Narrative of the surveying voyages of his majesty's ships Adventure and Beagle (vol.1): between the years 1826 and 1836 : describing their examination of the southern shores of South America, and the Beagles's circumnavigation of the globe

316 TROUBLESOME NUMBER OF FUEGIANS. 1830. might be visible, which we had seen in our passage from Con- cepcion to the Strait ; but the weather was at first too cloudy, and afterwards the comet itself was too faint to be discerned.* On the 21st, nine canoes arrived in the bay, containing a large party of Fuegians, principally those who frequent the Magdalen Channel, and probably the sea-coast. They had generally shown themselves disposed to be mischievous, and I determined upon preventing their encamping near us ; for their presence would greatly impede our watering and wood- ing parties, by distracting the attention of the people. I, there- fore, went to meet them at the watering-place, under Point St. Anna, where they had landed, near one of our boats which was on the beach. Among them we only recognised three who had visited us before, and those three were brought to our remembrance by their former ndsconduct. I had always made it a rule to treat them kindly, with the view of obtaining their good-will ; but I foiuid it was the wrong way to gain their respect, for it only made them expect more from me, the con- sequence of which was, that when we separated, neither party was pleased with the other. I used on this occasion a more dic- tatorial tone than I had hitherto done ; for, seeing several with slings in their hands, and a collection of large, round pebbles wrapped up in the corner of their mantles, I desired them to throw the stones away, which they did not hesitate to do. The Indians were now all landed, and evidently presuming upon their numerical strength, upwards of eighty being assembled, began to make themselves very familiar. I thought it best to check their advances, by desiring them not to visit the side of the bay where our tents stood, but to go round Point St. Anna, to an adjoining cove. They seemed to understand me perfectly, and soon afterwards embarked, while I returned on board. The natives, however, landed again, in the middle of the bay, at the north side, and there encamped. Next morning, the men of the tribe visited our tents, but found them surrounded by a rope I had caused to be fixed, * The same comet was seen at the Mauritius; and its orbit calculated. See Ast. See. Proceedings, and Phil. Journal.