236 CLIMBING MOUNT TARN. [chap. xi. 



struck the water, take up stones, and as a bold defiance, 

 throw them towards the ship though about a mile and a 

 half distant ! A boat was then sent with orders to fire a 

 few musket shots wide of them. The Fuegians hid them- 

 selves behind trees, and for every discharge of the muskets 

 they fired their arrows ; all, however, fell short of the boat, 

 and the officer as he pointed at them laughed. This made 

 the Fuegians frantic with passion, and they shook their 

 mantles in vain rage. At last, seeing the balls cut and 

 strike the trees, they ran away, and we were left in peace 

 and quietness. During the former voyage the Fuegians 

 were here very troublesome, and to frighten them a rocket 

 was fired at night over their wigwams ; it answered effectu- 

 ally, and one of the officers told me that the clamour first 

 raised, and the barking of the dogs, was quite ludicrous 

 in contrast with the profound silence which m a minute or 

 two afterwards prevailed. The next morning not a single 

 Fuegian was in the neighbourhood. 



When the Beagle was here in the month of February, I 

 started one morning at four o'clock to ascend Mount Tarn, 

 which is 2600 feet high, and is the most elevated point in 

 this immediate district. We went in a boat to the foot of 

 the mountain (but unluckily not to the best part), and then 

 began our ascent. The forest commences at the line of 

 high-water mark, and during the first two hours I gave 

 over all hopes of reaching the summit. So thick was the 

 wood, that it was necessary to have constant recourse to 

 the compass ; for every landmark, though in a mountainous 

 country, was completely shut out. In the deep ravines, the 

 death-like scene of desolation exceeded all description ; out- 

 side it was blowing a gale, but in these hollows, not even 

 a breath of wind stirred the leaves of the tallest trees. So 

 gloomy, cold, and wet was every part, that not even the 

 fungi, mosses, or ferns could flourish. In the valleys it 

 was scarcely possible to crawl along, they were so com- 

 pletely barricaded by great mouldering trunks, which had 

 fallen down in every direction. When passing over these 

 natural bridges, one's course was often arrested by sinking 

 knee deep into the rotten wood ; at other times, when 

 attempting to lean against a firm tree, one was startled \yj 

 finding a mass of decayed matter ready to fall at the slightest 

 touch. We at last found ourselves among the stunted trees, 

 and then soon reached the bare ridge, which conducted 

 us to the summit. Here was a view characteristic 



