CHAPTER XXIII. 



Set out in boats — Find Guanacoes — Murray Narrow — Birch Fungus — 

 Tide — Channel — Glaciers — View — Mountains — Unbroken chain — 

 Passages — Steam-vessels — Jemmy Button — Puma — Nest — Accident 

 — Natives — Murray's Journal — Cape Graham — Cape Kinnaird— Spa- 

 niard Harbour — Valentyn Bay — Cape Good Success — Natives — Len- 

 nox Island — Strait Le Maire — Good Success Bay — Accident — Tide 

 Race — San Vicente — San Diego — Tides — Soundings — North-east 

 Coast — San Sebastian— Reflections — Port Desire — Monte VideO' — 

 Santa Catalina — Rio de Janeiro. 



" 4th. Mr. Stokes and I* each began another trip in the 

 boats, taking chronometers, and the necessary instruments. 

 He steered to the northward, to get to the mainland ; I kept 

 outside to the south-westward, to make the most direct course 

 towards the communication between Nassau Bay and the 

 newly discovered passage or channel. I was surprised to find 

 that the eastern shore of Nassau Bay resembled much of the 

 coast of Patagonia (being a stratum of earth without rock), 

 and differed entirely from the general character of the coasts 

 and islands of Tierra del Fuego. At sunset we landed, and 

 hauled up our boat on a shingle beach which extended several 

 miles, and upon walking only a few yards inland I saw the 

 prints of large cloven hoofs, almost the size of those of a cow. 

 This discovery gave an answer to the question about the 

 guanaco skins and bones found among the Fuegians, but made 

 me less sanguine of finding a passage northward through the 

 interior of the country. Much brushwood was found near 

 this place ; and a profusion of rich grass covered an extensive 

 plain. 



" 5th. We launched the boat, and continued our course 

 along-shore, finding rather shoal water (three to six fathoms 

 within about half a mile), with a very thick bed of kelp, 

 through which it was difficult to force the boat. We had not 

 advanced far, when, passing round a low point of land, we saw 



