X INTERVIEW WITH THE NATIVES 217 



charcoal. The party altogether closely resembled the devils 

 which come on the stage in plays like Der Freischutz. 



Their very attitudes were abject, and the expression of their 

 countenances distrustful, surprised, and startled. After we had 

 presented them with some scarlet cloth, which they immediately 

 tied round their necks, they became good friends. This was 

 shown b}' the old man patting our breasts, and making a chuck- 

 ling kind of noise, as people do when feeding chickens. I 

 walked with the old man, and this demonstration of friendship 

 was repeated several times ; it was concluded by three hard slaps, 

 which were given me on the breast and back at the same time. 

 He then bared his bosom for me to return the compliment, which 

 being done, he seemed highly pleased. The language of these 

 people, according to our notions, scarcely deserves to be called 

 articulate. Captain Cook has compared it to a man clearing 

 his throat, but certainly no European ever cleared his throat with 

 so many hoarse, guttural, and clicking sounds. 



They are excellent mimics : as often as we coughed or 

 yawned, or made any odd motion, they immediately imitated 

 us. Some of our party began to squint and look awry ; but one of 

 the young Fuegians (whose whole face was painted black, except- 

 ing a white band across his eyes) succeeded in making far more 

 hideous grimaces. They could repeat with perfect correctness 

 each word in any sentence we addressed them, and they remem- 

 bered such words for some time. Yet we Europeans all know 

 how difficult it is to distinguish apart the sounds in a foreign 

 language. Which of us, for instance, could follow an American 

 Indian through a sentence of more than three words? All 

 savages appear to possess, to an uncommon degree, this power of 

 mimicry. I was told, almost in the same words, of the same 

 ludicrous habit among the Caffres : the Australians, likewise, 

 have long been notorious for being able to imitate and describe 

 the gait of any man, so that he may be recognised. How can 

 this faculty be explained? is it a consequence of the more prac- 

 tised habits of perception and keener senses, common to all men 

 in a savage state, as compared with those long civilised ? 



When a song was struck up by our party, I thought the 

 Fuegians would have fallen down with astonishment. With 

 equal surprise they viewed our dancing ; but one of the young 

 men, when asked, had no objection to a little waltzing. Little 



