V 



July.] THE CAUCAES INDIANS. 101 



Their noses are flat, and their eyes deeply sunk into their heads, as 

 if shrinking from the smoke in which they live and breathe for more 

 than half the year. Their hair is long, coarse, and black, hanging 

 down over their shoulders, and partially covering their faces. As 

 usual among savages, the women perform all the labour, which con- 

 sists principally in diving for sea-eggs, and cooking the same for the 

 lazy men, for whom they also make clothing and erect wigwams. 



The women are very expert divers, and take the water in a depth 

 of from two to four fathoms. There are commonly five or six of 

 them in one canoe when engaged in these fishing parties. When 

 they have paddled to a spot where the sea-eggs are plenty, one of 

 them takes a basket in her hand and dives to the bottom, where she 

 sometimes remains an astonishing length of time. When her basket 

 is filled, she rises to the surface, deposites her prize in the canoe, and 

 descends again in the same manner five or six times : after which 

 she resumes her place in the canoe, while one of her companions in 

 her turn performs the same feat ; and so on, one after another, until 

 each one has performed her share of the labour. 



When their canoe is sufficiently well freighted, they paddle to the 

 shore, discharge their cargo, haul up their boats, and wash them out, 

 before they attempt to approach the fire, where their indolent husbands 

 are all this time seated, toasting their shins. When it is recollected 

 that we saw all this performed in the month of June, in the middle of 

 a southern winter, in a high latitude, the reader will naturally conclude 

 that these females are not very tenderly treated by the sex whom 

 Heaven intended for their protectors. 



June 30^. — On Monday, the 30th, we anchored on the north-east 

 side of the Guayaneco Islands, in a very fine harbour, sheltered from 

 all winds, and affording a depth of water from fifteen to four fathoms, — 

 mud and clay bottom. This we called Byers's Harbour, in honour of 

 James Byers, Esq., of New- York, one of the owners of the Wasp. 



This day was the anniversary of our leaving New- York ; one year 

 having elapsed, and our voyage not yet half-accomplished. In all 

 this period we had not received a word of intelligence from home, not 

 having spoken a single vessel from the United States. 



July 1st. — On Tuesday, the 1st day of July, I sent the boats to ex- 

 amine the shores around the Gulf of Penas, with orders to follow the 

 coast as far as the isthmus of Ofqui, and there remain until they saw 

 the vessel. On the two following days the wind was light, attended 

 with much rain. 



July 4th. — On Friday, the 4th, the weather cleared off, and after 

 firing a salute under the star-spangled banner in honour of the day, we 

 got under way at one P. M., and steered to the north-east, with the 

 wind from west-north-west, in search of the boats. At six P. M. the 

 wind began to blow fresh, attended with light rain. Seeing nothing 

 of the boats, and the weather having every appearance of an ap- 

 proaching gale, I determined on making a harbour if possible, as it 

 was not safe to venture cruising about among the numerous rocks and 

 shoals at the head of the bay in a dark and stormy night. Having, 

 before the weather came on thick, observed an opening in the land at 



