CHAPTER XIX 



FIRST PASSING THROUGH HELLGATE 



Rumour of important undiscovered river — Wish to settle question — Dr. 

 Moreno's description of Lake Argentino — Start for Hellgate — Description of 

 Hellgate — Squall — Sunshine — Scenery — Icebergs — Danger-dodging — Absence 

 of life on banks — West channel of North Fjord — Events of voyage — Giant's 

 Glacier — Camera — Second glacier — Deep water — End of west channel — 

 Return to North Fjord — Icebergs — In difficulties with launch — Escape from 

 a reef — Land on peninsula — Guanaco — Fish — Fish and farina — Heavy gales — 

 Photographs — One more attempt to go up North Fjord — Driftwood — Driven 

 back — Return to Cow Monte Harbour — South Fjord — Storms — Mount 

 Avellaneda — Small fjord — Trouble with launch — Squalls — Launch driven 

 ashore — On fire — Fine weather — Glacier calves — Thousands of square miles 

 of forest unexplored. 



" An important river flows into the end of the north fjord (of Lake 

 Argentino) with clear waters— a sure sign that it proceeds from 

 another great lake still unknown." 



In these words, taken from the Journal of the Royal Geo- 

 graphical Society for September 1899, under the head of 

 " Explorations in Patagonia," by Dr. Moreno, you have the idea 

 which was the spring of all our efforts in bringing down the launch 

 to Lake Argentino and the aim of the subsequent voyages made 

 in her. 



The opening to the north passage or fjord is locally known as 

 Hellgate, so called on account of the rough weather which usually 

 prevails there. The spot is the opening of a long winding channel 

 that, running up between beetling cliffs and forested mountain-sides 

 as it were into the heart of the Andes, becomes simply a vast 

 funnel through which the winds and storms discharge themselves 

 upon the lake at all times and seasons. I cannot give a better 

 description of Lake Argentino than by using the following extract 

 from Dr. Moreno's account : 



