04 Cruise of the "Alert" 



construction. On the next day we pulled over again, but only 

 to find the hut deserted, and the party gone. We inferred, 

 from various circumstances connected with their disappearance, 

 that they must have penetrated up the Bay to the eastward, 

 where there are unexplored channels which are supposed to 

 extend towards the base of the Cordillera. 



On the next day (March 24), a strong westerly breeze, with 

 occasional rain-squalls, induced most of us to remain on board, 

 and we were not a little surprised when, about 10 a.m., a boat 

 under sail was reported standing across the Strait towards our 

 anchorage. On nearer approach it turned out to be a native 

 canoe, with a large sealskin hoisted in the forepart of the boat, 

 so as to form a sort of square sail. As the natives came along- 

 side to beg for biscuit and tobacco, we found that the wretched- 

 looking boat contained three men, five women, eleven children 

 (mostly very young), and five dogs. They had shipped a good 

 deal of water on the passage, as might be expected, and all the 

 wretched creatures looked as wet as fishes ; indeed, to say that 

 they were wet to the skin would be simply a truism in the case 

 of the Fuegians. We had not previously noticed so prolific a 

 family, the proportion of children being usually one for each 

 woman. I use the word " family," because each of these canoe 

 parties appears to constitute a sort of complicated family. One 

 young mother did not appear to be more than sixteen years 

 of age. I now inclined to the opinion, which subsequent expe- 

 rience gave me no reason to alter, that the Channel Fuegians are 

 a migratory tribe, passing the summer months about the outer 

 islands, where at that time of the year they may get seals, and 

 the eggs and young of sea-birds, and in the autumn migrating 

 up some of the fiords of the mainland, when the deer, driven 

 down the hills by the winter snows, would be within their reach. 

 There is no doubt that deer (probably the Cervus chilensis) have 

 been seen from time to time on this coast. A few years ago 

 the officers of one of the German steamers of the " Kosmos " 



