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knives, calling them by the Spanish word “ cuchilla.”
Tliey explained also what they wanted, by acting as if they
had a piece of blubber in their mouth, and then pretending
to cut instead of tear it.
It was interesting to watch the conduct of these people towards
Jemmy Button (one of the Fuegians* who had been
taken, during the former voyage, to England) : they immediately
perceived the difference between him and the rest, and
held much conversation between themselves on the subject.
The old man addressed a long harangue to Jemmy, which
it seems was to invite him to stay with them. But Jemmy
understood very little of their language, and was, moreover,
thoroughly ashamed of his countrymen. When York Mmster
(another of these men) came on shore, they noticed him in
the same way, and told him he ought to shave; yet he had
not twenty dwarf hairs on his face, whilst we all wore our
vmtrimmed beards. They examined the colour of his skin,
and compared it with ours. One of our arms being bared,
they expressed the liveliest surprise and admiration at its
whiteness. We thought that they mistook two or three
of the officers, who were rather shorter and fairer (though
adorned with large beards), for the ladies of our party.
The tallest amongst the Fuegians was evidently much
pleased at his height being noticed. When placed back
to back with the tallest of the boat’s crew, he tried his
best to edge on higher ground, and to stand on tiptoe.
He opened his mouth to show his teeth, and turned
his face for a side view; and all this was done with such
alacrity, that I dare say he thought himself the handsomest
man in Tierra del Fuego. After the first feeling on our
part of grave astonishment was over, nothing could be
more ludicrous or interesting than the odd mixture of surprise
and imitation which these savages every moment
exhibited.
* C a p ta in F itzR o y h a s g iven a h is to ry o f th e s e p e o p le . F o u r w e re ta k e n
to E n g la n d ; o n e d ied th e r e , a n d th e th r e e o th e r s ( tw o m en a n d o n e w om an )
wei’e n ow b ro u g h t b a c k a n d s e ttle d in th e ir ow n c o u n try .
The next day I attempted to penetrate some way into the
country. Tierra del Fuego may be described as a mountainous
country, partly submerged in the sea, so that deep
islets and bays occupy the place where valleys should exist.
The mountain sides (except on the exposed western coast)
are covered from the wateFs edge upwards by one great
forest. The trees reach to an elevation of between 1000 and
1500 fe e t; and are succeeded by a band of peat, with minute
alpine plants; and this again is succeeded by the line of perpetual
snow, which, according to Captain King, in the Strait
of Magellan descends to between 3000 and 4000 feet. To
find an acre of level land in any part of the country is most
rare. I recollect only one little flat near Port Famine, and
another of rather larger extent near Goeree Road. In both
these cases, and in all others, the surface was covered by a
thick bed of swampy peat. Even within the forest the ground
is concealed by a mass of slowly putrefying vegetable matter,
which, from being soaked with water, yields to the foot.
Finding it nearly hopeless to push my way through the
wood, I followed the course of a mountain torrent. At
first, from the waterfalls and number of dead trees, I could
hardly crawl along; but the bed of the stream soon became
a little more open, from the floods having swept the sides. I
continued slowly to advance for an hour along the broken
and rocky banks; and was amply repaid by the grandeur
of the scene. The gloomy depth of the ravine well accorded
with the universal signs of violence. On every
side were lying irregular masses of rock and up-torn trees ;
other trees, though still erect, were decayed to the heart and
ready to fall. The entangled mass of the thriving and the
fallen reminded me of the forests within the tropics;—yet
there was a difference; for in these still solitudes. Death, instead
of Life, seemed the predominant spirit. I followed the
watercourse till I came to a spot where a great slip had cleared
a straight space down the mountain side. By this road I
ascended to a considerable elevation, and obtained a good view
of the surrounding woods. The trees all belong to one kind.
4