The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1891-12-27

thickness, skiufully adapting it to the
shape of of "a horses back. Holes are
punched in both ends of those boards, and
Saddfe-trees, chosen from limbs of trees
like knees" for BODYBUILDING, are lasned
on with thongs. Fresh guanaCo-skin,
shorn of its woody coat, is then stretched
over the whole aud securely sewn with
sineWs. serving as it dries TO Olnd the
pieces securely together. Underneath the
saddle u thick blanket is laid, and over 1t
a corconilla of black sheep SKIN fur. The
girths are many ties of twisted hide, fitted
with a ring at each end, to be connected by
a leather thong. The stirrupS are sus-
pended by strips of hide from the holes
bored in the saddle-trees, and are generally
mad of a piece OF hard wood fastened into
a raw-hide thong. The brides are OF
twisted hide; the bits are a simple bar OF
wood, covered at both ends with stout hide
flaps, from which thongs extend under the
horses jaw forming an effectual curb, and
reins are also secured to the flaps. Even
spurs are used-twO pieces of hard wood,
with nails filed
TO A SHARP POIET
fixed in the ends, the whole cruel concern
tied to the foot by thongs.
BY the way, less than three centuries
and a half ago. the horse was entirely IN
known IN South America. Reid asserts
that within thirty years after Magellan
discovered them, the Patagonlans appeared
bestriding steeds, for the horse extended
his range over the American continent a
good deal faster than did MS European
owners. Says he: when the Spanlards,
in their after attempts at conQuerlng the
Indians, entered upon these great plains,
they were amazed to find their red enemies
on horseback, brandishing their long
l%ances and managing fiery charges with
skill equal to their wn.n Among the ear
lest South American tribes to obtain pos
session of the horse were those of northern
Patagonia, since the first of these animals
that ran wild on the continent were landed
in the La Plata expedition of Mendoza;
whence they became scattered over the al
jacent plains and soon wandered south
ward to the Straits of Magellan. And
from that hour the lazy Patagonian walked
no more.
Tehuclches seem to have no especial re-
ligioD, except a belief in many active and
malicious evil spirits, with Gualichu at
their head, who must be propitlated at all
costs. In camp, this satan with the IN
pronounceable name is supposed to a K his
stand outside the back of a toldo watching
for an opportunity to modest the inmates,
and can only be kept quiet by the spells OF
the medicine-man. 1t is this household
devil that enters into the bodies of people
and causes sickness and death: and nobody
but the doctor-wizzard of the tribe car
drive him out. They never were survivor
shippers, like the pampas Indians and the
Araucanians, though the new moon Is
thought to be a good spirit which
CREATED INDIANS
and animals; and they never had any idol!
or other visible objects of worship, nor d.
, they seem to observe any periodical relig
iouss festivals. They think that Gualichr
and other evil spirits live beneath rivers
and on peculiarly-shaped rocks and thes'
objects are always saluted when met b.
5 placing the hand on the head and mutter
l ing an incarnation. Those who have live
much among the ~Patagonians declare tina
they do not deserve the character that ha
been given hem of ferocious savages an
brigands of the deserts; that they ar
r kindly, good-tempered impulsive children
of nature, easily induced to become fir
o friends or equally confirmed enemies; an
Q that they are not naturally treacherous
o but always keep faith with them. Tn
half has not been told of interest concern