XIII 
POVERTY OF THE INDIANS 
297 
hardly sufficient to drive away from our tents the large circle 
of lookers on. An Indian family, who had come to trade in 
a canoe from Caylen, bivouacked near us. They had no 
shelter during the rain. In the morning I asked a young 
Indian, who was wet to the skin, how he had passed the 
night. Pie seemed perfectly content, and answered, “ Muy 
bien, senor.” 
December 1st .—We steered for the island of Lemuy. I 
was anxious to examine a reported coal-mine, which turned 
out to be lignite of little value, in the sandstone (probably ot 
an ancient tertiary epoch) of which these islands are composed. 
When we reached Lemuy we had much difficulty in finding 
any place to pitch our tents, for it was spring-tide, and the 
land was wooded down to the water’s edge. I11 a short time 
we were surrounded by a large group of the nearly pure Indian 
inhabitants. They were much surprised at our arrival, and 
said one to the other, “ This is the reason we have seen so 
many parrots lately; the cheucau (an odd red-breasted little 
bird, which inhabits the thick forest, and utters very peculiar 
noises) has not cried ‘ beware ’ for nothing.” They were soon 
anxious for barter. Money was scarcely worth anything, but 
their eagerness for tobacco was something quite extraordinary. 
After tobacco, indigo came next in value ; then capsicum, old 
clothes, and gunpowder. The latter article was required for a 
very innocent purpose : each parish has a public musket, and 
the gunpowder was wanted for making a noise on their saint 
or feast days. 
The people here live chiefly on shell-fish and potatoes. 
At certain seasons they catch also, in “ corrales,” or hedges 
under water, many fish which are left on the mud-banks as 
the tide falls. They occasionally possess fowls, sheep, goats, 
pigs, horses, and cattle; the order in which they are here 
mentioned, expressing their respective numbers. I never saw 
anything more obliging and humble than the manners of these 
people. They generally began with stating that they were 
poor natives of the place, and not Spaniards, and that they 
were in sad want of tobacco and other comforts. At Caylen, 
the most southern island, the sailors bought with a stick of 
tobacco, of the value of three-halfpence, two fowls, one of which, 
the Indian stated, had skin between its toes, and turned out to 
