SOUTHWARD HO! 25 



Cook's letter of credit. In vain I recited my credentials, and o-ave 

 such proof of genuineness as was in my power to give. They 

 would none of me. The bank evidently argued that it was easier 

 to pretend that you were a bona-fide traveller than that you were 

 a lord. Lord Reed too ; it was rather a taking title. 1 could not 

 at first understand where the humour of the question, put to me 

 by several people I met in Trelew, of "Are you not Lord 

 Prichard .'^ " came in. In fact, it was disconcerting; but later on, 

 when I heard the above story, I did not grudge the colonists any 

 fun that might be got out of the situation, for certainly Lord Reed, 

 taken all in all, had been far from a subject of pure amusement to 

 them. 



We remained six days at Trelew making those last few 

 purchases which were necessary with the small stock of e.xtra 

 money that 1 had left myself as a margin. It was directly owing 

 to Lord Reed that I finally set forth into the interior with but thirty 

 dollars in ArQ^entine notes and larw drafts on Cook and Son, which 

 were quite useless. Although the wilderness does not seem a 

 likely field for spending money, yet, before our travels were at an 

 end, I was glad to sell horses to supply the needs of our party. 



The journey which lay before us to Lake Buenos Aires was about 

 six hundred miles in length, and this distance might be subdivided 

 into three stages : the first, from Trelew to Bahia Camerones, 

 where the expedition became complete ; the second, from P^ahia 

 Camerones to the Lakes Musters and Colhue ; and the third. 

 to Lake Buenos Aires itself. My instructions gave me an entirely 

 free hand, within reasonable limits, as to the number of men I 

 might take with me. 



I had from the first been convinced that the smallest number 

 possible would also be, in our case, the wisest. The immense 

 extent of the country to be traversed, and the difficulties which 

 must inevitably lie in our way to hinder and delay us, as well as 

 the practical emptiness of the country, which rcciuircs that an 

 expedition shall be self-supporting, were saliciU facts ; and our 

 plans had to be made and modified in relation to these facts. The 

 •yiobility of the party was the main point to aim at. I lencc il w.is 

 necessary to cut down the personnel of the; expedition to as low a 



