^38 THROUGH THE HEART OF PATAGONIA 



of the peninsula, and when driven away from the cliffs at one end 

 simply sought the shelter of the cliffs at the other." 



Again, on the tableland between the River de los Antiguos and 

 the River Jeinemeni the guanacos were extraordinarily tame. 

 Only one traveller had been there before us (Mr. Waag). The 

 guanacos permitted us to advance to within two hundred yards, and 

 one, which was lying down, allowed me to come within sixty paces 

 walking upright. At this distance I determined to see what effect 

 the crawling attitude would produce, and for this purpose I retreated 

 and again approached, this time on my hands and knees. I was 

 ■still one hundred and fifty yards from the animal when he got up, 

 and I had not proceeded many steps nearer before he bounded 

 away. From this instance it may be deduced that while the herd 

 ■evidently understood and feared the approach of predatory enemies 

 in a crouching attitude, man upright in his natural position inspired 

 relatively little fear but rather curiosity, for the guanaco remained 

 lying down and staring at me as long as I appeared walking to- 

 wards him. 



On yet another occasion in the canadon of the River Katarina, 

 the first sight that a herd, seventeen strong, had of us, was when 

 we were on board the launch. They raced up to the bank of the 

 river and stared at us, only darting off ten or twelve paces when 

 the irrepressible Bernardo saluted them with a whistle. Shortly 

 afterwards we anchored and went ashore, but the guanacos would 

 not allow us on foot to approach within half a mile, although Ayhen 

 we were hidden they returned to the neighbourhood of the launch 

 without fear. In the evening they retired far up the valley, where 

 I again saw them upon the following day. They were very timid, 

 and I could get no nearer to them than three hundred yards, 

 although I made one or two attempts to do so. 



There was one point which was distinctly noticeable, and which 

 these observations bear out. Guanacos, unacquainted with man, 

 will allow him to approach in the first instance much closer if he 

 happens to be accompanied by a troop of horses, as was the case 

 with us in our experience of the herds on the basalt plateau. In 

 fact, guanacos will reconnoitre a troop of horses, even though 

 there may be men among them, at a very much shorter distance 



