426 WEAPONS. HUTS. HABITS. 



covery of America by the Europeans. Their principal arms 

 were long spears, clubs, and bows and arrows. Some tribes, 

 however, as, for instance, those of the Pampas, do not use 

 bows and arrows, but prefer the bolas. In war the Indians 

 of Paraguay gave no quarter to men, but spared only the 

 women and children. 



Their houses, if we can call them so, were of the simplest 

 character ; they cut three or four boughs, stuck the two ends 

 into the ground, and threw over them a cow-skin. Their bed 

 consisted of another skin ; they had no chairs or tables, or 

 any kind of furniture. The men seldom wore any clothes ; 

 the dress of the women consisted usually of a poncho, 

 although among some of the tribes, as the Nalicuegas, even 

 this was dispensed with. The art of washing seems to have 

 been entirely unknown, though Azara admits that in very 

 hot weather they used sometimes to bathe, rather however, 

 as it would appear, for coolness, than for cleanliness. It is 

 unnecessary therefore to say that they were excessively filthy, 

 and troubled much with lice ; if, indeed, they can be said to 

 have been troubled by that which supplied them with one of 

 their greatest enjoyments ; for though many of the tribes had 

 no dances, no games, no music, they all took a pleasure in 

 picking out and eating the vermin which swarmed on their 

 skin and in their hair and clothes. 



They had no domestic animals, and no idea of agriculture. 

 Their doctors had but one remedy, which they applied in all 

 cases, and which had at least the great merit of being harm- 

 less since it consisted " a sucer avec beaucoup de force Tes- 

 tomac du patient, pour en tirer le mal."* 



Many of the tribes painted their bodies in various ways, 

 and it was usual to pierce the under lip and insert a piece 

 of wood, about four or five inches long, which they never 

 removed. 



* Azara, I.e. p. 25. 



