CANARY ISLANDS. 135 



incredible height. It is said that a descendant of one of 

 the kings of Guimar was fourteen feet in height, Spanish,* 

 and had eighty teeth. His body, when dead, was kept for 

 many years in the cave of Guar Damohatex, which is 

 situated a few miles to the south-westward of Santa Cruz. 

 He is said to have been hardy, brave, and of good stomach. 

 The natives of the southern part of the island were of a 

 tawny and sun-burnt complexion, and many of them had 

 dark hair, flat noses, and spare, thin faces. Those of the 

 northern side of the island were rather tall, well-made, 

 and of robust constitutions. They had fine, clear counte- 

 nances, and generally lighter hair than those of the south- 

 ern part. The females were peculiarly beautiful, having 

 expressive countenances, and brilliant eyes. The Guan- 

 ches possessed an acute understanding, and were so quick 

 of discernment, that they would count a large flock of 

 sheep and goats, when issuing tumultuously out of the fold, 

 without so much as moving their lips or pointing to them 

 with their fingers, and this with the greatest exactness. 



The Guanches had no other houses than caves formed 

 by nature in the rocks. They slept on beds made of herbs 

 and grass covered with goat-skins, neatly dressed and 

 sewed together, and with blankets or coverings of the same 

 materials. There were among them artificers who dressed 

 goat-skins and made their garments. They also had pot- 

 ters who manufactured a kind of rude earthen-ware, and 

 carpenters who wrought in wood. They had no animals 

 except sheep, goats, and small dogs which they called 

 cancha. Their grain was wheat and barley. The men 

 prepared the ground for seed, by digging it with wooden 

 hoes, and the women sowed the seed. 



The Guanches were very neat and cleanly ; they wash- 

 ed their faces a;id hands whenever they rose from sleep, 

 and before and after their meals. Their food was the 

 flesh of goats and sheep, boiled or roasted, which they ate 

 alone, and not like the Europeans, with the addition of 

 bread or roots. The rest of their food consisted princi- 

 pally of gofio, milk, butter, and roots. After eating, they 

 did not drink for the space of half an hour, as they imag- 



* About twelve feet and eleven inches English. 



