94 



TOMB — WOMEN. 



May 1827. 



mantles for sale, the father of the deceased conducted me and 

 a few other officers. 



It was a conical pile of dried twigs and branches of bushes, 

 about ten feet high and twenty-five in circumference at the 

 base, the whole bound round with thongs of hide, and the top 

 covered with a piece of red cloth, ornamented with brass studs, 

 and surmounted by two poles, bearing red flags and a string 

 of bells, which, moved by the wind, kept up a continual 

 tinkling. 



A ditch, about two feet wide and one foot deep, was dug 

 round the tomb, except at the entrance, which had been filled 

 up with bushes. In front of this entrance stood the stuffed 

 skins of two horses, recently killed, each placed upon four poles 

 for legs. The horses'* heads were ornamented with brass studs, 

 similar to those on the top of the tomb ; and on the outer 

 margin of the ditch were six poles, each carrying two flags, 

 one over the other. 



The father, who wept much when he visited the tomb, with 

 the party of officers who first went with him, although now 

 evidently distressed, entered into, what we supposed to be, 

 a long account of the illness of his child, and explained to us 

 that her death was caused by a bad cough. No watch was 

 kept over the tomb ; but it was in sight of, and not very far 

 from their toldos, so that the approach of any one could imme- 

 diately be known. They evidently placed extreme confidence 

 in us, and therefore it would have been as unjust as impolitic 

 to attempt an examination of its contents, or to ascertain what 

 had been done with the body. 



The Patagonian women are treated far more kindly by their 

 husbands than the Fuegian ; who are little better than slaves, 

 subject to be beaten, and obliged to perform all the laborious 

 offices of the family. The Patagonian females sit at home, 

 grinding paint, drying and stretching skins, making and paint- 

 ing mantles. In travelling, however, they have the baggage 

 and provisions in their charge, and, of course, their children. 

 These women probably have employments of a more laborious 

 nature than what we saw ; but they cannot be Compared with 



