io8 Idle Days in Patagonia. 



like a savage, a wife was bestowed on him, and she 

 bore him several children. Those he had first 

 known as grown up or old men gradually died off, 

 were killed, or drifted away ; children who had 

 always known Damian as one of the tribe grew to 

 manhood, and it was forgotten that he had ever 

 been a Christian and a captive. Yet still, with 

 his helpmate by his side, weaving rugs and raiment 

 for him or ministering to his wants for the 

 Indian wife is always industrious and the patient, 

 willing, affectionate- slave of her lord and with 

 all his young barbarians at play on the grass 

 before his hut, he would sit in the waning sun- 

 light oppressed with sorrow, dreaming the old 

 dreams he could not banish from his heart. And 

 at last, when his wife began to grow wrinkled and 

 dark-skinned, as a middle-aged Indian mother in- 

 variably does, and when his children were becoming 

 men, the gnawing discontent at his breast made 

 him resolve to leave the tribe and the life lie 

 secretly hated. He joined a hunting-party going 

 towards the Atlantic coast, and after travelling 

 for some days with them his opportunity came, 

 when he secretly left them and made his way alone 

 to the Carmen. 



" And there he is," concluded Ventura, when he 

 had told the story, with undisguised contempt for 

 Damian in his tone, " an Indian and nothing less ! 

 Does he imagine he can ever be like one of us after 

 living that life for thirty years ? If Marcos were 

 alive, how he would laugh to see Damian back 



