38 TEANSACTIONS AND rROCEEDIXGS OF THE [Sess. lv. 



an impressionable person I should have entirely lost my heart to 

 the ' Chinas,' or as the scoffing scientist would say, ' Homo ferus var 

 Toba,' — ? , for they were a very taking-looking set of little Avomen. 

 They were all small and delicately made, with as a rule fine 

 features and beautiful figures, and every movement full of natural 

 grace, perhaps due in part to the absence of restraint in the way 

 of costume, as they wore just the same costume as the men — a 

 strip of caraguata cloth folded round their waist so as to form a 

 short petticoat. The chief difi'erence in their ' get up ' from that 

 of the men was that they were tatooed, the custom being to tatoo 

 the girls when they arrive at the age of puberty. These women 

 are made to work, and when on the march they may be seen 

 carrying the household gear on their backs, steadying their steps 

 with the paddle of the canoe, while the lord and master carries 

 nothing but his weapons. The Tobas live by hunting and fishing, 

 and do not cultivate the ground. Their chief weapon both in war 

 and in the chase is the bow and arrow — the bow very strongly made, 

 of the dense heart-wood of various of the trees, with a string of 

 twisted deer hide. The shafts of the arrows are made of cane, and 

 the head of dense and heavy heart-wood of such trees as " cascar- 

 anda." The head of the arrow is very long, and is frequently 

 serrated or toothed. Besides these ordinary arrows, each Indian 

 has, as a rule, .a few with larger iron heads, which he uses 

 for the bigger and nobler game. Another of the Tobas' weapons 

 is the terrible ' macana,' a short and heavy club of the same hard 

 and heavy heart-wood, with a single blow of which he dashes out 

 the brains of his enemy. However, all these things you will be 

 more interested in when you have seen and handled them 

 yourself. As I have mentioned several times, I was deeply 

 attracted by the personality of these Indians, and cannot help 

 thinking what a delightful thing it would be were one able to come 

 and settle amongst these people, and teach them the goods of 

 civilisation without its numberless vices ; in fact, to add civilisation 

 to nature, not to substitute it. Sonic of their social traits were 

 very charming as well as touching. When any one got a supply 

 say of tobacco from on board, he would at once divide it up with 

 all his fellows ; if he were given a plate of food as for himself, he 

 would insist on sharing it with his companions. One day we gave 

 a little boy a large piece of quince, ' dulce,' as a reward for his 

 fetching some birds. He took it gleefully on shore ; then seeing 

 a big fellow looking at it as if he would like some, he at once 

 broke it in two and gave half to his big ' brother,' and immedi- 

 ately after repeated the process — all the while with a look on his 

 face as if he really thought that ' it is better to give than to 

 receive.' I have mentioned this particular instance because it 

 occurred in a boy of about ten, and was so remarkable to me ; but 

 the same beautiful spirit, socialistic, or call it what you like, was 

 visible in all the transactions of tin; Indians during their stay. . . . 



