APPENDIX. 431 
wards : the priests, on occasions of danger, emergency, doubt, suspicion, &c., 
sacrifice to the sun, previous to their soothsaying, that the genius of truth may 
direct their prophecies ; at the return of each full moon, they perform some 
inferior ceremonies to that luminary. The eclipse of either sun or moon is 
looked on as a presage of some dire calamity, which they try to avert by 
sacrifice, or flight from the dwelling from whence they had seen it. That 
they have an idea of a state beyond the grave, appears from their having 
their horses, arms, and sometimes their favourite wives, buried with them, to 
accompany them to that unknown world; but such an idea must indeed be 
very imperfect and undefinable, in an Indian mind! 
Their language is very imperfect, wanting a great number of nouns to 
express the names of many virtues, vices, ideas, arts, &c. Male and female 
are sometimes expressed by the same name, without any modification or dif- 
ference of termination by which the gender might be known; thus, Pichi- 
-boton is the name for boy or girl, young man or young woman, but an addi- 
tional number of qualifying epithets is necessary before we know in which of its 
meanings to consider it. Their verbs are also defective in the tenses, ex- 
pressing an action or passion without any direct idea of time, but in an 
indefinite manner : labouring under these difficulties, it must take many words 
to express the most simple idea. The manner in which the caciques speak 
in council is entirely different from that of common conversation. ‘The 
harangues are given with astonishing fluency and rapidity : they seem never at 
a loss to express any word; their sentences are equally divided by pauses of 
equal length, and they give an idea of blank verse, read without observing 
any pause but the final at the end of each line. They use neither action nor 
gestures ; but affect a most visible variation of the tone in which they deliver 
their sentiments. 
Agriculture is entirely unknown amongst them. They subsist altogether 
on their flocks, and remove from one part to another to accommodate them 
with pasture: when the society is small their stock is kept together, without 
distinction of property, except the horses, which in the way of stock are the 
only personal property of the Indians; the cows, sheep, mares, and colts, 
are the common property of the tribe. Their flocks are entirely managed 
by their women and slaves (Christian women), who watch alternately during 
the night, mounted on horseback, and going the rounds among the cattle : 
if a sheep or any animal should be missing, the unfortunate woman is stripped 
and flogged in a most barbarous manner. The occupation of the women 
during the day is to catch and saddle the horses of the Indians, and cook 
