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December.

them the great guns, but they did not appear to have 1766. any notion of their use. After I had carried them through the ship, I ordered the marines to be drawn up, and go through part of their exercife. When the first volley was fired, they were struck with astonishment and terror; the old man, in particular, threw himself down upon the deck, pointed to the muskets, and then ftriking his breaft with his hand, lay fome time motionless, with his eyes fhut: by this we fuppofed he intended to fhew us that he was not unacquainted with fire-arms, and their fatal effect. The reft feeing our people merry, and finding themfelves unhurt, foon refumed their chearfulness and good humour, and heard the fecond and third volley fired without much emotion; but the old man continued proftrate upon the deck fome time, and never recovered his fpirits till the firing was over. About noon, the tide being out, I acquainted them by signs that the ship was proceeding farther, and that they must go on fhore: this I foon perceived they were very unwilling to do; all however, except the old man and one more, were got into the boat without much difficulty; but these stopped at the gangway, where the old man turned about, and went aft to the companion ladder, where he flood fome time without fpeaking a word; he then uttered what we fuppofed to be a prayer; for he many times lifted up his hands and his eyes to the heavens, and spoke in a manner and tone very different from what we had observed in their conversation: his oraison seemed to be rather fung than faid, fo that we found it impoffible to distinguish one word from another. When I again intimated that it was proper for him to go into the boat, he pointed to the fun, and then moving his hand round to the west, he paused, looked in my face, laughed, and pointed to the shore : by this it was easy to understand that he wished to stay on board till fun-fet, and I took no little pains to convince him that we could not stay so long upon that part of the coast, before he could be prevailed upon to go into the boat; at length however he went over the ship's fide with his companion, and when the boat put off they all began to fing, and continued their merriment till they got on fhore. When they landed, great

numbers

1766. December.

Wednef. 17.

numbers of those on fhore preffed eagerly to get into the boat; but the officer on board, having pofitive orders to bring none of them off, prevented them, though not without great difficulty, and apparently to their extreme mortification and difappointment.

When the boat returned on board, I fent her off again with the Master, to sound the fhoal that runs off from the point he found it about three miles broad from north to fouth, and that to avoid it, it was neceffary to keep four miles off the Cape, in twelve or thirteen fathom water.

CHA P. II.

The Paffage through the Streight of Magellan, with fome farther Account of the Patagonians, and a Defcription of the Coaft on each fide, and its Inhabitants.

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BOUT one o'clock, on Wednesday the 17th of December, I made the signal and weighed, ordering the Swallow to go a-head, and the store-ship to bring up the rear. The wind was right against us, and blew fresh, so that we were obliged to turn into the Streight of Magellan with the flood-tide, between Cape Virgin Mary and the Sandy Point that refembles Dungeness. When we got a-breast of this point, we stood clofe into the fhore, where we saw two guanicoes, and many of the natives on horfeback, who feemed to be in pursuit of them when the horsemen came near, they ran up the country at a great rate, and were purfued by the hunters, with their flings in their hands ready for the caft; but neither of them was taken while they were within the reach of our fight.

When we got about two leagues to the west of Dungeness, and were ftanding off fhore, we fell in with a fhoal upon which we had but feven fathom water at half flood: this obliged us to make short tacks, and keep continually heaving the lead. At half an hour after eight in the evening, we anchored about three miles from the fhore, in 20 fathom, with a muddy bottom: Cape Virgin Mary then bearing

N. E.

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December.

N. E. by E. Point Poffeffion W. S. at the diflance 1766. of about five leagues.

About half an hour after we had cast anchor, the natives made feveral large fires a-breaft of the thip, and at break of day we saw about four hundred of them encamped in a fine green valley, between two hills, with their horfes feeding befide them. About fix o'clock in the morning, the tide being done, we got Thurid. 18. again under fail: its course here is from east to west: it rifes and falls thirty feet, and its strength is equal to about three knots an hour. About noon there being little wind, and the ebb running with great force, the Swallow, who was a-head, made the fignal and came to an anchor; upon which I did the fame, and fo did the ftore-fhip, that was a-stern.

As we saw great numbers of the natives on horseback a-breast of the ship, and as Captain Carteret informed me that this was the place where Commodore Byron had the conference with the tall men, I sent the Lieutenants of the Swallow and the ftore-fhip to the fhore, but with orders not to land, as the ships were at too great a distance to protect them. When these gentlemen returned, they told me that the boat having lain upon her oars very near the beach, the natives came down in great numbers, whom they knew to be the fame perfons they had seen the day before, with many others, particularly women and children; that when they perceived our people had no defign to land, they seemed to be greatly disappointed, and thofe who had been on board the fhip waded off to the boat, making figns for it to advance, and pronouncing the words they had been taught, "Englishmen, come on fhore," very loud, many times; that when they found they could not get the people to land, they would fain have got into the boat, and that it was with great difficulty they were prevented. That they prefented them with fome bread, tobacco, and a few toys, pointing at the fame time to fome guanicoes and oftriches, and making figns that they wanted them as provifions, but that they could not make themselves understood; that finding they could obtain no refreshment, they rowed along the shore in search of fresh water; but that feeing no appearance of a rivulet, they returned on board.

At

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December.

At fix o'clock the next morning we weighed, the Swallow being ftill a-head, and at noon we anchored Friday 19. in Poffeffion bay, having twelve fathom with a clean fandy bottom. Point Poffeffion at this time bore East, diftant three leagues; the Affes Ears weft, and the entrance of the Narrows S. W. W. the bottom of the bay, which was the nearest land to the ship, was diftant about three miles. We faw a great number of Indians upon the Point, and at night large fires on the Terra del Fuego fhore.

Monday 22.

Tuesd. 23.

From this time, to the 22d, we had ftrong gales and heavy feas, fo that we got on but flowly; and we now anchored in 18 fathom, with a muddy bottom. 'The Affes Ears bore N. W. by W. W. Point Poffeffion N. E. by E. one the point of the Narrows, on the fouth fide, S. S. W. diftant between three and four leagues. In this fituation, our longitude, by obfervation, was 70° 20' W. latitude 52° 30' S: The tide here fets S. E. by S. and N. E. by N. at the rate of about three knots an hour; the water rifes four and twenty feet, and at this time it was high water at four in the morning.

In the morning of the 23d, we made fail, turning to windward, but the tide was so strong, that the Swallow was set one way, the Dolphin another, and the storeship a third there was a fresh breeze, but not one of the veffels would answer her helm. We had various foundings, and faw the rippling in the middle ground: in these circumstances, fometimes backing, fometimes filling, we entered the first Narrows. About fix o'clock in the evening, the tide being done, we anchored on the fouth-fhore, in 40 fathom, with a fandy bottom; the Swallow anchored on the north-fhore, and the ftore-fhip not a cable's length from a fand bank, about two miles to the eastward. The ftreight here is only three miles wide, and at midnight, the tide being flack, we weighed and towed the ship through. A breeze fprung up foon afterwards, which continued till Weda. 24. feven in the morning, and then died away. We steered from the firft Narrows to the fecond S. W. and had 19 fathom, with a muddy bottom. At eight we anchored two leagues from the fhore, in 24 fathom, Cape Gregory bearing W. N. and Sweepstakes Foreland

S. W.

S. W. W. The tide here ran seven knots an hour, and fuch bores fometimes came down, with immense, quantities of weeds, that we expected every moment to be adrift.

1766.

December.

The next day, being Christmas day, we failed Thursd. 25. through the fecond Narrows. In turning through this part of the Streight we had twelve fathom within half a mile of the fhore on each fide, and in the middle 17 fathom, 22 fathom, and no ground. At five o'clock in the evening, the fhip fuddenly fhoaled from 17 fathom to 5, St. Bartholomew's Ifland then bearing S. W. diftant between three and four miles, and Elizabeth Island S. S. W. W. diftant five or fix miles. About half an hour after eight o'clock, the weather being rainy and tempeftuous, we anchored under Elizabeth Island in 24 fathom, with hard gravelly ground. Upon this ifland we found great quantities of celery, which, by the direction of the furgeon, was given to the people, with boiled wheat and portable soup, for breakfast every morning. Some of the officers who went a-fhore with their guns, faw two fmall dogs, and feveral places where fires had been recently made, with many fresh shells of muscles and limpets lying about them they faw also several wigwams or huts, consisting of young trees, which, being sharpened at one end, and thrust into the ground in a circular form, the other ends were brought to meet, and fastened together at the top; but they faw none of the natives.

From this place we saw many high mountains, bearing from S. to W. S. W. feveral parts of the fummits were covered with fnow, though it was the midft of fummer in this part of the world: they were clothed with wood about three parts of their height, and above with herbage, except where the fnow was not yet melted. This was the first place where we had seen wood in all South America.

At two o'clock in the morning of the 26th, we Friday 26. weighed, and having a fair wind, were a-breaft of the north end of Elizabeth's Inland at three at half an hour after five, being about midway between Elizabeth's Island and St. George's Ifland, we fuddenly fhoaled our water from 17 fathom to fix: we ftruck the ground once, but the next caft had no bottom with 20 VOL. I. fathom.

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