THE STRAIT OF MAGELLAN. 435 



tlie islanders, to whom we appeared to be objects of much 

 curiosity. They were very anxious to be polite to us, one 

 man on horseback coming a long distance out of his way to 

 offer to carry us across a stream in whose neighbourhood we 

 were. As a rule, we found the Chilians, both of the upper 

 and lower orders, exceedingly kind and hospitable. Often^ on 

 passing the poorest hovels, their owners would come out to ask 

 us to come in and rest, offering us "chicha" or "aguardiente" 

 by way of refreshment. Upon the sandy beach of this island 

 I found fragments of the great hands of a burrowing Crusta- 

 cean, the Callianassa uncinata, and I was informed that it 

 was very commonly to be met with burrowing in the sand. 



On the 23d I was roused at four a.m. by the ofi&cer on 

 watch to witness the sunrise, which was magnificent in the 

 extreme — the range of the Cordillera, with its numerous sharp 

 peaks, being of a deep purple tint, and a great mass of cloud, 

 mottled with crimson, and purple, and gold, projected against 

 a pale green sky. The day that followed was splendid, and 

 as we steamed southwards, the mountain scenery on the 

 mainland, was very fine, the Minchinmadiva, Corcovado, and 

 Melimoya mountains being specially noteworthy on account 

 of their sharp peaks covered with snow. Between four and 

 five P.M. we reached Port Melinka, on the eastern side of 

 the largest island of the Guaytecas group, and there anchored, 

 immediately after which four of us left the ship in the dingy 

 to explore a neighbouring islet, where we had been informed 

 there was a cave containing bones of the extinct Chonos 

 Indians. After a rather long pull, we reached this island, and 

 proceeded along the coast, keeping a sharp look-out for any 

 indications of the presence of a cave, and after a time halted at 

 a low sandy spit, off which the wreck of an old schooner was 

 lying. Here we landed for a few minutes, and I made a 



