CHAPTER X 



THE GORGE OF THE RIVER DE LOS ANTIGUOS 



Descent into Gorge of the River de los Antiguos — Rest-and-be-Thankful Camp 

 — First huemul — Greed of condors — Aspect of Gorge — Tameness of guanaco — 

 Join Van Plaaten's route — Stinging flies — Signal-smokes — De los Antiguos in 

 flood — Difficulty of crossing — Attempt to swim over — Washed away — Loss of 

 rifle and gun — Return to western bank — Cold night — Start next morning — 

 Upper ford impassable — Scanty diet — Fording torrent — Long ride to Horsham 

 Camp — Fire-blackened landscape — News of red puma. 



Barckhausen and I continued along the south shore of the lake 

 until we struck the River de los Antiguos, a small but rapid torrent 

 flowing through a huge frowning gorge, between very steep 

 barrancas. Farther to the west a second river, the River Jeinemeni, 

 runs for some distance almost parallel with it and discharges itself 

 into the lake some little distance beyond the mouth of the Antiguos. 

 Between these two rivers lies a tableland, which I was anxious to 

 visit. We, therefore, looked for a favourable place to descend into 

 the valley of the River de los Antiguos, and presently discovered 

 a spot where the cliffs were rather less perpendicular. The 

 bai'ranca, which was about one hundred and hfty feet in height, 

 being composed of sliding sand and stones, covered with a high 

 growth of bushes, presented a troublesome route for the horses. 

 They had been tied together by their headstalls, the only way in 

 which it was possible to drive them. It was now necessary to 

 dismount and take them down singly. Two of them, Mula and 

 Luna, refused to face the slope, and had to be urged on by per- 

 suasions from behind. When Mula at last consented to beoin the 

 descent, he lost his head and slid down the barranca, almost carry- 

 ing Barckhausen, who was pulling at his cabresto from below, with 

 him. 



When we all arrived safely at the bottom, we found the bed of 



