LAKE MUSTERS I27 



So he sat down and the bull passed quietly by and disap- 

 peared in the direction of the challenger. 



Next day Stein continued around to the north of the 

 lake and fell in with an Indian who gave him shelter in 

 his hut, where they were weather-bound for the ensuing 

 day by wind. When they could get out, Billy found an 

 ancient Indian burial corral, where some twenty Indians 

 had been buried in a circle, all with their heads toward 

 the center. Unfortunately the place had been desecrated 

 and all the skulls taken away, together with such imple- 

 ments as had been buried with the bodies. Only the skel- 

 etal portions remained and they were badly scattered. 



The next camp was by the lake, and under January 18 

 the diary reads ''breakfasted four a.m., meal and water;" 

 after which he worked his way down, reaching another 

 Russian ranch about seven in the evening, where "after 

 hearty supper felt better." On the 22d while prospecting 

 the low hills to the east of the lake, Billy happened on to 

 the government's dinosaur. But a small amount of it was 

 exposed, and of course our interest in it lay only in that 

 it showed us in which of the beds to expect good dinosaur 

 bones. 



Having completed the circuit of the lake, and having 

 found three good localities for fossil bones, to which we 

 or another museum could come in case it proves desirable 

 to continue the work in Patagonia, Stein started back to- 

 wards Ventner's reaching that ranch on the 27th. From 

 here he rode over to Comodoro Rivadavia and back in six 

 days for the purpose of picking up any mail which might 

 have been forwarded to him there. At Ventner's he sold 

 Blackie, a most faithful horse which had shown good en- 

 durance both when well fed and when half starved. 



Thence he joined a party of Boers who had to go to 

 Rawson, the capital of the territory, to take the oath of 

 allegiance to Argentine Republic; and they on relays of 

 horses rode down the Chico valley considerably over 300 



