72 RIO COLORADO. [cmav. Iv. 
rated these Indians into two classes; but this is certainly incor- 
rect. Among the young women or chinas, some deserve to be 
called even beautiful. Their hair was coarse, but bright and 
black; and they wore it in two plaits hanging down to the 
waist. They had a high colour, and eyes that glistened with 
brilliancy ; their legs, feet, and arms were small and elegantly 
formed ; their ankles, and sometimes their waists, were orna- 
mented by broad bracelets of blue beads. Nothing could be 
more interesting than some of the family groups. A mother 
with one or two daughters would often come to our rancho, 
mounted on the same horse. They ride like men, but with their 
knees tucked up much higher. This habit, perhaps, arises from 
their being accustomed, when travelling, to ride the loaded 
horses. The duty of the women is to load and unload the horses ; 
to make the tents for the night ; in short to be, like the wives of 
all savages, useful slaves. ‘The men fight, hunt, take care of the 
horses, and make the riding gear. One of their chief indoor 
occupations is to knock two stones together till they become 
round, in order to make the bolas. With this important weapon 
the Indian catches his game, and also his horse, which roams free 
over the plain. In fighting, his first attempt is to throw down the 
horse of his adversary with the bolas, and when entangled by the 
fall to kill him with the chuzo. If the balls only catch the neck 
or body of an animal, they are often carried away and lost. As 
the making the stones round is the labour of two days, the 
manufacture of the balls isa very common employment. Several 
of the men and women had their faces painted red, but I never 
saw the horizontal bands which are so common ‘among the 
Fuegians. Their chief pride consists in having everything made 
of silver; I have seen a cacique with his spurs, stirrups, handle 
of his knife, and bridle made of this metal: the head-stall and 
reins being of wire, were not thicker than whipcord; and to see 
a fiery steed wheeling about under the command of so light a 
chain, gave to the horsemanship a remarkable character of 
elegance. 
General Rosas intimated a wish to see me; a circumstance 
which I was afterwar!s very glad of. He is a man of an extra- 
ordinary character, and has a most predominant influence in the 
country, which it seems probable he will use to its prosperity 
