The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1891-10-16

throw them down on the banket; the
pots turned up are counted, and the one
wins who first reaches a certain number
The players seem to believe, with Pytha-
goras, that beans have souls, for they
kiss them, talk to them, rub them on
their breasts, all the time shouting at
the top of their lungs, imploring good
luck for themselves and evil for theil
opponents. The air resounded with a
discord of wild voices, while knives,
blankets, wives and ponies were staked
and rapidly changed owners.
Like other uncivilized people, the
gambling and habitually indulge in it.
They have a game of chance which is
played with Il fou-sided teetotum; and
are expert in several games of skill one
of which is said to resemble chess. Many
an Indian has staked his all upon the
turn of a bean, and returned to the
bosom of his family with little more COW
ering than that furnished him by nature.
The fate of prisoners of war has fire.
Quently depended upon the caprice of a
teetotum; and when disputes have arisen
among the Wise Men, grave questions
of state have often been decided by the
game of pelican.
But we must not overlook the ladies of
Araucania, especially on such an Occa-
sion when decked in festive 'gaud and
gear" Most of them have good figures
and agreeable faces, with luxuriant black
hair, pearly teeth, small feet inclined to
toe inward, and really beautiful arms;
but their diet of raw meat and corn rem
ders them gross at early age, and at thir-
ty they are flabby old crones. No belle
of civilization is more addicted to face
painting than they, but here white pow
ders are not in vogue, the colOrs used
being black and red. Two species of
earth supply these cosmetics, which are
mixed with grease to prevent them from
being easily washed off. The red is put
on in broad belt from ear to ear, over
the cheeks, eyelids and nose. The black
is used to give effect to the eyebrows,
which are pulled out so as to leave only
a fine line, while the lids and lashes are
tipped in the same manner that henna is
used by women of the East. This eStab-
lished fashion is rigdly observed, but
individual fancy sometimes varies it a
little, as for example, by two black tears
running down the cheeks and black scOl-
lops outlining the red band across the
face.
The glossy hair is divided into two
long braids, wound around with strings
of bright beads, connected at the ends
by another string of brass thimbles or
tiny shells Ordinarily the bead
bedecked braids are twisted around the
head like two snakes, the ends falling
down over the face or sticking out in
front like horns; but on great occasions,
such as house-raising, head-dress
large as a hand towel, composed entirely
of beads of various colOrs wrought into
figures, is arranged to fall low over the
forehead and hang down behind over the
back and shoulders. The bottom is
fringed with row of brass thimbles or
bells, and it is really an effective article
of dress.
The neck is encased in a regular dog
collar, made of leather studded with sill
yer. The bosom is covered with great
profusion of beads in all the colOrs of the
rainbow, supplemented with as many
thimbles, bells and silver coins as the
wealth of the wearer will allow. All the
women wear bracelets and anklets of
beads and hollow bones, and the chiefs
and Wise Men, as a distinction of rank,
sport anklets of bright-hued wooden
threads twisted together. A womans
dress consists of two blankets. not un
like the ''pouchos" of the men. One of
them is wrapped around the body, fall
ing to the knees, and is pinned up over
the shoulders, leaving the arms free,
while broad leather belt with silver
buckles confines it at the waist. The
other blanket is thrown over the shout
ders like cloak, fastened in front with
a silver pin the head of which is often
the size and shape of a tea-plate. These
garments are mostly of home manufac-
ture, dyed black or dark blue; but are
sometimes made of European red flannel.
With the addition of massive silver ear.
drops dangling to the shoulders and dabs
of red paint on the lips the picture is
complete. While girl of Araucania is
not put up for sale like an Oriental hour,
she is none the less an article of mer'
chandise, to be paid for by him who
would possess her, and has no more
voice in the choice of a husband. When
a young man makes up his mind to
marry he goes first to his friends for as.
sistance in the carrying out of the OBJ
ject. If he is poor each of his friends
according to his means, agrees to con.
tribute toward the expenses-one giving
fat OK, another horse, the third pail
of silver stirrups, and so on. A dark
night is selected and arendezuous named
At the appointed hour the lover and his
friends all we'll mounted, congregate as
agreed, and in silence they cautiously
approach the residence of the bride
Half dozen of the best orators of the
visit, set forth the merits of his would
be son-in-law and formally ask his con