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

1834. TIDES rUMAS AIGLE ROCK. 357 ing a ton or two of fresh water, the yawl and cutter were dis- patched to get it and bring on board the shooting party. Dur- ing my absence satisfactory observations on the tides had been made, which showed that the neap tides rise about eighteen feet, and the springs from thirty-eight to forty-two feet. One day when walking through a woody ravine, not far from the anchorage, Mr. Stewart saw a puma lying under a bush, glar- ing at him : taking a steady aim, he fired, and laid the animal dead. It was a very large one ; and the skin is now in the British Museum, The moment of thus looking a lion in the face, while taking aim, at only a few yards distance, must be somewhat trying to the nerves, I should imagine. A beautiful wild cat was also added to our collections, besides condors and foxes. 9th. The boats, and shooting party, arrived with water and two guanacoes. As the sportsmen were returning with their burthens on the preceding evening, darkness overtook them while yet distant from their tent ; and they were soon made uncomfortably* conscious that an enemy was at hand, for the strong and peculiar smell of a lion warned them that one was near. They trudged on with their cargoes, talking to one another ; but the scent was still strong until they approached the fire, which had been kept up by their companion, when it ceased entirely. Such a weight as a lion's, added suddenly to that of a guanaco, would have been rather distressing. We were detained for a day or two by an overcast sky, which prevented my obtaining equal altitudes ; but on the 12th the Beagle left the Santa Cruz, and stood towards the alleged place of the shoal, or rock, called ' Aigle,' not far from the western- most of the Falkland Islands. No such danger, nor any sign of shallow water being found, but, on the contrary, no bottom with one hundred fathonjs of line, we steered towards Magalhaens Strait, and on the 18th anchored off Cape Virgins. Next morn- ing I landed on the Cape, taking Mr. Darwin and Mr. Stokes with me, and remained tiU after the noon observation, when, returning on board, the Beagle weighed and sailed to another station. From this time (till the 25th) we were busily em- * Being only two in number.