An Account of the Abipones, an Equestrian People of Paraguay, (1 of 3)Dobrizhoffer, Martin
History
An Account of the Abipones, an Equestrian People of Paraguay, (1 of 3)
Dobrizhoffer, Martin
Abipon Indians; Jesuits -- Missions; Paraguay -- Description and travel -- Early works to 1800
whence, ranged like soldiers in a long file, they look down upon the
horses as they pass underneath, neigh for some time in a manner strongly
resembling human laughter, and presently, struck with sudden terror, for
they are extremely timorous, scour off in all directions. This spectacle
frequently amused and delighted us Europeans. Huanacos, though very wild
and shy, may be easily tamed in the towns, when young. Besides the skin
and flesh of the huanacos, the bezoar stone, which is often found in
their insides, is of value. It sometimes weighs more than a pound, is
always oval, scarce smaller than a hen's egg, and painted, like marble,
with most exquisite colours. Most probably it derives this medicinal
property from the animal's feeding upon wholesome herbs, which grow in
the mountains: its virtues, however, are thought little of by the
physicians of these times, who despise old prescriptions.
THE PERUVIAN SHEEP LLAMÁS.
Peru, the neighbour of Paraguay, produces wild animals, in which the
bezoar of various colours, forms, and sizes, is found: namely, the
native sheep, which the Indians call Llamás, the Spaniards Carneros de
la Tierra, and which are used, like beasts of burden, for carrying
weights, not exceeding one hundred pounds.
THE VICUÑA.
This country likewise produces Vicuñas, animals equal in size to a goat
in our country, but not horned, and clothed with wool of a darkish
yellow colour, softer than silk, and much esteemed by Europeans. A
garment made of this wool cools the body when the sun is oppressively
hot. It is said to cure pains in the kidneys, and to assuage the torture
of the gout. The flesh of the vicuña, though unsavoury to the palate, is
eaten by the Indians; it is also used as medicine. A man who had got a
disorder in his eyes, from walking for a long time amidst snow in Peru,
was presently relieved of the pain by a piece of vicuña's flesh, applied
to the part affected, by an Indian woman.
THE PACO, MACOMORO, & TARÙGA.
Peru also boasts of pacos, macomoros, and tarùgas, which are almost of
the same use and appearance as the former, and in like manner produce
the bezoar stone.
THE TAMANDUA, OR ANT-EATER.
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