The reUijion of the Patagonians is dualistic. The}' believe in two gods or superior beings — the God of Good and the God of Evil ; or, in their own language, Vildventru — the Great Man, and Huacuvu or Guali- chu — the Cause of Evils. The former thej' consider .the creator of all things, and they believe that he sends the sun to them as his representative, as much to examine what takes place among them, as to warm their bodies and renew the brief spring verdure. Tlip moon is another representative, whose office it is to watch them and give them light. Believing that they themselves require a great deal of "watching," they further imagine that everj' country on the globe has its own sun and moon, or special watchers. They have no idols. Their faith is transmitted from father to son, and its observances are strictly attended to. They are full of strange superstitions. They dread the north and the south, believing that from the south come evil spirits, who take possession of the souls of the dj-ing, and bear them off to the north. They fancj^ that the best means of ensuring a long life is to go to sleep with the head Ij'ing either to the east or to the west. They also regard all natural phenomena as being caused bj' their own conduct, and all mis- fortunes as sent in punishment for moral delinquen- cies. Thus the fearful tempests that sweep over their plains inspire them with the greatest dread. During the prevalence of the hurricane thej^ crouch together in tlieir huts ; fear makes them inactive, and they do not stir from their grovelling position even to cover themselves with the hides which the tempest strips from their huts. The Patagonian never eats or drinks without turning to the sun, and throwing down before him a scrap of meat or a few drops of water, and using a form of invocation. This form of invoca- tion is not fixed, but it hardly ever varies, and is to the following effect: " O Father, Great Man, King of this earth! give me favor, dear friend, day by day; good food, good drink, good sleep. I am poor myself; are you'hungrj'? Here is a poor scrap; eat if you wish." The Patagonians observe two great religious fetes — one in summer, in honor of the Benevolent Deity ; and another in autumn, in honor of the God
of Evil. On the occasion of these fetes the Indians assemble on horseI)ack, dressed in the most ceremoni- ous numner, with their hair newly greased, and their bodies freshly painted. On such occasions it is cus- tomary to wear whatever vestments they may have obtained either in war or by stealth from civilized men ; and a Patagonian chief may be seen wearing above his mantle of hide the shirt of the European, or casing his legs in a pair of pantaloons. The Patago- nians are much given to gambling and to drinking. They make intoxicating beverages from the berries which they find in their woods, and the}' obtain liquor from the Hispano-Americans in exchange for mantles. See Trois Ans d Esclavage chiz les Patagons, by A. Guinnard.
Missionary Labors in Patagonia, etc. — In 1844 a so- ciety was organized in Great Britain (at Brighton), mainly by the exertions of captain A. F. Gardiner, R.N., an eccentric but pious and upright Christian man, for the prosecution of mission work in Patagonia. Captain Gardiner had spent some time in the Zulu countr}', south-eastern Africa, and had zealously at- tempted to engage in missionary work there, but had been compelled to leave the country along with some other missionaries by the treachery of the notorious chief Dingaani, who, on giving a large party of Dutch boers an entertainpient, ostensibly for concluding ar- rangements for their settling in the country, sudden- ly fell upon and murdered his guests. The captain had made two exploratory tours along the coast, but did not succeed in finding a suitable opening for missionar}' enterprise. On returning to England he unsuccessfully applied to the Church, the London, the Wesleyan, and the Moravian societies, the direc- tors of which he failed to bring over to his views. He therefore formed an independent association for the benefit of the Indian tribes of South America gen- erally. A clergyman could not be found to go forth on the perilous enterprise, but a catechist was at length secured, and captain Gardiner defraj'ed his own expenses. They were not above a month in the field, however, before they hailed a vessel on her homeward course, and gladlj' made their escape, having been in constant alarm for their lives from the warlike atti- tude of the natives. In January, 1848, captain Gar- diner sailed from England to plant a mission among the wild Patagonians inhabiting the extreme part of the continent of South America, called Tierra del Fue- go. He took with him four seamen, a carpenter, and provisions for seven montlis. They had no sooner landed than the savage natives set themselves to the work of plunder, and robbed them of nearly all that the}'' possessed. Feeling that there was no security for either life or property, and seeing no probability of doing any good, captain Gardiner and his compan- ions again fled from the inhospitable shores of South America, where their sojourn had extended over little more than a week. Nothing daunted by previous re- verses, captain Gardiner again organized a missionary expedition to Patagonia. This time he took with him four seamen and two catechists. Thej' sailed from England in the month of September, 1850. On reach- ing their destination, it is said that the sight of the savage natives struck the whole party with absolute terror. In attempting to explore the coast in search of the most eligible site for a mission station, the}' en- dured many hardships both from the rigor of the cli- mate and the unfriendly disposition of the natives, who were ever ready to pilfer their property, but who refused to supply them with provisions, or to assist them in any way whatever. When at length they ventured on shore, tliey were driven to the greatest extremities for want of food, which soon brougiit on disease, nnd death laid Ids icy hand on three of their number in the course of five days. The eflTorts of one of the survivors to inter the remains of his departed comrades exhausted his little strength, and he lay