88 PATAGONIAN EXPEDITIONS : NARRATIVE. 



extending for several rods over the surface of the valley. Shortly after 

 passing this I came to the cut-off pointed out by Mr. Kark, and, leaving 

 the main trail, struck off to my left through the hills to the high pampa 

 beyond. After travelling some miles across the pampa in the general 

 direction indicated by my guide, I again fell in with the trail, which, how- 

 ever, was not so plain as it had been. As I continued my journey the 

 altitude of the plain rapidly increased and the character of the country 

 changed. Scattered about over the surface were immense angular blocks 

 of granite or other crystalline rocks which must have come from the Andes 

 and could only have been transported to their present resting places 

 through the agency of ice. As I rode along there were frequent patches 

 of half-melted snow, while pools of water caused by the latter lay about 

 on every side. The sky was overcast with leaden clouds and a fierce 

 southwesterly wind beat savagely in my face, greatly retarding the pro- 

 gress of my horse. Halting for a moment at one of these pools, I dis- 

 mounted in order to stretch my limbs, while my horse grazed on the 

 scanty grass and refreshed himself with a drink from the pool. 



On returning to remount my horse and resume my journey, I met with 

 an accident, which, if it had happened under more favorable circumstances, 

 would scarcely have proved in any way serious. On dismounting I had 

 thrown the rein over the horse's head, as is the custom in the western part 

 of our own country. When I returned I found he had one foot in the 

 rein, and, reaching down to take it out, as I had frequently done on simi- 

 lar previous occasions, for some reason he became startled and jerked his 

 head violently upward until the reins became taunt, when it was thrown 

 downward again with even greater violence just at the moment when I 

 was rising from the stooping position I had assumed, and in such a 

 manner as to strike my head with the broken shank of the Logan bit with 

 which the bridle was fitted. This was forced through and under the scalp 

 in such manner as to loosen the latter over a considerable area, at the 

 same time rupturing some of the blood vessels and causing the wound to 

 bleed very profusely. For an hour or more I tried vainly to staunch the 

 wound by bathing it in cold water, which was the only remedy at my dis- 

 posal. Not being successful in this I placed a handkerchief over the 

 wound and resumed my journey, thinking that the flow of blood would 

 soon stop of its own accord. After travelling for some distance with no 

 apparent cessation of the bleeding, with my upper clothing already satu- 



