224 JEMMY AND HIS FRIENDS. [chap. x. 



they looked like so many demoniacs who had been fighting. 

 We then proceeded (accompanied by twelve canoes, each 

 holding four or five people) down Ponsonby Sound to the 

 spot where poor Jemmy expected to find his mother and 

 relatives. He had already heard that his father was dead ; 

 but as he had had a "dream in his head" to that effect, 

 he did not seem to care much about it, and repeatedly 

 comforted himself with the very natural reflection — "Me 

 no help it." He was not able to learn any particulars 

 regarding his father's death, as his relations would not 

 speak about it. 



Jemmy was now in a district well known to him, and 

 guided the boats to a quiet pretty cove named Woollya, 

 surrounded by islets, every one of which and every point 

 had its proper native name. We found here a family of 

 Jemmy's tribe, but not his relations ; we made friends with 

 them, and in the evening they sent a canoe to inform 

 Jemmy's mother and brothers. The cove was bordered by 

 some acres of good sloping land, not covered (as elsewhere) 

 either by peat or by forest trees. Captain Fitz Roy 

 originally intended, as before stated, to have taken York 

 Minster and Fuegia to their own tribe on the west coast ; 

 but as they expressed a wish to remain here, and as the 

 spot was singularly favourable. Captain Fitz Roy determined 

 to settle here the whole party, including Matthews, the 

 missionary. Five days were spent in building for them 

 three large wigwams, in landing their goods, in digging 

 two gardens, and sowing seeds. 



The next morning after our arrival (the 24th) the Fuegians 

 began to pour in, and Jemmy's mother and brothers 

 arrived. Jemmy recognized the stentorian voice of one of 

 his brothers at a prodigious distance. The meeting was 

 less interesting than that between a horse, turned out into 

 a field, when he joins an old companion. There was no 

 demonstration of affection ; they simply stared for a short 

 time at each other ; and the mother immediately went to 

 look after her canoe. We heard, however, through York, 

 that the mother had been inconsolable for the loss of Jemmy, 

 and had searched everywhere for him, thinking that he 

 might have been left after having been taken in the boat. 

 The women took much notice of, and were very kind to, 

 Fuegia. We had already perceived that Jemmy had almost 

 forgotten his own language. I should think there was 

 scarcely another human being with so small a stock of 



