HUNTING IN THE ANDES. 41 



telescope, and saw that the head carried an extra point and 

 was far the finest I had seen. But soon after I recom- 

 menced my stalking the buck grew suspicious, and with- 

 out warning bounded away. 



Surprised at this for hitherto the guemal I had shot 

 had proved so tame as to afford little sport I made my 

 way back into the valley, and, riding round the bluff, I 

 found a gradient that my horse could climb, and was soon 

 galloping across the tableland, over the edge of which the 

 deer had disappeared. I had not gone far when I again 

 sighted the buck. He was standing out in the centre of a 

 grassy space watching me. As there was no cover at all, 

 I began to ride round him, narrowing the circle until I got 

 within two hundred yards, when I dismounted. As I did 

 so he ran back a few yards and stopped when I shot him. 



From my later experience of these deer I am convinced 

 that, either afoot or on horseback, I could have ventured 

 to much closer quarters, though if I had continued my 

 first line of stalk and, trying to keep myself hidden, had 

 crawled into view over the edge of the cliff, he would prob- 

 ably have made off directly he caught a glimpse of me. 

 In fact, I believe that in the first instance he mistook me 

 for a puma, the only animal, except the Magellan fox or 

 wolf, which the guemal has to fear. This would explain 

 his flight. Indeed, at all times I found guemal more easy 

 to approach if I walked towards them in an upright position 

 than if I attempted to get to close quarters by crawling. 



From the point of view of sport the guemal were some- 

 thing of a disappointment after the long and difficult journey 

 it was necessary to make before reaching them, and, though 

 I shot a few for meat and for specimens, I doubt if the 

 obtaining of some record heads was ever attended with less 

 keenness : but though they will stand to stare with curiosity 

 at a human being, once they get the wind they are wild 

 enough ; also in woodland and cover they are not readily 



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