HUNTING IN THE ANDES. 51 



usage to hobble the mare at night, when the horses of 

 her tropitta remain round her instead of straying. I 

 had but two mares with sixty horses, and as soon as they 

 became used to the mares they never wandered. On 

 the other hand, if the traveller takes four or five mares, 

 to each of which half-a-dozen horses are trained, not 

 only are the chances of losing a tropilla infinitely multi- 

 plied, but the finding of a smaller number of horses is a 

 matter of correspondingly greater difficulty. No pains 

 should therefore be spared in selecting well-trained 

 troops. 



As to men, gauchos are to be found in most of the 

 settlements, but here again great care should be taken 

 to secure the services of reliable men through well- 

 known estancieros or with the help of the British consul 

 at Punta Arenas. Wages run from forty to eighty 

 dollars a month. There are, as a matter of course, 

 always a number of unsatisfactory gauchos knocking 

 about the coast towns, who must be rigorously avoided. 

 Most of my provisions I bought through Messrs. 

 Krabbe and Higgins, but simple necessaries can be 

 obtained in Trelew, Santa Cruz, or Gallegos, and by 

 arrangement at some of the coast estancias. Luxuries 

 are high priced, but yerba, flour, farina, and tinned goods 

 can be had at fairly moderate rates, though it is wiser 

 to take out tea from England. Many of the ports are 

 free, and it is well to choose one of these and thus avoid 

 the customs. A letter from the Government at Buenos 

 Aires is very valuable. When I was in Patagonia no 

 licence to carry arms or to kill game was required. Laws 

 with regard to the branding of horses are exceedingly 

 strict and are administered by comisarios, who are to be 

 met with at every tiny settlement. These officials have 



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