THE HIGHLAND WILDERNESS 175 



covered with grass and with a sparse growth of stunted, 

 twisted trees, never more than a few feet high. There 

 were rheas — ostriches — and small pampas-deer on this 

 plain; the coloration of the rheas made it difficult to see 

 them at a distance, whereas the bright red coats of the 

 little deer, and their uplifted flags as they ran, advertised 

 them afar off. We also saw the footprints of cougars and 

 of the small-toothed, big, red wolf. Cougars are the most 

 inveterate enemies of these small South American deer, 

 both those of the open grassy plain and those of the forest. 



It is not nearly as easy to get lost on these open plains 

 as in the dense forest; and where there is a long, reason- 

 ably straight road or river to come back to, a man even 

 without a compass is safe. But in these thick South 

 American forests, especially on cloudy days, a compass is 

 an absolute necessity. We were struck by the fact that 

 the native hunters and ranchmen on such days continually 

 lost themselves and, if permitted, travelled for miles 

 through the forest either in circles or in exactly the wrong 

 direction. They had no such sense of direction as the 

 forest-dwelling 'Ndorobo hunters in Africa had, or as the 

 true forest-dwelling Indians of South America are said to 

 have. On certainly half a dozen occasions our guides went 

 completely astray, and we had to take command, to dis- 

 regard their assertions, and to lead the way aright by sole 

 reliance on our compasses. 



On this cool day we travelled well. The air was won- 

 derful; the vast open spaces gave a sense of abounding 

 vigor and freedom. Early in the afternoon we reached a 

 station made by Colonel Rondon in the course of his first 

 explorations. There were several houses with whitewashed 



