56 RIO TO TERRA DEL FUEGO CHAP, in 



and a little grass ; on the lee side about one-eighth part of 

 the circle was left open, and against this opening a fire was 

 made. Furniture, I may justly say, they had none ; a little, 

 a very little, dry grass laid round the edges of the circle 

 furnished both beds and chairs, and for dressing the shell- 

 fish (the only provision I saw them make use of) they had 

 no one contrivance but broiling them upon the coals. For 

 drinking, I saw in a corner of one of their huts a bladder of 

 some beast full of water ; in one side of this near the top 

 was a hole through which they drank by elevating a little the 

 bottom, which made the water spring up into their mouths. 



In these few huts, and with this small share, or rather 

 none at all, of what we call the necessaries and conveniences 

 of life, lived about fifty men, women, and children, to all 

 appearance contented with what they had, not wishing for 

 anything we could give them except beads. Of these they 

 were very fond, preferring ornamental things to those which 

 might be of real use, and giving more in exchange for a 

 string of beads than they would for a knife or a hatchet. 



Notwithstanding that almost all writers who have men- 

 tioned this island have imputed to it a want of wood, we 

 plainly distinguished, even at the distance of some leagues, 

 that the largest part of the country, particularly near the 

 sea- coast, was covered with wood, which observation was 

 verified in both the bays we put into. In either of these 

 firing migjit be got close by the beach in any quantity, and 

 also trees, which to all appearance might be fit for repairing 

 a vessel, or even in cases of necessity for making masts. 



The hills are high, though not to be called mountains ; 

 the tops of these, however, are quite bare, and on them 

 patches of snow were frequently to be seen, yet the time of 

 the year when we were there answered to the beginning of 

 July in England. In the valleys between these, the soil 

 has much the appearance of fruitfulness, and is in some 

 places of considerable depth ; at the bottom of almost every 

 one of these runs a brook, the water of which in general has 

 a reddish cast like that which runs through turf bogs in 

 England ; it is very well tasted. 



