300 TIERRA DEL FUEGO. 



Famine. It was now the beginning of winter, and 

 I never saw a more cheerless prospect; the dusky- 

 woods, piebald with snow, could be only seen in- 

 distinctly through a drizzling, hazy atmosphere. 

 We were, however, lucky in getting two tine days. 

 On one of these, Mount Sarmiento, a distant mount- 

 ain 6800 feet high, presented a very noble spectacle. 

 I was frequently surprised, in the scenery of Tier- 

 ra del Fuego, at the little apparent elevation of 

 mountains really lofty. I suspect it is owing to a 

 cause which would not at first be imagined, name- 

 ly, that the whole mass, from the summit to the 

 water's edge, is generally in full view. I remem- 

 ber having seen a mountain, first from the Beagle 

 Channel, where the whole sweep, from the summit 

 to the base, was full in view, and then from Pon- 

 sonby Sound across several successive ridges ; 

 and it was curious to observe in the latter case, as 

 each fresh ridge afforded fresh means of judging 

 of the distance, how the mountain rose in height. 



Before reaching Port Famine, two men were 

 seen running along the shore and hailing the ship. 

 A boat was sent for them. They turned out to be 

 two sailors who had run away from a sealing vessel, 

 and had joined the Patagonians. These Indians 

 had treated them with their usual disinterested, 

 hospitality. They had parted company through 

 accident, and were then proceeding to Port Fam- 

 ine, in hopes of finding some ship. I dare say they 

 were worthless vagabonds, but I never saw more 

 miserable looking ones. They had been living for 

 some days on muscle-shells and berries, and their 

 tattered clothes had been burned by sleeping so 

 near their fires. They had been exposed night 

 and day, without any shelter, to the late incessant 

 gales, with rain, sleet, and snow, and yet they were 

 in trood health. > 



