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Next morning .Tommy shared my liroakfast, and then wehad
a long conversation by ourselves ; the result of which was,
that I felt quite decided not to make a second attempt to
place Matthews among the natives of Tierra del Fuego.
Jemmy told me that he knew very little of his own language ;
that he spoke some words of English, and some Tekeenica,
when he talked to his family; and that they all understood the
English words he used. York and Fuegia left him some
months before our arrival, and went in a large canoe 'to their
own country; the last act of that cunning fellow was to rob
poor Jemmy of all his clothes; nearly all the tools his Tekeenica
‘ friends’ had left him; and various other necessaries.
Fuegia was dressed as usual, and looking well, when they decamped
: her helpmate was also well clothed, and had hardly
lost anything I left with him. Jemmy said “ York very much
jaw,” “ pick up big stones,” “ all men afraid.” Fuegia seemed
to be very happy, and quite contented with her lot. Jemmy
asserted that she helped to “ catch (steal) his clothes,” while he
was asleep, the night before York left him naked.
Not long after my departure in Febuary 1833, the much-
dreaded Oens-men came in numbers, overland, to Woollya;
obliged Jemmy’s tribe to escape to the small islands, and carried
off every valuable which his party had not time to remove.
They had doubtless heard of the houses and property left
there, and hastened to seize upon it—like other ‘ borderers.’
Until this time York had appeared to be settled, and quite at
ease, but he had been employed about a suspiciously large
canoe, just finished when the inroad was made. He saved
this canoe, indeed escaped in it, and afterwards induced Jemmy
and his family to accompany him “ to look at his land.” They
went together in four canoes (York’s large one and three
others) as far west as Devil Island, at the junction of the
north-west and south-west arms of the Beagle Channel: there
they met York’s brother and some others of the Alikhoolip
tribe ; and, while Jemmy was asleep, all the Alikhoolip party
stole off, taking nearly all Jemmy’s things, and leaving him in
his original condition. York's fine canoe was evidently not