X SCENERY AROUND BEAGLE CHANNEL 233 



without being in the least aware how deadly an instrument 

 it is. 



22nd. — After having passed an unmolested night, in what 

 would appear to be neutral territory between Jemmy's tribe 

 and the people whom we saw yesterday, we sailed pleasantly 

 along. I do not know anything which shows more clearly the 

 hostile state of the different tribes, than these wide border or 

 neutral tracts. Although Jemmy Button well knew the force 

 of our party, he was, at first, unwilling to land amidst the 

 hostile tribe nearest to his own. He often told us how the 

 savage Oens men "when the leaf red," crossed the mountains 

 from the eastern coast of Tierra del Fuego, and made inroads 

 on the natives of this part of the country. It was most curious 

 to watch him when thus talking, and see his eyes gleaming 

 and his whole face assume a new and wild expression. As we 

 proceeded along the Beagle Channel, the scenery assumed a 

 peculiar and very magnificent character ; but the effect was 

 much lessened from the lowness of the point of view in a boat, 

 and from looking along the valley, and thus losing all the 

 beauty of a succession of ridges. The mountains were here 

 about three thousand feet high, and terminated in sharp and 

 jagged points. They rose in one unbroken sweep from the 

 water's edge, and were covered to the height of fourteen or 

 fifteen hundred feet by the dusky-coloured forest. It was most 

 curious to observe, as far as the eye could range, how level and 

 truly horizontal the line on the mountain side was, at which trees 

 ceased to grow : it precisely resembled the high-water mark of 

 driftweed on a sea-beach. 



At night we slept close to the junction of Ponsonby Sound 

 with the Beagle Channel. A small family of Fuegians, who 

 were living in the cove, were quiet and inoffensive, and soon 

 joined our party round a blazing fire. We were well clothed, 

 and though sitting close to the fire were far from too warm ; 

 yet these naked savages, though farther off, were observed, to 

 our great surprise, to be streaming with perspiration at under- 

 going such a roasting. They seemed, however, very well 

 pleased, and all joined in the chorus of the seamen's songs ; 

 but the manner in which they were invariably a little behindhand 

 was quite ludicrous. 



During the night the news had spread, and early in the 



