74 HUNTING EXTINCT ANIMALS 



road made a frontal attack and went right up on the pampa, 

 without attempts at zigzagging or winding. During this 

 we had a chance to try out the riccao as a working saddle. 

 To us a saddle of this pattern looked strange ; for it consists 

 of two pads to lie either side of the horse's backbone, 

 over which is laid a blanket, then the cinch, and above that 

 usually a sheep's fleece fastened with a small strap. When 

 the rider gets on top, his knees stick straight out on either 

 side, and the stirrups are used merely to balance him. 

 When initiated, however, they are fairly comfortable, and 

 the gauchoes are certainly expert horsemen, also using the 

 lasso from this saddle. On an American saddle, the saddle 

 horn is used for attaching the end of the rope, but in these 

 there is a ring fastened to the cinch and the rope is passed 

 through this, the horse pulling from the side; and they 

 certainly seem to get the same amount of force into the pull 

 as from our type of saddle. 



It was a luxury to be again on the level pampa, after the 

 days of struggling through the broken country below, and 

 we rolled along the big north and south trail with ease. This 

 lasted, however, for only a few miles, until we should find 

 certain buggy tracks leading west. Before we were really 

 there, we lost a couple of hours through misunderstanding 

 our directions, and trying to find the place where others 

 had left the trail, so we camped for the night on a small and 

 rapidly drying laguna. 



By nine next morning we were at the edge of the eight 

 or ten-mile wide valley which the Chico River has cut 800 

 feet deep through the pampa, and were looking across its 

 grand canyon, with the innocent looking little brook at the 

 bottom, a stream quite out of proportion to the valley, 

 which latter had a dignity worthy of a river the size of the 

 Hudson. In the past the stream must have been much 

 larger, though the material through which it has cut is 

 mostly soft sandstone and clays. I confess that as I looked 

 across this valley, in spite of its scenic grandeur, I was 



