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400 STEWART HARBOUR SECOND SEARCH.
of assistance, from the strangers. At all events, when they
parted, our passengers were as discontented as the others were
cheerful. AVhen we got on board, we fed our prisoners with
fat pork and shell-fish, which they liked better than my thing
else, and clothed them with old blankets.*
“ Next morning (16th) we weighed, and sailed along the
coast towards Cape Castlereagh, at the east side of Desolate
Bay. Many straggling rocks and rocky islets were observed
lying ofl' Cape Desolation and in the Bay. That afternoon, we
stood into a nai-row opening, which appeared to be the outlet
of a harbour close to Cape Castlereagh, and found a very good
anchorage, well suited for the purposes both of continuing the
survey and looking for the lost boat.
“ (17th.) The master and I, with the cutter and a whaleboat,
set out upon a second chase, taking a week’s provisions.
In the first cove I searched, not two miles from the Beagle, I
found a piece of the boat’s lead-line, which had heen left in a
lately deserted wigwam. This raised our hopes ; and, in addition
to the signs made by our prisoners, convinced us we were
on the right track.
“ I took with me a young man as a guide, and in the cutter
the master carried the two stoutest of the women, having
left all the rest of our prisoners on board. As far as we could
make out, they appeared to understand perfectly that their
safety and future freedom depended upon their showing us
where to find the boat.
“ We intended to go round the Stewart Islands ; and after
examining many coves, and finding signs that a party of natives
had passed along the same route within the last two days, we
stopped in a sheltered place for the night. Having given
our prisoners as much food as they could eat, muscles, limpets,
and pork, we let them lie down close to the fire, all three
together. I would not tie them, neither did I think it necessary
to keep an unusual watch, supposing that their children being
• I t afterwards appeared th a t we had taken the families of the very
men who stole the boat from Mr. Murray.
ESCAPE—UNAVAILING SEARCH. 401
left in our vessel was a security for the mothers far stronger
than rope or iron. I kept watch myself during the first part
o f the night, as the men were tired by pulling all day, and
incautiously allowed the Fuegians to lie between the fire and
the bushes, having covered them up so snugly, with old blankets
and my own poncho, that their bodies were entirely hidden.
About midnight, while standing on the opposite side of
the fire, looking at the boats, with my back to the Fuegians,
I heard a rustling noise, and turned round ; but seeing the
heap of blankets unmoved, satisfied me, and I stooped down to
the fire to look at my watch. At this moment, another rustle,
and my dog jumping up and barking, told me that the natives
had escaped. Still the blankets looked the same, for they were
artfully propped up by bushes. All our party began immediately
to search for them; but as the night was quite dark,
and there was a thick wood close to us, our exertions were
unavailing.
“ Believing that we could not be far from the place where the
natives supposed our boat to be, I thought that they would
go directly and warn their people of our approach ; and as the
island was narrow, though long, a very little travelling would
take them across to the part they had pointed out to us, while
It might take a boat a considerable time to go round ; I therefore
started immediately to continue the search in that direction,
and left the master to examine every place near our tents.
“ In the afternoon of the same day I returned to him, having
traversed a long extent of coast without finding an outlet to
sea-ward, or any traces of the lost boat. Meanwhile Mr. Murray
had searched every place near our bivouac without success;
but he found the spot where the Fuegians had concealed themselves
during the night, under the roots of a large tree, only a
dozen yards from our fire.
“ As it was possible that the thieves might have returned to
the place whence we had taken the natives, I desired the master
to cross the sound and go there, and afterwards return to
meet me, while I continued the search eastward. With a fair
and fresh wind I made a good run that evening, found a pas-
VOL. I. g B
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