APPENDIX. 431 



wards : the priests, on occasions of danger, emergency, doubt, suspicion, &c, 

 sacrifice to the sun, previous to their soothsaying, that the genius of truth may 

 direct their prophecies ; at the return of each full moon, they perform some 

 inferior ceremonies to that luminary. The eclipse of either sun or moon is 

 looked on as a presage of some dire calamity, which they try to avert by 

 sacrifice, or flight from the dwelling from whence they had seen it. That 

 they have an idea of a state beyond the grave, appears from their having 

 their horses, arms, and sometimes their favourite wives, buried with them, to 

 accompany them to that unknown world ; but such an idea must indeed be 

 very imperfect and undefinable, in an Indian mind! 



Their language is very imperfect, wanting a great number of nouns to 

 express the names of many virtues, vices, ideas, arts, &c. Male and female 

 are sometimes expressed by the same name, without any modification or dif- 

 ference of termination by which the gender might be known ; thus, Pichi- 

 boton is the name for boy or girl, young man or young woman, but an addi- 

 tional number of qualifying epithets is necessary before we know in which of its 

 meanings to consider it. Their verbs are also defective in the tenses, ex- 

 pressing an action or passion without any direct idea of time, but in an 

 indefinite manner : labouring under these difficulties, it must take many words 

 to express the most simple idea. The manner in which the caciques speak 

 in council is entirely different from that of common conversation. The 

 harangues are given with astonishing fluency and rapidity : they seem never at 

 a loss to express any word ; their sentences are equally divided by pauses of 

 equal length, and they give an idea of blank verse, read without observing 

 any pause but the final at the end of each line. They use neither action nor 

 gestures ; but affect a most visible variation of the tone in which they deliver 

 their sentiments. 



Agriculture is entirely unknown amongst them. They subsist altogether 

 on their flocks, and remove from one part to another to accommodate them 

 with pasture : when the society is small their stock is kept together, without 

 distinction of property, except the horses, which in the way of stock are the 

 only personal property of the Indians ; the cows, sheep, mares, and colts, 

 are the common property of the tribe. Their flocks are entirely managed 

 by their women and slaves (Christian women), who watch alternately during 

 the night, mounted on horseback, and going the rounds among the cattle : 

 if a sheep or any animal should be missing, the unfortunate woman is stripped 

 and flogged in a most barbarous manner. The occupation of the women 

 during the day is to catch and saddle the horses of the Indians, and cook 



