94 THROUGH THE HEART OF PATAGONIA 



This singular mental or moral warp which results in a man 

 "going fantee " is by no means uncommon in Patagonia. Of 

 course, as may be imagined, a certain proportion of such men fall 

 to this condition at the end of the career variegated. Others 

 prefer ruling in Cathay to serving in any other community more 

 dignified ; others again take daughters of the land to wife because 

 their trade lies with the Indians. 



There is, however, one very strong objection to this latter 

 course of marrying, Tehuelche fashion, a china of the toldos, 

 and that is that all the relatives of the lady in question are apt to 

 quarter themselves upon the bridegroom. Occasionally the white 

 man objects, but I imagine that the cases of those who object suc- 

 cessfully are rare. But there is one estanciero in Patagonia who is 

 the father of two buxom daughters by a Tehuelche wife. These 

 girls are now grown up, and their tribe was encamped during the 

 winter of 1900 not two hours' ride from the dwelling-place of their 

 father. Yet I am assured the father never aided the tribe or his 

 own offspring in any way, although that winter was so severe that 

 starvation visited the ioldos of the tribe. A man of this mettle is, 

 however, not frequently to be heard of, and cases of a quite laud- 

 able affection having existed between a white man and a china are 

 on record. 



But, at the same time, it must be repeated that the influence of 

 the white who goes to live among the Indians as one of themselves, 

 almost without exception, makes for evil. I have already spoken 

 of the offspring of the mixed unions. The Tehuelche blood gives 

 to the faces of the half-breed women an expression of sad patience, 

 while the Spanish connection adds certainly to their gift of beautv: 



The women have very simple ideas of adornment. They 

 generally take the form of silver necklets and the red fillet bound 

 in their hair.* Their dress is composed of the picturesque guanaco- 

 skin capa, or mantle, worn with the wool inside. Woman, to tell ihe 

 truth, holds no such bad position among the Patagonian Indians. 

 She does the cooking, but little else that can be called hard work, 

 except the taking down and pitching of the toldos when the tribe 

 break camp. They carry on a slack industry in the form of weavino- 



* Tehuelche beauties are not above wearing a tail of false hair. 



