THE STRAIT OF MAGELLAN. 217 



I then departed, receiving a " gracias " from the sufferer, to 

 which Pedro, evidently resolved to display his English to the 

 utmost advantage, added an emphatic " Tank you, sir." I 

 then endeavoured to improve the occasion by telling him that 

 it was not good to take much rum, but I fear with little effect, 

 as Pedro stoutly asserted that " rum very very good." On our 

 way to the boat we met Cacimiero, who gave plain evidence 

 that he had been imbibing, and laying his great dirty hand 

 on my shoulder, commenced an oration apparently descrip- 

 tive of the glory of his tribe, from which I had some difficulty 

 in making my escape. 



The 11th was a glorious, clear, frosty day, and we had a 

 splendid view of some snowy peaks nearly a hundred miles 

 distant. A fine male of the CampejpMlus Magellanicus, to- 

 gether with a few other birds, was shot by one of the officers 

 in the woods near the settlement. The weather continued 

 frosty for the next day or two, ice being found on one or two 

 spots on deck, and the thermometer sinking considerably 

 below the freezing point. After this we had a good deal of 

 rainy weather, and there were many evident tokens that before 

 long we must wind up our work for the season, and proceed 

 northwards to Eio, where we had received instructions to 

 winter. We left Sandy Point on the morning of the l7th, 

 in company with the " Spiteful," and passed north-eastwards, 

 taking lines of soundings as we went, and anchoring in the 

 afternoon in Eoyal Eoads. The next day was very fine, but 

 cold. The dredge yielded some minute Molluscs, Crustacea, 

 and Annelids, a few of which were new to me. We left 

 Eoyal Eoads and moved onwards, anchoring in Gregory Bay 

 at the close of the day. In the evening the moon rose mag- 

 nificently, appearing as a large orange globe hanging in the 

 air, in front of a pale green sky, while beneath it was a band 



