VISIT TO TEHUELCHE VILLAGE. l6l 



stand for her photograph. From this I made a few prints and gave her. 

 These had the desired effect, and thereafter, so far from being refused the 

 privilege of photographing the different groups and individuals, I was 

 fairly besieged by those wanting pictures taken of themselves. 



So jealously did they guard every article connected with the life of a 

 child that, for a time, I almost despaired of securing a collection which 

 would in any way adequately illustrate the method of transporting, rearing 

 and caring for the young child among these Indians. It was not that 

 they regarded such objects as of any very great intrinsic value, nor that 

 they were averse to our becoming the possessors of them. Indeed it was 

 quite evident after a few days that, aided by our camera and confections, 

 we had quite won the hearts of all the children and a considerable num- 

 ber of the ladies of the village, while, by a generous distribution of tobacco 

 and cigarette papers, we had likewise gained the confidence of the men. 

 We were especially anxious to get the cradle shown in Fig. 19. So im- 

 portant was this article in every family where there was an infant, that 

 we felt our collection would in no wise be complete without an exam- 

 ple of one of these most convenient and useful articles, together with its 

 accoutrements. It not only serves as a receptacle for the helpless child 

 when in the tolda, but when on the march with the child fastened inside 

 and covered over with warm fur rugs, when the whole is securely lashed 

 on to the horse behind the mother, as shown in Fig. 20, it forms a con- 

 venient conveyance for both child and cradle, while moving about from 

 one place to another over the Patagonian plains. Our first attempts to 

 secure this cradle resulted in an absolute failure, notwithstanding that we 

 offered in Argentine currency one hundred and fifty dollars — about sev- 

 enty American dollars, while its intrinsic value could not, at most, have 

 been more than three or four dollars. Nor was our attempt to secure other 

 cradles less unsuccessful. Fortunately, however, on the evening previous 

 to the day we had set for our departure the father and mother of the child 

 to whom the cradle belonged came to us with the pleasing information 

 that, since their child had almost outgrown the need of the cradle, and as 

 they were, for the present at least, not expecting the arrival of another occu- 

 pant, they were willing to dispose of it and for a much less sum than that 

 which we had already offered. We were not long in striking a mutually 

 satisfactory bargain, and early the next morning were on our way down 

 Coy River to North Gallegos, where w^e stopped long enough to pack up 



