224 



tween the S4ili and 37th degrees of south lati- 

 tude, to the east of the Spanish provinces of 

 Calchagua^, Maule, Chilian, and Huilquilemu. 

 Their dress is no way different from that of the 

 Araucanians, except that instead of drawers or 

 breeches, they wear around the waist a piece of 

 cloth like the Japanese, which falls down to the 

 knees. Their boots, or shoes, are all of one 

 piece, and made from the skin of the hind leg of 

 an ox taken off at the knee ; this they fit to the 

 foot while green, turning the hair within, and 

 sewing up one of the ends, the skin of the knee 

 serving for the heel. These shoes, by being 

 worn and often rubbed with tallow^ become as 

 soft and pliable as the best dressed leather. 



Although these mountaineers have occasion- 

 ally shovm themselves to be valiant and hardy 

 soldiers, they are nevertheless fond of adorning 

 and decorating themselves like women. They 

 wear ear-rings and bracelets of glass beads upon 

 their arms ; they also ornament their hair with 

 the same, and susperfd little bells around their 

 heads. Notwithstanding they have numerous 

 herds of cattle and sheep, their usual food is 

 horse-flesh, which, like the Tartars, they prefer 

 to any other, but more delicate than that people, 

 they eat it only when boiled or roasted. 



They dwell in the manner of, the Bedouin 

 Arabs, in tents made of skins, disposed in a cir- 

 cular form, leaving ia the centre a spacious field, 



V ^ 



