112 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



Li'EB. 9, 1893. 



ON THE PAMPAS OF ENTRE RIOS.-V. 



As I HAVE said before the pampas are one vast rolling 

 sea of grass, much of it being as high as a horse's shoulders, 

 and it is very easy to get lost on them, especially at night. 

 During fogs, which geneially occur at night, it is impos- 

 sible to go away from the estancia, and if caught out in 

 one there Ls nothing to do but make yoiu-self as comfort- 

 able as possible and wait until it Hfts. I as well as many 

 others on the estancia were frequently lost, but the fact 

 of being lost had no terrors for us, as we simply tethered 

 out our horses, rolled ourselves up in om- blankets, and 

 slept soundly untd morning. 



One very hot day I went with one of my men to inspect 

 the mo j ones, or boimdary posts of the estancia. We knew 

 it would not take us all day, and as we would not reach any 

 drinking water until late in the afternoon Ave took two 

 quai't bottles of water, each with a httle vinegar and 

 sugar in it, this being the best beverage to take on a long 

 journey. The sun beat doMTi upon us with fearful force, 

 and as* we had such a distance to go we would not stop 

 for a siesta. We drank freely from om- bottles, feeling 

 that we woidd soon be by a good water hole where we 

 could drink a,li we wanted, and refill our bottles. It was 

 getting quite late in the afternoon when we espied the 

 hollow where our water hole was, and being very thirsty, 

 and the horses really suffering for a drink, we broke iato 

 a gallop and made for it. Alas, on arriving at the brink 

 of the i)ond we found nothing but mud, into which we 

 dug holes, and tried in other ways to get enough water to 

 diink, but it was no use, it was all dried up. W e then be- 

 gan to realize how thu-sty we were. We had to go nine- 

 teen miles to the estancia and there was not a drop of 

 water nearer than that, that we kjiew of. 



We immediately started for home, but had not gone far 

 before it began to grow dark. This did not worry us, as 

 both of us wei'e familiar with the manner of ridiug in a 

 straight line at night, and had no feai- of going astray as 

 long as stars shone. But we had scarcely gone half the 

 distance toward home before a fog set in, and we were as 

 completely lost as if we had been in the middle of the 

 Atlantic Ocean without a compass. Our terrible thirst 

 was iacreasing on us all the time, and our horses were 

 nearty done up. I was apparently siiifering much more 

 than my companion, who had been accustomed from in- 

 fancy to use very little water. My tongue became swollen, 

 my throa.t ached, I could hardly speak, and felt as though 

 I would go crazy if I did not find water. In sheer despera- 

 tion I spurred my horse into a gaUop and let him go his 

 own way, any way to get from that terrible thirst. I 

 motioned my companion to follow me, which he did, but 

 ja a few minutes I felt him clutch me, and call to me to 

 stop. He said he had caught a glimpse of a fight through 

 the fog which he w^as sure was caused by spirits, as there 

 was no habitation within ten miles of us. These gauchos 

 are very superstitious and dreadfuUy afraid of ghosts, in 

 which they firmly believe. I could not see any fight, but 

 insisted in riding in the direction in which he saw it. I 

 told him I did not care whetlier it was an ''espiritu nialo" 

 or an ''espiritu mnto" if it only had water to drink. This 

 shocked him terribly, and he crossed himself devoutly, 

 muttered a prayer, and disappeared. 



As the fog fitted again I distinctly saw a gleam of fight, 

 which did look rather ghostly, and appeared to dance and 

 flicker in the air, but I kept towards it, and soon had the 

 satisfaction of riding up to a camp of some gauchos, who 

 were moving, and had stopped on account of the fog. 

 They had no water, however, except w^hat was in their tea 

 kettle on the fire, but thej made a fresh mate, wMch 

 slaked my terrible thirst, and enabled me to keep on 

 toward home. They told me if I would foUow the ari-oyo 

 on which they were camped it would take me to my place, 

 and that I would find water for myself and horse not 

 more than two miles off. I reached home about 12 o'clock, 

 and after copious draughts of water, and a good cup of 

 coffee, I felt as weU as ever. The gaucho who left me 

 wandered about the iDampa aU night, stumbfing, however, 

 on some water, and did not show up until late the next 

 morning. 



Another time I was returning home from a long trip 

 and was overtaken by a fog at night when I had reached 

 quite near home. I immediately tethered out my horse, 

 rolled myself up in my blanket and w-ent to sleex). At 

 dayfight the next morning the fog was still very thick, 

 but I saddled, and mounting my horee, trotted slowly 

 along waiting for the sun to get iqj and dissipate the fog. 

 Presently 1 heard the faint crow of a rooster, and immedi- 

 ately turned toward it, and following up the soimd soon 

 had the satisfaction of seeing a building loom up out of 

 the fog. Imagine my chagrin when I f ormd it was my 

 own house, and that I had passed the night on the ground 

 when my comfortable bed was within a mfie of me. 



One very dark night, whfie riding alone, I became be- 

 wildered, and was soon completely lost. Just as I was 

 making preparations to pass the night as comfortably as 

 possible, my nose was greeted by a ver}'^ disagreeable but 

 at the same time a very familiar odor. We had been 

 visited by a severe storm a short time before, and had lost 

 many sheep; these had been skuaned and their carcasses 

 hauled away from the estancia and put into a pile. I 

 imagined tliat what I smelled were these dead shet'p, and 

 f oUowed up the ti-ail, mitil sure enough I came upon them, 

 which gave me my whereabouts, and I was soon at home. 



In riding up to a house in Entre Rios no man dare get 

 off his horse without first gomg through the usual form 

 of greeting, and being invited to dismount. When one 

 rides uj) to the house he halts at the hitching rack, and 

 caUs out, "Ave Maria purissima" (Hail pure IMary). This 

 he repeats untfi some one ixiside the inclosure answers, 

 "Nacido sin picadd''' (Born without sin), then invites him 

 to get off his horse and come in. To ride up to a man's 

 houiie and get off your horse without going through with 

 this f ormafity is a declaration that you come as an enemy, 

 and you woiild be ti-eated as such. 



On one occasion when I was shepherding a fiock of 

 sheep several miles from the main house, and fived alone 

 in a small straw hut, I was considerably startled. It was 

 late in the night, and sometlfing very unusual for me, I 

 was lying awake, when my dogs began to growl and grow 

 uneasy. I told them to be quiet, and got up to investi- 

 gate, thinking some one was meddfing with my sheep. I 

 took my g-un and walked out toward the corral. Presently 

 I heard voices and crouched down, bidding the dogs to | 



fie low. Two men rode up to my house, and one of 

 them dismounted without the usual greeting, and walked 

 up to the door and tried it. I kept perfectly stiU and 

 heard one of them say in English, "It is too bad that we 

 should be lost out here when I know we are not many 

 miles from my house." I then rose up and spoke to 

 them, and they were very much surprised to see me 

 coming toward them with a gun. I explained to them 

 the great risk tliey had run in coming up to my house 

 and dismounting as they did without greeting, and I ad- 

 vised them strongly never to do so again. I found one of 

 the men was the owner of the estancia, and I had to get 

 up my horse and pilot him to the house. 



One dark night when ijassing through a dense swamp of 

 taU canes and bushes, riding in a path just wide enough 

 for my horse, I was considerably startled by something 

 hovering over me and shutting out what little fight the 

 stars gave me. Several times this pa.fi seemed to come 

 over me. I heard no noise, but could only feel as it were 

 a dark shadow passing over my head. I was much 

 relieved when the swamp abruptly ended, and I rode out 

 on to the open plain. I stopped to investigate the cause 

 of the shadow and saw it was made by an immense bird, 

 probably an owl, saifing backward and forward over the 

 path, and feeding on the beetles and moths I stirred up in 

 passing. Edward A. Robinson. 



HUNTING IN GREENLAND.— III. 



With the Peary Relief Expedition. 



BY WM. E. MEEHAN (BONIFACItJS), 

 Member of the Expedition. 



While on the voyage back to McCormick Bay from 

 Smith's Sound, we had stopped for a short time in Robert- 

 son's Bay, the northern shores of which are about fifteen 

 rafies above the former body of water. Whfie there we 

 had noticed numerous traces of reindeer, and we longed 

 for more fresh venison, that kfiled in Herbert Island being 

 about devoured. As there were yet several days before 

 Mr. Peary and Mr. Astrup could be expected back, per- 

 mission was readfiy given five of us to go hither on a 

 three days' hunt. The Kite was therefore ordered to take 

 us there and leave us to make otu- way back to McCor- 

 mick Bay in a rowboat when our three days had expired. 



We pitched our tent on a beautiful and grassy meadow, 

 in front of a large and picturesque vaUey, across which 

 half a dozen or more azicient terminal moraines stretched 

 at almost regular intervals fike huge ramparts. The site 

 of oui' camp, which we named at the expiration of ouv 

 stay "Tuctu Namee," because we got no reindeer, was 

 near an Eskimo settlement caUed Igloo Tahomony, the 

 most northern human settlement at the present time on 

 the face of the globe. One famfiy comprised this settle- 

 ment, the head of which rejoices in tlie name of Kiima. 

 He was a stuttering Eskimo, and possessed a good-looking 

 cumia (wife) and three children. Before otu- tent was 

 fuUy pitched he was on hand, not exactly to boss the job, 

 but "to finger curiously and with many nan-nan-nays of 

 admiration our belongings. 



With him was Kioopedo, an Eskimo Angekok or med- 

 icine iuan, dwelling in the settlement about "Red Cliff 

 House," ljut at the time on a visit to Igloo Tahomony until 

 such period as his Avife, who had run away from him on 

 account of ill treatment, should put in an appearance, on 

 which occasion he promised ev^erybody Avith a grin he 

 wotdd senepa (kill) her. These two worthies, Kiuna and 

 the Angekok, attached themselves to us and om- food 

 untfi we took our departm-e, and acted as our guides over 

 the rough A-alleys and hills in fruitless hrmts for reindeer, 

 each niournfuUy saying to the other on return at meal- 

 time, ''Tuctu nainee'^ (no reindeer). 



As soon as the tent was pitched Dr. MiUs and I crossed 

 a little stream, the icy cold Avaters of which Ave Avfil both 

 CA'er hold in execration, a nd made our Avay to a huge con- 

 ical mountain not far off to shoot little auks for sujjper. 

 Unfike most of the hills and mountains hereabouts, this 

 one Avas free from ice and snow as far as we could see. In 

 their place, howeA^er, Avas a thick coveiing of bright gxeen 

 moss from the base to the summit, saA^e for a few- spots 

 Avhere patches of boulders cropped out. Up this moss- 

 covered mountain -we started to clamber on all foure, for 

 the way Avas so steep that we could not Avalk upright. I 

 Avas in advance. All at once I felt the moss beneath me 

 give way and I began sUpping backward, and stiiking the 

 Doctor Ave both slid doAvuAA'ai-d with some velocity, the 

 moss flying from under us in some quantity, until we 

 brought against a large boulder. Then Ave made a 

 startling discovery. Underneath this bed of beautiful 

 moss, so thick that the surface was w^arm and diy, was 

 hard blue ice, many feet in thickness and of unknoAvm 

 area, for afterward, wherever on tins mountain we made 

 examination, we came across the same j)lienomenom. We 

 A\'ere, in fact, on what geologists term a fossfi glacier, 

 once active but now buried, through climatic changes, 

 under luxuriant A'egetation. We later came upon many 

 such glaciers, but none as interesting as this one. 



By hard Avork Ave finaUy managed to secure a goodly 

 number of fittle auks. On our way back to camp Ave 

 shot oiu- first Arctic hare. We Avere Avalking slowly 

 along the beach Avhen we saAA^ something wdiite moA-ing a 

 fcAv hundred yards away on the side of a precipitous 

 slope. Creeping closer, Ave discovered it to be an Arctic 

 hare, and near-by were several otliers. Crawling from 

 boulder to boulder, the Doctor stealthily approached AveU 

 within range of the nearest, when he showed himseff. 

 Startled, the hare sprang away for a dozen or l.^yds. 

 and then, rising on his hindfeet, with ears erect and fore- 

 paws hanging, he surveyed the strange intmdei- curiously. 

 And standing thus, at a distance of fufiy 70yds., the 

 Doctor shot him, He was a magnificent specimen, and 

 his hide now adorns the coUection of the Academy of 

 Natural Sciences. Ten minutes later I also secured one, 

 and when we got back to camp Ave found that every man 

 there had also one of the huge rabbits of the north. Even 

 Daniel gloated exultingly over one he had blown the head 

 from at 10 paces Avith a heaA^' charge of buckshot. 



It soon became evident that the reindeer had migrated 

 to other vafieys, and therefore much of our time, except 

 on the part of Daniel, was devoted to hare himting, and 

 we had not only no cfiificifity in keeping om- own larder 

 abundantly suppfied Avith this species of game, but were 

 enabled to take a quantity of it iDack with us to the Kite. 

 I think I neA^er saw so many hares in my life. Look 

 where Av^e would at any time, in the vafieys and on the 

 rocky hills about Robertson's Bay, Ave could see them 

 moving about. On one occasion I counted 16 Avithin a 



comparatively restricted area, and I doubt not that there 

 were many more within the same space hidden behind 

 boulders. 



Whfie we indulged in this sport, Daniel employed him- 

 self in hunting white whales, which were abundant in the 

 waters of the bay, as the hares Avere on the shores. In 

 order that he might indifige in this exciting pastime, he 

 borroA\-ed Avithout leave, after the manner of liis northern 

 brother Eskimos, the Angekok's kyak and harpoon, some- 

 what to the latter's dismay. With wonderful persistency, 

 Daniel fofioAved school after school, and that he did not 

 secure one was due to the dullness of the Angekok's har- 

 poon and not to a want of skfil. 



On one occasion we thought he had succeeded and we 

 nearly Avent wfid with excitement. He had been doggedly 

 foUowing a large school for an hour or more, when at last 

 he came within striking range. Leaning well back in his 

 frafi skin bark, Avith one hand graspuig his harpoon, 

 poised for the blow, and the other holding his paddle so 

 as to keep steady, Daniel made a magnificent picture. 

 But he remained this not for long. The harpoon whizzed 

 through the air and struck the whale fairly. In the 

 twinkling of an eye, the huge cetacean had lashed the 

 water into a foam, and darted away at a furious pace, 

 dragging the kyak after until the bladder float could be 

 thrown overboard. But the harpoon was dull, and did 

 not penetrate far enough into the whale's body to hold, 

 and after a short struggle the latter freed itself and with 

 its companions disappeared from view, leaving Daniel to 

 gather up his traps and return disconsolately to the shore, 

 where to the chaffing he received he repfied, "Yes, Daniel 

 no good, Angekok harpoon plenty no good, much dull. 

 Wi wale no good; hide much thick, Daniel, fike American 

 man caU plenty chump." 



Daniel had his revenge a fcAv days later, however, 

 when we returned to McCormick Bay. On this occasion 

 he had his OAvn hunting tackle, and when he threw his 

 harpoon the keen barb buried itself deeply into the blub- 

 ber and vainly the Avounded Avhale sought to free .itself. 

 It made rushes, beating the water into foam, but afi to 

 no purpose, and Daniel fofioAved it up relentlessly, pour- 

 ing lead into its side Avith frequency and precision by 

 means of a rifle Avhich he had borrowed, as usual, with- 

 out the knowledge of the owner, imtil the poor brute 

 gave up the ghost and floated a huge white corpse on the 

 crest of the Avaves. Then Daniel towed him to the ship 

 in triumph, singing in Danish, "Kind Words Wfil Never 

 Die," a song he had learned at Godhavn. 



Then there Avas a gathering of the clans on the shore 

 and every Eskimo revelled in the fifilness of rich food for 

 a day or two, and Daniel Avas looked upon tis a mighty 

 hunter by the men and with the eyes of affection by 

 Magipso, a dusky matron, and who, for a too open exhi- 

 bition of her partiafity, received a severe thrashing at the 

 hands of her jealous husband. 



A few days after these incidents Mr. Peaiy and Mr. 

 Astrup returned from their wonderful journey over the 

 great and mysterious ice cap, dimng which they planted 

 the American flag further north on the east coast of 

 Greenland than any other white human being had before 

 been, and it was our good fortune to unexj^ectedly meet 

 these Arctic heroes on the inland ice some miles from 

 shore and escort them to the ship. One week later Mr. 

 Verhoeff went on a mineral hunting expedition, from 

 which, on his not returning on the date ijromised, Ave 

 became alarmed and made a search, wlfich Avas continued 

 uninterruptedly for seven days and nights, and only dis- 

 continued when we found what seemed to us aU indisput- 

 able evidences of his death. 



During this search Mr. Entrikin kiUed two reindeer, 

 the only ones slain by members of our party. Several of 

 us were clambering up a steep vaUey about 11 o'clock one 

 night, when the deer Avere seen not more than 500yds. 

 aAvay, quietly broAvsiiig on the luxuriant moss and grass. 

 Close as thej^ AA^ere, lioweA-er, it is possible they might 

 have escaped notice had not one of them stepped sud- 

 denly from the shadow of a rock into tlje brifiiant sim- 

 light. Mr. Entrikin was the only one of the party carry- 

 ing a rifle, and he therefore carefully stalifed them; and 

 Avhen near enough shot one through the heart. The others, 

 terrified by the death of their comrade, made a mad dash 

 up the A^alley, passuig close to Mr. Entrikin, concealed by 

 a liuge botdder. As they bounded by he fired at the rear 

 one, and the bafi struck a vital spot, for the animal made 

 a convT-fisive leap and fell dead. 



A day or two after Ave met Mr. Gibson, who, with a 

 party of Eskimos, had been searchfiig for Mr. Verhoeff in 

 tlie Five Glacier VaUey, Avhere that unfortunate man had 

 been last seen, and Mr. Gibson had a curious story to re- 

 late. 



It seems that a day or tAvo before, while alone, he heard 

 a strange noise behind him, and turning to ascertain the 

 cause, to his amazement he saAv a huge bifil reindeer fol- 

 lowuig him, and from appearances the animal Avas in a 

 befiigerent mood. His nostrils Avere dfiated Avith rage, he 

 was stamping furiously, and at frequent intervals tearing 

 up loose eartti and stones with his huge horns. As soon 

 as the deer saw that he Avas discovered he let out a bel- 

 low, gave a final toss of stones and dfi-t Avith his horns, 

 and lowering his head made for Mr. Gibson at a ga,Uop. 



NoAV, it happened tliat Mr. Gibson had used afi his rifle 

 cartridges but one, and this he hastfiy thrast into the 

 barrel of his gun, and Avhen the animal got withfii thirty 

 or forty paces started to take aim; but rmfortunately the 

 lifle discharged itself prematurely and the baU struck the 

 grovmd in front of the deer and ricocheted harmlessly to the 

 left. It had, however, the effect of stopping the infuri- 

 ated beast suddenly in his charge, and apparently feeling 

 that the locality was dangerous he turned tail and gal- 

 loped away in the direction from whence he came. His 

 speed Avas greatly accelerated by the shouts of the Es- 

 kimos, who hurried up at the report of the rifle. 



While engaged in the search for Mi-. Verhoeff, also, a 

 narwhal was come upon in the upper end of McCormick 

 Bay. We had during our voyage kept a sharp lookout for 

 this curious species of Avhale; but, though quite common 

 in the Ai-ctic waters, we had not chanced upon any untfi 

 this time, and this specimen was not kfiled by us, or in 

 fact by a human being at afi, but by some other marine 

 animal more active and deadly than himself. It was 

 found on the shore by Mr. Bryant and four Eskimos where 

 it had been washed but a fcAv hours before, and it had 

 been dead but a short time. It was tAvelve or fifteen feet 

 long and its ivory tusk fufiy six feet. Its finding gave 

 great joy to the Eskimos, w^ho esteem the skin of the 

 narAvhal'as the gTeatest deficacy that nature provides. 



On the 24th of August, feeling assured that further 



