THE RIVER KATARINA AND LAKE PEARSON 283 



tributary of the Katarina that flowed from the hills on the eastern 

 side. At this point Bernardo knocked up. He had had hard 

 work all day with the boat, for the stream was full of shoals, and 



EIVEK KATARINA 



wind and current were strong against him. He had been in the 

 river off and on, and as he was already suffering from a slight cold 

 when we set out this treatment had not improved it. By night his 

 chest seemed a good deal affected, and his breathing was difficult. 

 The rain of the afternoon turned to snow in the night, and it became 

 very cold, a comfortless position for a feverish man. Our means 

 for dealing with illness were limited, but hot cocoa and rugs 

 seemed the best treatment under the circumstances, and we further 

 sheltered him under the canvas boat, which, being turned over, 

 made a tolerable hut. 



Having brought a certain amount of provisions with us, we 

 did not shoot much. There can be little question that, had Pata- 

 gonia been a country rich in trophies, its less remote valleys would 

 long ago have known the crack of the rifle. Fortunately for 

 its ferce naturcB, the small horns of Xenelaphus bisulcus do not 

 offer sufficient attraction. There is no sport on earth finer than 

 big-game shooting in moderation, but in all parts of the world I 

 should like to see a universal law prohibiting any one sportsman 

 or professional hunter from shooting more than a limited number 



