292 TIERRA DEL FUEGO. 



made sail back to the ship, not by the Beagle 

 Channel, but by the southern coast. The boats 

 were heavily laden and the sea rough, and we had 

 a dangerous passage. By the evening of the 7th 

 we were on board the Beagle after an absence of 

 twenty days, during which time we had gone three 

 hundred miles in the open boats. On the 11th, 

 Captain Fitz Roy paid a visit by himself to the 

 Fuegians, and found them going on well, and that 

 they had lost very few more things. 



On the last day of Febinjary in the succeeding 

 year (1834), the Beagle anchored in a beautiful lit- 

 tle cove at the eastern entrance of the Beagle Chan- 

 nel. Captain Fitz Roy determined on the bold, 

 and, as it proved, successful attempt to beat against 

 the westei-ly winds by the same route which we 

 had followed in the boats to the settlement at Wool- 

 lya. We did not see many natives until we were 

 near Ponsonby Sound, where we were followed by 

 ten or twelve canoes. The natives did not at all 

 understand the reason of our tacking, and, instead 

 of meeting us at each tack, vainly strove to follow 

 us in our zigzag course. I was amused at finding 

 what a difference the circumstance of being quite 

 superior in force made, in the interest of beholding 

 these savages. While in the boats I got to hate 

 the very sound of their voices, so much trouble did 

 they give us. The first and last word was " yam- 

 merschooner." AVlien, entering some quiet little 

 cove, we have looked round and thought to pass a 

 quiet night, the odious word " yammerschooner" 

 has shi-illy sounded from some gloomy nook, and 

 then the little signal-smoke has curled uj) 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 



