OF THE PATAGONIANS. 
and on their legs a fort of boots, and many of them tied their 
hair, which was long and black, with a fort of woven ftuff of 
the breadth of a garter, made of fome kind of wool. That 
their arms were flings formed of two round balls, faftened> one 
to each end of a cord, which they fling with great force and 
dexterity. He adds, taey hold one ball in their hand, and fwing 
the other at the full length of the cord round their head, by which 
it acquires a prodigious velocity : they will fling it to a great 
diftance, and with fuch exaétnefs, as to ftrike a very fmall object. 
Thefe people were alfo mounted cn horfes; their faddles, bridles, 
&c. were of their own making; fome had iron, and others me- 
tai bits to their bridles, and one had a Spani/b broad fword; but 
whether the laft articles were taken by war, or procurred by 
-commerce, is uncertain; but the laft is moft probable. It 
feems evident that they had intercourfe with Europeans, and had 
even adopted jome of their fafhions ; for many had, cut their 
drefs into form of Spanifh Punchos, or a fquare piece of cloth 
with a hole cut for the head, the reft hanging loofe as low as 
the knees. They alfo wore drawers; fo thefe people had at- 
tained a few fteps farther towards civilifation than their gigan- 
tic neighbors; others again will appear to have made a far 
greater advance; for thefe ftill devoured their meat raw, and 
drank nothing but water. 
-M. Bougainville, in the fame year, faw another party of the 
natives of Patagonia: he meafured feveral of them, and declares 
that none were lower than five feet five inches, French, of taller 
than five feet ten; 2. e. five feet ten, or fix feet three, Englifo 
meafure, He concludes his account with faying, that he after- 
wards 
55 
