g the animals by their hind-legs, soon capture the whole. Strange
to say, these silly creatures make no attempt to break through the sham
fence, nor even to leap over it. Not so with the guanacos, when so
enclosed. The latter spring against the fence at once, and if, by
chance, a party of guanacos be driven in along with the vicunas, they
not only break open the rope enclosure and free themselves, but also the
whole herd of their cousins, the vicunas. It is, therefore, not
considered any gain to get a flock of guanacos into the trap.

The hunt usually lasts several days, but during that time the enclosure
of ropes is flitted from place to place, until no more vicunas can be
found. Then the ropes, stakes, etcetera, are collected, and the produce
of the hunt distributed among the hunters. But the Church levies its
tax upon the "chacu," and the skins--worth a dollar each--have to be
given up to the priest of the village. A good round sum this amounts
to, as frequently four or five hundred vicunas are taken at a single
_chacu_.

A good hunter is sometimes able to "approach" the vicuna. Guapo's
friend was esteemed one of the best in all the Puna. The sight of the
herd out on the plain, with their graceful forms, and beautiful
reddish-orange bodies, was too much for him, and he resolved to try his
skill upon them. He said he had a plan of his own, which he intended to
practise on this occasion.

Don Pablo and his party--even Dona Isidora and the little Leona--were
all outside the hut, although the morning air was raw and chill. But
the domicile of the worthy vaquero was not empty, for all that. It was
peopled by a very large colony of very small animals, and a night in
their society had proved enough for the travellers. The chill air of
the Puna was even more endurable than such company.

The vaquero crawled back into the hut, and in a few minutes returned,
but so metamorphosed, that had the party not seen him come out of the
doorway they would have mistaken him for a llama! He was completely
disguised in the skin of one of these animals. His face only was partly
visible, and his eyes looked out of the breast. The head and neck of
the skin, stuffed with some light substance, stood up and forward, after
the manner of the living animal, and although the legs were a little
clumsy, yet it would have required a more intelligent creature than the
vicuna to have observed this defect.

All hands, even the saturni