. The Spanish-American republics . ed Skins, skins. And then from the canoe rose many unintelligible sounds, termi-nating with the few English and Spanish words which the Indianshave learned from passing ships: cachimba (tobacco pipe); ctuhillo(knife), the English equivalent knifey, tobacco, tobacco, and gal-letas, galletas. Knives, biscuit, and tobacco are the articles whichthese Indians desire most ardently, and in exchange they offer bonespear-heads, lassos, bows and arrows, grass baskets, and sometimesotter-skins. We made a few trifling exchanges; gave them a sackof broken biscuit, some ci
. The Spanish-American republics . ed Skins, skins. And then from the canoe rose many unintelligible sounds, termi-nating with the few English and Spanish words which the Indianshave learned from passing ships: cachimba (tobacco pipe); ctuhillo(knife), the English equivalent knifey, tobacco, tobacco, and gal-letas, galletas. Knives, biscuit, and tobacco are the articles whichthese Indians desire most ardently, and in exchange they offer bonespear-heads, lassos, bows and arrows, grass baskets, and sometimesotter-skins. We made a few trifling exchanges; gave them a sackof broken biscuit, some cigars, some old clothes, and a few coloredhandkerchiefs; and then they paddled away in the rain and gloom,after repeating our farewell ofAdiosand So long, and sing-ing a soft nasal lullaby. This visit of the Indians, in the midst ofthese vast mountain and island solitudes, was picturesque and impres-sive. The moon had gone down, rain was falling, and the drops ruffledwith innumerable small eddies the glassy black wavelets that made. INDIANS VISITING THE SHIP AT NIGHT. SMYTHS CHANNEL AND THE STRAIT OF MAGELLAN. 249 the frail bark canoe roll and lurch; the fitful glare of the fire now re-vealed the faces of the Indians, with their white teeth and shiningeyes, and now left the boat and its occupants in shadowy mystery;our seaman clinging to the black ships side formed a fantastic silhou-ette against the murky background of the night; and the row of headsleaning over the rail, and all looking down, must have presented tothe Indians odd effects of foreshortening, which, we may be sure, theyfailed to appreciate. The Indians seen in Smyths Channel consist ofa few nomad families, who live two or three together, and own a canoeand a tent composed of a few poles covered with skins. Their onlyarms are bows and arrows ; their chief food, mussels ; and their scantyclothing, such old rags and blankets as the charity of passing shipsprovides. They are, I suppose, the poorest and most miserable
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Keywords: ., boo, bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, bookidgrispanishameri00chil
