104 HUNTING EXTINCT ANIMALS 



and we had a couple of ostrich eggs for ourselves, we did 

 not mind so much. 



After a couple of hours* traveling next day we found the 

 place where the sheep watered and got our supply. It 

 was easy going and at about half-past three we came to 

 the Kelly place, where two Anglo -Argentine brothers had a 

 large mob of sheep. It began to rain again (we seemed to 

 bring the rain wherever we went), so we made a camp. 

 I went over to the house to ask permission to camp and 

 see how the land lay. Talking was uphill work, but 

 finally Kelly said, ''Why don't you bring the others over 

 and have a cup of tea or something?" I did; and we were 

 soon congregated around his stove. The "tea" proved 

 to be Scotch, and ''something" developed into a good 

 supper, so that it was about nine before we got back to 

 the wagon, but we were richer by a good set of Indian 

 implements which the Kellys had given us. 



Half a day's run brought us to the town of Mazaredo, 

 which I am confident is the most forlorn place on the map. 

 It consists of six buildings in a row along the beach, 

 behind which there is a great basin, three or four miles 

 across, which appears like a dried up lake-bottom. While 

 we were there (and the people said at all times) it was 

 simply a plain of parched clay from which continuously 

 rose clouds of yellow dust. After lunch Billy and I began 

 to look for a camping place and finally decided to stop 

 near the postofifice, which is about four miles inland on 

 the telegraph line, and near the water supply. For years, 

 ever since the port has been used, the people have agitated 

 moving the postofifice down to the beach, and three years 

 before, the government went so far as to land the wire for 

 extending the telgraph line, but had not then gotten to 

 sending the poles. 



We found this part of the country mostly settled by Scotch 

 and colonial English who had come here by way of Aus- 

 tralia. The same is true of all the territory of Santa Cruz. 



