OF THE PATAGONIANS. 
they are moft expert riders, and have multitudes. of horfes, with 
which the country is perfeétly over-run, for they go in herds of 
thoufands. The price of a horfe at prefent is two dollars, or. 
gs. and 2d. provided it has been broken. About the year1554”,, 
near the time of the conqueft of Peru, the common price of 
one was from four to fix thoufand to ten. thoufand Pe/os +, or 
from £.1350 to £.2250 Englifh. 
Tue venereal diftemper is common among them. They do 
not fpeak of it as an exotic diferder, fo probably it is. abo- 
riginal. 
In refpect to religion, they allow two principles, a good-and a 
bad: The good they call, the Creator of all things; but 
confider him as one that, after that, never folicits himfelf about 
them. He is ftyled by fome Soucha, or chief in the land of 
ftrong drink ; by others Gawyara-cunnee,. or Lord of the dead. 
The evil principle is called Hueccovee, or the wanderer without. 
Sometimes thefe (for there are feveral) are fuppofed to prefide 
over particular perfons, protect their own people, or injure. 
others.. Thefe are likewife called Valichu,, or dwellers in: 
the air. 
Tuey have priefts and priefteffes, whofé office is to-mediate- 
with thefe beings in cafe of ficknefs or any diftrefs; by the in-- 
tervention of the prieft they are confalted about future events ;- 
at thofe feafons the prieft fhuts himfelf.up, and falls into a phre-- 
* Garcilaffa dela Vega, 377, Engl. tranflation. - 
+ Pefos in the original; perhaps Pe/es duros, which makes the above fum. 
tM. de Premontal is clear they have no-fort of religion. 
netic 
61 
