172 



COUNTING RESPECT TO AGE. 



The canoe Indians are in reality despised by the Patago- 

 nians ; but, for the sake of trade, are generally kept upon half- 

 friendly terras. For dogs, old horses, guanaco meat, and old 

 mantles, the former give pieces of iron pyrites (used for striking 

 fire), their captives, or their children. 



Patagonians have a great antipathy to negroes. As soon as 

 they see a black man, they shout, hoot, hiss, and make faces 

 at him. 



No signs of hieroglyphics or writing have been noticed among 

 the Patagonians. They can reckon as far as thousands. Time is 

 counted by years and moons, days and nights. There are parti- 

 cular words denoting the various phases of the moon, the sea- 

 sons of the year, and the times of day and night. In counting, 

 the fingers and toes are used, as well as words expressing num- 

 bers, especially when trying to make their meaning clear to 

 strangers. Once, when Mr. Low was leaving Gregory Bay, he 

 gave Maria to understand that he would return again in four 

 moons, and asked her to have some guanaco meat ready for 

 him when he should arrive. He returned a fortnight before 

 his time. No meat was ready. Maria said he was too soon, 

 explaining herself by holding three fingers up, and the fourth 

 bent half down. The few words of their language which have 

 been collected by me are mentioned in the Appendix. 



The Patagonians pay respect to old people, taking great 

 care of them ; they seldom move about on ordinary occasions, 

 but remain near the tolderia (village or encampment) with the 

 herds of mares. 



It has been mentioned that the Patagonians have lately 

 taken a liking to spirits. When intoxicated, they are very 

 noisy, but not quarrelsome. They are very fond of tobacco ; 

 and use some sort of pipe, frequently ornamented with brass 

 and tassels : it is passed round from one to the other. They 

 neither work, nor use any metal but what is obtained from 

 white men. There is no kind of pottery made by them: 

 wooden vessels, or bladders, being used for containing water. 

 Many of them now have iron kettles, in which meat is some- 

 times boiled, but their usual mode of cookery is roasting ; a 



