Thecovewasborderedbysomeacresofgoodslopingland，notcovered(aselsewhere)eitherbypeatorbyforest-trees。CaptainFitzRoyoriginallyintended，asbeforestated，tohavetakenYorkMinsterandFuegiatotheirowntribeonthewestcoast；butastheyexpressedawishtoremainhere，andasthespotwassingularlyfavourable，CaptainFitzRoydeterminedtosettleherethewholeparty，includingMatthews，themissionary。Fivedayswerespentinbuildingforthemthreelargewigwams，inlandingtheirgoods，indiggingtwogardens，andsowingseeds。
Thenextmorningafterourarrival(the24th)theFuegiansbegantopourin，andJemmy’smotherandbrothersarrived。Jemmyrecognisedthestentorianvoiceofoneofhisbrothersataprodigiousdistance。Themeetingwaslessinterestingthanthatbetweenahorse，turnedoutintoafield，whenhejoinsanoldcompanion。Therewasnodemonstrationofaffection；
theysimplystaredforashorttimeateachother；andthemotherimmediatelywenttolookafterhercanoe。Weheard，however，throughYorkthatthemotherhasbeeninconsolableforthelossofJemmyandhadsearchedeverywhereforhim，thinkingthathemighthavebeenleftafterhavingbeentakenintheboat。ThewomentookmuchnoticeofandwereverykindtoFuegia。
WehadalreadyperceivedthatJemmyhadalmostforgottenhisownlanguage。
Ishouldthinktherewasscarcelyanotherhumanbeingwithsosmallastockoflanguage，forhisEnglishwasveryimperfect。Itwaslaughable，butalmostpitiable，tohearhimspeaktohiswildbrotherinEnglish，andthenaskhiminSpanish(“nosabe？”)whetherhedidnotunderstandhim。
Everythingwentonpeaceablyduringthethreenextdayswhilstthegardenswerediggingandwigwamsbuilding。Weestimatedthenumberofnativesataboutonehundredandtwenty。Thewomenworkedhard，whilstthemenloungedaboutalldaylong，watchingus。Theyaskedforeverythingtheysaw，andstolewhattheycould。Theyweredelightedatourdancingandsinging，andwereparticularlyinterestedatseeinguswashinaneighbouringbrook；
theydidnotpaymuchattentiontoanythingelse，noteventoourboats。
OfallthethingswhichYorksaw，duringhisabsencefromhiscountry，nothingseemsmoretohaveastonishedhimthananostrich，nearMaldonado：
breathlesswithastonishmenthecamerunningtoMr。Bynoe，withwhomhewasoutwalking——“Oh，Mr。Bynoe，oh，birdallsamehorse！”Muchasourwhiteskinssurprisedthenatives，byMr。Low’saccountanegro-cooktoasealingvessel，didsomoreeffectually，andthepoorfellowwassomobbedandshoutedatthathewouldnevergoonshoreagain。Everythingwentonsoquietlythatsomeoftheofficersandmyselftooklongwalksinthesurroundinghillsandwoods。Suddenly，however，onthe27th，everywomanandchilddisappeared。Wewerealluneasyatthis，asneitherYorknorJemmycouldmakeoutthecause。Itwasthoughtbysomethattheyhadbeenfrightenedbyourcleaningandfiringoffourmusketsonthepreviousevening；
byothers，thatitwasowingtooffencetakenbyanoldsavage，who，whentoldtokeepfurtheroff，hadcoollyspitinthesentry’sface，andhadthen，bygesturesactedoverasleepingFuegian，plainlyshowed，asitwassaid，thatheshouldliketocutupandeatourman。CaptainFitzRoy，toavoidthechanceofanencounter，whichwouldhavebeenfataltosomanyoftheFuegians，thoughtitadvisableforustosleepatacoveafewmilesdistant。Matthews，withhisusualquietfortitude(remarkableinamanapparentlypossessinglittleenergyofcharacter)，determinedtostaywiththeFuegians，whoevincednoalarmforthemselves；andsoweleftthemtopasstheirfirstawfulnight。
Onourreturninthemorning(28th)weweredelightedtofindallquiet，andthemenemployedintheircanoesspearingfish。CaptainFitzRoydeterminedtosendtheyawlandonewhale-boatbacktotheship；andtoproceedwiththetwootherboats，oneunderhisowncommand(inwhichhemostkindlyallowedmetoaccompanyhim)，andoneunderMr。Hammond，tosurveythewesternpartsoftheBeagleChannel，andafterwardstoreturnandvisitthesettlement。Thedaytoourastonishmentwasoverpoweringlyhot，sothatourskinswerescorched：withthisbeautifulweather，theviewinthemiddleoftheBeagleChannelwasveryremarkable。Lookingtowardseitherhand，noobjectinterceptedthevanishingpointsofthislongcanalbetweenthemountains。Thecircumstanceofitsbeinganarmoftheseawasrenderedveryevidentbyseveralhugewhales[2]spoutingindifferentdirections。OnoneoccasionIsawtwoofthesemonsters，probablymaleandfemale，slowlyswimmingoneaftertheother，withinlessthanastone’sthrowoftheshore，overwhichthebeech-treeextendeditsbranches。
Wesailedontillitwasdark，andthenpitchedourtentsinaquietcreek。
Thegreatestluxurywastofindforourbedsabeachofpebbles，fortheyweredryandyieldedtothebody。Peatysoilisdamp；rockisunevenandhard；sandgetsintoone’smeat，whencookedandeatenboat-fashion；butwhenlyinginourblanket-bags，onagoodbedofsmoothpebbles，wepassedmostcomfortablenights。
Itwasmywatchtilloneo’clock。Thereissomethingverysolemninthesescenes。Atnotimedoestheconsciousnessinwhataremotecorneroftheworldyouarethenstanding，comesostronglybeforethemind。Everythingtendstothiseffect；thestillnessofthenightisinterruptedonlybytheheavybreathingoftheseamenbeneaththetents，andsometimesbythecryofanight-bird。Theoccasionalbarkingofadog，heardinthedistance，remindsonethatitisthelandofthesavage。
January20th——EarlyinthemorningwearrivedatthepointwheretheBeagleChanneldividesintotwoarms；andweenteredthenorthernone。
Thesceneryherebecomesevengranderthanbefore。Theloftymountainsonthenorthsidecomposethegraniticaxis，orbackboneofthecountryandboldlyrisetoaheightofbetweenthreeandfourthousandfeet，withonepeakabovesixthousandfeet。Theyarecoveredbyawidemantleofperpetualsnow，andnumerouscascadespourtheirwaters，throughthewoods，intothenarrowchannelbelow。Inmanyparts，magnificentglaciersextendfromthemountainsidetothewater’sedge。Itisscarcelypossibletoimagineanythingmorebeautifulthantheberyl-likeblueoftheseglaciers，andespeciallyascontrastedwiththedeadwhiteoftheupperexpanseofsnow。Thefragmentswhichhadfallenfromtheglacierintothewaterwerefloatingaway，andthechannelwithitsicebergspresented，forthespaceofamile，aminiaturelikenessofthePolarSea。Theboatsbeinghauledonshoreatourdinner-hour，wewereadmiringfromthedistanceofhalfamileaperpendicularcliffofice，andwerewishingthatsomemorefragmentswouldfall。Atlast，downcameamasswitharoaringnoise，andimmediatelywesawthesmoothoutlineofawavetravellingtowardsus。Themenrandownasquicklyastheycouldtotheboats；forthechanceoftheirbeingdashedtopieceswasevident。Oneoftheseamenjustcaughtholdofthebows，asthecurlingbreakerreachedit：hewasknockedoverandover，butnothurt，andtheboatsthoughthriceliftedonhighandletfallagain，receivednodamage。Thiswasmostfortunateforus，forwewereahundredmilesdistantfromtheship，andweshouldhavebeenleftwithoutprovisionsorfire-arms。Ihadpreviouslyobservedthatsomelargefragmentsofrockonthebeachhadbeenlatelydisplaced；butuntilseeingthiswave，Ididnotunderstandthecause。Onesideofthecreekwasformedbyaspurofmica-slate；theheadbyacliffoficeaboutfortyfeethigh；andtheothersidebyapromontoryfiftyfeethigh，builtupofhugeroundedfragmentsofgraniteandmica-slate，outofwhicholdtreesweregrowing。Thispromontorywasevidentlyamoraine，heapedupataperiodwhentheglacierhadgreaterdimensions。
WhenwereachedthewesternmouthofthisnorthernbranchoftheBeagleChannel，wesailedamongstmanyunknowndesolateislands，andtheweatherwaswretchedlybad。Wemetwithnonatives。Thecoastwasalmosteverywheresosteep，thatwehadseveraltimestopullmanymilesbeforewecouldfindspaceenoughtopitchourtwotents：onenightwesleptonlargeroundboulders，withputrefyingsea-weedbetweenthem；andwhenthetiderose，wehadtogetupandmoveourblanket-bags。ThefarthestpointwestwardwhichwereachedwasStewartIsland，adistanceofaboutonehundredandfiftymilesfromourship。WereturnedintotheBeagleChannelbythesouthernarm，andthenceproceeded，withnoadventure，backtoPonsonbySound。
February6th——WearrivedatWoollya。MatthewsgavesobadanaccountoftheconductoftheFuegians，thatCaptainFitzRoydeterminedtotakehimbacktotheBeagle；andultimatelyhewasleftatNewZealand，wherehisbrotherwasamissionary。Fromthetimeofourleaving，aregularsystemofplundercommenced；freshpartiesofthenativeskeptarriving：YorkandJemmylostmanythings，andMatthewsalmosteverythingwhichhadnotbeenconcealedunderground。Everyarticleseemedtohavebeentornupanddividedbythenatives。Matthewsdescribedthewatchhewasobligedalwaystokeepasmostharassing；nightanddayhewassurroundedbythenatives，whotriedtotirehimoutbymakinganincessantnoiseclosetohishead。
Onedayanoldman，whomMatthewsaskedtoleavehiswigwam，immediatelyreturnedwithalargestoneinhishand：anotherdayawholepartycamearmedwithstonesandstakes，andsomeoftheyoungermenandJemmy’sbrotherwerecrying：Matthewsmetthemwithpresents。Anotherpartyshowedbysignsthattheywishedtostriphimnakedandpluckallthehairsoutofhisfaceandbody。Ithinkwearrivedjustintimetosavehislife。Jemmy’srelativeshadbeensovainandfoolish，thattheyhadshowedtostrangerstheirplunder，andtheirmannerofobtainingit。ItwasquitemelancholyleavingthethreeFuegianswiththeirsavagecountrymen；butitwasagreatcomfortthattheyhadnopersonalfears。York，beingapowerfulresoluteman，wasprettysuretogetonwell，togetherwithhiswifeFuegia。PoorJemmylookedratherdisconsolate，andwouldthen，Ihavelittledoubt，havebeengladtohavereturnedwithus。Hisownbrotherhadstolenmanythingsfromhim；andasheremarked，“Whatfashioncallthat：“heabusedhiscountrymen，“allbadmen，nosabe(know)nothing“and，thoughIneverheardhimswearbefore，“damnedfools。”OurthreeFuegians，thoughtheyhadbeenonlythreeyearswithcivilizedmen，would，Iamsure，havebeengladtohaveretainedtheirnewhabits；butthiswasobviouslyimpossible。
Ifearitismorethandoubtful，whethertheirvisitwillhavebeenofanyusetothem。
Intheevening，withMatthewsonboard，wemadesailbacktotheship，notbytheBeagleChannel，butbythesoutherncoast。Theboatswereheavilyladenandthesearough，andwehadadangerouspassage。Bytheeveningofthe7thwewereonboardtheBeagleafteranabsenceoftwentydays，duringwhichtimewehadgonethreehundredmilesintheopenboats。Onthe11th，CaptainFitzRoypaidavisitbyhimselftotheFuegiansandfoundthemgoingonwell；andthattheyhadlostveryfewmorethings。
OnthelastdayofFebruaryinthesucceedingyear(1834)theBeagleanchoredinabeautifullittlecoveattheeasternentranceoftheBeagleChannel。CaptainFitzRoydeterminedonthebold，andasitprovedsuccessful，attempttobeatagainstthewesterlywindsbythesameroute，whichwehadfollowedintheboatstothesettlementatWoollya。WedidnotseemanynativesuntilwewerenearPonsonbySound，wherewewerefollowedbytenortwelvecanoes。Thenativesdidnotatallunderstandthereasonofourtacking，and，insteadofmeetingusateachtack，vainlystrovetofollowusinourzigzagcourse。Iwasamusedatfindingwhatadifferencethecircumstanceofbeingquitesuperiorinforcemade，intheinterestofbeholdingthesesavages。WhileintheboatsIgottohatetheverysoundoftheirvoices，somuchtroubledidtheygiveus。Thefirstandlastwordwas“yammerschooner。”When，enteringsomequietlittlecove，wehavelookedroundandthoughttopassaquietnight，theodiousword“yammerschooner“
hasshrillysoundedfromsomegloomynook，andthenthelittlesignal-smokehascurleduptospreadthenewsfarandwide。Onleavingsomeplacewehavesaidtoeachother，“Thankheaven，wehaveatlastfairlyleftthesewretches！”whenonemorefainthallofromanall-powerfulvoice，heardataprodigiousdistance，wouldreachourears，andclearlycouldwedistinguish——“yammerschooner。”Butnow，themoreFuegiansthemerrier；andverymerryworkitwas。Bothpartieslaughing，wondering，gapingateachother；wepityingthem，forgivingusgoodfishandcrabsforrags，etc。；theygraspingatthechanceoffindingpeoplesofoolishastoexchangesuchsplendidornamentsforagoodsupper。Itwasmostamusingtoseetheundisguisedsmileofsatisfactionwithwhichoneyoungwomanwithherfacepaintedblack，tiedseveralbitsofscarletclothroundherheadwithrushes。Herhusband，whoenjoyedtheveryuniversalprivilegeinthiscountryofpossessingtwowives，evidentlybecamejealousofalltheattentionpaidtohisyoungwife；and，afteraconsultationwithhisnakedbeauties，waspaddledawaybythem。
SomeoftheFuegiansplainlyshowedthattheyhadafairnotionofbarter。
Igaveonemanalargenail(amostvaluablepresent)withoutmakinganysignsforareturn；butheimmediatelypickedouttwofish，andhandedthemuponthepointofhisspear。Ifanypresentwasdesignedforonecanoe，anditfellnearanother，itwasinvariablygiventotherightowner。
TheFuegianboy，whomMr。Lowhadonboardshowed，bygoingintothemostviolentpassion，thathequiteunderstoodthereproachofbeingcalledaliar，whichintruthhewas。Wewerethistime，asonallformeroccasions，muchsurprisedatthelittlenotice，orrathernonewhatever，whichwastakenofmanythings，theuseofwhichmusthavebeenevidenttothenatives。
Simplecircumstances——suchasthebeautyofscarletclothorbluebeads，theabsenceofwomen，ourcareinwashingourselves，——excitedtheiradmirationfarmorethananygrandorcomplicatedobject，suchasourship。Bougainvillehaswellremarkedconcerningthesepeople，thattheytreatthe“chefsd’oeuvredel’industriehumaine，commeilstraitentlesloixdelanatureetsesphenomenes。”
