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nitaiits Ivill llioni Nvitli laiircs of five or six foct in leii.ijifi 

 aimod willi a sliarp iron. Tlit' nutiiod they aiioj)t is for two 

 persons to be ia readiness, wliile a tiiiid, who lias llie bpear, 

 provokes the ti^'er, wlio rushes upon him with incoiiceivi'.hic 

 fury, and inii)aleii himstlf upon the \v(;ipon, wliich tijc hunter 

 keeps eoustanlly directed tovart'i* him, \vh(!n the two olinTs 

 come up and dispatch him. Tlie I^\ihiki is an animal of the 

 lizard iuiid, about three feet in length ; the colour is hiackisli, 

 the CNes round, and the flesh wliile and tender. It feeds upon 

 grass and wild fruits. The country people, \\lio cat it, think 

 its llesh far preferable to that oi" a chicken. 



In the northern parts of this province are mines of n;oId and 

 coj)per, but they are not worked, owing to the indolence of 

 the iiihaliitants. Thvre are also rich mines of lead, vitriol, 

 sulj)hnr, salt, coal, gypsum, and talc. The mountains ia the 

 iicighbourliooci of Juan are wholly composed of strata of white 

 maible, from fne to si\ teet in length, and from six to seven 

 inciifs I'aick, v.bich are reguhuiy cut and polished by the hand 

 ofNaliire. 'I'lie inhabitants make from it a beautiful lime, 

 and employ it in building bridges over their canals. Between 

 the cities of iMendozaand La Pur.ta, upon a low range of hills, 

 is a large stone pillar, one hundred and tifty feet high, and 

 twelve feel in diameter. It is called the giant, and contains 

 certain marks or inscriptions, resembling Chinese characters. 

 Near the Diamond river is also another stone, containing some 

 i:ia)ks, which appear to be ciphers or characters, and the im- 

 pression of a man's feet, with the figures of several animals. 

 The Spaniards call it the stone of St. Thomas, from an ac- 

 count whicli they pretend the first settlers received from the 

 Indian-^, tiiat a white man, wllh a long beard, formerly 

 preiuhed to tiicir ancestors a ncv religion from that stone, and, 

 a- a p.rucf of its sanctity, left u])on it tiie in7pres?ion ot" his feet, 

 arid the figures of the animals that came to hear him. Tfiii 

 man 1iie_\ biipj)0::e to have been St. Thomas, from a traiition 

 <jt liii Laving pleached in America. 

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