I40 THROUGH THE HEART OF PATAGONIA 



filled the hollows. The Alazan jumped them, and proceeded upon 

 his appointed path to his own evident satisfaction, the infinite 

 amusement of Jones, and the terror of myself However, though 

 one might take exception to his methods, the Alazan had a turn 

 for speed and bore my fourteen stone nobly to the front. 



Presently the guanaco we were pursuing dashed across a shallow 

 lagoon and fell upon the farther side of it. As we dismounted we 

 observed fresh tracks of a wild bull, which was heading north-west 

 towards the Cordillera. Although we followed these tracks for 

 twenty miles and came upon ample evidence of their being quite 

 recently made, evening fell upon us and we were obliged to turn 

 campwards. 



On our arrival we had a look at the horses and sat up late 

 expecting the return of Barckhausen and Burbury, who had gone 

 to look for the Indian trail, which the Indians told us led under the 

 foothills of the Cordillera to the end of the continent. I have 

 given a description of the trail in another place. It is in its way 

 as remarkable a highroad as the Grand Trunk Road in India. 

 Were it not for the tracks of horses, and the occasional dead 

 camp-fire to which it leads you, it would be impossible to distin- 

 guish it from a series of guanaco-tracks running parallel. Never- 

 theless, many an ostrich-hunter has by its aid found his way into 

 the settlements, when without it he would have wandered far and 

 wide upon the pampas. 



It was not before the next day, however, that Burbury and 

 Barckhausen returned with the news that they had found the trail 

 some twenty leagues away near the canadon of the River Deseado. 

 I have mentioned my great desire to shoot a huemul 

 {Xenelaphus bisulcus), and, as we had been disappointed in this 

 respect in our former expeditions, I decided to penetrate into the 

 gorge of the River de los Antiguos. We made arrangements for 

 an absence of some duration from the base camp, leaving Jones 

 and Burbury in charge. 



On the 5th we started, and, while riding to Rosy Camp, saw 

 columns of smoke arising from amongst the hills on the other side 

 of the Fenix. We thought they were signals of Indians and 

 answered them. By here and there burning a bush we signalled 



