THE PAMPAS OF PATAGONIA. 27 



about the easiest time of any in the troop. He had, of 

 course, his peculiarities, one of which was that in no circum- 

 stances could he be persuaded to carry a pack ; he would 

 buck, throw himself backwards and roll until we gave up 

 the effort in despair. Nor did he like anybody to touch 

 him but myself. With me, however, not only was he per- 

 fectly free from vice, but absolutely reliable. I was exceed- 

 ingly sorry to part with him when I left Patagonia, but I 

 left him in good hands. 



When the zaino was saddled it was almost half -past four 

 o'clock. The district which lay to the south-east of Lago 

 Buenos Aires was one through which few men, if any, 

 had ever passed, and owing to its proximity to the cor- 

 dillera, which shielded it from the continuous westerly 

 winds and gales, the bushes of calif ate, incensio, and mate 

 negra were dense and often five or six feet in height. The 

 immediate object of my ride was the usual one meat for 

 food. 



Tom and Chichi went with me, and we had not gone far 

 when, passing over a hill, we roused a herd of some dozen 

 guanacos, that came bounding out from the margin of a 

 pond where they had been feeding or lying. The dogs im- 

 mediately gave chase, Tom leading and characteristically 

 devoting his attention to a yearling, which he soon headed. 

 The rest of the herd dashed away in another direction, and 

 the yearling was pulled down by Tom almost without any 

 help from Chichi. As the kill was so near camp I rode back 

 with news of it, and, leaving one of the peones to butcher 

 and carry back the meat, continued my ride. 



It was Chichi's first hunt since her feet had been cured, 

 but it was easy to see that she was a high-spirited little 

 hound, and very manifestly Tom ran better and more pluck- 

 ily with her than with any of his former mates. I at once 

 resolved that if I could I would lay the dogs on an old buck, 

 if it were only to see whether Tom had at last forgotten that 



