CHAP. X.] INTERVIEW WITH THE NATIVES. 205 



shout most vehemently, wishing to direct us where to land. 

 When we were on shore the party looked rather alarmed, but 

 continued talking and making gestures with great rapidity. It 

 was without exception the most curious and interesting spectacle 

 I ever beheld : I could not have believed how wide was the dif- 

 ference between savage and civilized man : it is greater than 

 between a wild and domesticated animal, inasmuch as in man 

 there is a greater power of improvement. The chief spokesman 

 was old, and appeared to be the head of the family ; the three 

 others were powerful young men, about six feet high. The 

 women and children had been sent away. These Fuegians are a 

 very different race from the stunted, miserable wretches farther 

 westward ; and they seem closely allied to the famous Patago- 

 nians of the Strait of Magellan. Their only garment consists of 

 a mantle made of guanaco skin, with the wool outside ; this they 

 wear just thrown over their shoulders, leaving their persons as 

 often exposed as covered. Their skin is of a dirty coppery red 

 colour. 



The old man had a fillet of white feathers tied round his head, 

 which partly confined his black, coarse, and entangled hair. 

 His face was crossed by two broad transverse bars ; one, painted 

 bright red, reached from ear to ear and included the upper lip ; 

 the other, white like chalk, extended above and parallel to the 

 first, so that even his eyelids were thus coloured. The other 

 two men were ornamented by streaks of black powder, made of 

 charcoal. The party altogether closely resembled the devils 

 which come on tlie stage in plays like Der Freischutz. 



Their very attitudes were abject, and the expression of their 

 countenances distrustful, surprised, and startled. After we had 

 presented them with some scarlet cloth, which they immediately 

 tied round their necks, they became good friends. This was 

 shown by the old man patting our breasts, and making a chuck- 

 ling kind of noise, as people do when feeding chickens. I 

 walked with the old man, and this demonstration of friendship 

 was repeated several times ; it was concluded by three hard slaps, 

 which were given me on the breast and back at the same time. 

 He then bared his bosom for me to return the compliment, which 

 being done, he seemed highly pleased. The language of these 

 people, according to our notions, scarcely deserves to be called 



