The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1892-01-27

break, near the mouth OF a narrow
canon, where their horses found plenty
of grass and water; and while the men
and boys rested from the fatigues OF their
Journey, stretched at ease on the ground,
the women hustled about like so many
big brown ants setting up the toldos,
bringing water from the distant spring
and SHINING game for the cooking spit.
The Patagonian toldo, or kau-wigwam,
tent, tepee or whatever you choose to
call it-difers somewhat from the homes
of any other Indians and therefore merits
description. A row of the tallest forked
posts that can be obtained in this COM
paratively t~reeless country-ssy eight or
nine feet long-are driven into the
ground and a ridge pole is laid across
them. About six feet back Of these another
row of forked poles is set, each a foot or
two shorter than those of the first row,
and across these another ridge pole is
laid. The same distance back of these a
third row is driven of poles not more
than three feet long, topped by a third
ridge pole. This completes the frame
work, and an excellent n 1t
is, and over it is spread a
lot of skins, of the guanaco, deer,
horse or puma, sewn together in squares
Of varying sizes and all daubed inside
with q mixture of tallow and red ochre,
which can be smelled a mile away. More
skins are tied with thongs around the
sides of the toldo; and in cold or rainy
weather horse hides are fastened up in
front, like curtains, and are sometimes
hung inside to partition off separate
apartn ents, the number, quality and size
Of the skins that are used denoting the
wealth and social standing of the in
mates. Think of it, q fur house-and
such fur, too-the tawny, mottled puma
and the beautiful and almost priceless
pale yellow streaked with white OF
Young guanacos. One family-that is,
one Indian with his especial wives and
children-seldom m%onopolize q whole
toldo, but as civilized people do in SUM
mer camping ~frolics, relatives and init
mate friends pool their issues, as it were,
under the same ridge poles. Of course,
the highest side of the fur house is its
front, and 1t is invariably set facing the
east-whether from superstition, habit
or because the prevailing winds blow
from the west I am unable to tell you.
Later in the day e closer inspection re-
vealed to us the inner furnishings. Just
inside the entrance to each tent several
small brushwood fires were kept burning,
evidently as much for warmth and to
dry off the wet ground as for cooking
purposes. Horse hides, spread on the
h~alf.frozen sod, served for beds and
seats, and I noticed with establishment
that each bed, besides its pile OF furs and
blankets, had one OF more bolsters--
regular civilized holsters, at least in
shape-made of half-worn blankets, sewn
together with sinews and stuffed with
wool. The blankets OF these people,
which they call lechus, are almost like
the ponchos of Bolivia and Chile, and I
am told that they are hand-woven by
the Araucanian women. The extra furs,
saddles, blankets and all belongings
no: in immediate use were piled around
the outer edges as a barricade against
the ftful gusts of wind that persisted in
skurrying in beneath the Tapping walls.
Cupboards, of course, there were
none, the dishes being piled on the
ground in promiscuous heaps, washed
clean by prowling dogs-lean, uncanny'
creatures that outnumbered their masters
several to one. There were huge
trenchers followed out of blocks Of
wood, bark platters and excellent spoons
made by sticking a clam shell on a con-
v~eniently shaped branch, and armadillo
she'll bowls. By way of a soup dish on
might 90 a good deal farther and fare
worse than to use the round, deep shell
of the Patagonian armadlllo or ant eater.
Then there were bucket-shaped baskets
made of the coarse pampa grass, so
tightly braided that water can be carried
in them without leaking drop; asadors
or splits of bone aud wood, and even two
or three iron kettles.
souatted upon a horsehide in one OF
these queer homes, surrounded by an I'D.
miring throng of grinning women and
children-whose good graces had pre-,
viously been won by gifts OF beads ana
red calico-we partook of hospitality
in the shape of a custard a Ia Patago-
MEME, the receipt for which please &C.
cent as q present: Break q small hole In
the point of an ostrich egg, and after re-