chap. x.J SCENERY OF THE MOUNTAINS. 209 



all wore our untrimmed 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, just in the same way in which I have seen the ourang- 

 outang do at the Zoological Gardens. AVe 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 our first feel- 

 ing of grave astonishment was over, nothing could be more 

 ludicrous than the odd mixture of surprise and imitation which 

 these savages every moment exhibited. 



The next day I attempted to penetrate some way into the 

 country. Tierra del Fuego may be described as a mountainous 

 land, partly submerged in the sea, so that deep inlets and 

 bays occupy the place where valleys should exist. The moun- 

 tain sides, except on the exposed western coast, are covered from 

 the water's edge upwards by one great forest. The trees reach 

 to an elevation of between 1000 and 1500 feet, and are suc- 

 ceeded by a band of peat, with minute alpine plants ; and this 

 again is succeeded by the line of perpetual snow, which, accord- 

 ing to Captain King, in the Strait of Magellan descends to be- 

 tween 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 

 piece near Port Famine, and another of rather larger extent near 

 Goeree Eoad. In both places, and everywhere else, the surface 

 is 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 ; 



p 



