The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1886-07-31
Cur 9liu.
In TERRA del Fuego.


riors of Guiana, Brazil, Patagonia and tt
ezra del Fuego, besides smaller patches of
only half explored land, all calling for
more attention than they have hitherto re-
ceived.
The whole of Brazil has indeed been
explored in superficial sort of way; that
is to say, there are certain narrow lines of
explored land, chiefly along rivers which
intersect the country but only two people
from all the civilized world have ever PEN
etrated beyond the coast of TERRA del Fue-
go, though the coast itself has been well
surveyed, and whalers' boats frequently
land there for water.
One Of these two pioneers is Chilian
lady who was ship-wrecked on the coast,
and saved alive by the chief of Fuegan
tribe which murdered all her companions.
She was seen alive and happy by the other
pioneer, seaman, by name Thomas Thor
old, who spent nearly six months in the
interior of this strange country, and came
safe home to England again. 1t is his
story / propose to tell.
Less than six years ago an English sail
ing ship, homeward bound from Valparai-
so, founded off the west coast of TERRA del
Fuego during the cruel, wintry month of
July. The crew got into three boats and
pulled for the shore, which was not far
distant. After rounding headland, they
found themselves in comparatively smooth
water, surrounded by bare, bleak hills, be-
meath which there was broad, sandy
beach, which would afford them easy land
ing.
But on this beach and about the foot of
the hill they saw what above all things
they dreaded-the signs of the doom they
felt must sooner or later be theirs-the
stunted forms of Fuegan natives, standing
and lying about their rude huts and canoes.
As soon as the Fuegans espied them,
they crowded into their canoes and rowed
out toward them, while their shouts
brought a multitude of natives to the
beach where they clustered like flock of
vultures lowering over their prey.
The Fuegans are a small race, with a
dark. copper-colored skin. The men are
mostly clad in old vests and trousers that
they have acquired from some ship-wrecked
crew, or from the steamers passing through
the straits of Magellan others wear deer
or guanaco skins. The women are dressed
more simply in single garment resembling
poncho, made of some skin: simple
square, with hole in the middle for the
head.
Their boats have none of the graceful
gliding of the North American canoes, but
are simply made of pieces of bark or wood
clumsily tied together with fbres, and are
awkwardly rowed with oars formed of poles
with fat pieces of wood tied on the end.
The only manufacture in which these
men-the lowest type of humanity-at all
excel, that of barbed spear-heads, which
they make with considerable skill of an
almost transparent sort of flint, very SINH
lar to some of the arrow-heads used by the
wild Bugres of Brazil. These, dipped in
poison and fixed on to long wooden shafts,
become dangerous weapons for poor weary
sailors to face who have nothing to defend
themselves with but oars and stretcheFs.
Before the three doomed boats were
within half a mile of the shore, they were
surrounded by seven or eight canoes cram
med with these gibbering aborigines, be-
fore whom the sailors were perfectly help
less, for from considerable distance the
unerring spears came hurting toward them.
The miserable men tried in vain to parry
them. One by one they dropped into the
bottom of the boat and died in agony, as
the fiery venom from the spear-heads
coursed through their veins.
Suddenly, when there were only two or
three left untouched in each of the boats,
one of the Fuegans, who seemed to be a
chief among them, gave shout that made
all the others stand motionless, with spears
poised in their hands; and he spoke to
them in their lloyd, cracked language for a
minute or more-it seemed years to the
helpless men waiting to be killed.
At the helm of one of the boats sat
mate Thomas Thorold, tall, strong man
of about 80, toward whom the chief point
ed as he was speaking. Soon he stopped
shouting and gesticulating, and again the
spears came whizzing from the strong,
savage arms.
But change had taken place. the
weapons were aimed at all the sailors ex-
cept Thomas Thorold. He sat there un-
touched, expecting every moment to re-
ceive his death wound, and receiving it
not Only he saw his companions drop
ping one by one, meeting their deaths
bravely, as Englishmen are wont to do,
but with features tortured into that rigid
glare which indicates the height of sup
pressed terror and extreme suspense,
When at last the mate was the only liv-
ing one left, to his horror they surrounded
him, bound his hands and feet and lifted
him into one of their canoes. Then they
turned towards shore, towing the three
boats behind them.
Thorold, naturally supposing that they
were keeping him for torture, and prefer
ring immediate death to a deferred but
more horrible fate, attempted to jump into
the sea, or dash out his brains against the
sides of the canoe; but they carefully pre-
vented him from doing himself any harm.