THE PAMPAS OF PATAGONIA. 29 



hounds up under cover of these in fact, to manage a stalk, 

 taking the hounds with me ! By this means I hoped to get 

 them within one hundred and fifty yards, but in the mean- 

 time must leave my horse, for which it would be necessary 

 to return later. 



When I reached the dogs, I found that Chichi had gnawed 

 through the cabresto with which I had tied her up, but had 

 fortunately remained near the horse instead of following 

 me. Having led the zaino as far as the cover would permit, I 

 fastened the hide rope to the dogs' collars and commenced 

 my stalk. A crouching position took me to the first and 

 largest rock, but my next objective was a stone not four 

 feet high. Moreover, Tom and Chichi did not understand 

 stalking at all, and as soon as I went down on hands and 

 knees they began to pull away from me. At length, by 

 assuming the historical attitude of the great enemy of man- 

 kind, I arrived at the flat stone and found myself within two 

 hundred yards of the buck, which continued to rest entirely 

 undisturbed. I now noticed for the first time that the buck 

 was lying about the centre of a narrow peninsula that jutted 

 out for some little distance into the pond. It, therefore, 

 seemed likely that if the water was as deep as it looked to 

 be the guanaco would be forced to break back, in which case 

 when the chase fairly began the dogs would start within one 

 hundred and fifty yards of him. 



After a moment's rest, taken to relieve the cramps in 

 my arms and legs, I slipped both dogs and ran out at the 

 top of my speed towards the guanaco. As he leaped up the 

 dogs saw him and got a splendid start. The buck made off 

 along the lake-shore to the right, and, waiting for no more, I 

 ran for my horse. By the time I had mounted the chase had 

 disappeared, but, galloping to the summit of the incline, I 

 almost ran into the guanaco, who was coming round in a 

 circle. He was travelling at high speed and quite holding 

 his own with Tom. The double he made to evade me 



