M 



Native e»r«-» and imt*. 



A i nval uf three liafk catioci. 



TERRA DEL FUEGO. 



Natives nn board. 



Their mimicry — Thc&r mu.ic. 



Th» ehildnm were quite small, and nestled in 

 the bottom of the canoe nn some dry grass. The 

 woman and eldest hoy paddled the canoe, tho man 

 beiug employed to hail nut the water and attend to 

 tho fire, which i- always earned in the bottom of 

 tiio canoe, on a few atonea and ashoa, which the 

 water surround*. 



Their canoes are constructed of hark, are very 

 frail, and sewed with shreds of whalebone, - ,d- 

 skin, and twigs. Tin y art- sharp at both ends, and 

 are kept in shape as well an strengthened hy a 

 number of stretchers lashed to the gunwale, 



These Indians seldom venture outside the kelp, 

 by the aid of which they pull themselves along; and 

 their paddles are .so small as to be nfliltle use in 

 propelling their CtttOeS, unless it is calm. Some of 

 the officers thought they recognised n party on the 

 Hermit Islands that had been on board tdiip at 

 Orange Harbour. If this was the case, they must 

 have ventured across the Hay of Nassau,.! distance 

 of some ten or twelve miles. This, if correct, 

 would go to prove that there is more intercourse 

 among them than their frail barks would lead one 

 to expect. 



Their huts arc generally found limit close to the 

 shore, at the head of some small bay, in a secluded 

 spot, and sheltered from the prevailing winds. 

 They are built of houghs or small trees, stuck in 

 tht! earth, and brought together at the top, where 

 they are firmly bound by bark, sedge, and twigs. 

 Smaller branches are then interlaced, forming a 

 tolerably compact wicker-work, and on this, grass, 

 turf, and bark arc laid, making tho hut quite 

 warm, and impervious to the wind and snow, 

 though not quite so to the rain. The usual dimen- 

 sions of these huts are seven or eight feet in dia- 

 meter, and about four or five feet in height. They 

 have an oval hole to creep in at. The tire is built 

 in a small excavation in the middle of the hut. 

 The floor is of clay, which has the appearance of 

 having been well kneaded. The usual accom- 

 paniment of a hut it* a conical pile of mussel and 

 limpet shells opposite the door, nearly as large as 

 the hut itself. 



These natives are never Been but in their huts or 

 canoes. The impediments to their communication 

 by land are great, growing out of the mountainous 

 and rocky character of the country, intersected with 

 inlets deep and impassable, and in most places 

 bounded by abrupt precipices, together with a soil 

 which may be termed n quagmire, on which it is 

 difficult to walk. This prevails on the hills as well 

 as in the plains and valleys. The impenetrable 

 nature of the forest, with the dense undergrowth 

 of thorny bushes, rondel's it impossible for them to 

 overcome or contend with these difficulties. They 

 appear to live in families, and not in tribes, and do 

 not seem to acknowledge any chief. 



On the 1 1 th of March three bark canoes arrived, 

 containing four men, four women, and a girl about 

 sixteen years old, four little boys and four infants, 

 one of the latter about a week old, and quite naked. 

 The thermometer was at 4(1° Fahrenheit. They 

 had rude weapons, viz. slings to throw stones, 

 three rude spears, pointed ;tt the end with bone, 

 and notched on one side with barbed teeth. With 

 this they catch their fish, which are in great quan- 

 tities among the kelp. Two of the natives wore 

 induced to come on board, after they had been 

 alongside for upwards of an hour, and received 



ninny present*, for which they gave their spears, a 

 dog, and some of their rude native trinkets. They 

 did not show or express surprise at any thing on 

 board, except when peeing one of the carpenters 

 engaged in boring a hole with a screw-auger 

 through a plank, which would have been a long 

 ta>k for them. They were ^cry talkative, smiling 

 when spoken to, and often bursting into hmd 

 laughter, but instantly settling into their natural 

 serious and sober east. 



They were- found to be great 111111111*8, both in 

 gesture and sound, and would repeat any word of 

 our language, with great correctness uf pronuncia- 

 tion. Their imitations of sounds were truly as to- 

 nishing. One of them ascended and descended the 

 octave perfectly, following the sounds of the violin 

 correctly. It was then found he could sound 

 the common chords, ami follow through the semi- 

 tone scale, with scarcely an error. They have all 

 musical voices, speak in the note Q sharp, ending 

 with the semitone A, when asking for presents, ami 

 were continually singing. 



Their mimicry became at length annoying, ami 

 precluded our gluing ai any of their words or ideas. 

 It not only extended to words or sounds, hut ac- 

 tions also, and was at times truly ridiculous. The 

 usual manner of interrogating fur names was quite 

 unsuccessful. On pointing to the nose, for in- 

 stance, they did the same. Any thing they saw 

 done they would mimic, and with an extraordinary 

 degree of accuracy. On these canoes approaching 

 the fillip, the principal oue of the family, or chief, 

 standing up in his canoe, made a harangue. Al- 

 though they have been heard to shout quite loud, 

 yet they cannot endure a noise, ;md w hen the drum 

 l» at. or u gnu was tired, they invariably stopped 

 their ears. They always speak to each other in a 

 whisper. The men are exceedingly jealous of their 

 women, uud will not allow any one, if they can help 

 it, to enter their huts, particularly boys. 



The women were never suffered to coma on 

 board. Tlu-y appeared modest iu the presence 

 id strangers. They never move from u Bitting 

 posture, or rather a Miuat, with their knees close 

 together, reaching to their chin, their feet in con- 

 tact, and touching the lower part of the body. 

 They ore extremely ugly. Their hands and feet 

 were small and well -shaped, and from appearance 

 they are not accustomed to do any hard work. 

 They appear very fond and seem careful of their 

 young children, though on several occasions they 

 offered them for sale for a trille. They have their 

 faces smutted all over, and it was thought, from the 

 hideous appearance of the females, produced in 

 part by their being painted and smutted, that they 

 had been disfigured by the men previous to routing 

 alongside. It was remarked that when one of 

 thorn saw herself in a looking-glass, the burst 

 into tears, as Jack thought from pure mortifica- 

 tion. 



The men are employed iu building the huts, 

 obtaining food, and providing for their other wants. 

 The women were generally Been paddling their 

 canoes. 



When this party of natives left the ship and 

 reached the shore, the women remained in their 

 eauocs, and the men began building their temporary 

 huts; tho little children were seen capering quite 

 naked on the beach, although the thermometer was 

 at Of. On the hut being finished, which occupied 



