Through the heart of Patagonia . amount of game lived in the valley, huemules, guanacos, pumasand Cordillera wolves. The extraordinary tameness of the huemul here was, of course,accounted for by their entire ignorance of man. During mywanderings from the camp I had opportunities of making manyinteresting observations on this point. They would almostalways, if you kept still and made no attempt lo approach them,advance timidly towards you. It was in this \ alley of the Kata-rina that I met with the most remarkable instance of boldness onthe part of these animals. I have given this story in full
Through the heart of Patagonia . amount of game lived in the valley, huemules, guanacos, pumasand Cordillera wolves. The extraordinary tameness of the huemul here was, of course,accounted for by their entire ignorance of man. During mywanderings from the camp I had opportunities of making manyinteresting observations on this point. They would almostalways, if you kept still and made no attempt lo approach them,advance timidly towards you. It was in this \ alley of the Kata-rina that I met with the most remarkable instance of boldness onthe part of these animals. I have given this story in full in anotherchapter, but 1 ma\ shorth allude to it here. I was some miles fromthe camp, among thick grass and scrub, when I perceived emerg-ing from a thicket at a little distance the spiked horns and red- THE RIVER KATARINA AND LAKE PEARSON 281 brown sides of a huemul buck ; behind him were two does, halfhidden in the thicket. Findintr that they had perceived me, I lay-down on the grass and watched to see what they would do. One. CAA.^Doy OF KAIAKINA could read in their movements and attitudes the battle betweentimiditvand curiosity that was oroino- on within them. A third half-grown doe now appeared, and all four began to drift, as it were,slowly in my direction, keeping their eyes tixed upon me all thetime. Now and again they would stop, then move on a few stepsnearer, but after a long time they grew courageous enough tocome right up 10 me, and the younger doe sniffed at my boot, thenstarted back some paces, her companions naturally following herexample. I could easily have touched her w ith my hand during agood part of the time. At last the buck lowered his horns as it withthe intention of turning me over, but the sun was now sinking, andI was obliged to take m\ wa\ homewards. As I stirred thehuemules made off, but halted at a short distance to stare again atthe queer ol^ject which had for the first time in lives enteredwithin their ken. 282 THROUGH THE HEART OF PATAG
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Keywords: ., bookauthorbrittenj, bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, bookyear1902
