Part 29 (1/2)
The vaquero with his horse soon dragged the vicunas to the hut Guapo gave him a help with the ht up One of them was immediately skinned, and part of it prepared for breakfast, and our travellers ate heartily of it, as the cold Puna air had given an edge to their appetites
The new-killed ani with the red skin of the bull, which had been spread out on the ground at some distance from the hut, had already attracted the condors; and four or five of these great birds were now seen hovering in the air, evidently with the intention of alighting at the first opportunity
An idea seeuests were still at breakfast, and he asked Leon if he would like to see a condor caught Of course Leon replied in the affirht?
The vaquero said he would gratify hi to finish his breakfast--indeed he had had his ”coceada,” and didn't care for any,--he started to his feet, and began to make preparations for the capture
Hoas to catch one of these great birds, Leon had not the slightest idea Perhaps with the ”bolas,” thought he That would have done well enough if he could only get near them; but the condors were sufficiently shy not to let any uns It is only when they have been feasting on carrion, and have gorged themselves to repletion, that they can be thus approached, and then they may be even knocked over with sticks
At other times the condor is a shy and wary bird No wonder either that he is so, for, unlike most other vultures, he is hunted and killed at all times The vultures of most countries are respected by the people, because they perfor away carrion; and in many parts these birds are protected by statute There are laws in the Southern United States, and in several of the Spanish-American Republics, which i the black vultures In some Oriental countries, too, similar laws exist But no statute protects the condor On the contrary, he is a proscribed bird, and there is a bounty on his head, because he does great dae to the proprietors of sheep, and lla of these anie quills, moreover, areof a condor is worth soreat bird, while other vultures are usually so tame that you may approach within a few paces of the about kept well off from the hut; and Leon could not understand how any one of theood es,” and after the _ruse_ he had just practised upon the vicunas, Leon suspected he would eht It was by a stratagem the bird was to be taken
The vaquero laid hold of a long rope, and lifting the bull's hide upon his shoulders, asked Guapo to follow hiot out some four or five hundred yards froround, and drew the skin over hiround about as big as his body--in fact, a trench he had hi in this on his back, his breast was about on a level with the surrounding turf
His object in asking Guapo to accompany him with the horses was sih elevation were all the while looking down upon the plain But the vaquero covered himself so adroitly with his red blanket, that even their keen eyes could scarcely have noticed hiround with the led horses, the vultures supposed that nothing reuinary colour to the to fear from the propinquity of the hut There the party were all seated quietly eating their breakfast, and apparently taking no notice of them In a few minutes' time, therefore, they descended lower, and lower,--and then one of the very largest dropped upon the ground within a few feet of the hide After surveying it for asuspicious about it, and hopped a little closer Another at this e to the first--and this at length stalked boldly on the hide, and began to tear at it with his great beak
A movement was now perceived on the part of the vaquero--the hide ”lus of the condor were seen to play and flap about as if he wanted to rise into the air, but could not
He was evidently held by the legs!
The other bird had flown off at the first alar far upward into the blue heavens
Leon now expected to see the vaquero uncover himself Not so, however, as yet That wily hunter had no such intention, and although he was now in a sitting posture, grasping the legs of the condor, yet his head and shoulders were still enveloped in the bull's hide He knew better than to show his naked face to the giant vulture, that at a single ”peck” of his powerful beak would have deprived him of an eye, or otherwise injured him severely The vaquero are of all this, and therefore did not leave his hiding-place until he had fir cord around the shank of the bird--then slipping out at one side, he ran off to so The condor, apparently relieved of his disagreeable co the hide after hiht the vulture had escaped; but the vaquero knew better, as he held the other end of the cord in his hand; and the bird, partly froiven by the hunter, soon caain The vaquero was now joined by Guapo; and, after so the string through the nostrils of the condor, by which round in the rear--to be disposed of whenever its captor should think fit
CHAPTER XI
THE PERILS OF A PERUVIAN ROAD
It was as yet only an hour or so after daybreak--for the vicuna hunt had occupied but a very short time and the capture of the condor a still shorter Don Pablo was anxious to be gone, as he kneas not beyond the reach of pursuit A pair of the vicunas were hastily prepared, and packed upon a llama for use upon their journey Thus furnished, the party resumed their route
The vaquero did not accompany them He had an office to perform of far more ione he let loose his four snarling curs, and taking them out to where the pile of dead vicunas lay upon the plain, he left theuard the carcasses froht wish to , he rode off to the place where the road leading fro tied his horse to a bush, he cli rock and sat down Fro road to the distance of miles below him
No traveller--much less a party of soldiers--could approach without his seeing theet up to where he sat; and it was for that reason he had stationed himself there Had Don Pablo been pursued, the faithful Indian would have galloped after and given hi before his pursuers could have reached the plain
He sat until sunset--contenting hiht He then mounted his horse, and rode back to his solitary hut
Let us follow our travellers
They crossed the table-plain during the day, and rested that night under the shelter of so rocks on the other side They supped upon part of the vicunas, and felt more cheerful, as they widened the distance between the they did not reet breakfast
Half-an-hour after sunrise saw theh a pass in the o doard They had crossed the last ridge of the Andes, and were now descending the eastern slopes Another day's journey, or two atthem to the borders of that wild forest, which stretches from the foot-hills of the Andes to the shores of the Atlantic Ocean--that forest with scarcely a civilised settlehout all its wide extent--where no roads exist--whose only paths are rivers--whose dark jungles are in places so impenetrable that the Indian cannot enter theuar, embarrassed by the thick underwood, has to take to the tree-tops in pursuit of his prey
Another day's journey or so would bring them to the borders of the ”Montana”--for such is the naiven to this prih yet distant, it could now and then be seen as the road wound areen and ion there dwelt none but the aborigines of the soil--the wild Indians--and these only in sparse and distant bands
Even the Spaniards in their day of glory had failed to conquer it; and the Portuguese from the other side were not more successful