26 THROUGH THE HEART OF PATAGONIA 



number as possible, and it was further most important to have 

 plenty of horses and to spare. 



The difficulty of feeding several men when travelling through 

 such a country was obvious, and therefore not to be thought of, 

 as, besides the four horses each individual needed for riding, 

 the extra animals for carrying provision and bedding, clothing, 

 tents, &c. had to betaken into account. No pack-horse should be 

 allowed to carry his load two days consecutively, and, in fact, one 

 day's work in three is enough. If waggons are taken, each should 

 be allowed three teams of six horses each. 



With such ideas in view, those arrangements were made which, 

 in fact, enabled us to cover the distances we achieved. Any 

 expedition of this sort is killing work for the horses, and it stands 

 greatly to Burbury's credit that we lost but one out of nearly sixty 

 during the months we spent in Patagonia, and that one was a colt 

 that died of eating poison-shrub. 



There is not the slightest doubt that the policy that spells 

 success in Patag^nian travel is summed up in the words, " Cut 

 down your men and your stores, and take enough horses to enable 

 you to move lightly and rapidly." 



On Se-ptember 21 we left Trelew in the afternoon. The 

 weather was magnificent. Our caravan at this period con- 

 sisted of a couple of waggons as well as the horses. Two 

 esiancieros, Messrs. Greenshields and Haddock, accompanied us, 

 as our way led past their farms. I sent the waggons ahead 

 and rode on afterwards with Burbury and Humphrey Jones 

 senior. When we came to the place fixed on for our first camp 

 we found the men had gone on, for there was no water there. We 

 pushed forward in the dark, and presently the fire of the encamp- 

 ment glimmered out in front of us ; it seemed to be quite near, 

 but it took a good while to reach. We heard an occasional fox, 

 and as we sat round the fire a few birds passed in the dark, calling. 

 The first night in camp is like the first night at sea, a gloomy 

 time. 



The next day we again had a bright sun with a strong west 

 wind. We chased some pampa foxes and an ostnch'' {Rhea 

 darwini) and killed two of the former. Jones and Burbury caught 



