INDIAN FAMILIES 67 



together by iron nails instead of leather thongs, and, of course, 

 in vain attempted to cut them with their knives. This saved 

 the lives of the Christians : many of the wounded Indians were 

 carried away by their companions ; and at last, one of the 

 under caciques being wounded, the bugle sounded a retreat. 

 They retired to their horses, and seemed to hold a council 

 of war. This was an awful pause for the Spaniards, as all 

 their ammunition, with the exception of a few cartridges, was 

 expended. In an instant the Indians mounted their horses, and 

 galloped out of sight. Another attack was still more quickly 

 repulsed. A cool Frenchman managed the gun ; he stopped 

 till' the Indians approached close, and then raked their line 

 with grape-shot : he thus laid thirty -nine of them on the 

 ground ; and, of course, such a blow immediately routed the 

 whole party. 



The town is indifferently called El Carmen or Patagones. 

 It is built on the face of a cliff which fronts the river, and many 

 of the houses are excavated even in the sandstone. The river 

 is about two or three hundred yards wide, and is deep and 

 rapid. The many islands, with their willow-trees, and the flat 

 headlands, seen one behind the other on the northern boundary 

 of the broad green valley, forn^ by the aid of a bright sun, a 

 view almost picturesque. The number of inhabitants does not 

 exceed a few hundreds. These Spanish colonies do not, like 

 our British ones, carry within themselves the elements of growth. 

 Many Indians of pure blood reside here : the tribe of the 

 Cacique Lucanee constantly have their Toldos-^ on the out- 

 skirts of the town. The local government partly supplies them 

 with provisions, by giving them all the old worn-out horses, and 

 they earn a little by making horse-rugs and other articles of 

 riding-gear. These Indians are considered civilised ; but what 

 their character may have gained by a lesser degree of ferocity, 

 is almost counterbalanced by their entire immorality. Some 

 of the younger men are, however, improving ; they are willing 

 to labour, and a short time since a party went on a sealing- 

 voyage, and behaved very well. They were now enjoying the 

 fruits of their labour, by being dressed in very gay, clean clothes, 

 and by being very idle. The taste they showed in their dress 

 was admirable ; if you could have turned one of these young 



1 The hovels of ihc Indians arc thus called. 



