1764- anomalous; our fenfations therefore, upon feeing five hun-
dred people, the Ihorteft of whom were at leaft four inches
Pndayzi. and bulky in proportion, may be eafily imagined.
After I had prefented the tobacco, four or five o f the chief
men came up to me, and, as I underftood by the figns they
made, wanted me to mount one of the horfes, and go with
them to their habitations, but as it would upon every account
have been imprudent to comply, I made figns in return
that I mult go back to the lhip-, at this they exprefied
great concern, and fat down in their Rations again. During
our pantomimical conference, an old man often laid his
head down upon the Hones, and fhutting his eyes for about
h a lf a minute, afterwards pointed firft to his mouth, and
then to the hills, meaning, as I imagined, that i f I would
ftay with them till the morning, they would furnifh me
with fome provifions, but this offer I was obliged to decline.
When I left them, not one o f them offered to follow us, but
as long as I could fee them, continued to fit quietly in their
places. I obferved that they had with them a great number
o f dogs, with which I fuppofe they chafe the wild animals
which ferve them for food. The horfes were not large, nor
in good cafe, yet they appeared to be nimble, and well
broken. The bridle was a leathern thong, with a fmall piece
o f wood that ferved for a bit, and the faddles refembled the
pads that are in ufe among the country people in England.
The women rode aftride, and both men and women without
ftirrups; yet they gallopped fearlefsly over the fpit upon
which we landed, the ftones of which were large, loofe, and
flippery.
C El A P.
C H A P . IV.
Pajfage up the Streight of Magellan, to Port Pamine;
with fome Account of that Harbour, and the adjacent
Coafl.
SOON after I returned on board, I got under way, and A M
worked up the Streight, which is here about nine leagues 1 — > * . . _ . , . , Friday 21. broad, with the flood, not with a view to pafs through it, but
in fearch of fome place where I might get a fupply of wood
and water, not chufing to truft wholly to the finding of
Falkland’s Iflands, which I determined afterwards to feek.
About eight in the evening, the tide o f ebb beginning to
make, I anchored in five and twenty fathom. Point Poffef-
fion bore N. N. E. at about three miles diftance, and fome remarkable
hummocks on the north, which Bulkeley, from
their appearance, has called the Affes Ears, W .iN .
At three in the morning of the zzd, we weighed with Saturday
the wind at E. and fleered S. W. by W. about twelve miles.
During this courfe we went over a bank, of which no notice
has hitherto been taken : at one time w e had but fix fathom
and a half, but in two or three cafts we had thirteen. When
our water was lhallowefl, the Affes Ears bore N. W. by W.
I w . diftant three leagues, and the north point o f the firft
Narrow W. by S. diftant between five and fix miles. We'
then fleered S. W. by S. near fix miles to the entrance o f the
firft Narrow, and afterwards S. S. W. about fix miles, which
brought us through : the tide here was fo ftrong, that the
paffage was very rapid. During this courfe we faw a fingle
,, T p Indian V o l . I. r