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

396 FIRE TREATMENT OF NATIVES. I would not disturb them until daylight (8th), when we con- tinued our search in the direction the natives had indicated but after examining several coves without finding any traces of Fuegians, we hastened back toAvards the wigwams we had visited on the previous day. Sailing close along-shore, a large smoke suddenly rose up, out of a small cove close by us, where we immediately landed, and looked all round ; but found only the foot-prints of two Fuegians, probably the runaways, who had just succeeded in lighting a fire at the moment we passed by. This shows how quickly they find materials for the pvir- pose, for when they left us, they had neither iron nor fire-stone (pyrites), nor any kind of tinder. They had carried off two tarpaulin coats, which Mr. Murray had kindly put on to keep them Avarm ; although, treated as he had so lately been, one might have thought he would not have been the first to care for their comfort. I mention these incidents to show what was our behaviour to these savages, and that no wanton cruelty was exercised towards them. " After looking for these two natives, and for Mr. Murray's coats, which at that time he could ill spare, we returned to our boat, and pushed on towards the wigwams. The moment the inmates saw us, they ran away, and we gave chase, trying, in vain, to make them stop. Disappointed in the hope of obtain- ing a guide, we determined to prevent these people from escap- ing far, and spreading any intelligence likely to impede the return of our boat, which we daily expected : we therefore destroyed two canoes, and part of a third, that the natives were building, and burned every material which could be useful to them in making another canoe. " (9th). Next day, we went straight across the bay to Cape Desolation, against a fresh breeze : by pulling in turns, the boat was kept going fast through the water, and late in the evening we reached the cove from which the thieves had first started, when they stole the boat ; but no traces of their having been there again, were found. I thought it probable that they would return to see what had become of our party, and whether our people were weak enough to be plundered again, or per- haps attacked.