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Our First Meeting with the Fuegians. 43
„arrow neck of lowland separated us from the waters of Oración
Sound was the remains of a Fuegian encampment, which to
judge from the appearance of the shell heaps, could not have
been left for more than a year uninhabited. Across the
isthmus was a “ portage ” for boats, consisting of rudely-cut
stakes laid on the ground parallel to each other, and a few-
yards apart, like railway sleepers. The aspect of the green
forest encircling this charming little bay was variegated with
a luxuriant display of really beautiful flowers, among which were
conspicuous the Philesia buxifolia, Fuchsia magellautca. Ganl-
theria antárctica, Berberís ilicifolia, and a number of composites
of different species. A kind of cedar, the Ltboccdrus tetragonus
ciprés ” of the Chilotes), was here also very abundant, furnis img
good straight poles suitable for various purposes. Its four-sided
arrangement of leaves at once attracts attention.
We got under way early in the morning, and proceeded up
the Sarmiento Channels, passing by the Chilian ship Cltacabuco
in the midst of a rain squall. No natives were to be seen. The
channel here narrowed, and the scenery of the opposing shores
became of a grand yet rather sombre character, the round-topped
uranite mountains which seemed to overhang us, with their streaky
Ztehes of forest creeping up the gullies, being enveloped in a
hazy mist, and presenting a sort of draggled appearance, as if ram
had been falling over their rocky faces forages.
About five in the evening we entered Mayne Harbour, a few
cormorants and steamer-ducks sheering off with much splashing, as
we slipped between the islets that almost block up the entrance
So we continued to wend our way through these desolate
channels, looking into nearly every anchorage on the way, an
usually anchoring for the night, until the 14th of January, when
we reached “ Tom Bay,” which was to be our base of opera ions
for the ensuing survey of the Trinidad Channel. Sorue hours
after we had anchored, a native boat suddenly emerged from a
narrow channel opening into the bay, and paddled towards the
ship, displaying a green branch in the bows of the boat, while
one individual standing up waved a small white cloth, no doubt
intended as a flag of truce. Our people on board made amicable
demonstrations in response, by waving handkerchiefs and so forth,
and then slowly and warily the natives approached. This was
our first experience of representatives of the Channel tribe of
Fuegians. There were altogether eight of them. But I must not
omit to mention the dogs, five in number, as the latter formed
by far the most respectable portion of the community ; for it
would indeed be difficult to imagine a more diabolical cast of
countenance than that presented by these savages. Their clothing
consisted of a squarish scrap of sealskin looped round the neck,
sometimes hanging over the back, sometimes resting on the
shoulders, but apparently worn more by way of ornament than
for any protection which it afforded ; and a very narrow waist-
cloth, which simple garment was sometimes deemed superfiuous.
An elderly lady of a saturnine cast of countenance sat on a wisp
of grass in the stern of the canoe, and manoeuvred the steering
oar. They could not be induced to come on board the ship,
and from their guarded demeanour would seem to have had
rather unfavourable experiences of civilized man. After bartering
their bits of seal and other skins, and getting some biscuit,
tobacco, and knives, they paddled away, and established themselves
on an islet about half a mile from the ship, where we saw
that the skeleton frameworks of some old huts were standing.
On the following day a small party, consisting of North (the
paymaster), three seamen, and myself, pulled over to the native
camp. We were received on landing by four men with bludgeons
in their hands, who did not seem at all glad to see us, and who
seemed apprehensive of our approaching the hut, where the
women had been jealously shut up. However, by a few presents
of tobacco and biscuit, we established tolerably amicable relations,
and were permitted to examine the canoe, which lay hauled
half out of the water. It was composed of five planks, of which
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