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Yet Mr. Low did not think that the little capitan belonged
to any of the families residing near Gregory Bay, but to
some part of the same tribe who live far inland. Maria’s son,
Chico, was subsequently cacique, or acting as cacique of the
Gregory Bay party. Had this western tribe been under the
dominion of the Gregory Bay party, would the successor to
Chico have been taken from a tribe who live far inland ?
The apparent mixture of horse and canoe Indians appears
to me to have been an accidental consequence of the fire made
as a signal, which called to the spot horsemen from the north
and canoes from the south. The novelty of a vessel anchoring
in a place never before disturbed hy such a visitor, might well
suspend hostilities between neighbouring tribes, even had they
been at war ; hut there is every reason to conclude that the
canoe men of the south side of those waters have frequent and
even amicable intercourse with the horsemen of Patagonia.
A part though of that amicable intercourse consists in selling
their children to the Patagonians for slaves. The following
incident led to the discovery of this slave-trade: Mr. Low
heard Maria talking of ‘ zapallos,’* and asked her if she could
get some for him—and how many ? He thought she meant
pumpkins (for which zapallos is Spanish) ; Maria replied,
“ two boat loads,” and to show of what, pointed to a young
slave, lately purchased from the L uegians. When there are
more zapallos among them than are wanted for slaves, or than
suits their convenience, what becomes of them .? While young,
they may be more useful than when they grow old ; and a
wandering people, subsisting by hunting, would not in all
probability take the trouble of providing for useless slaves, who
might maintain themselves. The Patagomans are not so barbarous
as to kiU them; then what becomes of those zapallos ?
I f they are not sent to the borders of the Skyring and Otway
Waters, there to shift for themselves, with perhaps a few old
horses, and even some young men who help them to hunt, the
employment of their later years is unexplained.
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‘ Zapallos,’ or some word of similar sound.
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