2 l8 
TIERRA DEL FUEGO 
CHAP. 
accustomed to Europeans as they appeared to be, yet they knew 
and dreaded our firearms ; nothing would tempt them to take a 
gun in their hands. They begged for knives, calling them by 
the Spanish word “cuchilla.” They explained also what they 
wanted, by acting as if they had a piece of blubber in their 
mouth, and then pretending to cut instead of tear it. 
I have not as yet noticed the Fuegians whom we had on 
board. During the former voyage of the Adventure and Beagle 
in I 826 to 1830, Captain Fitz Roy seized on a party of natives, 
as hostages for the loss of a boat, which had been stolen, to the 
great jeopardy of a party employed on the survey; and some of 
these natives, as well as a child whom he bought for a pearl-button, 
he took with him to England, determining to educate them and 
instruct them in religion at his own expense. To settle these 
natives in their own country was one chief inducement to Cap¬ 
tain Fitz Roy to undertake our present voyage ; and before the 
Admiralty had resolved to send out this expedition, Captain 
Fitz Roy had generously chartered a vessel, and would himself 
have taken them back. The natives were accompanied by a mis¬ 
sionary, R. Matthews ; of whom and of the natives, Captain Fitz 
Roy has published a full and excellent account. Two men, one 
of whom died in England of the smallpox, a boy and a little 
girl, were originally taken ; and we had now on board, York 
Minster, Jemmy Button (whose name expresses his purchase- 
money), and Fuegia Basket. York Minster was a full-grown, 
short, thick, powerful man ; his disposition was reserved, taci¬ 
turn, morose, and when excited violently passionate ; his affec¬ 
tions were very strong towards a few friends on board ; his intel¬ 
lect good. Jemmy Button was a universal favourite, but likewise 
passionate ; the expression of his face at once showed his nice 
disposition. Fie was merry and often laughed, and was remark¬ 
ably sympathetic with any one in pain : when the water was 
rough, I was often a little sea-sick, and he used to come to me 
and say in a plaintive voice, “ Poor, poor fellow !” but the notion, 
after his aquatic life, of a man being sea-sick, was too ludicrous, 
and he was generally obliged to turn on one side to hide a smile 
or laugh, and then he would repeat his “ Poor, poor fellow !” Fie 
was of a patriotic disposition ; and he liked to praise his own tribe 
and country, in which he truly said there were “ plenty of trees,” 
and he abused all the other tribes ; he stoutly declared that there 
