CAPTURING A CONDOR.
The vaquero with his horse soon dragged the vicuñas to the hut. Guapo
gave him a help with the mule, and in a few minutes they were all
brought up. One of them was immediately skinned, and part of it prepared
for breakfast, and our travellers ate heartily of it, as the cold Puna
air had given an edge to their appetites.
The new-killed animals, along with the red skin of the bull, which had
been spread out on the ground at some distance from the hut, had already
attracted the condors; and four or five of these great birds were now
seen hovering in the air, evidently with the intention of alighting at
the first opportunity.
An idea seemed to enter the head of the vaquero, while his guests were
still at breakfast, and he asked Leon if he would like to see a condor
caught. Of course Leon replied in the affirmative. What boy wouldn't
like to see a condor caught?
The vaquero said he would gratify him with the sight, and without
staying to finish his breakfast--indeed he had had his "coceada," and
didn't care for any,--he started to his feet, and began to make
preparations for the capture.
How he was to catch one of these great birds, Leon had not the slightest
idea. Perhaps with the "bolas," thought he. That would have done well
enough if he could only get near them; but the condors were sufficiently
shy not to let any man within reach either with bolas or guns. It is
only when they have been feasting on carrion, and have gorged themselves
to repletion, that they can be thus approached, and then they may be
even knocked over with sticks.
At other times the condor is a shy and wary bird. No wonder either that
he is so, for, unlike most other vultures, he is hunted and killed at
all times. The vultures of most countries are respected by the people,
because they perform a valuable service in clearing away carrion; and in
many parts these birds are protected by statute. There are laws in the
Southern United States, and in several of the Spanish-American
Republics, which impose fines and penalties for killing the black
vultures. In some Oriental countries, too, similar laws exist. But no
statute protects the condor. On the contrary, he is a proscribed bird,
and there is a bounty on his head, because he does great damage to the
proprietors of sheep, and llamas, and alpacos, killing and devouring the
young of these animals. His large quills, moreover, are much prized in
the South American cities, and the killing of a condor is worth
something. All this will account for the shyness of this great bird,
while other vultures are usually so tame that you may approach within a
few paces of them.
As yet the half-dozen condors hovering about kept well off from the hut;
and Leon could not understand how any one of them was to be caught.
The vaquero, however, had a good many "dodges," and after the _ruse_ he
had just practised upon the vicuñas, Leon suspected he would employ some
similar artifice with the condors. Leon was right. It was by a stratagem
the bird was to be taken.
The vaquero laid hold of a long rope, and lifting the bull's hide upon
his shoulders, asked Guapo to follow him with the two horses. When he
had got out some four or five hundred yards from the hut, he simply
spread himself flat upon the ground, and drew the skin over him, the
fleshy side turned upward. There was a hollow in the ground about as big
as his body--in fact, a trench he had himself made for a former
occasion--and when lying in this on his back, his breast was about on a
level with the surrounding turf.
His object in asking Guapo to accompany him with the horses was simply a
_ruse_ to deceive the condors, who from their high elevation were all
the while looking down upon the plain. But the vaquero covered himself
so adroitly with his red blanket, that even their keen eyes could
scarcely have noticed him; and as Guapo afterwards left the ground with
the led horses, the vultures supposed that nothing remained but the
skin, which from its sanguinary colour to them appeared to be flesh.
The birds had now nothing to fear from the propinquity of the hut. There
the party were all seated quietly eating their breakfast, and apparently
taking no notice of them. In a few minutes' time, therefore, they
descended lower, and lower,--and then one of the very largest dropped
upon the ground within a few feet of the hide. After surveying it for a
moment, he appeared to see nothing suspicious about it, and hopped a
little closer. Another at this moment came to the ground--which gave
courage to the first--and this at length stalked boldly on the hide, and
began to tear at it with his great beak.
A movement was now perceived on the part of the vaquero--the hide
"lumped" up, and at the same time the wings of the condor were seen to
play and flap about as if he wanted to rise into the air, but could not.
He was evidently held by the legs!
The other bird had flown off at the first alarm, and the whole band were
soon soaring far upward into the blue heavens.
Leon now expected to see the vaquero uncover himself. Not so, however,
as yet. That wily hunter had no such intention, and although he was now
in a sitting posture, grasping the legs of the condor, yet his head and
shoulders were still enveloped in the bull's hide. He knew better than
to show his naked face to the giant vulture, that at a single "peck" of
his powerful beak would have deprived him of an eye, or otherwise
injured him severely. The vaquero was aware of all this, and therefore
did not leave his hiding-place until he had firmly knotted one end of
the long cord around the shank of the bird--then slipping out at one
side, he ran off to some distance before stopping. The condor,
apparently relieved of his disagreeable company, made a sudden effort
and rose into the air, carrying the hide after him. Leon shouted out,
for he thought the vulture had escaped; but the vaquero knew better, as
he held the other end of the cord in his hand; and the bird, partly from
the weight of the skin, and partly from a slight tug given by the
hunter, soon came heavily to the ground again. The vaquero was now
joined by Guapo; and, after some sharp manoeuvring, they succeeded
between them in passing the string through the nostrils of the condor,
by which means it was quietly conducted to the hut, and staked on the
ground in the rear--to be disposed of whenever its captor should think
fit.