DEPARTURE FROM LAGUNA BLANCA--A WILD-CAT--IBIS SOUP--
A FERTILE CAÑADON--INDIAN LAW AND EQUITY--OUR FIRST
PUMA--COWARDICE OF THE PUMA--DISCOMFORTS OF A WET NIGHT
--A MYSTERIOUS DISH--A GOOD RUN.
After a four days' stay at Laguna Blanca, our horses being
sufficiently rested, we resolved to continue our journey. I had got to
feel quite at home in the little ravine where our camp had been
pitched, and notwithstanding my anxiety to push forward and get over
the monotony of the plains as soon as possible, in leaving it felt
just a slight touch of regret. Each bush I passed recalled some
trivial incident of our stay, and came in for a share of the good-bye
I inwardly vouchsafed to all my late surroundings.
Whilst we were trotting along I noticed that one of the brood-mares
was continually looking anxiously back, and on counting the foals I
found that one was missing. I'Aria, whose attention I drew to this
fact, immediately returned to our camp to look for the lost animal,
which he thought had probably been left behind in a ravine where the
horses had been in the habit of grazing. In the meantime we rode on,
presently passing the site of the camp of the Indians, the smoke of
whose fires we had noticed from the Laguna Blanca. They themselves had
left it the day before, and were now on the march southwards, as
indicated by several columns of smoke which we could see on the
distant skyline, it being their habit, when on the march, to light
fires at intervals.
Shortly after passing the Indian camp we were startled by a series of
howls, given vent to by Guillaume's dog, "Negro," whom we descried
struggling with some animal in the long grass. In a second he was
joined by the other dogs, and by the time we got up we found them all
engaged in mortal combat with a huge wild-cat, which had already
punished Negro most severely, and was defending itself fiercely
against the united onslaught of its enemies. Two revolver shots were
fired at it without effect, but presently Gregorio managed to kill it
with a blow from the "bolas." Up to its last gasp it spat and clawed
with undaunted fury, and nearly all the dogs were more or less badly
wounded; poor "Negro" in particular, being severely gashed and torn.
Whilst we washed the dogs in a pool of water hard by, Gregorio
skinned the wild-cat, and then made a search for its companion, which
during the fray some one had observed making good its retreat.
However, his search was fruitless, and we rode forward again, the
incident just related furnishing us with a topic for conversation
wherewith to beguile the next hour or so. I'Aria meanwhile rejoined
us, but although he had thoroughly searched all the country in the
vicinity of our late camp, he had been unable to find any traces of
the missing foal, which had doubtless fallen a prey to some puma.
Towards evening we arrived at a large freshwater lake called Laguna
Larga, by the shores of which we set up our tents. My husband, going
out with his gun, managed to kill an ibis, the first any of us had
shot, although we had often tried to do so whilst at Laguna Blanca,
being aware that this bird makes excellent soup. This one was put in
the pot, and though its meat proved rather tough, the broth it gave
was all that could be desired. Laguna Larga, like nearly all the lakes
we saw in Patagonia, swarmed with wild-fowl, and amongst other birds
we observed two flamingoes, whose gorgeous red plumage excited our
covetousness, and an elaborate stalking-party was organised with the
object of securing one of them. However, they never gave us a chance,
and sailed majestically away at the first approach of danger.
Our road the next day lay for the most part along a fertile valley,
down the middle of which flowed a narrow but exceedingly deep stream.
The breadth of this "cañadon" was about five miles, and we followed
its windings for about twenty miles. Its whole length, for it
doubtless stretched down to the sea-coast, must have been about 150
miles. The grass was tall and green, in many places reaching up to our
horses' bellies. As equally fertile valleys are to be found
intersecting the barren plains in all directions, an enormous number
of cattle and sheep might be reared in this country were it not for
the heavy snows in winter and the floods in spring, which latter
immerse all these valleys for a considerable period, during which the
animals would have to seek sustenance on the plains, where, it is
needless to say, they would not find it.
As we emerged from the valley on to the plains, an animal was descried
on the sky-line, which at first we took for a gigantic guanaco, but
which presently resolved itself into a horse. Gregorio having seen it
first had become _ipso facto_, in accordance with the unwritten law of
the pampas, its owner, that is to say, should it be caught; so,
taking I'Aria with him, he rode off to the left, with the intention of
getting behind his prospective property and driving it towards our
troop. This he accomplished without difficulty. The horse stood
staring at our advancing cavalcade for some time, and then came
galloping towards us with loud neighs of greeting, spreading
consternation among our troop, who neighed and snorted in return,
apparently by no means pleased at the sight of the new-comer. Matters
were peaceably arranged, however, and after some further slight
demonstrations, he was admitted into the troop, evidently much pleased
to find himself among his own kind again. According to Gregorio, he
had belonged to some Indian, who had probably lost him on the march. I
asked Gregorio whether the owner might claim the horse again, and he
told me that the law among Indians is that the finder receives about
one-third of the value of the object found from the owner. Some
difficulty generally arises in these cases as to the value of the
find, as the parties naturally over-estimate and depreciate it as
suits their respective interests; this being especially the case when
the bargain is debated between an Indian and a white man. Amongst
themselves the Indians are remarkably fair in their dealings, but as
they know that the traders cheat them whenever they can, they
recognise quite another standard of morality in their dealings with
the latter.
As we were approaching the spot where we intended camping, one of the
mules, which was heading the troop, suddenly turned and dashed away,
and in another instant the whole troop broke up and dispersed,
galloping in all directions. What was the cause of this stampede? We
pressed quickly forward, but nothing stirred in the long grass, though
we scoured everywhere. We were baffled for a minute. "It's a puma
somewhere," said Gregorio. The words were hardly out of his mouth when
a loud view-holloa rent the air. "There he goes--there he goes!"
shouted two or three of our party in chorus, and sure enough, there he
was going--a mighty yellow puma--slouching swiftly away at some
distance to our left, with my brother following close on his track.
For us all to gallop after and come up within ten yards of the puma
was the work of a moment, but to get nearer than ten yards or so was
quite another matter, as our horses were quivering with fright, and
with difficulty were kept from turning tail and bolting from the dread
presence of their mortal enemy. Meanwhile the puma, finding himself
surrounded, lay sullenly down, eyeing us with dogged hate, and
scarcely seeming to heed the presence of the dogs, who were growling
furiously at him at a respectful distance from his claws. Finding it
useless to try to approach on horseback, my brother dismounted, and a
rifle being at hand, took steady aim at the crouching animal and
fired. Simultaneous with the report, with outstretched paws and a deep
growl, the puma sprang forward, and then fell heavily to the ground,
whilst our horses, becoming wholly unmanageable, reared up and fairly
bolted. When we again got control of them, nothing would induce them
to return to the spot where the now lifeless body of the puma lay, and
we had to dismount and walk there. Very fierce and dangerous it
looked; and at the sight of its ponderous paws with their sharp talons
and its cruel white teeth, we wondered whether, if it knew its own
powers, the puma would be such a cowardly animal as it is. They
scarcely ever attack man, even when brought to bay, but lie down and
doggedly meet their fate, though they can kill a full-grown guanaco
with one blow of the paw, and pull down a horse with similar ease. The
Indians affirm that the puma only bears young ones in two years, but
whether this be true or not I do not know. They certainly seem very
scarce, comparatively, a circumstance which may be due to this
peculiarity, coupled with the fact that the Indians and traders
destroy a good number annually.
The excitement attendant on the puma's demise being over, and our
horses having been driven together again, we made for our intended
camping place. We lodged that night in the valley I have described
above, and here, for the first time since we reached the plains, the
night was wet. It is by no means agreeable to hear rain pattering down
on the canvas of one's tent, especially when one has doubts as to the
waterproof capabilities of the canvas, and as yet we had had no
opportunity of testing ours. Fortunately, on this occasion the rain
did not last long, and, excepting a general sense of dampness, we
experienced no further inconvenience. Continuing our journey, on the
following day we reached the River Gallegos, which we forded at a spot
called "Paso de los Morros;" these Morros being two conically shaped
hills of equal height, which form a striking landmark, being
conspicuous at a considerable distance. The river at the time was very
low; but owing to the inequality of its bed and the rapidity of the
current, some care had to be taken in crossing the ford for fear any
of the packhorses should come to grief. We passed without any
accident, however, and pitched our camp near the bank, under shelter
of a snug little clump of beech trees. We liked the place so much that
we resolved to pass a couple of days there, especially as the
packhorses required a rest after the long march from Laguna Blanca.
The first day we dawdled pleasantly away in all kinds of useful
occupations, such as cleaning guns, writing up journals, etc., though
I am bound to say that the best part of the time was given up to
cooking experiments, my brother and Mr. B. both being anxious to prove
their respective superiority in the culinary department. Much
amusement was afforded us by a mysterious dish which my brother passed
the whole afternoon in elaborating, and which, if his own glowing
anticipations had been verified, would certainly have proved a triumph
of skill. The care he devoted to the preparation of his dish, and the
impressive secrecy with which he conducted his operations, led us into
the firm belief that a most agreeable surprise was in store for us.
But when dinner-time came, and soup and joint had been hurriedly got
through in order to enable us to do all the more justice to his
effort, the surprise--for surprise it was--turned out to be a very
unpleasant one; the "plat" on which so much care had been bestowed
proving to be a homely though curious concoction of rice, preserved
milk, and brown sugar, with a decided taste of burn; and after
swallowing a few spoonfuls, even its concoctor had to avow, with a
grimace, that his exertions had resulted in a failure. My brother
having thus signally proved his incapacity for occupying the high
office of cook, we for the future left the kitchen department to
Francisco's supervision, and very well we fared at his hands.
The next day was spent in ostrich-hunting. We made two or three
circles, but game seemed very scarce, and we were unable to entrap a
single ostrich. We were going home towards evening, rather
disconsolately, when some one observed an ostrich running straight
towards us, apparently with the express intention of obliging us, by
allowing himself to be killed. But as we started into a gallop to meet
him half-way, he changed his mind, and darted off sideways, our whole
party following. The dogs unfortunately, as often happens when they
are wanted, had fallen behind, and a depression in the plain hid us
from their view. It seemed rather a forlorn chase, therefore, as our
tired horses were no match for the ostrich, who drew away at every
stride. To our surprise, however, he suddenly began to "double," and
we saw that he was being hard pressed by one of Guillaume's dogs,
from which he had evidently been escaping when he met us. With fresh
zest we pushed forward, spreading out in a semicircle, so as to be
able to turn the ostrich back to the dog should he double round our
way. An exciting chase ensued. The dog, a clever brute, did its utmost
to make the ostrich double towards us, but without success, and the
speed at which they were both going prevented us from getting any
nearer. The dog was tiring, but he held out stoutly, double after
double slowly exhausting him. At last, overshooting himself in an
attempt to stop short, he turned a complete somersault, and the
ostrich, profiting by the moment's respite, literally set all sail and
skimmed away, with a strong wind in his favour. "He is lost!" shouted
Francisco, reining in. "No, no--the river, the river!" cried Gregorio,
spurring the harder, and away we went after him, and right enough,
there was the river glittering before us, with the ostrich not fifty
yards from the bank, and, hurrah! our whole pack of dogs close on his
heels. He must take the water, or he is ours. In another second he
reaches the bank, and pauses. He is in! No--his heart has failed him,
and with an ominous droop of his wings, but with a tremendous spurt
he has darted off again, with not five yards between him and the
straining dogs. On, on we go. The ostrich gains ground; ah, that
treacherous bend of the river! It forces him to swerve round, and in a
second he is met by Gregorio. A dexterous double rids him of his new
enemy, and with a last effort he shoots forward again. But the circle
closes, the shouts of the horsemen on all sides bewilder him, he
hesitates a second, but in that second the dogs are upon him, and the
next he lies a struggling, quivering mass of feathers. Horses, dogs,
and men--we are all panting and breathless. The dogs, so hot had been
the pace, were too blown to move; and even when Francisco began to cut
up the bird, this proceeding, usually of such interest to them on
account of the savoury perquisites which fell to their share, scarcely
excited their languid attention.
We were rather tired when we got home, and after dinner, the run
having been most minutely discussed in all its bearings, we were all
glad to get to bed.