JOURNEY TO LAKE ARGENTINO 183 



horses numbering in all twenty-one. During their rest in Santa 

 Cruz they had attained to quite fair condition, and were in conse- 

 quence ready for the road. It was necessary to shoe such as would 

 permit the operation, as their hoofs had been worn down by the 

 basalt fragments which had strewed our path from the north. 

 The operation, by the way, was one which we had to perform 

 ourselves, as the blacksmith at Santa Cruz, on being asked to do 

 it, said he preferred the trade of building wooden houses, but con- 

 sented to lend us his forge and tools for three dollars a day. We 

 had some difificulty in finding shoes to fit, and I warn any future 

 traveller against the nails which they keep for shoeing purposes in 

 the settlement. 



The short harsh grass usually to be had on the pampa is 

 certainly a very much better food for horses destined to travel 

 long and hard journeys than the beautiful meadowy vegas of the 

 Cordillera, which look so inviting. The richer grass of the latter 

 naturally fattens them in a wonderfully short space of time, but 

 the first hard day's march cuts up their condition like so much 

 butter. 



We left Santa Cruz on January 22. I was accompanied by 

 Burbury and a Swede, Bernardo Hahansen, who proved in the 

 event to be a useful and courageous fellow. Our first march took 

 us to Mr. Campbell's estancia. We saw a good number of 

 guanaco and some ostriches on the way, which at first lay across 

 the open pampa, afterwards diving into a deep canadon some seven 

 and a half leagues long. The little Blanco showed his apprecia- 

 tion of the excellent food he had been enjoying by behaving 

 badly. On arrival we found Mr. Campbell was away from the farm 

 repairing fences, so we were obliged to await his return. When 

 he came, he took us up to the house, where we had some tea. We 

 remained at the estancia for the night, and next day went on about 

 three leagues over good pampa to Messrs. Cressard and Dobree's. 

 The manager, Mr. John Noble, received us kindly. The cook at 

 this farm, a former New Zealand hand, had come with us to 

 Puerto Madryn in the Primero de Mayo, and said he would have 

 applied to go with us had he known how to cargo horses. As he 

 cooked very well I should have been glad to have received his 



