Jan. 18ST. 



PATAGONTAN INDIANS. 



19 



their mantle the women wear a sort of petticoat, and the men a 

 triangular piece of hide instead of breeches. Both sexes sit 

 astride, but the women upon a heap of skins and mantles, when 

 riding. The saddles and stirrups used by the men are similar to 

 those of Buenos Ayres. The bits, also, are generally of steel ; 

 but those who cannot procure steel bits have a sort of snaffle, 

 of wood, which must, of course, be frequently renewed. Both 

 sexes wear boots, made of the skins of horses' hind legs, of 

 which the parts about the hock joints serve for the heels. For 

 spurs, they use pieces of wood, pointed with iron, projecting 

 backwards two or three inches on each side of the heel, con- 

 nected behind by a broad strap of hide, and fastened under the 

 foot and over the instep by another strap. 



The only weapons which we observed with these people 

 were the ' bolas,' or balls, precisely similar to those used by 

 the Pampas Indians ; but they are fitter for hunting than for 

 offence or defence. Some are furnished with three balls, but 

 in general there are only two. These balls are made of small 

 bags or purses of hide, moistened, filled with iron pyrites, or 

 some other heavy substance, and then dried. They are about 

 the size of a hen's egg, and attached to the extremities of a 

 thong, three or four yards in length. To use them, one ball is 

 held in the hand, and the other swung several times around 

 the head until both are thrown at the object, which they rarely 

 miss. They wind round it violently, and if it be an animal, 

 throw it down. The bolas, with three balls, similarly connected 

 together, are thrown in the same manner. 



As more time could not be spared we went on board, re- 

 minding the natives, on leaving them, of their promise to bring 

 us some guanaco meat. Aided by the tide, the ships worked 

 to windward through the Second Narrow, and reached an 

 anchorage out of the strength of tide, but in an exposed 

 situation. The wind having been very strong and against the 

 tide, the ship had much motion, which made our Patagonian 

 passengers very sick, and heartily sorry for trusting themselves 

 afloat. One of them, with tears in his eyes, begged to bQ 

 landed, but was soon convinced of the difficulty of compliance, 



