:.' I,1!
h I:
220 NATIVES WOOLLYA. Feb.
and rather thick lips, the contour of her face was sufficiently
good to have been mistaken for that of a handsome gipsy.
What her figure might be, a loose linen garment, evidently
one that had belonged to Fuegia Basket, prevented our
noticing. The sight of this piece of linen, several bits of
ribbon, and some scraps of red cloth, apparently quite recently
obtained, made me feel very anxious ahout Matthews and his
party : there was also an air of almost defiance among these
people, which looked as if they knew that harm had been done,
and that they were ready to stand on the defensive if any such
attack as they expected were put into execution. Passing
therefore hastily on, we went as far as the light admitted, and
at daybreak next morning (6th) were again hastening towards
AVoollya. As we shot through the Murray Narrow several
parties of natives were seen, who were ornamented with strips
of tartan cloth or white linen, which we well knew were obtained
from our poor friends. No questions were asked ; we
thought our progress slow, though wind and tide favoured us ;
hut, hurrying on, at noon reached Woollya. Several canoes
were on the beach, and as many natives seemed to be assembled
as were there two days before we left the place. All were
much painted, and ornamented with rags of Fnglish clothing,
which we concluded to be the last remnants of our friends’
stock. Our boats touched the shore ; the natives came hallooing
and jumping about us, and then, to my extreme relief,
Matthews appeared, dressed and looking as usual. After him
came Jemmy and York, also dressed and looking well: Fuegia,
they said, was in a wigwam.
Taking Matthews into my boat, we pushed out a short
distance to be free from interruption, and remained till I had
heard the principal parts of his story ; the other boat took
Jemmy on hoard, and York waited on the beach. Nearly all
the Fuegians squatted down on their hams to watch our proceedings,
reminding me of a pack of hounds waiting for a fox
to be unearthed.
Matthews gave a bad account of the prospect which he
saw before Mm, and told me, that he did not think himself
1833. CONDUCT TO MATTHEWS. 221
safe among such a set of utter savages as he found them to he,
notwithstanding Jemmy’s assurances to the contrary. No
violence had been committed beyond holding down his head
by force, as if in contempt of his strength ; but he had been
harshly threatened by several men, and from the signs used by
them, he felt convinced they would take his life. During the
last few days, his time had been altogether occupied in watching
his property. At first there were only a few quiet natives
about-him, who were inoffensive; but three days after our
departure several canoes full of strangers to Jemmy s family
arrived, and from that time Matthews had had no peace by
day, and very little rest at night. Some of them were always
on the look-out for an opportunity to snatch up and run off
with some tool or article of clothing, and others spent the
greater part of each day in his wigwam, asking for every thing
they saw, and often threatening him when he refused to comply
with their wishes. More than one man went out in a rage, and
returned immediately with a large stone in his hand, making
signs that he would kill Matthews if he did not give him what
was demanded. Sometimes a party of them gathered round
Matthews, and, if he had nothing to give them, teased him
hy pulling the hair of his face, pushing him about, and making
mouths at him. His only partizans were the women; now
and then he left Jemmy to guard the hut, and went to the
natives’ wigwams, where the women always received him kindly,
making room for him by their fire, and giving him a share of
whatever food they had, without asking for any thing in return.
The men never took the trouble of going with him on these
visits (which, however, ceased when so many strangers arrived),
their attention being engrossed by the tools, clothes,
and crockery ware at our shipmate’s quarters. Fortunately,
the most valuable part of Matthews’ own things were underground,
in a cave unsuspected by the natives, and other large
tools were hidden overhead in the roof of his hut. York and
Fuegia fared very well ; they lost nothing; but Jemmy was
sadly plundered, even by his own family. Our garden, upon
which much labour had been bestowed, had been trampled
ill
'