IV 
SACRED TREE 
71 
brown withered grass, and low scattered bushes, armed with 
thorns. 
Shortly after passing the first spring we came in sight of a 
famous tree, which the Indians reverence as the altar of Wal- 
leechu. It is situated on a high part of the plain, and hence 
is a landmark visible at a great distance. As soon as a tribe 
of Indians come in sight of it, they offer their adorations by 
loud shouts. The tree itself is low, much branched, and thorny: 
just above the root it has a diameter of about three feet. It 
stands by itself without any neighbour, and was indeed the first 
tree we saw ; afterwards we met with a few others of the same 
kind, but they were far from common. Being winter the tree 
had no leaves, but in their place numberless threads, by 
which the various offerings, such as cigars, bread, meat, pieces 
of cloth, etc., had been suspended. Poor Indians, not having 
anything better, only pull a thread out of their ponchos, and 
fasten it to the tree. Richer Indians are accustomed to pour 
spirits and mate into a certain hole, and likewise to smoke 
upwards, thinking thus to afford all possible gratification to 
Walleechu. To complete the scene, the tree was surrounded 
by the bleached bones of horses which had been slaughtered 
as sacrifices. All Indians of every age and sex make their 
offerings ; they then think that their horses will not tire, and 
that they themselves shall be prosperous. The Gaucho. who 
told me this, said that in the time of peace he had witnessed 
this scene, and that he and others used to wait till the Indians 
had passed by, for the sake of stealing from Walleechu the 
offerings. 
The Gauchos think that the Indians consider the tree as 
the god itself; but it seems far more probable that they regard 
it as the altar. The only cause which I can imagine for this 
choice, is its being a landmark in a dangerous passage. The 
Sierra de la Ventana is visible at an immense distance ; and a 
Gaucho told me that he w r as once riding with an Indian a few 
miles to the north of the Rio Colorado, when the Indian com¬ 
menced making the same loud noise, which is usual at the first 
sight of the distant tree ; putting his hand to his head, and 
then pointing in the direction of the Sierra. Upon being 
asked the reason of this, the Indian said in broken Spanish, 
‘‘ First see the Sierra.” 
