464 DRESS FEATURES ARAUCO. Juiie 



and fastened in front by a pin with a very large flat head, the 

 size of a dollar, or even the palm of a hand ; the broad band 

 round the waist ornamented with beads ; and the beaded or 

 brass ornaments in the hair, ears, and round the neck, caught 

 my eye sooner than their features, which are so similar to 

 those of the almost Indian breed who live on the borders, 

 that at first sight the difference was hardly noticed. Perhaps 

 the eye of one of those Indians who has never lived with civi- 

 hzed people, is the only feature which differs strikingly : so 

 much have the lower classes of Chilian Creoles mixed with the 

 aborigines. In the eye of a free, wandering Indian, there is a 

 restless suspiciousness, which reminds one of the eye of a 

 wild animal : but this peculiar expression is soon removed by 

 civilization. 



The clothing of the Araucanians, made by themselves, is 

 very strong good cloth. Indian ponchoes will keep out rain 

 longer than any others. Dark blue is the usual colour of 

 their clothes, from ponchoes to petticoats ; and they are all of 

 woollen manufacture. 



The women dress their hair with some pains, and ornament 

 it with beads, bits of brass, or large-headed pins, such as those 

 I have described. Some few have ornaments of gold : and to 

 see an Indian woman dressed in her national costume, with 

 large golden ornaments, quite transports the imagination to 

 the days of Cortes and Pizarro. I saw but one so ornamented, 

 a fine-looking young woman, the daughter of a cacique, who 

 had accompanied some of her tribe to look at the ship- wrecked 

 white men. Her horse was a beautiful animal, looking as wild 

 as herself. 



At Arauco the worthy colonel welcomed me to breakfast, 

 but regretted that I had been prevented from proceeding to 

 the wreck : he thought some accident had happened, and 

 hardly could believe that we had actually passed a night at the 

 Leiibu. D. Geronimo told me he had received intelligence of a 

 large body of Indians, about three thousand strong, who were 

 marching northward against Colipi, and his allies, the Chi- 

 lians. He thought it probable that they would molest the Chal- 



