"I should do it as the English lad tells me he saw them do it in Chubut Territory; that's part of Patagonia, isn't it, Uncle?"
The Colonel nodded, smoking industriously.
"Well, he says the real way to catch ostriches is with the bolas. He saw his father chase them there and he says they hunt them in an open plain, not in a circle of fire. They give the birds an equal chance with them for their lives, and if the ostrich can't outrun them, then, when they are within throwing distance, they whirl the bolas around their legs and trip them. He says it is fun to see an ostrich run; it stretches out its long neck and with its awkward long legs kicks up a great cloud of dust behind it. He also told me about seeing guanacos and pumas. Did you ever hunt them, Uncle?"
"Yes, but guanacos are hard to shoot because of their keen sense of smell, they can scent a human being over a mile away; but their flesh is delicious, tasting much like venison.
"Have you ever seen the puma skin in the library of my city house?"
"Yes, I have often seen it and one day I measured it; it was over two metros in length. Are those guanaco skins in the dining-room at the estancia—the tawny yellow ones with white spots and such deep soft fur?"
"Yes, and the ostrich robe that your aunt uses in her carriage is made of the breasts of young ostriches; it is as soft as down and marked brown and white. The Patagonian Indian women often wear them for capes, although they are very expensive.
"You know, the ostriches we have here are not the kind that produce the long plumes worn in ladies' hats; these are called the 'rhea' and are an allied species. Speaking of skins, Francisco, I will tell you of one that will interest you. It is a vicuña, and one of the finest I have ever seen. It was presented to your great-grandfather, General Lacevera, by a chief of the Incas, as a vicuña robe is worn only by one of royal blood among the Indians. It saw service as your great-grandfather's poncho during his remarkable career, and is now over one hundred years old, yet it is as soft as velvet. Being one of our family heirlooms, it shall be yours, as I have no son."
"That pleases me and I shall be very proud of it."
"As you well may be. Whatever fortunes come to you in life, Niño, remember you are a Lacevera."