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

464 DRESS FEATURES ARAUCO. Juiie and fastened in front by a pin with a very large flat head, the size of a dollar, or even the palm of a hand ; the broad band round the waist ornamented with beads ; and the beaded or brass ornaments in the hair, ears, and round the neck, caught my eye sooner than their features, which are so similar to those of the almost Indian breed who live on the borders, that at first sight the difference was hardly noticed. Perhaps the eye of one of those Indians who has never lived with civi- hzed people, is the only feature which differs strikingly : so much have the lower classes of Chilian Creoles mixed with the aborigines. In the eye of a free, wandering Indian, there is a restless suspiciousness, which reminds one of the eye of a wild animal : but this peculiar expression is soon removed by civilization. The clothing of the Araucanians, made by themselves, is very strong good cloth. Indian ponchoes will keep out rain longer than any others. Dark blue is the usual colour of their clothes, from ponchoes to petticoats ; and they are all of woollen manufacture. The women dress their hair with some pains, and ornament it with beads, bits of brass, or large-headed pins, such as those I have described. Some few have ornaments of gold : and to see an Indian woman dressed in her national costume, with large golden ornaments, quite transports the imagination to the days of Cortes and Pizarro. I saw but one so ornamented, a fine-looking young woman, the daughter of a cacique, who had accompanied some of her tribe to look at the ship- wrecked white men. Her horse was a beautiful animal, looking as wild as herself. At Arauco the worthy colonel welcomed me to breakfast, but regretted that I had been prevented from proceeding to the wreck : he thought some accident had happened, and hardly could believe that we had actually passed a night at the Leiibu. D. Geronimo told me he had received intelligence of a large body of Indians, about three thousand strong, who were marching northward against Colipi, and his allies, the Chi- lians. He thought it probable that they would molest the Chal-