The scene at starting was a busy one. Every man and woman mounted their own especial horse, the women riding astride like the men—a sensible custom which white women would do well to imitate—as indeed did Lady Vane, Topsie, and Mary, who were all dressed in neat, comfortable knickerbockers, and well-fitting Norfolk jackets and stalking caps, with strong plain brown leather top riding boots, roomy and waterproof. A broad leathern belt encircled their waists, to which hung a sharp hunting knife and a bull-dog revolver in neat cases. Across one shoulder they carried a belt ribbed all round with rifle cartridges, and over the other shoulder each had a rifle slung. A similar attire and equipment composed Sir Francis’s, Harry’s, Freddy’s, and Willie’s rig-out, which possessed the merit of being comfortable and not too cumbersome.
They had brought two baggage horses with them, carrying a change of clothing for each, their surplus ammunition, and various presents for Aniwee and her Caciques, not omitting many a gaudy trinket for the common people. Aniwee was made intensely happy by the present of a beautiful rifle, which Sir Francis Vane had brought specially for presentation to the young Queen. Thus they set out. The cattle and sheep had preceded them, being driven forward by boys; and now the cavalcade consisted of about three hundred and fifty warriors, some thirty women and a few children, a fine troupiglia of mares and horses, and Aniwee, the baby Queen (or La Guardia Chica, as she was called by her subjects), attended by the faithful Blancha and Graviel, the latter sitting his horse stoically, in spite of the pain which he was evidently suffering. Our white friends completed the imposing-looking party.
The way led through grassy valleys and rock-strewn gorges, which presently debouched into hillocky plains, whereon guanacos could be discerned, feeding in small knots of twenty or thirty together. Now and then an ostrich would start up and scud away in front of the advancing party, or a small silver fox spring forth from its seat, and gallop hastily forward in search of safety; for the Indian dogs, although trained to hunt the ostrich and guanaco only at the word of command, were always allowed free play with the foxes.
Aniwee explained to her young friends that here ended the limit of the guanaco, which entirely disappeared as they went more inland, giving place to the vicuña, an animal greatly resembling him, only with softer fur, and a habitant of the mountains in contradistinction to the guanaco, which favoured the plains, and she promised them many an exciting stalk after the former.
Before long they fell in with vast stretches of shady woods, which looked cool and inviting from the hot plains; and when at length they came into close proximity to them, Harry and Topsie, Freddy, Willie, and Mary, all uttered loud cries of delight as they beheld in this forest a veritable fairy scene. From the trees in every direction high up the mountain sides, and stretching along the valleys far and wide, hung thousands of red-cheeked, yellow-faced apples, tempting to the sight and pleasant to the palate,—a scene enticing in the highest degree to the young people, who gazed thereon with rapture.
“Mother, what a lovely sight!” cried Mary, as she dropped her reins on her horse’s neck, and clasped her hands together. “Oh, mother! I never dreamt of anything so beautiful. Are we in fairyland, I wonder?”
“It would seem so,” answered Lady Vane, smiling, as they suddenly rode into a green sunny valley watered by a bright running stream, and hemmed in on each side by apple groves, for in the valley erected on either side of the stream stood some hundred or more tolderias, with crowds of busy Indian men, women, and children moving to and fro. All along the valley pastured fine herds of cattle, flocks of sheep, and immense troops of horses. Truly a beautiful scene!
“See!” exclaimed Aniwee, proudly pointing towards it; “of all my great possessions I love that spot the best, for Piñone loved it.”
