THE VOYAGE OF THE BEAGLE 245 



mother to come with him, and then on the way deserted them 

 by night, stealing every article of their property. 



Jemmy went to sleep on shore, and in the morning re- 

 turned, and remained on board till the ship got under way, 

 which frightened his wife, who continued crying violently 

 till he got into his canoe. He returned loaded with valuable 

 property. Every soul on board was heartily sorry to shake 

 hands with him for the last time. I do not now doubt that 

 he will be as happy as, perhaps happier than, if he had never 

 left his own country. Every one must sincerely hope that 

 Captain Fitz Roy's noble hope may be fulfilled, of being re- 

 warded for the many generous sacrifices which he made for 

 these Fuegians, by some shipwrecked sailor being protected 

 by the descendants of Jemmy Button and his tribe! When 

 Jemmy reached the shore, he lighted a signal fire, and the 

 smoke curled up, bidding us a last and long farewell, as the 

 ship stood on her course into the open sea. 



The perfect equality among the individuals composing the 

 Fuegian tribes must for a long time retard their civilization. 

 As we see those animals, whose instinct compels them to live 

 in society and obey a chief, are most capable of improve- 

 ment, so is it with the races of mankind. Whether we look 

 at it as a cause or a consequence, the more civilized always 

 have the most artificial governments. For instance, the in- 

 habitants of Otaheite, who, when first discovered, were gov- 

 erned by hereditary kings, had arrived at a far higher grade 

 than another branch of the same people, the New Zealanders, 

 who, although benefited by being compelled to turn their 

 attention to agriculture, were republicans in the most abso- 

 lute sense. In Tierra del Fuego, until some chief shall arise 

 with power sufficient to secure any acquired advantage, such 

 as the domesticated animals, it seems scarcely possible that 

 the political state of the country can be improved. At pres- 

 ent, even a piece of cloth given to one is torn into shreds 

 and distributed; and no one individual becomes richer than 

 another. On the other hand, it is difficult to understand how 

 a chief can arise till there is property of some sort by which 

 he might manifest his superiority and increase his pow.er. 



I believe, in this extreme part of South America, man 



