CHAP. X.] ASTONISHMENT OF NATIVES AT FIRE-ARMS. 219 



was difficult to satisfy these savages. Young and old, men and 

 children, never ceased repeating the word " yammerschooner,'' 

 which means " give me." After pointing to almost every object, 

 one after the other, even to the buttons on our coats, and saying 

 their favourite word in as many intonations as possible, they 

 would then use it in a neuter sense, and vacantly repeat " yam- 

 merschooner." After yammerschoonering for any article very 

 eagerly, they would by a simple artifice point to their young 

 women or little children, as much as to say, " If you will not 

 give it me, surely you will to such as these." 



At night we endeavoured in vain to find an ujiinhabited cove ; 

 and at last were obliged to bivouac not far from a party of 

 natives. They were very inoffensive as long as they were few in 

 numbers, but in the morning (21st) being joined by others they 

 showed symptoms of hostility, and we thought that we should 

 have come to a skirmish. An European labours under great 

 disadvantages when treating with savages like these, who have 

 not the least idea of the power of fire-arms. In the very act of 

 levelling his musket he appears to the savage far inferior to a 

 man armed with a bow and arrow, a spear, or even a sling. 

 Nor is it easy to teach them our superiority except by striking a 

 fatal blow. Like wild beasts, they do not appear to compare 

 numbers; for each individual, if attacked, instead of retiring, 

 will endeavour to dash your brains out with a stone, as certainly 

 as a tiger under similar circumstances would tear you. Captain 

 Fitz Roy on one occasion being very anxious, from good reasons, 

 to frighten away a small party, first flourished a cutlass near 

 them, at which they only laughed ; he then twice fired his pistol 

 close to a native. The man both times looked astounded, and 

 carefully but quickly rubbed his head ; he then stared awhile, 

 and gabbled to his companions, but he never seemed to think of 

 riuming away. We can hardly put ourselves in the position of 

 these savages, and understand their actions. In the case of this 

 Fuegian, the possibility of such a sound as the report of a gim 

 close to his ear could never have entered his mind. He perhaps 

 literally did not for a second know whether it was a sound or a 

 blow, and therefore very naturally rubbed his head. In a similar 

 manner, when a savage sees a mark struck by a bullet, it may be 

 some time before he is able at all to understand how it is effected ; 



