Narrative of the surveying voyages of his majesty's ships Adventure and Beagle (vol.2): between the years 1826 and 1836 : describing their examination of the southern shores of South America, and the Beagles's circumnavigation of the globe

CHAPTER X. Set out to land Matthews and the Fuegians — Their meeting with Natives — Supposed Volcano — Dream — Oens-men — Scene — Arrival at Woollya — Encampment — Concourse of Natives — Jemmy's Family — Wigwams — Gardens — Distrust — Experiment — Westward Exploration — Remove Matthews — Revisit Woollya — Gale — Sail for the Falkland Islands. At the end of Chapter vi., I described our preparations for landing the Fuegians, who had been in England, among their own countrymen ; and now, having attempted to give a fuller idea of those people, the narrative of our proceedings shall be continued. Jan. 19, 1833. The yawl, being heavily laden, was towed by the other three boats, and, while her sails were set, went almost as fast as they did ; but after passing Cape Rees, and altering our course to the westward, we were obliged to drag her along by strength of arm against wind and current. The first day no natives were seen, though we passed along thirty miles of coast, and reached Cutfinger Cove. (This name was given because one of our party, Robinson by name, almost deprived himself of two fingers by an axe slipping with which he was cutting wood.) At this place, or rather from a hill above it, the view was striking. Close to us was a mass of very lofty heights, shutting out the cold southerly winds, and collecting a few rays of sunshine which contrived to struggle through the frequent clouds of Tierra del Fuego. Opposite, beyond a deep arm of the sea, five miles wide, appeared an extensive range of mountains, whose extremes the eye could not trace ; and to the westward we saw an immense canal, looking like a work of gigantic art, extending between parallel ranges of mountains, of which the summits were capped with snow, though their sides were covered by endless forests. This sin- gular canal-like passage is almost straight and of nearly an