318 CHARLES DARWIN 



as they can support, and a cacique will sometimes have more 

 than ten : on entering his house, the number may be told by 

 that of the separate fires. Each wife lives a week in turn 

 with the cacique; but all are employed in weaving ponchos, 

 etc., for his profit. To be the wife of a cacique, is an honour 

 much sought after by the Indian women. 



The men of all these tribes wear a coarse woolen poncho : 

 those south of Valdivia wear short trousers, and those north 

 of it a petticoat, like the chilipa of the Gauchos. All have 

 their long hair bound by a scarlet fillet, but with no other 

 covering on their heads. These Indians are good-sized men ; 

 their cheek-bones are prominent, and in general appearance 

 they resemble the great American family to which they be- 

 long; but their physiognomy seemed to me to be slightly 

 different from that of any other tribe which I had before 

 seen. Their expression is generally grave, and even austere, 

 and possesses much character : this may pass either for hon- 

 est bluntness or fierce determination. The long black hair, 

 the grave and much-lined features, and the dark complexion, 

 called to my mind old portraits of James I. On the road we 

 met with none of that humble politeness so universal in 

 Chiloe. Some gave their " mari-mari " (good morning) with 

 promptness, but the greater number did not seem inclined to 

 offer any salute. This independence of manners is probably 

 a consequence of their long wars, and the repeated victories 

 which they alone, of all the tribes in America, have gained 

 over the Spaniards. 



I spent the evening very pleasantly, talking with the 

 padre. He was exceedingly kind and hospitable ; and coming 

 from Santiago, had contrived to surround himself with some 

 few comforts. Being a man of some little education, he bit- 

 terly complained of the total want of society. With no par- 

 ticular zeal for religion, no business or pursuit, how com- 

 pletely must this man's life be wasted! The next day, on 

 our return, we met seven very wild-looking Indians, of whom 

 some were caciques that had just received from the Chilian 

 government their yearly small stipend for having long re- 

 mained faithful. They were fine-looking men, and they rode 

 one after the other, with most gloomy faces. An old cacique, 

 who headed them, had been, I suppose, more excessively 



