of the Iflhmus op America 143 



their Faces Southward, and defcribiiig with 

 their Hand the Arc of the Suns Diurnal 

 Courfe from Eaft to Weft, when they have 

 brought their Hand to point to the Weftern 

 Horizon, they then bring it to the fide of 

 their Head 5 and laying down their Head on 

 that fide upon it, and (hutting their Eyes, 

 cunterfeit for a moment their being afleep. 

 Then repeating the Motion with their 

 Hand, and the intervening fleeping times, 

 they make you underftand that there will be 

 lb many fleeping Times or Nights before 

 you arrive at the place you feek. 



I obferv'd among them no diftinction of compuw 

 Weeks, or particular Days, no parting the of Timc ' 

 Day into Hours, or any Portions, otherwifc 

 than by this Pointing : And when they ufe 

 this, or any other Sign, yet they fpeak at 

 the fame time, and exprefs their Meaning 

 in their own Language, tho' to Europeans 

 who underftand it not. They reckon 

 Times paft by no Revolutions of the Hea- 

 venly Bodies, but the Moons : For Lacenta 

 fpeaking of tjie Havock the Spaniards had 

 made to the Weftward, intimated 'twas a 

 great many Moons ago. 



Their Computation is by Unites and Numberi 

 Tens, and Scores, to an Hundred - beyond f^nf 1 " 

 which I have not heard them reckon. To 

 exprefs a Number above this, they take a 

 Lock of their Hair, little or great (in pro- 

 portion to the Number they would inti- 

 mate J 



