IV 
INDIAN FAMILIES 
6 7 
together by iron nails instead of leather thongs, and, of course, 
in vain attempted to cut them with their knives. This saved 
the lives of the Christians : many of the wounded Indians were 
carried away by their companions ; and at last, one of the 
under caciques being wounded, the bugle sounded a retreat. 
They retired to their horses, and seemed to hold a council 
of war. This was an awful pause for the Spaniards, as all 
their ammunition, with the exception of a few cartridges, was 
expended. In an instant the Indians mounted their horses, and 
galloped out of sight. Another attack was still more quickly 
repulsed. A cool Frenchman managed the gun ; he stopped 
till the Indians approached close, and then raked their line 
with grape-shot : he thus laid thirty-nine of them on the 
ground ; and, of course, such a blow immediately routed the 
whole party. 
The town is indifferently called El Carmen or Patagones. 
It is built on the face of a cliff which fronts the river, and many 
of the houses are excavated even in the sandstone. The river 
is about two or three hundred yards wide, and is deep and 
rapid. The many islands, with their willow-trees, and the flat 
headlands, seen one behind the other on the northern boundary 
of the broad green valley, form, by the aid of a bright sun, a 
view almost picturesque. The number of inhabitants does not 
exceed a few hundreds. These Spanish colonies do not, like 
our British ones, carry within themselves the elements of growth. 
Many Indians of pure blood reside here : the tribe of the 
Cacique Lueanee constantly have their Toldos 1 on the out¬ 
skirts of the town. The local government partly supplies them 
with provisions, by giving them all the old worn-out horses, and 
they earn a little by making horse-rugs and other articles of 
riding-gear. These Indians are considered civilised ; but what 
their character may have gained by a lesser degree of ferocity, 
is almost counterbalanced by their entire immorality. Some 
of the younger men are, however, improving ; they are willing 
to labour, and a short time since a party went on a sealing- 
voyage, and behaved very well. They were now enjoying the 
fruits of their labour, by being dressed in very gay, clean clothes, 
and by being very idle. The taste they showed in their dress 
was admirable ; if you could have turned one of these young 
1 The hovels of the Indians are thus called. 
