240 TIERRA DEL FUEGO chap. 



night, the odious word " yammerschooner " has shrilly sounded 

 from some gloomy nook, and then the little signal-smoke has 

 curled up to spread the news far and wide. On leaving some 

 place we have said to each other, " Thank Heaven, we have at 

 last fairly left these wretches !" when one more faint halloo from 

 an all-powerful voice, heard at a prodigious distance, would 

 reach our ears, and clearly could we distinguish — " yammer- 

 schooner." But now, the more Fuegians the merrier ; and very 

 merry w^ork it was. Both parties laughing, wondering, gaping 

 at each other ; we pitying them, for giving us good fish and 

 crabs for rags, etc. ; they grasping at the chance of finding 

 people so foolish as to exchange such splendid ornaments for a 

 good supper. It was most amusing to see the undisguised smile 

 of satisfaction with which one young woman with her face 

 painted black, tied several bits of scarlet cloth round her head 

 with rushes. Her husband, who enjoyed the very universal 

 privilege in this country of possessing two wives, evidently became 

 jealous of all the attention paid to his young wife ; and after a 

 consultation with his naked beauties, was paddled away by 

 them. 



Some of the Fuegians plainly showed that they had a fair 

 notion of barter. I gave one man a large nail (a most valuable 

 present) without making any signs for a return ; but he imme- 

 diately picked out two fish, and handed them up on the point of 

 his spear. If any present was designed for one canoe, and it 

 fell near another, it was invariably given to the right owner. 

 The Fuegian boy, whom Mr. Low had on board, showed, by 

 going into the most violent passion, that he quite understood 

 the reproach of being called a liar, which in truth he was. We 

 were this time, as on all former occasions, much surprised at the 

 little notice, or rather none whatever, which was taken of many 

 things, the use of which must have been evident to the natives. 

 Simple circumstances — such as the beauty of scarlet cloth or 

 blue beads, the absence of women, our care in washing our- 

 selves, — excited their admiration far more than any grand or 

 complicated object, such as our ship. Bougainville has well 

 remarked concerning these people, that they treat the " chef- 

 d'oeuvres de I'industrie humaine, comme ils traitent les loix de 

 la nature ct ses phenomenes." 



On the 5th of March we anchored in the cove at Woollya, 



