318 QUARREL WITH THE FuEGIANS. April 1830. 
gathering up their effects, they hurried into their canoes, and 
joined the others, who all paddled round Point St. Anna. The 
men, however, landed there, and remained on shore, armed 
with slings, spears, and bows, ready to defend themselves, 
and, by their gestures, defying us to land. No attention was 
paid to them, and, after a short time, they went over the hills 
to the coves on the north side of the point. As we had now 
openly quarrelled, I thought it better that they should keep 
at a distance ; and therefore, taking two boats, pulled round 
the point, to tell them to go five miles farther, to Rocky Bay ; 
but the canoes were already beached, and the women had taken 
up their quarters. As we approached, the hills echoed with the 
screams of the women and the shouts of the men ; all of whom, 
stark naked, armed, and daubed with white paint, their heads 
being stuck full of white feathers, hastened down to the point 
of the bay. The place, from its nature, offered a good defence, 
as the beach was lined by large rocks, behind which they could 
conceal themselves from our view, and yet assail us with stones. 
When within a few yards of the beach, we held a parley—the 
object of which was, that they should go farther to the north- 
ward ; to this they vociferous] y replied, by desiring us to leave 
them. Seeing there was no chance of enforcing our demand, 
without shedding blood, I ordered the boats away ; and on get- 
ting about a musket-shot from the beach, one of the Fuegians 
threw a stone, which fell close to us. In an instant, every one 
of them was concealed behind the rocks; but we returned their 
fire, and another large stone fell within two feet of the boat. 
A second musket was fired, and another stone was returned, with 
equal precision. After the interchange of a few more stones for 
bullets, they ceased throwing them, and we returned on board. 
It was very unlikely that any of our shot took effect; for we 
were at a long distance, and could only see their heads above the 
rocks. Fortunately, none of the stones struck us, for they were 
large enough to have caused a severe bruise. It is astonishing 
how very correctly they throw them, and to what a distance. 
When the first stone fell close to us, we all thought ourselves 
out of musket-shot. 
