Odd People Part 22

Not less dissimilar are the people who inhabit these opposite sh.o.r.es; and one might fancy a strange picture of contrast presented in the Straits of Magellan: on some projecting bluff on the northern sh.o.r.e, a stalwart Patagonian, eight feet in height, with his ample guanaco skin floating from his shoulders, and his long spear towering ten feet above his head;--on the southern promontory, the dwarfed and shrivelled figure of a Fuegian,--scarce five feet tall,--with tiny bow and arrows in hand, and s.h.i.+vering under his patch of greasy sealskin!--and yet so near each other, that the stentorian voice of the giant may thunder in the ears of the dwarf; while the henlike cackle of the latter may even reach those of his colossal _vis-a-vis_!

Notwithstanding this proximity, there is no converse between them; for, unlike as are their persons, they are not more dissimilar than their thoughts, habits, and actions. The one is an aquatic animal, the other essentially terrestrial; and, strange to say, in this peculiarity the weaker creature has the advantage: since the Fuegian can cross in his bark canoe to the territory of his gigantic neighbour, while the latter has no canoe nor water-craft of any kind, and therefore never thinks of extending his excursions to the "land of fire," excepting at one very narrow place where he has effected a crossing. In many other respects, more particularly detailed elsewhere,--in their natural dispositions and modes of life, these two peoples are equally dissimilar; and although learned craniologists may prove from their skulls, that both belong to one division of the human family, this fact proves also that craniology, like anatomy, is but a blind guide in the ill.u.s.tration of scientific truth,--whether the subject be the skull of a man or an animal. Despite all the revelations of craniologic skill, an Indian of Patagonia bears about the same resemblance to an Indian of Tierra del Fuego, as may be found between a bull and a bluebottle!

Before proceeding to describe the modes of life practised by the Patagonian giants, a word or two about the country they inhabit.

It may be generally described as occupying the whole southern part of South America,--from the frontier of the Spanish settlements to the Straits of Magellan,--and bounded east and west by the two great oceans.

Now, the most southern Spanish (Buenos-Ayrean) settlement is at the mouth of Rio Negro; therefore, the Rio Negro--which is the largest river south of the La Plata--may be taken as the northern boundary of Patagonia. Not that the weak, vitiated Spanish-American extends his sway from the Atlantic to the Andes: on the contrary, the Indian aborigines, under one name or another, are masters of the whole interior,--not only to the north of the Rio Negro, but to the very sh.o.r.es of the Caribbean Sea! Yes, the broad inland of South America, from Cape Horn to the sea of the Antilles, is now, as it always has been, the domain of the Red Indian; who, so far from having ever been reduced by conquest, has not only resisted the power of the Spanish sword, and the blandishments of the Spanish cross; but at this hour is encroaching, with constant and rapid strides, upon the blood-stained territory wrested from him by that _Christian conquest_!

And this is the man who is so rapidly to disappear from the face of the earth! If so, it is not the puny Spaniard who is destined to push him off. If he is to disappear, it will be at such a time, that no Spaniard will be living to witness his extermination.

Let us take Patagonia proper, then, as bordered upon the north by the Rio Negro, and extending from the Atlantic to the Pacific. In that case it is a country of eight hundred miles in length, with a breadth of at least two hundred,--a country larger than either France or Spain.

Patagonia is usually described as a continuation of the great plains, known as the "Pampas," which extend from the La Plata River to the eastern slope of the Andes. This idea is altogether erroneous. It is true that Patagonia is a country of plains,--excepting that portion of it occupied by the Andes, which is, of course, a mountain tract, much of it resembling Tierra del Fuego in character more than Patagonia.

Indeed, Patagonia proper can hardly be regarded as including this mountain strip: since the Patagonian Indians only inhabit the plains properly so called. These plains differ essentially from those of the Pampas. The latter are based upon a calcareous formation: and produce a rank, rich herbage,--here of gigantic thistles and wild artichokes,-- there of tall gra.s.ses; and, still nearer the mountains, they are thinly covered with copses of low trees. The plains of Patagonia on the other hand, are of tertiary formation, covered all over with a s.h.i.+ngly pebble of porphyry and basalt, and almost dest.i.tute of vegetation. Here and there are some tufts of scanty gra.s.s with a few stunted bushes in the valleys of the streams, but nothing that can be called a tree. A surface drear and arid, in places mottled with "salinas" or salt lakes; with fresh water only found at long intervals, and, when found, of scanty supply. There are many hilly tracts, but nothing that can be called mountains,--excepting the snow-covered Cordilleras in the west.

The Patagonian plain is not everywhere of equal elevation: it rises by steps, as you follow it westward, beginning from the sea-level of the Atlantic sh.o.r.e; until, having reached the _piedmont_ of the Andes, you still find yourself on a plain, but one which is elevated three thousand feet above the point from which you started. At all elevations, however, it presents the same sterile aspect; and you perceive that Patagonia is a true desert,--as much so as Atacama, in Peru, the desert of the Colorado in the north, the "barren grounds" of Hudson's Bay, the Sahara and Kalahari, Gobi, or the steppe of Kaurezm. To the South-African deserts it bears a more striking resemblance than to any of the others,--a resemblance heightened by the presence of that most remarkable of birds,--the ostrich. Two species stalk over the plains of Patagonia,--the _struthio rhea_ and _struthio Darwinii_. The former extends northward over the Pampas, but not southward to the Straits of Magellan; the latter reaches the Straits, but is never seen upon the Pampas. The ranges of both meet and overlap near the middle of the Patagonian plain.

In addition to the ostrich, there are other large birds that frequent the steppes of Patagonia. The great condor here crosses the continent, and appears upon the Atlantic sh.o.r.es. He perches upon the cliffs of the sea,--as well as those that overhang the inland streams,--and builds his nest upon the bare rock. Two species of _polyborus_, or vulture-eagles,--the "carrancha" and "chiniango,"--fly side by side with the condor; and the black turkey-vultures are also denizens of this desert land. The red puma, too, has his home here; the fox of Azara; and several species of hawks and eagles.

With the exception of the first-mentioned--the ostrich--all these beasts and birds are predatory creatures; and require flesh for their subsistence. Where do they get it? Upon what do they all prey? Surely not upon the ostrich: since this bird is bigger than any of the birds of prey, and able to defend itself even against the great condor. There are only one or two other species of birds upon which the eagles might subsist,--a partridge and two kinds of plover; but the vultures could not get a living out of partridges and plovers. Small quadrupeds are alike scarce. There are only two or three species; and very small creatures they are,--one a sort of mole, "terutero," and several kinds of mice. The latter are, indeed, numerous enough in some places,-- swarming over the ground in tracts so sterile, that it is difficult to understand upon what they subsist. But vultures do not relish food, which they require to kill for themselves. They are too indolent for that; and wherever they are found, there must be some source of supply,--some large quadrupeds to provide them with their favourite food,--carrion. Otherwise, in this desert land, how should the ravenous puma maintain himself?--how the vultures and vulture-eagles? and, above all, upon what does the Patagonian himself subsist,--a man of such great bulk, as naturally to require more than the ordinary amount of food?

The answer to all these questions, then, is, that a quadruped _does_ exist in the deserts of Patagonia; which, if it furnish not all these creatures with their full diet supplies, does a large proportion of it.

This quadruped is the _guanaco_.

Before proceeding to give an account of the guanaco, let us paint the portrait of the Patagonian himself.

As already observed, he is nearly seven feet in height, without any exaggeration in the way of a hat. He wears none, but suffers his long black hair to hang loosely over his shoulders, or, more frequently, gathers it into a knot or club upon the crown of his head. To keep it from straggling into his eyes, he usually wears a narrow strap of guanaco skin around his forehead, or a plaited band of the hair of the same animal; but, although possessing ostrich-feathers at discretion, he rarely indulges in the fas.h.i.+on of wearing a plume,--he knows he is tall enough without one. Over his shoulders, and hanging nearly to his heels, he wears a loose mantle of guanaco skins; which is of sufficient width to wrap round his body, and meet over his breast,--should he feel cold enough to require it. But he is not of a chilly nature; and he often throws this mantle entirely aside to give him the freedom of his arms; or more generally ties a girdle round it, and leaves the upper part to fall back from his shoulders, and hang down over the girdle.

This mantle--with the exception of a small pouch-like ap.r.o.n in front--is the only "garment," the Patagonian wears upon his body; but his lower limbs have a covering of their own. These are encased in a sort of boots or moca.s.sins,--but differing from all other boots and moca.s.sins, in the fact of their being without _soles_! They are made of the same material as the mantle,--that is, of the skin of the _guanaco_,--but sometimes also of the skin of a horse's shank,--for the Patagonian, like the Pampas Indian, is in possession of this valuable animal.

This soleless boot covers the leg all round from below the knee, pa.s.sing over the top of the foot like a gaiter; it extends also around the heel, and a little under it, but not so far as the instep, thus leaving the greater part of the sole bare, and the toes peeping out in front! They are, in reality, nothing more or less than gaiters, but gaiters of _guanaco skin_, with the hair turned outward, and worn, not over a pair of boots or shoes, as gaiters usually are, but upon the naked shanks.

I have been thus particular in my description of the Patagonian _chaussure_; but you will understand my reasons, when I tell you that, from this trifling circ.u.mstance, not only has a vast territory of country, but the people who inhabit it, obtained the appellation by which both have long been known to the civilised world, that is, _Patagonian_.

When the sailors who accompanied Magellan first saw these colossal men, they noticed a peculiar circ.u.mstance in relation to their feet. The flaps, or "uppers," of the gaiters, extending loosely across the tops of their feet, and exaggerated in breadth by the long hair that fringed out from their edges, gave to these Indians the appearance of having paws or "patas;" and the name _patagones_, or "duck-feet," was given them by the sailors,--ever p.r.o.ne to the bestowal of a ludicrous epithet. This name, in a slightly altered form, they have borne ever since,--so that Patagonia means the country of the _duck-footed_ men.

The gaiters of the Patagonians have their peculiar purpose. They are not worn merely for the sake of keeping the legs warm, but also as a protection against the th.o.r.n.y shrubs which in Patagonia, as in all desert lands, are exceedingly abundant.

The mantle and moca.s.sins, then, const.i.tute the Patagonian's costume; and it does not differ so widely from that of his neighbour the Fuegian,-- the chief points of difference being in the size and material.

Of course the guanaco skin is much larger than that of the common seal; and a good Patagonian cloak would furnish "doublets" for a whole tribe of the diminutive Fuegians. Perhaps his ample garment has something to do in producing the exaggerated accounts that have been given of the stature of the Patagonians. Certain it is, that a man thus apparelled, looks larger than he otherwise would do; and presents altogether a _more_ imposing appearance. The Caffre, in his civet-cat "kaross," and the p.a.w.nee Indian, in his robe of s.h.a.ggy buffalo-hide, loom very large upon karroo and prairie,--much larger in appearance than they really are. It is but natural, therefore, to suppose that the Patagonian, attired in his guanaco mantle, and seen against the sky, standing upon the summit of a conspicuous cliff, would present a truly gigantic appearance.

When first seen in this position he was on foot. It was in the year 1520,--before the Spaniards had set foot upon South-American soil,--and of course before the horse became naturalised to that continent. In less than thirty years afterward, he appeared upon these same cliffs bestriding a steed: for this n.o.ble animal had extended his range over the plains of America,--even at an earlier period than his European owner. When the Spaniards, in their after-attempts at conquering the Indians of the Pampas and those of the northern prairies, entered upon these great plains, they encountered, to their great astonishment, their red enemies upon horseback, brandis.h.i.+ng long lances, and managing fiery chargers with a skill equal to their own!

Among the earliest tribes that obtained possession of the horse, were those of the Pampas: since the first of these animals that ran wild on the plains of America were those landed in the La Plata expedition of Mendoza,--whence they became scattered over the adjacent pampas of Buenos Ayres.

From the banks of the La Plata, the horse pa.s.sed rapidly southward to the Straits of Magellan; and from that hour the Patagonian walked no more. With the exception of a spur,--usually a sharp stick of wood, upon his heel,--the only additional article of his "wear," the horse has made no change in his costume, nor in the fas.h.i.+on of his toilet. He still paints his face, as Magellan first saw it,--with a white ring encircling one eye, and a black or red one around the other; with one half of his body coloured black, and a white sun delineated upon it, while the other half is white, forming the "ground" for a black moon!

Scarce two individuals, however, wear the same escutcheon; for the fas.h.i.+on of having eyes, arms, and legs of two different colours--just as our ancestors used to wear their doublets and hose--is that followed by the Patagonians.

Notwithstanding this queer custom,--usually regarded as savage,--it would be unjust to call the Patagonian a _savage_. If we overlook the circ.u.mstance of his painting himself,--which, after all, is scarce more absurd than numberless practices of civilised life,--if we excuse him for too scantily covering the nakedness of his person, and relis.h.i.+ng his food a little "underdone," we find little else, either in his habits or his moral nature that would ent.i.tle him to be termed a savage. On the contrary, from all the testimony that can be obtained,--in all the intercourse which white men have had with him,--there is scarce an act recorded, that would hinder his claim to being considered as civilised as they. Honourable and amiable, brave and generous, he has ever proved himself; and never has he exhibited those traits of vindictive ferocity supposed to be characteristic of the untutored man. He has not even harboured malice for the wrongs done him by the unprincipled adventurer Magellan: who, in his treatment of these people, proved himself more of a savage than they. But the Patagonian restrained his vengeance; and apparently burying the outrage in oblivion, has ever since that time treated the white man with a generous and dignified friends.h.i.+p. Those who have been s.h.i.+pwrecked upon his solitary sh.o.r.es, have had no reason to complain of the treatment they have received at his hands. He is neither cannibal, nor yet barbarian,--but in truth a gentleman,--or, if you prefer it, a _gentleman savage_.

But how does this gentleman maintain himself? We have already seen that he is not a fisherman,--for he owns no species of boat; and without that his chances of capturing fish would be slight and uncertain. We have stated, moreover, that his country is a sterile desert; and so it is,-- producing only the scantiest of herbage; neither plant, nor tree, that would furnish food; and incapable of being cultivated with any success.

But he does not attempt cultivation,--he has no knowledge of it; nor is it likely he would feel the inclination, even if tempted by the most fertile soil. Neither is he pastoral in his habits: he has no flocks nor herds. The horse and dog are his only domestic animals; and these he requires for other purposes than food. The former enables him to pa.s.s easily over the wide tracts of his sterile land, and both a.s.sist him in the chase,--which is his true and only calling. One of the chief objects of his pursuit is the ostrich; and he eats the flesh of this fine desert bird. He eats it, whenever he can procure it; but he could not live solely upon such food: since he could not obtain it in sufficient quant.i.ty; and were this bird the only means he had for supplying his larder, he would soon be in danger of starvation. True, the ostrich lays a great many eggs, and brings forth a large brood of young; but there are a great many hungry mouths, and a great many large stomachs among the Patagonian people. The ostrich could never supply them all; and were it their only resource, the bird would soon disappear from the plains of Patagonia, and, perhaps, the race of Patagonian giants along with it.

Fortunately for the Patagonian, his country furnishes him with another kind of game, from which he obtains a more sufficient supply; and that is the guanaco. Behold yonder herd of stately creatures! There are several hundreds of them in all. Their bodies are covered with long, woolly hair of a reddish-brown colour. If they had antlers upon their heads, you might mistake them for stags,--for they are just about the size of the male of the red deer. But they have no horns; and otherwise they are unlike these animals,--in their long slender necks, and coat of woolly hair. They are not deer of any kind,--they are _guanacos_.

These, then, are the herds of the Patagonian Indian; they are the game he chiefly pursues; and their flesh the food, upon which he is mainly subsisted.

I need not here give the natural history of the guanaco. Suffice it to say that it is one of the four (perhaps five) species of _llamas_ or "camel-sheep" peculiar to the continent of South America,--the other three of which are the _vicuna_, the true _llama_, and the _paco_, or _alpaca_. The llama and alpaca are domesticated; but the vicuna, the most graceful of all, exists only in a wild state, like the guanaco.

The four kinds inhabit the tablelands of the Andes, from Colombia to Chili; but the guanaco has extended its range across to the Atlantic side of the continent: this only in the territory south of the La Plata River. On the plains of Patagonia it is the characteristic quadruped: rarely out of sight, and usually seen in herds of twenty or thirty individuals; but sometimes in large droves, numbering as many as five hundred. There the puma--after the Indian of course--is its greatest enemy,--and the _debris_ of _his_ feast const.i.tutes the food of the vultures and vulture-eagles,--thus accounting for the presence of these great birds in such a desert land.

The guanaco is among the shyest of quadrupeds; and its capture would be difficult to any one unacquainted with its habits. But these betray them to the skilled Patagonian hunter,--who is well acquainted with every fact in the natural history of the animal.

The Patagonian mode of capturing these creatures is not without many peculiarities in hunting practice. His first care is to find out their whereabouts: for the haunts which the guanacos most affect are not the level plains, where they might be seen from afar, but rather those places where the ground is hilly or rolling. There they are to be met with, ranged in extended lines along the sides of the hills, with an old male keeping watch upon the summit of some eminence that overlooks the flock. Should the sentinel espy any danger, or even suspect it, he gives the alarm by uttering a shrill, whistling cry, somewhat resembling a neigh. On hearing this well-known signal, the others at once take to flight, and gallop straight for the side of some other hill,--where they all halt in line, and stand waiting to see if they are followed. Very often the first intimation which the hunter has of their presence, is by hearing their strange signal of flight,--which may be described as a sort of triangular cross between squealing, neighing, and whistling.

Shy as they are, and difficult to be approached, they have the strange peculiarity of losing all their senses when put into confusion. On these occasions they behave exactly like a flock of sheep: not knowing which way to ran; now das.h.i.+ng to one side, then to the other, and often rus.h.i.+ng into the very teeth of that danger from which they are trying to escape!

Knowing their stupidity in this respect, the Patagonian hunter acts accordingly. He does not go out to hunt the guanacos alone, but in company with others of his tribe, the hunting-party often comprising the whole tribe. Armed with their "chuzos,"--light cane spears of eighteen feet in length,--and mounted on their well-trained steeds, they sally forth from their encampment, and proceed to the favourite pasturing-ground of the guanacos. Their purpose is, if possible, to effect the "surround" of a whole herd; and to accomplish this, it is necessary to proceed with great skill and caution. The animals are found at length; and, by means of a deployment of dogs and hors.e.m.e.n, are driven towards some hill which may be convenient to the pasture. The instinct of the animal guiding it thither, renders this part of the performance easy enough. On reaching the hill, the guanacos dash onward, up to its summit; and there, halting in a compact crowd, make front towards their pursuers. These meanwhile have galloped into a circle,--surrounding the eminence on all sides; and, advancing upwards amidst loud yells and the yelping of their dogs, close finally around the herd, and rush forward to the attack.

The long chuzos do their work with rapidity; and, in a few minutes, numbers of the guanacos lie lifeless among the rocks. The dogs, with some men, form an outer circle of a.s.sailants; and should any guanacos escape through the line of hors.e.m.e.n, they are seized upon by the dogs, and pinned to the spot,--for it is another sheep-like trait in the character of this animal, that the moment a dog--even though he be the merest cur--seizes hold of it, it neither attempts further flight nor resistance, but remains "pinned" to the spot as if under a paralysis of terror. They sometimes give battle, however, though never to a dog; and their mode of a.s.sault is by kicking behind them,--not with their hoofs as horses do, but with the knee-joints, the hind legs being both raised at once. Among themselves the males fight terrible battles: biting each other with their teeth, and often inflicting cruel lacerations.

Strange to say, when the guanacos are found solitary, or only two or three together, they are far less shy than when a.s.sembled in large herds. At such times, the feeling of curiosity seems stronger than that of fear within them; and the hunter can easily approach within a dozen paces of one, by simply cutting a few capers, or holding up something that may be new to it,--such as a strip of coloured rag, or some showy article of any kind. It was by such devices that the Patagonian captured these creatures, before possession of the horse enabled him to effect their destruction in the more wholesale fas.h.i.+on of the "surround."

By tumbling about over the ground, he was enabled to bring the game within reach,--not of his bow and arrows; nor yet of his long spear,-- for he did not use it for such a purpose,--and, of course, not of a gun, for he never had heard of such a weapon. Within reach of what then? Of a weapon peculiarly his own,--a weapon of singular construction and deadly effect; which he knew how to employ before ever the white man came upon his sh.o.r.es, and which the Spaniards who dwell in the Pampas country have found both pride and profit in adopting. This weapon is the "bolas."

It is simple and easily described. Two round stones,--the women make them round by grinding the one against the other,--two round stones are covered with a piece of guanaco raw hide, presenting very much the appearance of cricket-b.a.l.l.s, though of unequal size,--one being considerably smaller than the other. Two thongs are cut; and one end of each is firmly attached to one of the b.a.l.l.s.

The other ends of the thongs are knotted to each other; and when the strings are at full stretch, the b.a.l.l.s will then be about eight feet apart,--in other words, each thong should be four feet in length. The bolas are now made, and ready for use. The chief difficulty in their manufacture lies in the rounding of the stones; which, as above observed, is the work of the women; and at least two days are required to grind a pair of bola-stones to the proper spherical shape. To handle them requires long practice; and this the Patagonian has had: for, ever since the young giant was able to stand upon his feet, he has been in the habit of playing with the bolas. They have been the toy of his childhood; and to display skill in their management has been the pride of his boyish days; therefore, on arriving at full maturity, no wonder he exhibits great dexterity in their use. He can then project them to a distance of fifty yards,--with such precision as to strike the legs of either man or quadruped, and with such force, that the thong not only whips itself around the object struck, but often leaves a deep weal in the skin and flesh. The mode of throwing them is well-known. The right hand only is used; and this grasps the thongs at their point of union, about halfway between the ends. The b.a.l.l.s are then whirled in a circular motion around the head; and, when sufficient centrifugal power has been obtained, the weapon is launched at the object to be captured.

The aim is a matter of nice calculation,--in which arm, eye, and mind, all bear a part,--and so true is this aim, in Patagonian practice, that the hunter seldom fails to bring down or otherwise cripple his game,--be it ostrich, cavy, or guanaco.

By these bolas, then, did the Patagonian hunter capture the guanaco and ostrich in times past; and by the same weapon does he still capture them: for he can use it even better on horseback than on foot. Either the bird or the quadruped, within fifty yards, has no chance of escape from his unerring aim.

The bolas, in some districts, have been improved upon by the introduction of a third ball; but this the Patagonian does not consider an _improvement_. Wooden b.a.l.l.s are sometimes employed; and iron ones, where they can be had,--the last sort can be projected to the greatest distance.

The Patagonian takes the young guanacos alive; and brings them up in a state of domestication. The little creatures may often be observed, standing outside the tents of a Patagonian encampment,--either tied by a string, or held in hand by some "infant giant" of the tribe. It is not solely for the pleasure of making pets of them, that the young guanacos are thus cherished; nor yet to raise them for food. The object aimed at has a very different signification. These young guanacos are intended to be used as _decoys_: for the purpose of attracting their own relatives,--fathers, mothers, sisters, brothers, uncles, and aunts, even to the most distant thirty-second cousins.h.i.+p,--within reach of the terrible bolas!

This is effected by tying the innocent little creature to some bush,-- behind which the hunter conceals himself,--and then imitating the mother's call; which the Indian hunter can do with all the skill of a ventriloquist. The young captive responds with the plaintive cry of captivity,--the parents are soon attracted to the spot, and fall victims to their instinct of natural affection. Were it not for this, and similar stratagems adopted by the Patagonian hunter, he would pursue the guanaco in vain. Even with the help of his pack of dogs, and mounted upon the fleet Spanish horse, the guanaco cannot be hunted with success.

Nature, in denying to these animals almost every means of defence, has also bestowed upon them a gift which enables them to escape from many kinds of danger. Of mild and inoffensive habits,--defenceless as the hare,--they are also possessed of a like swiftness. Indeed, there is perhaps no quadruped--not even the antelope--that can get over the ground as speedily as the guanaco or its kindred species the vicuna.

Both are swift as the wind; and the eye, following either in its retreat over the level plain, or up the declivity of a hill, is deluded into the fancy that it is watching some great bird upon the wing.

There are certain seasons during which the guanaco is much more difficult to approach than at other times; but this is true of almost every species of animal,--whether bird or quadruped. Of course, the tame season is that of s.e.xual intercourse, when even the wild beasts become reckless under the influence of pa.s.sion. At other times the guanacos are generally very shy; and sometimes extremely so. It is not uncommon for a herd of them to take the alarm, and scamper off from the hunter, even before the latter has approached near enough to be himself within sight of them! They possess great keenness of scent, but it is the eye which usually proves their friend, warning them of the approach of an enemy--especially if that enemy be a man upon horseback--before the latter is aware of their proximity. Often a cloud of dust, rising afar off over the plain, is the only proof the hunter can obtain, that there was game within the range of his vision. It is a curious circ.u.mstance connected with hunting on these great plains,--both on the Pampas and in Patagonia,--that a man on foot can approach much nearer to any game than if he were mounted upon a horse. This is true not only in relation to the guanaco and ostrich, but also of the large Pampas deer (_cervus campestris_); and indeed of almost every animal that inhabits these regions. The reason is simple enough. All these creatures are accustomed to seeing their human enemy only on horseback: for "still hunting," or hunting afoot, is rarely or never practised upon the plains. Not only that, but a man on foot, would be a rare sight either to an ostrich or guanaco; and they would scarce recognise him as an enemy! Curiosity would be their leading sentiment; and, being influenced by this, the hunter _on foot_ can often approach them without difficulty. The Patagonian, knowing this peculiarity, not unfrequently takes advantage of it, to kill or capture both the bird and the quadruped.

This sentiment of the brute creation, on the plains of Patagonia, is directly the reverse of what may be observed in our own fields. The sly crow shows but little of this shyness, so long as you approach it on a horse's back; but only attempt to steal up to it on foot,--even with a thick hawthorn hedge to screen you,--and every fowler knows how wary the bird can prove itself. Some people p.r.o.nounce this _instinct_. If so, instinct and reason must be one and the same thing.

Besides hunting the guanaco, much of the Patagonian's time is spent in the chase of the ostrich; and, to circ.u.mvent this shy creature, he adopts various _ruses_. The American ostrich, or more properly _rhea_, has many habits in common with its African congener. One of these is, when pursued it runs in a straight track, and, if possible, _against_ the wind. Aware of this habit, the Patagonians pursue it on horseback,--taking the precaution to place some of their party in ambush in the direction which the bird is most likely to run. They then gallop hastily up to the line of flight, and either intercept the rhea altogether, or succeed in "hoppling" it with the bolas. The moment these touch its long legs, both are drawn suddenly together; and the bird goes down as if shot!

Drake and other voyagers have recorded the statement that the Patagonians attract the rhea within reach, by disguising themselves in a skin of this bird. This is evidently an untruth; and the error, whether wilful or otherwise, derives its origin from the fact, that a stratagem of the kind is adopted by the Bushmen of Africa to deceive the ostrich.

But what is practicable and possible between a pigmy Bushman and a gigantic African ostrich, becomes altogether impracticable and improbable, when the _dramatis persona_ are a gigantic Patagonian and an American _rhea_. Moreover, it is also worthy of remark, that the _rhea_ of the Patagonian plains is not the larger of the two species of American ostrich, but the smaller one (_rhea Darwinii_), which has been lately specifically named after the celebrated naturalist. And justly does Mr Darwin merit the honour: since he was the first to give a scientific description of the bird. He was not the first, however,--as he appears himself to believe,--to discover its existence, or to give a record of it in writing. The old Styrian monk, Dobrizhoffer, two centuries before Mr Darwin was born, in his "History of the Abipones"

clearly points to the fact that there were two distinct species of the "avestruz," or South-American ostrich.

Mr Darwin, however, has confirmed Dobrizhoffer's account; and brought both birds home with him; and he, who chooses to reflect upon the subject, will easily perceive how impossible it would be for a Patagonian to conceal his bulky _corpus_ under the skin of a _rhea Darwinii, or even_ that of its larger congener, the _rhea Americana_.

The skin of either would be little more than large enough to form a cap for the _colossus_ of the Patagonian plains.

In the more fertile parts of Patagonia, the large deer (_cervus campestris_) is found. These are also hunted by the Patagonian, and their flesh is esteemed excellent food; not, however, until it has lain several days buried underground,--for it requires this funereal process, to rid it of the rank, goat-like smell, so peculiar to the species. The mode of hunting this deer--at least that most likely to insure success-- is by stealing forward to it on foot.