S14! PP:CHERAYS-— MOUNTAIN DE LA CRUZ. 1830. 



afterwards, placing his hands to the fire, as if to warm them, 

 and looking upwards, he uttered a few words, apparently of 

 invocation : then, looking at us, pointed upwards, and ex- 

 claimed, with a tone and gesture of explanation, ' Pecheray, 

 Pecheray.' After which, they cut off some hair from several 

 of the officers who were present, and repeated a similar cere- 

 mony. 



From this fact, one might suppose the word to be connected 

 with their ideas of divine worship ; but we had heard it used 

 for so many opposite things, that I could not consider it of 

 so much importance as some of the officers were inclined to 

 think it. 



The next day a party ascended the Mountain de la Cruz, 

 to deposit a pewter plate, on which were cut the names of the 

 ship and officers. At the summit they found the pile of stones 

 made by Captain Fitz Roy, which they left undisturbed ; but 

 made another, in which a bottle was placed, containing the 

 little Spanish coin, and copies, on vellum, of the memorials we 

 had formerly taken from it, also several English coins, and 

 some medals. The bottle was corked, covered with resin, and 

 enveloped in sheet lead. Our party returned in the evening, 

 having been seven hours in going up and descending. 



The next day I obtained an angular measurement of the 

 Mountain de la Cruz, with a theodolite, having measured 

 a base of 2,608 feet, which gave for its elevation 2,364 feet, 

 74 feet more than Captain Fitz Roy's barometrical determi- 

 nation. 



During the day several Fuegian families had arrived, and, 

 by the evening, ten canoes, containing altogether about sixty 

 natives, were collected. I landed to visit them, for I had never 

 before seen so many assembled. We entered all the wigwams 

 but one, which was said to be occupied by a woman in labour. 

 In the opening stood her husband, painted all over with a red 

 ochrous earth, and his head and breast ornamented with the 

 white down of birds. The other Fuegians called him ' Peche- 

 ray and appeared to consider him, while in the character he 

 had assumed, as a being superior to themselves. 



