1835.] ARAUCARIAN INDIANS. .299 



were then on a brow of a hill, wliich commanded a fine vie'.v of 

 the J.lanos. The view of these open plains was very refreshing, 

 after being- hemmed in and buried in the wilderness of trees. 

 The uniformity of a forest soon becomes very wearisome. This 

 west coast makes me remember with pleasure the free, unbounded 

 plains of Patagonia; yet, with the true spirit of contradiction, I 

 cannot forget how sublime is the silence of the forest. The 

 Llanos are the most fertile and thickly peopled parts of the 

 country ; as they possess the immense advantage of being nearly 

 free from trees. Before leaving the forest we crossed some flat 

 little lawns, around which single trees stood, as in an English 

 park : I have often noticed with surprise, in wooded undulatory 

 districts, that the quite level parts have been destitute of trees. 

 On account of the tired horse, I determined to stop at the Mission 

 of Cudico, to the friar of which I had a letter of introduction. 

 Cudico is an intermediate district between the forest and the 

 Llanos. There are a good many cottages, with patches of corn 

 and potatoes, nearly all belonging to Indians. The tribes de- 

 pendent on Valdivia are " reducidos y cristianos." The Indians 

 farther northward, about Arauco and Imperial, are still very 

 Mild, and not converted; but they have all much intercourse 

 with the Spaniards. The padre said that the Christian Indians 

 did not much like coming to mass, but that otherwise they showed 

 respect for religion. The greatest difficulty is in making them 

 observe the ceremonies of marriage. The wild Indians take as 

 many wives as they can support, and a cacique will sometimes 

 have more than ten : on entering his house, the number may be 

 told by that of the separate fires. Each wife lives a week in turn 

 with the cacique ; but all are employed in weaving ponchos, &c. 

 for his profit. To be the wife of a cacique, is an honour much 

 sought after by tiie Indian women. 



The men of all these tribes wear a coarse woollen poncho : 

 those south of Yaldivia wear short trowsers, and those north of 

 It a petticoat, like the chilipa of the Gauchos. All have their 

 long hair bound by a scarlet fillet, but with no other covering on 

 their heads. These Indians are good-sized men ; their cheek- 

 bones are prominent, and in general appearance they resemble 

 the great American family to which they belong ; but their 

 physiognomy seemed to me to be slightly different from that of 



