Corey Inlet--Another disappointment--A hunting frolic with an
unpleasant termination--Moving of the camp--Aimless
wanderings--Alarm--A marriage treaty and an unsuccessful
suitor--Laws of marriage--Qualifications of a husband--Feminine
quarrels--A marriage in high life--Dressing
meat--Profaneness--Absence of religious ideas--Mysterious
ceremony--Reasons for abstaining from religious instruction--The
metals--State of the arts in Patagonia--Tailoring--Fashion.
The next move of the tribe brought us within about a mile of Corey
Inlet. The day after we halted, in full view of the south Atlantic, on
looking out upon the water, two masts were plainly descried, evidently
those of some vessel running down to this inlet. On going up an
elevation commanding a better view, it proved to be a topsail schooner.
She had undoubtedly mistaken this false cape for Cape Virgin, at the
entrance of the Straits of Magellan. I pointed out the vessel to the
Indians, and requested them to take me to the shore, that I might, if
possible, communicate with her and be ransomed. After some delay, they
complied; but, as we approached the beach, she was seen suddenly to haul
off the shore and stand down the coast, having probably found out her
mistake. We made all possible haste to gain the beach before she could
have time to pass out of sight. I mounted a tall cliff, where I could
distinctly see the men on deck, and, standing on the horse's back,
waved my jacket, and made every possible demonstration to attract their
notice. All in vain. The little vessel sailed steadily on, as if in
mockery of my hopes. I watched her receding figure with an aching heart,
till she vanished from sight. Thoughts of home and its familiar circle,
of lost enjoyments, and of the suffering that must be a guest there, had
long tantalized my sleeping and embittered my waking dreams. These were
quickened and concentrated in a burning focus, by the light of such a
vision from the world of my past existence, only to inflict the keener
torture upon my sensibilities. My situation became more intolerable by
every fresh disappointment. It was almost enough to drive me mad. Must
I, then, give up all hope of rescue?
A few minutes passed, and the tempest of feeling passed with them.
Reflection convinced me that the indulgence of such feelings was not
only useless, but actually pernicious, as tending to unfit me for
rational and successful contrivance. My condition, truly, was dreadful;
so much the more necessary was it to exercise the most calm and patient
and self-possessed prudence, in order to devise and execute any purpose
of escape. Like the surgeon who looks with steady nerve on the quivering
frame subjected to his knife, I must nerve myself to look the gloomy
problem of my lot, without shrinking, fully in the face, and keep my
emotions, in all circumstances, strictly under the control of the
calculating judgment; a maxim, like many others, much easier uttered now
than to be thought of then, and far easier asserted than exemplified.
Fully bent on effecting my deliverance in some way, to the discovery of
which all possible ingenuity was to be directed, my resolutions of
self-control were heroic enough. But to fulfil them,--to repress and
disregard all those sympathies to which my whole being was bound,--this
was indeed labor, too great, I often feared, to be accomplished. When
the stress of inward conflict oppressed me, I would spring from my
crouching-place in the lodge, rush into the open air, and seize upon
every object that could in any degree divert attention and divide my
thoughts. These exertions, with God's blessing, sufficed to restore, in
some tolerable measure, the mental equilibrium, and to rescue me from
the dominion of feelings the unrestrained action of which would have
driven me to madness.
During our stay of three or four days at this encampment, I had become
so wearied with the monotony of their idleness, broken only by their
desperate gambling,--the only thing, besides the chase, with which the
Indians occupied themselves,--that for variety's sake, to divert my
often-desponding moods, and to kill time, which hung heavily on my
hands, I concluded to go out on a hunting frolic. Having procured a
horse of the chief, and encased my lower extremities in a pair of native
boots, much warmer than the ship shoes in which I had endured the cold,
I set out with quite a party. We had gone six or eight miles, when I
stopped for a short time, the rest of the troop riding off without
regarding me. On remounting my charger, I put him to his utmost speed,
in order to overtake them. While driving on at a furious rate, he
stumbled and came to the ground, throwing his luckless rider over his
head twenty feet or more, upon the hard, frozen ground. One ankle was
severely sprained, and my whole body more or less bruised. So severe,
indeed, was the shock, that I have occasional reminders of it to this
day. No time was to be lost; and, with considerable effort, and no
little pain, I succeeded in remounting. The swelling of my foot soon
made my borrowed boots extremely uncomfortable, and I wished myself
safely back at the lodge; but, at whatever expense of suffering, I had
no resource but to follow the hunters till such time as they should see
fit to return. The remembrance of that day's torment will not soon be
lost. We arrived at the camp late in the evening; and, having been
unsuccessful in the chase, went supperless to bed. On crawling into the
hut and removing my boots, a sad sight was disclosed; but there was no
present remedy. Dragging myself wearily into my corner, I had just
crouched upon the skin, which had served for a saddle during the day and
was still reeking from the horse's back, when a great dog came along,
and threw his whole weight upon the lame foot, causing me to scream
aloud for the pain. I drew back the serviceable foot, and gave him a
kick that sent him through the fire and against the front of the lodge.
Sleep kept at a distance till near morning, when I gained a brief
oblivion of suffering.
Day at last dawned, and with the morning's light came the busy note of
preparation for removal. Down came the tents; the squaws packing up the
furniture, and the Indians chasing and lassoing their horses. The noise
and confusion, disagreeable enough under any circumstances, made the
scene no inapt representative of chaos, from which I was glad to be
delivered on the most expeditious terms possible; and I was easily
persuaded to try my fortune again in the chase, more especially as we
had nothing for breakfast. No words can do more than partial justice to
one of these moving scenes. Not only the skin roofs of their wigwams,
but the stakes and poles which constitute the frames, are carried along
with them. Their furniture gives them little trouble, seldom consisting
of more than the skins on which they sleep, an ox-horn tinder-box, a few
sticks for roasting meat, and a leathern water-bucket. Tents and
furniture are all packed together on their horses' backs. The pappooses
in travelling are lashed to a kind of wooden sledge, rounded at the ends
like sleigh-runners, and crossed with narrow slats, that bind the parts
strongly together. The little brats are bound upon these machines, which
are so shaped that their heads and feet are much below the general level
of their bodies,--a very uncomfortable position for the youngsters, if
they have as much sensibility to pain as other children, of which I
incline to doubt, as they are inured from birth to almost every species
of hardship. The sledge, with its living burden, is thrown across the
horse's back, and made fast to the load. The mother mounts to the top of
the pack, resting her feet on the horse's neck, and armed with a cudgel,
with which she vigorously belabors the beast, right and left. The
pappooses, not liking the quarters assigned to them, set up a general
squalling. Mothers and maiden aunts join in full chorus, drawling out,
at the top of their voices, "Hori! mutty, mutty! Hori! mutty, mutty!"
without the least change, to the thousandth repetition. All these
arrangements are made with remarkable celerity--in thirty minutes not a
tent is left standing, but the whole tribe, their tenements and
chattels, wives and brats, are all packed upon horses, and the motley
cavalcade moves off like an army of beggars on horseback.
[Illustration: BREAKING UP OF CAMP.]
On the present occasion the movement was delayed, while we rode in
search of something to eat. The chase was unsuccessful, scarcely enough
being obtained to more than sharpen our appetites for dinner. The scanty
meal being over, the whole company began their journey, which in its
tortuous windings was not unlike that of the Israelites in the
wilderness, but unlike that in the respect that we seemed to have no
particular destination or object, except to explore new hunting-grounds,
and gratify the capricious restlessness of the Indians. One very
desirable end was answered,--we got enough to eat, as we were successful
in killing a large quantity of game. The Indians, it was noticeable,
were never at a loss to find their camps. So familiar did they seem with
all their haunts and the general shape of the country, that though the
surface presented to my eye scarcely any distinguishable way-marks, they
would strike off from any point, however distant, and go with unerring
aim straight to their tents. In returning laden with booty to our new
homes, I was surprised to observe no indications whatever of water in
the vicinity; a singular departure, at first sight, from their
invariable custom, so far as I had noticed. Very soon the squaws issued
from their huts, each with her leathern bucket. Curiosity prompted me to
follow them a little way, when a spring was discovered, from which they
had to dip the water with their ox-horn cups till the buckets were
filled.
About this time a new phase of life presented itself, to cast light on
an important item of the social economy established in Patagonia.
Looking out of our wigwam one evening just at dusk, I noticed an unusual
concourse of Indians about two hundred yards distant. There were fifty
or more, headed by one of the most ruffianly rascals in the tribe,
marching in the direction of our lodge. I spoke to the chief about it,
whereupon he went immediately to the back of the hut, and sat down on
his little bed, his cutlass hanging beside him from a knot of one of the
stakes. This he took down, laid it across his knees, and folded his
arms. Something, I saw, was wrong. In anticipation of the worst that
might befall me, I had found, a short time before, the handle of an old
knife among the chief's trumpery, and also an odd blade; these I had put
together, and the chief permitted me to carry it about my person, the
only weapon he allowed me. I now planted myself on my knees beside him,
and prepared to sell my life as dearly as possible, should the mob enter
with evil designs towards me. The consciousness that I was in their
power, and was sure to have the worst of any serious quarrel, made it my
study to keep the peace with them as far as circumstances would admit;
but there was a limit to my control of events, a very narrow limit,
which I had constant reason to fear would be overborne by the impetuous
hatred of my enemies, when nothing would be left but desperate
resistance. Such a crisis seemed near, when the chief was himself
reduced to a defensive attitude, and was indeed besieged in his own
lodge.
The motley throng surrounded the hut, their numbers constantly swelled
by fresh arrivals; some were squat upon the ground, others peeping
through the crevices. Presently one of the number addressed the chief,
and the two conversed for some time in a low and unintelligible, but
decided and emphatic tone. The crowd outside appeared to be a good deal
excited, and kept up a continuous hum of rapid conversation. I looked
and listened, with mingled curiosity and dread, while the chief repeated
the same thing over and over again, in a firm, authoritative tone,
tinged with anger. Unable to conjecture what was on foot, or to bear any
longer the agony of suspense, I patted him familiarly on his naked
breast, told him he had "a good heart," begged that he would not suffer
the Indians to harm me. "You go sleep," was his answer; "no Indians come
into this house to-night." I inquired what they were after, but no
answer was vouchsafed, and he resumed his mysterious colloquy with the
outsiders. The idea of sleeping under such circumstances was out of the
question; I was wide awake, and bent on keeping so,--sorely bewildered
at the strange goings on, and not a little terrified, but holding fast
by my sole weapon of defence, and waiting a favorable opportunity to
interpose another inquiry. The chief turned his head; and, perceiving my
vigilance, repeated in an angry tone his injunction to sleep. This was a
drop too much; and, clasping my arms about his dirty neck, patting his
breast, and looking (with as confiding an air as I could assume) into
his dull eyes, I begged him to speak to me, to tell me what these men
wanted. "Do they want to break my head?"
"The men don't want to hurt you," he said; "Indian wants a girl for his
wife; poor Indian, very poor, got no horses nor anything else. I won't
give him the woman."
So speedy a descent from the height of my fears was not satisfactory; it
was impossible to credit this explanation of such a formidable scene. I
apprehended that it was a pure fiction, extemporized for the purpose of
quieting me; but, as he seemed more communicative, I swallowed my
doubts, and questioned him further. "What does poor Indian say?"
"Says he'll steal plenty horses when we get where they are, and give the
woman plenty of grease. Says he is a good hunter, good thief."
These high titles to consideration did not seem to be admitted by the
party they were offered to conciliate; on the contrary, the chief
pronounced him a sleepy mink-skin of a fellow,--no thief at all; one
that would never own a horse in the world. This opinion, which he was
good enough to favor me with, he communicated to the party chiefly
concerned, telling him that he was a poor, good-for-nothing Indian, he
should not have the woman, and that was the end of it. After a little
more jabber, and abundance of wrangling, the mob dispersed, much to my
relief. Satisfied, by further conversation on the subject with old
Parosilver, whose triumph over the mutiny had put him into better temper
than usual, that the affair did not imminently concern my safety or
welfare, I lay down to rest.
In answer to further inquiries,--for I must plead guilty to a good deal
of curiosity in respect of the poor Indian and his blasted hopes,--I was
informed that without the chief's consent no marriage was permitted;
that, in his judgment, no Indian who was not an accomplished
rogue,--particularly in the horse-stealing line,--an expert hunter, able
to provide plenty of meat and grease, was fit to have a wife on any
terms. He never gave his consent for such lazy ones to take an extra
rib; but, he very considerately added, all the difference it made was
that some one else had to support the squaw till her suitor proved
himself worthy, and acquired sufficient wealth to justify taking her to
his wigwam; and, if he cared much for his _coury_, he would not be long
in earning her; it would make him a first-rate thief,--the most
indispensable title to favor in the tribe. It appeared that the
possession of two horses, one for himself and one for his intended, was
regarded as the proper outfit in a matrimonial adventure.
The women are somewhat given to quarrelling among themselves; and, when
their "combativeness" is once active, they fight like tigers. Jealousy
is a frequent occasion. If a squaw suspects her liege lord of undue
familiarity with a rival, she darts upon the fair enchantress with the
fury of a wild beast; then ensues such a pounding, scratching and
hair-pulling, as beggars description. The gay deceiver, if taken by
surprise, slips quietly out, and stands at a safe distance to watch the
progress of the combat, generally chuckling at the fun with great
complacency. A crowd gathers round to cheer on the rivals; and the
rickety wigwam, under the effect of the squall within, creaks and
shivers like a ship in the wind's eye.
While the _contract_ of marriage is so jealously regarded by the chief
as to be subject to a veto in every case where a proposed match appears
in his eyes unsuitable, the _ceremony_ is literally nothing at all. Due
sanction having been given by the supreme authority, the bridegroom
takes home his bride for better or worse, without any of the festivity
which graces similar occasions elsewhere. About this time,--for, as I
had no means of journalizing my experience, or even keeping the
reckoning of weeks and months, it is quite impossible to assign
dates,--a matrimonial transaction took place, accompanied by unusual
solemnities. The rank of one party, and the extraordinary accessories of
the occasion, will justify a particular notice of this "marriage in high
life."
One evening, the chief, his four wives, two daughters, an infant
granddaughter, and myself, were scattered about the lodge, enveloped in
a smoke of unusual strength and density. While the others sat around as
unconcerned as so many pieces of bacon, I lay flat, with my face close
to the ground, and my head covered with a piece of guanaco-skin, the
only position in which it was possible to gain any relief from the
stifling fumigation. While in this attitude, I fancied I heard the tramp
of many feet without, and a confused muttering, as if a multitude of
Indians were talking together. Presently a hoarse voice sounded in
front, evidently aimed at the ears of some one within, to which the
chief promptly replied. I caught a few words,--enough to satisfy me that
I was not the subject of their colloquy, but that there was a lady in
the case,--and listened curiously, without any of the fright which grew
out of the previous negotiations. The conversation grew animated, and
the equanimity of his high mightiness the chief was somewhat disturbed.
I cast a penetrating glance into the smoke at the female members of our
household, to discern, if possible; whether any one of them was
specially interested. One look was sufficient; the chief's daughter
(who, by the way, was a _quasi_ widow, with one hopeful scion springing
up by her side) sat listening to the conversation, with anxiety and
apprehension visible in every feature. Her mother sat near her, her chin
resting upon her hand, with an anxious and thoughtful expression of
countenance. The invisible speaker without, it soon appeared, was an
unsuccessful suitor of the daughter, and had come with his friends to
press his claim. He urged his suit, if not with classic, with "earnest"
eloquence, but with success ill proportioned to his efforts. The chief
told him he was a poor, good-for-nothing fellow, had no horses, and was
unfit to be his son-in-law, or any one else's. The outsider was not to
be so easily put off; he pressed his suit with fresh energy, affirming
that his deficiency of horses was from want of opportunity, not from
lack of will or ability to appropriate the first that came within his
reach. On the contrary, he claimed to be as ingenious and accomplished a
thief as ever swung a lasso or ran off a horse, and a mighty hunter
besides, whose wife would never suffer for want of grease. The
inexorable chief hereat got considerably excited, told him he was a poor
devil, and might be off with himself; he wouldn't talk any more about
it.
The suppliant, as a last resort, appealed to the fair one herself,
begging her to smile on his suit, and assuring her, with marked
emphasis, that, if successful in his aspirations, he would give her
_plenty of grease_. At this last argument she was unable to resist
longer, but entreated her father to sanction their union. But the
hard-hearted parent, not at all mollified by this appeal from his
decision to an inferior tribunal, broke out in a towering passion, and
poured forth a torrent of abuse. The mother here interposed, and
besought him not to be angry with the young folks, but to deal more
gently and considerately with them. She even hinted that he might have
done injustice to the young man. He might turn out a smarter man than he
had credit for. He might--who knew?--make a fine chief yet, possess
plenty of horses, and prove a highly eligible match for their daughter.
The old fellow had been (for him) quite moderate, but this was too much.
His rage completely mastered him. He rose up, seized the pappoose's
cradle, and hurled it violently out of doors, and the other chattels
appertaining to his daughter went after it in rapid succession. He then
ordered her to follow her goods _instanter_, with which benediction she
departed, responding with a smile of satisfaction, doubtless
anticipating the promised luxuries of her new home, the vision of which,
through the present tempest, fortified her mind against its worst
perils. Leaving the lodge, she gathered up her scattered effects, and,
accompanied by her mother, the bridal party disappeared.
The chief sat on his horse-skin couch, his legs crossed partly under
him, looking sour enough. Presently the bride and her mother returned,
and now began the second scene. The chief no sooner recognized them than
a sound--something between a grunt and a growl, but much nearer the
latter than the former, and in a decided _crescendo_--gave warning of a
fresh eruption. The rumbling grew more emphatic, and suddenly his fury
burst on the head of his wife. Seizing her by the hair, he hurled her
violently to the ground, and beat her with his clenched fists till I
thought he would break every bone in her body, and reduce her substance
to a jelly. Perhaps I was a little hard-hearted, but she had been one of
my bitterest enemies, and I had a feeling that if some of her ill-will
to me could be beaten out of her, I could be easily resigned to her
fate. The drubbing ended, she rose and muttered something he did not
like. He replied by a violent blow on the side of her head, that sent
her staggering to the further end of the hut. This last argument was
decisive, and she kept her huge mouth closed for the night. There was a
silent pause for some minutes, and, without another word, we ranged
ourselves for repose. I thought the old heathen's conscience troubled
him through the night; his sleep was broken, and he appeared very
restless. Early the next morning he went to the lodge of the
newly-married pair, and had a long chat with them. They thought him
rather severe upon them at first; but, after a good deal of diplomacy, a
better understanding was brought about. The young people could hardly
get over a sense of the indignities they had received; but in the course
of the day they returned, bag and baggage, to the old chief's tent, and
made it their permanent abode.
We now moved in a westerly direction, and on the way succeeded in
capturing a good deal of game. Their mode of dealing with the carcass of
the guanaco is enough to dissipate whatever appetizing qualities the
meat--in itself very palatable--would otherwise possess. It was no
uncommon circumstance, while the squaws were removing the hide, to see
the dogs tugging at the other extremity, the women, meantime, crying out
"Eh! Ah!" in a dissuasive, though not angry, tone. If the animals become
too audacious, the ire of their mistresses is kindled, and they break
out with "Cashuran cashahy!" a phrase equivalent to that which, in
English, directs its object to a region unmentionable in ears polite.
The Indians have, strictly speaking, no profane expressions. I never
could learn that they worshipped or had any idea of a Supreme Being. The
only observance which bore any aspect of religion was associated with
something we should little think of as an object of adoration--the
tobacco-pipe;--though, how far this is, in fact, an object of idolatry
in Christian lands, it might not become me to speculate. The only
occasions on which the Indians discovered any appearance of devotion
were those of smoking. This may have been only a symptom of
intoxication, but the reader may judge for himself.
A group of a dozen or more assemble,--sometimes in a wigwam, sometimes
in the open air. A vessel made of a piece of hide bent into a
saucer-shape while green and afterwards hardened, or sometimes an
ox-horn, filled with water, is set on the ground. A stone pipe is filled
with the scrapings of a wood resembling yellow ebony, mixed with
finely-cut tobacco. The company then lay themselves in a circle flat on
their faces, their mantles drawn up to the tops of their heads. The pipe
is lighted. One takes it into his mouth and inhales as much smoke as he
can swallow; the others take it in succession, till all have become
satisfied. By the time the second smoker is fully charged, the first
begins a series of groanings and gruntings, with a slight trembling of
the head, the smoke slowly oozing out at the nostrils. The groaning soon
becomes general, and waxes louder, till it swells into a hideous
howling, enough to frighten man or beast. The noise gradually dies away.
They remain a short time in profound silence, and each imbibes a draught
of water. Then succeeds another interval of silence, observed with the
most profound and devotional gravity. All at length arise, and slowly
disperse. Now, this may or may not have been a form of worship; but the
circumstances attending it, the numbers uniformly engaged in it the
formality with which it was invariably conducted, the solemnity of
visage, the reverential grimace, the prostration, the silence, the
trembling,--these, and traits of expression which are more easily
discerned and remembered than described, gave me a decided impression
that the whole had a superstitious meaning. The natural operation of the
tobacco, and of the substance mixed with it, might explain part of the
symptoms,--the writhing and groaning,--but these appeared to be a good
deal in excess, and there were other features of the case which appeared
to require another solution.
I never asked any explanation. The mystery which savage tribes are so
apt to throw around their religious rites, and their resentment at any
unhallowed curiosity, I was not inclined to meddle with or provoke. If
my conjectures were just as to the nature of this ceremony, inquiry
might lead to unpleasant consequences. Ignorance appeared, on the whole,
safer than knowledge of good or evil, gained at the risk of being caught
trespassing on things forbidden. If any one thinks my precaution
excessive, he is at liberty to take a different course whenever he finds
himself in the jurisdiction of Parosilver, or any other Patagonian
chief.
The inquiry may arise, especially in the mind of the religious reader,
whether I attempted to impart to my captors any knowledge of God, his
attributes and laws. The answer is quite ready,--No, and for a variety
of reasons. The writer did not understand enough of either Spanish or
Indian to communicate intelligible ideas on any matters beyond the range
of the senses, and Patagonia is pretty barren of sensible phenomena,
which made my stock of words more limited than it might have been under
more favorable circumstances. There was no finding "tongues in trees,"
or "books in the running brooks;" the land possesses neither in numbers
sufficient to be conversable. "Sermons in stones," even, must have been
of very pebbly dimensions, and of no great weight. Had this difficulty
been removed, I confess I had no great desire to surmount it. I was the
object of suspicion and hostility. My life was in constant danger. To
diminish, as far as possible, the causes of dislike, to mitigate their
ferocious hate, to elude occasions of mischief, to delay what I feared
could not be very long prevented, was my continual study. If the reader
is not satisfied with this account of my conduct, I am sorry for it, but
cannot afford any words of contrition. It is vastly easier, I may hint
to the objector, to prescribe another's duties than to judge of one's
own, especially where the two parties are in circumstances so widely
differing. The Patagonians need the gospel--and the law--as much as any
people I could name from personal observation. There was no trace of
instruction imparted at a previous period, and the reception
Christianity would meet with among them is yet to be discovered.
Their pipes are made of a hard red stone, the bowl dug out with whatever
iron or steel implement is at command to the dimensions of an ordinary
clay pipe, the stem about an inch square, and three inches long, with a
small perforation. A copper or brass tube, about two inches long, is
fitted to the stem, and serves as a mouth-piece. This is made by bending
or hammering a metallic plate about a small round stick, and soldering
or cementing it with a glutinous substance thickened with earth.
The copper, brass and iron, seen among them, was probably procured from
unfortunate vessels wrecked on their coast. I was informed by Captain
Morton, of whom the persevering reader will know more hereafter, that he
had touched at Sea Bear Bay for a harbor, and saw there great quantities
of iron pumps, ships' hanging knees, and other gear, from wrecks of
vessels of all sizes. As he was bound for the land of gold, he thought
it scarcely worth his while to collect the baser metals. Had he been
homeward bound, he might have obtained a valuable cargo.
As ornaments, bits of brass and copper, of silver and German silver,
have a high value among the Indians, and when the metals are plenty such
adornment is very common. The children's shoes have small oval pieces
sewed on in front, and they appear on other parts of their dress. When
scarce, they are more seldom seen. Blacksmithing in Patagonia is
something of the rudest. Two hard flat stones do duty, the one as anvil,
and the other as hammer. Of the effect of heat in making the metals
malleable, and of the art of tempering, the people have no knowledge. To
make a knife, they take a piece of iron hoop, or iron in any practicable
shape, and hammer away upon it at a provokingly slow rate. Their blows
are not heavy enough to do much execution; but they keep up a constant
tap, tap, tap, hour by hour, till the iron is flattened to the required
shape and dimensions. It is then rubbed on a smooth stone till it is
worn down to an edge, and finally inserted into a wooden handle.
Sometimes melted lead is poured into the handle, but lead appeared to be
a scarce commodity. All mechanic arts, if they deserve the name, are in
an equally rude and primitive stage. The simplicity of these people's
ideas is indeed extraordinary. In invention or constructiveness they are
babes. A Yankee boy, six years old, would be a prodigy among them,--a
miracle of genius.
An opportunity was afforded, while in camp, to see some specimens of
their tailoring or mantua-making achievements;--either term is
appropriate, as the male and female dress do not differ in form, and but
slightly in the mode of adjustment. The mantle or blanket is worn around
the shoulders; those of the women are fastened together by the corners
under the chin with a stick for a pin; the men hold theirs around them
with their hands, except that when hunting they tie a string around the
waist.
The skins of young guanacos are selected for mantles, on account of the
superior fineness and softness of the hair. Nearly a dozen skins are
used for a single mantle, as a large part of each is esteemed unfit for
use, and thrown away. The skins, while green, are stretched to their
utmost tension on the ground to dry. When partially dried, they are
scraped on the inside with a stone sharpened like a gun-flint, sprinkled
the while with water, to facilitate the operation. When the surface is
made tolerably smooth, and of a pretty uniform thickness, it is actively
scoured with a coarse-grained stone, till it has a bright polish. The
skin is again dried, then crumpled and twisted in the hands till it
becomes perfectly soft and pliable. The thread, as has been stated, is
made from the sinews of the ostrich. These are extracted by the exertion
of great strength, and divided into strings about the size of ordinary
shoe-thread. They are then twisted, the ends are scraped to a point, and
when dry become stiff; they are now ready for use.
Two pieces of skin are cut to fit each other. The tailoress (for all the
work, from the curing of the skins to the last results, is done by the
squaws) holds the edges together with the left hand, and drills them for
sewing with a sharpened nail, held between the first two fingers of the
right hand; the pointed thread, held between the finger and thumb, is
inserted and drawn through, and so the work goes on. The stitches are
tolerably fine, and a very neat seam is made. Other pieces are added,
and when the whole is finished the seams are rubbed smooth with a bone.
The fur being worn inside, there remains the work of outside decoration.
With a due quantity of clay, blood, charcoal and grease, amalgamated for
the purpose, the artist arms herself with a stick for a brush, and
executes divers figures in black, on a red ground; which, if intended to
shadow forth men, require a vigorous imagination to detect the purpose.
They might pass for unhappy ghosts (if a little more ethereal in
composition), or for deformed trees. They bear a rude resemblance to a
chair in profile, or a figure 4; and are thickly disposed over the whole
surface, in the attitude sometimes vulgarly termed "spoon-fashion." The
garment is now complete; the edges are carefully trimmed with a knife,
and the fabric is thrown over the shoulders, with the infallible
certainty of fitting as closely as the native tastes require. There is
no trial of patience in smoothing obstinate wrinkles. A "genteel fit" is
the easiest thing in the world; wherein Patagonian tailors have
decidedly the advantage of their fellow-craftsmen in civilized lands.