun, but it passed only too -soon, and the wind rose more piercingly cold than ever. It penetrated -to one's very bones. We, however, made seven leagues, and reached the -River Genguel, which here makes a great curve. We camped in a narrow -shute, strewn with big stones and giving upon the river, the _canadon_ -being very wide and devoid of shelter. The water was broken into small -sharp waves by the wind, and we were glad to collect what firewood was -obtainable--bushes being scarce at that spot--and make a fire. The -Indian burned a bush and warmed himself. His dogs had, unaided by him, -killed a small guanaco and a fox (_Canis griseus_). We lay by the fire -and the wind came down bitterly chill from the Sierra Nevada, while -Jones cooked, and we learnt the delights which, in a cold climate, are -to be found in mutton fat! After food to bed, and then a cold sleet -set in. It was a nasty night, but in our reindeer bags we were, of -course, untouched by the cold. - -Next day nine leagues were achieved. Very long marches these, but we -were pressing on to reach Lake Buenos Aires. _Canadon_ and pampa and -high ground succeeded each other as we rode along, sometimes bare, -sometimes sandy, sometimes thorn-covered, often stony and strewn with -fragments of basalt. Generally overhead a pallid blue sky, and below -wind, wind, perpetual wind. So we toiled on past little chill lagoons, -ruffled with the keen breeze, until in the afternoon I came up with -Burbury and the Indian on a rise, and there lay our goal before us--a -great stretch of water wonderfully blue and cold-looking beneath the -Sierra Nevada, whose summits were crowned with snow above their dusky -purple. - -The Tostado kicked off his cargo during the day, and among the -scattered contents of Jones' kit I picked up a broken looking-glass. I -had not seen myself since leaving Colohuapi, and confess I found no -cause for vanity in the sight of a distinctly dirty-looking pirate -with smoke-reddened eyes, a peeling face and nose, and with enough -beard to put a finishing-touch to the horrid spectacle. - - [Illustration: ONAS STALKING GUANACO] - -On the 3rd I discovered a scorpion in my bed in spite of the cold. By -the 6th we reached the River Fenix, and, crossing to an island, camped -in the sleet, the temperature reading that night being 30 deg. F. From -there we pushed on to the farther bank, and marched to the -camping-ground of the Indians, which, though the nearest of their old -camps to Lake Buenos Aires, was still a good distance from it. The -Azulejo had been lost, but was brought in quite spent, by Barckhausen. -Poor little beast! He lay down more dead than alive under a bush, a -pathetic little figure enough. After reaching camp, Jones and I had to -turn out again, pretty tired as we were, to look for food. We rode for -hours, and saw only a herd of guanaco. At this season the country -round about here is rather devoid of game, the ground is stony, with -thorn and dry, blackened bushes. We were disappointed in our hunt -again on the second day, seeing only two guanaco, lion-tracks, and a -couple of pigeons, but we did not shoot them, and I am unable to speak -with any certainty of the species to which they belonged. I have never -seen a district so bare of life. We had come, as it were, to the -world's end. - -I sat in my tent-door and wrote my diary. Far away I could see the -Cordillera, splendid giants, with the sun shining upon them; below, -the lake that reminded me strongly of the picture in which Hiawatha -sailed into "the kingdom of Ponemah, the Land of the Hereafter." That -scene was just so wild, and so remote, with a great red sunset burning -over it, and round about it rock and sand and marsh, with a pale wide -rim of dead-wood, swept down by floods from the neighbouring forests. - -On our way to the shores of the lake we had passed through a stretch -of extraordinary aridity, a white and yellow spread of mud and stones -that filled a valley between two scrub-covered hills. From far off it -looked level, but in reality we found it to be intersected and veined -with mighty gashes, which formed winding gorges. There the wind blew, -and at times the sun beat down; very cold it was, and very hot by -turns, but never temperate. - -We had expected to find plenty of game in the vicinity of the lake, -but in this, as I have said, we were disappointed, the consequence -being that our supply of meat ran short. There was nothing for it but -to kill the eighteen-months old colt of one of the _madrinas_. But -before we did this we hunted for three days, during which time I shot -a couple of upland geese, which made the sum total of our bag. In a -new country one has always to buy experience. We were buying ours at -this period. Owing to the wildness of our horses the journey from -Trelew had been an especially trying one, although, under other -circumstances, the difficulties need not be great.[18] The breakdown -of the waggon at so early a stage had entailed a large amount of extra -labour, and by the time we reached Lake Buenos Aires we were, both men -and horses, pretty well done up. - -On the third day of our hunting I took Barckhausen instead of Jones, -who had been out with me on the two previous days. We passed along -through the stony thorn-lean gorges towards the east. Here nothing -lived save the strong birds of prey, and lions, whose tracks we -observed leading to the rocks. Death lay nakedly there in all -directions, skull and backbone, with rain-polish and snow-polish upon -them, picked clean years ago by now-dead caranchos and chimangos. - -During our ride we saw two monster owls, two condors, many caranchos, -and so pushed on over hill rising behind hill, stony, dark, with -wind-lifted wisps of sand turning and twisting upon them. - -In the early afternoon we came upon a more pleasant land, and to a -little marshy pool in a hollow of the hills, crowded round with -forest-bushes, and upon this pool from far away I spied two upland -geese. I dismounted, took my gun, and began a stalk. While I was still -well out of range a bough broke under my foot, and the geese were -away. We lay up for a time, but the birds did not return, so we took a -turn westwards in the hope of getting some coots I had observed the -day before upon another lagoon, close to Lake Buenos Aires. Upon the -shore of the lake a smart shower of sleet, hail, and rain overtook us, -and we had to lie down in the lee of a thorn-bush. I saw one golden -guanaco racing along a hill-top against the sunset. Some coots were on -the lake; I shot four, but contrary winds drove them out into the -water too deep to venture after them, and we turned campwards -empty-handed. - -As we galloped over the hills the clouds broke on the western side of -the lake, and made a scene ominously beautiful. The rifted dusky blue, -the long pale gleam of water shining like an angel's sword, the white -snow-peaks, the purple-black belly of the rain-storm, all cast -together formed a picture that affected the senses strongly. - - [Illustration: HORSHAM BASE CAMP] - -As we neared camp, I saw something gleam white behind a bush. An -upland goose! I crawled up and found two. With what care I managed -that stalk! I killed the female with one barrel on the ground and -pulled over the male as he swung upwards. After riding seven leagues, -we got our small results of the day's seeking within a mile of the -camp! One or other of us had seen far-off guanaco flying out of sight, -and I decided to start next day for the River Fenix to try for some, -camping there the night and returning next day to begin our -long-needed rest. - -Yet the next day (November 9) none of us went a-hunting after all. We -were fairly played out. Personally I had had not one day's rest since -starting two months before, as upon me principally fell the duty of -providing for the pot, so that upon coming in of an evening on the -close of a long march it was usually necessary to saddle a fresh horse -and ride a further distance from five to fifteen miles in search of -game. - -So we killed the colt to provide for our wants while men and horses -enjoyed well-earned repose. I had formed a base-camp about five miles -from the shores of the lake, intending to make short expeditions, -lightly equipped, round and about the vicinity. As for the camp, three -large thorn-bushes were Nature's contribution towards it, and what a -relief even the shelter of a thorn-bush can be in the Kingdom of the -Winds, you could only learn by an experience such as was ours. Below -the camp, which stood on a ridge, the ground fell away in a three-mile -slope to the usually angry water; eastwards was a _pantano_ or swamp -of yellow reeds, which ran a long way below the scrub-grown ridge. The -tents huddled back-to-wind, as much under the lee of the bushes as -possible. We made an oven, but it turned out a failure, the earth -being too soft for our purpose. Round the fire was a hedge of thorn -hung with horse-blankets, red, yellow and black, which gave a rather -festive air to the camp. The only sounds were the neigh of a horse, -the hooting of night-birds, and the never-silent wind. - - [Illustration: STORE-CLAD INDIANS] - -During the night of the 10th, half a gale of wind blew up with an -extraordinary rancour of coldness. I lay in my tent and heard the -sides of it flapping like some great wounded bird. Sleep was put off -till far into the small hours. Through the open tent-door I could look -at the bushes writhing in the gale, the long black back of the ridge -and the glint of stars. How often one sees in half-sleep the scenes of -home and of the past! I seemed again to be watching the boats coming -in and the tides rising with the well-known ripple and pouring rush of -water on a shallow beach, tides that in boyish days held so infinite a -romance. Where did the storms that broke there come from? whither went -the dark hulls after they sank below the blue edge of sea? Or where -did the fishermen sail their boats to--lonely rocks from which they -brought back parrot-beaked, jelly-armed _pieuvres_? And yet, having -drifted into some long wanderings, and now into that wilderness, no -scene that I have ever looked upon, however wild or lonely, has -touched me in any way that could compare with the thrill of those -early dreams. Romance lies always a little too far away; only in -childhood is the gate of that wonderful garden open to us, and we gaze -and long for the fruit we are never to handle. - -Our tents at Horsham Camp--so we named it--were the only green things -in the landscape. They happened to be of a pale green. Riding out from -the camp in most directions you found yourself amongst a bare and -wind-swept series of ridges two or three hundred feet in height, which -appeared to roll away across the wide continent. Sunday was welcome. -It was noticeable how Sunday abroad always affected men, some of whom -at home spared small attention for the day. Life went evenly. The -others took it in turn to cook. I generally rode out early. The troop -were rounded up and our first meal came about 7 o'clock. After that I -used to go to my tent and write while the men busied themselves with -any job on hand. Cocoa at two on Sundays, and about six a meal of meat -and beans. And so to bed. The day before the colt was killed, Tom, my -hound, stole a dumpling from the plate of one of the party as he sat -eating. The loser at once pursued the thief, retrieved the dumpling -and ate it, so you will understand that there was no wastefulness -among us! - -By November 12 I was tired of inaction, tired of the tent, tired of -the camp. The wind continued. Surely in all his writings R. L. -Stevenson never made a more perfect phrase than the "incommunicable -thrill of things." A wood-scent in the morning, the sound of the wind -at night, the clear cinders of the fire or a whiff of burning -wood--one receives the spark that fires the train of thought and leads -us far away. No indolence of the soul this, but the fulfilling of some -beautiful law at the junction of the spiritual and the natural, -infused through a thousand tissues and welded by a thousand -heredities.... One writes much of this kind of thing, for, afar from -all books or chance of interchanging ideas, one falls back upon -oneself, and one's pen is a safe outlet for superfluous imaginings. - -On that afternoon I caught a horse and went down to the long point -that stretches out into the lake. Although this was a ride of upwards -of twenty miles, I saw no living thing upon the land, and on the water -only a couple of grebes and three upland geese. My way lay through -dense thickets of low growth, the going very sandy and treacherous. -The high-water mark, or, as I should rather say, the flood-mark of the -lake was outlined by piles and piles of driftwood of milk-toothlike -whiteness. Some of the trunks were as large in girth as my body. All -this comes down from the mountain forests, carried by torrents from -the melting snows. The vegetation on that side of the lake was the -most florid and sizeable that I had so far seen in Patagonia. High -flowering grass, thorn-bush thickets almost impenetrable, and between -these and the margin of the water a wide strewing of rotten trunks of -antarctic beech and poles of an arborescent grass-like bamboo. On my -way back I made a short cut through the edge of the lake, of which the -bed was shingly. - - [Illustration: LAKE BUENOS AIRES] - -_November 13._--I went to the River Fenix and shot a guanaco. -Afterwards I took a six-mile walk and shot two snipe. Lake Buenos -Aires was certainly the very heart of the wind's domain. While we were -there the wind never died down, it blew all the time, often lifting -sand and gravel, and sometimes a great piece of our camp-fire, -sheltered as that was. It raged on most days, blowing so hard that -some people in England would not have cared to venture out of doors. - -I have so far given no description of our tents, which were probably -the nearest approach to comfort within many hundred miles of Horsham -Camp. Mine was small, seven feet by a short six, and four feet high, -sustained by four ropes and a pole, the place of the second -pole--which we lost--being taken by a bow-legged slip of -califate-wood. The tent contained two beds made up of skins and -ponchos laid on the green canvas floor, a soldered tin of plug tobacco -served by way of a candlestick and upheld a candle-end. Round and -about the tent and on its excrescent flooring were heaped our boxes, -otherwise the wind would have blown it over. It was a mere bag of a -place, with an exit like an animal's hole; but at night, when the -storm howled without, our dim light looked homely, the tobacco-scented -air was grateful, and a bit of camphor lent its aroma to the place. -And there one could lie at ease and read or think at pleasure. - -On the 14th I shot another guanaco; it was curious that we were always -rich in meat or else in absolute want of it. I had gone out on Jones' -black horse for a little exercise towards the River Deseado, and there -I surprised the guanaco. He was an old buck and solitary. He gave me a -nice shot, then walked a step or two and fell dead. At Horsham Camp we -lived in some dread of scorpions; Jones found one on his saddle, -Burbury another in the flour or the cooking-pot, and some roosted in -our bedding. By the way, our kitchen arrangements were becoming very -scanty at that period; we had but two cooking-pots left and one -kettle, thanks to the energetic treatment they had received at the -heels of the _cargueros_. It was fervently hoped by all the party that -nothing would go wrong with any of these, or we should have been most -uncomfortably situated. - -On the 15th I started with Burbury and Scrivenor to make an expedition -towards Mount Pyramide. Upon our way we were astonished to see three -herds of guanaco--fourteen, and ten, and then twenty-one--at different -times. Although I was well within shot I did not try to kill any, as -we had meat enough. - - [Illustration: SENOR HANS P. WAAG, OF THE ARGENTINE BOUNDARY - COMMISSION] - -On this day the first huemul seen on our expedition was observed by -Burbury. First he saw a buck, afterwards two does, but, owing to the -nature of the ground, he was unable to get a shot. We were naturally -very anxious to secure a specimen of this very interesting and little -known deer, but it was not until we made our trip round the south side -of the lake that we were successful. - -We made our way across an abomination of desolation, a grey old -desert; then crossing a marsh, we descended by a white cliff to the -margin of a deep brown lagoon. Of many colours were these lagoons. -Burbury said that region was more dismal than Tierra del Fuego--old -deserts, varied by marshes and califate-bush, stone and boulder, thorn -and sand. After a rest in the afternoon we rode on, and presently -struck a deserted camp of the Argentine Boundary Commission, near -which the steam-launch, which had been brought across the pampas for -the exploration of Lake Buenos Aires, was secreted. - -Nothing in the world looks more forlorn than a deserted camp. But we -were far from being depressed on this occasion, for in this old camp -of Mr. Hans Waag's we made a find which we looked upon as a great -slice of luck. - -On November 2nd I find in my diary: "More accidents to the -cooking-pots, this time at the hoofs of Horqueta. The flat-bottomed -pot still survives, but the round one and the kettle are more damaged -than whole. One more such accident will mean that the corned-beef tins -must be called into requisition." - -In this camp we found sundry boxes, old iron-bound packing-cases, and -while I was engaged in lighting the fire I heard an exclamation behind -me, and Burbury sang out: - -"Here's a big enamelled saucepan, nearly new!" It was so, and then -again, "And here's another. What luck!" - -Of course, if those saucepans had not been shut up in cases, they -might have been considered treasure-trove. As it was, one did not need -the deductive powers of a Sherlock Holmes to conclude that the -travellers who had hidden these pots away so carefully meant to -return, find, and once again use them. They belonged, as I knew, to -Mr. Waag's Commission of Limits, as they call the Boundary Commission -out there. When I met that gentleman in Buenos Aires I never dreamt -that I should yet be reduced to stealing his cooking utensils. But we -did not "steal" them, we only "availed" ourselves of them. I hope my -readers see the difference as plainly as we saw it. And what do you -think our companions said when they heard the story? Did they urge us -to make restitution? What they said referred to the finding of some -empty bottles among the rubbish, "A pity there was no whisky in them!" -If there had been, of course we should not ... well, who knows? - -FOOTNOTE: - -[18] Pampa travel is like cricket in that it defies forecast. -Sometimes everything falls in right, at other times nothing comes -opportunely to hand. - - - - -CHAPTER IX - -ROUND AND ABOUT LAKE BUENOS AIRES - - Chain of lakes -- Size of lake -- Sterility and fertility - -- Trips to Cordillera -- Bones of dead game -- Shores of - lake -- Western shore -- Tracks in marshes -- Northern - shore -- Rosy camp by Fenix -- Guanaco hunt -- Horses - stray -- Cordillera wolf -- Vain search for huemul -- - Return to Horsham Camp -- Trip to River Deseado -- - Paradise of wildfowl -- Shooting ostriches -- Long-necked - game of Patagonia -- No ruins or vestiges of older - civilisation in Patagonia -- Hunting mornings -- Wounded - guanaco -- Indian trail -- Trip to River de los Antiguos - -- Meet ostrich-hunter -- Wandering Gauchos -- Wanton - burning of grass -- Second visit to Rosy Camp -- - Flamingoes -- Danger-signals -- Scrivenor returns to - Horsham Camp -- River de los Antiguos. - - -At last we had arrived at Lake Buenos Aires, a time long looked -forward to. The pampas were crossed and left behind, and the lower -line of the Andes was reached, the foothills of the great range whose -upper summits we had watched for weeks lying high on the sky-line, -blue and white and cold, sending the message of a great wind from them -to us. We were now upon the shores of the largest of the wonderful -network of lakes and lagoons which stretches parallel with the -Cordillera hundreds of miles to the southward, ending not far from the -Straits of Magellan. - -There was to me something infinitely romantic about Lake Buenos Aires. -Its aspect was ever changing, and so often you came on a scene -supremely beautiful. The wild light of sunset upon the snow-peaks, the -grey turbulent water of the lake, and the bull-like wind charging down -at us day after day--all these things gave the place an individuality -of its own. - -The lake is of considerable extent, measuring seventy-five miles in -length from S.S.W. to N.N.E., and its waters wage a continual war upon -the thorns and scrub growing upon the margin. Vast masses of -milk-white timber, blanched by the influences of sun and water and -eloquent of the mountain-land of forest whence they have been washed -down, lie at the lip of the flood level. When I was there in the dry -season the upper rim of timber was about 200 yards distant from the -edge of the water. - - [Illustration: INLET OF LAKE BUENOS AIRES] - -The sharp contrast of fertility and sterility that one meets with in -Patagonia is remarkable, the more so as they often lie in close -proximity the one to the other. I have mentioned an arid spread of -yellow mud and stones cut up by deep gorges which we crossed before -reaching the lake. I do not think that any painter desiring to picture -desolation could do better than descend the central gorge and there -paint its gaunt and rugged outlines, tumbled together in a horror of -barrenness that the eyes ached to look upon. Yet close to this place, -within ten yards of it, a neck of land displayed green scrub, ay, and -flowers--beautiful purple sweet-pea-like flowers in profusion! And on -the farther side was a green gully with two blue peaty waterholes. - -Near by, as I have said, we established a base camp, from which we -made four expeditions towards the Cordillera, which lie on the -westward of the lake, while, singularly enough, the continental divide -appears to be to the eastward of it. On our trips we took with us -merely a horse apiece, and carried provisions on our saddles. Meantime -the remainder of the troop, which had suffered somewhat on our journey -from Bahia Camerones, were turned out to rest and luxuriate upon the -marsh grass, that extended in a broad strip for a couple of miles -under the ridge, while downhill from the camp towards the south this -rich _pantano_ spread still farther. - -Around the lake lay piled the skulls and bones of dead game, guanaco -and a few huemules. These animals come down to live on the lower -ground and near unfrozen water during the cold season, and there, when -the weather is particularly severe, they die in crowds. We saw their -skeletons, in one or two places literally heaped one upon the other. - -During our stay in this neighbourhood I took the opportunity of -examining most thoroughly the shores of the lake. The ground which -descended to them was cut and intersected by _pantanos_ of wet or -drying mud and sand. Upon the eastern shore rose dunes, covered with -dense low strips of scrub. In the _pantanos_ the tracks made in the -end of the winter, when the snow has melted and the ground is soft, -remain visible for five or six months. And thus these hardened marshes -offer a study of considerable interest. - -Although the Indians declared that guanaco rarely visited the lake, -this proved to be incorrect. In the winter a considerable number must -live upon and about the shores, for their unmistakable tracks were -always to be found. Towards Mount Pyramide on the western side, the -number of these tracks was distinctly less--rheas, pumas, the animal -known locally as the red fox or Cordillera wolf (_Canis -magellanicus_). - -A few huemules (_Xenelaphus bisulcus_) exist upon the northern shore. -In the winter upland geese seem also to favour this spot in large -numbers. So strongly does the mud retain the impression of tracks that -I was able to follow the trail of a horse, which must have been ridden -by one of Mr. Waag's party six months before, for a distance of a -couple of miles. - - [Illustration: TEHUELCHE SPYING GUANACO - NOTE.--THE TEHUELCHES PROBABLY COPIED THIS METHOD FROM THE - ARAUCANIANS. AS A RULE THE INDIAN STANDS OR KNEELS ON HIS SHEEPSKIN - SADDLE. HERE IS DEPICTED THE EXTREME POSITION WHICH WOULD BE ASSUMED - TO SHOW OFF. I HAVE SEEN GAUCHOS DO A SIMILAR TRICK, THOUGH FEW - PATAGONIAN HORSES WILL PERMIT SUCH LIBERTIES.] - -In summer the north shore of Lake Buenos Aires is one of the poorest -game centres in Patagonia. During the first fortnight of our stay -there we shot but two guanacos. Sometimes for a week one would see -nothing save an old ostrich, which was often observed at the far end -of the marsh where the horses fed, but he was a wary bird with an -experience of human methods, and he would never allow us to approach -within shot. - -It seemed probable, from the evidence of the tracks, that at the -beginning of the hard weather the guanaco trekked down to the level of -the lake. For one track made in November there were twenty made in -July. The foregoing remarks only refer to the northern shore of the -lake; on the eastern and southern sides things were very different, -and about them we enjoyed good sport. - -On November 21, Scrivenor, Jones and I made a little expedition to the -River Fenix where it enters the lake, and there we came upon the most -favourable camping-ground we had yet seen in the whole country. We -pitched our camp--afterwards called Rosy Camp--in the midst of high -yellow grass beside the narrow river that wound between banks, on -which green low scrub ran riot, and enormous califate-bushes made -impenetrable patches of thicket. Jones and I, on our arrival, went to -examine the mouth of the river. Our camp was quite drowsy with the -humming of insects, for, sheltered as it was from the wind by trees -and by the cliffs of a lonely hummock, it gave us a delightful feeling -of comfort and well-being after our many very different experiences of -camps among the high dunes and rocks over which the wind whistled. - -On the way Jones shot a Chiloe widgeon and I an upland goose. We found -many tracks of puma and some of guanaco and huemul. As we walked -towards the lake, I saw upon the outermost promontory of land a -guanaco outlined against the evening sky. Hurrying on as fast as we -could, which was not very fast, as I had poisoned my knee and was -lame, we found the herd on a neck of land, to escape from which they -would be obliged to pass within a hundred yards of us provided they -did not take to the water. So we decided not to stalk them, but simply -showed ourselves; as we expected, they broke landwards, passing -within about seventy yards with their ears laid back, swaying their -long necks and leaping and jinking among the stones. I pulled one over -as she ranged up the side of the cliff. She turned out to be heavy -with young, and the buck with her stopped at the top of the hill, but -when I went towards him he fled. We were delighted at thus getting -meat, especially as this guanaco was the fattest we had yet shot. Her -flesh was, however, very strong. - -When we were returning Jones, who was in front, suddenly said, "There -go the horses!" It was so. They had stampeded, leaving us to get home -as best we could. We threw off our coats, laid down our rifles -carefully, and ran. Jones' horse was in hobbles, but being used to -them kept up with his companions; we were, however, lucky enough to -catch them after a couple of miles, and making bridles out of our -waist-scarves rode them into camp. Scrivenor said the horses had -suddenly started madly, broken their _cabrestos_, dashed together and -then made off. We thought at the time they must have winded a puma, -but this proved to be a mistake, for in the night two of them again -escaped, and Jones retrieved them when the first streaks of dawn were -etching the landscape in black and white. He woke me and we discovered -that a wolf must have come into camp and stolen our duck and goose. -This wolf had also eaten both my rifle-slings within three yards of -where we were sleeping. While we were discussing our ill luck and -lamenting the fact that we had carefully plucked the duck and goose -upon the preceding evening, I observed the author of our misfortunes -calmly watching us from under a bush. Revenge was, of course, -uppermost in my thoughts. I killed her with a Mauser. She proved to be -an old female 3 ft. 8 in. from the top of her teeth to the end of her -tail. - -It was beautifully warm all day in Rosy Camp, as we had named it, and -we lay on the ground after making much-needed toilettes in the river. - -The next night we had a visit from the mate of the wolf we had killed. -It is a singular fact that the horses were at the least as much afraid -of these wolves as they were of the pumas. While I was writing my -diary and nursing my knee, which had swollen to a great size, the -wolf crept within ten yards and had a look at me. I got up and limped -across for my gun, but my movements did not in the least seem to -discompose his serenity. He even advanced nearer, and showed not the -smallest fear of me. This quality of fearlessness is very marked in -the Cordillera wolves, which possess it in a greater degree than the -pampa foxes. On one occasion when a wolf thus came to investigate our -camp, my large deerhound, Tom, ran at him, and was met with a -devastating bite. Indeed, I had to go to Tom's help. In the present -instance I took up the shot-gun and gave the brute a charge of No. 4. -He leaped straight upwards into the air, howling and snarling, and -sank down quite dead. - -These wolves kill young guanaco, and I have observed them pursuing a -huemul. They kill sheep when a flock is brought into the neighbourhood -of the Cordillera, generally remaining by their quarry after daylight. -I have never observed them farther from the Cordillera than the -northern shores of Lake Buenos Aires. - -On November 24, Scrivenor went back to the base camp, as he had -toothache. Jones and I rode south across the Fenix. Although we saw -the track of a huemul in the sand we failed to catch any glimpse of -the animals themselves on that day, but shot four bandurias, locally -called by the Welshmen "land-ducks." This is the black-faced ibis -(_Theristicus caudatus_). I was very eager to secure a specimen of the -huemul in his summer coat, and to observe as much as possible of this -beautiful deer, but no luck attended us then in that particular. -Finally, we went back to Horsham Camp still unsuccessful. During our -absence Burbury had killed a large Cordillera wolf near Horsham Camp. - - [Illustration: THE HORSES RETRIEVED] - -On November 28, Barckhausen and I camped in the _canadon_ or valley of -River Deseado, a swampy, reedy spot, tenanted by great numbers of -upland geese, flocks of Chiloe widgeon (_Mareca sibilatrix_) and brown -pintails. I also observed here the rosy-billed duck (_Metopiana -peposaca_), the blue-winged teal (_Querquedula cyanoptera_), and what -I took to be the red shoveller (_Spatula platalea_). But this -last-named bird I did not shoot, and so I cannot speak with absolute -certainty upon the point. Besides these, I saw flamingoes -(_Phoenicopterus ignipalliatus_) and the black-necked swan (_Cygnis -nigricollis_). A flock of parrots were flying about the heights, but -of these I was unable to procure a specimen. The reedy pools and -backwaters in this _canadon_ were, without exception, the most -glorious paradise of wildfowl that I have ever seen. - -On our way back from the River Deseado I secured the first _Rhea -darwini_ shot during the expedition. With the exception of wild -cattle, the ostrich is the most difficult to procure of Patagonian -game. These birds are always on the alert, and generally make off when -you are still a mile away. They never pause save upon commanding -ground. The most usual method of obtaining them is to run them down -with dogs or to _bolas_ them after the manner of the Indians and -Gauchos on horseback. They are indeed a quarry well worthy of the -attention of the still-hunter. The male is sometimes killed with a -rifle when attending to the chickens, towards whom--with the exception -of laying the eggs--he stands in place of a mother. At such times he -will, when approached, pretend to be wounded and limp away with wings -outspread to attract the hunters after him. An ostrich when shot -through the body will always run from thirty to forty yards before -dropping. This first ostrich, which I shot, was about four hundred -yards away, and I should not have secured him had he not allowed me to -get my range with a couple of preliminary shots. Down he went at last, -and, immediately afterwards, as I was congratulating myself, appeared -an ostrich running low through the grass. I thought it was the one I -had shot and struck back for my horse. While I was galloping after the -fast-disappearing bird, I rode right on to the first bird, which had -been shot through the lungs. On measurement I found him to be five -feet in height and three feet high at the shoulder. - -The greatest number of adult ostriches I ever saw together was seven. -This in a _canadon_ off the River Deseado. At a later date I saw -forty-two together, but this included many small and immature birds. - -The long-necked game of Patagonia is difficult to stalk owing to their -having such a field of vision. The ruse of tying up one's horse in -full view gained me many a guanaco, but was quite a useless trick in -the case of ostriches. The Cruzado was by this time an A1 -shooting-horse. He would stand anywhere and wait my return, he would -also allow me to fire quite close to him, but he would never allow any -white object to be put upon his back. If this was done, he would at -once rear and throw himself back. - -There is one thing which strikes me forcibly with regard to Patagonia. -Here is small vestige of the elder peoples, and little of any older -civilisations.[19] Even in the hearts of deserts in the old world are -to be found traces of ancient cities, where men lived long ages ago. -But nothing that bears farthest resemblance to a ruin, to the "one -stone laid upon another" that tells of man's settled home, exists in -Patagonia. Yet though the ruined cities of other countries are old, -Patagonia is older yet. The nomad tribes have roamed here through the -centuries, leaving the grass to grow-over their old camp-fires, but -never altering or marking with any permanent mark the face of this old -land. No, though Patagonia is in a sense the oldest of all, for here -we come face to face with prehistoric times--the skeletons of the -greater beasts, the flint weapons of primitive man with practically -nothing save the years to intervene. A lean humanity, untouched by -aught save nature, has run out its appointed course until very recent -years; and there is little to testify to its wanderings but the brown -trail of generations of footsteps, which ten years of disuse would -blot out for ever. You cannot there gaze over the ruins of a once -populous city and say, "Here lived a dead people." No, you can but -think by lonely river or lagoon, "The bygone Indians may here have had -their camp, or the greater beasts their lair." The netted lakes, the -gaunt Cordillera, the limitless pampa and the unceasing wind--that is -all. _Canadon_ follows _canadon_, pampa succeeds pampa, you have the -Atlantic to the east of you and the Andes to the west of you, and -between, in all the vast country, beside the Indian trail, the only -paths are game-tracks! - -On December 2 we were again short of meat, therefore Jones and I went -hunting. These early mornings upon the high ground above the lake will -never, I think, be forgotten by any of us who shared them. It was a -vivid and pulsating life, and the hunting was carried on under -conditions unique to Patagonia. - -In the slight depression through which the River Fenix winds, herds of -guanaco were to be found, each point containing any number between -half a dozen to forty head. On the morning I write of we were not long -in finding our game. A large herd, including several guanaco _chicos_, -were to be seen from the heights dotted about upon the faded greenish -grass of the valley beneath us. The sun, newly risen, had just begun -to suck up the balls of white mist that rolled up and down the cuplike -hollows, and as the light strengthened it brought out the gold and -white colouring of the guanacos feeding in the valley. The horse I was -riding had done no work for three weeks, and was fit to gallop for his -life. - -The herds were in a place quite inaccessible to stalking, but it was -certain that they would break for the hills to the south. Immediately -they saw us they took to flight in the direction we expected, and we -dashed away to cut them off. The Patagonian horse soon begins to take -an interest of his own in galloping game. We arrived within two -hundred yards of where the herds had begun to straggle in a long line -up the bare side of a range of round bald-headed hummocks, but we were -not in time to get a shot before they disappeared over the sky-line. -When we reached the top of the hills the guanacos were, of course, -nowhere to be seen, but after an hour's tracking we again located them -among the hummocks in a depression filled with dry thorn. This time we -separated and Jones showed himself at the far end of the gorge, while -I made a circuit and lay down upon the top of a hill towards which I -thought they were likely to break. This they did the instant they saw -Jones, who got a shot, breaking the leg of one. I killed another as -they passed. We jumped upon our horses to overtake Jones' wounded -guanaco, that was keeping up with the herd. - - [Illustration: STERILE GROUND TO NORTH OF LAKE BUENOS AIRES] - -My horse, the Alazan, had recently received some jumping lessons, and -being an animal with no sense of proportion, had been seized with a -mania for jumping everything. Jones nearly fell off his horse with -laughing when the Alazan valiantly charged a califate-bush, eight feet -high and full of thorns, through which he dashed in one jump and two -supplementary bucks. Emerging upon the other side we set off after our -guanaco and enjoyed one of the most glorious gallops that ever fell to -the lot of man. I could not help admiring the way in which Jones, who -was a born rider, and, like most Gauchos, had lived all his life on -the outside of a horse, picked his way among the great fragments of -rock that filled the hollows. The Alazan jumped them, and proceeded -upon his appointed path to his own evident satisfaction, the infinite -amusement of Jones, and the terror of myself. However, though one -might take exception to his methods, the Alazan had a turn for speed -and bore my fourteen stone nobly to the front. - -Presently the guanaco we were pursuing dashed across a shallow lagoon -and fell upon the farther side of it. As we dismounted we observed -fresh tracks of a wild bull, which was heading north-west towards the -Cordillera. Although we followed these tracks for twenty miles and -came upon ample evidence of their being quite recently made, evening -fell upon us and we were obliged to turn campwards. - -On our arrival we had a look at the horses and sat up late expecting -the return of Barckhausen and Burbury, who had gone to look for the -Indian trail, which the Indians told us led under the foothills of the -Cordillera to the end of the continent. I have given a description of -the trail in another place. It is in its way as remarkable a highroad -as the Grand Trunk Road in India. Were it not for the tracks of -horses, and the occasional dead camp-fire to which it leads you, it -would be impossible to distinguish it from a series of guanaco-tracks -running parallel. Nevertheless, many an ostrich-hunter has by its aid -found his way into the settlements, when without it he would have -wandered far and wide upon the pampas. - -It was not before the next day, however, that Burbury and Barckhausen -returned with the news that they had found the trail some twenty -leagues away near the _canadon_ of the River Deseado. - -I have mentioned my great desire to shoot a huemul (_Xenelaphus -bisulcus_), and, as we had been disappointed in this respect in our -former expeditions, I decided to penetrate into the gorge of the River -de los Antiguos. We made arrangements for an absence of some duration -from the base camp, leaving Jones and Burbury in charge. - -On the 5th we started, and, while riding to Rosy Camp, saw columns of -smoke arising from amongst the hills on the other side of the Fenix. -We thought they were signals of Indians and answered them. By here and -there burning a bush we signalled to the unknown, and in this way -drew together. It was upon the yellow shores of a dry lagoon that we -met with the first white man we had seen since leaving Colohuapi. This -man and his errand were so typical of the country and its methods of -life that I do not apologise for sketching his portrait at full -length. - -As he came riding towards us we perceived that he was seated upon a -saddle of sheepskins, and rode a yellow horse, whose condition told -its own story. In Patagonia one gets into the habit of noticing the -horse before the rider. The practised eye can learn from its -appearance and condition the answers to at least three questions. The -rider was a very small Argentine, and he had, he informed us, come up -from San Julian. You who do not know Patagonia may think it strange -that one should meet with one's fellow creatures miles from anywhere, -but the Patagonian Gaucho is in his way unique. He is as much a -pioneer of civilisation as were the fur-clad hunters of the Bad Lands -of North America. By habit and by choice the Gaucho is a nomad. It is -not too much to say that, grumbler as he is when upon the pampas, -there is a deep-seated instinct in his heart ever leading him back to -that peculiar mode of life which has become second nature to him. -There is an idea in England that Patagonia is as untrodden as the -Polar regions. But this is a fallacy. The tides of civilisation are -moving slowly westwards, and will so continue to move until they are -thrown back by the great natural barrier of the Andes. But as the tide -will often fling a little wreath of foam far ahead of its advance--a -wreath that disappears for the moment perhaps, but yet its fall has -marked a spot that in course of time will be swept over by the rising -water; so in Patagonia these few wanderers break away from the -settlements upon the coast, and set out with their little store of -flour, _farina_, and _mate_, their troop of horses, and their -half-dozen hounds. They say that they are looking for good ground or, -as they call it, good camp to settle upon, but few of them actually -carry out this final intention. It is the free life that they love, -the wild gallops after the ostriches and the guanacos, the sound -slumbers under the stars, and the absence of all control. - -Such a wanderer was our small friend. He had, he said, two -companions, whom he had lost when running ostriches. As we sat there -upon our horses and looked from the man to the great clouds of smoke -which were arising from the direction of the Fenix, of which he was -the miserable author, one felt inclined to throw him in his own fire. -For whereas, whenever I or my men lit a smoke, we were careful that it -should burn but one bush, and not spread to scar and disfigure the -face of the country, this irresponsible little being, who had, as it -were, ridden to meet us out of the nowhere, persistently lit his -reckless fires among the best grass, so that they burnt huge areas. It -was a remarkable, and in its way a painful, reflection that this puny -bit of humanity with his box of cheap matches could do more harm in -half an hour than he would be likely to be able to repair during a -lifetime. The fact is, a fire will burn a very small area upon the -pampas near the coast, where there is little for the flames to take -hold upon, while here in the high grass, near the Cordillera, it may -rage for two or three days, devastating and blackening the landscape. - -Rather annoyed with the small man, I directed Barckhausen to ask him -why he had lighted so many smokes. He replied that he had done so in -order to recall his companions. As the man was, after the fashion of -the pampa, our guest, there was nothing more to be said on the matter, -but had I foreseen how much trouble his mania for raising smokes was -yet to cause us, I should probably have remonstrated with him. - -That evening, as we rode into Rosy Camp, we saw a number of flamingos -upon the lagoon, and shot an upland goose. The following morning I -woke up in the grey of the dawn to see a Cordillera wolf nosing among -the ashes of our camp-fire. I shot it, to the great delight of the -small man, from whom after breakfast we parted. We had not advanced a -mile before the little demon was again sending up a smoke to heaven. -Burbury, who met him afterwards, said he believed that he carried a -cargo of nothing but matches in order to be able to indulge to the -utmost his passion for destroying the country through which he -happened to be passing. - -On December 7 we arrived above the River de los Antiguos, and, as we -were about to descend the _barranca_, saw two columns of smoke rising -some two miles off. Two columns of smoke close together were our -danger-signal, and meant "Something very wrong, come at once." I was -morally certain that they were the work of the small man, whom we had -nicknamed "the Snipe," especially as the smokes were lit at a distance -from the position of Horsham Camp, and if anything serious had -happened, it seemed most probable that the two men left in charge -there would have lit their signal-fires on the hill close behind the -camp, instead of riding to some distance for that purpose. However, -there was nothing for it but to send Scrivenor back, with instructions -to show a smoke upon the shore of the lake behind an island in our -view if my presence were really required. - -While he returned to Horsham Camp, Barckhausen and I rode on towards -the _canadon_ of the River de los Antiguos. - -FOOTNOTE: - -[19] I believe, as does Dr. Moreno, that a race of Indians, now -extinct, once dwelled among the foothills of the Cordillera. - - - - -CHAPTER X - -THE GORGE OF THE RIVER DE LOS ANTIGUOS - - Descent into Gorge of the River de los Antiguos -- - Rest-and-be-Thankful Camp -- First huemul -- Greed of - condors -- Aspect of Gorge -- Tameness of guanaco -- Join - Van Plaaten's route -- Stinging flies -- Signal-smokes -- - De los Antiguos in flood -- Difficulty of crossing -- - Attempt to swim over -- Washed away -- Loss of rifle and - gun -- Return to western bank -- Cold night -- Start next - morning -- Upper ford impassable -- Scanty diet -- Fording - torrent -- Long ride to Horsham Camp -- Fire-blackened - landscape -- News of red puma. - - -Barckhausen and I continued along the south shore of the lake until we -struck the River de los Antiguos, a small but rapid torrent flowing -through a huge frowning gorge, between very steep _barrancas_. Farther -to the west a second river, the River Jeinemeni, runs for some -distance almost parallel with it and discharges itself into the lake -some little distance beyond the mouth of the Antiguos. Between these -two rivers lies a tableland, which I was anxious to visit. We, -therefore, looked for a favourable place to descend into the valley of -the River de los Antiguos, and presently discovered a spot where the -cliffs were rather less perpendicular. The _barranca_, which was about -one hundred and fifty feet in height, being composed of sliding sand -and stones, covered with a high growth of bushes, presented a -troublesome route for the horses. They had been tied together by their -headstalls, the only way in which it was possible to drive them. It -was now necessary to dismount and take them down singly. Two of them, -Mula and Luna, refused to face the slope, and had to be urged on by -persuasions from behind. When Mula at last consented to begin the -descent, he lost his head and slid down the _barranca_, almost -carrying Barckhausen, who was pulling at his _cabresto_ from below, -with him. - -When we all arrived safely at the bottom, we found the bed of the -river was formed of large boulders, and progress was consequently very -slow. After a time we forded across, the water barely reaching to the -horses' knees, but flowing so rapidly as to bring down good-sized -tree-trunks with it. We made a camp in a bare place backed by a deep -green forest. After our meal, which consisted of half an emergency -ration each, a couple of two-ounce dumplings and some tea, we climbed -the western _barranca_, and discovered an open space in the forest, -where the grass rose to our middles, and we were greeted by the wet -smell of earth, to which we had long been strangers on the dry -stretches of the pampas. We called the spot Rest-and-be-thankful Camp, -and at once moved the horses up to it, and on the way Fritz, who -happened to be in an obstinate mood, lay down among the stones. Little -did we think at the time how often we were destined to climb up and -down that weary _barranca_. - - [Illustration: LAKE BUENOS AIRES FROM THE _CANADON_ OF THE RIVER DE - LOS ANTIGUOS] - -A number of animals live in the Gorge of the River de los Antiguos. -Quite close to the camp I found tracks of wolves, guanaco, huemul, a -wild cat, and the smaller rodents. There was a little story to be -read on the wet sand. A huemul had come down to drink the preceding -evening, and had been stalked by a puma and her cub. The puma must -have been giving her offspring a lesson in killing. You could see that -the puma had leaped upon the huemul from a neighbouring thicket, and -there had been a struggle. The huemul, however, managed to dash back -into the trees and finally made his escape upon the other side of the -patch of forest. - -After resting the night we rode up the Gorge, where we saw some -guanaco and found an ostrich egg. We left the three extra horses -tethered in the camp, and rode along the heights above the river. The -going was bad all the time. Stones, cliffs and rifts hindered our -advance, but presently we began to leave the bush behind and entered -into a bare tract of iron-grey hillsides and black boulders. Here we -stopped for a meal, for which we made an omelette of the ostrich egg, -and ate it powdered with chocolate. We cooked it in a tin plate with a -little mutton-fat, and uncommonly good we found it. - -About two leagues farther on I shot a guanaco, but my desire was to -see a huemul. Every new variety of game was of interest to us, not -only from the zoological point of view, but also from that of the -hungry man, for we had had a very long spell of guanaco meat. We spent -the night in a spot where the horses fed on some fair grass. - -We climbed the highest eminence at dawn and looked out for a smoke -behind the island, but seeing none we pushed on. I was riding far -ahead along the tableland above the river valley when I saw a huemul. -It sprang out from some rocks ahead of me. It was a young buck, and -when he caught sight of me he stood at gaze. The huemul is one of the -most beautiful deer in the world, although he only carries small -spiked horns of no great size. His summer coat is of a rich -reddish-brown, which, when examined closely, is found to be thickly -mingled with white hairs. In shape huemules are rather strongly built, -being about the size of fallow-deer. I have given a detailed account -of the habits of the huemul, of which no other record exists, in a -later chapter, so will say no more upon that subject here. I was most -unwillingly obliged to shoot the buck, for we were in need of food. -Leaving the meat, after tying a handkerchief above it to scare away -the condors, we hastened back to fetch the extra horses. We had had -scanty diet for some days, and the thought of a full meal put strength -into us. We were not long in bringing up the remainder of our troop, -but when returning we saw three condors drop suspiciously near the -dead huemul. By the time we arrived there was hardly an ounce of meat -left on the bones, and only the quarter, which we had hidden in the -bushes, remained, even that being a good deal torn and mangled. - - [Illustration: BEST HEAD OF HUEMUL (_XENELAPHUS BISULCUS_) - SHOT BY THE AUTHOR] - -Such as it was, however, we made the best of it, and after cutting -away the damaged parts, found enough for a meal. It turned out to be -the driest, stringiest, worst meat I have ever for my sins been forced -to eat.[20] - -As night fell, the Gorge--it became _the_ Gorge to us--assumed a more -and more sinister aspect. Of all the scenes I had up to that time -beheld in Patagonia, this was the most repellent and inhospitable. The -little torrent (which was destined to play us such a trick), the high -iron-grey bluffs and escarpments, the soaring condors, the scavenger -caranchos, and the black shadows of the Cordillera, made up a picture -that was both grand and menacing. - -Next day I shot a guanaco. Very much easier work than it had been on -the pampas. A guanaco would remain lying down until you were within a -long shot, and one actually watched us and neighed while we discussed -our porridge. Man had never, I fancy, molested them before. - -We advanced for a good distance up the river over terribly bad ground, -all boulders and steep cliffs, and then we attempted to ford to the -other side. The two black horses, however, seemed to have conceived a -horror of the river and could not be induced to cross. They simply -made us very wet, and we had to go forward on foot. We were now within -easy distance of the end of the Gorge, and had joined the route of Von -Plaaten[21] from the south. - -On December 10 I went out in the evening to shoot something for the -pot. On the first ridge I came to I stalked and killed a big guanaco -buck, putting a bullet into his lungs. Then I signalled to Barckhausen -to come and help to cut him up. As I waited there in the fading light, -wondering at the desolation of the place, a little huemul buck came -bounding along and "paid the penalty," as the cricket reporters say. I -had some trouble to keep off the condors while I went to some distance -to call Barckhausen. - -Altogether the Gorge was not an inviting spot with its hot marshy -valleys and fat stinging flies. After sweating among the boulders in -the lower ground, if we climbed the _barranca_, the chill wind from -the Cordillera nipped our very bones. - -As I sat writing my diary during those days, diabolical-looking -insects with upturned tails used to crawl across the page. - -My desire to penetrate farther at that time seemed likely to be -fulfilled, as so far we had seen no warning smoke from the lake -direction. The chief difficulties hindering our advance were the -treacherous footing on the _barrancas_, which we were obliged to scale -very frequently, and the trouble with the horses both on them and at -the fords. - -Finally I decided to leave Barckhausen with the horses and to walk on -as long as food held out, for the boulders made riding impossible. But -next morning, just as I had fixed up my kit preparatory to starting, a -column of smoke began to arise somewhere in the direction of the lake. -We fancied at first it was Scrivenor, who had come back to rejoin us, -and we hastened up the cliff. But in that clear air distances are very -deceptive, and the smoke, which from the depth of the Gorge had looked -so near, turned out to be on the farther shore of Lake Buenos Aires. -Then we perceived there were two fires throwing up their smoke in the -morning sun--the "Come-at-once" signal. - -We did not loiter, but in a quarter of an hour were climbing the -_barranca_ from our camp. The old game with the horses had to be gone -through again. We made our way straight down the strip of tableland -towards the lake, along the high sliding cliffs of the river's -_canadon_. It was a long ride, and as we went along the fact became -obvious that the river had risen during the night and was still -rising. The waters had grown earth-coloured and large trees were being -hurtled down-stream. - -The warm weather which we had been experiencing must have melted the -snows which feed the torrents of the Cordillera. Rivers inside and in -the neighbourhood of the Cordillera vary during the spring very much -in volume, changing in a single day or night from a mere trickle of -water to a torrent 100 yards in width. In the present instance the -River de los Antiguos had begun to rise in the day while we were -hunting. At length we saw a place where a big shelf of stone and -shingle rising in the middle of the river divided it into two streams. -To reach the bank nearest to this island of shingle it was necessary -to climb down some two hundred feet of an uncommonly nasty slope. On -the way the horses struck a bed of rolling stones and arrived very -suddenly. The gut of the Gorge was choked with green forest and -decaying vegetation; large dead trees, mostly trunks of antarctic -beech, were jammed together, intersected by a dozen miniature torrents -all sluicing down full of water since the melting of the snows. - -Arrived at the river, my horse took the ford at once and went in -straightly to his shoulders. The current was running like a -mill-race--overstrong for us, but fortunately we had not plunged in -too deeply, and so got back to the shore. - -Had it not been for the two smokes, which we had arranged were not to -be used save in the greatest extremity, I should have made a camp and -waited to see if the river would fall. As things were, it seemed -absolutely necessary to cross at once. - -We now went a little up-stream, and I stripped off some of my clothes -and waded down into the river. It was so cold that it took away all -feeling from my feet. I had my precious rifle with me as well as a -dear old shot-gun. The strip of water I was about to cross was quite -narrow. I thought of leaving the guns behind me, but that would have -meant another crossing of the river, which was so cold that it seemed -to burn like fire. - -I had not reached the middle when my left foot went into a hole, the -current caught me, and the banks began to run backwards. As long as -the water was deep I stuck to the two guns, but a little down-stream -the river ran through boulders just awash, and among these I got -rather knocked about. I dropped the shot-gun and clung to the Mauser, -which was to us the more valuable of the two. Lower down the river was -a shallow waterfall, studded with rocks and boulders. My knee caught -between two rocks, and as I was afraid of having my leg broken, and -had sustained rather a bad knock on the back of the head, I let the -rifle go, and, with the help of my hands, got clear. I was washed down -the fall into deeper water, where swimming was possible. The current -carried me a yard down-stream for every inch I made across it, but in -time I reached the end of the bank of shingle before mentioned. - -After all, disappointment awaited me, for I found the second branch of -the river, beyond the shingle bank, was running so furiously that, -unless I had the help of a rope, crossing it would be too dangerous. -Barckhausen could not follow me in any case, as he was unable to swim, -so that eventually I was obliged to cross back again and rejoin him. -On regaining the shore my plight was sufficiently miserable. I had -kept on my shirt and jersey to save me from the stones, but of course -they were soaking. It was six o'clock in the evening, the sun had lost -its power, a cold wind was blowing, and I had nothing to pass the -night in save some oilskins and my wet clothes; besides, I was rather -badly cut about the head and knees. - -I must explain that during my swim Barckhausen had succeeded in -driving the horses into the river, and they were come to anchor on the -shingle island in mid-stream. Our bedding was upon the back of one of -them, and the river was still rising rapidly. We therefore decided to -return to the camp, as being more sheltered. Barckhausen kindly lent -me his shirt, as he had his vest, coat and great-coat, which were dry. -We started once more to climb that weary two hundred feet of -_barranca_, and were much beset by rolling stones and sliding sand. -Scarcely had we reached the top when the horses, after standing for an -hour and a half on their mid-stream island, took it into their heads -to turn about and swim back, so we scrambled down our cliff-side -again and made a camp amongst the sand and bushes. Here I saw a wild -cat with young, the only one I met with in Patagonia. - - [Illustration: REST-AND-BE-THANKFUL CAMP] - -We now reviewed our sleeping accommodation. The blankets were too wet -to be of any service. Barckhausen luckily was in the habit of carrying -a portion of his bedding upon his saddle, and this had escaped the -water and was dry. I had a horse-rug and a small blanket. It came on a -bone-wet night, the most miserable we had either of us spent. - -Besides, I was very anxious about the possible condition of things at -Horsham Camp, for the two smokes must have meant something serious, -and yet we were unable to go to the help of our comrades. We made some -thin porridge for supper and turned in. All night long the river -continued to rise, we could hear it gulping and swallowing at the sand -and shingle of the bank. I determined to try the higher ford, by which -we had originally crossed, in the morning. - -I find the following in my diary, written while the porridge was -cooking: - -"_December 12._--Only a sportsman can realise my feelings. At one fell -swoop both my guns, my old friends, gone! The more serious loss of the -two is the Mauser. It has accompanied me upon my travels 10,000 miles, -and was always to be relied on. And now to fancy it probably -glimmering up through the deep waters of Buenos Aires Lake! Is there -any use in saying more? When we get back to camp I shall have to fall -back on the reserve Mauser, which has no back-sight, or I should say -has a back-sight fastened on with a strip of raw hide. You arrange it -before the shot, and when you have it balanced you loose off, and if -the gun does not misfire you may hit something. How different to the -rifle that is gone! And the shot-gun, which has also departed with the -Mauser, was a gun with a history. Given to my uncle for gallant -services in another part of the world--a Purdey double-hammerless -12-bore, I regarded it as an heirloom. Why did I ever bring it to -Patagonia? Many a time have I, out of the shooting season, cuddled the -stock and shot imaginary birds, and dreamed of the phalanx of geese -bearing down on me in Scotland in the coming October! It is all over. -His glittering locks "clutch the sand," or in fragments he shifts with -the waters of the inhospitable torrent. Oh, my guns! my guns! Well, it -was a congenial death to you, and I am glad to think the Mauser had -killed a couple of Patagonian huemules before he came to his end. But, -sentiment apart--and there is a great deal of it in this affair--the -loss is very serious. True I have still at Horsham Camp four rifles -and a shot-gun (two Colts, a Paradox, a 12-bore and the sick Mauser), -but none of them are in the same class with the lost ones." - -Before leaving the camp I went down again to the river brink to seek -for wreckage. Nothing was to be seen save rock and stone, overturned -trees and boulders. My regrets for the losses which had befallen us -were, however, moderated by the reflection that I might well be -thankful I was not personally keeping the two guns cold company in the -bottom of the lake. - -We were astir at four o'clock by moonlight, and started three-quarters -of an hour later. To us, knocked about and dog-tired as we were, the -going was difficult. The _barrancas_ seemed endless. The river was now -a yellow flood, crashing and rushing down the _canadon_, bearing -trees, bushes, and logs with its whirl and flurry. When we arrived at -the upper ford it was only to find six feet of water there and a fall -formed beyond it--quite impassable in fact. - -Our position, in the face of this difficulty, was rather a serious -one. We had food for three days, that is, porridge, and though -"parritch is gran' food," it is not, alone, good to work very hard on. -The snows were still melting in the hills, and, given a protracted -period of warm weather, it might be days before the river would allow -of our passing through it. I lit a signal-fire on the hills in the -hope that my party at Horsham Camp would reply. - - [Illustration: HUEMUL (_XENELAPHUS BISULCUS_) IN SUMMER COAT] - -It was possible that our small Argentine friend had again been lost -"running ostriches" and had again lit up half the countryside to call -his companions' attention to that important fact. The only weapon left -us was a broken Colt and the cartridges in it. But apart from our own -position was the far more serious fact that our companions were -signalling to us to "Come at once--something wrong." - -All the day through we patrolled the river banks, riding up and down -searching for a ford. About six in the evening we found a place where -an island broke the force of the torrent, and we fancied the water was -falling. - -The river everywhere was shut in by high cliffs. At the foot of the -cliff we descended the ground was so soft that the horses sank, and we -had to haul them through. When we came down to the level of the river, -it appeared very different, viewed close at hand, to the encouraging -idea we had formed, even through the telescope, from the cliffs above. -But the set of the current was for once towards the farther bank, -where it culminated in rapids. - -I decided to leave the three worst horses, and we found them a fine -stretch of grass and water at Roble Camp. There we left them. They -fell to feeding very quietly, and we rode away to the _barranca_ we -had so often surmounted that at length we had formed a road through -its bushes. - -The river appeared to be still rising, and was at that spot sixty -yards or so broad. Large trees went whirling by us as we waded down on -our horses into the outer plash of the stream. The horses took it -bravely and slowly, tired as they were. We now found there were two -islands, a smaller and a larger one, on our line of crossing, upon -which we rested, and soon nothing remained save a twenty-foot stream -between us and the farther bank. - -Once my horse fell but recovered himself. Small blame to him, brave -beast, he had been carrying fourteen stone all day. At last, after a -strenuous moment, the water grew shallower, and we came out on the -farther side into a belt of green scrub. - -Luck never comes alone. As we rode on three huemules dashed out of a -glade and I broke the neck of an old buck with the damaged Colt. I had -taken a careful sight for a shoulder-shot! We cut up the huemul, -skinned the head and rode on, and soon were out of the _canadon_ of -the de los Antiguos River and riding through the bushes towards our -companions. The moon, on her rising, found us still going, and the -camp we made was a dozen miles from the river. - -That night we put the horses in splendid grass, and in the false dawn -of the next morning were in the saddle again. We had about fifty miles -to cover before reaching Horsham Camp, and never in my life have I so -regretted my weight as on that day. About noon, as we were crossing a -white dry lake-bed, a column of smoke went up on Fenix Ford; our -comrades were then hurrying to us as we were to them. We answered at -once, and a couple of hours later perceived two horsemen on a distant -rise. Two! Nothing wrong in camp then! Hurrah! They turned out to be -Scrivenor and Burbury. - - [Illustration: GRASSY CAMP] - -At last the _vega_, two miles out of Horsham Camp, began. I had ridden -so much off my horse that the _cinch_ would not hold him. An awful -wind arose and the country round--burned by those miserable Santa Cruz -people--sent up dust in clouds and blinded us. At last the green tents -came in sight, one of which held, I knew, a reindeer sleeping-bag, -wherein was to be found warmth and sleep. - -When we met my first question was, of course, to ask as to who might -be the perpetrator of the two fires we had seen upon the previous day, -and which were still burning. - -"As to those," said Burbury, "they must have been lighted by the -little man whom you entertained at the Fenix. He came into our camp -after he left you, as also did his companions. We knew that you would -wonder who had lit the smokes. When we saw yours, we at once came to -meet you." As we rode along towards our base camp we passed through -acres of fire-blackened land and cursed the small man (his name is -still a mystery to us) by bell, book, and candle. I had carefully -informed him that two fires was our "Come-at-once" signal, and can -only suppose that the irresponsible little creature had forgotten. -After all, our resentment against the author of our misfortunes was -not uncalled for. He had given Scrivenor a fifty-mile ride, had been -the direct cause of our losing two guns, had made us abandon three -horses, and had given Barckhausen and myself eighty or ninety miles of -extra marches, besides compelling us to cross the River de los -Antiguos when in flood. We had also to thank him for our miserable -night upon the shores of the river. Against all this he had left us a -lame hound which we feared could travel no farther. - -His companions had in my absence visited our camp and had conversed -with Burbury. This conversation, however, left us a much more valuable -legacy. One of these men, an Austrian, had informed Burbury that the -Indians had told him of a puma which lived farther to the south among -the foothills of the Cordillera, and which differed in some essential -respects from the grey puma of the plains. He described it as being -"of a reddish colour, more fierce than the silver puma, and much -smaller!" This was the first time I heard of the animal now named -_Felis concolor pearsoni_, of which I afterwards was fortunate enough -to obtain a skin. - -When we arrived in camp, which we did late upon that afternoon, we -ourselves as well as our horses were pretty well tired out, but a -couple of days in the tent, a tin of cocoa, and some ointment for the -cuts received from the rocks in the river, soon reinvigorated us, and -we were ready to start for the River de los Antiguos, the scene of our -petty disasters, once more. - -FOOTNOTES: - -[20] This was a very lean buck; a fat doe is excellent. - -[21] Louis von Plaaten Hallermund, of the Argentine Boundary -Commission, almost reached Lake Buenos Aires from Lake Puerrydon about -two years previously. Mr. Waag had completed the journey, but we did -not know this. - - - - - [Illustration: YOUNG GUANACO] - - - - -CHAPTER XI - -SOME HUNTING CAMPS - - Second trip to De los Antiguos River -- Pass Rosy Camp -- - Fenix flood gone down -- Wounded guanaco takes to water -- - Mauser and shot-gun retrieved -- Losing and seeking in - Patagonia -- Recover horses at Rest-and-be-Thankful Camp - -- Visit to River Jeinemeni -- Trained horse for hunting - -- Shooting guanaco -- Condors -- _Canadon_ of Jeinemeni - -- Huemul hunting -- Ostriches and their habits -- Return - to Horsham Camp -- Night in camp. - - -On December 16, the interval having been taken out by me in sleeping -off my chill and fatigue, Scrivenor, Jones and I made a start to -retrieve the horses abandoned in the Los Antiguos _canadon_ by -Barckhausen and myself. We each took a horse and a spare animal which -carried the tent, for the weather was breaking to the westward. It was -our intention to ride the fifty miles back on the horses which we had -left behind in the Gorge. - -On arriving at the Fenix we were delighted to find that its waters had -fallen considerably, and that the pebbly bank in mid-stream, at the -ford by Rosy Camp, was once more visible. Almost upon our old -camping-ground we found, as we rode over the sand-hills by the lake, a -pair of guanaco feeding. Jones dismounted and had a couple of shots, -neither of which took effect. The animals had, however, not perceived -Scrivenor and myself, and came past us upon the shores of the lake, -and here Jones and I ran down and met the female, killing her after a -long chase, which ended by her trying to swim out into the lake. - -Upon the evening of the second day we saw again the ill-fated River -de los Antiguos, and striking south we made a camp, as nearly as I -could judge, opposite to where I had spent the night shivering in -oilskins. Of course, at starting, the question had been mooted: Might -we not, provided the river had fallen sufficiently, find the lost -guns, and at any rate that treasure, the Mauser? - -The probabilities were, of course, very much against such good -fortune, and it was almost certain, that even did we find either of -them, it would be useless after being knocked about by the violent -handling of the river. - -Immediately we arrived at the Gorge of the de los Antiguos, Jones and -I rode down to the water's edge. I had small hope of success as -regarded retrieving the guns, but the water had fallen as quickly as -it had risen. We soon came upon my tracks going down to the stream, -made during my last visit. We then rode along the bank. Trees, sand -and _debris_ filled the river-bed, and I had reached a spot some -hundred yards below the place where I had been beached on the shingle -island, and Jones was still engaged in searching another channel, when -I saw something brown upon a sandbank. - -There, half in and half out of the water, lay the Mauser, caked with -rust, choked with sand and pebbles, but whole, unbent, though the -stock was pitted with the battering of many stones. I picked it up, -and there seemed but little hope of its ever becoming serviceable -again. However, the sights, by a miracle, were intact, save the half -of the bead of the foresight. After this we resumed our search, hoping -with luck to come upon the shot-gun, and presently we discovered that -also, lying half-buried among the wreckage at the lip of the flood. -Being in a case, it was practically undamaged. We carried the two in -triumph to the camp. Upon examination the Mauser bolt was found to be -fixed and immovable, and we feared it would never fire again. For -tools we had only an axe and a weak pocket-knife, but with the help of -these two we took the Mauser to pieces, cleaned it, and fixed it -together again, to find, however, that it would not stay on cock. As -soon as we shut the bolt, the rifle went off. We examined it, but -could discover nothing broken or bent, and, night falling, we went to -bed. - -I was awakened by Jones with the welcome news that breakfast was -ready, and that he had got up early and been at work upon the Mauser, -which he said had haunted his dreams. It was, he declared, as good as -ever, and this proved to be the case. The trigger had been slightly -bent, and a small stone lodged in the mechanism had been overlooked in -the bad light of the previous evening. Altogether the affair stands -out as one gigantic piece of luck. - -It was not now at all a presentable weapon. It was, indeed, an object -any gunmaker would have shied at, but it started business again by -taking a particular stone out of the neighbouring cliff with all its -old accuracy. To celebrate the event we made a plum duff of flour, -which we ate with a tin of Swiss milk. Afterwards we made quite a bag -of pigeons (_Columba maculosa_), which frequented the scrub of the -river in great numbers. - -Patagonia is a land so far from shops that one must not lose anything, -and if you do lose anything, it is strange how persistent one becomes -in looking for it. Scrivenor once rode twenty-five miles for a pipe; I -have spent half a weary day following my old tracks for a similar -purpose. I think the only article lost upon the expedition, and left -lost, was Barker's large knife, and we had ridden fifty miles the day -he dropped it. Jones lost a pair of pipes one day galloping, and after -four days searching--at odd times--found them both again! Burbury lost -a knife at the Fenix River--but I might go on multiplying instances -for ever. - -Well, now that we had found the guns, remained the horses, and after -these we started next morning, moving our small camp up to where they -had been abandoned. - -I remember that day, for I was riding the roughest horse in all our -troop, a stout little Zaino, which shook and vibrated like a miniature -torpedo-boat. At length we came to the high _barranca_ above the -river, down which Mula had fallen and nearly immolated poor Barckhausen. -We human beings toboganned down--the measured angle being 38 deg.--and the -horses slid down upon their haunches. Part of the cliff accompanied us -in our descent. Then followed that nasty boulder-strewn piece of -journeying I have before described, until at length we crossed the -river and rode in among the trees towards Rest-and-be-thankful Camp. - - [Illustration: DESCENDING THE _BARRANCA_] - -That was one of the most picturesque camps which fell to our lot in -Patagonia. The grass there, though coarse, was very good; deep green -scrub and incensio bushes bounded it on three sides, the _barranca_ -leading up to the tableland being on the fourth. As we were riding -through the trees we discovered the three horses, led by Fritz the -Zaino, descending the _barrancas_ to water. Truly our snakes were -standing upright, as the Zulus say. Of course, immediately the horses -under General Fritz perceived us, they stood still. Before that they -were coming down the steep side of the cliff with the grace and swing -of wild things, now they at once pretended that it was a very -difficult business. We caught them, and found them to be in excellent -condition, glossy, bright-eyed and fat. We at once put them upon -_sogas_, lest their love of liberty might have been increased by the -week-end they had spent alone. They were evidently in the habit of -drinking each evening and feeding in the rich grass of the Gorge, and -in the morning ascending to the tableland and enjoying themselves -there. - -After settling the camp, Jones and I saddled up Luna and General Fritz -and went up to look for a guanaco. We found that the fire lit by -Barckhausen and myself had burned over a largish area and driven the -game backwards into the higher basaltic hills. Among these, and upon -the western river, the Jeinemeni, we had a most lovely evening. Fresh -horses, keen air, a soft wind out of the west, and the most glorious -of views--the lake, placid for once, in its gigantic setting of peaked -and pinnacled Cordillera, the tint of yellow marshes in the lowland, -and the whole background of the picture painted with mist and distance -in a dozen shades of dusky and far-off blue. - -In the course of that day's wanderings we first reached the Jeinemeni, -the more westerly river, which shut in the farther side of the -tableland. The ravine through which it flowed down to the lake was -magnificent, a wonderful vista of broken white cliffs. The -conformation of its _canadon_ was very different to that of the de los -Antiguos. Seen from a distance the valley appeared almost treeless, -and upon its west bank rose the lower hills of the Cordillera into -needles and peaks of red rock and virgin snow. The plateau between the -rivers we found to be an excellent game country. Upon a fast horse the -ground was good enough, though rather too broken to admit of "running" -young guanaco, one of the finest and most exhilarating pastimes that I -have ever enjoyed. - -There is an element in Patagonian hunting quite unique: so much -depends upon your horse. There were but two in all our forty-seven -which could be trusted to stand and not gallop off when we fired. -These two I trained myself on the way up from Trelew to Colohuapi, and -they were a great ease and comfort to me. But to go shooting on a wild -horse, then probably to find your game in a bushless country, where -you are quite unable to shoot because you cannot tie up your mount, is -a most disappointing affair. Also you have on many occasions to gallop -down your game--if you hit it a little too far back, for instance. -Wearier work than chasing a wounded guanaco afoot over the bald and -endless ridges of the pampas, or up and down the steep unstable slides -of a _barranca_, I do not know. - -With my trained horse the Cruzado, and the Little Zaino, all that was -necessary was just to drop to the ground--you could rein up in the -middle of a fast canter and slip off--the horse would stand where you -left him until you came for him again. There were others, of course, -who, if you loosed the _cabresto_, were off to camp at a gallop, and -where quickness is so important, they made sport a little of a -penance. - -But to return to our first visit to the Jeinemeni. In the _canadon_ we -came upon a guanaco, and I stalked him. The bullet took effect, and -the poor beast plunged into the abyss below. We followed him down a -few hundred feet, but finding the way beset with loose stones, and, -consequently, on the raw bare cliff, rather dangerous, we returned -with much toil to our horses. It had taken us one and three-quarter -hours to climb five hundred feet. - - [Illustration: GUANACOS DESCENDING A HILLSIDE.] - -"Any horse, even that old Fritz, is better than a man's own legs," -said Jones feelingly. Arrived in time--the fulness of time--at the top -of the cliff, we sat down and rested. As we were doing so Jones -perceived a cloud of dust uprising in the valley and drew my attention -to it. It was coming towards us, but we were quite unable at that -distance to make out the cause of it. We marked the place and I took a -couple of bearings, and in the early dark we rode back into camp. - -The next morning we _sogaed_ up the horses and set out. - -We wanted some meat, having only a little left of the last guanaco. We -saw a number of guanacos on the hills and one half-grown one, which we -attempted to gallop, but had to desist, as the ground was too false -for the horses, and the basalt rocks and hills told in the guanaco's -favour. At length, quite near the spot where I had shot one on the -previous evening, we found a big old buck standing alone, and we -speedily made a plan of campaign. I rode round and hid in the rocks -far above him. Scrivenor tried stalking him and Jones headed him off -from the north. - -He went towards Jones, who sent a bullet through his heart at good -range. - -Immediately on our killing, the condors, caranchos, and chimangos -began to gather and almost to drop upon the meat in our presence. I -have before remarked on the number of these uncanny birds which -haunted the Gorge. They were huge, black, ragged, bald, wrinkled, and -offensive in odour, incarnations of lust and evil. The horrible -flesh-colour of the bare skin on head and neck was glassy and livid. -And how wonderful was their instinct! You shot your game, and within a -few minutes a condor appeared far away in the heavens; then another -and another! Perhaps they had some signal bidding to the feast. - -Having cut up the guanaco, we descended into the _canadon_ of the -Jeinemeni, where we had on the previous evening seen the rising -dust--which meant the movement of living things. At first it was one -of the nastiest of horseback climbs, all loose stones, and sand and -sandstone chippings. The gorge below us was a chessboard of -small-looking round folds set in the bases of the higher hills and -hummocks. Among these were many boulders, with two or three deep black -waterholes, eye-shaped; and, of course, there were condors. We arrived -at the place where we had perceived the cloud of dust. A large herd of -guanaco had passed at the gallop, as was evident from the tracks. - -We rode on to the gorge of the Jeinemeni and made our camp by a -little pool. Here we had a _mate_ by the fire and gave our horses -grass. Then came our climb up the ragged cliffs by which we had -descended. They were very high, rising fold on fold, set as always -with loose stones and shifting sand, a needle or two of black rock -sticking out gauntly from their steep faces. - - [Illustration: FIRST HUEMUL CAMP] - -The next day Jones and I went hunting. We desired to secure a few -heads and skins of the huemul and we determined to devote a day to -that purpose. I will describe that excursion at full length, as it was -one typical of Patagonian sport. - -Of course we rode. You ride everywhere in Patagonia. I rode Luna, and -Jones one of the Zainos--Fritz the younger, a very rough horse. - -When we started a light rain was falling and the summits of the -Cordillera were purple with threatening cloud. The rain gave the -mountain wind the softness which the _pampero_ lacks. We quickly -crossed the lower hills and saw some guanacos in the valleys. We did -not shoot any but rode on upwards until we came to the high ground, -where bushes of _mate negra_ and black fragments of basalt made a -desolate picture with the low clouds rolling over the wet hills. -Presently a cloud enveloped us and we took shelter beneath a rock. It -looked as if we were in for a wet day, but to our delight, after an -hour of waiting the wind blew away the clouds and showed the pale blue -sky beyond, the weather turned colder and set in fine. We jumped on -our horses and jogged on until the high ground was reached. Here we -dismounted and spied the country with the telescope. We had come to -the conclusion that nothing was in sight when, moving a little higher, -I saw an ostrich in a marsh not more than two hundred yards away. The -bird had not perceived us, and fortunately the ground was favourable -for stalking. Under cover of a hummock, we advanced to within about -seventy yards, when I shot the bird. As always happens, on receiving -the shot it ran thirty yards forward and fell. - -During the whole of our travels we observed but one kind of rhea -(_Rhea darwini_). The remarks that Darwin makes concerning the habits -of this bird have little to be added to them. The male bird, which -hatches out the young, will, when approached, feign to be wounded in -order to draw off the intruder from the nest of the chicks. I have -never seen more than nineteen chicks with a single ostrich at any -period within a month or two of the hatching, but I was informed by -the Gauchos that this number is not an outside limit. When started, -_Rhea darwini_ does not usually open his wings, as does the _Rhea -americana_. This fact has been noticed by Darwin. On one occasion, -shortly after leaving Trelew, we chased an ostrich, which, having run -a couple of hundred yards, opened its wings. We did not, however, -secure the bird. - -Only when with young will the ostrich, on starting, expand the wings, -but, as I have said, this is a ruse; yet I have seen them proceed for -a short distance with wings full open at times when hard pressed. In -the present instance we cut up our ostrich, taking the stomach, which, -cooked as an _asado_, or roast, is esteemed a luxury by the Gauchos. -The stomach was full of the grass of the marsh. Up to the end of -December we found eggs. When fresh they were of a transparent and pale -green, which after some days merged into a pallid white. - -While we were yet engaged in cutting up the bird, the neck-skin of -which came in very usefully as a tobacco-pouch, we paused in the work -and took a look round with the telescope. On the heights above us, two -brown objects were to be descried, which on examination proved to be -huemules. They had evidently seen us, and their curiosity had been -excited by our movements. Hesitatingly they began to descend the -hillside towards us. We cut some antics and so decoyed the unlucky -animals within range. After killing them, we took the skins of both, -as there is no example of this deer in summer coat in any of our -British collections. They were still shedding their winter coat. - -After riding on, our next spy showed us a young huemul buck beneath -us, but as I had already secured a specimen I was only too glad to let -him go in peace. - -I am sorry that I cannot give my readers any interesting story of -huemul-shooting; that will be reserved for the pen of some future -traveller, who will find the animal wild, because used to man and his -ways. As for our experience of them, the interest turns rather on -their confidingness and their behaviour towards man as an unknown -entity. - -We were riding home, my desire to shoot huemul completely evaporated, -when we perceived among the basalt fragments above us the black face -of a really magnificent buck. In approaching him I purposely gave him -the wind. He had not seen us, but immediately on getting our wind -dashed away to a short distance. On my showing myself, he stood quite -still, snorted twice or thrice, and was just bounding off when the -crack of the Mauser cut short his career. - -There were by this time thirty or forty condors already gathered upon -the carcases of the two we had previously slain. Indeed in no part of -Patagonia did we see such numbers of _Sarcorhamphus gryphus_ as among -these hills. I understand that there is in Paris a considerable demand -for the feathers of the condor. Here is the place to find them. On our -homeward way we saw two huemul does and a pricket. They stayed and -stared at us as we rode down the lower levels. When nearing camp a -couple of guanacos started over a cliff within ten yards of us, and -descended the sheer hillside, giving me an excellent opportunity of -observing their extraordinary movements. All the huemules we had shot -were so lean as to be practically useless for the pot, so when later -on we came in sight of a herd of guanaco, and Jones asked me if he -might have a shot, I said yes. He picked out one and bowled it over at -three hundred paces with my Mauser. He was very delighted with his -success, and said that the Mauser was better than any of the guns in -Chubut. - -On the day after, the river, upon which we had been keeping a very -careful watch, again began to rise. So we packed up and camped that -night in the end of the _canadon_ near the spot where I had shot my -first huemul. Although we hunted during the afternoon we saw nothing, -but on the following day, when starting for our ride, we sighted three -huemules, two does and a young buck, in the scrub of a stream which -enters the lake some miles to the east of the River de los Antiguos. -In the evening of that day, after fording the River Fenix, and about -eight miles out of Horsham Camp, a huemul buck dashed across about a -couple of hundred yards ahead of us, and I, taking a very hasty aim, -was fortunate enough to bring him to the ground. We had difficulty for -a few moments in finding him, as he had gone head over heels into some -scrub in a fissure of the hillside. - - [Illustration: THE OFF-SADDLE] - -During this hunting trip, which I have described, we neither desired -nor endeavoured to make a large bag; in fact, I think that one could -very easily over that ground shoot ten huemules and an indefinite -number of guanaco in one day, but such a proceeding would be little -short of a crime. Very different indeed were my experiences after wild -cattle, which I followed steadily at a later date of the expedition, -for eleven days before I had any chance of a shot. - -Another good hour of the day during our expedition was that when, -pretty tired, one rode into camp, and saw the little green tent -pitched among the tussocks, the horses scattered round, the big black -pot upon the fire. You drank your _mate_, smoked a pipe while the -black pot boiled, and you talked over the day's doings. And so on -until dark began to fall, and in the night you could hear the sounds -of the open, the rush of some river, the moaning of wind across the -plain or through the forests--when near the Cordillera--perhaps the -cries of wildfowl, or the whistle of the Chiloe widgeon as the shadows -closed down. Then came preparations for the morrow--the beans were -cut, the meat put on, the fire raked up about to-morrow's breakfast; -and presently you turned in, the shadows waxed and waned, and when you -woke the stars were paling in the western sky. - - [Illustration: JONES SMOKES THE PIPE OF VICTORY] - - - - -CHAPTER XII - -BACK TO CIVILISATION - - Christmas Day at Horsham Camp -- Horse races -- Menu of - dinner -- Leave Horsham Camp -- Basalt plateaus -- Large - herds of guanacos -- Sterile region -- Birth of filly -- - Father of guanacos -- Search for Indian trail -- Pebble - hills -- Finding of trail -- Filly's first march -- - Hunting -- Mirages -- Rain -- Tent pleasures -- River Olin - -- Meeting Mr. Waag's party -- News from outer world -- - River Chico -- Sierra Ventana -- Indian _toldo_ -- - Shepherd's hut -- Houses, sheep and cattle -- Night in - huts -- Antennae of civilisation -- _La Gaviota_ -- Santa - Cruz. - - -"HORSHAM CAMP, _Christmas Day, 1900_.--Here the weather is warm; -large, soft and poisonous flies haunt the marsh in the camp. The -horses neigh. An ostrich, the greatest delicacy of wild game in -Patagonia, hangs with three legs of guanaco on the meat gallows." So -runs my diary. - -We spent a very humble Christmas up there at Little Horsham Camp, and -made what mild cheer we might. In the morning of Christmas Day we had -horse races, a mile and a half-mile. We rode the best horses in our -respective troops. Barckhausen, however, rode the Azulejo, which he -decorated with a towel and a red handkerchief, to our great amusement. -We were almost ready for the second race when he came in from the -first, having had a difference of opinion on the way with his steed, -which thought it would be much nicer to rejoin his friends and -companions feeding on the green marsh than to run races. - -The surprise of the day was the winning of the races by the Little -Zaino, as we christened him. He was very timid and wild to saddle and -mount, but once up he proved himself a treasure. In appearance he was -a comely enough little horse, plump and well picked up, and had been -used occasionally to carry a cargo on the way to the lake. - -The day before Christmas I wanted to go for a bathe, so I caught our -little friend, and, liking his pace, let him stretch himself a little -on the way back over the edge of the marsh. He stretched himself to -such good purpose that he was ridden in the next day's races and won -the three events, although he was carrying a stone and a half more -than the others! Our course lay through a belt of thick bushes, but, -barring these, was good enough. At any rate, it turned out excellent -fun, and we all enjoyed our races. - -The only one of us who did not get a prize was riding a horse which -came to us with rather a bad name, and which, immediately the others -started, dashed back to the troop. - -During the afternoon we made up our cargoes ready for the morrow's -start, after our Christmas dinner, of which I print the menu: - - LAGO BUENOS AIRES, 1900. CHRISTMAS DAY. - - At 5 o'clock P.M. - - NOTICE.--_Come early to get a good helping._ - - MENU. - - Common or Garden Duff a la Azulejo. Condiment au lait Suisse. - - GRAND DUFF a la H. Jones avec muscatelles. - - Boeuf. - - Ostrich a la Patagonie. - (If you want it.) - - Gigot de Guanaco. - (Order beforehand.) - - Cocao au lait} Suisse. - The au lait } - - Vieux Cognac avec vulcanite. - - Plug Tobacco. - - GOD SAVE THE QUEEN. - -In the evening after dinner we indulged in some shooting matches--with -the damaged Colt--which Barckhausen won. - - [Illustration: A PATAGONIAN LAGOON] - -On December 26 we bade good-bye to Horsham Camp. After a long interval -the _cargueros_ were once more loaded up, and the whole troop tailed -away to the eastward. Is any sight sadder than a deserted camp? The -dead or dying camp-fire, the broken remains of food surprised by the -sun, the litter, the bare rubbed grass, and the occasional fox. We -left some tins of corned beef behind us, as I hoped to travel very -fast to Santa Cruz. That day we made anything from eight to ten -leagues, and camped in Seven Ostriches _canadon_, the spot that -Barckhausen and I had previously visited and named after the birds we -saw there. - -The following day (27th) we made a good march and encamped by a -lagoon, upon which I shot two yellow-billed teal, and Jones and -Burbury four ducks, which were plucked before we came into camp. On -the morning after a very difficult part of our journey commenced. All -day we travelled over a pampa covered with basaltic fragments and -thorny bushes; some of these bushes bore a red tulip-like flower. - -Enormous numbers of guanaco haunt these grim plateaus. Jones and I -galloped a half-grown one, and killed it with the help of a dog. The -going was extremely bad, our path lying through gorges and up -steep-sided ridges, rough with basaltic fragments and powdered with -sharp clinkers of lava. It is not easy to describe the changing -fortunes of such a day. For instance, we were turned again and again -by gullies and rifts in the hollows of the hills, and, what with -shifting cargoes on these cruel and almost perpendicular slopes, the -difficulty of keeping the troop of horses straight and of taking care -of one's own limbs, was extreme. Literally thousands of guanaco -appeared on the summits of the surrounding barren ridges, and fled -galloping down the rock-faces with jerking necks and flying hoofs. -Sometimes the old bucks would come and look at us, running towards us -and neighing and laughing, and then ducking their long necks and -cantering off. What they lived on in so sterile a region still remains -a mystery to me. - -I saw one condor poised high. - -Our Indian _baqueano_, Como No, had told us that we must strike -"between two hills." Barckhausen asserted that he had indicated to him -a couple of round peaks on the summit or rather forming the -culminating-points of this high basalt range. We made our way up these -monstrous steps, as it were, of rock, steering by the compass, and -after some twenty miles of travelling found ourselves upon a bare -black highland over which the wind was tearing in heavy gusts. No -wood, no water, no grass. I was afraid we should have to remain there -for the night, and also afraid that Mrs. Trelew, the _madrina_ of the -Trelew troop, whose udder was big, might drop her foal in that sterile -spot. Another danger which menaced us, was that the horses would -certainly become lame if they had to travel far over these broken -rocks. We therefore rode on perhaps another fourteen miles, and the -dark was falling when we found a camp in a _canadon_--a bad approach -strewn with basalt fragments, but a fair camp at the end with a little -stream and good grass. - -On December 29 the Trelew mare dropped her foal, a little -disproportionately-boned, huge-jointed _alazan_ filly. During the day -Scrivenor and I explored the _canadon_ and I shot a guanaco and an -ostrich. The guanaco was a very father of guanacos, old, scarred, -black-faced and war-worn. His meat was worse than that of a he-goat. - -To all sides of us stretched the limitless expanses of basalt, and our -outlook was not a cheerful one. An examination of the horses' hoofs -convinced us that another day's marching such as the last would work -great havoc amongst them. I did not know how far this wilderness of -basalt might extend, so on December 30 set out with Burbury to attempt -to find its boundary. - -Our intention had been to strike the Indian trail under the Cordillera -and follow it until we reached the neighbourhood of the River -Belgrano, when we would keep the course of that river to its junction -with the River Chico, which in its turn would lead us down to the -settlement of Santa Cruz, our destination. When I left the Cordillera -I had made up my mind to return to them farther south at the Lake -Argentino near lat. 50 deg.. To cover a large area of country, and at the -same time to collect specimens, is a physical impossibility. I had -therefore decided to leave Scrivenor at Santa Cruz to collect fossils -in that vicinity, while I myself again crossed the continent to the -Andes, some part of which I hoped to explore, and my dreams were not -uninfluenced by the stories of the red puma, of the existence of -which, however, Scrivenor was very dubious. - -Such, then, were the reasons that were taking us to the eastern -coast, and my desire was to arrive there as soon as possible in order -to have plenty of time to carry out my projects before winter made -travelling of any kind impossible. Once we reached the River Belgrano -our difficulties would be over, that we knew; but in order to attain -this end we had to pass through a region somewhat waterless and stony -lying on the verge of the basalt wilderness, into which we had -strayed. - - [Illustration: THE INDIAN TRAIL] - -To get away from this basalt region was, of course, our first desire. -Could we but find the Indian trail, which we were sure must be at no -great distance, and which stretches, leading one from camp to camp, -all the way from Lake Buenos Aires to Punta Arenas, with a branch in -the direction of Santa Cruz, our troubles would be at an end. Owing, -however, to the lessening number of Indians, the track is now only -clearly visible for half a mile at a time in the neighbourhood of -fords and other difficult places. - -To return to our search. Burbury and I had started early. The going at -first was over basalt clinker, fearful for the horses' feet, but -presently we came to a low round hillock of pebble--a hopeful sight, -for I had been half afraid we might be deep in the basalt wilderness. -Following on we discovered other pebbly hillocks, on one of which I -found a single horse-track, stamped when the ground was soft some time -previously. After a while, as we rounded a slope, we saw a bit of -green camp. We were bearing a little west of south, and there we -struck the full Indian trail--that wonderful trail, which runs league -after league, worn by the footsteps of generations upon generations of -Indians as they migrated up and down the length of the country with -their women and children, their guanaco-skin tents and their few -possessions. - -The trail is much like a guanaco-track, or rather like several -running side by side. So the Tehuelches leave their footmarks, which -resemble those of the game they live by, and they leave little else to -show to those who come after, that here hundreds of men have existed -through the centuries, knowing such joys and sufferings as lie between -birth and death, only a trodden line across the waste and a few burnt -bushes by the wayside. - - [Illustration: RIVER OLIN] - -We rode back to the camp, and decided to try the little filly with a -short march, as much delay was out of the question. The horses all -appeared to be interested in the arrangement, and refused to be driven -unless the filly led. This she did, making her first journey trotting -beside her mother. We had to cross a ford, and Barckhausen brought the -filly over gently by the ear, Mrs. Trelew objecting extremely to such -treatment of her offspring. We are all very careful and tender over -our loose-limbed baby. During the short march we saw many guanacos. - -The duration of the expedition might be divided into periods: first, -the biscuit period, when every one toasted biscuits, hard camp -biscuits, shiny and of a great size; followed by the dumpling period. -Now it was the damper period, which was the most appetising of them -all. - - [Illustration: THE EASTERN PORTION OF LAKE BUENOS AIRES] - -On the last day of the year we managed seven leagues, and camped in a -bare _canadon_. New Year's Day we covered eight leagues of bare and -arid steppes of pampa. At this time we had a great deal of hunting. A -lame dog, left behind by our Argentine ostrich-hunter, turned out to -be excellent for sport. We named him Chichi. We camped by a lagoon of -muddy water with a thin strip of feed half encircling it, but the -grass was rich with seed. Mirages haunted our marches through this -desolate region. This chapter might be called "Through the Land of -Distant Hills." There was a savage loneliness between those wide -horizons that thrust itself upon you. One felt a mere atom, and the -thought of finding oneself condemned to live there alone seemed too -awful to face. The bare, round-headed hills looked old and bald, -eternal winds (though not so strong as nearer to the lake) whistled -sadly as before, and on all sides pampa pebbly and grassless, ridge on -ridge, horizon on horizon, mirage on mirage. - -Suddenly, during that night, the sky became black over the distant -Cordillera and the rain began. Immediately we slung up the tents. Oh, -those tents, what a comfort they were at the end of a weary march! We -had no adequate poles and no bushes or pegs to hang them upon, but we -got them up somehow and put the cargo round them. Then we crept inside -and listened to the rain. The warm beds, the rugs, the candle and -tobacco and books. It was homelike. And the dry shirt one could put on -within that shelter, with the rain, rain outside! When you have slept -out in all weathers you begin to understand the full luxury of a tent -like ours, with its furs and warmth and a decent pipe out of the wind. -It is a moving home. To be free of the weather, to let it rain if it -wants to, to lie and listen to it, these are all thrilling pleasures, -pleasures because of the contrast to the wet open camp where, in spite -of the covered and sweating head and body, the pitiless rain trickles -in pools into your bed. And the spell of reading at night inside the -tent, the company of thoughts new and old of wise men, these are -pleasures of which only the wanderer knows the true sweetness. - -During the next day or two we continued to travel over the same -waterless stony pampa; there were pigmy hillocks, many guanaco and a -lagoon of wonderful shades of blue, also the wind ahead, and dust -blowing back into our eyes. We crossed the River Olin and pushed on -for the River Chico. One cold night as we sat round the fire some one -suggested we should have an exhibition of our effects when we reached -Santa Cruz. Beyond a broken cup or two, a _bombilla_, and a shattered -kettle, we could produce little else. It was hinted that Barckhausen's -trousers might figure in it, and I offered to contribute my old coat. - -Before reaching the River Belgrano we came in sight of a troop of -horses being driven across the pampa by a couple of Gauchos. At first -sight we thought them a mirage. On inquiry I was told that my friend -Senor Waag was in command, news at which I was naturally delighted. I -had made Mr. Waag's acquaintance in Buenos Aires, and we had arranged -to meet in Patagonia if possible. Mr. Waag was on the Argentine -Boundary Commission, and has done more valuable geographical work in -the Cordillera than any other man. Being told that he was only a -couple of hours behind the troop, I galloped on to meet him, for I -heard that his waggon had broken down, and so made sure of coming upon -him. After a few hours going, I arrived at the camp of his assistants, -where were two Italian engineers, and also some piratical-looking -_peones_ in red caps making bread in an oven dug into the ground. But -Mr. Waag himself was not there, having gone off the track to camp in a -_canadon_. I was greatly disappointed, for I had looked forward to -this meeting. - - [Illustration: RIVER BELGRANO] - -However, we were greedy to hear news of the outer world, from which we -had been cut off for four months. We were far behind the times. I -think our first question was about the war and Kruger. We learned that -he was in Europe and that guerilla warfare was still going on. The -Italians' news only carried up to November. - - [Illustration: THE ITALIAN ENGINEERS' WAGGON] - -We made our camp a little way from theirs, and our hounds strayed over -to them and stayed with their waggons, deserting us altogether. As -for ourselves, we were most kindly entertained by the Italian -engineers, and enjoyed the luxuries of a tin of butter, biscuit, -bread, tea, milk, sugar and some cognac. Flies abounded and bothered -us as we ate our meal on a packing-case, an ostentatious comfort which -made us feel very civilised. - -We were now in the valley of the Chico, which is a large stream with a -swift current, its _canadon_ bordered with bare ridges. It felt like -old times to be in a river valley once more, reminding us of those we -had passed through on our way to Lake Buenos Aires. We saw geese -again, of which I shot two, and also a pigeon. The valley here was -very rich with red seed-bearing grass, and beyond, nearer to the -water, a glorious green _pantano_, dotted with deep clear pools. - -Before parting with the Italians they presented us with some sugar and -I gave them some tea and tobacco. The valley through which we marched -continued to be very fertile. The grass was like that of an English -meadow with sweet far-off scents, but lacking the dewiness of our -English scents of wood and wold. - -On January 7 we travelled eleven leagues, taking a short cut through a -bare _canadon_ of dry mud-hills. Leaving this behind us we again came -in sight of the River Chico and crossed a high pampa of yellow -tussocks and gravel. The morning dawned hot with the usual -accompaniment of mosquitoes and sand-flies. As we sighted the river -this heat gave place to a fresh rain-smelling wind, inexpressibly -grateful. - -In the afternoon, as we rode along, there appeared against the sky a -keen peak of rock--Sierra Ventana. We had long been looking forward to -our first glimpse of it, knowing it would be a sign that we were -nearing civilisation. Blue, distant, perhaps thirty miles away, behind -the basalt hills, it raised its strange castle-like head, only the -castle is of nature's building, not man's. I think we all welcomed -this token of the old kindly inhabited world again, after our months -spent on houseless plains and inhospitable mountains. - -A herd of guanaco some twenty strong showed at almost the same moment. -I galloped forward, feeling glad that our dinner no longer depended -on my shot. I was a mere sportsman once more. The doe I shot had fat -on her, the first we had seen during our wanderings, "just as we've -got the chance of fat mutton, too," as someone remarked. Rain fell at -night, and the wind blew, but with the razor-edge of cold off. We -camped in some flowering grasses with the bare steppes of the pampa on -one side and the dark hills on the other; behind these, among some -bright streaks in the stormy billowy sky, the Sierra Ventana thrust up -its crest. - - [Illustration: THE HOME OF THE INDIAN WHO GAVE US MUTTON] - -Next day we came upon a hut of Indians, who gave me some mutton, for -which they would accept no payment. Perhaps they did not like to take -money from a man in so old a coat! I, however, gave them some tobacco. - - [Illustration: SIERRA VENTANA] - -Later we came upon a bush-shelter of some tender of sheep and cattle. -It was a forlorn little place--just a hut of poles and bushes and -skins by the river bank. It was doorless, and the dweller must have -been a very small man, judging by his bed, which was a hole in the -earth, pillowed with a broken wooden cargo-saddle. On one of the props -was fastened a card with the word "_Salido_" (Gone out). A bag of -canvas, old and stained, was tied up to the roof, a cracked tiny -mirror hung from the central pole. He seemed to have no provisions, -only a bag of _yerba_. He had recently killed a lion, for we found its -skull. We saw some half-wild cattle near by. It was a grey evening, -and, as always when out of the river valleys, the scene around was -colourless basaltic desolation. - - [Illustration: LA GAVIOTA] - -On the 9th we struck three habitations. Strong squalls with gusts of -rain accompanied us on our way. Sheep and cattle could be seen in the -valley below, and at last we stopped at an _estancia_, where we bought -farina, flour, biscuit, sugar, and mutton--luxuries to which we had -for some time been strangers. The owner allowed us to sleep in some -mud-houses by the river, and we enjoyed the shelter, partial as it -was. - -Our next day's march took us across four fords, and by evening we -reached an _estancia_, where I was kindly received and given afternoon -tea. _Estancia_ is a word with a fine sound. It may, however, mean -anything from a real house, full of comfort, to a mud hut. This -_estancia_ was a delightful change to us; we could sit on chairs and -saw prints on the wall and a sideboard once more. The night fell very -cold, with an empty heaven overhead, but its lower arcs set with -slate-blue cloud. - -On the 11th we hit civilisation after a march of over forty miles, the -last part of which lay across a _travesia_. Civilisation took the form -of an undersized drinking-shop perched on the rim of the bare pampa. -How we had longed for civilisation--and now we had found it! I sat -writing in a room with pink fly-blown walls and green fittings of the -grimiest. Four Gauchos of the lower sort were playing cards for beans -and shrieking over their game. The little innkeeper, a small, dark, -aquiline, black-bearded Argentine, in a dirty white vest and a black -neck-rag, held rule inside. Any camp is better than these antennae of -civilisation, that seem to have touched and always to bear onwards -with them things unclean and repulsive. Jones' homely face was good to -see, when he came in and said, "I should like to be away from here." - - [Illustration: SANTA CRUZ] - -I realised suddenly how I loved the camp and the cold clean hills, -when I heard the raucous music of that unlovely place. It was -scarcely a pleasure to see cognac advertisements again, and to smell -the dregs of yesterday yet awash on the greasy grey metal counter! A -concertina was playing the old aching tunes that always seem to carry -with them tags of vice and crime. - - [Illustration: RESIDENTS OF SANTA CRUZ] - -We pushed on for Santa Cruz, and on the way passed the house of -another trader, who also sold liquor. It squatted beside the river, -which here flowed blue and estuary-like between white-faced cliffs -backed by bald hills. A board over the door of the shop bore the -legend "_La Gaviota_," or Seagull. It was evidently part of the -wreckage of some boat washed up on these beaches. - -Santa Cruz town is situated on the banks of a large estuary formed by -the junction of the rivers Santa Cruz and the Southern Chico before -they fall into the Atlantic. It is a straggling place, a collection of -wooden houses with roofs of corrugated iron. The chief export is wool, -which in the season lies in long rows of bales upon the shore ready -to be embarked. The town lies beyond sandhills, which separate it from -the sea. Concertinas and jack-boots ring in its galvanised-iron huts; -mules, horses, dogs, and cattle house in its formless _plazas_. It is -a place which you hate and like at one and the same time. You long to -get away from it while you are there, yet find yourself looking back -sometimes and wishing to see again its vague streets and its drag-net -agglomeration of humanity. - - - - -CHAPTER XIII - -JOURNEY TO LAKE ARGENTINO - - Dividing expedition -- Darwin's trip up the Santa Cruz -- - Provisions -- Shoeing horses -- Pampa grass and marsh - grass -- Start for Lake Argentino -- Burbury and Bernardo - -- Visit various _estancias_ -- Negro -- Suspicious - wayfarers -- Hospitality -- _Canadon_ of the Santa Cruz -- - Dry pampa -- Sunsets -- Game and wildfowl -- Flamingos -- - Sandflies -- Mystery Plain -- Lake Argentino -- River del - Bote -- Mount Viscachas -- Lonely lagoon -- Death-place of - guanaco -- Neigh of guanaco -- Large herds -- Thorny grass - -- Description of Lake Argentino -- A tragedy of wild life - -- Condors -- Numerous birds and beasts of prey -- - Severities of winters -- Snowfall -- Burmeister Peninsula - -- Lake Rica or South Fjord -- Bad weather -- The Wild Man - of Santa Cruz. - - -I spent a few days in Santa Cruz making arrangements to divide my -expedition into two parts, leaving Scrivenor with the _peones_ to -collect fossils and specimens in the neighbourhood of the River Santa -Cruz, where most interesting deposits exist, while I with Burbury and -a _peon_, whom I picked up at Santa Cruz, recrossed the continent to -the lake-region. - -In a huge country like Patagonia, to explore and to collect at the -same time is practically out of the question, but by dividing our -forces I hoped to achieve both ends more satisfactorily. - -The lake which I now wished to visit is the last very large piece of -water in the long chain of Andean lakes and lagoons. It is a little to -the south of 50 deg. S. lat. From this lake, Lake Argentino, the River -Santa Cruz flows eastwards and empties itself into the Atlantic, the -settlement of Santa Cruz being situated at the mouth of the river. It -was by following the course of this river upwards for some 140 miles -that Darwin made his only serious expedition into the interior of -Patagonia. His party found the passage of the river both dangerous and -laborious, and Captain FitzRoy decided to return to Santa Cruz on the -fifth day, after they sighted the snowy summits of the Cordillera. -Thus they never reached Lake Argentino. - -We also followed the course of the river, but on horseback instead of -by boat, and thus for the early part of our journey we passed through -the identical country traversed by Darwin. - -[Illustration: THE MAIN STREET, SANTA CRUZ] - -I desired above all things to be able to move rapidly, and accordingly -cut down the amount and weight of our baggage as far as prudence -permitted. I append a list of the provisions, which I intended--with -the help of guanaco meat--to last us for the four months which -remained before we must return to the coast if we wished to escape the -severities of the Andean winter: - - 35 kilos farina. - 25 kilos oatmeal. - 15 kilos sugar. - 6 lb. tea. - 12 tins cocoa. - -Besides these we took a spare change of underclothing, one of the -tents, fifty rounds of 12-bore ball and the same quantity of shot -cartridges and 150 for the Mauser rifle. - -We were able to put everything on two _cargueros_, and even then they -were not very heavily loaded. I took two _madrinas_, the Zaino mare -and Mrs. Trelew, with their respective troops, the horses numbering -in all twenty-one. During their rest in Santa Cruz they had attained -to quite fair condition, and were in consequence ready for the road. -It was necessary to shoe such as would permit the operation, as their -hoofs had been worn down by the basalt fragments which had strewed our -path from the north. The operation, by the way, was one which we had -to perform ourselves, as the blacksmith at Santa Cruz, on being asked -to do it, said he preferred the trade of building wooden houses, but -consented to lend us his forge and tools for three dollars a day. We -had some difficulty in finding shoes to fit, and I warn any future -traveller against the nails which they keep for shoeing purposes in -the settlement. - -The short harsh grass usually to be had on the pampa is certainly a -very much better food for horses destined to travel long and hard -journeys than the beautiful meadowy _vegas_ of the Cordillera, which -look so inviting. The richer grass of the latter naturally fattens -them in a wonderfully short space of time, but the first hard day's -march cuts up their condition like so much butter. - -We left Santa Cruz on January 22. I was accompanied by Burbury and a -Swede, Bernardo Haehansen, who proved in the event to be a useful and -courageous fellow. Our first march took us to Mr. Campbell's -_estancia_. We saw a good number of guanaco and some ostriches on the -way, which at first lay across the open pampa, afterwards diving into -a deep _canadon_ some seven and a half leagues long. The little Blanco -showed his appreciation of the excellent food he had been enjoying by -behaving badly. On arrival we found Mr. Campbell was away from the -farm repairing fences, so we were obliged to await his return. When he -came, he took us up to the house, where we had some tea. We remained -at the _estancia_ for the night, and next day went on about three -leagues over good pampa to Messrs. Cressard and Dobree's. The manager, -Mr. John Noble, received us kindly. The cook at this farm, a former -New Zealand hand, had come with us to Puerto Madryn in the _Primero de -Mayo_, and said he would have applied to go with us had he known how -to cargo horses. As he cooked very well I should have been glad to -have received his application. On January 24 we reached Clementi's -_estancia_. We were accompanied on the march by an old Irish sailor -with a Hibernian cast of countenance. The _senora_ asked us into the -house and at once gave us hot milk and bread, which was very grateful -after a long day in the saddle. The valley near by was full of sheep, -and several healthy-looking children were playing about the buildings. -Here also I saw the first and only negro I met with in Patagonia. The -sight of his face gave me a sudden vivid recollection of Hayti. A -long-bearded Argentine patriarch, whom I descried first in the -half-lights of the kitchen during the evening, looked a very Abraham -and most venerable, but daylight on the morrow robbed him of all -romance. - - [Illustration: FORD ON THE RIVER SANTA CRUZ] - -On this day (the 25th) we pushed on to the Sub-prefecto's _estancia_. -It consisted of the usual corrugated iron shanty and barn. We marched -on the following morning and reached La Ultima Casa, where we were -hospitably entertained by Mrs. Hardy. She was indeed very kind. Her -husband had been an Englishman, but she herself was an Argentine. It -is certainly a fact in Patagonia that the Argentines are far more -ready to show hospitality than are our own countrymen. One hardly -wonders, however, at people being a little cautious and suspicious, -as the wayfarer is not always a wandering angel in Patagonia, or, for -that matter, in any thinly populated country that is being newly -opened up. Therefore we were the more grateful to our hostess of La -Ultima Casa. At the shanty of another farmer, a Scotchman, we had had -the door bolted against us, and been told to await his home-coming if -we wished to enter the house. - -We ate our meal at Mrs. Hardy's sitting on up-turned boxes, and she -brought out some magazines for our reading. Hers was a strange -existence, poor old lady! She appeared to be regarded or--it comes to -the same thing--thought she was regarded a little in the light of an -Ishmaelite by her neighbours, who were trying (she told me) to acquire -her land. Her position did not seem to be prosperous. The _casa_ had -the usual corrugated roof, and her one window could boast no glass. -From this main building a sort of barn jutted out to the left. Later -on, I decided that this annex, which I at first took to be a barn, -must be the old lady's private sanctum, for from it she produced five -magazines, some lions' claws, a skunk-skin rug, some hen's eggs, and -the hen herself. A regular widow's cruse of a place. The blackened -roof of the kitchen was supported by four beams lengthways and four -across, these last shiny as if tarred with the smoke of many winters. -An old step-ladder in the corner answered the uses of a cupboard, cups -and so forth being kept on a couple of wooden shelves, and lumps of -sheep's fat decorated the room. We sat on the old wooden bedstead with -its pile of sheepskins for bed-clothes and wrote our diary. Our -hostess, who wore her hair in two plaits hanging down at each side of -her face, sat on a case and talked while she drank the inevitable -_mate_ through a _bombilla_. She asked us to remain over a second day, -which was most good of her, but we had to continue our journey. - -We marched until about three o'clock, when, coming up to an empty -shanty, we took shelter in it for a while, as it happened to be very -hot. Later we started again, and made a long march across a pampa -above the _canadon_ of the Santa Cruz, which is here two miles or more -in breadth. Speaking of this _canadon_, I cannot do better than give -Darwin's words: "This valley varies from five to ten miles in -breadth: it is bounded by step-formed terraces, which rise in most -parts one above the other to the height of 500 feet, and have on the -opposite sides a remarkable correspondence." - -The river winds considerably as it flows through the _canadon_, the -sides of which are very bare and grassless, excepting where springs -break through and flow down the cliff-side, their course being marked -by a line of vivid green. The pampa above, along which we travelled, -was made up of bare yellow levels, broken here and there by strips and -patches of a very dark green bush, so dark as to seem almost black. We -found a good deal of difficulty in getting to a camp with water, as -the pampa was very dry, so we prolonged our march till 7.15 P.M., when -we came upon a shallow and turbid stream running down in a southerly -direction from the _barranca_. In the end we had to descend into the -_canadon_ of the river. Not far from the spot which we chose for -camping lay the bodies of some eighty guanaco with their skins on, -which had died during the previous winter. - -The landscape immediately on the banks of the Santa Cruz is arid and -hopeless in the extreme, but one can never forget the glory of -Patagonia, its wonderful sunsets, which gleam out over the dull-hued -empty wastes in a splendour of colour. So on that night as I stood in -the shadow that steeped all my side of the river, the other bank was -lit up with a translucent glow of sunset as delicately yellow as if it -shone through the petals of a buttercup. - -On January 27 we started along the _canadon_, which continued to be -desolate and rather stony. We saw many guanaco, living and dead. After -a time we made for the pampa above, from where we looked once again -upon the Cordillera, gleaming very dim and faint on the horizon. -Finding a lagoon with some grass about it, we off-saddled for an hour. -Later we marched on rather more slowly than usual, and camped in such -a place as a wildfowler might see in dreams of the night. A lagoon of -sword-blue water, but in shape like an arrowhead, rimmed in with low -green rushes, above these yellow tussocks of coarse grass bending in -the wind, behind all a bare promontory arched over by a sad evening -sky. On the breeze came the "Honk, honk" of geese mixed with the -thinner notes of snipe. Ducks, too, were there, and the snipe in wisps -of thirty. Presently, as I sat writing, a guanaco came in sight, and -later a flock of cayenne lapwings (_Vanellus cayennensis_). I might -have been, as far as the aspect of things was concerned (save for the -guanaco) in Uist and going home to a warm fireside, instead of -journeying on and on for many days and weeks to come over the endless -pampa and into the distant Cordillera. - - [Illustration: THE DRINKING-PLACE.] - -At this lagoon also I saw a condor (_Sarcorhampus gryphus_), and -before this had seen a couple when at Mrs. Hardy's. It must have been -near this spot that Darwin shot his condor, which he speaks of as -measuring eight and a half feet from wing-tip to wing-tip, and four -feet from head to tail. - -By the middle of the next day (January 28) we reached a lagoon with a -threshold of green meadowy marsh, a relief after a long pull over a -waterless and bare stretch of country, and there took a needed -half-hour of rest. On our second starting we managed to wander into a -desert of basalt or lava, and could only advance very slowly and with -difficulty.[22] Nor could we find water for a long time; at length we -came in sight of a big pool lying ruffled in the saffron lights of the -sunset. Upon its margin or in the water were flamingos (_Phoenicopterus -ignipalliatus_), upland geese (_Chloephaga magellanica_), thirty-four -bandurias (_Theristicus caudatus_). There were also guanaco within -sight. Here we camped, and found yet another deep and rocky lagoon, on -which were many divers which I could not identify. A heavy wind was -blowing, which died down at night and gave occasion for hundreds of -sandflies to rise and worry us. Each day, as we marched on, the -Cordillera seemed to be advancing, as it were, towards us. - -We woke to find the next day pale with thin sunlight glinting across -the prospect of basalt, low bushes and far horizons. We were now well -beyond Mystery Plain, which formed the limit of Darwin's expeditions -up the river, and which he named with a strong desire to push on and -find out what lay on its farther side. - -On the 29th we made a long march. After some couple of hours' going we -saw ahead of us clear pampa instead of the rocky stone-strewn surface -of the region we had been passing through of late. Over this pampa, -though it was tussocky and uneven, we were able to advance at a good -rate towards a line of hills that rose in the west. As we approached -we saw that they stood up ridge behind ridge, and over these we rode, -passing many good camping-grounds and seeing herds of guanaco, but no -wood or bush for fire. At last we got to the top of the last ridge of -all, and there, standing in the teeth of a strong wind, we looked down -upon Lake Argentino lying below us, and backed by the peaks and snow -summits of the Cordillera. - -Although there were many _canadones_ and grass of the richest, we -could find no water, and so went on and on. - -Presently, as we were descending towards the lake, we reached a -lagoon, but found no feed there for the horses, so we were forced to -leave it behind, although the troop was tired and we had been for -several hours in the saddle. I perceived traces of horses at some -distance, and we therefore left the bank of the lagoon and cut across -the pampa heading for them. We wandered on through bare hills, which -fell in perplexing folds, curve within curve, and at last we reached -the River del Bote, which has but one ford by which we could cross. -This we found, worked the troop over, and then encamped. - - [Illustration: MAP OF LAKE ARGENTINO AND DISTRICT. - _SHOWING ROUTES._] - -Day by day we had been leaving behind us the seemingly limitless -pampas and were now drawing close to the full blue range of -minaret-shaped mountains. Each march was adding to their height and -making clearer the details hidden in the hedge-sparrow-egg hue of -their distances. First we came in sight of Mount Viscachas one morning -when, bearing a little too far out upon the pampa, we struck a tract -of very bad going. The ground was covered with thorny bushes and -basalt fragments, and here and there harsh tussocks of grass sprouted -from the blackened wilderness of stones. The night we passed beside -the lagoon on the high pampa left an impression on my mind as one of -the most desolate and forbidding of camps. Flocks of flamingos were -standing in the upland pool, and round about upon the little -promontories that thrust out into the wind-whipped water bandurias -were huddled in close order, while as the evening began to fall a wisp -of snipe flew over, wailing most mournfully. Few things, indeed, seem -to me to bring out into keener prominence the loneliness of a place -than the cry of snipe heard in the windy gloaming. There is some -suggestion of human sorrow in the sound. - -So we had journeyed westward, having always upon the south the yellow -pampa, and beside us on the north the river running through its deep -_canadon_, while every dawn the vast phalanx of the Andean peaks -seemed to have moved nearer, as though the great mass of mountain was -marching slowly and surely towards us like the battle-front of some -destroying army. - -Again we came upon a second death-place of guanaco, which made a scene -strange and striking enough. There cannot have been less than five -hundred lying there in positions as forced and ungainly as the most -ill-taken snapshot photograph could produce. Their long necks were -outstretched, the rime of weather upon their decaying hides, and their -bone-joints glistening through the wounds made by the beaks of -carrion-birds. They had died during the severities of the previous -winter, and lay literally piled one upon another. A brown, almost -chocolate-coloured, lagoon washed close to the front rank of the dead, -and those in the rearmost line had evidently lain down to die while in -the very act of descending the tall _barranca_ for water. The -mortality among guanaco in a really hard winter is tremendous. They -die in batches, absolutely in hundreds. At that season they come down -to the lower grounds for warmth and water, but desert them in the -summer and take to the high pampa, where, as I have described in -another place, the Indians hunt and slay them in great numbers for -their pelts. The cry of the guanaco is a noise unique. It is something -between a bleat, a laugh, and a neigh. Often the old _macho_ of a herd -would come to the high ground nearest to our camp, and from it neigh -defiance at us, while the rest of the point would satisfy their -curiosity by staring from a safer distance. - -Upon the high pampa, across which, bearing north-west, we passed, we -found guanaco to be extraordinarily plentiful, and fatter than any we -had hitherto met with in our wanderings through the country. Upon this -pampa was no firewood at all, nothing save rolling grass which pricked -you with minute thorns, so that a walk through it left your putties -spined like a porcupine. To stalk in this grass, where the guanacos -were unusually wild, and long periods of crawling were necessary to -attain success, one had to carry a piece of guanaco-skin in the left -hand, which took up the grass spines that must otherwise have entered -the palm of the hunter. - -Our first glimpse of Lake Argentino was a strongly-marked and vivid -picture as seen from the rim of the high pampa when we surmounted it. -A great eye of blue water--for the sun was bright--set beneath white -pent-house brows of the mountain range. A tremendous wind was blowing -out of the north-west, and we could see the great southern lake was in -a turmoil of short and angry seas. Deep channels cut away into the -depths of the Cordillera at the western end, and at the eastern side -the waters flowed out into the swift current of the River Santa Cruz. -Farther along the northern shore the _canadon_ of the River Leona was -also visible. We could not then guess how glad we should one day be to -reach the haven of that river mouth. Beyond the lake, and partly -surrounding it, the Cordillera raised their jagged line of peaks -against the sky. From the bases upwards towards the higher altitudes -the mountains were black with forests. Three large icebergs floated on -the water at the farther side, one of which had drifted into shallows -near the shore. No sign of life was to be observed anywhere in the -great hollow stretching beneath us. - -To my mind Argentino is a far more beautiful lake than Buenos Aires. -After a long look we began to descend into the lower land by a sharp -cleft that led down into a deep _canadon_. It was, owing to a recent -landslip, a nasty piece of travelling, and the horses, disliking it, -broke back more than once, the _Zaino overo_ taking the lead as usual. - - [Illustration: FIORD OF LAKE ARGENTINO, SHOWING FOREST ON MOUNT - AVELLANEDA] - -Emerging from this cleft we came on one of Nature's tragedies. Upon -the side of the slope was a guanaco, fallen (when I first caught -sight of it) upon its knees, and making frantic efforts to rise. Three -huge condors were poised a few feet above the head of the unfortunate -animal. I galloped towards them, and as I came near the guanaco fell -over upon its side, still moving convulsively. At once one of the -condors lit on the ground beside it. I cannot have been more than a -minute approaching, and as I came close the condor rose into the air -to some distance. A thin stream of blood was trickling down the -surface of the rock upon which the guanaco lay, and the poor creature -was jerking its legs and body. During the moment which I had taken to -ride up the condor had torn out its eyes! The guanaco was evidently -dying of scab, and had thinned down into a mere skeleton. - -I own to a horror and a loathing of the condor. Seen against the pale -hue of the sky, its stately flight and grand spread of motionless wing -made it seem a noble bird, but near by it shared the repulsive -appearance of other carrion-eaters. In size it is enormous. I shot one -off Hellgate measuring nine feet three inches across the outstretched -pinions. It rivals the vulture in its ability to quickly discover and -arrive upon the scene of a feast, and is in the habit of gorging -itself until it becomes practically powerless, and it is possible to -slay it afoot with a stick. It is one thing to be well mounted on a -good horse and to watch, as you ride along, the far specks in the -intense blue, or to admire them wheeling in wide graceful circles with -quiescent wings, but quite another aspect of them would be borne in -upon you if your horse chanced to stumble, and left you, say, with a -broken leg upon the empty pampa; long before help might come, or, -indeed, if you were alone, would be at all likely to come, you would -make a terribly close acquaintance with the methods a condor adopts -when meat--be it dead or wounded--falls under his power of beak and -claw. - -Patagonia is certainly a wonderful country for birds and beasts of -prey. You may travel leagues upon leagues and see no sign of life save -chimangos (_Milvago chimango_), caranchos (_Polyborus thaurus_), and -condors (_Sarcorhampus gryphus_) in the air and upon the bushes, and -at your feet the tracks of lion and of fox and of skunk. Sometimes -this fact strikes you with peculiar force. The landscape made up of -thorny bushes and spike grass jagged rocks, and white and grey slime, -in which live the puma, the wild-cat, and the fox; the air inhabited -by birds of prey. What do they live upon, these creatures, there are -so many of them? How do they eke out existence? Sparse herds of -guanaco (I am now alluding to the sterile portions of the country, -such as lie about the north shore of Lake Buenos Aires and also part -of the north shore of Lake Argentino), a few small birds, and abundant -rodent life of the smaller species--that is all. Curiously enough, in -the richer lands of Patagonia, it seemed to me that, though there was -more game, there were fewer birds and beasts of prey. - -In the winter and in the spring the country, as far as wild life is -concerned, is but a thin and gaunt place. Nothing that wanders carries -any fat, for the food has been reduced to a minimum. It is on this -sterile battlefield of nature that living creatures enter into a -death-grapple with the conditions of life, and swing to and fro in a -contest whose outcome is only decided when the dark days of storm are -over; for at this season the richer lands are often under snow, and it -is about the bare margins of lakes and lagoons that the game gathers -and remains. - -All the way up the River Santa Cruz we were able to recognise the -points marked and named by Darwin, until finally his party was forced -through lack of provisions to turn back just when he had arrived -within reasonable distance of the great lake. He named this last -prospect he looked out over in Patagonia, "Mystery Plain." Now it no -longer is mysterious, but Darwin's map remains to this day the best -chart made of the river. - -His description and his opinion of the country are sufficiently -dismal, but he passed through a waste and empty land, before -colonising on the coasts had reached its present state, or much of the -country within reach of the sea had been partitioned, as it now is, -into sheep farms. And it must be admitted that the neighbourhood of -the Santa Cruz is somewhat sterile, and would be likely to give a -false idea of Patagonia as a forbidding land to a stranger who knew no -more of the country than the coast and this boulder and sand-strewn -river valley. This _canadon_ is, in fact, covered with glacial -detritus. - - [Illustration: END OF SOUTHERN FIORD OF LAKE ARGENTINO] - -Leaving the shore of the lake well to our right we rode parallel -with it for some miles, crossed the Rivers Calafate and de los Perros, -and finally arrived upon a peninsula which culminates in Mount Buenos -Aires. This peninsula is called the Burmeister Peninsula. Here, many -days' ride into the interior, and under the very shadow of the Andes, -lives an English pioneer, Mr. Cattle, whom we visited, and who was -kind enough to help me in every way and to give us hospitality. - -During the first night we spent upon the shores of Lake Argentino -there was a heavy snowfall on the tops of the nearer mountains. - - [Illustration: _ESTANCIA_ OF MR. E. CATTLE] - -Our first move was in the direction of Lake Rica--so-called locally. -Upon the maps we had with us it was marked as a separate lake -connected by a river with Lake Argentino. We soon proved this to be a -mistake, the so-called Lake Rica being an arm of the large lake, -connected with the parent volume of water by a channel of considerable -width, which is occasionally blocked, or nearly so, by icebergs. I -should mention that we had left England before the publication of Dr. -Moreno's excellent map, in which this and many other errors had -already been set right. - -Taking our horses, we made our way to the south-west along the shores -of Lake Rica. We were forced to make detours, as the steep banks were -cut up by innumerable rifts, at the bottom of nearly every one of -which streams of varying size emptied themselves into the fjord. Heavy -forests clothed the slopes of the hills almost to the margin of the -water. Very little animal life was to be observed. I picked up a -number of iron-ore stalactites on the shores and also from the mud of -the shallow water near them. When approaching the end of this South -Fjord--as Lake Rica should properly be called--of Lake Argentino we -crossed a river or rather, I should say, a torrent, that after a -riotous course between very steep cliffs flowed over a rocky bed into -the South Fjord. This river would have been, I should say, impassable -at an earlier date in the season. - -Our advance was finally stopped by cliffs which descended clear to the -water's edge. We camped on the shingle at the foot of the cliffs just -short of the spot where their bases plunged under the level of the -water, and all night long we could hear the rushing thunder of masses -of ice breaking from the parent glaciers and crashing down into the -fjord. - -The weather now completely broke up. Rain fell in, close steady lines -all across our outlook over the western fjord, and the drenched -forests behind us tossed and creaked in the wind. Nothing more dismal -and depressing can be imagined than this forest-land dim with lowering -skies and a downpour of rain. For four days the heavy rain, sometimes -mixed with sleet, continued to fall, and through it we rode back to -the Burmeister Peninsula. - -It was upon the shores of Lake Argentino that a great Gaucho, perhaps -I should say the greatest of all Gauchos, one Ascensio Brunel, at one -time found a hiding-place. We visited the spot later on, but here I -may as well tell some part of the story of his life. He was very -generally known for many years as the "Wild Man of Santa Cruz," and -his history was an extraordinary one--one of those smears of high and -vivid colour which circumstance occasionally paints in upon the dull -humdrum picture of the daily life of a district. - -Let us set out his antecedents. - -He and his brother were Gauchos. They lived in camp, and were partners -in a small business. Cattle, sheep, and horses formed their stock. - -Once they went together on a long journey, and became acquainted with -a lady, whom we will call Bathsheba. They both loved her; yet she was -another's. - - [Illustration: THE WILD MAN.] - -The two brothers descended upon that other and slew him. Then they -made off with the lady to the wilder districts. There they quarrelled -about her. Ascensio waited until his brother happened to be away -tracking horses in a particularly wild part, and then he rounded up -the remainder of the stock, and he and the lady fled yet deeper -into the interior. For a space they covered their tracks and escaped -the brother. - -In the course of time the lady left her lover, as ladies will, and he, -his brain turned by some strange passion, went mad. - -When we strike his trail again he was known as the "Wild Man of Santa -Cruz." - -He began to steal horses, found the sport to his liking, and stole -more. Unable to use or keep them, he merely drove them to some sleepy -hollow, where he killed them in hundreds. (We once counted -eighty-three of these skeletons in one place.) He dressed in the skins -of pumas from head to foot. His saddle was of puma-skin, and armed -only with _boleadores_ he ranged the land stealing. His career was a -long one, and he became such a Gaucho as has never been known. To-day -he might be heard of as lifting a dozen horses on the Santa Cruz -River; a week later he was spiriting away _tropillas_ in Chubut. - -He had the run of 300,000 square miles, the whole of Patagonia was his -farm, his stock what he could steal. - -You may remember that I described a meeting with Indians, a tribe who -lived in tents of guanaco-skins on the River Mayo. The Wild Man paid -them a visit, and stole a hundred mares; and they, discovering it, -rode down his trail and caught him. They took him alive and haled him -as a prisoner to the nearest settlement, where he was put in gaol. - -He escaped, made straight back, and lifted another big batch of the -Mayo Indians' horses. - -Again they pursued him, but he was fain to escape, being mounted on a -very good horse. At last, only one Indian continued to hold on his -trail, and he, when he neared the wild figure clad in puma-skins, grew -afraid and turned back. - -The Wild Man rode on, and also out of our story and all human ken. -That was four years ago. He has not been heard of since. But I daresay -that the Mayo Indians could finish off the story with a different -ending. - -FOOTNOTE: - -[22] A guide who applied to me at Santa Cruz warned me that, if we -went without him, we would have great difficulty at this point. He -asked ten dollars a day for his services, which I, however, declined. - - - - -CHAPTER XIV - -THE DOWN-STREAM NAVIGATION OF THE RIVER LEONA - - Boat necessary for farther exploration -- Steam-launch on - shores of Lake Viedma our only hope -- Start to find her - -- Difficulty of crossing Santa Cruz River -- River Leona - -- Old camp -- Hills and guanaco-tracks -- Lake Viedma -- - Finding launch -- Damaged by wanderers -- Down-stream trip - discussed -- Repairing launch -- Our one chance of - penetrating Cordillera -- Risks of down-stream passage -- - Gathering firewood -- Cold work -- Launch of _Ariel_ -- - Aspect of Leona River -- Good intentions -- Califate fuel - -- Desolate evening -- Getting up stream -- Start in bad - weather -- Obliged to put back -- Second start -- Sucked - into current of Leona -- Bernardo puts on steam -- Rain -- - Stop for the night -- Dangers of Leona channel -- Second - day's trip -- Launch turns in squall -- Rushing down - stream -- Racing ahead of the current -- Awaiting the - finish -- Reach after reach -- Rounding a cliff -- Choice - of many channels -- Narrow passage -- Safe -- Sup off - armadillo -- "If." - - - -As it was impossible to make any further exploration without a craft -of some sort, I began to cast about for materials for boat-building -or, rather, for boat-repairing. There were a couple of canvas boats on -the spot, left on the shore by a Commission some three years -previously, with which I thought perhaps something might be done. But -these, on examination, proved to be so worn with the stress of -weather, and when launched shipped so much water, that it seemed -hardly practicable to use them for our purpose, the more especially as -their holding capacity made it impossible to take more than a small -quantity of provisions. - -I next heard of a boat on the River Santa Cruz, but that was also in -very evil plight, added to which the odds were against our being able -to get her up to Lake Argentino, owing to the fact that the River -Santa Cruz was in flood and the current more than usually fierce. - - _Note._--The author regrets the comparative absence of - illustration to this chapter. The launch shipped so much - water through her broken plate and in other ways that the - photographs taken were destroyed. - -I have mentioned in an earlier chapter the boat which Dr. Moreno had -during his last expedition in the year 1897 brought, at much cost and -labour, to Lake Viedma. There lay our hope. It was a steam-launch, and -the Argentine Commission had packed her up carefully and snugly on the -shore; but, although we knew nothing of her present condition, we were -aware that the chances against her remaining undisturbed for that -period of time were small, as Lake Viedma is not difficult of access, -and in all probability wandering bands of Indians or Gauchos had got -at the boat, stripped off her covering of canvas, and looted such of -her contents as seemed to possess any value in their eyes. - - [Illustration: THE LAUNCH - WITH MR. CATTLE AND BERNARDO ON BOARD] - -However that might be, this launch appeared to be our only resource, -and I was lucky indeed to have been given leave to use her if -necessary. On my speaking to Cattle on the matter, he was kind enough -to offer to accompany me. Burbury possessed a good knowledge of -engineering, which would be of invaluable service to us, and, as it -happened, Bernardo, in the course of his adventurous career, had had -some experience in the engine-room of a Brazilian steamer. - -So on February 15 we set out for Lake Viedma, with the idea of -bringing the launch, if possible, down the River Leona, which is the -connecting waterway between the Lakes Viedma and Argentino. - -To travel from our starting point at the foot of Mount Buenos Aires to -Lake Viedma it was necessary to skirt Lake Argentino until the -southern outlet of the Leona was reached, and then to follow that -river to its source in Lake Viedma. The distance was about eighty -miles more or less, and included the fording of the River Santa Cruz. - -Our party was made up of four men and twenty-one horses, and upon one -of the packs we took a light canvas collapsible boat and a pair of -oars with which to negotiate the Santa Cruz. - -On the following evening we arrived on its southern bank. There we -found an old Commission boat that was used as a ferry, but it was -beached, with the usual contrariety of things, on the wrong side of -the stream, which is from one hundred and fifty to two hundred yards -wide at this spot and runs with a swift current. Many a Gaucho has -lost his life in attempting to cross lower down. - -Next morning it was still dark when the plume of smoke rose from our -camp-fire of califate-wood, and as we sat round it waiting for the -_asado_ to cook, we smoked (a bad habit when indulged in before -breakfast, against which one would warn everybody else) and drank -_mate_. It was a cool dawn I remember that developed later into a hot -day. We put the collapsible boat together, and Cattle, after a mishap -with a rowlock, brought the old and leaky ford-boat across, as we -needed her to transport our baggage. We piled the cargo into her, and -such weak places as we could deal with we strengthened. - -The theory was to take the filly through the river behind the boat, -trusting that the old black bell-mare would follow her offspring, and -the troop in its turn follow the mare, as had occurred on the occasion -of our former crossing of the river near the settlement of Santa -Cruz. - -So we dragged the reluctant and much-protesting filly down to the -riverside, conveyed the boat a few hundred yards up-stream, and then -Bernardo and I got aboard and shoved off. I had put a collar round the -filly's neck, and by this supported her in the wake of the boat. All -would have gone well had not one of the rowlocks, worn by weather and -worm-eaten, struck work and smashed. Left with but one oar the current -took charge of us. Soon the unfortunate filly began to turn over in -the water like a catherine-wheel, and I was unable to help her much, -as I was holding a rowlock in place with one hand and supporting the -filly with the other. Eventually we were obliged to put back, and were -lucky enough to make the south bank just in time, for at that part of -the shore there is but a small stretch upon which it is possible to -land; immediately below high cliffs descend sheer to the water. - -After this we resolved to drive the troop over before us, but although -they had had a long-journey experience of river-crossing they did not -care to face the Santa Cruz. In spite of our efforts they broke back -five or six times. Once we nearly had them in the water, when the -little Zaino got away and galloped up the bank. At last, however, by -dint of bellowing and brandishing oars or anything that came handy, we -succeeded in convincing them that the south shore of the Santa Cruz -had become unhealthy to remain upon, and so they swam over. We started -at once with a boatful of gear, and landed barely in time to defeat -the ambitious intentions of the leading spirits of the troop, who on -getting out of the water decided to make off and regain a life of -freedom. - -As soon as we got the baggage over we saddled-up and rode through a -very sandy tract of land, and by evening made our camp under a bare -hillside by the River Leona. - -I believe that a German expedition had once encamped there. Both wheat -and beans were growing near the long-deserted camp-fire. No doubt the -seed had fallen from some of the provision-bags of the Germans. There -was also a miniature _corral_ formed of bushes. - -On the next day we made a very long and tiresome march, which led us -into more than one difficult place. We rode on league after league -over the worst sort of ground, including the descent of two or three -really bad _barrancas_. Bernardo, who acted as guide, became shy after -awhile of telling us that Lake Viedma lay only two leagues ahead. As -the day wore on we rather pressed the question, and he grew -correspondingly coy in his replies. - -One of the _barrancas_ led us into a sort of maze of conical mud -hills, confusedly huddled together. Through them lay a tangle of -guanaco-tracks, which mostly ended on the tops of the hills. The troop -followed these tracks in various directions, and you were surprised at -all points by the startled faces of the horses glaring down at you -over unexpected bluffs. The going was very heavy, and deep holes -betrayed the horses' feet. Altogether it was some time before the -troop was put through. - -Late in the evening we reached the shores of Lake Viedma, and found -the launch. She was lying behind a bare and very low promontory. The -Commission which had used her three years previously had packed her up -with care in canvas and raised her on rollers. But I was sorry to find -that needless and wanton damage had been inflicted upon her by some -roving passers-by. They had torn off the canvas covering and -appropriated many important tools, including quite a number that could -have been of no possible use to any save a party meaning to use the -launch herself. A few of these missing details we picked up in the -adjacent bushes, where the irresponsible unknowns had thrown them. - -As to the condition of the boat, her three-years sojourn on an -isolated beach had not improved it. Her boiler was in rather a bad -state with rust, and one of her plates was cracked. Originally built -for a pleasure-launch, the Argentine Commission had raised her -gunwales and decked her in; without these alterations she could not -have lived in the rough waters of the lakes of Patagonia. - -The evening and the surrounding scenery were equally grey and -depressing, but with an ostrich, and a guanaco I had shot in the -morning, we made ourselves very comfortable round the fire, while we -talked over our contemplated voyage down the Leona. Cattle, whose -knowledge of the subject under consideration was of immense help, -agreed with me in thinking the thing could be done. - -Next day Burbury, who was, as I have said, a very fair engineer, set -to work with Bernardo's help to get the launch into working order, -while the rest of us went to cut and gather fuel. - -The two canvas boats which belonged to the launch were later found a -couple of leagues down the shore, but a bit of wind began to blow, so -it was impossible to bring them up, and in the event they had to be -left where they were. - -In making ready the launch Burbury was much hampered by having only a -small supply of screws to draw upon. Time and exposure had dealt -hardly with her, her pump was strained as well as being imperfect, -some portion of it having been taken away. The craft was about -thirty-five feet long with a displacement of about three parts of a -ton. She was by no means an ideal boat for the kind of navigation that -lay before us, for which a good wooden craft would have been much more -safe and handy. Had her length been less it would have been another -advantage, as the seas upon the lakes are very short. Weather-worn as -she was, however, she represented our sole chance of getting really -deep into the unpenetrated Cordillera. It was a case of take it or -leave it, and which of the two it was to be gave me some thought that -night. - -I could not conceal from myself that it was a peculiarly risky affair -taking her down the River Leona. The up-stream navigation of the river -had been made by the launch when the Commission brought her up-stream, -towing her through the difficult places from the bank. But that, of -course, was a very different matter. - -The Leona is a comparatively large river, very cold, and running, when -in flood, from five to eight knots an hour, with, in places, a very -strong rip. There are a good many rocks and shoals, but at the time I -write of the water was high, snow-fed by the warmth of the preceding -months, and therefore with luck we might hope to slip over most of the -reefs in safety. This was fortunate, as what with the cold, the -eddies and the cross-currents the chance of a swimmer reaching the -bank was not great. - -Should the current, however, get the launch broadside on, we would -have to give her full steam ahead, and charge down the unknown and -rock-set river. Besides, the channel was, we knew, very hard to -follow, for among the islands the stream divided into four or five -arms, and we had no guide to help us to choose the main channel. - -The risks were very real and looked large enough in my eyes that -night, but in case I should be charged with foolhardiness in deciding -to carry out our design, I think I may say that the average man would -have decided as we did. Few, after so many weary miles and months, -coming at last to such a crucial moment, would very closely consider -the risks, since outside of running them the single course open was to -turn back defeated, leaving one of the most interesting unexplored -portions of the Cordillera unvisited and untrodden. - -In the course of the next day or two we worked hard at the launch and -in gathering firewood. On the 18th we got the boat afloat after eight -hours of hard labour, for during her three years rest she had sunk -deep into the shingle and sand. It was quite impossible to use the -horses, as they would not pull forward into the lake, and thus into -the water, so we got at the work ourselves. About mid-day a wind -sprang up, and the water, fed by the melting snows, was perishingly -cold. It seemed for a time as if we should never succeed in getting -her afloat, and as we had not been able to bring up either of the -canvas boats, wading was very much the order of the day, and after -every few stretches of work we were uncommonly glad to take spells in -the sleeping-bags to warm our half-frozen limbs. Hot cocoa, also, was -kept going from time to time. - -At length we got her off into the little shallow bay, where the waves -were breaking, for a wind was rising out of the north-west. - - [Illustration: THE WORLD OF ICE] - -During the day Cattle and I went down and viewed the Leona. We fixed -upon a little backwater some distance down stream, where wood was -abundant, as the goal of our first venture. The river had swollen -and was rising, and the current looked menacing, but we thought that -with great care and slow movement we might bring the launch through -all right. Care and slow movement! We did not foresee to what an -extent the elements were destined to take charge of our affairs. - -Our plan was to descend the river stern-first with only enough steam -to enable the boat to answer her tiller; for fuel we had no choice but -to burn wood, and although califate made no bad firing, still the -results to be expected were not by any means the same as if we had -been able to put coal into the furnace. - -In the evening the horses strayed, and I went to bring them in. The -landscape on this side of Viedma is the most desolate imaginable, -being made up chiefly of sand, sparse yellow grass, low thorn-bushes, -and the skeletons of dead game. It is a place only fit to die in, a -fact the guanacos seem to have grasped, for their bones lay all over -the ground in far greater profusion even than upon the shores of Lake -Buenos Aires. The mountains about Viedma differ in outline from most -of the other ranges in Patagonia. The peaks are more pointed and rise -against the cold sky in a line of pinnacles and minarets. - -My way led me along the banks of the Leona. It was a grey and -miserable afternoon verging towards evening, and the strong wind was -sending a large volume of water racing and moaning between the bare -and treeless banks of the river. I remember thinking with great -longing of warm and comfortable England, of good friends and true, of -home, and of all the many small things which make life worth having. I -suppose every one is attacked with this kind of feeling sometimes. Not -very often, luckily, nor when the sun is shining, but on these -miserable, grey, whimpering evenings everything takes on a sombre -shade. - -I found the horses collected in a _rincon_, beneath the shelter of a -few thorn-bushes; they were looking very forlorn, especially the -Alazan, who was etched out darkly against the bleak sky. They seemed a -bit tucked up too after the tiring marches of the previous days. - -We hoped to start in the launch on the following morning. When we woke -it was still blowing half a gale. I, however, told Bernardo to get up -steam, and we put the baggage aboard, and as the boat had no name we -christened her the _Ariel_. She was given other names before we were -done with her! - -Burbury was to take the horses by the banks of the river, while we -steamed down the channel. It was blowing pretty strong when all was -ready, and Bernardo, to inaugurate the start, raised a feeble whistle, -thereby seriously diminishing the amount of steam in the boiler. The -_Ariel_ got under way with some wheezing and groaning, and soon we -were heaving up and down, head to swell. The waves were all breaking, -and the seas short, with the consequence that we had several duckings. -Presently, however, the wind lulled and I thought all was about to go -well with us. - -But soon I noticed that the figure of Burbury, standing upon the -shore, remained ominously stationary. The wind was rising again, two -or three heavy seas broke over us, and the launch would not answer her -tiller. Bernardo shouted that the boiler was leaking, and it looked as -if we should soon be in trouble. - -Ultimately we were obliged to put back into the bay, which we managed -with difficulty, and there anchored. - -We determined to try again to-morrow, and then got up the tent and -turned in. - -On the morrow the wind had dropped somewhat, though the lake was still -white with breakers. We had a _mate_ by the fire on the promontory and -prepared to start again. It was 9.30 when all was ready, and by that -time the Cordillera was shut out by a big purple rain-cloud. As the -rain began to fall we took our places and heaved in the anchor. - -We started at one knot full steam ahead, and the _Ariel_ creaked as -she crept out into the lake. The rain and mist from the direction of -the Cordillera had blotted out all sight of them, and were beating -down on us steadily. The rain, however, was in reality favourable to -our attempt, as it served to smooth the water. The short waves leaped -up under every puff of wind, but the launch ran along past the mouth -of the river, attaining to a quite respectable speed as she proceeded. - -A nasty little squall struck us for a moment as we were broadside on, -but it passed, and then, with her nose pointed toward the Cordillera, -the launch described a large circle, and we allowed her to be slowly -sucked stern first into the power of the fierce current of the Leona. -At length it got hold of her, and, adopting a cautious policy, we gave -her full speed ahead against the current, which had the effect of -letting us drop down stream at about two knots an hour. - -Just before we entered the rip of the current I saw a rock a couple of -feet off on the starboard side; it was only a few inches under the -surface, but luckily we slipped by without harm. We got on pretty well -in this fashion through the whole afternoon; it was raining pitilessly -all the time. Bernardo, who was acting as engineer, at one period ran -the engine at a pressure of 30 lb. above safety, until it was -explained to him that, if he continued doing so, it was probable he -would see Sweden no more. - -Towards evening the weather cleared into the most lovely blue -afternoon, and we camped for the night at the spot we had before -chosen, having some fifteen miles of our voyage behind us. We pitched -the tent and I crawled into it and lit a pipe with a vivid question in -my mind as to when I should do so again. You could hear the river -growling and gulping at its banks. I felt I had never before realised -how warm and comfortable that little tent was. The next day would -decide the success of our expedition or otherwise, and all the worst -of the river lay before us. I cannot deny that I disliked the thought -of the morrow. Familiarity with the River Leona is not apt to breed -contempt. Its channel was made up of sharp bends and curves, and if -the launch by any untoward accident were to swing round, we should be -forced to steam faster than the current, and at that speed she would -certainly split herself from stem to stern if she touched. Besides, -she answered her helm badly, and the river in places was very narrow. - -But, for all this, our success so far had had its effect, and we -resumed our voyage next morning in high spirits. We began by -negotiating a nasty passage among the rocks with neatness. The river -then became very erratic and winding in its course, and almost at once -the current caught us, and it seemed as it some gigantic hand were -pushing the panting launch slowly round. Steering was no easy matter, -she was canted badly, and we discarded some of our heavy clothes, raw -as the air was, preferring the cold to the chance of sinking should -anything happen. - -In places the rip was very strong and the curving pearl-grey water -gave but a poor opportunity of observing any rocks that might lie in -our course. We were by this time able to manage the launch better and -were beginning to understand more or less her special peculiarities. - -Then the dreaded event came to pass. We were sagging down with about -70 lb. of steam in the boiler, when a heavy squall, which had long -been brooding darkly over the Cordillera, rushed suddenly upon us. The -launch, under the fury of the wind, turned almost broadside on to the -current, and it became necessary to give her her head. - -Bernardo, who had had his orders as to what to do in case such an -eventuality occurred, flung open the furnace-door and piled on wood to -get a heavy head of steam on. The _Ariel's_ powers had much improved -with use, and she was able to race along ahead of the current, a fact -which gave her steerage-way. - -"She's steering a bit better," shouted Cattle; "if Bernardo can keep -up the pressure it may be all right." Bernardo, evidently feeling that -the moment needed commemoration, blew the whistle and grinned. - -Now that she was turned prow-first, any attempt to get the boat back -to her old position would have been more risky than to go forward, for -the river at this part was much narrower and the current -proportionately more rapid. Bernardo poked his head up from the -engine-hatch and laughed, "She go fine this way," he remarked. At the -moment a rock glimmered up close to the bows, but we slipped over it -with a few inches to spare. - -There was now no straining and grunting from the engines as there had -been while we were battling against the current. You barely felt the -throb and vibration, and it was only when you looked at the banks that -you realised how swiftly the boat was rushing onwards. Perhaps we -achieved seventeen knots. The shores slid by. - -We were now shut in in a world of our own, whose boundaries were the -curving banks and the reaches of the river as they opened out in front -of us. One's senses were too much occupied, one's nerves too much on -the stretch to be aware of anything beyond. We, the launch and the -river were playing a gigantic gamble, in which the stakes on our part -were perilously heavy. This continued to be for five minutes one's -most prominent idea. It was very exciting, for we had nothing to do -but await developments. - - [Illustration: BERNARDO HAeHANSEN] - -Very soon, however, this feeling wore off. It seems that a very strong -emotion cannot in the nature of things last long. Undoubtedly _c'est -le premier pas qui coute_. I looked round and saw the other two -grinning. - -At the pace we were then going our voyage was not likely to last more -than four hours. This was a rough calculation allowing for the -windings of the river that lay between us and Lake Argentino. We -afterwards found that we ran the distance in three and a half hours, -but they passed like a quarter of an hour. I do not suppose that any -suicide club has ever invented a more acute form of excitement. - -We rarely saw half a mile in front of us. At first the banks were low -and the coarse grass upon them blew and shook against the pale blue of -the sky-rim, but soon they began to give place to high and rocky -slopes. Now and then one caught the glitter of a submerged rock. The -wind and the current made the main channel difficult to follow with -the eye, and round several corners we were positively feeling for it. - -In places it seemed as if the launch were running into an _impasse_, -and at such times it was necessary to send her along at her highest -pressure in order to have the more command of the tiller. We would -rush down upon such a place, and not until we were within forty yards -would the river open out grey and shining, the helm be put over, and -we find ourselves flying down another reach. We always kept to the -rip, and by so doing attempted to follow the main channel. - -About midway down the river came some more difficult places where the -cliffs narrowed. One of these gave us a curious experience for the -water seemed to absolutely go downhill, so steep was the angle of -incline. Before reaching this spot we had come in sight of the top of -the cliff that overhung it, and whose base, we could judge by the line -of the channel, must be washed by the water. On turning a corner we -came within full view of the place, and a strange view it was. The -river appeared to race downhill and to end in a froth of yeasty foam -at the foot of the towering black bluff. Look as we might, we could -not see any way out of that tumbled smother of water; we knew there -must be one, of course, but the question was in which direction did it -lie. There was nothing for it but to pile on fuel to make the boat -answer handily. - -The sun striking obliquely on the river dazzled our eyes and turned -all our forward course into a golden splendour. We knew that somewhere -lower down the river there was a bad place where its bed was thick-set -with rocks, but we had no idea how soon we might come upon the spot. -Presently, as we drew rapidly nearer and nearer to the cliff face, it -became evident that the channel bent very sharply to starboard, and -that we should have uncommonly little room to turn in. We were now -running in shadow, the high banks having blotted out the sun. We -rushed on towards the cliff, and almost at the last moment saw that -the channel bent away to the right; Cattle put the helm hard over, and -our craft whirled round the point with small space to spare, and we -found ourselves snaking through the eddies of another reach. - -We shouted to each other that the worst of it lay behind us, and such -for a time seemed to be the case, the river widening out to about -eighty yards across. Here the main channel was clearly marked. It -might be supposed that we should have taken this opportunity to turn -the launch into her original position, but we had twice during the -morning been in difficulties with the pump, which, as the injector -would not work, was our sole means of filling the boiler. I was afraid -that the strain of steaming against the current might prove too much -for the launch. The decision to go on without turning her was, I -think, under the circumstances, the right one, the more so as directly -after the descent of the river the pump became further strained, with -the result that it was impossible to refill the boiler save by hand. - -Presently the hilly shores once more gave place to low banks, and -islands began to appear in the stream. The lower river has many of -these groups of flat islands covered with stones and coarse grass. -When we got in among them the river broke up into a dozen channels -which all looked alike. We, of course, chose the largest. Again it -branched. Again we chose the largest, and again. - -At length the channel we were following, instead of opening off into -the main river, subdivided into a couple of very small streams. The -current was as strong as ever, and the depth of water appeared to be -about three feet. A small crested grebe was uttering its peculiar, -melancholy cry. Ahead the banks seemed to draw together to a jutting -corner, beyond which we could not see. Cattle was at the helm, I was -standing up on the fore-hatch trying to catch sight of what we were -coming to. - -All this time we could not slacken speed, for the current tore along -and we outdid the current. The water had the same strange appearance -of running downhill; it seemed to drop away from us at an -extraordinary angle. The force of the current forced us to keep steam -up to a high degree of pressure, up to 45 lb., which was 15 lb. beyond -safety. - -At this point the stream was not above eighteen feet wide, and we -could almost touch the banks on either side. We were now about -half-way downhill, so to speak. The rush of the water, the zipp of -the wind as it swept past our ears mingled with the cry of the -astonished waterfowl. Nearer and nearer, clear water showed under the -left bank, and in a moment more we had swept round the corner of rock -and out into the main channel of the river once more. We flew along in -the strong rip, the launch shook and quivered, and we discovered with -joy that we had gained the wide lower reaches. - -Our troubles were at an end for the day. A dozen miles still lay -before us, but in fair and open water. In due time we recognised a big -stone which marked the site of our old camp where we had rested on the -way up. We secured the launch a little way below it, where the Leona -enters Lake Argentino. - -After landing we pitched the tent and sat down to talk it all over. In -the meantime we cooked and ate an armadillo, which Burbury had caught -on the previous day. It tasted very like sucking-pig. - -Then a curious thing happened. The launch, which was bumping slightly -at her anchorage, had to be moved, and going on board we found that -the pump had again struck work, as it did on many subsequent -occasions. One could not help thinking what the result might have been -if it had broken down a little earlier in the day. What a wonderful -word that little "if" is! Two letters long, but it may mark the -distance from pole to pole, the difference between life and death. - -That night a series of heavy squalls blew out of the west. We lay in -the tent and listened to the wind with the luxurious feeling that -comes of good shelter. - - - - -CHAPTER XV - -A HARD STRUGGLE - - Running an ostrich with dogs -- Crossing Santa Cruz River - -- Horses troublesome -- Lose my way -- Launch refitted -- - Diary of rough days -- Crossing the bar -- Nasty - predicament -- Wreck imminent -- Storm -- Ascensio's Bay - -- Changeable weather -- Dangerous lakes -- Squalls - rushing down from gorges of the Cordillera -- Icebergs -- - Ashore for fuel -- Squall comes on -- Cut off from launch - -- Miserable night -- Wind lulls -- Aboard again -- - Crossing Hell-gate -- Cow Monte harbour -- Bernardo's fire - -- Fighting the fire -- News of the world -- Rumours of - war -- Death of the Queen. - - -Late in the evening of the same day Burbury arrived with the horses, -and upon the following morning I rode on with him to pass the troop -over the Santa Cruz River. We took with us one of Cattle's hounds, and -sighting some ostriches on the way we gave chase. The dog had a rope -affixed to his collar, by which Burbury had been leading him, and I -had no time to take it off before letting him go. In spite of this -disability, with the rope trailing behind him, the big black hound -pulled down one of the birds. I did not then know how valuable that -ostrich was to be to us. - -We reached the Santa Cruz about 7 A.M., and, after a considerable -amount of persuasion, we managed to induce the horses to enter the -water. - -One of the great dangers of driving a _tropilla_ into a river is the -chance that, when they do take to the water, your own mount is very -likely to rush in after them, and, before you can free yourself, he -will have carried you into the pull of the current, and, of course, -beyond your depth. Therefore it is always well to do this kind of work -bare-back, with only a bridle in your horse's mouth, so that you can -fling yourself off at any moment. It is also well to unbuckle the loop -of the rein; the omission of the latter precaution has resulted in -the drowning of horses on many occasions. - -After seeing Burbury safely across, I started on my tramp back to the -camp at the mouth of the Leona. Fortunately, I carried the whole -ostrich with me, as I thought it was quite possible we might be held -back by bad weather in our voyage up the lake. - -Cattle and Bernardo had stayed with the launch to prepare her for -probable rough handling by the waters of Lake Argentino, and it was -lucky they did so, as events proved. Cattle lighted a smoke to give me -my direction, and I was tempted to try a short cut, which led me -across an interminable series of sandhills mottled with the tracks of -foxes and lions (pumas). - -When I got into camp we held a small festival in honour of the -launch's good behaviour, and drank to her health and good luck in a -cup of tea sweetened with the last of our sugar. But it never does to -rejoice prematurely, and our way along the north shore of the lake -turned out to be a battle with adverse winds, rain, and vindictive bad -weather. - -The launch presented quite a different appearance by the time I -returned. The engine-room hatch had been covered by a canvas hood, and -bulwarks formed by lashing oars to strengthen the wire railing which -ran round the deck. The wheel had been rigged up forward and protected -by a weather-dodger. The cargo had been carefully stowed, and, in -fact, every precaution taken to ensure the safety of the boat and to -make her seaworthy. - -The following is taken from my diary, which carries us from hour to -hour of the next few troubled days: - -"_February 21._--It blew pretty hard all through the morning, and the -bar of the Leona was quite impassable; but towards evening the wind -dropped slightly, so we got up steam and started. We ran out over the -bar, fighting our way by inches through the heavy surf, but just -beyond it the engine broke down, and we were at the mercy of the wind -and waves. It looked as if we were being driven back to certain -shipwreck, for the launch could not live in the seas that were -breaking on the bar. I cut loose one of the oars which formed our -bulwark, and both Cattle and I did what we could to prevent her -turning broadside on. - -"I was engaged in this work at the stern when I heard Bernardo shout, -'Mr. Preechard! Mr. Preechard!' - -"I lay my full length along the deck and looked down at Bernardo in -the engine-room. He was holding on to the pump, which was spouting -steam and water. There was no room for two people in the engine-room, -nor in that angry sea was there much possibility of my getting down -there. So I lay along the port decking, and slipped my feet under the -after-hatch, thanking Providence for my length, and so managed to hold -the pump down while Bernardo tried to repair the damage. - -"Every now and then the seas caught us almost broadside on and broke -heavily, nearly sweeping me over with them. My head being outside, I -could see Cattle clinging on like a cat, and doing all that man could -do to keep us from swinging round. We were on the bar, and scarcely -twenty yards outside the fiercest of the breakers. As it was, big seas -kept sweeping over the launch and crashing on her plates, making her -roll appallingly. - -"Between us and the shore was from one hundred to one hundred and -fifty yards of yeasty surge, dominated by a heavy current setting -south. The anchor continued to drag, and we hung on while Bernardo -fought with screws and nuts for our lives. While we drifted back over -the bar, nearly capsizing as we did so, it became obvious that our -only course lay in first getting in the anchor and then putting it out -again with a good length of chain. In spite of the almost -inconceivable rolling of our craft, Cattle was successful in his -attempt to do this, and the launch came prow on to the breakers, which -were losing something of their fury as they crashed across the bar, -twenty yards in front of us. - -"Meantime, Bernardo did not relax his efforts to get the engines -working once more. We were, as I have explained, a couple of hundred -yards from the shore, towards which the full force of the wind, aided -by the current I have mentioned as setting south towards the mouth of -the Santa Cruz, was drifting us. - -"The anchor dragged again, and we had to undertake the difficult -business of getting it in, and taking a second chance of dropping it -on better holding ground. - -"We were tossing upon the bar for an hour and twenty minutes, during -which time poor Bernardo was violently seasick. It made us laugh to -hear him apostrophising the launch in the words, 'Be--she make me----' -I will not conclude his sentence. - -"At length, however, the Swede coaxed the engines into once more -performing their appointed duties, and as putting back would have been -a more difficult business than going forward, we began to forge slowly -ahead. It was now between five and six o'clock, and there was a -freezing south-west wind booming out of the Cordillera, but when -darkness fell this lulled for a short time and we made the most of our -chances to push forward. But, later, it came on to blow heavily, the -seas rose high and short, and in the night-sky overhead only a few -stars were visible through the racing clouds. The wind veered to the -south-west, and we were off a lee shore set with rocks and icebergs, -and there was no anchorage for another twelve miles at least. - -"The wind again veered a point to the southward after a time, and it -soon became evident that the launch, quivering and swept continually -by the waves, was making but little headway, while our stock of fuel -was growing low, and would not last us for the run to the anchorage. - -"I shouted the facts to Cattle, who was steering at the time, and he -suggested that we should try to make Ascensio's Bay--the place where -the famous horse-stealer and Gaucho, Brunel, used to hide and slay the -_tropillas_ he robbed from the Indians. As Cattle and I were -discussing the question in shouts, a big sea swamped us, almost -carrying Cattle overboard with it and billowing along the deck and -nearly drowning out the engine-room. - -"Cattle had made some trips about Lake Argentino in a canvas boat, but -had never been in Ascensio's Bay. But, as the night was growing darker -and the gale rising, we resolved to make for it. At last, through the -noise and battering of the grey-black water, we reached the shelter of -the promontory by the bay and succeeded in feeling our way in. There -we dropped anchors from both bow and stern, drew off some water from -the boiler to make a _mate_ which we drank, and afterwards lying down -in the after-hatch instantly fell asleep. Bernardo occupied the -fore-hatch. We were too tired to dream of eating anything, and, in -spite of our close quarters and the cold, we did not wake till -morning. - - [Illustration: WHERE THE SQUALLS CAME FROM] - -"The 23rd dawned calm and fine, and the first view of the spot in -which we were anchored made me think that something more than mere -luck had been with us during our entry upon the previous night. The -mouth of the bay was dotted with an outcrop of toothlike rocks. - -"The dawn developed into a morning with strong sun, and we were off -early. For two hours all went well. Then came a shiver creeping across -the glassy surface of the lake, after that a swell, and in a matter of -twenty minutes the quiet lake had become as nasty and as angry a piece -of water as can be imagined. This change is eminently typical of the -temper of the Andean lakes; they cannot be depended upon from hour to -hour. In the present instance at 7.45 A.M. we were steaming, as I have -said, through calm water, yet at 8.15 one sea of every four was -dashing in a cloud of spray over the boat. The reason of these sudden -changes is not far to seek.[23] - -"Here, encircled by snow-capped mountains and bounded by high cliffs, -the waters of Argentino are often struck by swift squalls descending -from the gorges. The voyager may be, as we were, many miles distant -from the actual spot where the storm first strikes, but the squall -rushes down the funnel-like openings, bringing a heavy sea with it. -The seas are also very short, which more than doubles the difficulty -of navigation. - -"On this occasion the sun was obscured and the outlook to the westward -became more and more menacing. The launch began to creak and groan as -usual, and to make but slight headway. Far away glimmered an iceberg, -which lay at the entrance of the bay that marked our next harbourage. -Soon it became clear that we should never be able to reach its -friendly shelter without gathering a fresh supply of fuel. There was -only one alternative left to us, and that was to put in close to the -shore, and either wade or swim off to get more. - -"The squall had now more or less spent itself, so we ran in close, -gaining some small shelter from a promontory which ended in a big -boulder. - -"To attain such shelter as the promontory offered it was necessary to -make our way through a group of rocks. This we did, and the wind -sinking, Cattle and I scrambled ashore with the axes and fell to work -while Bernardo remained on board. - -"Before, however, we had gathered half the required quantity of wood a -second squall, more heavy than the first, came screaming across the -lake, tearing the launch from her anchorage and almost driving her -upon the beach. We stripped off some of our clothes and waded down -into the water, and after a ten-minutes hard struggle we succeeded in -getting her back into deep water, where she again dropped anchor. - -"We returned to our work ashore, and cut and piled a good store of -fuel, almost as much as we needed, on the shingle ready to carry -aboard, but the violence of the waves put all hope of embarkation out -of the question for the time. This was about 10 A.M., and all day the -wind increased in violence. A stately procession of icebergs began to -float down from the northerly arms of the lake and squall succeeded -squall. Soon it became evident that the launch was drifting again, and -I shouted to Bernardo, who was now within hearing distance of the -shore, to break up an oar and use it for fuel. Luckily he had kept up -fire in the furnace and steam in the boiler, and as the weather was -growing rapidly worse, I ordered him to steam up over the anchor, and -afterwards to take the boat a quarter of a mile out and there drop -anchor with all the length of chain out that we possessed. - -"What followed gave to us, I think, perhaps the most heartbreaking -moments we experienced throughout the whole trip. While Bernardo was -getting up enough steam to carry out orders, the launch, still -drifting, swooped nearer and nearer a reef of submerged rocks. As she -was in deep water, Cattle and I could do nothing to help; we were -compelled to watch helplessly from the shore and rage at our own -impotence. We called to Bernardo to keep her off with an oar, and -while he was unlashing one the stern of the launch and, more than all, -her precious propeller barely escaped being smashed to pieces as she -rose and fell on the rollers. To us, looking from the shore, it seemed -as if her last hour was come, and it appeared hard indeed that she -should have run safely through so many perils only to end her -existence in the lake before we had had time to carry out any part of -the exploration on which we had set our hearts. - -"At the crucial moment, however, Bernardo managed to pole her clear -and give her steam. She moved slowly out and anchored far off shore. - -"Evening drew on, but the wind showed no signs of dropping, as it -usually did at the rising or setting of the sun. There was nothing for -it but to make up our minds to a night ashore. We found ourselves in a -dilemma, for we had our whole supply of food on shore, while, with the -exception of my poncho, which I brought with me to dry, Bernardo had -all the rugs and blankets in the launch. However, we made the best of -it by building up a big shelter of drift-wood and bushes. Then we lit -a huge fire, for our clothes were soaking, and essayed to dry them. - -"Meantime the launch was riding out the storm as well as could be -expected, but taking a good deal of water aboard all the same. It grew -dark and the last we saw of her that night, her anchor was holding and -a big sea was racing aft. Bernardo had got on the hatches and gone to -bed, we supposed, for we did not see him the whole time save once, and -then he was bailing furiously." - -The sky was black with the promise of rain, so we heaped up the big fire, -filled the cooking-pots with water, and spreading the poncho on the -ground took our places upon it. It was not such a very bad night after -all. Things rarely fulfil their promise of disagreeableness--things of -this kind anyway. We passed the night somehow with the help of our -pipes and an occasional brew of sugarless tea. I never desired sugar -so much as then. Sugarless tea is far less warming than sugared. Sleep -was well-nigh impossible. It was too cold for that, and, besides, one -or other of us was always up and trying to pick out the launch from -the surrounding mass of spindrift and tumbling black and grey waters. - -In those latitudes the wind generally rises or falls, as the case may -be, with the setting or rising of the sun, and eagerly we waited to -see if the dawn would bring any change in our uncomfortable position. -But at dawn it was blowing, if anything, harder than ever. The launch, -however, was all right, although there was no sign of Bernardo. We -were driven to make a breakfast of berries from the califate-bushes, -of which a few mean specimens grew sparsely on the hillside. It is a -desolate place, that northern shore of Argentino. - -When the sun came out we lay down and slept in its liquid rays. A -little after midday we cooked some _farina_ with mutton fat and ate -it. The gale was still tearing across the water, and we began to count -over our resources. We still had the greater part of the ostrich which -the hound Moses had killed on the way to the River Santa Cruz, but it -was an immature bird, and would provide us with no more than three -meagre meals. A couple of handfuls of _farina_ were yet in the bottom -of the bag, we had a half-tin of tea and three-parts of a plug of -tobacco. - -As for Bernardo, he had now been nearly thirty hours without food; -indeed, to be accurate, he had been fifty hours without food, thirty -of them in the launch, for we had started work on a _mate_. If we -could have made him hear, he might have attached a line to the -life-buoy and floated her off, and we could have sent him back -supplies. - -We had made certain of another night of discomfort, so we gathered -another big pile of firewood. Cattle's leg, that he had strained on -the previous day, was giving him much pain. But when the sun was -already dipping behind the summits of the Cordillera the storm began -to lull. We had little hope that Bernardo could stand out much longer -against starvation, so after half an hour, as the seas were going -down, we thought it well to try and get off to the launch. - -We went down to the beach, and, after much hailing, roused the Swede. -By signs I told him to come in as close as he dared, which meant to -within twenty or twenty-five yards of the shingle. This time he got -her in a better position, and we stripped and waded in with the wood. -It took us about forty journeys, and the water was abominably cold. I -do not think two men ever worked much harder during the time we were -at it, so before very long we were on board with everything. - -Fearing to remain near the shore we got up steam, and with exceeding -thankfulness bade good-bye to that inhospitable beach. I asked -Bernardo how much longer he thought he could have held out. He said -two days, and, in fact, appeared to think he had been better off with -the blankets and his pipe and the warmth of the fore-hatch than we -with food on shore. First and last he was a fine fellow, patient, -quiet and hard-working. As to his being better off than Cattle and -myself, that was a matter of individual taste, I suppose. As a rule, -indeed, the average man will, as far as my experience goes, sacrifice -his food to his bed nearly every time, especially when the wind is -blowing out of the snows. - -Evening soon settled down into night, and we ran on by starlight to -our next anchorage, an almost land-locked bay, where we made merry on -the remains of the ostrich. I also discovered some flour in the -afterhold which had been overlooked, enough to make three small -dampers. We were uncommonly glad to resume our rugs that night. - -On the 24th we gathered more wood and put to sea. We meant to reach -the southern shore of the lake on the Burmeister Peninsula, and there -put in to a good anchorage not far from Cattle's headquarters. But to -do this it was necessary to pass across Hell-gate, the opening to the -north arm or North Fjord of the lake, always a difficult stretch of -water owing to the fact that squalls perpetually blew down upon it -from the funnel formed by the winding gorges of the upper lake. We -soon saw the two dark bluffs beyond which the water wound away behind -the outlying buttresses of the mountains, whose snow-caps glimmered -against the wintry sky. We did not escape scot-free, for a squall duly -caught us, and the tossing sent everything in the launch adrift. We -ran by five icebergs and once the pump refused to act, and things -looked awkward, but in the end, to make a long story short, we steamed -into our shelter, which we called Cow Monte Harbour, and tied up the -launch with no small thankfulness, for she was leaking badly through -the cracked plate I have before referred to. - -As the grass was dry we could not, with safety, make a fire -sufficiently large to signal Burbury to bring up the horses, as had -been arranged, so we sent on Bernardo with a message. He started off -in his big boots and we had no idea of the mischief he was to drop -into before we saw him again. He was accustomed to the pampas round -about the town of Santa Cruz, where you can light a fire with -impunity, but amongst the high grass growing in the valleys of the -foothills of the Cordillera a fire is certain to spread over an -immense area. Finding the way long, perhaps, Bernardo sent up a brace -of smokes as signals. We saw them, and knew at once what was likely to -happen. - - [Illustration: THE FIRE] - -When the horses arrived we bundled on to them and rode away to try and -stop the conflagration. There were two fires raging, and our only -chance lay in being able to arrest their spreading beyond the shores -of a dry lagoon, which mercifully extended between them and the -summer-dried, well-grassed marsh lying under Mount Buenos Aires and -Mount Frias, where Cattle's pioneer-farm was situated. It would have -been a distressing return for his co-operation and help had one of -my men raised a fire to sweep over his land and destroy his whole -stock of horses, sheep and cattle, a result that was for a time -imminent. - -We all provided ourselves with sheepskins and began our attempt to -beat out the fire. It was raging in bone-dry grass and thorn and the -flames leaped up and scorched our faces. Every blow with the sheepskin -sent up a shower of sparks that got into one's eyes and ears, and it -appeared as if we should never make headway against the blaze. We -might clear ten feet for a moment, but as we turned away the flames -would eat their way back and, rekindling, flare up in waving tongues -and roar again. Of course we were to windward, on the lee side the -smoke rolled away in a solid cloud. I do not know how long we worked -on that upper ring of fire, but slowly we succeeded in beating it out -by sheer weight and repetition of blows. - -The wind had by this time dropped a little, and the course of the main -blaze set downhill. At length we had beaten out a half-circle and came -to the crux of the affair. If we could but blot out the fire to the -south, where it was burning savagely among high bushes and dry thorn, -it was probable the situation would be saved. - -We took a short rest of four or five minutes and began again. The -smoke was gathering and rolling in great gouts, and we could see -nothing save the flames on the one side of us and the black blinding -dust on the other. As for ourselves, we were as black and scorched as -singed rats. We knew that the next ten minutes would decide the -matter. - -Beside the fire ran a meandering cow or game track, and it was at this -line that we meant to try and cut off the flames, which were rapidly -spreading and getting out of hand. One was conscious of nothing but -the thud of the sheepskins and the figures of the workers leaping in -and out of the smoke and flame. I have never witnessed a wilder scene. -The men shouted as they worked. It was like a battle-picture seen in a -dream. All along the cow-track, where the fire lipped it, the -sheepskins rose and fell. A dense dun-coloured cloud rolled out and -up, lit every moment by explosions of sparks. - -Presently it became a race for a spot some 200 yards ahead, where a -line of green damp grass might stop the fire and force it in another -direction. To cut it off at this point would make the remainder of our -task more easy. But just on the nearer side of the grass line a number -of high bushes were growing, and their strong roots and lower branches -gave the flames a definite hold. Now and again, too, one had to run -back and stamp out some sudden recrudescence of the flame. There is no -need to describe the last half-hour; only, when the yellow circle of -fire had given place to a smouldering black ring, we were ready to lie -down on our blackened sheepskins and feel neither glad nor sorry but -only wearily tired. - -To beat out a fire is about the hardest sort of effort a man can make, -for no spell of rest can be obtained without losing the results of -previous labour. Afterwards, when we made a round of the fires to make -sure of safety, we found them sinking sullenly into black deadness. - -We were especially lucky in the direction taken by the fire, as, had -it burnt along any other line, it is almost certain that our camp and -all that we possessed would have been destroyed. Such a disaster -actually occurred to Cattle some years ago in the north of the -country. He was then journeying with two companions, when a half-breed -boy he had with him was foolish enough to allow a camp-fire to spread -among the surrounding grass. The pioneers were able to save nothing -but a pair of _boleadores_ and a Winchester rifle with the seven -cartridges that happened to be in it. The party fortunately possessed -several hounds, by whose efforts the stock of meat was kept up, -otherwise it is more than likely that their case would have been a -serious one. - -The interval between the time of our starting for Lake Viedma and our -return was in all but eleven days. During those eleven days much -happened that brought back most vividly to me old boyish dreams of -travel and romance. I had realised some of them, but risk and -adventure, which enchant us in the glamour of far-off contemplation, -are apt on nearer view to lose in romance what they gain in reality. - -On the same day of the fire, news, brought by some wandering Indian -or Gaucho, reached us; rumours passing from mouth to mouth as they -will in a wonderful manner over the most sparsely populated country. -The first we heard was a report of war, a real war-scare, such as -might have originated from the fertile imagination of a Haitian -journalist. The Russians were said to be marching upon India, and -France had joined hands with them against England. - -It was but the barest outline, yet it shook and excited us out there -in the ends of the earth just as if we had formed items of a crowd in -Fleet Street. - -Following on this came that other heavy tidings indeed, the death of -the Queen. We took off our hats, and at first nothing was said. The -news struck each man of us. There was a sense of loss and of the -blankness of a personal calamity, which expressed themselves at last -in a few odd homely words. - -There, 7000 miles away, the abstract idea of the nation became -concrete. One had no picture in one's mind of England that did not -bear in the foreground, filling the heart and eye, that gracious, -royal, simple, noble figure, which for so long had drawn out towards -itself the highest patriotism of the race. The tumult of a nation's -mourning was taken up and echoed feebly here as in other remote -corners of the earth. Thousands of pens have borne witness to the -world-wide sorrow. No need to say more, but while I write the scene -comes back, as some moments of one's life will and do come--the broad -blue heavens, the wide lake, the wind, the smell of grass and -califate-bushes, the grasping after shattered fancies, and the heavy -acceptance of the hour assigned. - -FOOTNOTE: - -[23] This we came to understand very thoroughly at a later date, when -we penetrated to the end of the long twisting arms of the lake. - - - - -CHAPTER XVI - -WILD CATTLE - - Denseness of forest -- Wild cattle originally escaped from - early settlers -- Grown somewhat shaggy -- Indians will - not hunt them in forest -- Patagonia not a big-game - country -- Hunting wild cattle -- Disappointment -- - Hunters paradise -- Twelve blank days -- Sport on Punta - Bandera -- Big yellow bull -- Losing the herd -- Baffling - ground -- Charge of bull and cow -- A shot at last -- - Hunting in forests on Mount Frias -- String shoes -- - Winter hunting -- Shoot bull -- Shoot huemul five-pointer - -- Wild-cattle hunting first-class sport. - - -Very different to the easy sport afforded by the huemul was our -experience of hunting wild cattle in the forests which clothe more or -less densely the ravines and slopes of the lower Andes. These forests, -which in some parts are absolutely impenetrable in the spring, because -at that season the _pantanos_ are saturated with the rains and melting -snow, give shelter to many scattered herds of wild cattle. - - [Illustration: FORESTS UNDER THE SNOWS WHERE WILD CATTLE BREED] - -Captain Musters, writing in 1871, speaks of hunting these animals -under the Cordillera, but their existence in a wild state dates from a -far earlier period--in fact, from the time of the first Spanish -occupation, when cattle escaped from the Valdez Peninsula, and roaming -over the pampas at length reached the high grass and sheltered places -of the Cordillera. Finding these entirely to their liking, they have -ever since lived and bred in that region; their numbers, no doubt, -being from time to time increased by deserters from the unfenced farms -on the east coast of Patagonia. It is a strange thing that cattle -which escape almost invariably head north-west towards the Cordillera. -This fact has been commented on to us by many different Gauchos and -cattle-owners up and down the east coast. - -The older herds have lost the smooth aspect of domesticated animals -and thrown back to the shaggy front, longer horns and rough-haired -hide characteristic of wild cattle. As to the special parts of -Patagonia in which wild cattle are most plentiful, it would be of -little use to give a list of them. Should a herd stray in the plains, -the Indians will soon make them change their quarters and return to -take refuge among the woods and ravines of the foothills. Inside this -forest-land the Indians will never venture, and there the emancipated -bull thoroughly enjoys himself. Even the beasts belonging to the -farmers lead a wandering life, and at a short distance from the -settlements are shy of the approach of man, and have to be rounded up -by mounted Gauchos. Those of them that have been inside a corral and -regained their liberty are every whit as wild as the wild cattle -proper. Being caught with a lasso and branded is by no means an -experience calculated to instil any deep confidence in mankind into -the mind of a calf. - -In the Cordillera the herds are extremely wideawake. When a point is -disturbed, they always go higher up into the mountains, and almost -invariably leave that particular neighbourhood under cover of the -ensuing night. Their climbing powers are extraordinary. Wherever a -guanaco can go, a wild bull can follow him. Their tracks are regularly -and clearly marked, and they appear to move along precisely the same -paths from feeding-place to feeding-place. The snows of winter force -them to lower ground, but in my opinion the herds never penetrate very -deep into the Cordillera. Precisely how far they go it would be hard -to determine, but they seldom ascend to the higher levels, preferring -to wander about the outer spurs of the lower hills. There is a spot on -the south side of the Lake Rica where they appear to make their way -farther into the recesses of the mountains than in any other district. - -Patagonia, as the reader will by this time realise, cannot be called a -big-game country in the sense of affording any variety of large -animals for the benefit of the sportsman. But whoever goes into the -Cordillera will find the wild bulls of their forests well worthy of -his attention, for they give as excellent sport as any big game in the -world. A point which must tell greatly in their favour in the eyes of -some people is the fact that the pursuit of them is a pleasure by no -means unattended by danger. - -The first day on which I attempted to find wild cattle we sighted two -herds, one about half way up the hillside and the other higher, almost -upon the snow-line. We had gone out rather with the idea of -prospecting, having but little hope of being so lucky as to get a -shot. Mr. Cattle, Burbury, and myself made up the party, and while -Cattle hid in the direction towards which the herd might be expected -to break, Burbury and I undertook the stalk. We separated, and I -finally got within two hundred yards of a dun-coloured bull; but his -position was so bad that it seemed a pity to shoot. The herd -ultimately moved into a strip of forest high on the shoulder of the -mountain, and we failed to locate it again. - -Upon this followed a period when the memory of the shot I might have -taken rankled as a thorn in the flesh. The difficulty of finding a -herd was very great. We went out several days in succession and failed -to catch sight of a single horn. For twelve days we searched from dawn -to dark and found nothing. Yet these days, which resulted in a total -bag of two huemules, were infinitely more sporting than were those in -the neighbourhood of the River de los Antiguos, where a large number -of animals might have been secured. On four occasions fresh tracks -were found, and in that keen invigorating air the hunting of such a -quarry was a sport for the gods. - - [Illustration: A GLADE IN THE LAKE RICA FOREST] - -There is a picturesque sentence in one of Mr. Kipling's writings, in -which he speaks of a life "spent on blue water in the morning of the -world." Each savage of us has, I suppose, some such ideal existence, -and if that be so, mine would be passed in hunting some great horned -quarry upon frozen hills in a land where no wind too strong should -blow, and where the views of water and of peaks should be in all -shades of separate and glorious blue. What a splendid place such a -happy hunting-ground would be! Quite different to the happy -hunting-grounds of the North American Indian, the Tehuelche or the -Eskimo--the latter, by the way, looks forward to a paradise where -he will lie for ever upon the sleeping-bench in the warmth and eat -decomposed seals' heads! The nomad hunter races kill to eat in any -manner or by any means, the romance of sport is in one sense lacking -in them; but in my happy hunting-ground there will be Irish elk with -mighty spreading horns upon those wondrous hills.... - -We have wandered far away from our subject. I think it may be said -that during those twelve blank days every method of hunting wild -cattle had a fair trial. Upon the northern slopes of Mount Buenos -Aires (which, I must mention, is very far distant from Lake Buenos -Aires, being, in fact, surrounded on three sides by the waters of Lake -Argentino) there is comparatively little wood, although there is much -thick high brush, so that--as in Sardinian moufflon-shooting--one may -spy the ground two or three times in the day, and yet fail to discover -a herd hidden in the brush or in one of the many water-worn ravines. -Nevertheless, this place was the most open ground which we hunted, and -was far superior to the Lake Rica side of the mountain, upon which -cluster dense forests of antarctic beech, through which it is -impossible to see more than twenty or thirty yards, and often not so -far. - -Once or twice I tried sitting up for bulls at their drinking-places, -but never with any success. The fact is, that the forests they range -through are so well watered with streams, _pantanos_ and springs, that -they have a score of drinking-places to choose from, therefore the -chances are twenty to one against getting a shot. But in a district -where water is scarce, it seems to me that this plan might meet with -success. The best sport was undoubtedly that which we enjoyed towards -Punta Bandera, a headland forming the north point of Mount Buenos -Aires. - -It was here, upon the thirteenth day of my hunting, about an hour and -a half before dark, that I perceived a fine point of seventeen upon -the hillside in front of me. They were, however, in a spot utterly -impossible of approach, in the centre of a bald ridge upon the summit -of which they were silhouetted against the black background of the -mountain beyond them. Deep gullies cut up the intervening ground, and -after advancing as near as might be, I lay down and possessed my soul -in patience, waiting until the moment when the herd should choose to -move. They had left me time enough and to spare for observing them -through the glasses. Three black bulls, a yellow one and a red were -the pick of the herd, there were some cows and well-grown calves also, -and these last began to proceed very leisurely down a cow-track, which -would ultimately lead them on to ground where they might be stalked. I -had tied up my horse in a hollow among some bushes of _Lena dura_. It -was a glorious evening and the shadows stood out very distinctly, so -much so that from the slightly higher ground I could see with the -telescope the movements of the shadows of the bulls. The bases of the -mountain were steeped in clear still dusk, there was no wind, and the -whole scene lived again fantastically in the smooth waters of the -lake. When one is shooting, no matter how intent one may be upon the -game, it is natural to observe these things and enjoy them, in a -secondary sense possibly, but none the less keenly. Anyway, there was -plenty of time to observe, for the herd took it easy, and now and then -one of the big bulls would come to a standstill and stare about him. -The yellow bull especially took my fancy, the spread of his horns must -have been over four feet. At length, however, the last of the herd -disappeared into a gully and I hastened forward. About a mile -separated me from the point, and this I covered at good speed; the -final bit necessitated a crawl, which ended on the edge of a low rocky -plateau. Here I peered through some fuchsia-bushes. To my disgust the -herd had quickened their pace, and were a little beyond range upon a -space of level land beneath me; they lingered here for an uncommonly -long time, giving me ample opportunity to study the surrounding -cow-tracks and the grass-bare wallows. Meantime the precious light was -fading, and the reflections of the snow-peaks were beginning to blur -and darken in the mirror of the lake. Ahead of the herd were a number -of tracks, which ran parallel with each other for a certain distance, -but afterwards branched into different directions. I could see them -dimly through the telescope. Should they happen to take the lowest of -these, they would be delivered into my hands, for it led immediately -under a cliff over which I could get within a few yards of them. This -track finally emerged upon the shore of the lake. Under the leadership -of a yellow cow, the whole point began presently to descend this very -track. As soon as the last of them was out of sight, I rushed on to -secure my shot. On the way I spied from behind a boulder on high -ground the coveted old yellow bull knee-deep in the lake, drinking. -Over the first part, which was high, I had to be very careful, but -once this spot was passed, coming to the conclusion that as the light -was fading so fast the race would probably be to the swift, I hurried. -Alas! a deep gully again blocked my way, and it was necessary to make -a detour of about half a mile through breast-high bushes. While -passing amongst the brush much care had, of course, to be exercised to -avoid the breaking of twigs or branches, as the herd was not far off. -When at last I arrived at the cliff above the spot where the herd had -disappeared, I could not see the sights of my rifle. I would have -given much for two minutes of moonlight, for I could hear the noise of -the bulls moving within twenty yards, and the smell of them was -distinctly perceptible to my senses, sharpened by months of a natural -life. The whole herd had packed pretty close together on the edge of -the shingle, but it was already too dark for me to shoot, so I retired -after a while, comforting myself with the prospect of following the -herd in the morning. - -Yet although I followed, I never found. The herd, as was to be read -from the tracks, struck upwards after leaving the lake and entered a -wide piece of forest, in which no day was ever long enough to find -them. Several times after this we were on the tail of a herd, and -again and again lost them in the dense forests. The ground over which -one had to move was extremely baulking to success; it was covered with -broken sticks, dead trees, and branches, dry, rotten, and ready to -snap beneath the smallest pressure. Sometimes after a long stalk one -found oneself in a patch of dry dead bushes, the breaking of any bough -of which would certainly spoil all chance of success. Again, one could -not see more than from twenty to fifty yards ahead, and in thick -forests much less. A herd will stand quite still till within thirty -yards if you have not perceived them, but the moment your eye catches -one of theirs the animal makes off, taking his companions with him. - -A bull, if you wound him and he charges, will charge but once, and if -he misses you, will pass on. But a cow is quite another affair. She -will return to the charge again and again, and will kneel down in -order to horn her antagonist. She is at least twice as formidable an -antagonist as a bull. - -The next time I saw wild cattle was once again upon Punta Bandera, and -upon this occasion I had my first shot. It was early in the morning -when I made out the point with the glasses, feeding about half-way up -a spur of the mountain-side. Determined this time not to be -disappointed, a whole day was spent in a series of very careful -manoeuvres. All went well until I entered a patch of dry dead -growth, so thick as to make it impossible to move without giving -audible indication of one's presence. While lying among this stuff -debating what course to pursue, to my delight a black and white bull, -evidently the leader of the herd, rose, grunted once or twice, and, -followed by the whole of his companions, began to come towards me. He -got to within 150 yards, and there coming upon the edge of the dry -stuff among which I lay hidden, turned tail and moved slowly in the -opposite direction. To shoot through the undergrowth, which was about -five feet high, was, of course, impossible. Yet there was no chance of -the animals, while roving in search of pasture, reaching any better -position with regard to me, while any movement on my part to approach -them must have been through the dead bushes. There was nothing for it -then but to stand up and take the chance of a shot. A twig snapped in -my rising and the herd charged furiously away. A red bull, which had -travelled higher than his fellows upon the slope of the mountain, gave -very much the best chance as he raced along nearly broadside on. - -He turned a complete somersault to the shot and lay so still that I -thought I had killed him. As I went towards him, however, he scrambled -to his feet and galloped after the retreating herd, and although upon -their tracks for the greater part of the evening, at no point on the -way, nor at the spot where he had fallen, did I find any traces of -blood. I therefore concluded that he had put his foot in a hole, and -that I had missed him clean. Since my return I have heard the end of -the history. The red bull was found dead quite close to where I had -shot him. He was, I understand, hit through the lungs. - - [Illustration: THE FATHER OF THE HERD.] - -After this shot on Punta Bandera, the herd left that locality, as they -invariably do, and most of the remainder of our hunting took place -upon the Lake Rica, or southern side, of the great mountain. One of -the pleasantest days we enjoyed was upon Mount Frias where a large -point of cattle had gone up beyond the snow-line. On that occasion, -when above the snow-line, I saw a pampa-fox, some guanaco and a few -ostriches. Quite a number of small birds that I was unable to -identify, as I could not shoot them, were feeding upon a red berry -which grows beneath the snow. - -I think of earthly situations I would choose that for the location of -my happy hunting-ground where life throbs and quickens in the keen -air, and where, in the shelter of the black forest of antarctic -beech-trees, one can hear the wind from the snows moaning and crying -among the tree-tops, and dropping the leaves, painted with red and -yellow, upon the soft mossy mid-forest carpet. - -While on Mount Frias my attention was drawn away from the cattle by -what I took to be an instance of albinism in the guanaco. There was an -immense herd of five hundred or perhaps more in an open hollow, and -among them I observed a very white specimen, but on looking at it -through the glasses it proved to be piebald rather than truly white. - -My next excursion was made on much lower ground in the direction of -Lake Rica. We had observed some spots to which a herd returned night -after night.[24] The success with which the herds can pick their way -over bad ground such as this and through trees, and most of all across -the giant trunks, decaying and rotten, many of which must have fallen -years ago, is extraordinary. Had it not been for the openings broken -by the passage of the cattle, we should have been unable to penetrate -the denser parts of the woods without axes. In spite of his being such -a heavy brute, a bull can always overtake a horse in these spongy -swamps, or indeed in most cases over very bad ground. - -In the winter, which was now only too quickly coming upon us, -wild-cattle shooting becomes, as does the shooting of all game in -Patagonia, much easier than it ever is during the rest of the year. -The herds descend to the low ground, being driven downwards by degrees -while the snows creep day by day lower on the mountain-sides. As they -desert the heights the area in which one may expect to meet them -naturally becomes smaller, and on the more level country they can be -followed with less trouble. The hunting in this big forest was quite -different to that on Punta Bandera, the sole method here being to find -comparatively fresh tracks and follow them up, there being no -possibility among that dense growth of spying animals from a distance. - -One day I had entered an extremely wet and boggy strip of forest and -came upon new tracks, which I followed in and out among the trees for -some hours. At length they led me up another hill into another belt of -forest. I remember that under the hill I took a "spell," and at that -moment, although I could not see them, the cattle were within one -hundred and fifty yards of me. Fortunately I was very quiet and did -not light my pipe, but presently went on. Arrived at the top of the -hill, I peered through the branches and saw a fine brindled bull just -in the act of rising to his feet. One of the outlying cows had winded -me and had given the alarm. My bull was off at a gallop, and there was -nothing to do but to send the heavy Paradox bullet into the only part -of him that was visible as he dashed away. The shot took effect, he -staggered but the second barrel brought him down in good earnest. A -third hit him in the centre of the forehead, which is a deadly shot -indeed, but with a smallbore rifle one must be careful to place one's -bullet clear of the shaggy curl. The first shot had, I discovered, -gone forward and upward, touching the backbone; the second was a fair -behind the shoulder shot. I write this to illustrate the amount of -shooting that a wild bull will sometimes take. - - [Illustration: AS IT WAS IN THE BEGINNING] - -There are few higher joys in a sportsman's life than the pipe which he -smokes after a successful shot, but the skinning of the quarry that -comes later is a very different matter. This is especially the case -when the animal has dropped in such a spot that one cannot turn it -over owing to its weight. - - [Illustration: EDGE OF FOREST] - -For this forest shooting a 12-bore Paradox or jungle-gun is as good as -any. I had one which was made for me by Jeffrey and Co., and with it -one could make a very decent pattern at seventy yards. In open ground -I generally used a Mauser, but this rifle was, of course, not heavy -enough for forest shooting at a dangerous quarry, where most of the -shots were within forty yards. - -Once again on Punta Bandera I saw the big yellow bull. One day I -watched the great herd of wild cattle straggling slowly down the -opposite hillside, the cows with their calves trotting alongside them, -and the magnificent yellow bull bringing up the rear in solitary -state. They were in a hopelessly unget-at-able position, so that one -could only watch them. The air was so clear that, with the telescope, -it was possible to make out the tracks of each separate animal as the -herd descended the incline. - -While I was still engaged in watching the cattle, I saw something -brown move on a knoll above me and about four hundred yards distant. A -huemul doe had appeared upon it. She was not frightened, and was -entirely unaware of my proximity. Soon she was joined by a buck, a -four-pointer with nice clean horns. There were now two sporting -interests in the landscape, the greater and the less. The cattle had -turned and were moving relentlessly upwards over bare ground where a -stalk was out of the question. I turned my attention therefore again -upon the huemules, from whom I found myself separated by two deep -gullies. - -In an hour's time the cattle had diminished to mere specks upon the -side of the mountain, and a strong wind having arisen, which blew from -the huemules towards me, I thought I might safely try a shot at the -buck. It knocked him clean head over heels. He proved to be in fine -coat, and I at once set to work to skin him. By the time I had -finished it had grown quite dark. As for the herd, they were too -clever for me. I never sighted them again, but that big yellow bull I -shall often see in dreams. Perhaps I may be permitted to meet with him -when I attain to the happy hunting-ground of my desires. - -Apart from the rifle, there are other ways of hunting wild cattle, but -in the practice of these open ground is naturally a necessity. -_Boleadores_ will rarely stay on a bull, but the lasso is an efficient -weapon, and on horseback a Mauser pistol will take a lot of beating. -In the last instance the hunter gallops level with his quarry and -trusts to his horse to carry him clear of danger in case of accident. -As a rule, wild cattle avoid open ground, and if they chance to be -away from the cover of the forest keep a sharp watch. Their hides are -worth about L1 more or less when sold in the settlements, a value -which is enough to turn every man's hand against them, were there any -men in those districts whose hands might be so turned. But the wild -cow will long continue to breed in her chosen solitudes, and indeed -she is well able to take care of herself. From all I saw of wild -cattle, they yield the palm as a sporting animal to few others in the -world. - -FOOTNOTE: - -[24] To hunt this swampy ground in shooting-boots is an unnecessary -handicap, for the footing is so soft that one sinks to the knee in the -worst places. A pair of string-shoes called "alpargatas" are the most -useful and suitable footgear for this work, and the gain of their -lightness is an added advantage. - - - - -CHAPTER XVII - -ON THE FIRST ATTITUDE OF WILD ANIMALS TOWARDS MAN - - Opportunities for observation rare -- Migration of guanaco - limited -- Guanaco and man -- Upright and crawling - attitudes -- Will allow approach with horses -- Tame near - farms -- Easily domesticated -- Curious -- Shyness of - ostrich -- Huemul curious and confiding -- Instances -- - Easily rendered timid -- Puma cowardly -- Attacks upon man - -- Tame cubs -- Cordillera wolf -- Very fearless -- - Instances -- Pampa-fox also fearless, but in less degree - -- _Resume_ of evidence. - - -It will be conceded that few subjects have more interest than the -attitude assumed by wild animals towards man on first acquaintance -with him. I think it may be claimed that we had exceptional -opportunities for the study of this very important question. In most -other districts into which white men have passed for the first time, -they have usually been preceded by aborigines, who have made that -declaration of war which must invariably be given forth between men -and _ferae naturae_. But in Patagonia, when the beat of the Tehuelches -is left behind, there are many places to which one may penetrate where -the animals have never before seen man. We here come to a question -which is as old as the world--what were the original relations -existing between man and beast? On man's side we know the position; on -that of the wild animal we can rarely obtain evidence at first hand, -especially in these latter days, when the earth is overrun and -populated in almost every habitable region. - -It will be seen from the description given of Patagonia that some of -its remoter portions offer a unique field for observing the effect of -man's appearance on the behaviour of animals that have had no previous -knowledge of him. These places present some of the few localities left -untouched by the presence of human beings. The value of any evidence -still obtainable as to the bearing of wild creatures when brought into -contact with human beings for the first time can therefore hardly be -over-estimated. The chances of observing details of conduct and the -spontaneous attitude of animals under these conditions have -unfortunately become exceedingly rare and are daily growing rarer. -Soon there will be no spot where such facts can be collected. Knowing -this, I made every effort to gather all the data possible. - -Large herds of guanaco patrol the country in all directions; how far -they are local in their habits it is not easy to decide, but I was -informed by several people that such and such a marked guanaco had -been in such a district since such and such a winter, therefore I am -led to conclude that the guanaco are more or less local in their -movements. In the summer they are to be found on the high pampa, and -in the winter the herds descend to the lower ground. But all the -evidence that I could gather pointed to the fact that this periodic -migration is limited in extent, and that certain herds belong, as it -were, to certain districts and live and die within a comparatively -small area. - -During peculiarly hard winters, however, they will gather in very -large herds and travel a good distance to the low grounds, where water -and some pasture are still to be procured. - -The guanacos that we met with on the basalt plateau to the south of -Lake Buenos Aires probably visit the shores of the lake during the -winter time. In the inverse order of things no travellers ever cross -the basalt plateau in summer, nor do they visit the lake in winter; we -may therefore conclude that the guanaco were in that region -unacquainted with man. The following is taken from my diary while we -were crossing the plateau: - -"_December 28._--To-day we saw great numbers of guanaco, many of which -have in all probability never before beheld a human being. They were -about as tame as English park deer, allowing us to approach on foot to -within seventy or eighty yards, and, in the case of the old bucks, to -within fifty yards. The females were, of course, much shyer. It was a -beautiful sight to watch the great herd leaping up and down the -hillside and dashing through the outcrop of black fragments of basalt. -The bucks almost invariably kept between us and their females. On some -occasions, when I came suddenly round a hill upon a herd, the old buck -would gallop up between me and the herd and stalk along, uttering his -peculiar neighing cry. There were numbers of young guanacos among -these herds. These very quickly attain considerable speed, and at a -fortnight old give the hounds some trouble to overtake them. Young -guanacos, when cut off from the herd, can be approached by man. This -morning I succeeded in galloping between one and the herd to which it -belonged. He allowed me, on horseback, to come within six yards, but -on a dog appearing in the distance he at once dashed away. Young -guanacos, when separated from the herd, will follow a troop of horses, -running fearlessly beside the riders." - - [Illustration: GUANACOS ON SKY-LINE] - -In contrast to the above I give a record of another meeting with these -animals at a later date. I find in my diary on May 13, 1901, written -in the _canadon_ of the River Katarina at the upper end of the -north-west arm of Lake Argentino, as follows: - -"I saw two herds of guanacos, which were certainly unacquainted with -man. They were extremely wild, not allowing me to approach within six -hundred yards. I to-day hunted these guanacos with the idea of -observing whether they would take to the water, or perhaps pass into -the forest, which was plentiful in patches. They did neither, but kept -to the bare cliffs on the edge of the peninsula, and when driven away -from the cliffs at one end simply sought the shelter of the cliffs at -the other." - -Again, on the tableland between the River de los Antiguos and the -River Jeinemeni the guanacos were extraordinarily tame. Only one -traveller had been there before us (Mr. Waag). The guanacos permitted -us to advance to within two hundred yards, and one, which was lying -down, allowed me to come within sixty paces walking upright. At this -distance I determined to see what effect the crawling attitude would -produce, and for this purpose I retreated and again approached, this -time on my hands and knees. I was still one hundred and fifty yards -from the animal when he got up, and I had not proceeded many steps -nearer before he bounded away. From this instance it may be deduced -that while the herd evidently understood and feared the approach of -predatory enemies in a crouching attitude, man upright in his natural -position inspired relatively little fear but rather curiosity, for the -guanaco remained lying down and staring at me as long as I appeared -walking towards him. - -On yet another occasion in the _canadon_ of the River Katarina, the -first sight that a herd, seventeen strong, had of us, was when we were -on board the launch. They raced up to the bank of the river and stared -at us, only darting off ten or twelve paces when the irrepressible -Bernardo saluted them with a whistle. Shortly afterwards we anchored -and went ashore, but the guanacos would not allow us on foot to -approach within half a mile, although when we were hidden they -returned to the neighbourhood of the launch without fear. In the -evening they retired far up the valley, where I again saw them upon -the following day. They were very timid, and I could get no nearer to -them than three hundred yards, although I made one or two attempts to -do so. - -There was one point which was distinctly noticeable, and which these -observations bear out. Guanacos, unacquainted with man, will allow him -to approach in the first instance much closer if he happens to be -accompanied by a troop of horses, as was the case with us in our -experience of the herds on the basalt plateau. In fact, guanacos will -reconnoitre a troop of horses, even though there may be men among -them, at a very much shorter distance than they will venture upon -with regard to a camp or a group of men without horses. - -Districts where the Indians hunt the guanaco may be passed over as -having no bearing on the subject in hand. There the herds are, of -course, extremely wild and hard of approach. But it is interesting to -note that near the coast, where there are numbers of guanaco, they are -comparatively tame. Shepherds on horseback from the farms pass and -repass within sight of the herds, who grow accustomed to the -experience and become easy of access to within one hundred yards.[25] - -One day in the October of 1900, when at the farm of Mr. Greenshields -at Bahia Camerones, I took a long ride through the _canadones_ where -the shepherds were wont to pass. Again and again the guanaco herds -allowed me to ride up close to them, and I invariably found that a -single animal was shyer of approach than a herd. - -Guanacos are very easily domesticated, and in time become obtrusively -playful and affectionate. It is a favourite trick with them to come -behind their human friends rearing and striking them in the back with -their knees, which results in a more or less painful fall. - -Curiosity is a largely developed mental characteristic in the _ferae -naturae_ of Patagonia. The first and overwhelming impulse of nearly all -the wild creatures (the ostrich, _Rhea darwini_, excepted) appeared to -be to investigate the aspect and actions of man. Upon the coast-farms -the guanaco, grown _blase_ by familiarity, will not take any interest -in man's movements unless he indulges in some unusual and fantastic -antics, such as lying on his back and kicking his legs in the air. -Then an otherwise indifferent herd will gather and watch the -proceedings with much attention. - -As far as my experience goes, no wild creature, save the ostrich, on -first beholding man, straightway travels out of sight. All the others, -according to whether they naturally are shy or the reverse, retire to -a more or less remote distance, and from there watch the doings of the -intruder upon their solitudes. - -Of Patagonian game the least hunted is the deer of the Andes -(_Xenelaphus bisulcus_). We came in contact with these animals both -near Lake Buenos Aires and Lake Argentino. At the former place, my -friend, Mr. Waag, had marched through the Gorge of the River de los -Antiguos, where most of my observations were made. As he was working -very hard on his geographical surveys at the time, he did not shoot -much, and I think it more than probable that man was an unknown factor -of existence to the huemules of that region before we came upon the -scene. - -My observations of huemules consistently show that their first -attitude towards man is one of curiosity and confidence. I instance -some cases to bear out this assertion. - -On December 9, 1900, I had just shot a guanaco upon the western shore -of the River de los Antiguos, when a huemul buck about a year old, no -doubt startled by the noise, dashed past me within twenty yards, and, -catching sight of me, stopped quite still and fixed his eyes upon me. -As I remained motionless, he advanced several paces and again halted, -looking at me. I was sitting upon the body of the guanaco I had -killed, the wind happening to be blowing from the deer towards me. We -kept these respective positions for about five minutes. I then lit my -pipe. At the scraping of the match he retreated a little, but -gathering courage soon paused again. I rose slowly to my feet and -advanced steadily towards him. He waited until I was quite close -before he sprang away and disappeared from sight up the _barranca_. - -Again in May 1901, being then in the _canadon_ of the River Katarina -near Lake Argentino, I saw from the boat what I took to be the horns -of a huemul against the background of the low forest. I landed and -crossed the swamp in the direction of the thicket. Here, coming into -an open space, I saw the buck to whom the horns belonged. Behind him -the head and shoulders of a doe were visible projecting from a bush. I -continued to walk on till I came within something like one hundred -yards, when I sat down behind a fragment of rock and hid myself from -their view. The sun was, I remember, but a hands-breadth above the -Cordillera, and I made up my mind that I would not move until its lower -rim had dipped beneath the snow-peaks. At the time I had set for -myself I peered round the edge of the rock very carefully--as slowly -as one peers when one is observing the movements of a gaggle of Scotch -grey-lags. Imagine my surprise when there, not ten yards away, -appeared the face of the doe, her gaze fixed upon mine! On seeing me -thus suddenly she ran back to the shelter of the undergrowth from -which she had originally emerged, and from which the buck during the -interval had not stirred. The shades of evening were fast falling, and -I was obliged to make an end of my watching for lack of light. - -But undoubtedly the most remarkable example of the natural tameness of -the huemul occurred on May 9. I was in the same _canadon_, and on this -occasion had the luck to secure a photograph of the doe as she went -away. It was about noon that I, being on my way up the _canadon_ in a -northerly direction, heard a stick break in a thicket near by, and a -moment afterwards a huemul buck came into view. Fortunately I had not -caught his eye, and he remained looking out from a patch of bushes, -wondering, I suppose, what strange animal this could be that was -coming towards him. Pretending that I had not observed him, I threw -myself down among the high grass and waited for developments. The buck -snorted twice or thrice and advanced to within thirty yards of where I -lay. He stood upon the side of a hummock, flanked by his two hinds. -They were shortly joined by a third, which came up out of the hollow -behind them. I lay perfectly still. The buck halted, but the hinds -came on till within a few feet of me. The buck now approached on the -right; he was a four-pointer. The does had winded me. Two of them were -mature, the third a half-grown hind. Before five minutes were over the -hinds had come so near as to be almost touching me. Presently the -half-grown hind sniffed my boot and started back, taking the other -three with her. They drew nearer a second time, the buck coming within -a yard of me, and dropping his horns as though to turn me over. I did -not quite like the action, as it might have meant more than a mere -push, and therefore raised myself gently to a sitting position. The -deer retreated about thirty yards, and there stood, not taking their -eyes from me for a considerable time. Seeing that no further approach -of the deer was likely, I finally got up and went my way. The does -followed me for fifty yards or so, the buck remaining stationary, and -then all four bounded off into the woods whence they had come. - -In spite of this original confidingness exhibited by the huemul to man -when unknown, he appears to be readily rendered wild and timid. -Burbury saw some of these animals near the Engineers' camp above Lake -Buenos Aires. They had probably been hunted by Mr. Waag's party and -were excessively wild, flying on the farthest glimpse of man. This -observation was confirmed by Humphrey Jones, who told me that the -huemules living in the woods near the Welsh colony of The 16th October -are wilder than any other creature, and that to shoot one is a feather -in the caps of the local hunters. I cannot say whether they are easily -tamed when in captivity, for I came across no instance of a huemul -kept by man. - -So far, then, my observations on the huemul. - -Concerning the puma, I have never heard of any man being attacked near -the settlements by this animal, and, indeed, authentic instances of -its acting as the assailant are very few and far between. All those of -which I gathered reliable evidence occurred in remote places, distant -from the beat of man. Mr. Waag told me of a puma which did not retreat -from his party in the Cordillera, but gave manifest signs of anger and -a readiness to attack. Another case is that of Dr. Francisco P. -Moreno, who, upon the banks of the River Leona, a river which flows -between Lake Argentino and Lake Viedma, and is seldom visited, was -attacked by a puma. He was, he informs me, walking wrapped in the skin -of a guanaco, and he fancies the animal may have mistaken him for a -guanaco. It sprang upon his shoulders and tore him under the chin with -its claws, but was luckily beaten off by his companion and killed. -This puma was found to be in milk, a fact which, arguing the presence -of her young near at hand, probably accounted for the unusual outbreak -of fierceness. The young were searched for but not discovered. - -A third instance is that of Mr. Arenberg, one of the Argentine -Boundary Commissioners, who was mauled by a puma in the neighbourhood -of Lake Buenos Aires, at a spot probably hitherto unvisited by man. He -was seriously wounded in the face. As a rule, the puma is a cowardly -animal, and is frequently killed by the Indians with a _bolas_.[26] - - [Illustration: THE HUEMUL DOE WHICH TOUCHED THE AUTHOR. PHOTOGRAPHED - WITH SMALL CAMERA AS SHE RETIRED] - -Although, during the whole of our journey, we were constantly coming -upon evidences of the presence of pumas round and about our camps, it -was not until we had entered the Cordillera that they actually -reconnoitred the camp. In a forest near Lake Argentino, one moonlight -night, two pumas circled round our camp, and for upwards of half an -hour kept uttering their peculiar cry. Pumas often stampeded our -horses and left plain tracks near the camp, but in spite of this they -killed no animal, not even a dog, belonging to us. - -Puma cubs in captivity become very tame. One settler whom I met had -two cubs about a year old. They were attached to their new home, and -though they would follow a horse for two hundred yards or so, they -invariably returned after a short distance to the shanty of their -owner. Another puma cub had been kept by Mr. Cattle at Lake Argentino. -This cub was wont to fight battles royal with the hounds, but in the -cold of winter would lie among them for warmth. All these cubs were -those of _Felis concolor puma_. So long as they were well fed they -were docile, but when hungry their fierce nature reasserted itself. -Mr. Cattle had finally to shoot the cub that belonged to him. Mr. -Waring, however, still had his at the time of my departure. I heard -these two killed a colt in the month of May. - -The study of the Cordillera wolf (_Canis magellanicus_) from the -present point of view is exceptionally interesting. To this animal man -is practically unknown, and it manifested the most utter fearlessness, -when brought into contact with human beings, during our expedition. -This wolf will advance within five or six yards of a man in open -daylight; it will walk over him when asleep in camp. They haunted our -camps about Lake Buenos Aires, lurking about all the night through and -eating everything that came within their reach; then, instead of -departing when daylight came, they usually remained crouching near by, -and put in an appearance during breakfast-time with an absolute -disregard or ignorance of probable danger from the neighbourhood of -man. - -On the River Fenix one of these wolves came into Rosy Camp during the -night, stole a duck and a goose, and further gnawed my rifle-slings -within a few feet of where I was sleeping. We only discovered our loss -at dawn, and while we were still discussing it, I perceived the animal -itself lying under a bush close at hand calmly watching us. Deprived -of breakfast, I had no thought of mercy, and shot her with a Mauser. -She was an old female. That night her mate paid us a visit, and -frightened the horses, who seem to fear the large Cordillera wolf -almost as much as the puma. I was rather crippled at the time with an -injury to my knee, and was sitting by the fire. I happened to look up -and caught sight of the wolf standing within a few yards of me. He -quietly returned my look but made no movement to run away. In a moment -or two I got up and limped across to fetch my gun, the wolf watching -me with interest, but without the smallest sign of apprehension. As a -matter of fact, he came a few steps nearer to me, still gazing at me -fixedly. He also joined the majority in a very short space of time. We -could not afford to have such desperate thieves about our camp. At -another place in the same neighbourhood a wolf, coming in to -investigate our camp, was attacked by my big deerhound Tom. The wolf -made no attempt to escape but met his foe with a fearful bite, and in -the end we had to go to Tom's assistance before the wolf could be -killed. - - [Illustration: CAMP THIEVES] - -From these instances it will be seen that the Cordillera wolf has -absolutely no fear of man. The pampa fox shares this characteristic, -but possesses it in a much less prominent degree. When I have been -chasing one of these latter the animal has in more than one case -stopped to regard me steadfastly, not with the timid curiosity of the -huemul but with a fearless stare. Yet these foxes are hunted for their -pelts. One evening I fired at a pampa fox and missed him. He retired -at a slow lollop while I pursued him. When a couple of hundred yards -had been covered, he halted, chose a bush, deliberately lay down and -waited for me, his muzzle sunk upon his paws. I picked up a handful of -gravel and tossed it at him. He rose, snarled, looked at me for a -moment, and then walked slowly off. - -The data given above suffice to show that different animals assume -very various attitudes with regard to man on first introduction to -knowledge of him. Not only this, but animals of the same species -behave variously under these circumstances. My experience of -Patagonian wild animals goes to prove that those to whom we were the -first human visitors regarded us with extreme curiosity, and though in -some cases there was a show of timidity, it was not to be confounded -with any apprehension of violence at our hands. - -To sum up the relative confidingness of the animals I met with, I -propose to take the distance within which they will allow man to -approach as a sort of scale: - -Guanaco. The evidence is contradictory, but it may be taken that these -animals will allow a man to proceed _towards_ them to within eighty -yards; at any rate, in most cases. But if a man remain stationary, -they will be inclined to approach him a little nearer. - -Huemules will allow man to approach within fifteen yards. If he remain -perfectly still, they will go almost up to him. - -Puma (_Felis concolor puma_). If unacquainted with man, will -occasionally attack him. - -Cordillera wolf. Utterly fearless of man. Will, if approached too -closely, show signs of taking the offensive. Will stand over his kill -until the human intruder is within a foot or so. - -Pampa fox. Will allow approach to within twenty yards. - -I have already described the attitude of all these animals towards man -in the more settled districts, with the one exception of the -Cordillera wolf. Concerning this animal no data, so far as I know, -exists, as his range does not, in my experience--I am here open to -correction--extend beyond the foothills of the Cordillera. - -The whole of my personal knowledge as to the behaviour of animals -toward man on first meeting with him leads me to believe that none but -extremely broad rules can be laid down on the subject. It would be -very difficult to prophesy the precise attitude likely to be adopted -by any individual animal under this condition, for the evidence -concerning animals of the same species varies so largely. I am, -therefore, driven to believe that the conduct of any given animal -depends on its own special turn of character; that it is, in fact, a -matter of individual temperament. In the case of a group of animals, -the note of the behaviour of the whole group would be given by either -the leader of the herd, or would depend on the first instinctive -action of that one of the group which was the first to perceive the -strange object. - -But, having stated the evidence which I gathered, it will be better to -leave others to draw their own conclusions. - -FOOTNOTES: - -[25] Where there are sheep, and consequently mutton is procurable, the -guanaco is rarely hunted. - -[26] This method has been referred to in another chapter. - - - - -CHAPTER XVIII[27] - -THE LARGER MAMMALS OF PATAGONIA - - Little known of natural history of Patagonia -- - Distribution of principal mammals -- Huemul -- Range -- - Habits -- Horns -- Not timid in remote districts -- - Curiosity -- Common puma -- Immense numbers -- Destructive - habits -- Method of attack -- Silent -- Expert in hiding - lair -- Pearson's puma -- Points of difference -- - Characteristics -- Guanaco -- Wide range -- Large herds -- - Quantities of bones at drinking-places -- Hard winters -- - Habits -- Lack of affection for young -- Patagonian cavy - -- Arbitrary limit of range -- Weight -- Habits -- - Armadillo. - - -In commencing this chapter I may remark that, as far as English -publications are concerned, I have found nothing bearing on the -zoology of South-eastern Patagonia of later date than the book of -Captain Musters, published in 1871, and no work whatever dealing with -the mammals of the Cordillera. - -Captain Musters traversed the country with a tribe of Tehuelche -Indians, and only at one point touched the Cordillera. His book is -essentially a book treating of these interesting Indians, and he does -little more than refer now and then to the zoology of the land through -which he passed. - -Every one is, of course, familiar with the volumes to which the -voyages of the _Adventure_ and the _Beagle_ gave rise, but it must be -remembered that the most westerly point attained by the boat-party -from the _Beagle_, which ascended the Santa Cruz River, was Mystery -Plain. In no English work whatever has any mention been made of the -huemul (_Xenelaphus bisulcus_), a deer peculiar to the Southern -Cordillera, nor have we any account of the habits of the puma, or, I -should rather say, the pumas of Patagonia. During the time we spent in -Patagonia we covered a considerable portion of the country, and passed -some five or six months within the Cordillera, or in their immediate -neighbourhood, so that we had ample opportunity for making some -interesting observations. - -To begin with, I should like to say a few words concerning the -distribution, broadly speaking, of the principal mammals of Patagonia. - -Patagonia is divided practically into sections by its eastward-flowing -rivers. To-day the jaguar (_Felis onca_) does not, I am informed, -range south of the River Colorado, although specimens were killed in -the vicinity of the River Negro fifteen years ago. The River Deseado -forms the southern limit of the distribution of the Patagonian cavy -(_Dolichotis patagonica_). The armadillo (_Dasypus minutus_) is never -found south of the River Santa Cruz. During four months which I spent -south of that river I did not see one, but when for three days we -crossed to the north bank we met with four and killed one. _Dasypus -minutus_ is very common in the neighbourhood of Bahia Camerones. The -range of the huemul (_Xenelaphus bisulcus_) is confined to the -Cordillera or their close proximity, according to my experience, while -_Felis concolor puma_, and the guanaco may be said to cover the entire -country as regards the plains, and I have seen the animals or their -traces in various parts of the Cordillera. - -So much for general distribution. - -1. Huemul (_Xenelaphus bisulcus_). - -(_Huemul_ or _Guemal_ of the Argentines and Chilians; _Ciervo_ of the -Gauchos of Southern Patagonia; _Shoan_ of the Tehuelches.) - -In the neighbourhood of Lake Buenos Aires this beautiful deer first -came under my observation. On the south side of the River de los -Antiguos I saw a buck (which I shot), two does and a pricket. I was -told by my Gaucho, Humphrey Jones, that the huemul is found in the -forests as far north as the Welsh colony of The 16th October, about -lat. 43 deg.; on the south its range extends to the Straits of Magellan. -The easterly limit of their present habitat may be said to be the -foothills of the Andes. Dr. F. P. Moreno, however, states that these -animals have been seen in the hills in the vicinity of Port Desire, on -the Atlantic Coast: I do not think that they are any longer to be -found there. As far as my personal observations go, I never came -across a specimen farther east than a couple of miles from the shore -of Lake Buenos Aires upon its north-eastern side. The Indians said -that these deer were at one time more numerous in that region. - - [Illustration: BEST HEAD OF HUEMUL (_XENELAPHUS BISULCUS_) SHOT BY THE - AUTHOR. SIDE VIEW] - -During the summer the huemules leave the lower grounds, where the -mosquitoes trouble them, and travel up to the snow-line of the -Cordillera and even beyond it. At this season I never saw a large -herd, but in the winter Mr. Cattle, a pioneer living near Lake -Argentino, informed me that he had seen a large herd of over a hundred -strong that visited the lake. In the warmer weather I noticed them -usually in small parties of two or three, seldom more. - -These animals are in the habit of wandering outside the forests in the -evening and forenoon, but in the afternoon they generally retire to -their shelter, where they often lie down. I have found them inhabiting -the margins of the dense forests upon the slopes of the Cordillera -which border the lakes. They are excellent swimmers, and cross the -broad arms of Lake Argentino without hesitation. - -In December the huemules which I shot were shedding their winter coat, -and I noticed the bucks were farther advanced in this matter than the -does. There were a few scraps of velvet clinging to the horns of one -of the bucks which I shot on December 9, 1901. It is curious to note -that the Indians, on seeing my reindeer-skin sleeping-bag, -triumphantly identified it as being made of the pelt of the huemul! - -The best head that I secured carried five points. Mr. Von Plaaten -Hallermund, of the Argentine Boundary Commission, told me he had seen -a huemul's head carrying eight points in the neighbourhood of Lake San -Martin. One of my _peones_, Bernardo Haehansen, who had penetrated into -the same district, said he had also seen an eight-pointer. Mr. Cattle -and his companions shot two bucks, both of which were four-pointers. - -Save for the attacks of pumas, the huemul lives pretty well -undisturbed in his fastnesses. The Indians do not hunt them, as in the -forest-land horses and _boleadores_ are comparatively useless. They do -occasionally kill a few of these deer, however, which may have strayed -to the foothills or to the shores of the lakes. - -Huemules are, in general, very confiding, for their range is confined -for the most part to districts where they have little chance of making -acquaintance with the human race. But near the colony of The 16th -October, Jones told me that they had become very wary and difficult of -access, as was to be expected in a region where they are constantly -hunted. In the more unpenetrated parts the buck is very courageous in -the rutting season, and has been known to make some show of attacking -man. On open ground, in my own experience, they manifested wonderfully -little timidity, and would wait for the approach of man, but inside -the forests they invariably dashed away on catching a glimpse of one -of our party. If, however, you have a dog with you, they will in all -cases take to flight. - -In the preceding chapter I have given various illustrations of the -natural tameness of the huemul. - -When it has observed something unusual in its surroundings, this deer -will remain watching, and without moving, for a great length of time. -On one occasion I saw near Lake Argentino a buck and doe about a -quarter of a mile away. I was lying under a bush watching some wild -cattle, a herd of which were above me against the snow-line, and the -huemules stood and watched me for nearly an hour. They were some ten -yards from each other. Presently the cattle moved, and I followed them -upwards. I returned unsuccessful in the evening to the spot, not -having fired a shot, and found the two deer still watching my horse, -which was tied up on the shore of the lake. - -On one or two occasions when I have fired at a huemul the others of -the herd have run towards the noise. Once this happened when I was in -full sight of the animals. - -Musters, in his travels through Patagonia, mentions a "red" deer. Of -this I could find no trace, so that in all probability he alluded to -the huemul under that name; the reddish tinge of the huemul's hair -lends likelihood to this suggestion. - -No. 2. Puma (_Felis concolor puma_). - -(_Leon_ of the Argentines; _Gol_ of the Tehuelches.) - -This is the silver-grey variety of puma most commonly met with in -Patagonia. The distribution of this animal extends over the entire -country. It is to be found in the Cordillera as on the pampas. I came -upon tracks of this animal at the end of the north-west fjord of Lake -Argentino about long. 73 deg. 14', and I also saw a puma at the -south-western extremity of that lake. - -Evidence of their existence accompanied the whole itinerary of the -expedition throughout the entire route it covered. The number of pumas -in Patagonia is very great, more so than any zoologist has yet given -an idea of. During one winter two pioneers killed seventy-three near -Lake Argentino. Near San Julian immense numbers are yearly destroyed, -but lately, owing to the advent of settlers, they are becoming less -numerous. At Bahia Camerones, on the farm of Mr. Greenshields, -fourteen pumas were killed during the winter of 1900. - -A female killed near Santa Cruz measured 6 ft. 10 in., and a male -killed near Lake Argentino 8 ft. 1 in. - -The puma can easily be galloped down, as it rarely runs more than 300 -yards or a quarter of a mile when pursued on horseback. It invariably -stands at bay with its back to a bush or a rock. - -In strong contradistinction to the habit of the _Felis onca_ (jaguar), -_F. c. puma_, when hunting, kills a number of animals from a flock or -herd. To one only of these kills, however, does it return, and it -always makes some pretence of burying the victim singled out for its -meal, throwing upon the body in many cases merely a small bunch of -thorns. This custom of the puma is frequently taken advantage of by -the shepherds, who poison the chosen carcass. The puma, ninety times -out of a hundred, makes its first meal upon the entrails of the victim -or upon the thigh inside of the groin. - -The destruction wrought by pumas upon flocks of sheep is immense. One -animal killed upwards of 100 head from among a single flock. One night -alone its total amounted to fourteen. Another point in connection with -the predatory habits of the puma is that it will travel a long -distance, even as much as ten or twelve miles, after killing. - -Its method of attack, judging from an examination of its victims, -appears to be to spring upon the shoulders of its quarry and to break -its neck. Cases are reported of pumas attacking horses, but no -instance of this came under my own notice. They generally select a -stormy and tempestuous night during which to make their depredations. -It is rather curious, as occasionally happens, to see a herd of cows -with their calves take up the trail of a puma with a great deal of -lowing and fuss, but they do not follow it for any distance. - -Darwin writes that the puma is a very silent animal, uttering no cry -even when wounded, and only rarely during the breeding season. One -moonlight night, in a forest by Lake Argentino, a couple of pumas came -out of the dark and began to walk round and round the camp, and -continued to do so for more than an hour, all the time keeping up -their peculiar cry. On no other occasion--though, as I have said, -pumas or rather the evidences of their presence, accompanied us -through our long journeys--did I hear them break silence. - - [Illustration: PEARSON'S PUMA (_FELIS CONCOLOR PEARSONI_)] - -Pumas are more often destroyed in winter, when the snow lies on the -ground, and their tracks can be followed to their hiding-places; -otherwise they are so marvellously expert in concealing themselves -that it is often impossible to find their lair. - -Authentic instances of pumas having attacked man are few; but some -have certainly occurred. - -No. 3. Pearson's Puma (_Felis concolor pearsoni_). - -On my return from Patagonia I brought with me a puma-skin, which -seemed to me to differ in some essential respects from any known -species. Mr. J. G. Millais, on examining the skin, agreed with me, and -pointed out that it possessed several characteristics which do not -occur in _Felis concolor puma_. I took the skin to the Natural History -Museum, where Mr. Oldfield Thomas came to the conclusion that the -animal was a sub-species of _F. c. puma_, and named it _Felis concolor -pearsoni_. - -The chief points of difference between the two species are as follows: -The very different general colour, _F. c. pearsoni_ being reddish-fawn -instead of silver-grey. The proportionately very short tail; light -instead of dark colour on the backs of the ears, which are, moreover, -sharply pointed in the case of the new sub-species, and there is an -absence of the dark markings round the digital pads which -distinguishes _Felis concolor puma_. - -Several Gauchos, settlers and Indians informed me that there were two -kinds of pumas in Patagonia, one being very common, silver-grey in -colour and cowardly; the other they described as rare, much fiercer, -of a reddish colour, and somewhat smaller than the common grey -species. Amongst the seventy-three pumas killed by the English -pioneers near Lake Argentino, one, Mr. Cattle told me, differed very -much from the ordinary puma, and judging from the description he gave -of it, I have no hesitation in concluding that it was a specimen of -_Felis concolor pearsoni_. - -No. 4. Guanaco (_Lama huanachus_). - -(_Guanaco_ of settlers, Argentines and Chilians; _Rou_ of the -Tehuelches.) - -During the whole course of our travels in Patagonia (save when in the -forests) a day rarely passed without our seeing guanacos. They may be -met within a few hours' ride of any settlement. The range of the -guanaco extends all over the plains of Patagonia. In my experience -they were most numerous in the _Canadon_ Davis, in the neighbourhood -of Bahia Camerones, and on the high basaltic tablelands to the south -of Lake Buenos Aires. At the base of the Cordillera and in some of the -river-valleys under the edge of the mountains, the range of the -guanaco crosses that of the huemul. I do not think, however, that the -guanacos ever enter the forest, although I have seen them in the open -patches amongst the lower wooded parts of the Cordillera. As the -seasons change they move from higher to lower ground, but these -migrations are limited, and a white guanaco has been observed year -after year in the same neighbourhood. During the time I spent at Lake -Argentino--from February 1 to May 15--I saw but few of these animals, -for at that season all the herds migrate to the high pampa. A herd -four or five hundred strong inhabited the higher plateaus of Mount -Frias. - - [Illustration: HEAD OF GUANACO] - -FitzRoy, in his "Voyages of the _Adventure_ and the _Beagle_," writes, -"Do the guanacos approach the river to drink when they are dying? or -are the bones and remains of animals eaten by lions or by Indians? or -are they washed together by floods? Certain it is that they are -remarkably numerous near the banks of the river (Santa Cruz), but not -so elsewhere." It is true that, although one comes upon skeletons of -these animals upon the pampas, they are not crowded together as they -are in the _canadones_ of the rivers or by the lakes near water. At -the edge of a lagoon at the eastern end of Mystery Plain I saw a great -number of skeletons in one place, possibly the very ones noted by -FitzRoy. They extended in a wide track down the hillside and to the -edge of the water. At Lake Viedma the margins of the lake, near the -outflow of the Leona, were covered with their skins and bones. The -meaning of this I gathered from Mr. Ernest Cattle. He told me that in -the winter of 1899 enormous numbers of guanaco sought Lake Argentino, -and died of starvation upon its shores. In the severities of winter -they seek drinking-places, where there are large masses of water -likely to be unfrozen. The few last winters in Patagonia have been so -severe as to work great havoc among the herds of guanaco. - -At nightfall guanacos gather into close order, a large herd collecting -in a small radius. They seem to choose open spaces in which to pass -the hours of darkness. In moments of danger also they pack together -densely. At the sound of a shot, the outlying members of a herd will -close up and sway their long necks almost to the ground in unison. I -see that Darwin says that guanaco are "generally very wild and wary." -In places where they are hunted by the Indians this is undoubtedly the -case, but on this point no law can be laid down. In some districts the -guanaco is very difficult of approach, in others extremely easy. The -evidence that I can adduce concerning this point I have given at -length in another chapter. Their instinct of curiosity is very largely -developed. During our wanderings I studied the habits of the guanaco -with ever-increasing interest. In cold weather they become -extraordinarily tame, and will permit a man to walk among them as a -shepherd walks among his sheep. - -The young are brought forth in the months of October, November and the -early part of December. In Southern Patagonia some are born as late as -the end of December. During the period of copulation the bucks fight a -good deal. I never shot an old buck which was not seamed and scarred -with the marks of these contests. When fighting they give vent to loud -squeals of rage, they strike with their forefeet and bite savagely, -mostly at the neck of the antagonist. The marks of these bites are -often deep and long. The skin of the neck is luckily very thick, so -little harm is done. As has been noted before, the guanacos drop all -their dung in one spot, and near these spots their wallows are -ordinarily to be found. I saw an old buck spend a long time over his -toilette while his wives looked on and waited. He would spend nearly -half an hour on his back with his legs in the air, at intervals -standing up to neigh and then rolling again. - - [Illustration: GUANACO CHICO (CAPTURED WITH LASSOO)] - -A guanaco descending a hillside is a truly wonderful sight. He -proceeds in a succession of bounds, on landing from each of which he -dips his head almost to touch his forefeet. The young guanaco keeps up -with his elders over bad ground in an extraordinary way. - -The power of affection in guanacos towards their young did not appear -to me to be very strong. From time to time I had to shoot a young one -for food. Out of nine instances which I find in my diary, only twice -did the mother halt in her flight to see what had happened to her -offspring. On both occasions she stopped within two hundred and fifty -yards and stared towards me. If dogs enter into the chase the mother -deserts to a greater distance. One day, when I with the dogs had -killed a young guanaco, I left it lying and rode away with the dogs. -Returning alone, I took up my quarters in the heart of a bush, from -whence I observed the herd to which the mother belonged. They did not -return nearer than a quarter of a mile to the spot. On another -occasion when I shot a young guanaco and concealed myself for the -same reason, the whole herd came back and, mounting an eminence in the -neighbourhood, scanned the scene of the disaster. They did not, -however, venture near the place where the quarry was lying. Curiously -enough, wild cattle, though much more difficult of approach than -guanaco, often come back in the night lowing and bellowing to visit -the spot where a herd-mate has been killed, but before dawn they -invariably leave that part of the forest. - -The young guanaco is an easy quarry. We caught a considerable number -of them for food with the aid of the hounds. - -On one occasion a young one was simply headed off from the herd, its -portrait taken, and then it was set free again. - -No. 5. Patagonian cavy (_Dolichotis patagonica_). - -(Called "cavy" or "hare" indiscriminately by the English residents; -_liebre_ by the Argentines and Chilians; _Paahi_ by the Tehuelches.) - -The River Deseado forms the southern limit of the distribution of the -Patagonian cavy. In 1833 Darwin writes concerning this animal, "They -are found as far north as the Sierra Tapalguen (lat. 37 deg. 30'), and -their southern limit is between Port Desire and San Julian, where -there is no change in the nature of the country." As far as my -experience goes, I never observed a cavy after October 23, upon which -day I counted fourteen upon the pampa between Lake Musters and the -settlement of Colohuapi. The residents of Colohuapi informed me that -the place formed the southern limit of the distribution of the cavy. -It is, of course, impossible to lay down an exact line, but I think it -safe to say that the range of the cavy does not extend south of the -46th parallel. This limit is the more remarkable inasmuch as the -country south of lat. 46 deg. does not in any way materially differ from -that over which the cavy is commonly to be met with. One most often -finds these animals on patches of dry mud. They are comparatively easy -to stalk, as easy as an English rabbit. The best method of shooting -them is, of course, with the rifle, though occasionally you may start -them from a thicket and shoot them as you would an English hare with a -shot-gun. They generally weigh between 18 lb. and 25 lb., though I -heard of one which I was assured weighed 31 lb. - -The cavy will often lead the hounds a good chase, especially where the -ground is broken, in such places frequently making its escape. - -After being frightened it very soon makes its reappearance, and when -it actually takes to flight it rarely goes more than a hundred yards -before it turns to see whether it is an object of pursuit. This is -only the case when man alone is the pursuer; when dogs are present -there is no time to be lost in speculation of any kind. - -No. 6. Armadillo (_Dasypus minutus_). - -(_Pichy_ of the Argentines and Chilians; _Ano_ of the Tehuelches.) - -This animal is never found south of the River Santa Cruz. During the -four months I spent south of that river I did not see one, but when -for three days we crossed to the north bank we met with four and -killed one, as I have before mentioned. _Dasypus minutus_ is very -common in the vicinity of Bahia Camerones. I saw no specimen in the -forests of the Andes, but near Lake Buenos Aires and Lake Viedma we -found them about the foothills. - -No. 7. The Grey or Pampa Fox; _Zorro_ of the Argentines; _Paltn_ of -the Tehuelches. - -To the east of the Andes, the pampa fox is to be met with practically -everywhere. There are two varieties of foxes upon the pampa. The -common pampa variety is a most inveterate thief, and causes endless -trouble to travellers by eating all and anything that the wind may -blow down from the bushes, upon which one's belongings are generally -hung by way of guarding against their depredations. If a horse is -_sogaed_ out with a _cabresto_ of hide, the foxes will very often gnaw -through the _cabresto_ and set the horse free. This trick has cost the -life of more than one Gaucho, who, travelling alone upon the pampa, in -some district hundreds of miles away from human habitations, has been -left quite helpless without his horse, unable to use his _bolas_ with -effect on foot, and so has starved to death. - -In my experience the range of the grey fox seems to cease at the -foothills of the Cordillera, where the Magellan wolf (_Canis -magellanicus_) is to be found. Of course, in making this statement I -am open to correction. I can merely state that, during the time I -spent at Lake Buenos Aires and Lake Argentino, I never saw a pampa -fox, although evidences of their presence in the way of tracks were -frequent, upon the north shore of the former lake. Yet directly one -ascended the range of the hills towards the River Fenix, pampa foxes -were to be seen. On the top of Mount Frias I saw a pampa fox in the -snow. I never came upon the pampa fox in the forests which grow upon -the slopes of the Cordillera. - -The fearlessness of the grey pampa fox is remarkable, even in -districts where it is chased by the Indians and their dogs. The pelts -are much used for making _capas_ or fur cloaks. During the early part -of January 1901, upon the pampa outside the Cordillera, we continually -came upon half-grown pampa foxes in twos and threes. Until they saw -the dogs they never took to flight. - -No. 8. Cordillera Wolf (_Canis magellanicus_). - -This is the animal locally known as the Cordillera fox. I have -elsewhere touched upon its strongest characteristic of courage, and -also the dread it inspires among horses. It is, of course, a much -larger animal than the pampa fox, which latter can wander about among -the troop without causing any disturbance. A single Cordillera wolf -will attack young huemules as well as the young of the guanaco. -Although found in the forest, this animal also frequents the plains at -the foothills of the Cordillera. Personally I never observed it -farther east than the River Fenix. In the one case that came under my -observation, when sheep had been brought within its range, its -depredations among them were considerable. - -The measurements which I made of three of these animals were as -follows: Female killed at the River Fenix, Lake Buenos Aires, -thirty-nine inches; dog-wolf killed at the same place, forty-one -inches; dog-wolf killed at the Lake Argentino, forty-one inches. These -measurements were taken from the teeth to the end of the tail directly -after the shooting of the animals. - -When with young the Cordillera wolf, indeed I may say the Cordillera -wolves, both male and female, will run growling towards man if he -attempts to approach their litter. As far as could be judged from an -examination of the lair of one, their bill of fare is very varied. -There were the remains of many kinds of birds, as well as the bones of -the young of guanaco and huemul. - -There is another form of the wolf which I think should perhaps be -considered as a sub-species under the name of _Canis montanus_. Its -range is at present undefined. It is a red variety and lacks the dark -markings of _Canis magellanicus_. I hope shortly to have a series of -skins of this type. At present my readers can refer to the coloured -plate "Camp Thieves," and the photograph on this page. Its general -habits seem to be identical with those of _Canis magellanicus_. - -No. 9. Skunk (_Conepatus patagonicus_). - -(_Zorino_ of the Argentines; _wikster_ of the Tehuelches.) - -The skunk is to be met with throughout the whole country, but we saw -perhaps more specimens of this animal in the neighbourhood of Bahia -Camerones than elsewhere. I have also observed it within ten miles of -the foot of the Cordillera. The skins are much prized by the Indians -for the making of _capas_. - -Besides the animals enumerated above, an otter is common in most of -the rivers, but as all the skins I collected have not arrived at the -moment of writing, I will hold over any description of this animal -until a later date. - - [Illustration: RED MOUNTAIN WOLF (CANIS MONTANUS)] - -FOOTNOTE: - -[27] This chapter embodies a paper read before the Zoological Society -of London on April 15, 1902, with some additional details. - - - - -CHAPTER XIX - -FIRST PASSING THROUGH HELLGATE - - Rumour of important undiscovered river -- Wish to settle - question -- Dr. Moreno's description of Lake Argentino -- - Start for Hellgate -- Description of Hellgate -- Squall -- - Sunshine -- Scenery -- Icebergs -- Danger-dodging -- - Absence of life on banks -- West channel of North Fjord -- - Events of voyage -- Giant's Glacier -- Camera -- Second - glacier -- Deep water -- End of west channel -- Return to - North Fjord -- Icebergs -- In difficulties with launch -- - Escape from a reef -- Land on peninsula -- Guanaco -- Fish - -- Fish and farina -- Heavy gales -- Photographs -- One - more attempt to go up North Fjord -- Driftwood -- Driven - back -- Return to Cow Monte Harbour -- South Fjord -- - Storms -- Mount Avellaneda -- Small fjord -- Trouble with - launch -- Squalls -- Launch driven ashore -- On fire -- - Fine weather -- Glacier calves -- Thousands of square - miles of forest unexplored. - - -"An important river flows into the end of the north fjord (of Lake -Argentino) with clear waters--a sure sign that it proceeds from -another great lake still unknown." - -In these words, taken from the _Journal of the Royal Geographical -Society_ for September 1899, under the head of "Explorations in -Patagonia," by Dr. Moreno, you have the idea which was the spring of -all our efforts in bringing down the launch to Lake Argentino and the -aim of the subsequent voyages made in her. - -The opening to the north passage or fjord is locally known as -Hellgate, so called on account of the rough weather which usually -prevails there. The spot is the opening of a long winding channel -that, running up between beetling cliffs and forested mountain-sides -as it were into the heart of the Andes, becomes simply a vast funnel -through which the winds and storms discharge themselves upon the lake -at all times and seasons. I cannot give a better description of Lake -Argentino than by using the following extract from Dr. Moreno's -account: - -"Lake Argentino ... extends sixty miles to the west; and the fjords of -the extreme west divide into three arms, which receive the waters of -large glaciers from Mount Stokes up to the vicinity of Lake Viedma. An -important river flows into the end of the north fjord, with clear -waters--a sure sign that it proceeds from another great lake still -unknown. The western end is closed by the main chain of the Cordillera -with its glaciers, which cross to the Pacific fjords of Peel Inlet and -St. Andrew's Sound, and one can distinguish peaks more than 10,000 -feet, as Mount Agassiz (10,597 feet)." - - [Illustration: HELLGATE] - -On March 11, having mended the launch to the best of our ability, we -intended to make a start from Cow Monte Harbour. As we rode down from -Cattle's, driving my troop of horses before us, the calm weather which -had attended the period of repairs broke up and a strong wind began to -blow out of the south-west. A start was, therefore, rendered -impossible. We accordingly camped beside the launch, to be ready for -an early departure. All night long the wind held, and the sheepskins -in the after-hatch, where I was sleeping, took in water. It needed -little waking, therefore, to get me out in the morning. The false -dawn was still lingering in the sky when the wind fell and we were off -in double quick time, heading in a northerly direction, and steering -by a clump of _Lena dura_ bushes on a promontory, behind which lay -Hellgate. - -The swell of the previous night was yet big upon the water, and the -launch crawled over it at about three knots. The entrance to Hellgate -is possibly one of the most menacing and sinister-looking spots in -South America. The great grooved cliffs tower over the yeasty cauldron -of water, and down the channel between them, as I have said, the wind -hurtles as through a funnel. On this particular morning a squall had -darkened the great and houseless unknown beyond. Several icebergs were -huddled together, stranded upon the shallows of the eastern shore. - -After running through the black throat of Hellgate we put in, beneath -a big rock, in order to take shelter from the squall that was fast -coming down upon us. We had started on a _mate_, and so, while we -waited, a roast was got under way. As we were eating, the squall that -had brooded so ominously in the west broke over the lake, and after -raging for a few minutes passed with a shiver that you could follow -with the eye, till it lost itself in the distance of the early morning -waters. Then the sun glowed out suddenly, as if some gigantic power -had lifted an extinguisher from its glory. The farther and middle -distances were peopled with snow-peaks, rising in minarets above their -girdles of dark forest, which last stretched downwards until they -lipped the black water at the mountain bases. For a moment after the -outburst of radiance the water alone remained black and angry, and -then the squall flicked away its skirts and passed from view, leaving -a picture of cold and austere purity extending to the rim of sight. In -words I cannot give you any reflection of the scene, and no photograph -could ever do more than reproduce its outlines, and yet I suppose few -human eyes will ever look upon it. - -To describe the kaleidoscope of colours and the scenery through which -we passed in that north-west passage of Lake Argentino would merely -leave me a beggar in adjectives. Suffice it to say that for that day -at least the mist and gloom of the clouds shared short watches with -the gold and white of flying sunshine. For the first time in our -experience of her the launch played us no tricks, and our progress -went on at a steady three knots. Soon a gigantic glacier showed in the -channel, seeming to block all farther advance. The Fjord looked full -of icebergs; there must have been three thousand of them lying, an -inanimate fleet, in their mountain-bound harbour of wind and mist. - -A nasty squall caught us as we dodged among the ice, the smallest -ripple set us gripping our frail craft, and I am afraid that a -moderate sea would have drowned her fires and sent us to explore -downwards rather than onwards. Indeed, our entire life on the launch -was one long history of danger-dodging. I do not give the details, -because some of the same sort have already been written, and -repetition is needless. I grant there was more risk in taking the -launch and using her in such waters than, perhaps, wisdom would have -approved. Without her, however, we could have had no chance of -exploring the North Fjord and solving the mystery of the "river with -clear waters." Moreover, those who accompanied me went of their own -free will, and I must here record my gratitude to Mr. Cattle, who -willingly risked his life on our voyages in the launch, and also to -Burbury--who accompanied me on my first journey--as well as to -Bernardo, who was with me throughout the whole of my Lake Argentino -experiences. Wherever I may travel in the future, I can wish for no -better companions. - - [Illustration: THE NORTH FIORD] - -Bernardo, the most willing of men, kept our nerves in a state of less -than pleasurable excitement. He drove the launch, when I took my eye -off him, with 145 lb. of steam in her worn-out boiler--her -safety-limit at the best of times had been 130 lb. On shore he -succeeded in firing off my jungle-gun by mistake, narrowly missing -killing himself at close quarters and myself at some few feet -distance. But even after this involuntary attempt at manslaughter one -could not be angry with him, he was so genuinely sorry, yet one could -not help foreseeing that he was eminently likely to do something of -the sort again. He was, to use slang, such a "decent chap," he never -grumbled when he had nothing to eat, or a bout of bitter cold labour -when we were obliged to turn out in the night to get up the anchor -or do some other job. He was also a glutton of the first water for -work, but we were all persuaded that he would end by slaying us, in -which case I have not the slightest doubt he would have said to me as -we were being ferried across the Styx, "By good, Mr. Preechard, I am -sorry, the old launch she bust up!" From looking on the launch, as he -did at first, with considerable awe and respect, familiarity with her -bred contempt, and all her parts lost their novelty to him, save the -whistle. When he blew that his face would betoken the intensest -satisfaction. In many ways the placid Swede caused us much amusement. - - [Illustration: BEYOND MAN'S FOOTSTEPS] - -One of the most singular things to be observed during that day was the -absence of life in the forest which bordered the shore. It was strange -to sail along under the vast masses of vegetation and rarely to see or -hear any sign of life. On March 12 we continued our advance, and -finding that the Fjord here split up into three or four channels, we -chose the most westward of them. Our progress was very slow owing to -the west wind having packed the ice. In the evening we made our camp -among some dead trees upon the margin of the water, and I wandered off -into the thickets, where I saw a Cordillera wolf. I picked up a stone -and threw it at him, but this had no effect until I hit him with a -small twig, which made him growl. Finally he took refuge in a bush. - -It was while at this camp that we cut for the first time some _Lena -dura_ as firing for the launch. It proved better than califate and -gave at least three times the amount of heat to be had from -_roble_-wood. Afterwards, whenever possible, we burned no other fuel -than _Lena dura_. - -The following is from my diary: - -"_March 21._--During this trip we have had a collapsible canvas boat -in tow of the launch, which boat has saved us many a wetting in -boarding and in leaving the launch. We go ashore in relays, one man -remaining on the launch. This evening, while Cattle, Burbury and I -were on the beach wood-cutting and tent-pitching, I heard Cattle -shout, and, looking round, saw, to my disgust, the canvas boat already -some twenty yards out and drifting quickly away from the beach. The -wind had caught her broadside on, and she was being blown out into the -current beyond the calm of our sheltering promontory. Cattle and I ran -down to the shingle, casting off our clothes as we went. I thought we -were in for a long swim, no pleasant prospect in that ice-cold water -among the floes. But, as luck would have it, there was a little point -of land projecting from the cliff of the promontory, and to this we -made our hurried way, leaving behind us a spoor of shed garments. We -arrived in the nick of time to secure the boat, and Cattle rowed her -round to the beach beyond the camp. - -"There is one enormous glacier visible almost due north. It had -evidently been throwing many bergs of late. We called it the Giant's -Glacier. This glacier is marked with double lines of brown reaching -from the clouds right down to the margin of the water, for all the -world like the tracks of the chariot wheels of some giant. We are now -very much in the kingdom of the ice. Away beyond the immediate -foreground of the shores and forests is spread a panorama of unnamed -peaks. The silence is seldom broken save by the scream of the wind or -the crashing fall of some mass of ice from the glaciers. - -"I find my camera has been damaged. This is unfortunate, but hardly to -be wondered at. It is a difficult matter to prevent mischief when the -launch rolls and everything gets adrift, and one's time is taken up -with keeping one's balance, steering, or in doing the myriad little -jobs that crowd one upon the other. Although the camera reposed in the -sheltering care of various rugs in the after-hatch, the heavy weather -defeated all our precautions. In this difficulty a novel of Miss Marie -Corelli's has been of the utmost assistance, and saved us from the -misfortune of being unable to take photographs. The colonial edition -of the 'Master Christian' has a thick red cover, and with the help of -some flour paste we have succeeded in making the camera light-proof. -Thus I owe a second debt of gratitude to Miss Marie Corelli, beside -the pleasure of reading her book." - -The next day broke clear and still, raising our hopes as to our -progress through the ice. I must say that we took our fine blue -weather--little of it as we were blessed with--with a hearty pleasure, -and enjoyed it most thoroughly. We might be cold and wet an hour -later, but between the squalls it was not so disagreeable, and we made -the best of the breaks. - -It was not long under these favourable circumstances before we reached -the last curve of the channel, and were confronted by another glacier -of considerable size, coming down through a depression in the midst of -a mountain. Below the glacier the shoulders and base of the mountain -were covered with dark forests. All round under the cliffs was, as I -have said, deep water, how deep I do not know, as we had no means of -taking soundings of such depth. - -As there seemed little to be gained by landing at the foot of the -glacier we ran back to the camp of the previous night, where the -harbourage was at any rate somewhat better. While we were yet ashore, -a squall began to grow up in the sky to the west and came down upon -the water in an angry spatter of rain. It subsided, however, as -quickly as it had arisen, so we got afloat again. Running back through -the narrow throat of the channel, we found that the wind, which had -veered several points to the north, had almost blocked it with a fleet -of icebergs, that were grinding together on the swell of the water. -These we managed to make our way through, and it was with some -thankfulness that we presently reached the farther shore on the east -of the main Fjord. We had no sooner arrived than it began to blow in -heavy gusts, and five minutes after the first of them--so quickly do -the seas rise upon this lake--we had to shift our anchorage. - -In an hour or two, having in the meantime laid in a good store of -firewood, and the heavy wind being succeeded by a series of cold -showers, we took advantage of the lull and headed up the main Fjord to -the north. But the wind, that had temporarily dropped, soon resumed -its fury, and the launch was hard put to it to keep her position, far -less to make any headway, and then, as was usual in moments of need, -the pumps ceased working altogether, and Burbury shouted that no more -than ten minutes' steam remained in the boiler. There was nothing for -it but to turn her and to run for the land. We found, however, small -hope of anchorage, for a bare fifty-foot cliff rose sheer out of the -water and so continued for a long distance ahead. Seeing we were -unlikely to discover a suitable position, we decided to cross the -lake, but we had not gone far when the propeller wheezed into silence. -Strong squalls caught us and made the launch roll and heave. Cattle -got into the canvas boat with the idea of trying to tow her, and I -forward, put out the long oar, which we generally used as one of the -bulwarks--and we both endeavoured to keep her from turning broadside -on to the waves, in which case she would have been swamped. - -Cattle shortly gave up his attempt to tow her; in the sea then running -such an effort was hopeless. The wind increased. Cattle came aboard, -not without difficulty, and tried rowing with a short oar. Meantime -Burbury was baling water into the boiler with a cooking-pot. The -launch was rolling in a manner which made rowing a difficult matter. -Presently the oar I was using broke off short and the launch was -drifting ominously near to a reef. It was a race as to whether we -should get up steam before we were cast upon it. We watched the index -of the register slowly beginning to quiver, and when it marked 30 lb. -we were not much more than a score or so of yards from the rocks. This -was, however, enough to enable us to get way on and forge slowly out -of danger. - -Our steam did not last much longer than to allow us to find shelter -under the lee of a line of low rocks, which thrust themselves out and -served as a little breakwater in the lake. We remained there while -Burbury again filled the boiler, and, having got up steam, we made the -mouth of a deep inlet which afforded us good harbourage. Here we -landed, and found ourselves upon a peninsula shaped like a spoon, the -handle that connected it with the land being very narrow. At its upper -end it joined the moraine of the great glacier which I had called -Giant's Glacier. - -As we came in to the beach, three guanacos cantered down and stared -and neighed at us. The sight of these animals brightened the prospect, -as it was pleasant to see living creatures in what had hitherto seemed -to be an empty amphitheatre of hills. The bay where we had anchored -was a shallow lagoon, into which flowed a little stream that wound -away out of sight through a thin belt of forest over land -comparatively flat. This peninsula carried a light soil and good -grass, but bore the appearance of a spot that the winter would strike -with peculiar severity. The wood was all _roble_ and _Lena dura_ and -the scrub included califate-bushes, from which last, however, the -purple berries had long since departed, much to our sorrow. Huemules, -guanacos, pumas, and the red fox gave evident signs of their presence. -I observed a pigmy owl (_Glaucidium nanum_) and several caranchos. In -the evening, when speaking upon the subject, Cattle informed me that -several kinds of fish were to be found in Lake Argentino. Often as we -used to make our meal of fish and farina (a compound in the concoction -of which for good or evil Bernardo stood alone), I used to regret my -inability to bring back specimens of the fish from this lake, but I -had no means of preserving them. - -"Fish and farina," indeed, became a standing joke with us. We might -threaten to blow each other up by the agency of the launch's peculiar -engines, and the threats would pass as nothing; but the expressed -intention of any one of us who proposed to go and catch fish with a -view to preparing a meal of "fish and farina" soon became too much for -the strongest and bravest among us. As a matter of fact, the fish was -far from tempting, having a muddy flavour and being full of small -bones, which mixed themselves up inextricably with the farina.[28] - -That night shut down with a gale and much rain. The trees groaned, and -one close to us was blown down. It was with a very thankful heart that -I woke up in the middle of the storm and reflected upon the glorious -safety of our new-found harbour. Next morning I was awakened sometime -in the dusky grey of dawn because a couple of Chiloe widgeon had come -in close to the launch, and roasted duck was voted good by the -wakeful Burbury. I sleepily thought the widgeon might have waited, and -after all something scared the ducks and they flew off to a distance -of a couple of hundred yards. My stalk only resulted in my securing -one of the birds. - -The ice we had observed earlier in the mouth of the most westerly -channel had by this time completely blocked the opening. We spent the -day wandering about upon the peninsula, and I tried to get some -photographs, but the attempt was rather hopeless in the mist and rain. -Indeed, although advantage was taken of every lifting of the weather, -four pictures were all that this trip allowed of my completing. - -The following day, in spite of bad weather, we made a third attempt to -head up the North Fjord, at the end of which we hoped to find the -"river with clear waters" mentioned by Dr. Moreno, and at the end of -that again the unknown lake. We made two hours very slow progress, the -north-west wind quickly beating up a troublesome sea. We observed bits -of wood travelling faster than is usual in cases of drift, and now -made sure that, could we but reach the end of the Fjord, we should -find the river whose current we believed to be responsible for the -comparatively rapid movement of the wood. - -Our hopes were on this occasion destined to disappointment, for, in -spite of all our efforts, we were unable to go forward or to make head -against the bad weather, which continued for some days. Besides this, -the injector of the launch failed to perform its office, and as the -machinery was badly in need of repairs, and the cracked plate was -letting in water, I thought it better to run before the wind to Cow -Monte Harbour, which was, in fact, our headquarters, and where such -tools as we had were stored. One point that was always in our favour -while making these attempts to force our way up the North Fjord, lay -in the fact that the prevailing winds from north-west or south-west, -as the case might be, helped rather than hindered us on our return -passages. - - [Illustration: OUR LAUNCH AMONG THE ICE] - -During this interval, while waiting for a second opportunity of -attempting to gain the extreme end of the North Fjord of the lake, we -arranged to make a short voyage down the South Fjord, or, as it is -locally known, to Lake Rica. By doing this, moreover, we should -complete our circumnavigation of Lake Argentino. Before we left, -reliable news came up from the settlements with some belated Christmas -and other papers. We were very relieved to learn that the -Franco-Russian combination was no more than a camp-scare, nor was -Russia advancing on India, as the last rumours had told us. When one -has lost so large a slice of the general history of the world as we -did during the months passed on our expedition, it is hopeless to -imagine one can ever make up the loss. The events of that period must -always remain blurred and hazy in the mind, only a few ever attaining -an accurate outline. And then how greedy one becomes of news after an -abstinence so prolonged as ours from that daily mental excitement of -civilisation! It is difficult to describe how one grips the strayed -journal or periodical when one has been cut off for months from these -"curses of modern life." - -On April 11 we left Cow Monte Harbour and steamed westwards down the -Punta Bandera Channel. In a short time the pump broke down and we had -some trouble in putting it right again. In defence of our engineering -skill I must say that we had against us the fact that a part of the -pump had been taken away for repairs to Buenos Aires by the -Commission. We camped at the mouth of a river coming down out of Mount -Avellaneda. Above us the bare volcanic summits of the mountains rose -starkly out of their circling forests, that were now turning crimson -with the brilliant colours of autumn. We could also see the great -glacier on the western side of the Canal de los Tempanos. Many -deer-tracks were visible, but we saw only one huemul buck in the edge -of the forest. - -We made an early start next day, which luckily was calm, for the pump -gave us a good deal of bother. We proceeded down a smaller fjord lying -under Mount Avellaneda, which took us in a westerly direction, but -presently curved southwards and ended in a large mountain covered with -forest, which I named Mount Millais. The chief hindrances in these -winding passages were the constantly veering winds that we -encountered. Day and night we were obliged to keep up a constant -struggle against them. This was all very well during the daylight, -but to anchor the launch snugly and then to be waked by her bumping -and straining at her cable perhaps ten times in the night, and to have -to turn out in just what you happened to have on in the way of -sleeping apparel supplemented only by "the mantle of the night,"--for -there never was a moment to be lost at these junctures--was an -experience which quickly became monotonous and wearing to strength and -temper. During this South Fjord trip the launch certainly did herself -proud in this direction; she seldom gave us a couple of hours' quiet -rest, often forcing us to face the biting cold a dozen times between -dark and dawn. - -The forests about this part of the lake were immense, and contained -trees and plants unknown in the outer Cordillera or, rather, I should -say, the foothills.[29] A bush resembling holly was conspicuous, -fuchsias also abounded. - -I quote a short description of this region from my diary: "The -mountains go in and out of the mist, now seen, now lost. The mist -shrouds them at one moment, and the greyness reaches up to heaven and -down to earth--into a man's soul it often seems; the next instant -there may be gleams of a sad blue sky shining through the torn banners -of the haze, and glaciers assume a wonderful goblin hue, a pallid -violet." There was some sameness in our days, but the launch kept us -alive with anticipation. She seldom lacked the chance of giving us -some surprise. Often we asked each other, "Will she drown us after -all? And when and where?" A cold death and a deep grave she had it in -her power to give. The one good side to the situation was that when we -landed, as we often did, in a sleety drizzle on a swampy camp, we -forbore to grumble, but were, on the contrary, filled with a strong -thankfulness to have escaped from her even for a little time. - -We had one particularly bad night, when a series of squalls came down -on us, and we spent the greater part of our sleeping-hours in poling -the launch off the shore, but at last the wind got the better of us -and literally hurled her on the beach. - -How we managed to get her off it is impossible to describe; we did it -somehow. The next morning was still windy, but we steamed along the -Canal de los Tempanos under Mount Buenos Aires, and there it was that -a fire broke out on the launch. This was an accident we always -dreaded, for, having no room elsewhere, we were obliged to pile the -fuel round her engine, with the result that it occasionally became -dangerously heated. - - [Illustration: GLACIER DE LOS TEMPANOS] - -Landing at the end of the Canal de los Tempanos we found ourselves in -forests of magnificent timber. The vegetation was rank and luxuriant, -a mass of decay under a forest of life. From the swampy dank ground -tall stems sprang up straight and branchless as palms, while at their -feet grew a carpet of ferns. - -We had some marvellous days of fine weather in the Cordillera, where -on the mountain slopes, as winter drew on, the crimson shades crept -deeper to mingle with and finally change the green. In due time we -reached the South Fjord by water. The account of a previous visit on -horseback has already been told. Then we turned homewards, and on the -way I secured some good photos of the great glacier of the Canal de -los Tempanos. As we passed down the canal, a big berg broke off from -the glacier ahead of us and plunged into the water, sending up a huge -wave, which luckily only touched us slightly. It was well we were no -nearer. We witnessed after this the fall of several lesser pieces of -ice, the noise of which resounded loudly among the gorges. - -Our return voyage was eventless. While Bernardo was making our -camp-fire upon landing, he called to me to come with my rifle. He said -he had been attacked by a large Cordillera wolf, which snapped at his -legs. He retaliated with an axe, but it got away. Following in the -direction he indicated, I caught a glimpse of the animal crossing a -patch of moonlight, and fired, hitting it far back. - -There are many thousands of square miles of unexplored forest in -Patagonia. It is a region unknown and mysterious, which has never been -deeply explored by man. As has been said, no man lives in them, and it -is a question whether man has ever lived there, for the one -all-sufficient reason--the practical absence of game on which he might -subsist. - -I well remember my first sight of the forests, and the intense longing -that took hold upon me to make my way into their virgin fastnesses. It -is one of the traveller's most unquenchable desires, this hankering to -go where no other man has yet been. It springs, I suppose, from the -undefined thought that in the unknown everything is possible, though -few things perhaps come to pass. - - [Illustration: ANOTHER VIEW OF THE GLACIER DE LOS TEMPANOS] - -From afar the forests appear to rim the slopes and spurs of the -Cordillera with a seemingly impenetrable mass of blackness, reaching -towards and often running up into the snow-line; as you approach the -colour assumes its true hue, a deep dense green, a green that seems to -have the quality of absorbing light, so that, as you gaze upon the -expanse of foliage stretching back into the distances, fold beyond -fold, where the valleys and mountain-sides close in behind each other, -an impression of gloom and mystery lays hold upon your mind. Upon -still nearer inspection you find the trees ranked in heavy phalanxes, -while between their close-set trunks has grown up an under-tangle of -thorn. Old storms have overthrown many of the giants, so that they lie -in tens and twenties, or lean against their yet quick companions -awaiting the slow decay of things. But it is very hard to give any -adequate idea in words of these vast and nameless tree-kingdoms. Most -common among the trees was the antarctic beech. I observed also -redwood and cypress. - - [Illustration: GLACIER AND GLACIAL DETRITUS] - -There are some wild cattle and huemules to be found in the outskirts -of the woodlands; we also saw parrots, hawks and owls in some of our -wanderings, while in other spots there seemed no sign of life at all -save a few small rodents, and even those, as we pushed farther into -the thicker recesses, disappeared. And then we came under the sway of -that curious silence which broods among these forest depths. - -The aspects of the various forests and the trees of which they were -composed varied greatly. Some were bare and devoid of undergrowth as a -northern forest; others were absolutely tropical in their heavy -luxuriance. In one, a majestic place, the tall antarctic beeches were -draped with long trailing Spanish moss, and on the carpet of moss -beneath them lay here and there a dead tree. - -Few places are more mournful than this region when rain is falling. -After the rain ceases, mists arise and circle round you, shutting you -in, these in their turn often being dissipated by a sudden fierce -squall. In summer the climate is very humid, and many of the plants -have the fat damp aspect seldom observable save in the tropics. The -huge masses of rank vegetation seem to stifle you; once you have been -in that great black insatiable woodland you can never quite shake off -its influence. - -In that particular forest was one glade by the outrunning of a little -brook where the ground was thick with orchids.[30] - -One reads of "virgin forests," but one must behold them to comprehend -the reality that underlies the wording. For days you saw no living -thing, heard no human tones, nothing but the immense voices of the -thunder, the glacier and the everlasting wind. The solitude of -Patagonia, its peculiar characteristic of lack of human life in the -present and the past, was borne in upon one under that high dome of -foliage, and in those aisles abysmally vast, stretching north, south, -east and west. In any other country legends would have gathered round -these places, some touch of man's presence and adventure humanised -them, so to speak. In Patagonia the fancy had nothing to grip, to grow -upon, no story of joy or of sorrow. Solitude reigned alone, and nature -spoke only by the awful uninterpreted tongues of God's elements. - -FOOTNOTES: - -[28] Two kinds of fish came under my observation, but I understood -there were four. - -[29] I hope in a future volume to publish a list of the plants we -collected. At the moment of writing all have not reached England. - -[30] There were also orchids growing about the foothills of the -Cordillera. Those I brought back are now under the care of the Curator -of the Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew. They should flower before this -book is in print. - - - - -CHAPTER XX - -DISCOVERY OF THE RIVER KATARINA AND LAKE PEARSON - - Fears of winter coming on -- Stormy days -- Quiet nights - -- Picnics in Patagonia -- Start by night -- Hellgate by - starlight -- Camp on beach -- Advance up North Fjord -- - Approach to River Katarina -- Shallow water -- Leave - launch -- Advance with canvas boat -- Tameness of huemul - -- Anecdote of Canoe Indians -- White-faced ducks -- First - sight of lake -- Bernardo falls ill -- Immoderate bags of - so-called sportsmen -- Problem of shrinkage of Lake - Argentino -- Discovery of Lake Pearson -- Description -- - Bernardo better -- Comet -- Obliged to turn back -- - Hellgate by firelight. - - -After our return from our trip to the South Fjord the weather became -very threatening, and I was beset with many anxious fears that the -winter might set in rigidly, and entirely preclude any attempt to -solve the problem of the yet unvisited and unknown river and lake -whose existence was conjectured at the end of the North Fjord. Snow -fell and blocked the pass to Punta Arenas,[31] which was our south -road to the coast, but luckily a milder spell followed, the snow -melted and I was encouraged to remain just a little longer to carry -out my original idea of making another effort to thoroughly explore -the North Fjord. - -Storms, however, swept over the lake, and although we undertook a -couple of short expeditions in the launch, we waited for better days -before again facing the difficulties of the Hellgate passage. Again -and again we saw squalls and waterspouts come curling down the channel -between the frowning cliffs. Day followed day with heavy winds, the -coming of the light seemed to be the signal for the gales to rise, -whereas on many nights the weather was fairly still, and the water in -consequence calmer. It was during this period of waiting that we -arranged the following programme, which I find scribbled upon a page -of my diary: - - PICNICS IN PATAGONIA. - - Arranged by the Patagonian Picnicking Company on the - most lavish scale. - - On the Free Pampas! - - Over glorious Lakes!! - - Through illimitable Forests!!!!! - - Ladies and gentlemen desiring to make this unique trip should - communicate _at once_ with the Secretary, Herr Bernardo Haehansen. - - Unequalled Scenery!!! Horse Exercise!!! - - Guanaco Shooting!!! Ostrich Hunting!!! - - A special feature will be made of water-trips in the - magnificent steam-yacht, the fastest boat on Lake - Argentino, commanded by an officer of immense experience - and charming manners, who has instructions to do all that - he can for the comfort of the passengers. - - WRITE EARLY. - - Applications are pouring in. Only a limited number of - passengers can be accommodated. Don't be one of the - disappointed! You pay L500. We do the rest!!!!!!! - - _N.B._--The cultured conversation of the Chief Engineer - free of charge. (Gratuities regarded merely as a graceful - compliment.) - - Passengers are expected to insure their lives in favour of - the Company for sums of not less than L1000 each with - respectable Insurance Companies. - - The engagement of picturesque heathen camp-servants will be - made a special study by the Company. - - [Illustration: EVENTIDE] - -At length, weary of waiting on the wind's vagaries, we determined to -start by night, during the quieter period we usually then enjoyed, and -make what progress we could up the intricacies of Hellgate. -Accordingly, at 1 o'clock P.M. on May 3, we began our voyage. We -passed through Hellgate and left many silent bays behind us as we kept -on our course just outside the inky shadow of the cliffs. The water -was still working after the blow of the daytime, but on the whole we -had favourable weather and the stars shone brightly. With dawn the -wind arose and we were forced to put in to an anchorage on the east -shore of the Fjord. Afterwards, travelling by day, we made our way -to the peninsula, rocks often jutted out into the fairway, but these -were easy to locate, as we had been through the channel before and had -some knowledge of its reefs. A number of icebergs had been blown down -out of the western channel, but the water had fallen considerably -since our last visit, and when we reached the peninsula we found it -impossible to resume our former camp there, so we were forced to pass -an uncommonly cold night on a bare bit of beach without so much as a -bush to shelter us. - -From time to time we spent a good while on this peninsula. It was -studded with erratic boulders, and the soil on it varied from six to -twelve inches in depth. On this visit I saw a red-crested woodpecker. -The views from the higher part of the peninsula were infinitely grand. -The gigantic glacier, the dark forests, the innumerable icebergs -floating below the black cliffs--all these combined to make up -pictures which I should like to be able to reproduce. - -In time the weather moderated, and we made a last essay to penetrate -to the farther end of the main Fjord. As we proceeded the water became -shallower, so that it was necessary occasionally to take soundings. -There were also many rocks. We once more noticed dry sticks and leaves -drifting past, and presently ahead of us, through a gap in the -Cordillera, we caught a glimpse of flat country. This time we -fulfilled our desire and attained to the termination of the Fjord, -where we came to the mouth of a river of considerable size. It swung -out from round the base of a cliff, and had thrown up a slight bar -where it joined the waters of the lake. I named it the River Katarina. - -We camped at this point and began at once to explore the valley of the -river. It flowed over a stony bed, presenting much the appearance of a -large Scotch trout-stream. The _canadon_ through which it passed was -very wide, and the stream wound greatly. At the time of our visit the -river was very shallow, and there was not water enough to float the -launch, in fact a stone picked up from the bottom lodged itself -between the blades of the propeller and we had to haul up for repairs. -This business of repairing was one we often had to perform, and -necessity being the mother of invention, the dodges we resorted to -were original. The launch, if once hauled up on the beach and sunk in -the sand, would have been too heavy for the three of us to get back -into the water. On these occasions we therefore used to cut the -largest tree-trunks available and roll them under the keel while still -half in the water, then the two heaviest of us would go into the bows, -which were, of course, in comparatively deep water, and our weight in -this position served to raise the stern sufficiently to allow of the -third man to execute the repairs needful to the propeller. In the -present instance it was found that the machinery was severely -strained, though fortunately no damage had been done to the blades of -the propeller. - -Though the river was shallow in May, we saw abundant evidence that it -must carry a greatly increased volume of water in the earlier part of -the year. But not finding it possible to take the launch up the -channel, we decided on anchoring her as securely as we could and -continuing our expedition in the small canvas boat. This we did a day -or two later. - -Our camping-ground on the bank of the Katarina was among high and -rather coarse grass, which would have made excellent feed for horses, -but I should not think it possible to keep horses in that _canadon_, -as, being encircled by hills, the sun would seldom reach it during the -winter. There were many patches of wood, composed of rather stunted -trees, but it was difficult to penetrate among them, their trunks grew -so close together. A certain amount of game lived in the valley, -huemules, guanacos, pumas and Cordillera wolves. - -The extraordinary tameness of the huemul here was, of course, -accounted for by their entire ignorance of man. During my wanderings -from the camp I had opportunities of making many interesting -observations on this point. They would almost always, if you kept -still and made no attempt to approach them, advance timidly towards -you. It was in this valley of the Katarina that I met with the most -remarkable instance of boldness on the part of these animals. I have -given this story in full in another chapter, but I may shortly allude -to it here. I was some miles from the camp, among thick grass and -scrub, when I perceived emerging from a thicket at a little distance -the spiked horns and red-brown sides of a huemul buck; behind him -were two does, half hidden in the thicket. Finding that they had -perceived me, I lay down on the grass and watched to see what they -would do. One could read in their movements and attitudes the battle -between timidity and curiosity that was going on within them. A third -half-grown doe now appeared, and all four began to drift, as it were, -slowly in my direction, keeping their eyes fixed upon me all the time. -Now and again they would stop, then move on a few steps nearer, but -after a long time they grew courageous enough to come right up to me, -and the younger doe sniffed at my boot, then started back some paces, -her companions naturally following her example. I could easily have -touched her with my hand during a good part of the time. At last the -buck lowered his horns as if with the intention of turning me over, -but the sun was now sinking, and I was obliged to take my way -homewards. As I stirred the huemules made off, but halted at a short -distance to stare again at the queer object which had for the first -time in their lives entered within their ken. - - [Illustration: _CANADON_ OF THE RIVER KATARINA] - -That evening, as we sat round the camp-fire, Cattle told us an amusing -story illustrative of the quickness with which the Canoe Indians of -the western or Pacific coast pick up the art of bargaining. He with -two companions was living in the eternal rain of the Chilian side of -the Cordillera, when one afternoon they struck a camp of Canoe -Indians, who ran away into the forest on seeing the boat of the white -men coming up the fjord. After a time, however, curiosity overcame -their terror, and an old woman advanced from under the trees and -commenced to open communications with the travellers by means of -signs. She was probably sent out on account of her uselessness to the -tribe, as, in the event of the white men being evilly disposed, her -loss would have been regarded as no great misfortune. By-and-by she -was joined by the other Indians, and the party fell to bartering. One -of the Englishmen bought a fine sea-otter's skin for a box of matches, -and the old lady, who had made the first advances, was asked by signs -if she had another to dispose of. She ran back into the forest and -presently returned with the half of a skin in each hand. She demanded -a box of matches for each piece, for, thinking to improve upon the -last bargain, she had cut the otter-skin in two with a bit of glass! - -Our next move was to trace the river up to its source. After assuring -ourselves that the launch could not go up the stream, we made all -ship-shape in the camp and prepared to go ahead by putting our bedding -and food in the canvas boat. We set out one grey morning, following -the left bank of the Katarina. Parallel with the course of the river -ran a chain of small hillocks, and behind these again a series of -reedy lagoons. These last were literally black with duck, especially -the variety known locally as the "white-faced duck," otherwise the -Chiloe widgeon. The lagoons contained brackish water, and I fancy the -whole depression in which they lie is flooded in the spring. - -On this day Cattle and I, from the top of a hillock, descried what we -took to be water in the north end of the _canadon_. This was our first -sight of the lake the shores of which I afterwards reached. - -In the evening we camped at a spot opposite to the mouth of a -tributary of the Katarina that flowed from the hills on the eastern -side. At this point Bernardo knocked up. He had had hard work all day -with the boat, for the stream was full of shoals, and wind and current -were strong against him. He had been in the river off and on, and as -he was already suffering from a slight cold when we set out this -treatment had not improved it. By night his chest seemed a good deal -affected, and his breathing was difficult. The rain of the afternoon -turned to snow in the night, and it became very cold, a comfortless -position for a feverish man. Our means for dealing with illness were -limited, but hot cocoa and rugs seemed the best treatment under the -circumstances, and we further sheltered him under the canvas boat, -which, being turned over, made a tolerable hut. - - [Illustration: RIVER KATARINA] - -Having brought a certain amount of provisions with us, we did not -shoot much. There can be little question that, had Patagonia been a -country rich in trophies, its less remote valleys would long ago have -known the crack of the rifle. Fortunately for its _ferae naturae_, the -small horns of _Xenelaphus bisulcus_ do not offer sufficient -attraction. There is no sport on earth finer than big-game shooting in -moderation, but in all parts of the world I should like to see a -universal law prohibiting any one sportsman or professional hunter -from shooting more than a limited number of a particular animal in a -year. This idea, as a universal law, is, of course, impossible of -fulfilment, but surely in sport moderation and a due regard for the -survival of the various kinds of game should be the guiding rule and -principle. However, my pen has carried me away. I merely say that it -would be well if public opinion trended more resolutely towards -censuring the hunter who selfishly makes immoderate bags. At the -present moment he is looked upon as rather a fine fellow by those who -lack any real knowledge of the subject, for no man is more strongly -opposed to such doings than the true sportsman. - -Owing to the unfortunate accident of Bernardo's illness, the general -advance of our party was out of the question. It only remained for me -to push on alone, and to give up any attempt to take the boat farther. -Cattle stayed with Bernardo, to look after him, while I went on up the -valley along the banks of the Katarina. - -There can be little doubt that all the _canadon_ of this river formed -at one time part of Lake Argentino, and that the hills in the valley -were merely small islands in the same. One of the most interesting -facts in connection with Lake Argentino is the large volume of water -that is precipitated into it by a number of rivers and mountain -torrents. Besides the Rivers Leona and Katarina, there are two or -three streams of considerable size and countless snow-fed cascades -falling from the cliffs. On the other hand, the only large outlet is -the River Santa Cruz, and though that river carries off an important -amount of water to the Atlantic, the quantity is not sufficient to -account for the fact that the great lake is surely if slowly shrinking -in size. The North and South Fjords with their adjoining reaches of -water at one time formed part of a wide-spreading lake, whose waters -washed completely round the bases of the mountains--such as Mount -Buenos Aires--and of hills that now stand upon out-jutting points of -land or actually upon the present lines of the shores. The reason for -this shrinkage of the lake, when appearances would seem to point -rather to increase of size, is difficult to discover. - - [Illustration: THE LAST REACH] - -The features of the _canadon_ of the Katarina changed but little as -I walked on deeper into it. I saw two huemul bucks, one accompanied by -two, the other by three does; I also saw some guanacos. The Giant's -Glacier, which crosses the head of Lake Argentino as far as the -peninsula on which we camped, ran parallel behind the cliffs of the -western shore, glimmering out palely in the north-west ahead of me. -Presently I passed over a stream, and later topping a low bluff I -found myself on the shores of a lake, the distant gleam of whose -waters Cattle and I had seen on the previous day. I was, of course, -very eager to take a photograph of it, but everything around was -shrouded in mist, and I had with me only a binocular camera, the -mechanism of which did not permit of long exposures. - - [Illustration: LAKE PEARSON] - -I must admit that I was disappointed with the lake when I arrived at -it, as I had expected a much larger piece of water. The nearer shores -were somewhat low and covered with boulders, while upon the farther -sides rose a semicircle of hills whose escarpments fell in places -abruptly to the water. About the inferior spurs of a somewhat higher -mountain to the north a dense black forest clung. The morning was -grey and the water lay dark and ruffled under a chilling wind, while -about the distant cliffs of the northern shore wreaths of cloud hung -sullenly, only lifting at intervals here and there sufficient to give -a glimpse of the bare crags behind them. - -Towards the afternoon luck befriended me, for the sky cleared and the -sun broke out for a short time, giving me the opportunity I had been -hoping for. I made haste to use the camera with such results as will -be seen on p. 285. - -This lake I named Lake Pearson. - -On my return to the camp I found the sick man improving, which was a -relief, as under the circumstances we had very little to give him in -the way of comfort. Bernardo was a cheery fellow, who met the -disagreeables of his lot good-temperedly, and I have no doubt this -helped towards his recovery. Eventually he became quite well. - -During the night a comet was visible, hanging in the clear sky like a -white sword, hilt downwards. It was very brilliant and very beautiful, -seen as we saw it above the dark forest. - -There were many reasons why I hoped to be able to push deeper into -this region, but it was growing very late in the season, winter with -its accompaniment of furious storms was almost upon us, and this fact, -joined with the strained and weakened condition of the engine of the -launch, compelled us to give up the thought of further exploration. We -therefore took advantage of a spell of rather better weather to make -our way back down the Fjord. The wind was blowing sulkily out of the -north, but this gave us the benefit of a following sea. Once or twice -during our passage squalls overtook us, but always blowing mercifully -in the direction of our course. Thus we had a following sea right up -to the cliffs of Hellgate. In one place a big iceberg had stranded -beneath the cliffs. - -We landed under the bluffs of Hellgate and lit a fire of _Lena dura_, -which roared and crackled in the dusk, lighting up the gloom of -Hellgate with red light. Later we ran across safely to our anchorage -off the Burmeister Peninsula. - -FOOTNOTE: - -[31] Burbury made his way south just in the nick of time. I was -obliged to send him to the coast to meet Scrivenor, who was, according -to my arrangements, about to leave for England. - - - - -CHAPTER XXI - -HOMEWARD - - Winter comes on -- Departure from Lake Argentino -- - Changed aspect of country -- Snow-clouds -- Indian - encampment -- Race with the snow -- River Coyly -- River - Gallegos -- Ford -- Signs of civilisation -- Gallegos -- - Taking passage in steamer -- Lighted street -- Good-bye to - Bernardo -- Meeting with Mr. Waag and Mr. Von Plaaten - Hallermund on the _Elena_ -- What Patagonia taught me. - - -A fortnight before we started there was a couple of feet of snow on -the high pampa. Beside the lake it had been blowing heavily, and -storms of sleet followed each other in dreary succession. Every -morning we saw the white cloak of winter throwing its snowy folds -lower and lower upon the mountains. The severe season of the -Cordillera and Southern Patagonia was fast shutting us in; already the -Pass to Punta Arenas was closed feet deep in snow, and our only outlet -for the south lay towards Gallegos. It had been my wish to remain as -long as possible in the neighbourhood of the Andes, but I had -overstayed the utmost limit I originally set myself, and now there was -nothing for it but to make a rush for the coast while the journey -could still be made. - -On May 15 we started in heavy rain. The horses were in excellent -condition; indeed, they were too fat, for of late they had not had -enough exercise to prepare them for a very trying journey. We took -three _cargueros_ besides the horses for riding, and the party -consisted of Mr. Cattle's shepherd, George Gregory, Bernardo and -myself. At the second camp Gregory was obliged to turn back, as his -horses--a troop of colts--had wandered during the night. This was at -the River del Bote; from there Bernardo and I went on alone. We found -the aspect of the country much changed since we had crossed it three -and a half months previously. The green grass had grown yellow, the -streams and the lagoons were drying up, numbers of guanaco had -descended to the lower grounds. An Indian trader, accompanied by a few -tents of Indians, had taken up quarters near the River Califate, a -spot formerly inhabited by wildfowl only. For three days we followed -the shore of the lake, but then our way led us up on to the high -pampa, where we made our camp in a bushless _canadon_ beside a rocky -pool. By this time the horses were beginning to lose their tricks, but -at the outset they would hardly allow themselves to be caught, and -they wandered every night. The _canadon_ was clear of snow, but the -sky was heavy with the promise of it. We hoped most heartily that it -would give us two more days' grace before it fell. - -The next day we followed the _canadon_, which was a shallow depression -running south-west. There was no fuel to be found but the thin roots -of the dark bush known as _mate negra_. The early frosts made -travelling difficult, as it was necessary to off-saddle early, that -the horses might not be turned out sweating into the cold. We covered -sixty miles, changing horses three times, for it was quite clear that -we must push on if we hoped to escape the snow. That was one of the -most fatiguing marches we had during the whole expedition. About three -o'clock I espied some herds of tame cattle in the distance by the side -of a lagoon. These proved to belong to some tents of Indians. The men -were absent hunting and the camp was given over to the women and -decrepit dogs. An enormous _china_ sat in the opening of the largest -_toldo_; she must have weighed twenty odd stone! We learned from her -that the season had been a good one for guanaco _chicos_. - -In reply to our question as to how far we might be from the nearest -white man's habitation on the next stage of our journey, the fat lady -waved her hand picturesquely and vaguely towards the eastern sky but -did not commit herself to figures. - -The Indian encampment made a singular picture against a somewhat -striking background. The western sky was piling up and bulged with -snow-clouds, while the sinking sun glowed like a red-hot cannon ball -on the rim of the pampa. Against this curtain of colour were set the -brown tents of guanaco-skin. In one of these a small fire was burning -with little flames about an old meat tin in which water was being -boiled for _mate_. Around the women sat in silence--saving only the -fat spokeswoman--inert and apparently content; occasionally one would -grunt or shift the child at her breast, but otherwise one heard scarce -a sound but the whimpering of the wind from the Cordillera or the -plashing of the wildfowl in the swampy margin of the lagoon. - -I need not describe at length the days which followed. In due time we -came upon a wheeltrack and sighted the first fence. This was in the -valley of the River Coyly, a good place for pasturing sheep, but -inexpressibly desolate and monotonous in aspect. For two days we held -along in this valley or on the pampa immediately above it, but, -remembering our experiences near Santa Cruz, I resolved to sleep in no -_boliche_ until we reached Gallegos. - -The _canadon_ of the Coyly was fenced at intervals, the grass eaten -close to the ground by many sheep. Thousands of wild geese clamoured -on the banks of the river. In this river valley we made our last camp -in Patagonia. There was no wood for fire, and the horses found but -little to eat, the sun set among sickly green lights, and presently -rain came on. Altogether it made a dismal good-bye to the life we had -led for so many months. - -The following day, striking across the pampa for the River Gallegos, -we knew ourselves to be entering on the last stage of our wanderings. -And here we very nearly had a disastrous accident. Meeting two -Gauchos, we asked them about the condition of the ford over the -Gallegos, which they told us had been but hock-high when they passed -through with their horses. Consequently, when we arrived at the ford -half an hour later, we took our troop down into the water, but seeing -it looked uncommonly deep for the description given us by the Gauchos, -we returned to the shore, and, as there happened to be a house at no -great distance, I sent Bernardo to make inquiries. He brought back the -news that the tide was running strong and the ford quite -impracticable, but it was possible that we might be able to cross -higher up at another spot. We followed this advice and crossed in -safety, I with my precious photographs tied round my neck; but had we -tried the lower ford I am very sure I should have lost them all, which -would have been a disappointment indeed, considering the -circumstances under which they had been taken and the impossibility -of replacing them. - -Once across the Gallegos we emerged upon flat ground, and here we -found a road with a line of telephone-posts running along one side of -it. Gallegos was by that time only eighteen miles ahead, but with our -tired horses that appeared a long distance. The country was absolutely -featureless, the black posts sticking up against a dull sky, the brown -earth absorbing such light as there was. A very cold wind blew across -our faces, but there was one thing that cheered us, that told us our -wanderings were over--the humming of the wind in the wires overhead. - -The road dipped and rose over the long undulations, and at last, as we -topped one of the many inclines, Gallegos straggled into sight, -obviously a frontier town, all wire fences, wooden and corrugated-iron -houses with painted roofs. The emotions with which one returns and -feels the long wanderings over are not easy to describe. I rode slowly -up the main street and passed the bank--for there is a bank at -Gallegos, and the fact gave one a sensation of being very civilised -indeed. I dismounted and went into the building to inquire about the -steamer for Punta Arenas, where I hoped to pick up a homeward-bound -boat. A steamboat was to have started for Punta Arenas that same -morning, I was told, but as the captain was in gaol, her departure had -been postponed for a day or so. The delay seemed a special -dispensation for my benefit, for, had she adhered to her original -date, I must have been too late to go by her. I understood that the -captain's crime lay in having drawn up his anchor without waiting to -receive a written permit. - -Luckily I had not been preceded at Gallegos by any "lord," hence I -drew the cash necessary for my passage and payments at the bank -without any trouble. Then I went on to the hotel and put up my horse, -the good little big-hearted Moro, who had carried me a hundred and -fifty miles in three days and looked fat on it. Afterwards I bought a -cigar, a very bad one, but a cigar for all that, and so proceeded down -to the beach to secure my passage. Up on the shingle were several -ships high and dry, and out in the fairway about the very smallest -steamer I have ever seen, yet a good sea-boat, as I afterwards -proved. She rejoiced in a brilliant green deck-house two storeys high, -and the funnel was almost on top of the propeller! - -When it grew dark it was strange to walk through the lighted streets -and to see the faces pass and repass beneath the lamps. There was a -delightful sense of newness about it all. But perhaps the most strange -sensation was produced by a visit to the hairdresser's shop, where one -could watch in the glass the swift transformation. Afterwards it was -quite good to smoke a second execrable cigar, and to listen to the -hotel-keeper in another room telling some of his friends how he had -mistaken me for a camp-loafer owing to my patched clothes and the -ragged remnants of my boots, and had, in consequence, led me to an -outhouse, proposing to allow me to sleep there! - -Best of all, perhaps, was the civilised dinner, despite the attentions -of an intoxicated itinerant dentist, who kept on reiterating the same -question, "Have you ever been to Nahuelhuapi?" the _huapi_ ending in a -wail--"w-a-a-a-pi." Bernardo had not turned up from the farm where we -had left the horses, and a gentleman connected with the Government who -was present, understanding that I wished to see him before sailing, -offered to send a file of soldiers to look for him. Presently Bernardo -arrived, and then we went away and lit our pipes for a last talk over -it all. - -Next morning on the wet shingle I said good-bye to him, and there he -stood for a while as the boat shoved off and we rowed away. A wild -figure was Master Bernardo, for he had not yet had time to clothe -himself in the garments of civilisation. With his ragged blue jersey -and his big boots of _potro_ hide, surmounted by his pleasant bearded -face, he watched us through the wind and the rain, and then he turned -and walked away, passing out of sight among the sheds. He was going to -Santa Cruz by the horse-track. Good luck to him, and may we meet -again! - -I went aboard, little guessing the pleasure that awaited me, for at -the gangway-head I met Mr. Waag and Mr. Von Plaaten Hallermund, of the -Boundary Commission, who were on their way down from Santa Cruz to -Punta Arenas. Mr. Waag and I had just missed each other by a couple of -hours on the pampa up country some months earlier. We were soon deep -in talk about the Cordillera, and all that had happened to the three -of us since we last met at the Hotel Phoenix in Buenos Aires. Mr. -Waag had had a successful time about Lake Puerrydon, and Mr. Von -Plaaten Hallermund at Lake San Martin. Meantime the _Elena_ got in her -anchor, and we were in the Magellan Straits by nightfall. - - [Illustration: PUNTA ARENAS] - -And so we reached Punta Arenas, where I was shown much hospitality by -Mr. Perkins, and where I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Fred Waldron, -in whose company, as well as that of Mr. Waag and Mr. Von Plaaten -Hallermund, I made the passage to Buenos Aires by the Pacific -Company's steamship the _Orellana_, and so home. - -To turn for a moment to the personal point of view. I had landed in -Patagonia with enthusiasm, and I left it not in the least damped or -disheartened in that enthusiasm, but very much the opposite. I had -learned many lessons of life, passed through many experiences, -explored a small part of the earth's surface, and made some original -observations with regard to the zoology of the country and other -matters, but I am inclined to think that the most useful lesson to -myself was one that sank deeper and deeper into my mind, I might say -heart, with every day lived in these great solitudes--and that was the -knowledge of my own ignorance. The long solitary days in the forests, -on the pampas, and about the stormy fjords of the Cordillera brought -me face to face with Nature. There are many voices in the silence of -Nature. The stars above, the waters beneath, and the earth all spoke -in a hundred tongues, and little enough of it all could I, with my -lack of knowledge, interpret. "There are many kinds of voices in the -world, and none of them is without signification," but so long as they -spoke to me in unknown tongues how much was I the better? And there it -was I learned the useful truth that, to be a traveller of any value, a -man must also be an adequate interpreter. - - [Illustration] - - - - -A FEW WORDS ABOUT THE FUTURE OF PATAGONIA - - -It would be possible to write a very long chapter about the future of -Patagonia. I do not, however, propose to do this, but to write what I -have to say as briefly as possible. - -To begin with, Patagonia can boast of a fine climate, for, though the -winters are certainly hard, no endemic disease exists. The country is -exceptionally healthy, nor are there any poisonous reptiles to -endanger life on its far-reaching pampas. There are few parts of the -earth of which so much can be said. - -A large portion of the land is eminently suited for the support of -sheep, as the enormous and prosperous sheep-farms to be found along -the east and south coasts bear witness. Cattle and horse-breeding are -also successfully carried on, and although a portion of the country is -unsuited for agricultural purposes, it is equally certain that large -expanses of ground of great fertility and rich promise are to be found -here. - -The tide of pastoral life from the thriving southern farms round and -about Punta Arenas on the Straits of Magellan, and Gallegos on the -Atlantic coast, is setting strongly north and west. The crying want of -the country is capital to open up means of communication with the -interior. At present there are no railways or other settled lines for -the transport of produce, although I believe a steam-launch has lately -been placed upon the River Santa Cruz. In consequence of this lack -some farmers have to carry wool two hundred miles by bullock-cart to -the coast; a few cover even a greater distance. To send wool two -hundred miles in bullock-carts means at least three weeks of travel. -To go and come from the farm to the coast would thus take up about two -months of a farmer's time. _Peones_ are necessary to look after the -carts, and their wage is at least L5 a month and their keep. Then -carts not infrequently break down upon the rough surfaces of the -pampas and in the _canadones_, hence more delay. Even when the port is -reached difficulties have to be surmounted, for none of them, with the -exception of Punta Arenas, are served by any steamship lines. This was -so at the time of my being in Patagonia last year (1901). Government -transports from Buenos Aires had the whole of the coast service of -Argentine Patagonia in their hands, and these could boast of only very -uncertain dates of departure and still more uncertain dates of -arrival. - -All these difficulties of transit do not make for prosperity. I -understand that of late a German line has undertaken to call at some -of the ports, and if they carry out their contract it should help -events in Patagonia to get into the stride of success. - -On the coast-farms, where ships could and did occasionally put in, -especially in the wool season, money was made and men began to see -fortune ahead. But far away in the interior, where a very few pioneers -have made their homes beside a lake here and there, the wide and -uninhabited pampas lie between the producer and his market. Until -railways open up the land the position of these people cannot much -improve. They are too heavily handicapped in the race. - -It is almost impossible to tell what enormous numbers of sheep and -cattle Patagonia could produce for the providing of the world if -capital and enterprise would but pave the way. In the meantime the -country remains the paradise of the middleman. At present there is -little money in hand, much of the trade is carried on by barter, and -on this system there is always an evil tendency towards profits -accruing mostly to the storekeepers, who gradually become more or less -masters of the situation. Many of the small farmers are deeply in debt -to this class. A hard winter--and there are often very hard -winters--fills the pocket of the storekeeper, for they advance -provisions, without which no man can continue to live, and they, of -course, thus secure mortgages on the farms. - -This same unfortunate liability is observable in other countries where -similar conditions obtain, but the opening up of the interior of -Patagonia and the introduction of capital in the hands of employers of -labour would probably lessen the pressure of hard times on the poorer -farmers. - -Beyond the pampas again tower the unnumbered peaks of the Cordillera, -and among them all things, minerally speaking, are possible. Perhaps -the future of Patagonia is to be found there. In a few years the -Patagonian Andes may be as commonly known a seeking-place for fortune -as Klondyke is to-day. But concerning this part of the subject I have -nothing to say, being no prophet of El Dorados. - -Although during our travels we had little time to spare for -prospecting, or searching for the mineral wealth which may lie hidden -in the Cordillera, yet there was one obvious source of riches that was -always before our eyes in those regions. - -The coast-towns of Patagonia are supplied with wood by sea from the -woodlands of Tierra del Fuego, and this while many square miles about -the bases of the Andes are covered with dense forests of magnificent -growth. Here are to be found beech, cypress and redwood, not to speak -of other trees, but the absolute absence of any means of conveying -logs to the coast has so far left this store of wealth untouched. -Until better means of transport can be developed, there are certainly -one or two rivers which might be made use of in this connection. - -I can only insist upon the fact that Patagonia is a great though at -present undeveloped land; that it cries aloud to railway enterprise to -become its salvation. Nevertheless, it is even now a good country for -the man ready and able to work. A capable man will make L6 a month and -his keep, but he must know the work required of him; a considerable -time has to be spent in learning the skilled labour of camp life, and -very hard labour that sometimes is. An emigrant does not consequently -find it so easy to get employment. But, given vigorous health, an -aptitude for hard work, and a small sum in hand to keep him going -until he is broken in to the necessities of the life, and I know of -few countries more favourable to the _unmarried_ working man. - -There is something further which I should like to suggest to intending -emigrants of my own nation. - -The greatest of British exports is, one might contend, Britishers. - -The attitude of the young Britisher abroad towards the rest of the -world in general is at once a source of great national strength and of -serious national weakness. - -First, as we know, he is a poor linguist, who prefers to go on -speaking his own language, and, when not understood, attempting to -enforce comprehension by the very simple expedient of shouting louder. -The result of this uncompromising attitude, backed by a good national -financial status, is that as the mountain will not go to Mahomet, -Mahomet must needs come to the mountain, and the foreign Mahomet does -come, wrestling his way through difficulties of pronunciation. By his -attitude in this matter--an attitude dictated partly by a too common -lack of the linguistic faculty and partly by a certain rooted -conviction that a man who cannot speak English is a man of "lesser -breed"--the Britisher has to a certain extent forced English upon a -very unwilling world. - -But whether this question of the one-language system is a loss or a -gain to the country, it is very certain that there is another -idiosyncrasy of the Englishman abroad which is an undoubted loss. -Every country has its own ways and methods, not only peculiar to its -inhabitants but adapted to their special needs. And here the brusque -unadaptability of the Englishman becomes pitifully apparent. - -He loses immensely by it. He will ride on his English saddle because -he has been used to ride on it at home; he will wear his pigskin -leggings for precisely the same reason. - -You cannot teach him that he who walks in a noontide sun in latitudes -near the equator is sometimes apt to contract a fever. Of course I -refer chiefly to the "new chum," but we have an unfortunate gift of -remaining new chums for an indefinite period. - -Our young blood is very sure of himself, which is a first-rate -national trait, and one to which as a nation we, no doubt, owe much. -But it has its drawbacks. Thus, although he is physically excellent -beyond his fellows, his death-rate is usually heavier, which in the -nature of things it ought not to be. - -But in cases where adhesion to the methods of the country to which he -has migrated touches not himself but his goods and his work he -needlessly--indeed, almost mischievously--handicaps himself. He takes -pride in occupying a position of more or less splendid isolation. - -The Britisher lacks adaptability. He lacks suavity. He often lacks -common politeness. In fact, he is a good fellow when you know him, but -you have got to know him first. An excellent reputation to possess, -perhaps, apart from business, and when your position is assured. But -in foreign countries, and in the case of dealing with strangers of -other nations, who are very apt to like or dislike at first sight, its -results are disastrous, for they rarely reconsider their first -opinion. - -The Continental races, on the other hand, aim at merging their -individuality in that of their temporary hosts. Actuated by a sense of -politeness or of self-interest--I do not know which--these peoples do -not thrust forward the fact that they are aliens, but rather try to -foster the idea that the land of their adoption is their own. But when -the young Englishman comes along, his manner placards him with his -nationality. He seems to say, "You fellows, I've got to live here, -Fate orders it. But I am not of you. Apart from business, leave me -alone." - -He and his compatriots are sufficient unto themselves. And not -infrequently also, though strangers in a strange land, they are a law -unto themselves. Now this is all very well in its way, and we would -not, I suppose, have it otherwise; yet, if the English youth abroad -would modify their attitude towards the works of the alien, even -while, if they so choose, preserving it towards the alien himself, -they would rise to greater heights of success than they at present -touch. - -The fact is that the alien thinks the Englishman is a fool of a very -notable kind, and in many cases he is right. - -It is not in the excellence of their goods, or even in the cheapness -of their tariff, that the Germans are forging ahead of us in trade. It -is in their attitude towards those with whom they deal. They make an -art of selling a yard of red flannel to an elderly negress. The -negress feels the compliment, rather despises the complimenter, but -likes it on the whole--and comes again.[32] - -While the German studies the people who are to buy his goods in a -spirit of subtlety, the Englishman makes up his mind without -considering anybody save himself and his own ideas. In the days before -competition assumed its present proportions this was all very well, -perhaps; or at least it was not the commercial suicide that it -certainly is to-day. - -From the standpoint of the employer, the Englishman does not know his -work. He has no money. He must, therefore, earn something. He expects -to be allowed to earn and learn at one and the same time, which is an -absurd notion. - -The cause of all this is the same as that which sends out first-rate -goods but to the wrong market. - -The fact is, we do not study our markets seriously either for -mercantile or for human exports. - -If the South Sea Islanders want red cloth we send them yellow, and if -in Patagonia there is an opening for men who are decent practical -blacksmiths, we send them a stream of youths who have never fullered a -shoe, but who are well up in the rudiments of Greek. - -FOOTNOTE: - -[32] I have watched with considerable interest the methods adopted by -the Germans as opposed to those of the young man of our own race. I -remember an instance of a German who set up as a chemist in a town out -Central America way, and whose chief source of income came from the -sale of drugs to rather impressionable negroes. In his place the -Englishman would have laid in decent English drugs, would have sat -behind his counter, and would have dispensed in stolid fashion to the -limit of the abilities with which he was blessed. Not so our German -friend. His drugs were good, but not supremely so; his prices were -cost prices, with a mere shaving of profit. - -But his method was excellent. - -He made a character-study of each of his customers. He sold a fine -tonic, coloured red and reported invincible. He put the title of Dr. -before his name, and advertised free consultations, provided the -patients bought their medicines at his store. He throve. - - - - -APPENDIX A - - -The expedition sent out to Patagonia under my charge by Mr. C. Arthur -Pearson owed its origin to the discoveries made in that country by Dr. -F. P. Moreno of certain remains of an animal, the Pampean Mylodon or -Giant Ground Sloth, long believed to belong to the category of extinct -prehistoric mammals. The marvellous state of preservation of the -remains found at Last Hope Inlet seemed to give some ground for the -supposition that the animal might possibly have survived to a recent -period. Professor Ray Lankester, the Director of the British Museum of -Natural History, in commenting upon the chance of the Mylodon being -still alive in some remote and unknown region of Patagonia, said: "It -is quite possible--I don't want to say more than that--that he still -exists in some of the mountainous regions of Patagonia." These words -from such an authority carried weight, and the question assumed an -importance that made it worth all practicable examination. I have in -the following pages put the whole case as clearly and as definitely as -lies in my power. - -To begin with, I give the story of Dr. Moreno's discovery as he -himself told it to the Zoological Society, and the description of the -remains by Dr. A. Smith Woodward, LL.D., F.R.S. - - -I. ACCOUNT OF THE DISCOVERY. By Dr. MORENO. - -In November 1897 I paid a visit to that part of the Patagonian -territory which adjoins the Cordillera of the Andes, between the 51st -and 52nd degrees of South latitude, where certain surveyors, under my -direction, were carrying out the preliminary studies connected with -the boundary-line between Chile and Argentina; and in the course of -this expedition I reached Consuelo Cove, which lies in Last Hope -Inlet. In that spot, hung up on a tree, I found a piece of a dried -skin, which attracted my attention most strangely, as I could not -determine to what class of Mammalia it could belong, more especially -because of the resemblance of the small incrusted bones it contained -to those of the Pampean _Mylodon_. On inquiring whence it came, I was -informed that it was only a fragment of a large piece of skin which -had been discovered two years before, by some Argentine officers, in a -cavern which existed in the neighbouring heights. Immediately on -receiving this news, I hastened to the spot, guided by a sailor who -had been present when the original discovery had been made. As, at -that moment, I had no means of making more than a few hurried -excavations, which gave no further traces of the discovery, I left -orders that the search should be continued after my departure; but -this once more also failed to give any ultimate results. Nothing could -be found but modern remains of small rodents, and these chiefly on or -near the surface of the ground. From the most careful inquiries which -I set on foot, it appeared that, when the first discovery was made, no -bones were found, the skin being half buried in the dust which had -accumulated from the gradual falling away of the roof of the cavern, -composed of Tertiary Conglomerate. It was only in the broad entrance -to the cavern that were found a few human bones, borne thence to the -shore of the Cove and afterwards broken up. - -As already stated, the skin here presented to you formed but a small -part of a larger one. One small piece had been carried off by Dr. Otto -Nordenskjoeld, and others by officers of the Chilian Navy, who later on -had visited the spot. The inhabitants of the locality looked upon it -as an interesting curiosity, some of them believing that it was the -hide of a cow incrusted with pebbles, and others asserting that it was -the skin of a large Seal belonging to a hitherto unknown species. - -In Consuelo Cove, I embarked on board a small Argentine transport, -which had been placed at my disposal to carry out the study of the -western coast as far as Port Montt, in lat. 42 deg.. At this latter place -I left the steamer, which then proceeded to make a series of surveys. -These lasted until her return to La Plata, at the latter end of July -1898, when she brought back to me the fragment of skin in question. - -This is an accurate and true version of the discovery of this skin, -which gave rise to the publication of Senor Ameghino's small -pamphlet,[33] in which he gave an account of the discovery of a living -representative of the "Gravigrades" of Argentina, distinguishing it by -the name of "_Neomylodon listai_". - -I have an idea that Senor Ameghino never saw the skin itself, but only -some of the small incrusted bones, of which he had obtained -possession. The vague form in which he draws up his account compels me -to believe this suspicion to be true. - -My opinion is that this skin belongs to a genuine Pampean _Mylodon_, -preserved under peculiar circumstances resembling those to which we -owe the skin and feathers of the Moa. I have always maintained that -the Pampean Edentates, now extinct, disappeared only in the epoch -which is called the "historical epoch" of our America. In the province -of Buenos Aires, buried chiefly in the humus, I have found remains of -_Panochthus_, and others of the same _Mylodon_ from the seashore, all -of which present the same characteristic marks of preservation as the -remains of human beings discovered in the same spot. In this identical -layer of the sea-shore, close to the bones I have also found stones -polished by the hand of man, and flints cut like those found in the -Pampean formation. In 1884, in a cavern near to the Rio de los Patos, -in the Cordillera, I discovered some paintings in red ochre, one of -which, in my opinion, resembles the _Glyptodon_ on account of the -shape of the carapace. - -Ancient chroniclers inform us that the indigenous inhabitants recorded -the existence of a strange, ugly, huge hairy animal which had its -abode in the Cordillera to the south of lat. 37 deg.. The Tehuelches and -the Gennakens have mentioned similar animals to me, of whose existence -their ancestors had transmitted the remembrance; and in the -neighbourhood of the Rio Negro, the aged cacique Sinchel, in 1875, -pointed out to me a cave, the supposed lair of one of these monsters, -called "Ellengassen"; but I must add that none of the many Indians -with whom I have conversed in Patagonia have ever referred to the -actual existence of animals to which we can attribute the skin in -question, nor even of any which answer to the suppositions of Senor -Ameghino according to Senor Lista. It is but rarely that a few Otters -(_Lutra_) are found in the lakes and rivers of the Andes, as in the -neighbourhood of Lake Argentino, in the "Sierra de las Viscachas," and -in the regions which I believe Senor Lista visited, there are only a -few scarce Chinchillas (_Lagidium_), which have a colouring more dark -greyish than those found to the north, and are in every case separated -from these by a large extent of country. - -The Pampean Edentata have in former days certainly existed as far -south as the extreme limit of Patagonia. In 1874, in the bay of Santa -Cruz, I met with the remains of a _pelvis_ of one of these animals in -Pleistocene deposits, and also remains of the mammals which are found -in the same formation, such as the _Macrauchenia_ and _Auchenia_. It -would not be astonishing that the skin of one of these should have -been preserved so long, because of the favourable conditions of the -spot in which it was found. - -The state of preservation of this piece of skin, at first sight, makes -it difficult for one to believe it to be of great antiquity; but this -is by no means an impossibility, if we consider the conditions of the -cave in which it was found, the atmosphere of which is not so damp as -one might at first imagine it to be, although it is situated in the -woody regions near to the glaciers and lakes. It is well to mention -that in 1877, under similar conditions, and in a much smaller cave, -scarcely five metres from the waters of Lake Argentino, situated sixty -miles more to the north, I discovered a mummified human body painted -red, with the head still covered in part with its short hair -wonderfully preserved, and wrapped up in a covering made of the skin -of a Rhea, and holding in its arms a large feather of the Condor, also -painted red; this was all covered up with a layer of grass and dust -fallen from the roof of the cave. In another cave in the neighbourhood -I discovered a large trunk of a tree, painted with figures in red, -black, and yellow. The sides of the rock close to the entrance of the -cave were covered with figures, some representing the human hand, -others combinations of curved, straight, and circular lines, painted -white, red, yellow, and green. Now, this mummy, which is preserved in -the Museum of La Plata, does not belong to any of the actual tribes of -Patagonia. Its skull resembles rather one of those more ancient races -found in the cemeteries in the valley of the Rio Negro--a most -interesting fact, since they belong to types which have completely -disappeared from the Patagonian regions, and it is well known that the -actual Tehuelches may be considered to have been the last indigenous -races which reached the territory of Patagonia. Many a time the -Tehuelches have spoken to me of these caves as abodes of the evil -"spirits," and of the enigmatical painted figures they contained: some -attributed the latter to these same "spirits," others to men of other -races, of whom they have no recollection. In another cave, four -hundred miles farther to the north, in 1880, I discovered other human -bodies, more or less mummified and in good preservation, but of a -different type, and beside them some painted poles which served to -hold up their small tents, the use of which had already disappeared -more than three centuries ago; together with the upper part of the -skull of a child perfectly scooped out like a cup. And yet the -historical Tehuelches, the same as all the indigenous races in the -southern extremity of South America, hold their dead in great respect, -and never use such drinking-vessels. - -These proofs of the favourable conditions of the climate and of the -lands near to the Cordillera, which are revealed to us by the -preservation of objects undoubtedly dating from very remote epochs, -strengthen my opinion that this skin of a huge mammal, which has long -since disappeared, may well have been preserved till the present time. - -I may add that a further careful search is now being made in the earth -forming the floor of the cave, and I hope in due time to have the -honour of communicating the results to this Society. - - -II. DESCRIPTION AND COMPARISON OF THE SPECIMEN. - -By A. SMITH WOODWARD. - -(a) _Description._ - -The problematical piece of skin discovered by Dr. Moreno measures -approximately 0.48 m. in the direction of the main lie of the hair, -while its maximum extent at right angles to this direction is about -0.55 m. The fragment, however, is very irregular in shape; and it has -become much distorted in the process of drying, so that the anterior -portion, which is directed upwards in the drawing, is bent outwards at -a considerable angle to the main part of the specimen which will be -claimed to represent the back. The skin, as observed in transverse -section, presents a dried, felt-like aspect; but there is a frequent -ruddiness, suggestive of blood-stains, while the margin exhibits -distinct indications of freshly dried once-fluid matter, which Dr. -Vaughan Harley has kindly examined and pronounced to be serum. Its -outer face is completely covered with hair, except in the region -marked C and above B, where this covering seems to have been -comparatively fine and may have been accidentally removed. The inner -face of the skin is only intact in a few places, the specimen having -contracted and perhaps been somewhat abraded, so that a remarkable -armour of small bony tubercles, irregularly arranged and of variable -size, is exposed over the greater part of it. At one point there is an -irregular rounded hole about 0.02 m. in diameter, which might possibly -have been caused by a bullet or a dagger, but in any case was probably -pierced when the skin was still fresh. Owing to its direction, this -hole is partly obscured by the overhanging hair. - -The skin in its dried state varies in thickness in different parts. -The average thickness of the flattened portion, which must be referred -to the back, is shown by the cleanly-cut right margin of the specimen -to be 0.01 m. This is slightly increased towards the posterior (lower) -end of the border, while above it the thickness becomes 0.015 m. The -latter thickness also seems to be attained in the much-shrivelled -corner marked C--a circumstance suggesting bilateral symmetry between -at least part of the two anterior outer angles of the specimen. The -thinnest portion preserved is the border above B; and the skin must -also have been comparatively thin in the region of the accidental -notch to the left, considerably below C. - -The portion of skin above B is interesting not only from its relative -thinness, but also from the occurrence of an apparently natural -rounded concavity in the margin. This excavation, which measures 0.05 -m. along the curve, is marked by the remains of a thin flexible flap, -which is sharply bent outwards, and is covered with short hairs on -its outer face. It is especially suggestive of the base of an -ear-conch; and if this appearance be not deceptive, it is worthy of -note that the dried skin hereabouts and in the region which would have -to be interpreted as cheek (C) is much more wrinkled than elsewhere. - - [Illustration: SKIN OF GRYPOTHERIUM, OUTER VIEW. 1/4 NAT. SIZE.] - - [Illustration: SKIN OF GRYPOTHERIUM, INNER VIEW. 1/4 NAT. SIZE.] - -As already mentioned, the outer aspect of the skin is completely -covered with hair, which is very dense everywhere except on the left -anterior corner. Here it seems to have been removed by abrasion. A -small patch of hair has also clearly been pulled out near the gap in -the left border of the specimen; and close to the middle (where marked -D) there is a small hairless depression which may perhaps be -interpreted as a wound inflicted and healed during life. The hair is -only of one kind, without any trace of under-fur, and it is still -very firmly implanted in the skin, without signs of decay. Its -arrangement seems to be quite regular, there being no tendency towards -its segregation into small groups or bundles. It is of a uniform dirty -yellowish or light yellowish-brown colour, and, making due allowance -for slight ruffling and distortion of the specimen, it may be -described as all lying in one direction, vertically in the photograph, -except at the two upturned anterior corners of the specimen, where -there is an inclination from the right and left respectively towards -the centre. The longest hairs, which usually measure from 0.05 m. to -0.065 m. in length, are observed in the half of the specimen in front -of (above) the letter D. Those in the middle of the extreme anterior -(upper) border measure from 0.03 m. to 0.05 m. in length, those at -the hinder (lower) border about the same; while some of the -comparatively small and delicate hairs on the supposed cheek are not -longer than 0.01 m. The hairs are stiff, straight, or only very -slightly wavy, and all are remarkably tough. Examined under the -microscope, their cuticle is observed to be quite smooth, while the -much-elongated cells of the cortex are readily distinguishable. Mr. R. -H. Burne has kindly made some transverse sections, which prove the -hairs to be almost or quite cylindrical, and none of the specimens -examined present any trace of a medulla. - -The dermal ossicles are very irregular in arrangement, but are to be -observed in every part of the specimen, even in the comparatively thin -region near the supposed ear. They form everywhere a very compact -armour, and some of them are quite closely pressed together; rarely, -indeed, there is a shallow groove crossing a specimen, possibly -indicating two components which were originally separate. As shown by -every part of the cut margin, and especially well in a small section -prepared by Prof. Charles Stewart, they are all confined to the lower -half of the dermis, never encroaching upon the upper portion in which -the hair is implanted. It is also to be observed that, where the inner -surface of the skin is intact, the ossicles are completely embedded -and only faintly visible through the dry tissue. The exposure of a -considerable number of them, as already mentioned, is due to the -rupture and partial abrasion of this surface. No tendency to -arrangement in parallel lines or bands can be detected; and large and -small ossicles seem to be indiscriminately mingled, although of course -allowance must be made, in examining sections and the abraded inner -view of the skin, for differences in the plane of adjoining sections -and varying degrees of exposure by the removal of the soft tissue. The -largest ossicles are oblong in shape when viewed from within, and -measure approximately 0.015 m. by 0.010 m.; but the majority are much -smaller than these. They are very variable and irregular in form; but -their inner face is generally convex, sometimes almost pyramidal, -while the outer face of the few which have been examined is slightly -convex, more or less flattened, without any trace of regular markings. - -In microscopical structure the dermal ossicles are of much interest, -and I have examined both horizontal and vertical sections, one of the -former kindly prepared by Prof. Charles Stewart. The tissue is -traversed in all directions by a dense mass of interlacing bundles of -connective-tissue fibres, which exhibit an entirely irregular -disposition, except quite at the periphery of the ossicle. Here they -are less dense, and are arranged in such a manner as to form at least -one darkened zone concentric with the margin in the comparatively -translucent border. Occasionally, but not at all points, the fibres in -this peripheral area may be observed to radiate regularly outwards. -Numerous small vascular canals, frequently branching, are cut in -various directions; and the bony tissue, which is developed in every -part of the ossicle, exhibits abundant lacunae. Nearly everywhere, -except in the narrow peripheral area just mentioned, it is easy to -recognise the bony laminae arranged in Haversian systems round the -canals; and most of the lacunae between these laminae are excessively -elongated, with very numerous branching canaliculi, which extend at -right angles to their longer axis. Near the margin of the ossicle, -especially in its more translucent parts, the bone-lacunae are less -elongated, more irregular in shape, and apparently not arranged in any -definite order. There is no clear evidence of bony laminae concentric -with the outer margin, though appearances are sometimes suggestive of -this arrangement. A vertical section of an ossicle presents exactly -the same features as the horizontal section now described. It is thus -evident that the vascular canals with their Haversian systems of bone -have no definite direction, but are disposed in an entirely irregular -manner. - -Taking into consideration all characters, and making comparisons with -the aid of my friend Mr. W. E. de Winton, I am inclined to regard the -fragmentary specimen as the skin of the neck and shoulder-region with -part of the left cheek. The apparent bilateral symmetry between at -least part of the thickened anterior outer angles of the specimen has -already been noted; and if this observation be well founded, the -middle line of the back extends vertically down the middle of the -photograph, p. 306. If the rounded notch above B be the base of the -external ear, as seems probable, the thick wrinkled skin (C) with fine -short hair still further to the left must be the cheek. The ear and -cheek on the right side have been removed; but at the base of the -outwardly-turned angle on this side of the specimen there are the very -long hairs which occupy a similar position on the left. It thus seems -possible to estimate the transverse measurement between the ears as -from 0.25 m. to 0.30 m., which corresponds with a tentative estimate -of the same distance in _Mylodon robustus_ based on a skull in the -British Museum. - - -(b) _Comparisons and General Conclusions._ - -The skin now described differs from that of all known terrestrial -Mammalia, except certain Edentata, in the presence of a bony dermal -armour. There can therefore be little doubt that the specimen has been -rightly referred to a member of this typically South American order. -Even among the Edentates, however, the fragment now under -consideration is unique in one respect; for all the ossicles are -buried deeply in the lower half of the thickened dermis and the hairs -are implanted in every part of its upper half, whereas all the forms -of bony armour hitherto described in this order reach the outer -surface of the dermis and are merely invested with horny epidermis. -This is the case, as is well known, in the common existing Armadillos, -in which the hair is only implanted in the dermis between the separate -parts of the armour. Even in the unique and remarkable skin of an -Armadillo from Northern Brazil, described by Milne-Edwards under the -name of _Scleropleura bruneti_[34] the bony plates and tubercles are -still covered only by epidermis, although most of them are reduced to -small nodules and might well have sunk more deeply into the abnormally -hairy skin. There is also reason to believe that in the gigantic -extinct Armadillos of the family Glyptodontidae the same arrangement of -dermal structures prevailed; for one specimen of _Panochthus -tuberculatus_ obtained by Dr. Moreno for the La Plata Museum actually -shows the dried horny epidermis in direct contact with the underlying -bone, and seems to prove that the numerous perforations in the -Glyptodont dermal armour were not for the implantation of hairs (as -once supposed), but for the passage of blood-vessels to the base of -the epidermal layer. Similarly, among the extinct Ground-Sloths of the -family Mylodontidae dermal ossicles have been found with the remains of -_Coelodon_[35] and various forms (perhaps different subgenera) of -_Mylodon_; but the only examples of this armour yet definitely -described[36] exhibit a conspicuously sculptured outer flattened face, -and it thus seems clear that Burmeister was correct in describing them -as originally reaching the upper surface of the dermis and only -covered externally by a thickened epidermis. It is, however, to be -noted that Burmeister himself actually observed armour of this kind -covering only the lumbar region of the trunk. He believed that the -other parts of the animal were similarly armoured, because he had -found "the same ossicles" on the digits of the manus, where they were -"generally smaller and more spherical"; but he unfortunately omits to -make any explicit statement as to the presence or absence of the -characteristic external ornamentation on the latter. - -The omission just mentioned is especially unfortunate, because on -careful comparison it is evident that the irregular disposition of the -small ossicles in the piece of skin now under consideration is most -closely paralleled in the dermal armour of the extinct _Mylodon_, as -already observed by Drs. Moreno and Ameghino. There is obviously no -approach in this specimen to the definite and symmetrical arrangement -of the armour such as is exhibited both by the existing Armadillos -and the extinct Glyptodonts. There are, then, two possibilities. -Either the dermal armour of _Mylodon_ varied in different parts of the -body, being sculptured and covered only by epidermis in the lumbar -region, while less developed, not sculptured but completely buried in -the dermis in the comparatively flexible neck and shoulder region--in -which case Dr. Moreno may be correct in referring the problematical -specimen to _Mylodon_; or the dermal ossicles of this extinct genus -may have been uniform throughout, only differing in size and -sparseness or compactness--in which case Dr. Ameghino is justified in -proposing to recognise a distinct genus, _Neomylodon_. - -To decide between these two possibilities, it is necessary to wait for -additional information concerning the anterior dorsal armour of -_Mylodon_ as precise as that published by Burmeister in reference to -the lumbar shield. Meanwhile it must suffice to compare the -microscopical structure of the ossicles from the new skin with that of -the small sculptured tubercles of undoubted _Mylodon_. It must be -remembered that the specimen has been buried in the Pampa Formation -for a long period, and that the oxides of iron and manganese have -infiltrated the margin of the bone, rendering the structure of its -outer border more conspicuous than that of its central portion. It -must also be noted that some of the manganese has assumed its familiar -"dendritic" aspect, in this respect presenting appearances not due to -original structure. The calcified interlacing fibres of connective -tissue are as abundant here as in the ossicle of the so-called -_Neomylodon_; but in a very wide peripheral area they exhibit a marked -radial disposition, nearly everywhere extending in bundles at right -angles to the border. Rather large vascular canals, infiltrated with -the oxides of iron and manganese, are observed in places, often -bifurcated and usually bordered by a transparent zone free from the -connective-tissue fibres. Well-developed bone-lacunae are very -abundant, many exhibiting short branching canaliculi, and most of the -others very irregular in shape, evidently furnished with canaliculi -which cannot be seen from lack of infiltration. The lacunae are never -much elongated, and are not arranged in distinctly differentiated -Haversian systems in any part of the section; while the only regular -disposition of the bony laminae is traceable near the circumference, -where the lacunae are frequently arranged or clustered in parallel -zones concentric with the border. A vertical section of one of the -same specimens shows the connective-tissue fibres radiating outwards -towards the lateral margins, but not directly towards the upper -sculptured face. There are no bony laminae clearly parallel with the -latter face, and at least one vascular canal in transverse section -seems to be the centre of a Haversian system. - -The histological structure of the ossicles in the skin now under -consideration thus resembles that of the sculptured tubercles of -_Mylodon_ in all essential features, but differs in two noteworthy -respects. In the ossicles of the so-called _Neomylodon_, as already -described, the fibres of connective tissue do not exhibit much -definite radiation towards the lateral margin; while the bony tissue -at most points is disposed in definite Haversian systems. There is -thus enough discrepancy to justify the suspicion that the new and the -old specimens do not belong to the same animal. In fact, so far as the -differentiation of the dermal bone is concerned, the so-called -_Neomylodon_ is precisely intermediate between _Mylodon_ and the -existing Armadillo (_Dasypus_); sections of the scutes of the latter -animal, both in the Royal College of Surgeons and in the British -Museum, showing that in this genus nearly the whole of the osseous -tissue is arranged in Haversian systems, although abundant interlacing -connective-tissue fibres are still entangled in it, at least near the -border. - -If the characteristic dermal armature does not suffice for the -definite expression of an opinion as to the precise affinities of the -specimen, a still less satisfactory result can be expected from a -comparison of the hair. For, in the first place, no hair has hitherto -been discovered in association with the skeleton of any extinct -Ground-Sloth; while, secondly, the hairy covering of a mammal is -perhaps that part of its organisation most readily adapted to the -immediate circumstances of its life. So far as their endo-skeleton is -concerned, the extinct Mylodonts and their allies are precisely -intermediate between the existing Sloths and Anteaters; they combine -"the head and dentition of the former with the structure of the -vertebral column, limbs, and tail of the latter."[37] It might -therefore be supposed that the hair of this extinct group would -exhibit some of the peculiarities of that in one or other of its -nearest surviving relatives. The epidermal covering of the piece of -skin now described, however, entirely lacks the under-fur which is so -thick in the Sloths; while the structure of each individual hair, with -its smooth cuticle and lack of a medulla, is strikingly different from -that observed both in the Sloths and Anteaters, and identical with -that of the hair in the surviving Armadillos. The large hair in the -Sloths and _Tamandua_ exhibits a conspicuously scaly cuticle; while -that of _Myrmecophaga_ is remarkable for its very large medulla. All -these animals now live in the tropics, either in forests or swamps, -whereas the Patagonian animal must have existed under circumstances -much like those under which the Armadillos still survive. Hence the -characters of the hair of the so-called _Neomylodon_ may be of no -great importance in determining the affinities of the animal, but may -represent a special adaptation to its immediate environment. - -Finally, there is the question of the antiquity of the problematical -skin. On two occasions I have examined the mummified remains of the -extinct Mammoth and Rhinoceros from Siberia in the Imperial Academy of -Sciences at St. Petersburg; I have also carefully studied the remains -of the neck and legs of the Moa from a cavern in New Zealand, now in -the British Museum. Compared with these shrivelled and dried -specimens, the piece of skin from Patagonia has a remarkably fresh and -modern aspect; and I should unhesitatingly express the opinion that it -belonged to an animal killed shortly before Dr. Moreno recognised its -interest, had he not been able to give so circumstantial an account of -its discovery and strengthened his point of view by recording the -occurrence of a human mummy of an extinct race in another cavern in -the same district. The presence of an abundant covering of dried serum -on one cut border of the skin is alone suggestive of grave doubts as -to the antiquity of the specimen; but Dr. Vaughan Harley tells me that -similar dried serum has been observed several times among the remains -of the Egyptian mummies, and there seems thus to be no limit to the -length of time for which it can be preserved, provided it is removed -from all contact with moisture. I may add that I have searched in vain -in the writings of Ramon Lista (so far as they are represented in the -Library of the Royal Geographical Society) for some reference to the -statement which the late traveller made verbally to Dr. Ameghino; and -as the piece of skin now described certainly represents an animal -almost gigantic in size compared with the Old-World Pangolin, I fear -it cannot be claimed to belong to Lista's problematical quadruped, -whatever that may prove to be. - -The final result of these brief considerations is therefore rather -disappointing. There are difficulties in either of the two possible -hypotheses. We have a piece of skin quite large enough to have -belonged to the extinct _Mylodon_; but unfortunately it cannot be -directly compared with the dermal armour of that genus, because it -seems to belong to the neck-region, while the only dermal tubercles of -a Mylodont hitherto definitely made known are referable to the lumbar -region. If it does belong to _Mylodon_, as Dr. Moreno maintains, it -implies either that this genus survived in Patagonia to a -comparatively recent date, or that the circumstances of preservation -were unique in the cavern where the specimen was discovered. On the -other hand, if it belongs to a distinct and existing genus, as Dr. -Ameghino maintains--and as most of the characters of the specimen -itself would at first sight suggest--it is indeed strange that so -large and remarkable a quadruped should have hitherto escaped -detection in a country which has been so frequently visited by -scientific explorers. - - * * * * * - -[P.S.--At the reading of this paper Prof. Ray Lankester remarked that -he should regard the characters of the hair as specially important, -and would not be surprised if the problematical piece of skin proved -to belong to an unknown type of Armadillo. This possibility had -occurred to me, but I had hesitated to mention it on account of the -considerable discrepancy observable between the arrangement of the -bony armour in _Neomylodon_ and that in the known Glyptodonts and the -unique Brazilian Armadillo (_Scleropleura_), which happen to exhibit -an incompletely developed (incipient or vestigial) shield. In each of -the latter cases, the armour is not subdivided into a compact mass of -irregular ossicles, but consists of well-separated elements which -could only become continuous by the addition of a considerable extent -of bone round their margins, or by the special development of smaller -intervening ossicles. - -Since the paper was read, I have had the privilege of studying Dr. -Einar Loennberg's valuable description of the pieces of the -problematical skin mentioned by Dr. Moreno as having been taken to -Upsala by Dr. Otto Nordenskjoeld.[38] It appears that with the skin was -found the epidermal sheath of a large unknown claw, which may have -belonged to the same animal. This specimen proves to be different from -that of any existing Sloth, Anteater, or Armadillo, and is considered -by Dr. Loennberg to belong probably to the hind foot of a Mylodont, -which did not walk on the exterior, lateral surfaces of the toes to -the same extent as _Mylodon_. In a section of the skin provisionally -ascribed to the leg, he observes that the small ossicles are very -irregular, and shows two instances in which two are placed one above -the other. In microscopical sections of the ossicles, however, he does -not find the distinct Haversian systems of bone so conspicuous in my -slides; and hence he fails to remark the differences between the -structure of the armour in _Neomylodon_ and _Mylodon_, which seem to -me to be particularly noteworthy. His so-called "pigment cellules" in -_Mylodon_ are the dendritic infiltrations of oxide of manganese and -stains of oxide of iron, to which I have made special reference. His -observations as to the absence of a medulla in the hair confirm my -own; but I have not seen any evidence of the suspected loss or -disintegration of the hair-cuticle. Finally, Dr. Loennberg has boiled a -piece of the skin, thereby extracting glue, "which proves that the -collagen and gelatinous substances are perfectly preserved." The -latter observation confirms the evidence of the serum recorded above, -and indicates that if the specimen is "of any considerable age, it -must have been very well protected against moisture and bacteria."--A. -S. W.] - - -III. DESCRIPTION OF ADDITIONAL DISCOVERIES. - -By A. SMITH WOODWARD.[39] - -Last February, when presenting to the Zoological Society an account of -the skin of a Ground-Sloth discovered in a cavern in Southern -Patagonia, Dr. Moreno mentioned that further excavations were being -made in the hope of finding other remains of the same animal. The task -referred to was undertaken by Dr. Rudolph Hauthal, geologist of the La -Plata Museum, who met with complete success.[40] He not only found -another piece of skin, but also various broken bones of more than one -individual of a large species of Ground-Sloth in a remarkably fresh -state of preservation. Moreover, he discovered teeth of an extinct -horse and portions of limb-bones of a large feline carnivore, in -association with these remains; he likewise met with traces of fire, -which clearly occurred in the same deposits as the so-called -_Neomylodon_. All these remains were found beneath the dry earth on -the floor of an enormous chamber which seemed to have been -artificially enclosed by rude walls. In one spot they were scattered -through a thick deposit of excrement of some gigantic herbivore, -evidently the Ground-Sloth itself; in another spot they were -associated with an extensive accumulation of cut hay. Dr. Hauthal and -his colleagues, indeed, concluded that the cavern was an old corral in -which the Ground-Sloths had been kept and fed by man. - -As the result of these explorations, Dr. Moreno has now the -gratification of exhibiting to the Society complete proof that the -piece of skin described on the former occasion belongs to a genuine -Pampean Ground-Sloth, not _Mylodon_ itself, but a very closely related -genus _Grypotherium_, of which skulls are already known from Pampean -deposits in the Province of Buenos Aires.[41] The collection which we -now have the privilege of examining distinctly supports his contention -that the large quadruped in question belongs to an extinct fauna, -though contemporary with man. The discovery is thus unique in the -history of palaeontology, on account of the remarkably fresh state of -preservation of all the remains. Some of the new specimens exhibit no -indication whatever of having been buried. Many of the bones retain -their original whitish colour, apparently without any loss of -gelatine; while both these and other bones, which have evidently been -entombed in brownish dust, bear numerous remnants not only of the -dried periosteum, but also of shrivelled muscles, ligaments, and -cartilages. Very few of the bones are fossilised, in the ordinary -sense of the term. - -An admirable brief description of this collection has already been -published (_op. cit._) by Dr. Roth, who was the first to recognise the -generic identity of _Neomylodon_ with _Grypotherium_. Some of the -specimens, however, are worthy of a more detailed examination; and Dr. -Moreno has kindly entrusted them to me for study in connection with -the collections in the British Museum and the Royal College of -Surgeons. The following notes, supplementing Dr. Roth's original -memoir, are the result of this further investigation. - - -1. REMAINS OF _GRYPOTHRIUM LISTAI_. - -_Number of Individuals._ - -Among the fragmentary bones of the Ground-Sloth, it is easy to -recognise evidence of three individuals, which do not differ much in -size. There are three distinct examples of the occiput and fragments -of the dentigerous portion of three mandibles. It is also noteworthy -that the three malar bones preserved are all different in shape, while -three corresponding fragments of the acromial process of the scapula -differ in size. One portion of maxilla seems to represent a fourth -individual, being probably too small for either of the skulls to which -the occiputs belong. Finally, as Dr. Roth has pointed out, one shaft -of a humerus, which appears to be the bone of an adult, belongs to a -much smaller animal than is indicated by any other specimen in the -collection. - -Remains of three individuals are thus recognisable with certainty; two -others can probably be distinguished; while some of the fragments may -even belong to a sixth specimen. It must also be noted that other -portions of jaws are said to have been discovered by E. -Nordenskjoeld.[42] - - -_Skull and Mandible._ - -The largest portion of cranium (No. 1) is not stained in any way, and -does not retain a trace of the material in which it was buried in any -hollow or crevice. It does not appear to have been damaged during -excavation, but exhibits fractures which were almost certainly made -when the animal was freshly killed. The cranial roof near the -occipital region is battered in four places, though the injuries do -not affect the brain-case itself; while the right occipital condyle is -partly removed by a sharp, clean cut. There can, indeed, be no doubt -that the animal was killed and cut to pieces by man. - -This skull is evidently that of an adult animal, all the sutures in -the hinder region being closed. The inner wall of the temporal fossa -is much flattened, without any irregular convexities, but marked with -the characteristic reticulately-decussating, fine ridges of bone, and -studded with adherent patches of muscle-fibre. The upper border of the -fossa is a remarkably sharp edge, while the narrow flattened cranial -roof is only marked by a faint longitudinal median furrow and by a -diminutive tuft of fibre in a small median pit near the occipital -edge.[43] The fractures exhibit the very large cancellated chambers -surrounding the brain-case dorso-laterally; while a median -longitudinal section shows both these cells and others in the -basi-sphenoid. The basi-cranial axis is nearly straight, inclining a -little upwards in front. The anterior condyloid foramina piercing the -basi-occipital are remarkably large, as usual; the basi-sphenoid is -very long and narrow, flattened mesially on its lower face, but with -one slight median prominence near its hinder end; the pre-sphenoid -forms a short acute rostrum, above which there are remains of the -vomer. The hinder ends of the pterygoids are shown to be inflated with -large cancellae, but the sides of the base of the skull are somewhat -obscured by the dried soft parts. The mastoid process of the periotic, -with its articular facette for the stylohyal, seems to be rather -smaller than in _Mylodon_. The tympanic bone is preserved on the right -side, though wanting on the left. It is an irregular curved plate only -slightly bullate, but forming a complete floor to the tympanic cavity. -As usual in Edentata, it is not produced into an auditory meatus. - -The right maxilla (No. 4) is in precisely the same state of -preservation as the specimen just described, and probably belongs to -the same skull. Its anterior margin is perfectly preserved, indicating -that the facial region is very short in front of the anterior end of -the zygomatic arch, which is pierced by a rather large suborbital -canal. Its upper border proves that the nasal region was raised into a -slightly convex dome; while its antero-superior angle is not rounded -as in _Mylodon_, but curves upwards and forwards and ends in a point -as in _Grypotherium_. At the oral border there are the shattered bases -of four teeth. - -A fragment of the nasal region (No. 13) may also have belonged to the -same skull, but its state of preservation is a little different from -that of the two specimens just described. It has clearly been buried -in a powdery deposit, which has stained it brown; but the enveloping -dust must have been extremely dry, for fragments of cartilage adhere -to it, as well preserved as in the nasal chamber of the cranium itself -(No. 1). It also bears traces of the integument. - -Judging by the figures of the skull of _Grypotherium_ published by -Reinhardt (_loc. cit._), this specimen seems to have occupied an -anterior position in the nasal region. It is thus of great interest, -because the three known skulls of _Grypotherium_ leave the precise -nature of the bony arcade separating the narial openings undecided. -According to Reinhardt, the nasal bones terminate as in _Mylodon_, and -the arcade is an element interposed between them and the premaxillae. -According to Burmeister, the nasals themselves extend forwards and -constitute the greater part, if not the whole, of the problematical -bar. The fragment now under consideration is clearly in favour of the -latter interpretation. Its lower thickened end is a massive bone, not -bilaterally symmetrical, and not showing any trace of a median suture. -Its inferior face is irregular and roughened, and can scarcely be -regarded as an articular facette. Its upper portion consists of a pair -of bones separated by a very well-marked median longitudinal suture. -These are not thickened at their contracted upper end, where they have -evidently been broken, and are not quite bilaterally symmetrical. They -doubtless fuse at their lower end with the problematical azygous bone -already mentioned, but the arrangement is obscured by the enveloping -soft parts. A pair of bones, which may be regarded as nasals, thus -extend forwards in a narrow arch to a point just above the anterior -end of the premaxillae; while the massive bone effecting a union -between the two normal pairs of elements is probably an ossification -in the internasal septum. It is interesting to note that there is an -incipient trace of a similar forward production of the nasals in the -genus _Scelidotherium_; while there is sometimes an ossification of -the internasal septum in _Megatherium_.[44] - -The three specimens now described, when placed approximately in their -natural positions, afford a very satisfactory idea of the form and -proportions of the skull when complete. The malar bone is the only -important part to be added; but unfortunately it is impossible to -decide which of the three specimens of this element in the collection -belongs to the individual now under consideration. As already -mentioned, these three bones are all different in the shape and -proportions of the hinder bifurcated end. They are all very fresh in -appearance, but have been stained reddish-brown by the earth in which -they must have been buried. - -The hinder portion of the second skull already mentioned (No. 2) -comprises the occiput and brain-case as far forward as the front of -the cerebral hemispheres. It is much battered and broken, and in quite -as fresh a state as the cranium already described, with a considerable -investment of dried soft parts on its base. It is only very slightly -smaller than No. 1, but is of interest as exhibiting some of the -sutures, besides a roundness and smoothness indicative of immaturity. -The supraoccipital is shown to be very large; a small median point of -it enters the foramen magnum, while the suture separating it from the -parietals and squamosals extends along the rounded lambdoidal ridge. -The horizontally extended suture between the squamosal and parietal on -the inner wall of the temporal fossa is seen in the position where -Owen determined it to occur in _Mylodon_.[45] Both tympanics are -preserved, but they are more obscured by soft parts than in No. 1. - -To this cranium probably belongs a detached portion of the left side -of the facial region (No. 5), in a similar state of preservation and -slightly smaller than the maxilla (No. 4). The suture between the -frontal and the maxilla still persists, while the oral border is -preserved farther forward than in the last-mentioned specimen, showing -a fragment of the much-reduced premaxilla united with the maxilla by a -jagged suture. - -The third imperfect occiput is about as large as the immature specimen -No. 2, but does not exhibit any features worthy of special note. - -The largest and most important portions of the mandible are Nos. 9 and -11, which evidently belong to the right and left rami of one and the -same jaw. They are much broken and are in the same fresh condition as -the skulls, with traces of the periosteum and even considerable -portions of the soft parts of the gum. The right ramus is preserved -sufficiently far forwards to show that there was no caniniform tooth -in front of the series of four ordinary molars. Judging by the extent -of the latter series, the specimen probably belongs to the same -individual as the skull No. 1. - -Another portion of a mandibular ramus (No. 10) of the left side is -slightly smaller than the last and may well have belonged to the -immature individual No. 2. It is similarly quite fresh in appearance, -and bears the shrivelled remains of the gum. It is interesting as -exhibiting the two posterior molars slightly different in shape from -those of the former mandible. In this specimen the longer axis of the -third molar is oblique, whereas in No. 9 it is coincident with the -axis of the mandible; while in the former the fourth molar is not so -long in proportion to its width as in the latter. Such slight -differences, however, cannot be regarded in the Edentata as more than -individual variations. - - -_Brain-cavity and Cerebral Nerves._ - -By the kind permission of Dr. Moreno, the cranium No. 1 has been -vertically bisected to display the character of the cranial cavity and -the nerve-foramina. An instructive plaster-cast of the cavity has thus -been made by Mr. C. Barlow, the Formatore of the British Museum. - -The olfactory lobes are shown to have been well developed, projecting -a little in front of the cerebral hemispheres. These hemispheres are -together somewhat longer than broad, slightly broader behind than in -front, and a little constricted in the middle. They do not overlap the -cerebellum, which is relatively large. The origins of the nerves are -very imperfectly shown in the cast; only their exits from the cranial -cavity are clear. The most interesting are the optic and trigeminal -nerves, which pass out of the cranial cavity at first by a common -exit, which is soon subdivided by a bony partition into two canals, -the former no less than 0.08 m., the latter 0.045 m. in length. The -fourth, seventh, eighth and twelfth nerves are also recognisable on -the cast; and one prominence of plaster has filled the foramen lacerum -posterius. - -Compared with the brains of _Mylodon_ and _Scelidotherium_, so far as -known from casts of the cranial cavity,[46] that of _Grypotherium_ is -observed to be more elongated, with less divergent and prominent -olfactory lobes, less constricted cerebral hemispheres, and a larger -cerebellum. In the form and proportions of the cerebrum and -cerebellum, it similarly differs from _Megatherium_.[47] The cerebral -hemispheres of the existing _Choloepus didactylus_ and _Bradypus -tridactylus_[48] are more tapering forward, and their cerebellum is -relatively smaller than in _Grypotherium_. - - -_Auditory Ossicles._ - -The auditory ossicles were preserved in the tympanic cavities of both -skulls, Nos. 1 and 2, being retained by the dried soft parts. They -were detected by Prof. Charles Stewart, who kindly extracted them, -with great skill, from both sides of each skull. Comparing these -ossicles with the fine collection in the Royal College of Surgeons, -they prove to be closely similar to those of all the existing Sloths, -but most nearly resembling those of _Choloepus didactylus_. The -malleus is bent exactly as in the latter species, and is of similar -shape. As observed by Prof. Stewart, it is remarkable in articulating -with the incus not only by the head, but also by a diminutive lower -facet, which is in contact with a small facetted process on the -anterior arm of the incus. A feeble indication of the same secondary -articulation is also observable in _Choloepus_; but it is curiously -absent in the second specimen of _Grypotherium_. The two divergent -arms of the incus are equal in length, as usual in the Sloths. The -stapes is only very slightly perforated in both specimens; while a -small circular disc firmly fixed to the incus represents the orbicular -bone in the second skull. The auditory ossicles of _Grypotherium_, -therefore, are very different from those of _Myrmecophaga_, in which -the malleus is less sharply bent, the incus has divergent arms of -unequal length, and the stapes exhibits a large perforation.[49] - - -_Vertebrae and Limb-bones._ - -Nearly all the remains of vertebrae and limb-bones are in the same -state of preservation as the portions of skull and mandible already -described, with adherent cartilage and traces of muscles and -ligaments. With some of the ungual phalanges there are also -well-preserved examples of the epidermal sheath. As already remarked -by Roth, the edges of one sheath probably belonging to the fourth -digit of the manus, are quite sharp, and indicate that if the animal -walked on its fore feet it resembled _Myrmecophaga_ in the peculiar -twist of the manus. - -All the specimens in this series seem to have been accurately -determined and sufficiently described by Roth. It is only necessary to -emphasise the fact that the two shafts of humerus with abraded, not -sharply broken, ends have a much more fossilised appearance than any -other specimen in the collection, and are deeply stained throughout by -ferruginous matter. The small shaft, No. 22, certainly seems to have -belonged to an adult animal, as remarked by Roth, and it was probably -much smaller than any individual indicated by the other remains. - - - -_Skin and Hair._ - -The new piece of skin, which is stated by Hauthal to have been found -in the deposit of excrement, is not quite so well preserved as the -original piece. It is much folded in an irregular manner; and the -hair, which is yellower than in the previous specimen, is preserved -only in patches on the outer face. It must have been stripped from the -body of the animal by man; but the only distinct marks of tools, which -were evidently made when the skin was fresh, are a few indents and -small pits on the outer face. The indents must have been made by -oblique thrusts of a stick, or a small, blunt, chisel-shaped -instrument. The small pittings are nearer the middle of the specimen -and less conspicuous. A vacuity in the skin seems to be due to -accidental tearing or to a thrust after it was dry: it may even have -been caused by the fallen blocks of stone found lying upon it. - -The specimen, as preserved, measures about a metre across in one -direction by 93 centimetres in another direction. As already observed -by Roth, its irregular folding makes the determination of its position -on the trunk very difficult; but I am convinced that its state of -preservation is not sufficiently good to justify an attempt to unfold -the skin by the ordinary method of steaming. Taking all facts into -consideration, Roth seems to be correct in ascribing it to the right -flank and the postero-superior part of one of the limbs. It most -probably belongs to the fore limb, as Roth supposes; but there is no -clear proof that it is not referable to the hind-quarters. - -The original situation of the piece of skin being thus determined, it -is interesting to observe the disposition of the ossicles in the lower -layer. Owing to abrasion, contraction, and partial disintegration, -they are conspicuous in most parts of the specimen. They are very -irregular in shape and size, and closely compacted together, as in the -previous specimen. It is, however, to be noted that in some parts -there is a distinct tendency to arrangement in regular, straight, -parallel rows. The long axes of the elongated ossicles are nearly -always coincident with the direction of these rows. They are -especially well shown on the middle of the flank; and, as might be -expected, the rows are here disposed vertically, parallel with the -ribs. - -In some parts of the skin the ossicles are exposed on their outer -face; but appearances render it almost certain that this exposure is -due to the disintegration and abrasion of the specimen. In one patch -thus uncovered by the removal of the soft parts, the ossicles are seen -to form a closely arranged, flattened pavement; and their outer face -is much more conspicuously marked by pittings than that of any ossicle -extracted from the first discovered piece of skin. In fact, as Roth -remarks, the pitting is here quite similar to that observable on many -ossicles dug up in association with the fossil skeletons of _Mylodon_; -though it does not form so regular a reticulate pattern as that of the -dermal ossicles of _Mylodon_ in the British Museum figured on the -former occasion.[50] - -Another interesting feature of the new piece of skin consists in the -dwindling and even total absence of the ossicles towards the ventral -border. A section along the edge exhibits only two diminutive nodules -of bone in a length of 0.1 m.; while another similar section taken -vertically from the skin of the limb shows no trace of ossicles, -except perhaps two little specks. It must, however, be noted that the -limb was not entirely destitute of armour; for on the border the bones -are as well developed and conspicuous as on the middle of the flank. -In the newly-cut sections the skin has a translucent aspect, showing -that it is merely dried and not tanned in any way. - -The hair on the new specimen varies in length from 0.07 m. or 0.10 m. -to 0.15 m. or 0.22 m. It is thus longer than that of the previous -piece of skin. Masses of still longer hairs--some 0.30 m. in -length--were found detached among the excrement, and these are also -believed by Roth to belong to the same animal. His determination is -probably correct; for, when examined microscopically, these long hairs -are observed to have a perfectly smooth cuticle, while some transverse -sections (kindly made by Mr. R. H. Burne) demonstrate the complete -absence of a medulla, exactly as in the short hairs. The latter -feature proves that they cannot be referred either to the horse or to -the guanaco. - - -_Excrement._ - -The large cylindrical pieces of excrement, which may be referred to -_Grypotherium_ without any hesitation, have already been described and -figured by Dr. Roth. They consist of irregular discoids of herbaceous -matter closely pressed together, the largest measuring no less than -0.18 m. in diameter. Mr. Spencer Moore has kindly examined them from -the botanist's point of view and reports that they are composed "in -large part apparently of grasses, as the haulms, leaf-sheaths, -fragments of leaves, &c., of these plants are frequent in the mass. A -spikelet, almost entire, of what seems to be a species of _Poa_, and -the flowering glume of another grass, probably avenaceous, have also -been found. Besides these there are at least two dicotyledonous -plants, one herbaceous and the other almost certainly so, the latter -having a slender greatly sclerotised stem. Unfortunately, as no leaves -have hitherto been observed attached to the fragments of stem, their -affinities are altogether doubtful. There are numerous silicious -particles in the excrement, and there are many pieces of the -underground parts of the plants, suggesting that they have been pulled -out of the ground. A few pieces of stems are sharply cut, not bruised -or torn at the end." The latter fact is especially important in -connection with Dr. Hauthal's discovery of cut hay in the cavern, and -his theory that the _Grypotherium_ was kept in captivity and fed by -man. - - -_Generic and Specific Determination._ - -The fortunate discovery of all parts of the skull and dentition -renders the generic determination of this Ground-Sloth now quite -certain. The teeth show that it belongs to the family Mylodontidae; the -presence of only four instead of five upper molars separates it from -the genera _Mylodon_, _Lestodon_, and _Scelidotherium_; the forward -production of the nasals and the ossification of part of the -internarial septum place it definitely in the allied genus -_Grypotherium_, as originally diagnosed by Reinhardt. The only -question needing consideration is, whether the fragment of cranium -described by Owen in 1840 as the type of the genus _Glossotherium_[51] -is really identical with that subsequently described by Reinhardt -under the name of _Grypotherium darwini_, as now seems to be commonly -believed. - -Darwin's original specimen, on which the genus _Glossotherium_ of Owen -was founded, is preserved in the Museum of the Royal College of -Surgeons. It has thus been possible to compare it directly with the -undoubted cranium of _Grypotherium_ from the Patagonian cavern. The -specimen is merely the left half of the hinder part of the cranium, -and is therefore very inadequate for discussion; but several features -seem worthy of note. Compared with the new skull No. 1, the fragment -named _Glossotherium_ has (i.) the inner wall of the temporal fossa -less flattened, (ii.) the digastric fossa deeper in proportion to its -width, (iii.) the hinder border of the inflated pterygoid vertical, -instead of sloping downwards and forwards, (iv.) a much larger and -deeper pit for the articulation of the stylohyal, and (v.) a longer -canal penetrating the base of the occipital condyle for the passage of -the hypoglossal nerve. In all these respects the so-called -_Glossotherium_ agrees much more closely with the typical _Mylodon_; -and Owen was probably correct in 1842 when he expressed the opinion -that the two are at least generically identical.[52] - -I am therefore of opinion that _Grypotherium_ is the correct generic -name for the Ground-Sloth from the Patagonian cavern, while -_Glossotherium_ must be relegated to the synonymy of _Mylodon_. - -The specific determination of the new specimens is more difficult. As -remarked by Roth, only two species of _Grypotherium_ seem to be -already known from the Pampa formation--_G. darwini_ by three -skulls[53] and _G. bonaerense_ solely by a maxilla.[54] The portions -of skull and dentition now under discussion indicate an animal much -larger than _G. bonaerense_ (assuming the original maxilla to be that -of an adult); while they are considerably smaller than any known -specimen of _G. darwini_. Moreover, the nasal arcade now described is -narrower and more concave on its outer face than that of _G. darwini_, -as already observed by Roth. It thus seems very probable that the -animal from the Patagonian cavern represents a distinct species, which -must bear the name of _G. listai_. This specific name was given by -Ameghino to a fragment of the first-discovered piece of skin, and the -curious argument which leads Roth to propose the substitution of a new -name for it does not affect its validity. - -It may be added that Dr. Erland Nordenskjoeld has recently compared his -specimens from the Patagonian cavern with the skull of _Grypotherium -darwini_ at Copenhagen, and finds no specific difference.[55] No -particulars however, have yet been published. - - -2. ASSOCIATED MAMMALIAN REMAINS. - -_Felis_, sp. - -A feline carnivore larger than the existing Jaguar (_Felis onca_), but -about the same size as an average Tiger (_F. tigris_), is represented -in the collection by the distal half of a right humerus (No. 44), a -left fourth metatarsal (No. 46), and the distal end of another -metatarsal (No. 47). These bones have evidently been buried in dust, -but are in the same fresh state of preservation as those of -_Grypotherium_. - -Careful comparison of these bones shows that they are undoubtedly -feline; and there is no difficulty in determining that they belong to -_Felis_ rather than to the extinct _Machaerodus_. A humerus of _M. -neogaeus_, from a Brazilian cavern, now in the British Museum (No. -18972 _b_), is readily distinguished from the new Patagonian humerus -by the remarkable lateral compression of its shaft and the much -greater downward extension of its prominent and sharp deltoid ridge. -The humerus in all the large species of _Felis_, on the other hand, -only differs from the fossil now under discussion in very small -particulars. In fact, the humerus and metatarsals of the existing -_Felis onca_ are essentially identical with the bones from the -Patagonian cavern, except that they are rather smaller. I am therefore -inclined to regard the newly discovered remains as indicating a -comparatively large variety of _F. onca_, which once lived in the -temperate regions of Patagonia, beyond the present range of this -species. Such an occurrence would be a precise parallel to that of the -Cave-Lion in Europe. It is well known that nearly all the remains of -_F. leo_ found in the Pleistocene formations of the temperate parts of -the Old World indicate animals of somewhat larger size than any -surviving in the warmer regions to which the species is now -confined.[56] - -It may be noted that bones of the Jaguar of ordinary dimensions have -been recorded from the Pampa formation of the Province of Buenos -Aires.[57] - - -_Arctotherium_, sp. - -With the bones of _Felis_ just noticed, Roth provisionally associates -the imperfect distal end of a remarkably large right femur. He is thus -induced to suppose that the carnivore represented by the fragments -will prove to be a new genus and species of the Felidae. He suggests -for it the name of _Iemisch listai_, on the assumption that it is the -mysterious quadruped which Ameghino states is known to the natives as -the Iemisch. - -A comparison of the distal end of the femur in question with the -femora of Felidae in the British Museum seems to prove conclusively -that it cannot be referred even to the same family. Its width across -the condyles is much greater, compared with its antero-posterior -diameter, than that observed in any feline. Moreover, the pit for the -tendon of the popliteus muscle below the external condyle is unusually -deep. In both these respects the bone closely resembles the distal end -of the femur of a Bear. I have been therefore led to compare it with -the corresponding part of the extinct Bear of the Pampean formation, -_Arctotherium_. - -Fortunately, the fine and nearly complete skeleton of _Arctotherium -bonaerense_ in the Bravard Collection in the British Museum comprises -the right femur and enables direct comparison to be made. The fragment -lacks the inner condyle; but enough of the trochlea remains to show -its broad and gently-rounded form, with a wide and deep intertrochlear -notch, precisely as in _Arctotherium_. It has the same development of -the external condyle as in the latter, while the fossa for the -popliteal tendon is equally deep, only slightly differing in shape. In -fact, there is very little discrepancy, except in its smaller size; -and species of _Arctotherium_ smaller than _A. bonaerense_ are already -known both from the Pampa formation of Argentina[58] and the caverns -of Brazil.[59] - -The fragment just described has evidently been severed from the rest -of the bone by a sharp, clean cut made by man; and Dr. Hauthal is -quite certain that this was not done by one of his workmen during -excavation (_op. cit._ p. 59). At least one medium-sized species of -_Arctotherium_ must therefore have survived until the human period in -Southern Patagonia.[60] - - -_Onohippidium saldiasi._ - -A horse is represented in the collection by an upper molar, a fragment -of premaxilla with two incisors, an imperfect atlas and two -well-preserved hoofs apparently of a foetus or perhaps of a -newly-born animal. Of these remains only the upper molar is capable of -satisfactory determination. - -This tooth is the second upper molar of the left side, and has been -exhaustively compared with corresponding teeth by Dr. Roth, who gives -a good series of figures. It is readily distinguished from the -homologous molar in the genus _Equus_ by the peculiar form of its two -inner columns--a fact which I have been able to verify by the -examination of an extensive series of specimens, both recent and -fossil, in the British Museum. Further comparison, indeed, shows that -it must be referred to the extinct Pampean genus _Onohippidium_.[61] -Roth assigns it, apparently quite rightly, to the same species as a -maxilla from the Pampean formation of the Province of Buenos Aires, -for which he proposes the name of _Onohippidium saldiasi_. - - - -_Large Extinct Rodent._ - -The proximal end of the femur of a large rodent has already been -recognised by Roth, and compared with the extinct _Megamys_. It cannot -be more exactly determined. - - -_Existing Species._ - -One imperfect fragment of pelvis and sacrum seems to belong to a puma -(_Felis concolor_) of rather large size; but it is not sufficient for -precise determination. - -The small mandibular ramus of a musteline referred by Dr. Roth to -_Mephitis suffocans_, does not pertain to this genus and species. Mr. -Oldfield Thomas determines it to belong to the rare _Lyncodon -patagonicus_, which still lives in Patagonia and has not hitherto been -found fossil. A slightly larger extinct species of the same genus has -been described by Ameghino on the evidence of a skull from the Pampean -formation near Lujan, in the Province of Buenos Aires.[62] - -A cranium, some vertebrae, and a tibia and fibula appear to represent -the existing _Ctenomys magellanicus_, as noted by Roth. - -The remains of the Guanaco (_Lama huanacos_) do not present any -features worthy of special remark. - -Man is represented by a diseased scapula and by two bone awls, which -are clearly made from the tibia of a species of _Canis_ intermediate -in size between _C. jubatus_ and _C. magellanicus_. - - -3. RELATIVE AGE OF THE REMAINS. - -As the result of Dr. Roth's researches, supplemented by the additional -observations now recorded, it is evident that the majority of the -mammalian remains from the cavern near Last Hope Inlet belong to the -extinct fauna which occurs in the Pampean formation of more northern -regions. To this category are referable the genera _Grypotherium_, -_Onohippidium_, _Megamys_, and _Arctotherium_; also _Macrauchenia_, -which is said to have been discovered in the same deposit on the floor -of the cave by Dr. E. Nordenskjoeld. The large _Felis_ likewise -probably belongs to the same series. Remains of mammals of the -existing fauna, on the other hand, are comparatively few and -insignificant, referable to the genera _Ctenomys_, _Cervus_, _Lama_, -_Lyncodon_, and _Felis_. - -Although Dr. Hauthal's explorations were rather hurried and Dr. -Nordenskjoeld's results have only been published hitherto in -abstract,[63] their account of the deposits on the floor of the cavern -seem to confirm the suspicion that the remains of these two faunas -were introduced at two successive periods. According to Hauthal, the -remains of the Guanaco were found along with fragmentary bones of -Deer, shells of _Mytilus chorus_, branches of trees, and dried leaves, -in the superficial dust of the cavern near the outer wall. The skin of -_Grypotherium_ and all the other remains of this and the associated -Pampean genera were discovered in the deeper layer of excrement and -cut hay between the mound and the inner wall of the cavern. According -to Nordenskjoeld, three distinct strata can be recognised on the floor -of the cavern as follows: - - A. A thin surface layer, containing ashes, shells, and - bones of recent animals broken by man. - - B. A middle layer, containing numerous branches of trees - and dried leaves, with remains of _Lama_ and the extinct - horse, _Onohippidium_. Said to be probably the stratum in - which the original piece of skin was found. - - C. A bottom layer, usually about a metre in thickness, - without any traces of branches or leaves, but only dried - herbs. Remains of _Grypotherium_ numerous and confined to - this stratum, associated with its excrement and hair, also - with remains of a large variety of _Felis onca_, - _Macrauchenia_, and _Onohippidium_. - -It is unfortunate that the question of the contemporaneity of the -various bones cannot be tested by the ingenious method of chemical -analysis which has been applied with success to similar problems by M. -Adolphe Carnot in France. The French chemist has shown that when bones -are buried in ordinary sediments they undergo changes which gradually -cause the percentage of contained fluorine to increase. According to -him, the longer a bone has been buried, the greater is the percentage -of fluorine found in it on analysis. In one case[64] he examined the -scapula of a deer and a human tibia, discovered together in fluviatile -sand near Billancourt (Seine); he found that the former had seven or -eight times its usual percentage of fluorine, while the human bone did -not differ in any respect from the normal in this constituent. He -therefore concluded that the latter bone was not of the same age as -the former, but had been introduced comparatively recently by burial. -In this and the other recorded cases, however, it is to be observed -that the sediment was of a uniform character and admitted of free -percolation of water. In the Patagonian cavern, on the contrary, the -bones occur partly in dust, partly in dried herbage, partly in dried -excrement, and partly in the burnt residue of the same. Moreover, they -must always have been subjected to intense dryness, and the usual -process of chemical alteration cannot have taken place. - -Considering all circumstances, I think that, even without chemical -evidence, zoologists and geologists cannot fail now to agree with Dr. -Moreno and his colleagues of the La Plata Museum, that the remarkably -preserved _Grypotherium_ from the Patagonian cavern belongs to the -extinct Pampean fauna of South America, and need not be searched for -in the unexplored wilds of that continent. If we accept the -confirmatory evidence afforded by Mr. Spencer Moore, we can also -hardly refuse to believe that this great Ground-Sloth was actually -kept and fed by an early race of man. - - -IV. NOTE CONCERNING TEHUELCHE LEGENDS. - -By HESKETH PRICHARD. - -I now proceed to give the testimony of Dr. F. Ameghino, whose brother -Carlos was well acquainted with the country and who early gave it as -his opinion that the animal, which is named the _Neomylodon listai_, -was still living in Patagonia. In support of his opinion he adduced -tales which Carlos Ameghino had gathered from the Indians, who roam -the pampas, of a vast mysterious beast said by them to haunt the -distant lagoons and forests of the unexplored regions near the Andes. -These stories had, moreover, been confirmed in Dr. Ameghino's opinion -by the experience of the late well-known geographer and traveller, -Senor Ramon Lista, who verbally told both Dr. Ameghino and his brother -that he had seen and fired at a mysterious creature, which, however, -disappeared in the brushwood and could not afterwards be traced. He -described it as being covered with reddish-grey hair, and he believed -it to be a pangolin or scaly-anteater.[65] Taking all things into -consideration, Dr. Ameghino announced his conviction that the -mysterious animal referred to was the last representative of a group, -long believed extinct, related to the Mylodon. - -According to Dr. Ameghino the Indians had bestowed upon the mysterious -animal the name of Iemisch. Nothing would induce them to penetrate -into the supposed haunts of this monster. It was described as -amphibious, equally at home on land or in the water; in remote -mountain recesses it lurked in caves, or had its lairs by the shores -of lonely lagoons and rivers, or at times lay in wait among the lower -passes of the Cordillera. In habits it was nocturnal, and its strength -so great that it could seize a horse in its claws, and hold itself -down to the bottoms of the lakes! The head was supposed to be short -and without external ears, but showing enormous dog-teeth: the feet -short and bear-like, armed with formidable claws united by a swimming -membrane; the long tail, tapering and prehensile, the hair hard and of -a uniform yellowish-brown. In size it far exceeded any creature they -knew of, its legs, though short, being almost as great in girth as its -body. It followed, naturally that narratives of personal experiences -and encounters with this terrific animal were varied. - -These data, it must be confessed, were bewildering. In fact, as -described by the Indians the Iemisch was scientifically absurd; but -the Indian is like a child in many ways and would naturally endow a -creature he feared with extraordinary attributes. - -I will quote here an extract from Winwood Reade's "Savage Africa," one -of the finest books of travel ever written. - -"It must be laid down as a general principle that man can originate -nothing; that lies are always truths embellished, distorted, or turned -inside out. There are other facts beside those which lie on the -surface, and it is the duty of the traveller and the historian to sift -and wash the gold-grains of truth from the dirt of fable.... It is -true that some of the ancient myths have been sobered down to natural -beings. The men with dogs' heads of whom Herodotus speaks are the -barking baboons which I saw in Senegal: the men with their head under -their shoulders, their eyes in their breast, are the ill-formed -negroes, whose shoulders are shrugged up, and whose heads drop on -their breasts: the mermaids of the Arab tales are the sea-cows of the -African rivers, which have feminine dugs and a face almost human in -expression: the huge serpent which opposed the army of Regulus is now -well known as the python: the burning mountains which Hanno saw, and -the sounds of the lutes which were believed to proceed from the strife -of the elements, are only caused by the poor negroes burning the grass -of their hill-tops: the music being that of their flutes, as I have -heard it often in those long and silent African nights far away. - -"Incredulity has now become so vulgar a folly, that one is almost -tempted, out of simple hatred for a fashion, to run into the opposite -extreme. However, I shall content myself with citing evidence -respecting certain unknown, fabulous and monstrous animals of Africa, -without committing myself to an opinion one way or the other; -preserving only my conviction that there is always a basis of truth to -the most fantastic fables, and that, by rejecting without inquiry that -which appears incredible, one throws away ore in which others might -have found a jewel. A traveller should believe nothing, for he will -find himself so often deceived: and he should disbelieve nothing, for -he will see so many wonderful things; he should doubt, he should -investigate, and then, perhaps, he may discover." - -It was in this spirit that I set out for the interior of Patagonia. -Although the legends of the Indians were manifestly to a large extent -the result of imaginative exaggeration, yet I hoped to find a -substratum of fact below these fancies. After thorough examination, -however, I am obliged to say that I found none. The Indians not only -never enter the Cordillera but avoid the very neighbourhood of the -mountains. The rumours of the Iemisch and the stories concerning it, -which, in print, had assumed a fairly definite form, I found nebulous -in the extreme when investigated on the spot. - -Finally, after much investigation I came to the conclusion that the -Indian legends in all probability refer to some large species of -otter. Musters, in his book "At Home with the Patagonians," makes -mention of an animal much feared by the tribe with whom he travelled, -which they called "water-tiger," and which they said lived in a rapid -and deep river near to Nahuel-huapi, a lake the name of which lends -colour to the tale, for it means Tigers' Island. Musters says he -himself saw two ostriches, that, being considered in too poor a -condition to be worth taking to camp for food, were left on the bank -of the river referred to, torn and partly devoured when on the -following day he and his party revisited the spot. Tracks of an animal -were also plainly visible leading down into the water. - -Compare this with a story told me by Mr. Von Plaaten Hallermund. He -described the case of a mule which had fallen over a precipice in the -vicinity of the River Deseado. When on the following day the _peones_ -climbed down to salve its cargo, they found the animal on the edge of -the water half eaten, and in its neighbourhood were tracks strange to -them. "Like those of a puma, yet not those of a puma," as they said. - -The manager of Messrs. Braun and Blanchard's store at Santa Cruz gave -me a description of a skin brought in by Indians which, though not a -puma-skin, was quite as large as the skin of the common silver-grey -puma generally is. I myself saw a very large otter in the River -Senguerr, but unluckily had not my rifle with me, and although I -returned as quickly with it as I could, all trace of the otter had -vanished. - -Taking into consideration the amphibious nature attributed by the -Indians to the Iemisch, there seems to be little reason to doubt that -the real animal underlying the rumours of a mysterious monster is a -sub-species of the large Brazilian otter (_Lutra brasiliensis_). - -To return to the possible survival of the Mylodon, as far as our -travels led us both north and south on the eastern side of the -Cordillera, we could discover no trace whatever either by hearsay or -from the evidence of our own experience to warrant the supposition -that it continues to exist to the present day. But there are hundreds -of square miles of dense forest still unexplored along the whole -length of the Patagonian Andes, and I do not undertake to declare -positively that no such animal exists in some unknown and hidden spot -among their recesses. Roughly speaking, there are many thousand square -miles of snowy summits, ravines, high plateaus and valleys in this -region. The task of finding a final answer to the Mylodon problem on -the drag-net principle of passing to and fro throughout the whole -district would be so gigantic and prolonged where the natural -difficulties are great, as to be practically impossible. Such an -answer must be left to time and the slow process of things. In the -meanwhile I can merely state my own conviction that the odds are very -heavily against the chances of such a survival. The probable habitat -of the Mylodon would naturally be the forests. I penetrated these in -more than one direction, and one of the most striking characteristics -of the forests was the absence of animal life, evidence of which grew -less and less the farther we forced our way into their depths. It is a -matter of common knowledge that, where the larger forms of life are to -be found, there also a liberal catalogue of lesser creatures co-exist. -The conditions which favour the life of the greater favour also the -existence of the less. This is presumptive evidence only, and though -it has certainly influenced my own conclusions, I do not wish to force -it upon others. I have stated the case as fairly as I can, and I leave -my readers to form their own opinions. - -FOOTNOTES: - -[33] F. Ameghino, "Premiere Notice sur le _Neomylodon listai_, un -Representant vivant des anciens Edentes Gravigrades fossiles de -l'Argentina" (La Plata, August 1898); translated under the title "An -Existing Ground-Sloth in Patagonia," in "Natural Science," vol. xiii -(1898), pp. 324-326. - -[34] A. Milne-Edwards, "Note sur une nouvelle Espece de Tatou a -cuirasse incomplete (_Scleropleura bruneti_)," Nouv. Arch. Mus., vol. -vii. (1871), pp. 177-179, pl. xii. - -[35] P. W. Lund, K. Dansk. Vidensk. Selsk. Afhandl., vol. viii. -(1841), p. 85 (footnote). - -[36] H. Burmeister, Anales Mus. Publico Buenos Aires, vol. i. -(1864-69), p. 173, pl. v. Fig. 8. - -[37] Flower and Lydekker, "Introduction to the Study of Mammals," p. -183. - -[38] E. Loennberg, "On some Remains of '_Neomylodon listai_," Ameghino, -brought home by the Swedish Expedition to Tierra del Fuego, 1895-1897, -Wissensch. Ergebn. schwedisch. Exped. Magellanslaend, unter Leitung v. -Otto Nordenskjoeld, vol. ii. pp. 149-170, pls. xii.-xiv. (1899). - -[39] "On some Remains of _Grypotherium (Neomylodon) listai_ and -associated Mammals from a Cavern near Consuelo Cove, Last Hope Inlet, -Patagonia." _Proc. Zool. Soc._, 1900, pp. 64-79, pls. v.-ix. - -[40] R. Hauthal, S. Roth, and R. Lehmann-Nitsche, "El Mamifero -Misterioso de la Patagonia, _Grypotherium domesticum_," Revista Mus. -La Plata, vol. ix. pp. 409-474, pls. i.-v. (1899).--F. P. Moreno, -"Note on the Discovery of _Miolania_ and of _Glossotherium -(Neomylodon)_ in Patagonia," Geol. Mag. [4] vol. vi. pp. 385-388 -(1899). - -[41] J. Reinhardt, "Beskrivelse af Hovedskallen af et Kaempedovendyr, -_Grypotherium darwinii_, fra La Plata-Landenes plejstocene-Dannelser," -K. Dansk. Vidensk. Selsk Skr. [5] vol. xii. (1879), pp. 353-380, pls. -i. ii.--H. Burmeister, "Atlas de la Description physique de la -Republique Argentine," sect. ii. (1881), p. 119, woodc. (_Mylodon -darwinii_),--R. Lydekker, "The Extinct Edentates of Argentina," Anales -Mus. La Plata--Paleont. Argentina, vol. iii. pt. 2 (1894), p. 85, pl. -liv. - -[42] R. Hauthal, _op. cit._ p. 4. - -[43] See S. Roth, _op. cit._ pl. ii. Fig. 1. - -[44] R. Lydekker, Anales Mus. La Plata--Paleont. Argentina, vol. iii. -pt. 2 (1894), p. 73, pl. xlv. Fig. 1. - -[45] R. Owen, "Description of the Skeleton of an Extinct Gigantic -Sloth, _Mylodon robustus_, Owen" (1842), p. 18. - -[46] P. Gervais, "Memoire sur les Formes Cerebrales propres aux -Edentes vivants et fossiles," _Nouv. Arch. Mus._, vol. xv. (1869), p. -39, pl. iv. Figs. 1, 2. - -[47] P. Gervais, _loc. cit._ p. 39, pl. v. - -[48] _Ibid._ p. 38, pl. iv. Figs. 3, 4. - -[49] J. Hyrtl, "Vergleichendanatomische Untersuchungen ueber das innere -Gehoerorgan des Menschen und der Saeugethiere" (1845), p. 135, pl. v. -Fig. 6. - -[50] _P. Z. S._ 1899. pl. xv. Figs. 4-6. - -[51] R. Owen, "The Zoology of the Voyage of H.M.S. _Beagle_.--Part I. -Fossil Mammalia" (1840), p. 57, pl. xvi. - -[52] R. Owen, "Description of the Skeleton of an Extinct Gigantic -Sloth, _Mylodon robustus_, Owen" (1842), p. 154, foot-note. - -[53] Described respectively by Reinhardt, Burmeister, and Lydekker, -_loc. cit._ - -[54] F. Ameghino, "Contribucion al Conocimiento de los Mamiferos de la -Republica Argentina" (1889), p. 738, pl. xliv. Fig. 8. - -[55] E. Nordenskjoeld, "La Grotte du _Glossotherium_ (_Neomylodon_) en -Patagonie," Comptes Rendus, vol. cxxix. (1899), p. 1217. - -[56] Dawkins and Sanford, "The British Pleistocene Mammalia" (Palaeont. -Soc., 1869), p. 150. - -[57] F. Ameghino, "Contribucion al Conocimiento de los Mamiferos de la -Republica Argentina" (1889), p. 342. - -[58] F. Ameghino, _op. cit._ (1889), p. 317. - -[59] H. Winge, "Jordfundne og nulevende Rovdyr (Carnivora) fra Lagoa -Santa, Minas Geraes, Brasilien" (E. Museo Lundii, 1895), p. 31. - -[60] Dr. Moreno has lately received reports of bear-like tracks in -remote parts of the Cordillera, which he thinks may imply that a -species of _Arctotherium_ still lives in Patagonia. - -[61] F. P. Moreno, "Revista Mus. La Plata," vol. ii. (1891). p. 56, R. -Lydekker, "Anales Mus. La Plata--Paleont. Argentina," vol. ii. pt. 3 -(1893), p. 77. pl. xxix. - -[62] F. Ameghino, _op. cit._ (1889), p. 324. - -[63] E. Nordenskjoeld, "La Grotte du _Glossotherium_ (_Neomylodon_ )en -Patagonie" Comptes Rendus, vol. cxxix. (1899), pp. 1216, 1217. - -[64] A. Carnot, "Sur une Application de l'Analyse chimique pour fixer -l'Age d'Ossements humains prehistoriques," Comptes Rendus, vol. cxv. -(1892), pp. 337-339. - -[65] Pangolins, armadillos, and sloths are more or less related. - - - - -APPENDIX B - -_On a new Form of Puma from Patagonia._ - -By OLDFIELD THOMAS, F.R.S. - - -The National Collection owes to the generosity of Mr. C. Arthur -Pearson the skin of a fine puma, obtained by Mr. Hesketh Prichard -during the recent _Daily Express_ expedition to Patagonia. The skin is -remarkably unlike any known form of puma, and appears certainly to -represent a new sub-species. - -Dr. Matschie has already shown[66] that the red puma of the tropics to -which he restricts the name _Felis concolor_, is replaced south of 25 deg. -S. lat. by the silver-grey form for which Molina's name, _F. puma_, is -used. - -Now, again, south of about 44 deg. S. lat., there proves to be another -form, represented in the British Museum not only by Mr. Prichard's -skin from Santa Cruz, but by a second much younger specimen from the -Rio Senguerr. Both show the same characteristics, and are equally -different from the Argentine silver-grey form. - -In commemoration of Mr. Pearson's scientific spirit in sending out the -expedition, and in presenting the specimen to the National Museum, I -would propose to call it - - -_Felis concolor Pearsoni_, sub-sp. n. - -General build thick and sturdy, with comparatively short limbs and -tail. Fur thick and woolly, the specimens evidently in winter pelage. -General colour nearest to Ridgway's "clay-colour," therefore -exceedingly different from the nearly "drab-grey" of _F. c. puma_. -This colour is most vivid along the back, paler laterally on the -sides, but there is nothing that can be called a distinct dorsal dark -line. Undersurface whitish-fawn, the hairs sandy at their bases, -whiter terminally. Face very much like back, darker markings -practically obsolete; the usual lighter markings near the eye present -but not conspicuous. Ears of normal length, their backs uniformly -whitish-fawn, without darker markings. Outer sides of limbs like back, -inner sides like belly; ends of fingers and toes whitish, without any -darker markings round the pads. Tail proportionally very short, -brownish clay-colour above, whitish below, the tip not or scarcely -darker. - -Dimensions of the typical skin, which has been tanned and stretched, -so that the measurements are merely approximate:--Head and body 1370 -millim., tail 530, ear 80. - -_Hab._ Santa Cruz, Patagonia; about 70 miles inland. - -_Type._ Female. B.M. No. 1. 8. 12. 1. Brought home by Mr. H. Prichard -and presented by Mr. C. Arthur Pearson. - -The skin was bought by Mr. Prichard from Indians in the region -mentioned, so that neither flesh-measurements nor skull were obtained. - -The second skin is that of a young male, killed on the Senguerr River, -in March 1897, by one of the collectors from the La Plata Museum, by -whom it was presented to the British Museum. Owing to its youth, its -peculiarities had not been previously noticed. - -_F. c. Pearsoni_ is distinguished from _F. c. puma_ not only by its -very different general colour, but also by its shorter tail, -light-coloured ear-backs, and the absence of the dark markings round -the digital pads. - -FOOTNOTE: - -[66] SB. Ges. nat. Fr. Berlin, 1892, p. 220; 1894, p. 58. - - - - -APPENDIX C - -LIST OF PLANTS.[67] BY JAMES BRITTEN, F.L.S., AND A. B. RENDLE, M.A., -D.SC. - - - Hamadryas Kingii, Hook. fil. Top of mountains. - Ranunculus peduncularis, Sm. Low slopes of mountains. - Anemone, _cf._ lanigera, Gay. Low slopes and pampa. - Berberis buxifolia, Lam. - Berberis empetrifolia, Lam. Slopes of mountains. - Senebiera pinnatifida, DC. Low slopes of mountains. - Thlaspi gracile, Phil. Swamp. - Draba Gilliesii, Hook. High slopes and top of - mountains. - Cardamine pratensis, L. var. Swamp. - Nasturtium, _aff._ palustre, L. Sheltered slopes of - mountains. - Viola maculata, Cav. Sheltered slopes and - forests. - Polygala Salasiana, Gay. North slope of Mount - Frias. - Lychnis magellanica, Lam. High slopes of mountains. - Stellaria debilis, D'Urv. Low slopes of mountains. - Cerastium arvense, L. Low slopes of mountains. - " " var. Low slopes of mountains. - Arenaria serpens, H.B.K., several forms Low slopes of mountains, - beach, lake and - sheltered pampa. - Calandrinia caespitosa, Gill. Top of hills among stones. - Geranium magellanicum, Hook. fil. Low slopes of mountains. - Erodium cicutarium, L'Herit. Low slopes of mountains. - Oxalis enneaphylla, Cav., var. pumila, - Hook, fil. High slopes and top of - Mount Frias. - Oxalis sp. Bare sandy ground. - Colletia discolor, Hook. Low slopes of mountains. - Adesmia boronoides, Hook. fil. Low sandy ground. - Astragalus _cf._ alpinus, L. High slopes of mountains. - Lathyrus nervosus, Lam. Low slopes of mountains. - " _cf._ pubescens, Hook. & Arn. Low slopes of mountains. - Vicia, _aff._ bijuga Low slopes of mountains. - " sp. Low slopes of mountains. - Anarthrophyllum desideratum, Benth. Top of Mount Frias. - Potentilla anserina, L. Swamps in open places of - forests. - Geum magellanicum, Comm. Slopes of Punta Bandera. - Acaena adscendens, Vahl. By springs and streams. - " cuneata, Hook. & Arn. Low sandy soil. - " sp. _aff._ multifida, Hook. fil. Pampa slopes and low - slopes. - Saxifraga Pavonii, D. Don. On rocks, low slopes - overhanging lake. - Donatia fascicularis, Forst. Top of mountain. - Escallonia macrantha, Hook. & Arn. Low slopes, Mount Buenos - Aires. - " _cf._ alpina, Poepp. Low slopes, Mount Buenos - Aires. - Ribes cuneifolium, Ruiz & Pav. Valleys and low hillsides. - Hippuris vulgaris, L. Standing water. - OEnothera odorata, Jacq. Mountain slope and low - slopes. - Fuchsia coccinea, Ruiz & Pav. Low slopes and Punta - Bandera. - Epilobium, _cf._, densifolium, Haussk Bed of dried up stream. - " sp. Punta Bandera. - Grammatocarpus volubilis, Presl. Low slopes, Mount Buenos - Aires. - Azorella trifurcata, Hook. fil. Top of mountain. - " sp. _aff._ bryoides, Phil. Mountain tops. - " _cf._ trifoliolata, Hook. fil. Shingle on beach. - Mulinum spinosum, Pers. Pampa under Mount Buenos - Aires and low slopes. - Osmorrhiza chilensis, DC. Forests of Mount Buenos - Aires. - Bowlesia, sp. Low slopes of mountains. - Sanicula macrorrhiza, Colla. Top of Mount Buenos Aires. - Oreopolus glacialis, Schlecht. Tops of mountains. - Galium Aparine, L. Forest, Mount Buenos - Aires. - " sp. Mountain slopes and low - slopes, shingle banks - of stream. - Valeriana carnosa, Sm. Low slopes, Mount Buenos - Aires. - Boopis sp. Nitrate pampa. - " " Top of mountains and - shingle beach. - Nardophyllum Kingii, A. Gray. Mountain tops. - Chiliotrichum amelloides, Cass. Springs in slopes of - mountains. - Erigeron alpinus, L. Low slopes of mountains. - Erigeron sp. Mountain slopes, Mount - Buenos Aires. - Baccharis sp. Beach, Punta Bandera. - Antennaria sp. Pampas. - Gnaphalium spicatum, Lam. Low slopes of mountains. - Madia, _cf._ viscosa, Cav. Slopes of mountains. - Matricaria Chamomilla, L. Low slopes of mountains. - Senecio magellanicus, Hook. & Arn. Among stones, top of Mount - Buenos Aires. - " albicaulis, Hook. & Arn. Mountain slopes. - " Kingii, Hook. fil. High slopes of mountains. - Chabraea purpurea, DC. Pampa and high slopes of - mountains. - " multifida, DC. Low slopes of mountains. - " sp. East slope of Mount Frias. - Perezia linearis, Less. High slopes of mountains. - Panargyrum Darwinii, Hook. & Arn. Tops of mountains. - Nassauvia, sp. Tops of mountains. - " " Beaches and mud flats. - " pygmaea, Hook. fil. Top of mountains. - Hieracium patagonicum, Hook. fil. Low slopes of mountains. - Achyrophorus tenuifolius, DC. Low slopes of mountains. - Taraxacum officinale, Wigg., var. Low slopes of mountains. - Sonchus asper, Vill., var. Punta Bandera. - Pernettya pumila, Hook. Mountain tops. - " mucronata, Gaud., two forms Low slopes of mountains, high - and wooded slopes of Mount - Buenos Aires. - Primula magellanica, Lehm. Swamp. - Samolus spathulatus, Duby. Swamp on pampa. - Armeria chilensis, Poepp. Low slopes of mountains. - Phacelia circinata, Jacq., two forms North slope Mount Frias. - Collomia coccinea, Lehm. Low shingly ground. - " gracilis, Dougl. Low slopes of mountains. - Amsinckia angustifolia, Lehm. Forest on mountain slope - and low ground. - Calceolaria Darwinii, Benth. High slopes of mountains. - " sp. aff. lanceolata Low slopes of mountains and - banks of streams, low - ground. - Veronica peregrina, L. Sheltered pampa. - Verbena _aff._ microphylla, Phil. Mount Buenos Aires. - Micromeria _cfr._ Darwinii, Benth. Pampa. - Scutellaria nummulariaefolia, Hook. fil. Shingle beach. - Plantago uniglumis, Wallr. Stony top of mountains. - " maritima, L. Nitrate pampa. - Rumex crispus, L. By water slopes of pampa. - " magellanicus, Griseb. Shingle beach. - Embothrium coccineum, Forst. Low slopes of mountains. - Myzodendron punctulatum, Soland. Forests on mountains; - parasitic on _Fagus - antarctica_. - " quadriflorum, DC. Forests, parasitic on - _Fagus antarctica_. - Arjona patagonica, Hombr. & Jacquem. Low slopes and pampas. - Quinchamalium procumbens, Ruiz & - Pav. Pampa. - Euphorbia portulacoides, Spreng. Pampa. - Urtica magellanica, Poir. Low slopes of mountains. - Fagus antarctica, Forst. Forests and mountains. - Empetrum nigrum var. andinum, DC. Grassy top of mountain. - Chloraea magellanica, Hook. fil. Slopes of Mount Buenos Aires. - Asarca araucana, Phil. Slopes of Mount Buenos Aires. - " _cf._ cardioglossa, Phil. Slopes of Mount Buenos Aires. - Stipa sp. Sandy slopes of foothills. - Phleum alpinum, L. Mountain slopes. - Alopecurus alpinus, Sm. Springs. - Arundo pilosa, D'Urv. Low slopes of mountains. - Poa pratensis, L. Sheltered pampa. - Festuca sp. Pampa. - Bromus sp. Pampa. - Hordeum jubatum, L. Slopes of mountains. - Carex Banksii, Boott. Swampy springs in forest on - mountain slope. - Sisyrinchium filifolium, Gaud. Pampa. - Aspidium mohrioides, Bory. Low slopes. - " coriaceum, Sw. Punta Bandera; mountain - slope; bush slope. - Lomaria alpina, Spreng. Swamp. - Cystopteris fragilis, Bernh. Forest. - Bryum sp. (immature) Wet forest. - Marchantia polymorpha, L. Forest swamp. - Usnea barbata, Ach. Growing on _Fagus - antarctica_. - " melaxantha. Ach. On rocks. - - -FOOTNOTE: - -[67] Owing to the very short time allowed before going to press we are -unable to furnish a complete list. We hope, however, to give in a -future number of the _Journal of Botany_ a full list with notes on -critical or otherwise interesting species. - - - - -GLOSSARY - - -_Alazan_, a chestnut horse. - -_Alpargatas_, shoes made of canvas with jute or hemp soles. - -_Asado_, roast meat. In the camp cooked on a spit over the fire. - -_Asador_, the spit on which meat is roasted. - -_Asulejo_, a blue-eyed, grey and white horse. - - -_Bandurria_, an ibis. - -_Barranca_, cliff-like banks of river or lagoon. - -_Bayo_, a cream-coloured dun horse. - -_Blanco_, white; a white horse or cow. - -_Bocado_, a thong of raw hide passed twice round the lower -jaw of a young horse as a bit. - -_Bolas_, _Boleadores_, three balls of stone covered with -raw hide and attached to one another by twisted thongs of -raw hide; used for catching wild animals. - -_Boliche_, a small drinking-store. - -_Bombilla_, a metal tube for sucking the tea from the -_mate_ cup. - -_Bozal_, a halter. - - -_Cabresto_, a leading rein always attached to the _bozal_ -for tying up the horse; from the Spanish word _cabestro_. - -_Cacique_, an Indian chief or leader. - -_Canadon_, a dale or dip of low land between stretches of -high land. - -_Capa_, a cape or cloak. - -_Carancho_, the large, eagle-like carrion hawk (_Polyborus -tharus_). - -_Carguero_, a pack-horse or mule. - -_Carpa_, a tent, or shelter of a movable kind. - -_Casa_, a house, even if only a mud hut. - -_Cebruno_, a dark mouse-coloured horse with a reddish -tinge. - -_Chico_, little. - -_Chimango_, a harrier-like carrion hawk (_Milvago -Chimango_). - -_China_, Indian woman; also a native Criska woman. - -_Chiripa_, a loin-cloth the size of a _poncho_, and worn so -as to form loose, baggy trousers. - -_Cinch_, English spelling of "Cincha," the raw-hide girth -used with native saddles. - -_Colorado_, red; a bay horse. - -_Cordillera_, the chain of mountains called the Andes. - -_Cruzado_, a horse having crossed white feet--_i.e._, one -fore-foot white and one hind-foot of opposite sides; always -expected to be good horses. - - -_Estancia_, a farm in Argentina. - -_Estanciero_, a stock-farmer in Argentina. - - -_Gateado_, a yellow dun horse with a black stripe down the -back. - -_Gaucho_, the Argentine cowboy. - - -_Horqueta_, a fork; the separation of two streams forming a -fork; name of a horse with a forked cutting in the ear. - - -_Macho_, a male animal; especially a mule. - -_Madrina_, the bell-mare followed by all the horses or -mules of a _tropilla_. - -_Manada_, a herd of mares. - -_Manea_, hobbles for a horse made of raw hide generally. - -_Manero_, a cunning, tricky horse or person. - -_Martineta_, the "large partridge" (_Calo dromas elegans_). - -_Mate_, the small gourd in which the _Yerba_ tea is made; -also the tea itself. - -_Moro_, a dark blue roan horse. - -_Mula_, female mule. - -_Muy limpio_, literally "very clean." - - -_Oscuro_, a dark or black horse. - -_Overo_, a spotted or splashed horse. - - -_Palenque_, posts or rails put up for tying-up horses. - -_Pampa_, the great plains of South America. - -_Pampero_, the south-west wind, often a hurricane in South -America, blowing across the Pampas. - -_Pangare_, a bay horse, with the peculiar mule-like -colouring of the nozzle. - -_Pantano_, a mud hole; a sticky muddy place. - -_Peon_, a working man or porter. - -_Picaso_, a black horse with white feet and face. - -_Plaza_, open square in a town. - -_Poncho_, the rug or shawl, with a hole in middle, to slip -over the head. - -_Potro_, a colt or wild horse. - -_Puchero_, mutton or beef boiled with rice, and vegetables -when there are any. - - -_Rincon_, a corner. - -_Rosado_, a light strawberry roan horse. - -_Rosillo_, a red-roan horse. - - -_Soga_, a cord or strip of hide. - - -_Toldo_, an awning; the Indian tent of raw hides. - -_Tordillo_, a grey horse. - -_Tostado_, a dark chestnut horse. - -_Travesia_, a desert. - -_Tropilla_, the troop of horses or mules driven in front of -travellers in South America. - - -_Vaqueano_, a guide. - -_Vega_, a valley. - - -_Yerba_, the Paraguayan tea, universal in Argentina. - - -_Zaino_, a brown horse. - - - - -INDEX - - - Alazan, 59, 139 - - Alpargatas, 231 - - Andes, _see_ Cordillera - - Antiguos, Rio de los, 144-155 - - Arctotherium, 326-327 - - Ariel, _see_ launch - - Argentino, Lake, 181, 188, 214 - description, 190, 262, 263, 284 - fish, 269 - forests, 224, 272, 273, 274-276 - glaciers, 266-268, 272-275 - Lake Rica or South Fjord, 193, 271-74 - North Fjord, 262-270, 278-279 - storms, 215-219, 267-269 - - Armadillo, 40, 67, 248 - - Ascensio's Bay, 214-215 - - Asulejo, 53, 54, 167 - - - Banduria, 135, 187, 189 - - Barckhausen, F., 31, 148-153 - - Basecamp, Horsham, 123, 124, 168 - - Beech, antarctic, 126, 149, 233, 275 - - Belgrano, River, 174 - - Bernardo, _see_ Haehansen - - Bernicla poliocephala, _see_ ashy-headed goose - - Boat, canvas, 266, 282 - oleadores, 32, 52, 62, 81, 90, 234 - - Brunel, Ascensio, 194-195 - - Buenos Aires, Lake, 120, 121, 126, 130-143, 159 - - Burbury, T. R. D., 20, 26, 37, 47, 109, 181, 201, 242, 264, 268, - 277 - - - Califate-bush, 78, 99, 100, 203, 218, 265, 269 - - Calodromas elegans, _see_ martineta - - Canis griseus, _see_ pampa-fox - - Canis magellanicus, _see_ red-fox - - Canis montanus, 260 - - Camera, 266 - - Carancho, 191 - - Cat, wild, 151 - - Cattle, E., 86, 193, 197, 206-219, 244, 249, 253, 255, 264, 266, - 268, 282 - - Cattle, wild, 79-81, 140, 224-234 - - Cavy, 27, 46, 60, 67, 248, 257-258 - - Chico, River, 43, 46, 47, 58, 59 - - Chimango, 191 - - Chloephaga magellanica, _see_ upland goose - - Christmas Day, 167-168 - - Colohuapi, 61, 63-65, 257 - - Colhue, Lake, 61 - - Columba maculosa, _see_ pigeon - - Como No, 117, 118 - - Condor, 45, 147, 161, 164, 187, 191 - - Conepatus patagonicus, _see_ skunk - - Cordillera, 2, 8, 121, 188, 215, 296 - - Corelli, M., 266 - - Coyly, River, 76, 289 - - Cruzado, 59, 137 - - Cygnus nigricollis, _see_ black-headed swan - - Cypress, 275 - - - Dafila spinicauda, _see_ brown pintail - - Darwin, 2, 9, 27, 163, 181, 185, 187, 192, 252, 255, 257 - - Dasypus minutus, _see_ armadillo - - Deseado, River, 136 - - Dogs, 46, 60, 245 - Indian, 92, 111, 117-119 - - Dolichotis patagonica, _see_ cavy - - Drake, Francis, 7-8 - - Duck, rosy-billed, 136 - - - Farina, 269 - - Felis concolor puma, _see_ puma - - Felis concolor pearsoni, 155, 253, 334-335 - - Felis onca, _see_ jaguar - - Fenix, River, 127, 133 - - Fires, pampa, 140, 142, 143, 154, 220-222 - - FitzRoy, 254 - - Flamingo, 136, 187, 189 - - Forests, 224, 233, 265, 272-276, 296 - - Fox, pampa or grey, 26, 120, 231, 245-246, 258-259 - red or Cordillera wolf, 132, 134, 142, 244-246, 259-265, 269, - 274, 280 - (Canis montanus), 260 - - Fuchsia, 228, 272 - - - Gallegos, 2, 287, 289-291 - - Gateado, 51, 55, 61 - - Gaucho, 1, 12, 13, 32, 35-36, 38, 141 - - Genguel, River, 75, 120 - - Glaciers, 266-268, 272-275 - - Glaucidium nanum, _see_ pigmy owl - - Gleditzsch, Fritz, 36-37, 68-69 - - Goose, ashy-headed, 37 - upland, 73, 76, 79, 107, 123, 136 - - Grebe, 126, 209 - - Greenshields, 17, 30 - - Guanaco, - description, 27, 31, 81, 83, 105, 156, 256 - habitat, 68, 107, 236, 254, 269, 280 - habits, 43, 147, 236-239, 246, 255, 256 - hunting with bolas, 105-107 - with dogs, 106, 169, 237, 257 - with rifle, 31, 49, 59-60, 138-140 - mortality, 189, 203, 254 - numbers, 27, 169, 189, 231, 254 - skins, 83, 95 - - Gun, shot, 78 - - - Haematopus palliatus, _see_ American oyster catcher - - Haehansen, Bernardo, 183, 205-207, 213, 217, 264-265, 283, 286, - 291 - - Hardy, Mrs., 185 - - Hawk, 275 - - Hell Gate, 220, 261-263, 277, 278 - - Hollesen, 68 - - Horqueta, 56 - - Horses, branding, 66 - buying, 22 - cargoing, 50-51, 55-56, 74 - crossing river, 199, 211 - friendships, 52 - Indian, 110 - names, 35 - number, 26, 33 - shoeing, 183 - shooting with, 160 - size, 110 - straying, 37, 39 - taming, 35, 36, 110 - - Huemul, - description, 146, 243, 249-250 - habitat, 128, 248-249, 269, 280 - habits, 163, 240-242, 249-251 - - - Ibis, black-faced, 135 - - Icebergs, 267, 270, 274, 279 - - Incensio, 90 - - Indians, _see_ Tehuelches - - Indian trail, 5, 109, 140, 171 - - - Jaguar (felis onca), 68, 248, 325-326 - - Jeinemeni, River, 159, 161 - - Jones, H., 23, 76, 77, 139, 158, 166, 178, 242, 248 - - - Katarina, River, 261, 279, 283-285 - - - La Cancha, Laguna, 117 - - La Gaviota, 177, 179 - - Lama huanachus, _see_ Guanaco - - Lapwings, cayenne, 187 - - Lasso, 77, 80 - - Launch, - breakdown, 213, 268, 271 - description, 197, 200-201 - passage of Leona, 204-212 - North Fjord, 262-270, 278-280 - South Fjord, 271-274 - - Lena dura, 228, 263, 265, 269, 286 - - Leona, River, 198, 201-212 - - Lion, _see_ puma - - - Madrina, 34 - - Magellan, 5, 87 - - Mareca sibilatrix, _see_ widgeon - - Martineta, 49 - - Mate, 28, _passim_ - - Mauser, 49, 151, 157, 164, 233 - - Metopiana peposaca, _see_ rosy-billed duck - - Mirage, 4, 29, 47 - - Moreno, Dr. F. P., 10, 242, 248, 261-262, 301-304 - - Moro, 290 - - Musters, Capt. G. C., 79, 88, 93, 99, 101, 247, 251, 332 - - Musters, Lake, 61 - - Mylodon, antiquity, 312-313, 315, 317, 329, 330 - description of auditory ossicles, 321 - brain cavity, 320 - excrement, 323-324 - skin, 305-309, 322-323 - skull and mandible, 317-320 - vertebrae and limb-bones, 321 - discovery of remains, 302-304, 315-316 - identification, 309-315, 324-325 - number, 316 - Tehuelche Legends, 330-333 - - - Olin, River, 172 - - Onas, - hunting, 107 - ill-treatment of, 109 - physique, 108 - weapons, 7 - women, 108 - - Onohippidium saldiasi, 327 - - Orchids, 276 - - Ostrich, 26, 42, 43, 106, 231, 239 - eggs, 45, 63, 146, 163 - feathers, 119 - habits, 136, 163, 239 - hunting, 136, 137 - - Otter, 260 - - Overo, 41, 52 - - Owl, 275 - pigmy, 269 - - Oyster-catchers, 117 - - - Pampas, 1, 2, 4, 29, 30, 192 - - Paradox, 233 - - Parrot, 275 - - Patagonia, - climate, 5, 294 - exploration, 5, 6-10 - physical features, 2-4, 13 - settlements, 11, 21-23 - - Pearson, Lake, 283-286, 334-335 - - Pearson's puma, 155, 253 - - Phoenicopterus ignipalliatus, _see_ flamingo - - Picnics, 278 - - Pigafetta, 6 - - Pigeon, 158 - - Pintails, brown, 58, 74-78, 136 - - Plover, cayenne, 27 - - Primero de Mayo, 15-19 - - Puerto Belgrano, 17 - - Puerto Madryn, 19 - - Puma, - description, 45, 251 - destructiveness, 30, 252 - habitat, 44, 68, 212, 251 - habits, 62, 242-244, 252 - hunting, 62, 251 - number, 251 - size, 251 - - Punta Arenas, 2, 292 - - - Querquedula cyanoptera, _see_ blue-winged teal - - Querquedula versicolor, _see_ grey teal - - - Redwood, 275 - - Rhea Darwini, _see_ ostrich - - Rica Lake, _see_ Lake Argentino - - Roble-wood, 265, 269 - - Rosada, 34, 52, 53 - - - Santa Cruz, 178-180, 182, 192 - - Santa Cruz River, 181, 184, 198-199 - - Sarcorhamphus gryphus, _see_ condor - - Scorpion, 127 - - Scrivenor, J. B., 17, 39, 49, 170, 181 - - Senguerr, River, 71, 72 - - Sheep farming, 17, 29, 62, 177, 294-295 - - Shoveller, red, 136 - - Skunk, 260 - - Snipe, 76, 189 - - Spatula platalea, _see_ red shoveller - - Swan, black-necked, 78, 136 - - - Teal, grey, 61 - blue-winged, 77, 136 - yellow-billed, 169 - - Tehuelches, 82-115 - cacique, 7, 101 - ceremonies at birth, 96 - at marriage, 93 - at burial, 97 - character, 87, 90, 91, 92, 101-103 - comparison with Esquimaux, 100 - - Tehuelches, comparison with Onas, 107-108 - dance, 92 - dress, 87, 94 - drink, 88-89, 96, 102, 111-114 - food, 87, 100 - half-bloods, 91, 93, 94 - horses, 99, 106, 110 - hunting, 104-117 - language, 101 - marriage, 93 - numbers, 88, 101, 109 - occupation, 88, 94-95 - physique, 6, 8, 9, 87-88, 90, 99, 101 - religion, 97-99 - skull-deformation, 92 - smoking, 100-101 - superstition, 86, 96-98 - toldos, 82, 83, 85 - weapons, 7, 89-90 - women, 90-94, 288 - - Temperature, 58, 67, 120 - - Tent, 127, 173 - - Theristicus caudatus, _see_ black-faced ibis - - Traders, 111-113, 295 - - Trelew, 20-22 - - Trelew, Mrs., 52, 170, 182 - - - Vanellus cayennensis, _see_ cayenne plover - - Ventana, Sierra, 175 - - Viedma, Lake, 9, 197, 203 - - - Waag, H. P., 10, 62, 129, 174, 242, 291 - - Waggon, 42, 44, 47-49 - - Waldron, 11 - - Welsh colonies, 11, 21-23 - colonists, 12, 22, 23, 64 - - Widgeon, 49, 58, 61, 133, 136, 269, 282 - - Wind, 116, 127 - - Wolf, Cordillera, 132, 134, 142, 244-246, 259-265, 269, 274, 280 - - Woodpecker, red-crested, 279 - - - Xenelaphus bisulcus, _see_ huemul - - - Zaino, Little, 160, 167 - old, 55, 71 - - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Through the Heart of Patagonia, by -H. 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