CHAPTER X. 



Set out to land Matthews and the Fuegians — Their meeting- with Natives 

 — Supposed Volcano — Dream — Oens-men — Scene — Arrival at Woollya 

 — Encampment — Concourse of Natives — Jemmy's Family — Wigwams 

 — Gardens — Distrust — Experiment — Westward Exploration — Remove 

 Matthews — Revisit Woollya — Gale — Sail for the Falkland Islands. 



At the end of Chapter vi., I described our preparations 

 for landing the Fuegians, who had been in England, among 

 their own countrymen ; and now, having attempted to give a 

 fuller idea of those people, the narrative of our proceedings 

 shall be continued. 



Jan. 19, 1833. The yawl, being heavily laden, was towed 

 by the other three boats, and, while her sails were set, went 

 almost as fast as they did ; but after passing Cape Rees, and 

 altering our course to the westward, we were obliged to drag 

 her along by strength of arm against wind and current. The 

 first day no natives were seen, though we passed along thirty 

 miles of coast, and reached Cutfinger Cove. (This name was 

 given because one of our party, Robinson by name, almost 

 deprived himself of two fingers by an axe slipping with which 

 he was cutting wood.) At this place, or rather from a hill 

 above it, the view was striking. Close to us was a mass of 

 very lofty heights, shutting out the cold southerly winds, and 

 collecting a few rays of sunshine which contrived to struggle 

 through the frequent clouds of Tierra del Fuego. Opposite, 

 beyond a deep arm of the sea, five miles wide, appeared an 

 extensive range of mountains, whose extremes the eye could not 

 trace ; and to the westward we saw an immense canal, looking 

 like a work of gigantic art, extending between parallel ranges 

 of mountains, of which the summits were capped with snow, 

 though their sides were covered by endless forests. This sin- 

 gular canal-like passage is almost straight and of nearly an 



