769- was in general white, and the reft of the face adorned with
------1 horizontal ftreaks of red and bla ck; yet fcarcely any two
were exaClly alike. This decoration feems to be more pro-
fufe and elaborate upon particular occafiotis, for the two
Gentlemen who introduced Mr. Banks and the Doctor into the
town, were almoft covered with ftreaks of black in all directions,
lo as to make a very ltriking appearance. Both men and
women wore bracelets of fuch beads as they could make
themfelves of fmall fliells or bones ; the women both upon
their wrifts and ancles, the men upon their wrifts only; but
to compenfate for the want of bracelets on their legs, they
wore a kind of fillet of brown worfted round their heads.
They feemed to fet a particular value upon any thing that
was red, and preferred beads even to a knife or a hatchet.
Their language in general is guttural, and they exprefs
fome of their words by a found exactly like that which we
make to clear the throat when any thing happens to obftruCt
it; yet they have words which would be deemed foft in the
better languages of Europe. Mr. Banks learnt what he fup-
pofes to be their name for beads and water. When they
wanted beads, inftead of ribbons or other trifles, they faid
haltlca; and when they were taken on fhore from the lhip,
and by figns alked where water might be found, they made
the fign of drinking, and pointing as well to the calks as the
watering-place, cried Ooda,
We faw no appearance of their having any food but fliell-
fifli; for though feals were frequently feen near the lliore,
they feemed to have no implements for taking them. The
fhell-fifh is collected by the women, whofe bufinefs it feems
to be to attend at low water, with a bafket in one hand, a
flick, pointed and barbed, in the other, and a fatchel at their
backs: they loofen the limpets, and other fifh that adhere to
the
R O U N D T H E WO R L D . 57
the rocks, with the flick, and put them into the bafket; ^ 7^9-
which, when full, they empty into the fatchel. ' '‘ '
The only things that we found among them in which
there was the leaf! appearance of neatnefs or ingenuity,
were their weapons, which confifted of a bow and arrows.
The bow was not inelegantly made, and the arrows were
the neateft that we had ever feen: they were of wood, polifhed
to the higheft degree ; and the point, which was of glafs-or
flint, and barbed, was formed and fitted with wonderful
dexterity. We faw alfo fome pieces of glafs and flint among
them unwrought, befides rings, buttons, cloth, and canvafs,
with other European commodities ; they muft therefore fome-
times travel to the northward, for it is many years fince any
lhip has been fo far fouth as this part of Terra del Fuego.
We obferved alfo, that they Ihewed no furprife at our fire-
armsr with the ufe of which they appeared to be well acquainted
t for they made figns to Mr. Banks to fhoot a feal
which followed the boat as they were going on fliore from
the lhip.
M. de Bougainville, who, in January 1768, juft one year
before us, had been on fhore upon this coaft in latitude
4o' 41", had, among other things, given glafs to the people
whom he found here; for he fays, that a boy about twelve
years old took it into his head to eat fome of i t : by this unhappy
accident he died in great mifery; but the endeavours-
of the good father, the French -Aumonier, were more fuccefs- .
ful than thofe of the Surgeon ; for though the Surgeon could
not fave his life, the charitable Prieft found means to fteal a
Chriftian baptifm upon him fo fecretly, that none of his Pagan
relations knew any thing of the matter. Thefe. people
might probably have fome of the very glafs which Bougainville
left behind him, either from other natives, or perhaps
from
4