22^ BAD CONDUCT OF THE NATIVES, [chap. x. 



point westward which we reached was Stewart Island, a 

 distance of about one hundred and fifty miles from our 

 ship. We returned into the Beagle Channel by the southern 

 arm, and thence proceeded, with no adventure, back to 

 Ponsonby Sound. 



February 6th. — We arrived at Woollya. Matthews gave 

 so bad an account of the conduct of the Fuegians, that Captain 

 Fitz Roy determined to take him back to the Beagle ; and 

 ultimately he was left at New Zealand, where his brother' 

 was a missionary. From the time of our leaving, a regular 

 system of plunder commenced ; fresh parties of the natives 

 kept arriving : York and Jemmy lost many things, and 

 Matthews almost everything which had not been concealed 

 underground. Every article seemed to have been torn up 

 and divided by the natives. Matthews described the watch 

 he was obliged always to keep as most harassing ; night 

 and day he was surrounded by the natives, who tried to 

 tire him out by making an incessant noise close to his 

 head. One day an old man, whom Matthews asked to 

 leave his wigwam, immediately returned with a large stone 

 in his hand : another day a whole party came armed with 

 stones and stakes, and some of the younger men and 

 Jemmy's brother were crying ; Matthews met them* with 

 presents. Another party showed by signs that they 

 wished to strip him naked, and pluck all the hairs out of 

 his face and body. I think we arrived just in time to 

 save his life. Jemmy's relatives had been so vain and 

 foolish, that they had shown to strangers their plunder, 

 and their manner of obtaining it. It was quite melancholy 

 leaving the three Fuegians with their savage countrymen ; 

 but it was a great comfort that they had no personal fears. 

 York, being a powerful resolute man, was pretty sure to 

 get on well, together with his wife Fuegia. Poor Jemmy 

 looked rather disconsolate, and would then, I have little 

 doubt, have been glad to have returned with us. His own 

 brother had stolen many things from him ; and as he re- 

 marked, " What fashion call that ? " he abused his country- 

 men, "all bad men, no sabe (know) nothing," and, though 

 I never heard him swear before, "damned fools." Our 

 three Fuegians, though they had been only three years 

 with civilised men, would, I am sure, have been glad to 

 have retained their new habits ; but this was obviously im- 

 possible. 1 ff^ar it is more than doubtful, whether their 

 visit will have been of any use to them. 



