SETTLEMENT AT WOOLLYA. 287 



breathless with astonishment, he came running 

 to Mr. Bynoe, with whom ho was out walking, 

 " Oh, Mr. Bynoe, oh, bird all same horse !" Much 

 as our white skins surprised the natives, by Mr. 

 Low's account a negro cook to a sealing vessel did 

 so more eifectually ; and the poor fellow was so 

 mobbed and shouted at, that he would never go on 

 shore again. Everything went on so quietly, that 

 some of the officers and myself took long walks in 

 the surrounding hills and woods. Suddenly, how- 

 ever, on the 27th, every woman and child disap- 

 peared. We were all uneasy at this, as neither 

 York nor Jemmy could make out the cause. It 

 was thought by some that they had been frighten- 

 ed by our cleaning and firing off our muskets on 

 the previous evening ; by others, that it was owing 

 to offence taken by an old savage, who, when told 

 to keep further off, had coolly spit in the sentry's 

 face, and had then, by gestures acted over a sleep- 

 ing Fuegian, plainly showed, as it was said, that 

 he should like to cut up and eat our man. Caji- 

 tain Fitzroy, to avoid the chance of an encounter, 

 which would have been fatal to so many of the 

 Fuegians, thought it advisable for us to sleep at a 

 cove a few miles distant. Matthews, with his usual 

 quiet fortitude (remai'kable in a man apparently 

 possessing little energy of character), determined 

 to stay with the Fuegians, who evinced no alarm 

 for themselves; and so we left them to pass their 

 first awful night. 



On our return in the morning (28th) we were de- 

 lighted to find all quiet, and the men employed in 

 their canoes spearing fish. Captain Fitz Roy de- 

 termined to send the yawl and one whaleboat back 

 to the ship, and to proceed with the two other 

 boats, one under his o^vn command (in which he 

 most kindly allowed me to accompany him), and 



