Dec, 1890.] BOTANICAL SOCIETY OF EDINBURGH. 37 



most powerful, the most warlike, and the most deeply treacherous 

 of all the nations of the Gran Chaco. With them were three 

 caciques or chiefs, one of which held the other two under his sway. 

 The former cacique, Manoel, or in his own language Chordai iti was 

 a small delicately-formed man, of fair complexion, beautifully pro- 

 portioned, and of the slim build characteristic of the Guaranis of 

 Paraguay, one of which he really was. Although small physically 

 he had a very intellectual look, was very intelligent, and the iron 

 will shown in his eyes explained the sway he held over all other 

 chiefs for many days' journey around. He appeared at the head 

 of his warriors quite unarmed, clad in a tiger skin coat, and walked 

 up to us with a majestic mein, as one accustomed to lead men. 

 "We had him in to dine with us during the time he stayed, so I 

 had considerable opportunities of studying his character. The 

 other two caciques on the other hand, Lyaniteroi and Xwhynache, 

 were typical Tobas, evidently as inferior to Manoel in mental as 

 they exceeded him in bodily calibre. Now as to the 'jinetes' or 

 warriors. Never was I so taken with any set of men — splendidly 

 built, many of them were extremely handsome fellows. They 

 varied much in stature, some being short, while on the other hand 

 a large proportion of them ranged from 5 feet 1 1 inches to 6 feet 

 2 inches in height, and broad in proportion. Their skins were of a 

 dusky red colour. The majority of them wore merely a strip of 

 coarse striped caraguata cloth about their loins, forming a sort of 

 petticoat reaching to about the knees. Around their waist was 

 suspended a bag of the same material in which they carried their 

 travelling requisites, their sticks for producing fire, a comb, a few 

 raw fibres of caraguata, and various other little articles. They 

 wore their hair thick and luxuriant, cut off at th^ level of the 

 shoulders, and forming a fringe over the forehead in front. 

 Ornamenting their heads most of them had beautiful ostrich 

 plumes, while round their ankles and arms they had also frequently 

 bands of feathers or furs. About their neck many wore necklaces 

 made of mother-of-pearl, or of round berries, from which was 

 sometimes suspended a sweet and soft-toned little whistle of hard 

 wood. Their faces in the morning were plain, but during siesta, 

 their time for toilet, they would get themselves up in full dress, 

 painting their faces with a bright red clay, and also with bands of 

 black passing down the nose and radiating from the mouth. I got 

 on splendidly with these fellows, and it was very amusing to see 

 the way in which they would come and lay their heads upon one's 

 shoulder, or put their arms around one's neck in the most afi'ection- 

 ate manner possible. One evening cacique Chordai iti beckoned 

 me with an air of mystery to follow him, which I did, wondering 

 what was coming. I soon found out, for producing his paint, he 

 set to work upon my face, and in a short time he had transformed 

 me into a most malignant looking red-skin, amongst the emphatic 

 shouts and grunts of approval from his followers. If I were at all 



