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

402 BOROA INDIANS MOCHA. Feb be dangerous, for the low land projects considerably, and would not then be readily seen. We could not distinguish the mouths of eitlier the Tolten or the Imperial (or Cauten) quite satisfactorily, but as they are bar rivers — useless to shipping — I would not risk anchoring on so exposed a coast, or sending a boat away into sudi a surf as we saw breaking, without having more time at my disposal and a higher object in view. On the Cauten was the city called Imperial — celebrated in Araucanian story — and near its site now live the Boroa tribe, some of whom have light-coloured eyes, fair complexions, and even red hair. I saw one of these Indians at Valdivia, who had blue eyes, but dark hair. She told me that in her own country, ' Boroa,'' there were many with eyes like her"'s ; that some were ' rubios,' that is, of a red and white complexion, and that a few had red hair. Her parents had told her, she said, that those people were descended from the ' Huincas.''* How the red hair originated is rather curious ; I have heard of it from good authorities at other times, while in Chile. Late on the 24th we anchored at Mocha, and the follow- ing week was occupied in surveying its shores and the space between them and the inainland.-f- Shocks of earthquakes were frequently felt, more or less severely ; sometimes I thought that the anchor had been accidentally let go, and the chain was run- ning out ; and while at anchor, I often fancied the ship was driving, tUl I saw that there was neither swell, current, nor wind sufficient to move her from the anchorage. We naturally con- cluded that some strange convulsion was working, and anxious for the fate of Concepcion, hastened to Talcahuano Bay as soon as our duty would allow : arriving there on the 4th of March — to our dismay — we saw ruins in every direction. The following account of this catastrophe was subsequently obtained : — At ten in the morning of the 20th of February, very large flights of sea-fowl were noticed, passing over the city of Con- * An Araacanian name for the Spaniards, signifying assassins. 1 1 shall recur to Mocha again.