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shelter their ever-watchful enemy. Condors, also, and fierce
little wild cats* help to prevent too great an increase of this
beautiful, inoffensive, and useful animal.
Late on the 4th we returned to our tents, thoroughly tired
by a daily succession of hard work, and long walks. At this
bivouac we were ahout one hundred and forty miles, in a
straight line, from the estuary of Santa Cruz, or from Weddell
Bluif; and about two hundred and forty-five miles distant
by the course of the river. Our station at noon on the
4th, was eight miles in a straight line farther westward, and
about thirty miles from the Cordillera of the Andes. The
height of those mountains was from five to seven thousand feet
above our level, by angular measurement with a theodolite.
Larly on the 5th we began the rapid descent. Sometimes the
wind favoured, and we passed the land at the rate of ten knots
an hour ; sometimes dangerous places obliged us to turn the
boat’s head to the stream, pull against it, and so drop down
between the rocks. Though easy, the return was far more
dangerous than our ascent of the river.
5th. Our first day’s work in returning was a distance of eighty-
five miles, which had cost us six days hard labour in ascending.
Next day we made good about eighty-two miles ; and on the
7th we reached the salt water. Although we made such
quick progress in returning, our halts for observations were
similar to those made in going. While descending the rapid
stream, so quickly and quietly, we saw many more guanacoes
and ostriches than we had seen before; but our flying shots
only frightened them, and time was too precious to admit of
any delay. Only one fish was got, and that was a dead one,
which had been left on the bank: it was similar to a trout.
Not more than half a dozen live fish were seen, and none could
he caught either with hooks or nets. Leaving a very small
party near Weddell Bluff to look for guanacoes, I hastened on
hoard with the hoats; and with the ebb tide reached the Beagle
before noon on the 8th. The ship being ready for sea, except-
• Though the wild cat could not injure a full-grown animal, it might
destroy a young one with great ease.
ing a ton or two of fresh water, the yawl and cutter were dispatched
to get it and bring on board the shooting party. During
my absence satisfactory observations on the tides had been
made, which showed that the neap tides rise about eighteen
feet, and the springs from thirty-eight to forty-two feet. One
day when walking through a woody ravine, not far from the
anchorage, Mr. Stewart saw a puma lying under a bush, glaring
at him : taking a steady aim, he fired, and laid the animal
dead. It was a very large one; and the skin is now in the British
Museum. The moment of thus looking a lion in the face, while
taking aim, at only a few yards distance, must be somewhat
trying to the nerves, I should imagine. A beautiful wild cat
was also added to our collections, besides condors and foxes.
9th. The boats, and shooting party, arrived with water and
two guanacoes. As the sportsmen were returning with their
burthens on the preceding evening, darkness overtook them
while yet distant from their tent; and they were soon made
uncomfortably* conscious that an enemy was at hand, for the
strong and peculiar smell of a lion warned them that one was
near. , They trudged on with their cargoes, talking to one
another; but the scent was still strong until they approached
the fire, which had been kept up by their companion, when it
ceased entirely. Such a weight as a lion’s, added suddenly to
that of a guanaco, would have been rather distressing.
We were detained for a day or two by an overcast sky, which
prevented my obtaining equal altitudes; but on the 12th the
Beagle left the Santa Cruz, and stood towards the alleged place
of the shoal, or rock, called ‘Aigle,’ not far from the westernmost
of the Falkland Islands. No such danger, nor any sign of
shallow water being found, but, on the contrary, no bottom with
one hundred fathoms of line, we steered towards Magalhaens
Strait, and on the 18th anchored off Cape Virgins. Next mom
mg I landed on the Cape, taking Mr. Darwin arid Mr. Stokes
with me, and remained till after the noon observation, when
returning on board, the Beagle weighed and sailed to another
station. From this time (till the 25th) we were busily em-
Being- only two in number.
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