20 



THE ANDES. 



gerous point. This arrangement caused a 

 tedious though necessary delay. 



The day before^ on entering the gorge, we had 

 heard the cry of the guanacoes^ resembhng that 

 of a child ; but now we saw the animals them- 

 selves^ peeping at us over the rocks^ and bound- 

 ing away as we approached, I have not heard 

 of these beasts being subjected to the use of the 

 inhabitants of South America; yet they are 

 larger^ and appear stronger, and are much 

 fleeter than the llama. An animal of a greater 

 size and strength is said to have been used by 

 the Patagonian tribes, bearing a resemblance 

 both to the stag and the mule. One author 

 says, that two horses are not capable of drawing 

 so much weight as one of this species. Perhaps 

 these were the animals on which the giant race 

 of Patagonia have been reported to ride. 



We now arrived at one of the white pocket- 



