104 



FUEGIANS SHIPS SAIL. 



1827. 



the next day. Maria put into the boat, after my refusal to let 

 her go on board to pass the night, two bags, and asked me to 

 send her flour and sugar. She was most importunate for aqua 

 ardiente, which, however, I refused. Her constant cry was 

 " It is very good to be drunk ; I like drinking very much ; 

 rum is very good. — Give me some ?''"' ('Muy bueno es boracho, 

 mucho mi gusta, mucho mi gusta de beber, muy bueno es aqua 

 ardiente. — Da me no mas ?') 



Among them was a Fuegian Indian ; but it did not appear 

 clearly whether he was living with them permanently, or only 

 on a visit. Some of us thought we understood the account of 

 one of the Patagonians, who seemed to be the most interested 

 about him, to be, that a master of a sealer had left him amongst 

 them. We knew him instantly by his squalid and compara- 

 tively diminutive appearance, and were confirmed in our ideas 

 by his recognition of the words ' Hosay ' and Sherroo."* The 

 Patagonian name for a ship is ' Carro grande," and for a boat 

 ' Carro chico,"* a mixture of their own and the Spanish lan- 

 guage. All that I could understand of his history was, that he 

 was Cacique of some Indian tribes at a distance : he was 

 evidently a great favourite, and although Maria spoke generally 

 with much contempt of the Fuegian Indians, she had patronised 

 this stranger, for he lived in her toldo, and shared all the 

 presents that were made to her. 



The following morning it rained hard, and blew so fresh a 

 gale, from the westward, that it would have been dangerous to 

 send a boat on shore : and I was obliged to weigh without 

 landing the things which I had promised. After we were under 

 weigh, the weather cleared partially, when we observed Maria 

 on the beach, mounted on her white horse, with others watching 

 our departure, and when it was evident that we were really 

 gone, she rode slowly back to her toldo, no doubt considerably 

 vexed. I was very sorry to treat them in this way, for their 

 conduct towards us had been open and friendly. All I could 

 hope to do, to make amends, was to give something of value 

 at my return. 



We steered across the Bay of St. Philip, accompanied hy 



