356 RETURN — ANIMALS FISH. May 



shelter their ever-watchful enemy. Condors, also, and fierce 

 little wild cats* help to prevent too great an increase of this 

 beautiful, inoffensive, and useful animal. 



Late on the 4th we returned to our tents, thoroughly tired 

 by a daily succession of hard work, and long walks. At this 

 bivouac we were about one hundred and forty miles, in a 

 straight line, from the estuary of Santa Cruz, or from Wed- 

 dell Bluff ; and about two hundred and forty-five miles dis- 

 tant by the course of the river. Our station at noon on the 

 4th, was eight miles in a straight line farther westward, and 

 about thirty miles from the Cordillera of the Andes. The 

 height of those mountains was from five to seven thousand feet 

 above our level, by angular measurement with a theodolite. 

 Early on the 5th we began the rapid descent. Sometimes the 

 wind favoured, and we passed the land at the rate of ten knots 

 an hour ; sometimes dangerous places obliged us to turn the 

 boat''s head to the stream, pull against it, and so drop down 

 between the rocks. Though easy, the return was far more 

 dangerous than our ascent of the river. 



5th. Our first day's work in returning was a distance of eighty- 

 five miles, which had cost us six days hard labour in ascending. 

 Next day we made good about eighty-two miles ; and on the 

 7th we reached the salt water. Although we made such 

 quick progress in returning, our halts for observations were 

 similar to those made in going. While descending the rapid 

 stream, so quickly and quietly, we saw many more guanacoes 

 and ostriches than we had seen before ; but our flying shots 

 only frightened them, and time was too precious to admit of 

 any delay. Only one fish was got, and that was a dead one, 

 which had been left on the bank : it was similar to a trout. 

 Not more than half a dozen live fish were seen, and none could 

 be caught either with hooks or nets. Leaving a very small 

 party near Weddell Bluff to look for guanacoes, I hastened on 

 board with the boats ; and with the ebb tide reached the Beagle 

 before noon on the 8th. The ship being ready for sea, except- 



* Though the wild cat could not injure a full-grown animal, it might 

 destroy a young one with great ease. 



