224 



CHARLES DARWIN 



much conversation one with another on the subject. The 

 old man addressed a long harangue to Jemmy, which it 

 seems was to invite him to stay with them. But Jemmy 

 understood very little of their language, and was, moreover, 

 thoroughly ashamed of his countrymen. When York Min- 

 ster afterwards came on shore, they noticed him in the 

 same way, and told him he ought to shave; yet he had not 

 twenty dwarf hairs on his face, whilst we all wore our un- 

 trimmed beards. They examined the colour of his skin, and 

 compared it with ours. One of our arms being bared, they 

 expressed the liveliest surprise and admiration at its white- 

 ness, just in the same way in which I have seen the ourang- 

 outang do at the Zoological Gardens. We thought that they 

 mistook two or three of the officers, who were rather shorter 

 and fairer, though adorned with large beards, for the ladies 

 of our party. The tallest amongst the Fuegians was evi- 

 dently much pleased at his height being noticed. When 

 placed back to back with the tallest of the boat's crew, he 

 tried his best to edge on higher ground, and to stand on 

 tiptoe. He opened his mouth to show his teeth, and turned 

 his face for a side view; and all this was done with such 

 alacrity, that I dare say he thought himself the handsomest 

 man in Tierra del Fuego. After our first feeling of grave 

 astonishment was over, nothing could be more ludicrous 

 than the odd mixture of surprise and imitation which these 

 savages every moment exhibited. 



The next day I attempted to penetrate some way into the 

 country. Tierra del Fuego may be described as a mountain- 

 ous land, partly submerged in the sea, so that deep inlets 

 and bays occupy the place where valleys should exist. The 

 mountain sides, except on the exposed western coast, are 

 covered from the water's edge upwards by one great forest. 

 The trees reach to an elevation of between iooo and 1500 

 feet, and are succeeded by a band of peat, with minute alpine 

 plants; and this again is succeeded by the line of perpetual 

 snow, which, according to Captain King, in the Strait of 

 Magellan descends to between 3000 and 4000 feet. To find 

 an acre of level land in any part of the country is most rare. 

 I recollect only one little flat piece near Port Famine, and 



