318 



QUARREL WITH THE FIJEGIANS. April 1830» 



gathering up their effects, they hurried into their canoes, and 

 joined the others, who all paddled round Point St. Anna. The 

 men, however, landed there, and remained on shore, armed 

 with slings, spears, and bows, ready to defend themselves, 

 and, by their gestures, defying us to land. No attention was 

 paid to them, and, after a short time, they went over the hills 

 to the coves on the north side of the point. As we had now 

 openly quarrelled, I thought it better that they should keep 

 at a distance ; and therefore, taking two boats, pulled round 

 the point, to tell them to go five miles farther, to Rocky Bay ; 

 but the canoes were already beached, and the women had taken 

 up their quarters. As we approached, the hills echoed with the 

 screams of the women and the shouts of the men ; all of whom, 

 stark naked, armed, and daubed with white paint, their heads 

 being stuck full of white feathers, hastened down to the point 

 of the bay. The place, from its nature, offered a good defence, 

 as the beach was lined by large rocks, behind which they could 

 conceal themselves from our view, and yet assail us with stones. 

 When within a few yards of the beach, we held a parley — the 

 object of which was, that they should go farther to the north- 

 ward ; to this they vociferously replied, by desiring us to leave 

 them. Seeing there was no chance of enforcing our demand, 

 without shedding blood, I ordered the boats away ; and on get- 

 ting about a musket-shot from the beach, one of the Fuegians 

 threw a stone, which fell close to us. In an instant, every one 

 of them was concealed behind the rocks ; but we returned their 

 fire, and another large stone fell within two feet of the boat. 

 A second musket was fired, and another stone was returned, with 

 equal precision. After the interchange of a few more stones for 

 bullets, they ceased throwing them, and we returned on board. 

 It was very unlikely that any of our shot took effect ; for we 

 were at a long distance, and could only see their heads above the 

 rocks. Fortunately, none of the stones struck us, for they were 

 large enough to have caused a severe bruise. It is astonishing 

 how very correctly they throw thein, and to what a distance. 

 When the first stone fell close to us, we all thought ourselves 

 out of musket-shot. 



