The Hunters' Feast Part 15

"Our work was done--a great day's work for my companion, who would realise nearly a hundred dollars for the produce of his day's sport.

"This, however, he a.s.sured me was a very unusual piece of good luck.

Often for days and even weeks, he would range the mountains without killing a single head--either vicuna or guanaco, and only twice before had he succeeded in thus making a _battue_ of a whole herd. Once he had approached a flock of vicunas disguised in the skin of a guanaco, and killed most of them before they thought of retreating.

"It was necessary for us to return to the hut for our horses in order to carry home the game, and this required several journeys to be made. To keep off the wolves and condors my companion made use of a very simple expedient, which I believe is often used in the North--among your prairie trappers here. Several bladders were taken from the vicunas and inflated. They were then tied upon poles of maguey, and set upright over the carca.s.ses, 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 a.s.sociate, 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, washed down by the Catalan, and followed by a cigarette, made us forget our fatigues. My host was more than satisfied with his day's work, and promised me a guanaco hunt for the morrow."

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN.

A CHACU OF VICUNAS.

"Well, upon the morrow," continued the Englishman, "we had our guanaco hunt, and killed several of the herd we had seen on the previous day.

There was nothing particular in regard to our mode of hunting--farther than to use all our cunning in getting within shot, and then letting fly at them.

"It is not so easy getting near the guanaco. He is among the shyest game I have ever hunted, and his position is usually so far above that of the hunter, that he commands at all times a view of the movements of the latter. The over-hanging rocks, however, help one a little, and by diligent creeping he is sometimes approached. It requires a dead shot to bring him down, for, if only wounded, he will scale the cliffs, and make off--perhaps to die in some inaccessible haunt.

"While sojourning with my hunter-friend, I heard of a singular method practised by the Indians, of capturing the vicuna in large numbers.

This was called the `chacu.'

"Of course I became very desirous of witnessing a `chacu,' and the hunter promised to gratify me. It was now the season of the year for such expeditions, and one was to come off in a few days. It was the annual hunt got up by the tribe to which my host belonged; and, of course, he, as a practised and professional hunter, was to bear a distinguished part in the ceremony.

"The day before the expedition was to set out, we repaired to the village of the tribe--a collection of rude huts, straggling along the bottom of one of the deep clefts or valleys of the Cordilleras. This village lay several thousand feet below the level of the Puna plains, and was therefore in a much warmer climate. In fact, the sugar-cane and yucca plant (_Jatropha mainhot_) were both seen growing in the gardens of the villagers, and Indian corn flourished in the fields.

"The inhabitants were `_Indios mansos_' (civilised Indians). They attended part of the year to agriculture, although the greater part of it was spent in idleness, amus.e.m.e.nts, or hunting. They had been converted--that is nominally--to Christianity; and a church with its cross was a prominent feature of the village.

"The cure, or priest, was the only white man resident in the place, and he was white only by comparison. Though of pure Spanish blood, he would have pa.s.sed for a `coloured old gentleman' in any part of Europe or the States.

"My companion introduced me to the padre, and I was at once received upon terms of intimacy. To my surprise I learnt that he was to accompany the chacu--in fact to take a leading part in it. He seemed to be as much interested in the success of the hunt as any of them--more so, perhaps, and with good reason too. I afterwards learnt why. The produce of the annual hunt was part of the padre's income. By an established law, the skins of the vicunas were the property of the church, and these, being worth on the spot at least a dollar a-piece, formed no despicable t.i.the. After hearing this I was at no loss to understand the padre's enthusiasm about the chacu. All the day before he had been bustling about among his paris.h.i.+oners, aiding them with his counsel, and a.s.sisting them in their preparations. I shared the padre's dwelling, the best in the village; his supper too--a stewed fowl, killed for the occasion, and rendered fiery hot with `aji,' or capsic.u.m. This was washed down with `chica,' and afterwards the padre and I indulged in a cigarette and a chat.

"He was a genuine specimen of the South-American missionary priest; rather more scrupulous about getting his dues than about the moral welfare of his flock; fat, somewhat greasy, fond of a good dinner, a gla.s.s of `Yea' brandy, and a cigarette. Nevertheless, his rule was patriarchal in a high degree, and he was a favourite with the simple people among whom he dwelt.

"Morning came, and the expedition set forth; not, however, until a grand ma.s.s had been celebrated in the church, and prayers offered up for the success of the hunt. The cavalcade then got under weigh, and commenced winding up the rugged path that led toward the `Altos,' or Puna heights.

We travelled in a different direction from that in which my companion and I had come.

"The expedition itself was a picturesque affair. There were horses, mules, and llamas, men, women, children, and dogs; in fact, almost every living thing in the village had turned out. A chacu is no common occasion--no one day affair. It was to be an affair of weeks. There were rude tents carried along; blankets and cooking utensils; and the presence of the women was as necessary as any part of the expedition.

Their office would be to do the cooking, and keep the camp in order! as well as to a.s.sist in the hunt.

"Strung out in admirable confusion, we climbed up the mountain--a picturesque train--the men swinging along in their coloured ponchos of llama wool, and the women dressed in bright mantas of `bayeta' (a coa.r.s.e cloth, of native manufacture). I noticed several mules and llamas packed with loads of a curious character. Some carried large bundles of rags--others were loaded with coils of rope--while several were `freighted' with short poles, tied in bunches. I had observed these cargoes being prepared before leaving the village, and could not divine the use of them. That would no doubt be explained when we had reached the scene of the chacu, and I forbore to trouble my companions with any interrogatories, as I had enough to do to guide my horse along the slippery path we were travelling.

"About a mile from the village there was a sudden halt. I inquired the cause.

"`The _huaro_,' was the reply.

"I knew the huaro to be the name of a peculiar kind of bridge, and I learnt that one was here to be crossed. I rode forward, and found myself in front of the huaro. A singular structure it was. I could scarcely believe in the practicability of our getting over it. The padre, however, a.s.sured me it was a good one, and we should all be on the other side in a couple of hours!

"I at first felt inclined to treat this piece of information as a joke: but it proved that the priest was in earnest. It was full two hours before we were all crossed with our bag and baggage.

"The huaro was nothing more than a thick, rope stretched across the chasm, and made fast at both ends. On this rope was a strong piece of wood, bent into the shape of the letter U, and fastened to a roller which rested upon the rope, and moved along it when pulled by a cord from either side. There were two cords, or ropes, attached to the roller, one leading to each side of the chasm, and their object was to drag the pa.s.senger across: of course, only one of us could be carried over at a time. No wonder we were so long in making the crossing, when there were over one hundred in all, with numerous articles of baggage.

"I shall never forget the sensations I experienced in making the pa.s.sage of the huaro. I had felt giddy enough in going over the `soga' bridges and `barbacoas' common throughout Peru, but the pa.s.sage of the huaro is really a gymnastic feat of no easy accomplishment. I was first tied, back downwards, with my back resting in the concavity of the bent wood; my legs were then crossed over the main rope--the bridge itself--with nothing to hold them there farther than my own muscular exertion. With my hands I clutched the vertical side of the wooden yoke, and was told to keep my head in as upright a position as possible. Without farther ado I felt myself jerked out until I hung in empty air over a chasm that opened at least two hundred feet beneath, and through the bottom of which a white torrent was foaming over black rocks! My ankles slipped along the rope, but the sensation was so strange, that I felt several times on the point of letting them drop off. In that case my situation would have been still more painful, as I should have depended mainly on my arms for support. Indeed, I held on tightly with both hands, as I fancied that the cord with which I had been tied to the yoke would every minute give way.

"After a good deal of jerking and hauling, I found myself on the opposite side, and once more on my feet!

"I was almost repaid for the fright I had gone through, by seeing the great fat padre pulled over. It was certainly a ludicrous sight, and I laughed the more, as I fancied the old fellow had taken occasion to laugh at me. He took it all in good part, however, telling me that it caused him no fear, as he had long been accustomed to those kind of bridges.

"This slow and laborious method of crossing streams is not uncommon in many parts of the Andes. It occurs in retired and thinly-populated districts, where there is no means for building bridges of regular construction. Of course, the traveller himself only can be got over by the huaro. His horse, mule, or llamas must swim the stream, and in many instances these are carried off by the rapid current, or dashed against the rocks, and killed.

"The whole _cavallada_ of the expedition got safely over, and in a short while we were all _en route_, once more climbing up toward the `altos.'

I asked my companion why we could not have got over the stream at some other point, and thus have saved the time and labour. The answer was, that it would have cost us a twenty miles' journey to have reached a point no nearer our destination than the other end of the huaro rope!

No wonder such pains had been taken to ferry the party across.

"We reached the heights late in the evening. The hunt would not begin until the next day.

"That evening was spent in putting up tents, and getting everything in order about the camp. The tent of the padre was conspicuous--it was the largest, and I was invited to share it with him. The horses and other animals were picketted or hoppled upon the plain, which was covered with a short brown gra.s.s.

"The air was chill--cold, in fact--we were nearly three miles above ocean level. The women and youths employed themselves in collecting _taquia_ to make fires. There was plenty of this, for the plain where we had halted was a pasture of large flocks of llamas and horned cattle.

It was not there we expected to fall in with the vicunas. A string of `altos,' still farther on were their favourite haunts. Our first camp was sufficiently convenient to begin the hunt. It would be moved farther on when the plains in its neighbourhood had been hunted, and the game should grow scarce.

"Morning arrived; but before daybreak, a large party had set off, taking with them the ropes, poles, and bundles of rags I have already noticed.

The women and boys accompanied this party. Their destination was a large table plain, contiguous to that on which we had encamped.

"An hour afterwards the rest of the party set forth--most of them mounted one way or other. These were the real hunters, or `drivers.'

Along with them went the dogs--the whole canine population of the village. I should have preferred riding with this party, but the padre took me along with himself, promising to guide me to a spot where I should get the best view of the chacu. He and I rode forward alone.

"In half an hour we reached the plain where the first party had gone.

They were all at work as we came up--scattered over the plain--and I now saw the use that was to be made of the ropes and rags. With them a pound, or `corral,' was in process of construction. Part of it was already finished, and I perceived that it was to be of a circular shape.

The poles, or stakes, were driven into the ground in a curving line at the distance of about a rod from each other. When thus driven, each stake stood four feet high, and from the top of one to the other, ropes were ranged and tied, thus making the inclosure complete. Along these ropes were knotted the rags and strips of cotton, so as to hang nearly to the ground, or flutter in the wind; and this slight semblance of a fence was continued over the plain in a circ.u.mference of nearly three miles in length. One side, for a distance of several hundred yards, was left unfinished, and this was the entrance to the corral. Of course, this was in the direction from which the drove was to come.

"As soon as the inclosure was ready, those engaged upon it withdrew in two parties to the opposite flanks, and then deployed off in diverging lines, so as to form a sort of funnel, at least two miles in width. In this position they remained to await the result of the drive, most of them squatting down to rest themselves.

"Meanwhile the drive was proceeding, although the hunters engaged in it were at a great distance--scarcely seen from our position. They, too, had gone out in two parties, taking opposite directions, and skirting the hills that surrounded the plain. Their circuit could not have been less than a dozen miles; and, as soon as fairly round, they deployed themselves into a long arc, with its concavity towards the rope corral.

Then, facing inward, the forward movement commenced. Whatever animals chanced to be feeding between them and the inclosure were almost certain of being driven into it.

"The padre had led me to an elevated position among the rocks. It commanded a view of the rope circle; but we were a long while waiting before the drivers came in sight. At length we descried the line of mounted men far off upon the plain, and, on closely scrutinising the ground between them and us, we could distinguish several reddish forms gliding about: these were the vicunas. There appeared to be several bands of them, as we saw some at different points. They were crossing and recrossing the line of the drive, evidently startled, and not knowing in what direction to run. Every now and then a herd, led by its old male, could be seen shooting in a straight line--then suddenly making a halt--and the next minute sweeping off in a contrary direction.

Their beautiful orange-red flanks, glistening in the sun, enabled us to mark them at a great distance.

"The drivers came nearer and nearer, until we could distinguish the forms of the hors.e.m.e.n as they rose over the swells of the plain. We could now hear their shouts--the winding of their ox-horns, and even the yelping of their dogs. But what most gratified my companion was to see that several herds of vicunas were bounding backwards and forwards in front of the advancing line.

"`_Mira_!' he cried exultingly, `_mira! Senor_, one, two, three, four-- four herds, and large ones--ah! _Carrambo_! Jesus!' continued he, suddenly changing tone, `_carrambo! esos malditos guanacos_!' (those cursed guanacos). I looked as he was pointing. I noticed a small band of guanacos springing over the plain. I could easily distinguish them from the vicunas by their being larger and less graceful in their motions, but more particularly by the duller hue of brownish red. But what was there in their presence to draw down the maledictions of the padre, which he continued to lavish upon them most unsparingly? I put the question.

"`Ah! Senor,' he answered with a sigh, `these guanacos will spoil all-- they will ruin the hunt. Caspita!'

"`How? in what manner, mio padre?' I asked in my innocence, thinking that a fine herd of guanacos would be inclosed along with their cousins, and that `all were fish,' etcetera.