TERRA DEL FUEGO. 125 



which they gave their spears, a dog, and some of their rude native 

 trinkets. They did not show or express surprise at any thing on 

 board, except when seeing one of the carpenters engaged in boring 

 a hole with a screw-auger through a plank, w r hich would have been a 

 long task for them. They were very talkative, smiling when spoken 

 to, and often bursting into loud laughter, but instantly settling into 

 their natural serious and sober cast. 



They were found to be great mimics, both in gesture and sound, 

 and would repeat any word of our language, with great correctness 

 of pronunciation. Their imitations of sounds were truly astonishing. 

 One of them ascended and descended the octave perfectly, following 

 the sounds of the violin correctly. It was then found he could sound 

 the common chords, and follow through the semitone scale, with 

 scarcely an error. They have all musical voices, speak in the note G 

 sharp, ending with the semitone A, when asking for presents, and were 

 continually singing, 



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Yah mass scoo nah Yah mass scoo nah. 



Their mimickry became annoying, and precluded our getting at any 

 of their words or ideas. It not only extended to words or sounds, 

 but actions also, and was at times truly ridiculous. The usual manner 

 of interrogating for names was quite unsuccessful. On pointing to the 

 nose, for instance, they did the same. Any thing they saw done they 

 would mimic, and with an extraordinary degree of accuracy. On 

 these canoes approaching the ship, the principal one of the family, or 

 chief, standing up in his canoe, made a harangue. He spoke in G 

 natural, and did not vary his voice more than a semitone. The pitch 

 of the voice of the female is an octave higher. Although they have 

 been heard to shout quite loud, yet they cannot endure a noise. When 

 the drum beat, or a gun was fired, they invariably stopped their ears. 

 They always speak to each other in a whisper. Their cautious 

 manner and movements prove them to be a timid race. The men are 

 exceedingly jealous of their women, and will not allow any one, if they 

 can help it, to enter their huts, particularly boys. 



The women were never suffered to come on board. They appeared 

 modest in the presence of strangers. They never move from a sitting 

 posture, or rather a squat, with their knees close together, reaching to 

 their chin, their feet in contact and touching the lower part of the 

 body. They are extremely ugly. Their hands and feet were small 

 and well-shaped, and from appearance they are not accustomed to do 



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