Wanderings in Patagonia

(09/14/2014) I finished reading this book titled Vagando por la Patagonia (Wanderings in Patagonia), written by Julius Beerbohm. Browsing the shelves of a bookstore, in the Travel Accounts section, I found this small book published by Editorial Claridad S.A. The cover caught my attention with a photograph of part of the Argentine Patagonia landscape. And when I read the back cover, I was convinced I had to read it.

The author was hired by the Argentine government in 1877 to carry out studies on natural resources north of Santa Cruz. When he arrives, he receives news that he must return; since there was no return ship and the next one passed through southern Santa Cruz, he decides to join a group of ostrich hunters and heads south with them to board the ship that would bring him back. The book recounts all the adventures and misadventures of that journey. Although it is a brief book—I read it in two days—it is worth every moment for those who enjoy tales of adventure, travel, and history, all of it true.

The original title is Wanderings in Patagonia or Life among the Ostrich-hunters. The descriptions he makes of the landscapes he encounters, the local fauna, and the customs of the locals—especially the four companions with whom he travels—are truly interesting. He even describes one of them as a participant mentioned in another book by another adventurer, Captain Musters. He also offers comments and descriptions of the Indigenous people he meets along his way, all of them Tehuelches. He has a plain and straightforward writing style, which makes it an easy read; he often includes a few popular Latin phrases, at least for his time when he wrote the book (and certainly for people with some degree of education like he had).

The author was born in 1854 and made the journey in 1877, at only 23 years old—very young, at least from a modern perspective. Upon returning from his journey, he went back to England, spent much of his time traveling through Europe, and published the book in 1881. Later, he squandered his money gambling in casinos, created fabulous (and some rather fanciful) projects, made a living reciting poetry, and even wrote the lyrics to a song titled Blue-Eyes, Berceuse (or Bright-Eyes, Berceuse Words), among other life experiences.

Returning to the book, just when it seems the account of his journey is coming to an end—when one takes its conclusion for granted—he surprises us with a turn of events involving a little-known incident in which he became involved simply by being in that place by chance; one could say he was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Suddenly, after a day of extreme calm, a bloody mutiny of prisoners and soldiers breaks out. This gives rise to an impressive account of what he and his companions experienced, and the risks they ran. To learn more about this event, I leave the following links: http://www.puntaarenas.cl/motin.htm and http://www.oni.escuelas.edu.ar/olimpi2000/santa-cruz/relatos/pages/motin.htm

At one point in the book he says, "and the rags around my feet suddenly seemed to possess the virtues of the famous 'seven-league boots.'" I wondered, what was he referring to with those "seven-league boots"? Now I know: it refers to a magical object in a fairy tale by Charles Perrault. Whoever put on the boots could cover seven leagues in a single step.

This edition features several illustrations that appeared in the first edition of the book, which were based on sketches made by Julius Beerbohm himself.

For those who enjoy reading about adventures, customs, history, and travel, it is a great book to spend a nice time reading.

Originally written on 09-16-2014