94 WHAT MR. DARWIN SAW. 



TIERRA DEL FUEGO. 



persons as often exposed as covered. Their skin is of a 

 dirty coppery-red color. Their chief spokesman, an 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 bars : one, painted bright red, 

 reached from ear to ear, and included the upper lip ; the oth- 

 er, white like chalk, stretched above the first so that even 

 his eyelids were thus colored. His two companions, younger 

 and powerful men, about six feet high, were ornamented by 

 streaks of black powder, made of charcoal. The party alto- 

 gether closely resembled the devils which come on the stage 

 in plays like " Der Freischiitz." 



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 mak- 

 ing a chuckling kind of noise, as people do when feeding 

 chickens. I walked with the old man, and this demonstra- 

 tion of friendship was repeated several times, ending in 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 articulate. Captain Cook has 

 compared it to a man clearing his throat; but certainly no 

 European ever cleared his throat with so many hoarse, gut- 

 tural and clicking sounds. They are excellent mimics : as 

 often as we coughed, or yawned, or made any odd motion, 



