Popular Adventure Tales

by Mayne Reid

  CHAPTER VIII.

  LLAMAS, ALPACOS, VICUNAS, AND GUANACOS.

  Our travellers were stirring by early break of day. As they issued fromthe hut, a singular and interesting scene presented itself to theireyes. At one view--one _coup d'oeil_--they beheld the whole four speciesof the celebrated camel-sheep of the Andes; for there are four ofthem,--llama, guanaco, alpaco, and vicuna! This was a rare sight,indeed. They were all browsing upon the open plain: first, the llamas,near the hut; then a flock of tame alpacos, out upon the plain; thirdly,a herd of seven guanacos farther off; and still more distant, a largerherd of the shy vicunas. The guanacos and vicunas were of uniformcolours,--that is, in each flock the colour of the individuals was thesame; while among the llamas and alpacos there were many varieties ofcolour. The latter two kinds were tame,--in fact, they were under thecharge of Guapo's friend the shepherd, whereas the herds of vicunas andguanacos consisted of wild animals.

  Perhaps no animal of South America has attracted so much attention asthe llama, as it was the only beast of burden the Indians had trained totheir use on the arrival of Europeans in that country. So many strangestories were told by the earlier Spanish travellers regarding this"camel-sheep," that it was natural that great interest should attach toit. These reported that the llama was used for riding. Such, however, isnot the case. It is only trained to carry burdens; although an Indianboy may be sometimes seen on the back of a llama for mischief, or whencrossing a stream and the lad does not wish to get his feet wet.

  The llama is three feet high from hoof to shoulder, though his long neckmakes him look taller. His colour is generally brown, with black andyellow shades, sometimes speckled or spotted; and there are black andwhite llamas, but these are rare. His wool is long and coarse, thoughthe females, which are smaller, have a finer and better wool. The latterare never used to carry burdens, but only kept for breeding. They arefed in flocks upon the Puna heights, and it was a flock of these thatour travellers saw near the hut.

  The males are trained to carry burdens at the age of four years. Apack-saddle, called _yergua_, woven out of course wool, is fastened onthe back, and upon this the goods are placed. The burden never exceeds120 or 130 pounds. Should a heavier one be put on, the llama, like thecamel, quite understands that he is "over-weighted," and neither coaxingnor beating will induce him to move a step. He will lie down, or, ifmuch vexed, spit angrily at his driver, and this spittle has a highlyacrid property, and will cause blisters on the skin where it touches.Sometimes a llama, over vexed by ill-treatment, has been known, indespair, to dash his brains out against a rock.

  The llamas are used much in the mines of Peru, for carrying the ore.They frequently serve better than either asses or mules, as they canpass up and down declivities where neither ass nor mule can travel. Theyare sometimes taken in long trains from the mountains down to the coastregion for salt and other goods; but on such occasions many of them die,as they cannot bear the warm climate of the lowlands. Their proper andnative place is on the higher plains of the Andes.

  A string of llamas, when on a journey, is a very interesting spectacle.One of the largest is usually the leader. The rest follow in singlefile, at a slow, measured pace, their heads ornamented tastefully withribands, while small bells, hanging around their necks, tinkle as theygo. They throw their high heads from side to side, gazing around them,and when frightened at anything, will "break ranks," and scamper out oftheir path, to be collected again with some trouble.

  When resting, they utter a low, humming noise, which has been comparedto the sound of an Eolian harp. They crouch down on their breast--wherethere is a callosity--when about to receive their burdens, and alsosleep resting in the same attitude. A halt during the day is necessary,in order that they may be fed, as these animals will not eat by night.In consequence of this they make but short journeys--ten to fifteenmiles--although they will travel for a long time, allowing them a day'srest out of every five or six. Like the camels of the East, they can godays without water, and Buffon knew one that went _eighteen months_without it! but Buffon is very poor authority. When one of them becomeswearied, and does not wish to proceed, it is exceedingly difficult tocoax him onward.

  These animals were at one time very valuable. On the discovery ofAmerica a llama cost as much as eighteen or twenty dollars. But theintroduction of mules and other beasts of burden has considerablycheapened them. At present they are sold for about four dollars in themining districts, but can be bought where they are bred and reared forhalf that amount. In the days of the Incas their flesh was much used asfood. It is still eaten; but for this purpose the common sheep ispreferred, as the flesh of the llama is spongy and not very wellflavoured. The wool is used for many sorts of coarse manufacture. Somuch for llamas. Now the "guanaco."

  This animal (whose name is sometimes written "huanaca," though thepronunciation is the same with "guanaco" or "guanaca") is larger thanthe llama, and for a long time was considered merely as the wild llama,or the llama _run wild_, in which you will perceive an essentialdistinction. It is neither, but an animal of specific difference. Itexists in a wild state in the high mountains, though, with great careand trouble, it can be domesticated and trained to carry burdens as wellas its congener the llama. In form it resembles the latter, but, as isthe case with most wild animals, the guanacos are all alike in colour.The upper parts of the body are of a reddish brown, while underneath itis a dirty white. The lips are white, and the face a dark grey. The woolis shorter than that of the llama, and of the same length all over thebody. The guanaco lives in herds of five or seven individuals, and theseare very shy, fleeing to the most inaccessible cliffs when any oneapproaches them. Like the chamois of Switzerland and the "bighorn" ofthe Rocky Mountains, they can glide along steep ledges when neither mennor dogs can find footing.

  The "alpaco," or "paco," as it is sometimes called, is one of the mostuseful of the Peruvian sheep, and is more like the common sheep than theothers. This arises from its bulkier shape, caused by its thick fleeceof long wool. The latter is soft, fine, and often five inches in length;and, as is well known, has become an important article in themanufacture of cloth. Its colour is usually either white or black,though there are some of the alpacos speckled or spotted. Ponchos arewoven out of alpaco-wool by the Indians of the Andes.

  The alpaco is a domesticated animal, like the llama, but it is not usedfor carrying burdens. It is kept in large flocks, and regularly shorn assheep are. If one of the alpacos gets separated from the flock, it willlie down and suffer itself to be beaten to death, rather than go the wayits driver wishes. You have, no doubt, sometimes seen a common sheepexhibit similar obstinacy.

  Of all the Peruvian sheep the vicuna is certainly the prettiest and mostgraceful. It has more the form of the deer or antelope than of thesheep, and its colour is so striking that it has obtained among thePeruvians the name of the animal itself, _color de vicuna_ (vicunacolour). It is of a reddish yellow, not unlike that of our domestic redcat, although the breast and under parts of the body are white. Theflesh of the vicuna is excellent eating, and its wool is of more valuethan even that of the alpaco. Where a pound of the former sells for onedollar--which is the usual price--the pound of alpaco will fetch only aquarter of that sum. Hats and the finest fabrics can be woven from thefleece of the vicuna, and the Incas used to clothe themselves in richstuffs manufactured from it. In the present day the "ricos," or richproprietors of Peru, pride themselves in possessing ponchos of vicunawool.

  The vicuna inhabits the high plains of the Andes, though, unlike theguanaco, it rarely ventures up the rocky cliffs, as its hoofs are onlycalculated for the soft turf of the plains. It roams about in largerherds than the other--eighteen or twenty in the herd--and these areusually females under the protection and guidance of one polygamous oldmale. While feeding, the latter keeps watch over the flock, usuallyposting himself at some distance, so that he may have a betteropportunity of seeing and hearing any danger that may approach. When anyis perceived, a shrill whistle from the leader a
nd a quick stroke of hishoof on the turf warn the flock; and all draw closely together, eachstretching out its head in the direction of the danger. They then taketo flight, at first slowly, but afterwards with the swiftness of theroe; while the male, true to his trust, hangs in the rear, and halts atintervals, as if to cover the retreat of the herd.

  The llama, guanaco, alpaco, and vicuna, although different species, willbreed with each other; and it is certain that some of their hybrids willagain produce young. There exist, therefore, many intermediatevarieties, or "mules," throughout the countries of the Andes, some ofwhich have been mistaken for separate species.