1769. January.

Tuesday 17.

they conceived fome hope of deliverance by difcovering the place of the fun through the clouds, which were become thinner, and began to break away. Their firft care was to fee whether the poor wretches whom they had been obliged to leave among the bushes were yet alive; three of the company were dispatched for that purpose, and very soon afterwards returned with the melancholy news, that they were dead.

;

Notwithstanding the flattering appearance of the sky, the snow still continued to fall so thick that they could not venture out on their journey to the ship; but about eight o'clock a small regular breeze sprung up, which, with the prevailing influence of the fun, at length cleared the air; and they foon after, with great joy, faw the fnow fall in large flakes from the trees, a certain fign of an approaching thaw: they now examined more critically the state of their invalids Briscoe was still very ill, but faid, that he thought himself able to walk; and Mr. Buchan was much better than either he or his friends had any reason to expect. They were now, however, preffed by the calls of hunger, to which, after long fasting, every confideration of future good or evil immediately gives way. Before they fet forward, therefore, it was unanimously agreed, that they should eat their vulture; the bird was accordingly skinned, and, it being thought best to divide it before it was fit to be

eaten,

1769.

January.

eaten, it was cut into ten portions, and every man cooked his own as he thought fit. After this repaft, which furnished each of them with Tuesday 17. about three mouthfuls, they prepared to fet out; but it was ten o'clock before the fnow was fufficiently gone off, to render a march practicable. After a walk of about three hours, they were very agreeably furprised to find themselves upon the beach, and much nearer to the ship than they had any reafon to expect. Upon reviewing their track from the veffel, they perceived, that, instead of ascending the hill in a line, fo as to penetrate into the country, they had made almost a circle round it. When they came on board, they congratulated each other upon their fafety, with a joy that no man can feel who has not been exposed to equal danger; and as I had fuffered great anxiety at their not returning in the evening of the day on which they fet out, I. was not wholly without my fhare.

CHAP.

1769. January,

Wednef. 18.

Thurid. 19.
Friday 20.

CHA P. V.

The Paffage through the Streight of Le
Maire, and a further Defcription of the
Inhabitants of Terra del Fuego, and its
Productions.

O

1

N the 18th and 19th, we were delayed in getting on board our wood and water by a fwell: but on the 20th, the weather being more moderate, we again fent the boat on shore, and Mr. Banks and Dr. Solander went in it. They landed in the bottom of the bay, and while my people were employed in cutting brooms, they pursued their great object, the improvement of natural knowledge, with fuccefs, collecting many fhells and plants which hitherto have been altogether unknown: they came on board to dinner, and afterwards went again on shore to vifit an Indian town, which some of the people had reported to lie about two miles up the country. They found the distance not more than by the account, and they approached it by what appeared to be the common road, yet they were above an hour in getting thither, for they were frequently up to their knees in mud; when they got within a small distance,

two

two of the people came out to meet them, with
such state as they could affume; when they join-
ed them, they began to hollow as they had done
on board the ship, without addreffing themselves
either to the strangers or their companions; and
having continued this ftrange vociferation fome
time, they conducted them to the town.
It was
fituated on a dry knoll, or fmall hill, covered
with wood, none of which feemed to have been
cleared away, and confifted of about twelve or
fourteen hovels, of the most rude and inartificial
ftructure that can be imagined. They were
nothing more than a few poles fet up fo as to
incline towards each other, and meet at the top,
forming a kind of a cone, like fome of our bee-
hives on the weather fide they were covered
with a few boughs, and a little grafs; and on the
lee fide about one-eighth of the circle was left
open, both for a door and a fire-place; and of
this kind were the huts that had been seen in St.
Vincent's bay, in one of which the embers of a fire
were still remaining. Furniture they had none;
a little grafs, which lay round the infide of the
hovel, ferved both for chairs and beds; and of
all the utensils which neceffity and ingenuity
have concurred to produce among other favage
nations, they faw only a basket to carry in the
hand, a fatchel to hang at the back, and the
bladder of fome beaft to hold water, which the
natives drink through a hole that is made near
the top for that purpose.

VOL. II.

U

The

1769.

January,

1769. January

The inhabitants of this town were a fmall tribe, not more than fifty in number, of both fexes, and of every age. Their colour resembles that of the ruft of iron. mixed with oil, and they have long black hair: the men are large, but clumfily built; their ftature is from five feet eight to five feet ten; the women are much lefs, few of them being more than five feet high. Their whole apparel consists of the skin. of a guanicoe, or feal, which is thrown over their fhoulders, exactly in the ftare in which it came from the animal's back; a piece of the fame fkin, which is drawn over their feet, and gathered about the ancles like a purse, and a fmall flap, which is worn by the women as a.fuccedaneum for a fig-leaf. The men wear their cloak open, the women tie it about their waift with a thong. But although they are content to be naked, they are very ambitious to be fine. Their faces were painted in various forms: the region of the eye was in general white, and the rest of the face adorned with horizontal ftreaks of red and black; yet scarcely any two were exactly alike. This decoration feems to be more profuse and elaborate upon particular occafions, for the two gentlemen who introduced Mr. Banks and the Doctor into the town, were almost covered with ftreaks of black in all directions, fo as to make a very striking appearance. Both men and women wore bracelets of fuch beads as they could make themselves of small shells or bones;