Dec. 1832. 



FUEGIANS. 



229 



this demonstration of friendship was repeated several times ; 

 it was concluded by three hard slaps^ which were given me 

 on the breast and back at the same time. He then bared 

 his bosom for me to return the compliment, which being 

 done, he seemed highly pleased. The language of these 

 people, according to our notions, scarcely deserves to be 

 called articulate. Captain Cook has compared it to a man 

 clearing his throat, but certainly no European ever cleared 

 his throat with so many hoarse, guttural, and clicking 

 sounds. 



They are excellent mimics : as often as we coughed or 

 yawned, or made any odd motion, they immediately imitated 

 us. Some of our party began to squint and look awry ; but 

 one of the young Fuegians (whose whole face was painted 

 black, excepting a white band across his eyes) succeeded in 

 making far more hideous grimaces. They could repeat with 

 perfect correctness, each word in any sentence we addressed 

 them, and they remembered such words for some time. Yet 

 we Europeans all know how difficult it is to distinguish apart 

 the sounds in a foreign language. Which of us, for instance, 

 could follow an American Indian through a sentence of more 

 than three words ? All savages appear to possess, to an un- 

 common degree, this power of mimicry. 1 was told almost 

 in the same words, of the same ludicrous habits among the 

 Caffres : the Australians, likewise, have long been notorious 

 for being able to imitate and describe the gait of any man, 

 so that he may be recognised. How can this faculty be ex- 

 plained ? is it a consequence of the more practised habits of 

 perception and keener senses, common to all men in a savage 

 state, as compared to those long civilized ? 



When a song was struck up by our party, I thought the 

 Fuegians would have fallen down with astonishment. With 

 equal surprise they viewed our dancing ; but one of the 

 young men, when asked, had no objection to a little waltz- 

 ing. Little accustomed to Europeans as they appeared to 

 be, yet they knew, and dreaded our fire arms ; nothing would 

 tempt them to take a gun in their hands. They begged for 



