214 PA TA G O N IA . April, 1834.
ward. This valley varies from five to ten miles in breadth;
it is bounded by step-formed terraces, which rise in most
parts one above the other to the height of five hundred feet,
and have on the opposite sides a remarkable correspondence.
A p r i l 1 9 t h .—Against so strong a current, it was of
course quite impossible to row or sail. Consequently the
three boats were fastened together head and stern, two
hands left in each, and the rest came on shore to track.
As the general arrangements, made by Captain FitzRoy, were
very good for facilitating the work of all, and as all had a
share of it, I wiU describe the system. The party, including
every one, was divided into two spells, each of which hauled
at the tracking line alternately for an hour and a half. The
officers of each boat lived with, ate the same food, and slept in
the same tent with their crew, so that each boat was quite
independent of the others. After sunset, the first level spot
where any bushes were growing, was chosen for our night’s
lodging. Each of the crew took it in turns to be cook. Immediately
the boat was hauled up, the cook made his fire;
two others pitched the te n t; the coxswain handed the things
out of the boat; the rest carried them up to the tents, and
collected firewood. By this order, in half an hour, every
thing was ready for the night. A watch of two men and an
officer was always kept, whose duty it was to look after the
boats, keep up the fire, and guard against Indians. Each
in the party had his one hour every night.
During this day we tracked but a short distance, for there
were many islets, covered by thorny bushes, and the channels
between them were shallow.
A p r i l 2 0 t h .—We passed the islands and set to work.
Our regular day’s march, although it was hard enough, carried
us on an average only ten miles in a straight line, and
perhaps fifteen or twenty altogether. Beyond the place
where we slept last night the country is completely terra
incognita, for it was there that Captain Stokes turned back.
We saw in the distance a great smoke, and found the skeleton
of a horse, so we knew that Indians were in the neigh-
I
April, 1834. SA N T A C R C Z .
bourhood. On the next morning (21st) tracks of a party of
horse, and marks left by the trailing of the chuzos were observed
on the ground. It was generally thought they must
have reconnoitred us during the night. Shortly afterwards
we came to a spot, where from the fresh footsteps of men,
children, and horses, it was evident the party had crossed the
river.
A p r i l 2 2 d .— The country remained the same, and was
extremely uninteresting. The complete simUarity of the productions
throughout Patagonia, is one of its most striking
characters. The level plains of arid shingle support the same
stunted and dwarf plants; and in the valleys the same thorn-
bearing bushes grow. Every where we see the same birds
and insects. Even the very banks of the river, and of the
clear streamlets which entered it, were scarcely enlivened
by a brighter tint of green. The curse of sterility is on the
land, and the water flowing over a bed of pebbles partakes of
the same curse. Plence the number of waterfowl is very
scanty; for what is there to support life in the stream of this
barren river ?
Patagonia, poor as she is in some respects, can, however,
boast of a greater stock of small rodents* than, perhap, any
other country in the world. Several species of mice are
externally characterized by large thin ears and a very fine fur.
These little animals swarm amongst the thickets in the valleys,
where they cannot for months together taste a drop of
water. They all seem to be cannibals, for no sooner was a
mouse caught in one of my traps than it was devoured by
others. A small and delicately-shaped fox, which is likewise
very abundant, probably derives its entire support from
these small animals. The guanaco is also in his proper district
; herds of fifty or a hundred were common; and, as I
have said, we saw one which must have contained at least
• T h e d e s e rts o f S y ria a re c h a ra c te r iz e d , a c co rd in g to V o ln e y (v o l. i.,
p . 3 5 1 ), b y wo o d y b u sh e s, n um e ro u s ra ts , g a z elles, a n d h a re s . I n th e
la n d s c a p e o f P a ta g o n ia , th e g u a n a co re p la c e s th e g a z elle, a n d th e a g o u ti
th e h a re .
I ' (I