by Mayne Reid
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN.
HUNTING THE VICUNA.
During our next day's march the only incident that befel us was thebreaking of our waggon-tongue, which delayed our journey. There wasplenty of good hickory-wood near the place, and Jake, with a little helpfrom Redwood and Ike and Lanty, soon spliced it again, making itstronger than ever. Of course it shortened our journey for the day, andwe encamped at the end of a ten miles' march. Strange to say, on thewhole ten miles we did not meet with a single animal to give us a littlesport, or to form the subject of our camp talk.
We were not without a subject, however, as our English friend proposedgiving us an account of the mode of hunting the vicuna, and the detailsof a week's hunting he had enjoyed upon the high table-lands of thePeruvian Andes. He also imparted to our camp-fire circle muchinformation about the different species of that celebrated animal thellama or "camel-sheep" of Peru, which proved extremely interesting, notonly to the old hunter-naturalist, but to the "mountain-men," to whomthis species of game, as well as the mode of hunting it, was somethingnew.
Thompson began his narrative as follows:--"When Pizarro and hisSpaniards first climbed the Peruvian Andes, they were astonished atseeing a new and singular species of quadrupeds, the camel-sheep, socalled from their resemblance to these two kinds of animals. They sawthe `llama' domesticated and trained to carrying burdens, and the`alpaca,' a smaller species, reared on account of its valuable fleece.
"But there were still two other species of these odd animals onlyobserved in a wild state, and in the more desolate and uninhabited partsof the Cordilleras. These were the `guanaco' and `vicuna.'
"Up to a very late period the guanaco was believed to be the llama inits wild state, and by some the llama run wild. This, however, is notthe case. The four species, llama, alpaca, guanaco, and vicuna as quitedistinct from each other, and although the guanaco can be tamed andtaught to carry burdens, its labour is not of sufficient value to renderthis worth while. The alpaca is never used as a beast of burden. Itsfleece is the consideration for which it is domesticated and reared, andits wool is much finer and more valuable than that of the llama.
"The guanaco is, perhaps, the least prized of the four, as its fleece isof indifferent quality, and its flesh is not esteemed. The vicuna, onthe contrary, yields a wool which is eagerly sought after, and which inthe Andes towns will sell for at least five times its weight in alpacawool. Ponchos woven out of it are deemed the finest made, and commandthe fabulous price of 20 pounds or 30 pounds sterling. A richproprietor in the cordilleras is often seen with such a poncho, and thequality of the garment, the length of time it will turn rain, etcetera,are favourite subjects of conversation with the wearers of them. Ofcourse everybody in those parts possesses one, as everybody in Englandor the United States must have a great coat; but the ponchos of thepoorer classes of Peruvians--the Indian labourers, shepherds, andminers--are usually manufactured out of the coarse wool of the llama.Only the `ricos' can afford the beautiful fabric of the vicuna's fleece.
"The wool of the vicuna being so much in demand, it will be easilyconceived that hunting the animal is a profitable pursuit; and so it is.In many parts of the Andes there are regular vicuna hunters, while, inother places, whole tribes of Peruvian Indians spend a part of everyyear in the chase of this animal and the guanaco. When we go farthersouth, in the direction of Patagonia, we find other tribes who subsistprincipally upon the guanaco, the vicuna, and the rhea or South-Americanostrich.
"Hunting the vicuna is by no means an easy calling. The hunter mustbetake himself to the highest and coldest regions of the Andes--far fromcivilised life, and far from its comforts. He has to encamp in the openair, and sleep in a cave or a rude hut, built by his own hands. He hasto endure a climate as severe as a Lapland winter, often in places wherenot a stick of wood can be procured, and where he is compelled to cookhis meals with the dry ordure of wild cattle.
"If not successful in the chase he is brought to the verge ofstarvation, and must have recourse to roots and berries--a few speciesof which, such as the tuberous root `maca,' are found growing in theseelevated regions. He is exposed, moreover, to the perils of theprecipice, the creaking `soga' bridge, the slippery path, and the hoarserushing torrent--and these among the rugged Cordilleras of the Andes areno mean dangers. A life of toil, exposure, and peril is that of thevicuna hunter.
"During my travels in Peru I had resolved to enjoy the sport of huntingthe vicuna. For this purpose I set out from one of the towns of theLower Sierra, and climbed up the high region known as the `Puna,' orsometimes as the `Despoblado' (the uninhabited region).
"I reached at length the edge of a plain to which I had mounted by manya weary path--up many a dark ravine. I was twelve or fourteen thousandfeet above sea level, and although I had just parted from the land ofthe palm-tree and the orange, I was now in a region cold and sterile.Mountains were before and around me--some bleak and dark, others shiningunder a robe of snow, and still others of that greyish hue as if snowhad freshly fallen upon them, but not enough to cover their stonysurface. The plain before me was several miles in circumference. Itwas only part of a system of similar levels separated from each other byspurs of the mountains. By crossing a ridge another comes in view, adeep cleft leads you into a third, and so on.
"These table plains are too cold for the agriculturist. Only the cerealbarley will grow there, and some of those hardy roots--the natives of anarctic zone. But they are covered with a sward of grass--the `ycha'grass, the favourite food of the llamas--and this renders themserviceable to man. Herds of half-wild cattle may be seen, tended bytheir wilder-looking shepherds. Flocks of alpacas, female llamas withtheir young, and long-tailed Peruvian sheep, stray over them, and tosome extent relieve their cheerless aspect. The giant vulture--thecondor, wheels above all, or perches on the jutting rock. Here andthere, in some sheltered nook, may be seen the dark mud hut of the`vaquero' (cattle herd), or the man himself, with his troop of savagecurs following at his heels, and this is all the sign of habitation orinhabitant to be met with for hundreds of miles. This bleak land, upamong the mountain tops of the Andes, as I have already said, is calledthe `Puna.'
"The Puna is the favourite haunt of the vicuna, and, of course, the homeof the vicuna hunter. I had directions to find one of these hunters,and an introduction to him when found, and after spending the night at ashepherd's hut, I proceeded next morning in search of him--some tenmiles farther into the mountains.
"I arrived at the house, or rather hovel, at an early hour.Notwithstanding, my host had been abroad, and was just returned withfull hands, having a large bundle of dead animals in each. They werechinchillas and viscachas, which he had taken out of his snares setovernight. He said that most of them had been freshly caught, as theirfavourite time of coming out of their dens to feed is just beforedaybreak.
"These two kinds of animals, which in many respects resemble ourrabbits, also resemble each other in habits. They make their nests increvices of the rocks, to which they retreat, when pursued, as rabbitsto their burrows. Of course, they are snared in a very similar manner--by setting the snares upon, their tracks, and at the entrances to theirholes. One difference I noted. The Peruvian hunter used snares made oftwisted horse-hair, instead of the spring wire employed by ourgamekeepers and poachers. The chinchilla is a much more beautifulcreature than the viscacha, and is a better-known animal, its soft andbeautifully-marbled fur being an article of fashionable wear in thecities of Europe.
"As I approached his hut, the hunter had just arrived with the night'sproduce of his snares, and was hanging them up to the side of thebuilding, skinning them one by one. Not less than half a score ofsmall, foxy-looking dogs were around him--true native dogs of thecountry.
"Of the disposition of these creatures I was soon made aware. No soonerhad they espied me, than with angry yelps the whole pack ran forward tomeet me, and came barking and grinning close around the feet of myhorse. Several of them sprang upward at
my legs, and would, no doubt,have bitten them, had I not suddenly raised my feet up to the withers,and for some time held them in that position. I have no hesitation insaying that had I been afoot, I should have been badly torn by the curs;nor do I hesitate to say, that of all the dogs in the known world, thesePeruvian mountain dogs are the most vicious and spiteful. They willbite even the friends of their own masters, and very often their mastersthemselves have to use the stick to keep them in subjection. I believethe dogs found among many tribes of your North-American Indians have avery similar disposition, though by no means to compare in fiercenessand savage nature with their cousins of the cold Puna.
"The masters of these dogs are generally Indians, and it is a strangefact, that they are much more spiteful towards the whites than Indians.It is difficult for a white man to get on friendly terms with them.
"After a good deal of kicking and cuffing, my host succeeded in makinghis kennel understand that I had not come there to be eaten up. I thenalighted from my horse, and walked (I should say crawled) inside thehut.
"This was, as I have already stated, a mere hovel. A circular wall ofmud and stone, about five feet high, supported a set of poles thatserved as rafters. These poles were the flower stalks of the greatAmerican aloe, or maguey-plant--the only thing resembling wood that grewnear. Over these was laid a thick layer of Puna grass, which was tiedwith strong ropes of the same material, to keep it from flying off whenthe wind blew violently, which it there often does. A few blocks ofstone in the middle of the floor constituted the fireplace, and thesmoke got out the best way it could through a hole in the roof.
"The owner of this mansion was a true Indian, belonging to one of thosetribes of the mountains that could not be said ever to have beenconquered by the Spaniards. Living in remote districts, many of thesepeople never submitted to the _repartimientos_, yet a sort of religiousconquest was made of some of them by the missionaries, thus bringingthem under the title of `Indios mansos' (tame Indians), incontradistinction to the `Indios bravos,' or savage tribes, who remainunconquered and independent to this day.
"As already stated, I had come by appointment to share the day's hunt.I was invited to partake of breakfast. My host, being a bachelor, washis own cook, and some parched maize and `macas,' with a roastedchinchilla, furnished the repast.
"Fortunately, I carried with me a flask of Catalan brandy; and this,with a cup of water from the icy mountain spring, rendered our meal morepalatable I was not without some dry tobacco, and a husk to roll it in,so that we enjoyed our cigar; but what our hunter enjoyed still more wasa `coceada,' for he was a regular chewer of `coca.' He carried hispouch of chinchilla skin filled with the dried leaves of the coca plant,and around his neck was suspended the gourd bottle, filled with burntlime and ashes of the root of the `molle' tree.
"All things arranged, we started forth. It was to be a `still' hunt,and we went afoot, leaving our horses safely tied by the hut. TheIndian took with him only one of his dogs--a faithful and trusty one, onwhich, he could rely.
"We skirted the plain, and struck into a defile in the mountains. Itled upwards, among rocky boulders. A cold stream gurgled in its bottom,now and then leaping over low falls, and churned into foam. At timesthe path was a giddy one, leading along narrow ledges, rendered moreperilous by the frozen snow, that lay to the depth of several inches.Our object was to reach the level of a plain still higher, where mycompanion assured me we should be likely to happen upon a herd ofvicunas.
"As we climbed among the rocks, my eye was attracted by a moving object,higher up. On looking more attentively, several animals were seen, oflarge size, and reddish-brown colour. I took them at first for deer, asI was thinking of that animal. I saw my mistake in a moment. They werenot deer, but creatures quite as nimble. They were bounding from rockto rock, and running along the narrow ledges with the agility of thechamois. These must be the vicunas, thought I.
"`No,' said my companion; `guanacos--nothing more.'
"I was anxious to have a shot at them.
"`Better leave them now,' suggested the hunter; `the report wouldfrighten the vicunas, if they be in the plain--it is near. I know theseguanacos. I know where they will retreat to--a defile close by--we canhave a chance at them on our return.'
"I forbore firing, though I certainly deemed the guanacos within shot,but the hunter was thinking of the more precious skin of the vicunas,and we passed on. I saw the guanacos run for a dark-looking cleftbetween two mountain spurs.
"`We shall find them in there,' muttered my companion, `that is theirhaunt.'
"Noble game are these guanacos--large fine animals--noble game as thered deer himself. They differ much from the vicunas. They herd only insmall numbers, from six to ten or a dozen: while as many as four timesthis number of vicunas may be seen together. There are essential pointsof difference in the habits of the two species. The guanacos aredwellers among the rocks, and are most at home when bounding from cliffto cliff, and ledge to ledge. They make but a poor run upon the levelgrassy plain, and their singular contorted hoofs seem to be adapted fortheir favourite haunts. The vicunas, on the contrary, prefer the smoothturf of the table plains, over which they dart with the swiftness of thedeer. Both are of the same family of quadrupeds, but with this veryessential difference--the one is a dweller of the level plain, the otherof the rocky declivity; and nature has adapted each to its respective_habitat_."
Here the narrator was interrupted by the hunter-naturalist, who statedthat he had observed this curious fact in relation to other animals of avery different genus, and belonging to the _fauna_ of North America."The animals I speak of," said he, "are indigenous to the region of theRocky Mountains, and well-known to our trapper friends here. They arethe big horn (_Ovis montana_) and the prong-horned antelope (_A.furcifer_). The big horn is usually denominated a sheep, though itpossesses far more of the characteristics of the deer and antelopefamilies. Like the chamois, it is a dweller among the rocky cliffs anddeclivities, and only there does it feel at home, and in the fullenjoyment of its faculties for security. Place it upon a level plain,and you deprive it of confidence, and render its capture comparativelyeasy. At the base of these very cliffs on which the _Ovis montana_disports itself, roams the prong-horn, not very dissimilar either inform, colour, or habits; and yet this creature, trusting to its heelsfor safety, feels at home and secure only on the wide open plain whereit can see the horizon around it! Such is the difference in the mode oflife of two species of animals almost cogenerie, and I am not surprisedto hear you state that a somewhat like difference exists between theguanaco and vicuna."
The hunter-naturalist was again silent, and the narrator continued.
"A few more strides up the mountain pass brought us to the edge of theplain, where we expected to see the vicunas. We were not disappointed.A herd was feeding upon it, though at a good distance off. A beautifulsight they were, quite equalling in grace and stateliness the lordlydeer. In fact, they might have passed for the latter to an unpractisedeye, particularly at that season when deer are `in the red.' Indeed thevicuna is more deer-like than any other animal except the antelope--muchmore so than its congeners the llama, alpaca, or guanaco. Its form isslender, and its gait light and agile, while the long tapering neck andhead add to the resemblance. The colour, however, is peculiarly itsown, and any one accustomed to seeing the vicuna can distinguish theorange-red of its silky coat at a glance, and at a great distance. Sopeculiar is it, that in Peru the `_Colour de vicuna_' (vicuna colour)has become a specific name.
"My companion at once pronounced the animals before us a herd ofvicunas. There were about twenty in all, and all except one werequietly feeding on the grassy plain. This one stood apart, his longneck raised high in air, and his head occasionally turning from side toside, as though he was keeping watch for the rest. Such was in fact theduty he was performing; he was the leader of the herd--the patriarch,husband and father of the flock. All the others were ewes or youngones. So affirmed m
y companion.
"The vicuna is polygamous--fights for his harem with desperatefierceness, watches over its number while they feed or sleep, choosesthe ground for browsing and rest--defends them against enemies--headsthem in the advance, and covers their retreat with his own `person'--such is the domestic economy of the vicuna.
"`Now, senor,' said the hunter, eyeing the herd, `if I could only killhim (he pointed to the leader) I would have no trouble with the rest. Ishould get every one of them.'
"`How?' I inquired.
"`Oh!--they would!--ha! The very thing I wished for!'
"`What?'
"`They are heading towards yonder rocks.' He pointed to a clump ofrocky boulders that lay isolated near one side of the plain--`let us getthere, comrade--_vamos_!'
"We stole cautiously round the edge of the mountain until the rocks laybetween us and the game; and then crouched forward and took our positionamong them. We lay behind a jagged boulder, whose seamed outline lookedas if it had been designed for loop-hole firing. It was just the coverwe wanted.
"We peeped cautiously through the cracks of the rock. Already thevicunas were near, almost within range of our pieces. I held in myhands a double-barrel, loaded in both barrels with large-sizedbuck-shot; my companion's weapon was a long Spanish rifle.
"I received his instructions in a whisper. I was not to shoot until hehad fired. Both were to aim at the leader. About this he wasparticular, and I promised obedience.
"The unconscious herd drew near. The leader, with the long white silkyhair hanging from his breast, was in the advance, and upon him the eyesof both of us were fixed. I could observe his glistening orbs, and hisattitude of pride, as he turned at intervals to beckon his followers on.
"`I hope he has got the worms,' muttered my companion; `if he has, he'llcome to rub his hide upon the rocks.'
"Some such intention was no doubt guiding the vicuna, for at that momentit stretched forth its neck, and trotted a few paces towards us. Itsuddenly halted. The wind was in our favour, else we should have beenscented long ago. But we were suspected. The creature halted, threw upits head, struck the ground with its hoof, and uttered a strange cry,somewhat resembling the whistling of a deer. The echo of that cry wasthe ring of my companion's rifle, and I saw the vicuna leap up and falldead upon the plain.
"I expected the others to break off in flight, and was about to fire atthem though they were still at long range. My companion prevented me.
"`Hold!' he whispered, `you'll have a better chance--see there!--now, ifyou like, Senor!'
"To my surprise, the herd, instead of attempting to escape, cametrotting up to where the leader lay, and commenced running around atintervals, stooping over the body, and uttering plaintive cries.
"It was a touching sight, but the hunter is without pity for what hedeems his lawful game. In an instant I had pulled both triggers, andboth barrels had sent forth their united and deadly showers.
"Deadly indeed--when the smoke blew aside, nearly half of the herd wereseen lying quiet or kicking on the plain.
"The rest remained as before! another ring of the long rifle, andanother fell--another double detonation of the heavy deer-gun, andseveral came to the ground; and so continued the alternate fire ofbullets and shot, until the whole herd were strewn dead and dying uponthe ground!
"Our work was done--a great day's work for my companion, who wouldrealise nearly a hundred dollars for the produce of his day's sport.
"This, however, he assured me was a very unusual piece of good luck.Often for days and even weeks, he would range the mountains withoutkilling a single head--either vicuna or guanaco, and only twice beforehad he succeeded in thus making a _battue_ of a whole herd. Once he hadapproached a flock of vicunas disguised in the skin of a guanaco, andkilled most of them before they thought of retreating.
"It was necessary for us to return to the hut for our horses in order tocarry home the game, and this required several journeys to be made. Tokeep off the wolves and condors my companion made use of a very simpleexpedient, which I believe is often used in the North--among yourprairie trappers here. Several bladders were taken from the vicunas andinflated. They were then tied upon poles of maguey, and set uprightover the carcasses, so as to dangle and dance about in the wind.Cunning as is the Andes wolf this `scare' is sufficient to keep him off,as well as his ravenous associate, the condor.
"It was quite night when we reached the Indian hut with our last load.Both of us were wearied and hungry, but a fresh vicuna cutlet, washeddown by the Catalan, and followed by a cigarette, made us forget ourfatigues. My host was more than satisfied with his day's work, andpromised me a guanaco hunt for the morrow."