THE BATTLE OF THE HORSES 



37 



arrival in my camp of a compatriot and erstwhile companion, 

 Hans Hollesen, who had applied to join the expedition. I took 

 them both along, for, having paid Master Fritz's way from Buenos 

 Aires, I did not relish the notion of obtaining no return for the 

 outlay, and I knew that, once we passed Colohuapi, I should be 

 master of the situation. 



I heard months afterwards from a New Zealander, who had 

 been on board the Primero de Mayo with Fritz, that that gentle- 

 man was looking forward to a soft job, and had boasted that he 

 would certainly desert us if we marched more than ten miles a 

 day. 



Our first march was about three leagues, and we made our camp 

 beside a small shallow lagoon upon which a couple of ashy-headed 

 geese [Bernicla poliocephala) were swimming. I shot them both 

 for the pot. 



It was about six o'clock when we camped, and Burbury, who 

 was in charge of the horses, took every possible precaution to 

 prevent their straying, a very likely contingency upon their first 

 night in the open pampa. In spite of the fact that the horses were 

 watched all night, morning found us with but thirty-seven out of 

 the whole number. Soon after daylight Burbury, with some of the 

 men, rode out to recover them. They returned unsuccessful. 

 During the morning a wandering Gaucho came into camp and 

 said he had seen some horses in a canadon near by. The Welsh- 

 men rode out there but came back disappointed, as the horses were 

 not ours. At eleven o'clock next morning I sent three of the men 

 back to Mr. Haddock's, from whose estancia the lost troop had 

 been acquired, the probabilities being that they had headed back 

 for home. But shortly after Burbury and the Germans returned 

 with the horses, which had travelled about nine miles, and were 

 discovered calmly feeding in a canadon. It was Burbury who dis- 

 covered them by a smart piece of Gaucho work. 



Next night, October 6, we watched the horses in turns. It 

 was a cold night lit by a moon. We had some reason to believe 

 that our Gaucho friend of the day before had not been altogether 

 innocent in connection with the straying of the horses. Such a 

 man will ride quietly through the scattered horses feeding in the 



