148 



VISIT OF FUEGIANS. 



June 1828. 



that, by my orders, was stretched around our property, a re- 

 striction which they did not attempt to evade. At sunset all 

 were told to go away, and they immediately, as well as cheer- 

 fully, complied. 



The next morning, and indeed throughout the whole day, 

 the neighbourhood of the wigwams exhibited the appearance of 

 a fair. I visited them, and found that they had not only re- 

 paired an old wigwam, but erected another. Both together 

 contained the whole party, consisting of twenty-six individuals, 

 among whom were an old man, and two old women. They had 

 brought over a collection of baskets, bows and arrows, stone 

 heads of knives, &c. to sell to our people, who had always 

 shown eagerness to possess these curiosities. The knife-heads 

 were made generally of pitch-stone ; but the greater number 

 were of broken glass bottles, which they had collected when 

 they visited us last year. A few strings of beads purchased all 

 their riches ; after which they sold their dogs, and Mr. Graves 

 procured one of them for a knife and a string of beads. It 

 was a remarkably fine animal, and showed great reluctance to 

 be handled bj our people, several of whom were bitten in their 

 attempts to take him to the boat. 



At night (me of the canoes was despatched to collect shell- 

 fish, probably sea-eggs, from the reef of Rocky Bay. The fol- 

 lowing morning all their goods were embarked, and then they 

 paddled their canoes to the beach, near the tents, where some 

 of their men landed. They had nothing to offer in exchange 

 for several things which tempted them, and were beginning to 

 grow troublesome. One of them, the individual who threw a 

 stone at the sergeant, persisting to pass the boundary that was 

 marked upon the ground, which no one of them had before 

 presumed to do, was pushed back by the sentinel ; upon 

 which he ran to his canoe and took out several spears, doubt- 

 less intending to try to force a passage ; but the appearance 

 of two or three muskets brought him to his senses, and the 

 spears were returned to the canoe ; after which he became 

 familiar, and apparently friendly. This affair, however, was 

 soon followed by their departure, which gave me much satis- 



