The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1897-12-24


reason for the sling az 2 tool OF seserrr-
sisA found in the fact thar he Yahgans
nss On the beaches. where plenty Of round
peooies are always at hand These fslaad-
" oat Oh from whale blubSer and
store IL for future use II, The blads4r-rfke
iesyes Of a kind OF gesgeeo found every
wnere IN that region.
Sass distinct and peculiar - the Ona
TIC rioe. which snhablts the prairie region CT
sIfa Gel fuego. This great island has tie
aars OF triangle. ard is almost as largo
- tug state CT New York Once upon
TIME II must have had a troplcsf climate.
1Mocn as the bones OF monkeys and
S.-1SA are found fossil there in great
nAnOsN. There is much excellent grazing
49,. 49,. ana sneep-raiE!ng is a growing IL
s. ,aer onas being killed OF as fast
posslpse incidentally 70 the process CT
1ehcaS me land Their c1il3ren and
o.nsi are captured. when poss. bic. and
piaclcaLy snslaped. being employed as
ants al the stations maintained ty
s ats1nsfe government on the island.
% ease carried to Baeaoz Ayreg- The Onas
.Iiaaodt TIE part CT TERRA del Fuego whieh
aaseIian first saw. and their habi, of sg-
s 70 one another by means OF aFss
saased the famous navigator 20 call the
country Land of Fire"
The Habits of the Onas.
=. me onas have no horses They eat those
.issy capture from the sheep men, conssd-
~~-S~ Akfc@S TIE greatest OF 1EElC&llES-
4aeS uspsnd for food chiefly upon me
suahaco, which a5cunds IL TERRA del Fae-
80. ana kind OF prairie squirrel In the
caase tney rely mainly upon bows and ar
fo"s anG the bo.as the latter consisting
=. e"o or three stone balls On the ends OF
Ice tnongs- On being thrown. the balls
1esise IN obedience TO centrifugal force
anu ny round and round In The air until
me OBJECT Is struck. when the thongs
WIG themselves about IL. These saw
ages can throw the bolas so 6extrously
as 10 fasten man TO his horse The
ohas. however, often Kill the guanaco by
surrounding bunch and running them
DOWN, so wonderfully feet Of foot are
they.
1ohn X. spears, to whose recently pub
hshed work on Cape Horn the writer is
niucE Indebted, says that the ona has as
poor an apology for home as be
FOUND anywhere In the world a saucer
SNAPPED hollow. big enough for bed for
an tne family. Is scooped In the ground.
some Poles and brush are placed about
TINS, and over the weather side is thrown
SKIN or two To protect themselves
from cold, the inmates of this extempor-
lzed house lie down on the ground with
the children In the midst of the huddie,
ana tnen call their dogs to come and lie
over them II Is poverty stricken Ona
ianiiy that has not enough dogs TO cover
u out Of sight. These people have curl
JUS pTact'ce or singing OF their hair,
as 10 leave sort OF tonsure on the
crown. They are remarkable for using
combs made of whalebone. which are not
found elsewhere.
for making a fire the Onas carry bits
or iron ore, which come from an island
10 the west Of TERRA del Fuego. A scrap
Oh Hint, with the ore and little dry fun
gus. always kept wrapped in piece Of
hiae or bladder. enable the ona 70 light
a fire even In a rain storm. Whisky bot
ties drlfted ashore fIom ships supply the
Tribe with glass tips Ter reed arrows. The
onas when captured by whites or Other
Wise In distress, cut long, deep gashes in
their chests with anything sharp that may
De At hand. When white prospectors have
disappeared in that country only their
bones have been found usually. and these
always bore marks of fire and human
teeth. The cnas eat the whites they cap
ture. Mr.. Spears speaks OF the interest
Ing fact that these natives long ago dis
covered sure and speedy remedy for the
chief i'll that savag - are heir to through
association with the whites In a decoc-
ton OF thorny bush which grows on the
plains, known to science as herberis.
When Magellan made his winter quar-
tiers al San Julian in 1870 on his voy lse
around the world he observed In the neigh
horhood many human footprints OF aston
fshIng size. Hence he called the country
Patagonia, from ''patagon." large ami
clumsy foot The name Is commonly ap-
piled to that portion Of South America
lying between Rio Negro on the north and
the strait OF Magellan On the south. It
Is an enormous territory. extending 1000
miles north and south. Very sparseIy set
tied. IL Is TO great extent UNEMPLOYED.
Most OF the interior is inhabited only by
rowing bands Of cborigines. The greater
part OF Patagonia belongs now 10 Ar
~ tina f.,.E .,~ef I,
famous strip along the Pacific coast
Remarkable Geological Formations.
The strip presents a very extraordinary
geographical formation, the mountains
rising 10 q height of two miles directly
from the plains on the east and the ocean
on the west, with myriads OF inaccessI-
bic SUBMITS and not pass for J. COO miles.
The peaks are forever covered with snow
and ice, which form enormous glaciers.
Remote from this range Of the Southern
Andes Prof Hatcher found on the plains
1 CT Patagonia numerous volcanic cones.
usually IN groups. Though extinct, Ii Is
evident that they have been active within
comparatively recent times. Great hills
OF lava full Of caverns. rise from the PAM
pas, with Immense c-aters or bowls In
their tops. A narrow strip OF grazing
country along the cas-; coast Is the sheep
farming regioa. The interior IS mostly
desert. without a single tree and only
such scant vegetation as viii support the
guanaeo and rhea, or South American os-
trich.
The fauna Of the country Is very re-
markahle. There are tao species OF tr'te
native dogs. Wild. One Of them Is light
gray, with n black spot at the base OF fhe
tail: IL is quite tame. and very numerous
everywhere on the 'lains. The other IA
much larger. rather shy. and found only
in the mountains. very plentiful <re-
ciss OF mann nal is the strange armadlno
one OF the most ancient OF existing crea-
lures Snakes are It's favorite prey. and
IL kills them by saving them In two with
the saw-uke edges CT It's bony shell. There
IL a venemous kind OF toad. which bites
savagely. hanging on with the tcnaci,y Of
n h:Iliog and injecting It's poison into the
bYccd Not to be forwotten Is the puma
which. though the most hloodthirsty beast
OF prey, cannot be induced to defend itself
against man. II commonly attacks and
kills the formidable taguar. bat a child
may approach II with safety. The grass
cat" OF thu pampas IL much like the do
resticated cat. but larger and frightfuiiy
savage Storms OF sky-hlue and scarlet
dragon rles which come before the south
west wind from the interior flying al the
rate OF eighty miles an hour and fairly
Sarkening the air with their svarrrs nre
among the curious phenomena OF the re-
gian.
Prof Hatcher reports that the giSar-
&c natives Of Southern Pats gonia. the
Tehuelches are superior IN one respect 70
any other n~medic tribe In Arne RIGA. Their
tents which are Of skins stitched toreth-
or 20 n. a framework Of poles. are carried
with then, wherever they wander. and are
so constructed IS 10 Re divided by co'n-