Narrative of the surveying voyages of his majesty's ships Adventure and Beagle (vol.2): between the years 1826 and 1836 : describing their examination of the southern shores of South America, and the Beagles's circumnavigation of the globe

162 SUPEllSTITIONS. " Some say that the stars are old Indians ; tliat the milky way is the field where the old Indians hunt ostriches, and that the Magrellan clouds are the feathers of the ostriches which they kill. They have an opinion that the creation is not yet exhausted ; nor all of it yet come out to the daylight of this upper world. The wizards, beating their drums, and rattling their hide-bags full of shells, or stones, pretend to see into other regions under the earth. Each wizard is supposed to have familiar spirits in attendance, who give supernatural in- formation, and execute the conjuror's will. They believe that the souls of their wizards, after death, are of the number of these demons, called Valichu, to whom every evil, or unplea- sant event is attributed. " Their religious worship is entirely directed to the powers of evil ; except in some particular ceremonies made use of in reverence to the dead. " To perform their worship they assemble together in the tent of the wizard, who is shut up from the sight of the rest in a corner. In this seclusion he has a small drum, one or two round calabashes or bags of dry hide, with small sea shells in them, and some square bags of painted hide in which he keeps his spells. He begins the ceremony by making a strange noise with his drum and rattle-bags ; after which he feigns a fit, or struggle with the evil spirit, who it is then supposed has entered into him ; keeps his eyes turned up, distorts his face, foams at the mouth, screws up his joints, and, after many vio- lent and distorting motions, remains stiff and motionless, resem- bling a man seized with an epilepsy. After some time he comes to himself, as having overcome the demon's influence next he feigns, behind his screen, a faint, shrill, mournful voice, as of the evil spirit, who, by this dismal cry, is sup- posed to acknowledge himself subdued ; and then the wizard, from a kind of tripod, answers all questions that are put to him. " Whether his answers are true or false, is of very little consequence ; because, if his intelligence should prove false, it is the fault of the demon, or Valichu. On all these occasions the wizard is well paid.