THEIR MANNERS. 117 
main naked while within their houses; and, when 
they go out, wear only a kind of cotton gown scarce- 
ly reaching to the knees. The dress of the men has 
sleeves, while that of the women and boys has none, 
the arms, shoulders, and upper part of the breast 
being uncovered. Till the age of nine the girls are~ 
allowed to go to church naked. The missionaries 
complain that the feeling of modesty is very little 
known to the younger of the sex. The women are 
not handsome ; but the maidens have a kind of plea- 
sant melancholy in their looks. No instances of na- 
tural deformity occurred to the travellers. Humboldt 
remarks, that deviations from nature are exceedingly 
rare among certain races of men, especially such as 
have the skin highly coloured ; an effect which he 
does not ascribe solely to a luxurious life or the 
corruption of morals, but rather imagines that the 
immunity enjoyed by the American Indians arises 
from hereditary organization. The custom of marry- 
ing at a very early age, which depends upon the 
same circumstance, is stated to be no way detrimen- 
tal to population. It occurs in the most northern 
parts of the continent as. well as in the warmest, 
and, therefore, is not dependent upon climate. 
They have naturally very little hair on the chin, 
and the little that appears is carefully plucked 
out. This thinness of the beard is common to the 
American race, although there are tribes, such as 
the Chipeways and the Patagonians, in which it 
assumes respectable dimensions. 
The Chaymas lead a very regular and uniform 
life. They go to bed at seven and rise at half after 
four. The inside of their huts is kept very clean, and 
their hammocks, utensils, and weapons, are arranged 
