July 1828. 



RETURN OF THE BEAGLE. 



151 



ships the officers and crew under him had suffered ; and I was 

 alarmed at the desponding tone of his conversation. He told 

 me that the Beagle had been up the western coast as high as 

 Cape Tres Montes, in latitude 47°, had surveyed the Gulf of 

 Penas and other portions of the coast, particularly Port Henry, 

 at Cape Three Points, the entrance of the Gulf of Trinidad, 

 and Port Santa Barbara, at the north end of Campana Island. 



During the survey of the Gulf of Penas they had experienced 

 very severe weather, both stormy and wet, during which the 

 Beagle's crew were incessantly employed, and had consequently 

 suffered greatly. Captain Stokes seemed not to have spared 

 himself. He appeared much gratified by my visiting him, 

 and before v/e parted he v/as for a time restored to his usual 

 energy, detailing the circumstances of the voyage, and con- 

 versing upon the plan of our future operations with considerable 

 animation. 



The return of the Beagle cheered our ship's company, and 

 on the SOth the Adelaide came back, with a large quantity of 

 guanaco meat, which had been procured from the Patagonian 

 Indians at Pecketfs Harbour. 



When the Adelaide anchored there, about thirty natives 

 appeared on the shore. Mr. Tarn landed, and communicated 

 our wants, saying that he would give tobacco and knives for as 

 much guanaco meat as they could procure ; with them was the 

 Fuegian, who seemed to be a leading man, and to have become 

 one of the most active of the party. He was the principal spokes- 

 man, and upon commencing thehunt he pointed to thesnow upon 

 the ground, and called it ' bueno' (good), because it would 

 show the traces of the animals, and the direction they had 

 taken. Mr.Wickham thus described to me the manner in which 

 they hunted : Two men ascended a hill, placed themselves one at 

 each end of its summit, and stood motionless for some time, on 

 the look-out. As soon as guanacoes were seen, their position 

 and movements were communicated, by signs, to the men in 

 the valley, who were thus enabled to approach their game un- 

 awares. The guanacoes are taken with the bolas, which entangle 

 their legs and throw them down. As soon as they are killed, 



