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the Tekeenica tribe, cross over to Navarin Island, and thence
sometimes to others, driving the smaller and much inferior
Tekeenica people before them in every direction. By Jemmy’s
own account, however, there are hard battles sometimes, and
the Oens tribe lose men ; but as they always contrive to carry
away their dead, it seems that the advantage of strength is on
their side.
These periodical invasions of a tribe whose abode is in the
north-eastern quarter of Tierra del Fuego are not to be confounded
with the frequent disputes and skirmishes which take
place between the two Tekeenica tribes; and it is interesting
to compare what we thus heai-d with the account obtained by
Oliver Van Noort in 1589 : who learnt that the people lived in
caves dug in the earth, * and that there were five tribes—four
of ordinary stature and one of gigantic size. These giants,
caUed Tiremenen, lived in ■' Coin.’ The other tribes were called
Fnoo, Kemenites, Karaike, and Kenneka.
23d. AVhile embarking our tents and cooking utensils, several
natives came running over the hills towards us, breathless
with haste, perspiring violently, and bleeding at the nose.
Startled at their appearance, we thought they had been fighting
; but it appeared in a few moments, that having heard of
our an’ival, they lost not a moment in hurrying across the
hills from a place near Woollya, and that the bloody noses
which had surprised us were caused by the exertion of running.
This effect has been noticed among the New Hollanders, "l
believe the islanders of the Pacific Ocean, as well as the
Fsquimaux, and probably others; but to our party it was
then a novelty, and rather alarming.
Scarcely had we stowed the boats and embarked, before canoes
began to appear in every direction, in each of which was a
stentor hailing us at the top of his voice. Faint sounds of
deep voices were heard in the distance, and around us echoes
to the shouts of our nearer friends began to reverberate, and
warned me to hasten away before our movements shoiild be*
The ;trouncl within a wigwam is scooped out considerably.
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come impeded by the number of canoes which I knew would
soon throng around us. Although now among natives who
seemed to be friendly, and to whom Jemmy and York contrived
to explain the motives of our visit, it was still highly
necessary to be on our guard. Of those men and boys who ran
over the hills to us, all were of Jemmy’s tribe excepting one
man, whom he called an Oens-man; but it was evident, from
his own description, that the man belonged to the Yapoo, or
eastern Tekeenica tribe, and was living in safety among his
usual enemies, as a hostage for the security of a man belonging
to Jemmy’s tribe who was staying among the eastern people.
As we steered out of the cove in which our boats had been
sheltered, a striking scene opened : beyond a lake-like expanse
of deep blue water, mountains rose abruptly to a great height,
and on their icy summits the sun’s early rays glittered as if
on a mirror. Immediately round us were mountainous eminences,
and dark cliffy precipices which cast a very deep
shadow over the still water beneath them. In the distant
west, an opening appeared where no land could be seen ; and
to the south was a cheerful sunny woodland, sloping gradually
. down to the Murray Narrow, at that moment almost undis-
tinguishable. As our boats became visible to the natives, who
were eagerly paddling towards the cove from every direction,
hoarse shouts arose, and, echoed about by the cliffs, seemed
to be a continual cheer. In a very short time there were
thirty or forty canoes in our train, each full of natives, each
with a column of blue smoke rising from the fire amidships,
and almost all the men in them shouting at the full power of
their deep sonorous voices. As we pursued a winding course
around the bases of high rocks or between islets covered with
wood, continual additions were made to our attendants ; and
the day being very fine, without a breeze to ruffle the water,
it was a scene which carried one’s thoughts to the South Sea
Islands, but in Tierra del Fuego almost appeared like a dream.
After a few hours (puUing hard to keep a-head of our train)
we reached AVoollya, and selected a clear space favourably
situated for our encampmeut, landed, marked a boundary-line,
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