THE PAMPAS OF PATAGONIA. 5 



the lesson learned in the three or four days of war 

 soon passes away, so that during the greater part of the 

 year they remain comparatively tame and accessible. 

 But in the canadon of the Senguerr, through which I 

 travelled in October, it was impossible to approach 

 openly within a mile of any animal. It is here that 

 the Tehuelche Indians have erected their permanent 

 toldos, and as they habitually hunt on horseback and 

 with hounds, generally converging upon the herds in 

 circles and from all points of the compass, the guanaco 

 of that region has learned the art of self-preservation 

 in all its details. His long neck and his habit of 

 invariably upon the approach of danger seeking and 

 keeping to the highest ground in sight, his sense of 

 hearing, which is exceedingly well developed, and his 

 nose that is only inferior to his powers of vision, make 

 him a most difficult and sporting quarry. 



There are further one or two other small points 

 which add their quota of hindrance to the chances of 

 an easy success. The fact that almost every acre of 

 ground carries its crop of low thorn bushes and even 

 when these are absent the sharp blades of the harsh 

 grass can make a very painful wound renders stalking 

 a task not altogether without its discomforts. That 

 cover is represented only by the walls of canadones, 

 an occasional hummock or little patches of mate negra 

 hardly eighteen inches high, is also all in favour of the 

 guanaco's side of the game. When to these things 

 is added the fact that a guanaco can carry away as 

 much lead as almost any animal of its size, it will be 

 seen that the sportsman may spend many fruitless 

 hours before he can succeed in attaining any great 

 success in this particular form of pastime. 



