THE HORSES LOST--UNPLEASANT PROSPECTS--FOUND--SHORT
RATIONS--A STRANGE HUNT--A STERN CHASE--THE MYSTERY
SOLVED--THE CABEZA DEL MAR--SAFELY ACROSS--A DAMP
NIGHT--CABO NEGRO AGAIN.
We had a short march to make next day, and it was nearly noon,
therefore, when I'Aria started off on his usual morning task of
driving up the horses.
In the evening, as one may rely on their not straying very far, the
horses are turned loose, after being unsaddled. In fact, no other
method would be practicable, for if they were kept picketed during the
night they would not be able to graze, and would soon become useless.
As they all follow the bell-mare, one is always sure of finding them
together, even should they stray three or four miles in the night,
which, although it does occasionally occur, is quite exceptional.
That, however, this necessity of leaving the horses at liberty may
give rise to considerable inconvenience, and possibly bring one into
the most serious dilemmas, we had an opportunity of discovering at the
cost of some anxiety and a day's hard labour.
After I'Aria had been gone about an hour we began to wonder at his
prolonged absence; but as there had been a strong breeze during the
night, it was very probable, as Gregorio suggested, that the horses
had wandered some distance in search of a sheltered valley. But
another hour elapsed, and still I'Aria did not appear. Guillaume and
François then went off in different directions to continue the search,
agreeing to light a fire should either of them sight the horses.
We in the meantime were left a prey to very disagreeable reflections,
though as yet we had no strong grounds for fearing the worst. We kept
an anxious watch for the first signs of smoke, especially in the
direction I'Aria had taken, as he must have covered five or six miles
by the time he had been gone. To our dismay he presently turned up,
however, very tired and footsore, without having seen a trace of the
horses anywhere. Matters now began to look really serious, but we
still comforted ourselves with the hope that François or Guillaume
would be more successful. But they too, after a time, came back,
bringing the same dismal story. The situation looked gloomy; a
hundred suppositions were hazarded as to what could have become of the
horses. I'Aria said he had "cut the trail" on the side he had taken
without success, and Guillaume and François having done the same, it
was clear that the only direction in which the horses could have gone
was over the plain at the back of our camp, though what could have
induced them to leave the pasturage of the valley for the barren
upland it was hard to understand. Meanwhile there was nothing to be
done but immediately make search for them in that direction, though
our prospects of finding them seemed small indeed. Should we not do so
we should have to accomplish the rest of our journey to Sandy Point on
foot. We had eaten our last round of guanaco meat that morning, so
that a four days' walk on empty stomachs, apart from being an
unpleasant undertaking, was one which it was a question whether our
powers were equal to compassing. We might, it is true, opportunely
meet some trader on the way, from whom we might obtain provisions;
but, on the other hand, we might not be so fortunate; and, on the
principle that it never rains but it pours, we were justified in
considering the latter contingency as the probable one. We commenced
our task, therefore, with feelings the reverse of cheerful. Leaving
Storer in the camp, we all went on to the plain, and started off in
different directions towards the distant hills that bound it. A fire,
should any of us be successful, was to immediately communicate the
news to the others.
With my eyes bent on the ground, eagerly scanning it for any trace of
a hoof mark, I walked slowly along, occasionally giving a glance over
the plain, in the hopes of seeing the welcome column of smoke rise up
into the air. But time went on, and my hopes of success grew fainter
and fainter. Gregorio had expressed a fear that the horses had got on
to the Indian trail to Sandy Point; and taking to it, had gone off at
a trot towards Cabo Negro, on whose pastures they were "at home," or
"aquerenciado," as the natives say. The possibility of their having
done so assumed more and more the feature of a probability, as hour
after hour passed, and I was still only half-way across the plain, and
no traces of the objects of my search as yet forthcoming. In fact, it
seemed useless to continue plodding on farther, and instinctively I
broke off, and turned to the left, observing that there the plain
ended in a hilly country, where, although I'Aria had assured us he
had searched in that direction, it certainly seemed more likely that
the horses would be, supposing they had not gone to Sandy Point. It
was a happy inspiration of mine; I had not gone half a dozen yards
down a grassy ravine before, turning a sharp bend, I suddenly came
upon the whole troop, quietly grazing at their ease, in supreme
indifference as to the trouble and anxiety they had caused half a
dozen human beings for the last five or six hours. My first step was
to throw a few lighted matches into the long dry grass, which I left
to do their work, and then, by dint of some patience and cunning, I
managed to persuade one of the tamest horses to allow me to get my arm
round its neck and effect its capture. Improvising a kind of bridle
from my scarf, I mounted, and driving the horses together, conveyed
them towards the camp, not a little proud and elated at my
achievement, which was due rather to good fortune than judgment, for,
had I followed out the plan of search we had agreed upon, who knows
what the upshot would have been? Meanwhile, the matches had had due
effect; fanned by the breeze, the fire spread quickly, and soon the
ravine was ablaze across its whole breadth, a mighty column of smoke
being whirled high into the air, carrying, doubtless, intense relief
into the hearts of my companions, who were still toiling over the
plains.
I soon got to the camp with my charges, and was thankful to be able to
lie down and rest after my exertions. One by one the others dropped
in, and, as may be imagined, we were all equally elated at so
fortunate an issue of a _contretemps_, which might have had the most
serious consequences,--just on the eve too, of the conclusion of a
trip otherwise particularly free from dangerous mishaps.
It was too late to set out that afternoon, so we passed the remainder
of the day in trying to shoot some duck for supper. In the pleasure of
finding our horses again, we were not disposed to grumble at minor
hardships, and cheerfully, therefore, we endeavoured to make as good a
supper off a brace of small duck, which was all we could kill, as
eight hungry people might be expected to do.
After a cup of coffee next morning we drew our belts a little tighter,
and set out, keeping a sharp look-out, on the forlorn chance of an
ostrich coming within coursing distance. But during the whole of that
day's march neither beast nor fowl, save a fox or two, showed itself,
and as our appetites, which we had kept in tolerable subjection during
daytime, began loudly to assert themselves towards sundown, the spirit
which reigned among us was by no means a cheerful one. We were just
discussing the faint probability that existed of our meeting an Indian
trader before reaching the Colony, when suddenly we descried a man
riding along the trail towards us, and driving two horses before him.
With a unanimous shout of delight we all galloped forward to meet this
welcome stranger, on whose provisions we meant to make a friendly but
extensive raid. But, to our astonishment, on perceiving us, he
suddenly drew up his horse, hesitated for a moment, and then dashed
away over the pampa. Without stopping to inquire what could be the
motive of such extraordinary behaviour, and seeing only that our
chance of supper was vanishing as fast as four legs could carry it, we
all clapped spurs to our steeds, and galloped after him with as much
alacrity as he had shown. The harder we went, the more he urged his
horse along, occasionally looking back in a state of evident terror.
For five minutes or so this strange man-chase continued, neither
pursued nor pursuers gaining any ground on one another, but then we
gradually drew nearer to our quarry, whose horse was already beginning
to show signs of distress. We were soon within earshot, and called
loudly on him to stop, saying that we were friends. Whether he heard
us or not I don't know, but the effect of our shouting was that he
redoubled his efforts, and for a time the chase again became doubtful.
But we were not to be beat; curiosity to know this man's motives for
running away from us as if we were wild beasts, combined with an
equally strong desire to obtain some provisions from the amply filled
saddle-bags which were gliding along in front of us, kept us to our
work, and we felt that till our horses dropped this queer quarry must
be followed. The spurt he had put on soon died away, and then we crept
up to him again, wild with excitement, and giving vent to some
sounding "view-holloas," which, now I come to think of it, may have
possibly increased the terrors of the poor man's situation. But
everything comes to an end, even a stern chase, and soon Gregorio was
within ten or twelve yards of the unknown. "Párase amigo, soy
Gregorio," he called out several times, and at last, feeling G.'s hand
on his shoulder, the man did stop. In a second or two we were all up,
more or less breathless with the run. The man, with whom Gregorio was
now rapidly conversing in Spanish, looked very pale and frightened at
first, but gradually the expression on his face brightened as he
listened to Gregorio's explanations, and eventually he even began to
smile. We, meanwhile, eager to know the solution of the mystery,
pressed Gregorio to solve it. It appeared that this man was a convict,
who had escaped from Sandy Point two days before, and having
"requisitioned" two Government horses, was now on his way to the Santa
Cruz river, on the other side of which he would be free from pursuit.
When he saw us coming towards him at a gallop, he had been seized with
a sudden panic, thinking we might want to capture him, and had
galloped off, with the results known.
Of course we could not ask for any of his provisions as he would
require them much more than we should; so, after exchanging a few
words with him, we left him, and proceeded to rejoin Storer, who had
remained behind with the horses whilst we had been engaged on our
novel hunt.
The incident furnished us with matter for conversation for a time, but
it was not long before we came back to the more important topic of
food, for we were now all of us really faint with hunger, and our
prospects of getting anything for the next thirty-six hours were faint
indeed.
Our goal that evening was the "Cabeza del Mar," an arm of the sea
which runs for some distance inland, and which, at a certain point,
is fordable at low water if the wind is not blowing strongly from an
unfavourable direction. As we rode along we caught a glimpse of the
sea itself--a welcome sight, and forgetting our hunger for a moment we
gave a loud cheer.
At about seven o'clock, just as it was getting dark, we arrived at the
"Cabeza del Mar." We found that we should not be able to ford it for
four or five hours; and as we were anxious to get to Cabo Negro as
soon as possible, in order to break our prolonged fast, we decided on
passing that night, rather than wait till next morning. Having
relieved the packhorses of their loads we sat down by the fire and
brewed some coffee with the last spoonfuls that remained to us of that
comfort, and having drunk it, nothing remained for us but to wait and
dream of the meal we meant to devour on the first opportunity.
We tried to snatch a nap, but few of us succeeded in doing so, as
hunger kept us awake, and so the hours dragged their slow length
wearily along, whilst we sat and waited for the tide to serve. To add
to the discomforts of our plight, the sky covered over and the rain
began to fall, and the night got so dark that we almost thought we
should not be able to cross over. However, the time came when we
thought the tide ought to serve, and we rode down to the water to
inspect matters. Occasionally a moonbeam breaking through the thick
rain-clouds allowed us to get a glimpse of the rocks in the middle of
the water; and our guides were thus able to judge the right moment for
making the attempt. There was, as they said, just the possibility of
the water not being quite low enough to enable us to cross without
more or less of a ducking, and besides, in the darkness, the leader
might mistake the way, and a false step would land us into a rocky
bottom, where we might flounder hopelessly about, and in all
probability get unhorsed, and God knows what besides.
These considerations served to make us feel rather uncomfortable when
the moment arrived for us to commit ourselves to the chances that
might be awaiting us in the dark mass of water which swept eddying
swiftly past us, and but for the acute pangs of hunger we should
certainly have deferred the experiment until daytime. But no time was
to be lost, so, ranging in single file behind I'Aria, who was acting
as guide, we started--the other horses, with Guillaume and Gregorio
driving them, following. For a few seconds there was a great deal of
splashing and shouting, incidental on the objections shown by the
packhorses to take the water; but soon they were all in and fairly on
their way. Then came a few seconds' silence, as we drew into deep
water, every one cautiously following his leader, so as to be able to
rein in in time should the latter come to grief. Suddenly I'Aria gave
a cry, and through the darkness we could dimly see him floundering
about, his horse having evidently lost footing. After splashing about
for some seconds, however, he got all right again, and calling out to
us to keep more to the left, he moved on. The water was now up to our
knees, and at each step it got deeper, but fortunately our horses
still kept their footing, and soon the worst was over, and the bank
was reached without any mishap having occurred.
All the dogs had remained on the other side, crying and yelling in a
gloomy concert, as they saw us leaving them behind; but as soon as
they saw us ride up on to the plain, they plunged into the water, and
swam over in no time.
After having counted the horses and examined their packs, which had
all got well drenched, as we ourselves had, we continued our ride,
with the intention of marching the whole night, so as to arrive at
Cabo Negro in the morning, for we were now positively frantic with
hunger. For a time, notwithstanding the intense darkness, we managed
to get along pretty well, but presently we found that we had got off
the trail somehow, and we had to stop, whilst the guides blundered
about in the darkness, searching for it. Then, after we had got on to
it once more, the horses shied at a big white stone lying on the road,
and bolted in all directions, and of course had to be got together
again--a task which involved nearly an hour's delay.
Apart from these mishaps, our progress was necessarily so slow, owing
to the darkness, that we at last came to the conclusion that after all
it would be better to halt where we were, and proceed at daybreak.
Acting on this determination, we immediately unsaddled, and, too tired
to put up the tents, rolled ourselves up in our furs, and slept, or
tried to sleep, till morning. I think this was the unpleasantest night
of the whole trip. Faint with hunger, drenched and cold, I could not
get repose, although I felt as tired and jaded as could possibly be.
The ground too, where we were camped, was stony and hillocky; and
when, at the first sign of dawn, I crept out of my furs, my bones were
so stiff that I could with difficulty move, my companions being all in
an equally bad plight. But we were in good spirits for all that. Four
hours' riding would bring us to the wood of Cabo Negro, and there we
should get food in abundance. Never had the horses been so quickly
saddled and packed as on that morning; within half an hour from
commencing operations we were already cantering along the trail.
Scaling the brow of a steep hill we came in view of the familiar
landscape--the Straits and the Cordilleras, and not far off the black
patches of beechwood round Cabo Negro; and, nestling amid them, the
little farm-house on whose stores we projected a determined raid.
My brother and Mr. B. now rode ahead in order to have something ready
against our arrival. After two or three hours' sharp riding they
reached the farm-house, and without speaking a word rushed off to the
kitchen, and laid their hands on and utterly devoured what was to have
been the breakfast of the farmer and his family. The farmer appeared
on the scene just as they had swallowed the last mouthful, and it
appears being no doubt used to such strange visits, seemed less
surprised than one would have imagined to see two dirty wild-looking
men sitting uninvited in his kitchen, who between them had calmly
demolished the morning meal of a whole household.
Having thus satisfied their own immediate wants they applied
themselves to catering for ours; and to such good purpose that, by the
time we reached our old camp under the beeches of Cabo Negro, we found
a good fire already blazing, half a sheep hanging on a tree, ready for
roasting, and such stores of bread, eggs, and other provisions as made
our eyes glisten and our mouths water. How we feasted need not be
told. I think very little of that half sheep remained to be warmed up
for supper, and most of the other provisions shared a similar speedy
fate.