X 
SCENERY AROUND BEAGLE CHANNEL 
2 33 
without being in the least aware how deadly an instrument 
it is. 
2 2 nd .—After having passed an unmolested night, in what 
would appear to be neutral territory between Jemmy’s tribe 
and the people whom we saw yesterday, we sailed pleasantly 
along. I do not know anything which shows more clearly the 
hostile state of the different tribes, than these wide border or 
neutral tracts. Although Jemmy Button well knew the force 
of our party, he was, at first, unwilling to land amidst the 
hostile tribe nearest to his own. He often told us how the 
savage Oens men “when the leaf red,” crossed the mountains 
from the eastern coast of Tierra del Fuego, and made inroads 
on the natives of this part of the country. It was most curious 
to watch him when thus talking, and see his eyes gleaming 
and his whole face assume a new and wild expression. As we 
proceeded along the Beagle Channel, the scenery assumed a 
peculiar and very magnificent character ; but the effect was 
much lessened from the lowness of the point of view in a boat, 
and from looking along the valley, and thus losing all the 
beauty of a succession of ridges. The mountains were here 
about three thousand feet high, and terminated in sharp and 
jagged points. They rose in one unbroken sweep from the 
water’s edge, and were covered to the height of fourteen or 
fifteen hundred feet by the dusky-coloured forest. It was most 
curious to observe, as far as the eye could range, how level and 
truly horizontal the line on the mountain side was, at which trees 
ceased to grow : it precisely resembled the high-water mark of 
driftweed on a sea-beach. 
At night we slept close to the junction of Ponsonby Sound 
with the Beagle Channel. A small family of Fuegians, who 
were living in the cove, were quiet and inoffensive, and soon 
joined our party round a blazing fire. We were well clothed, 
and though sitting close to the fire were far from too warm ; 
yet these naked savages, though farther off, were observed, to 
our great surprise, to be streaming with perspiration at under¬ 
going such a roasting. They seemed, however, very well 
pleased, and all joined in the chorus of the seamen’s songs ; 
but the manner in which they were invariably a little behindhand 
was quite ludicrous. 
During the night the news had spread, and early in the 
