, 1886-07-15
IN TERRA DEL FUEGO.

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are constantly being despatched: while
in South America alone there are the in
teriors of Guiana. Brazil, Patagonia, and
TERRA del Fuego, besides smaller patches
of only half explored land, all calling for
more attention than they have hitherto
received.
The whole of Brazil has indeed been
explored in a 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 penetrated beyond the
coast of TERRA del Fuego, though the
coast itself has been well surveyed, and
whalers' boats frequently land there for
water.
One of these two pioneers is a CHILEAN
lady who was ship-wrecked on the coast
and saved alive by the chief of n Fuegan
tribe which murdered all her compan'
ions. She was seen alive and happy by
the other pioneer, a seaman, by name
Thomas Thorold, who spent nearly six
months in the interior of this strange
country, and came safe home to England
again. 1t is his story that / propose to
tell.
Less than six years ago an English sail
ing ship, homeward bound from Valpa-
raise. founded off the west coast OF TERRA
del Fuego during the cruel, wintry month
of July. The crew got into three boats
and pulled to the shore, which was not
far distant. After rounding a headland,
they found themselves in comparatively
smooth water, surrounded by bare,
bleak hills, beneath which there was a
broad, sandy beach, which would afford
them easy landing.
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 their
the stunted forms of Fuegan natives,
standing and lying about their rude huts
and anoes.
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 a flock
Of vultires% 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 n
single garment resembling a poncho,
made Of some skin: a simple square, with
a hole in the middle for the head.
Their boats have one OF the graceful
gliding of the North American canoes,
but are simply made of pieces Of bark or
wood clumsily tied together with fibres,
and are awkwardly rowed with oars
formed Of poles with fiat pieces of wood
tied on to the end. The only manufac-
ture in which these men-the lowest type
Of humanity-at all excel, is that OF
barbed spear-heads, which they make
with considerable skill of an almost
transparent sort Of flint, very similar 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 stretchers.
Before the three doomed boats
were within half q mile of the
shore, they were surrounded by seven or
eight canoes crammed with these gibber-
ing aborigines, before whom the sailors
were rerfectl5helpless, for from doon.
siderable distance the unerring spears
came hurting toward them. The mis-
cradle men tried in uain to parry them.
One by N they dropped into the bottom
of the boat and died in agony, as the
fiery venomy 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 n chief among them. gave a shout
that made all the others stand motion
less, with spears poised in their hands;
and he spoke TO them in their loud,
cracked language for a minute or more;
1t seemed years to the helpless men wait
ing to be killed.
AT the helm of one of the boats sat
mate, Thomas Thorold, a tall, strong
man of about 80, toward whom the chief
pointed several times as he was speaking.
Soon he stopped shouting and gesticu-
lating, and again the spears came whizz-
ing from the strong, savage arms.
But n change had taken place; the
weapons were aimed at all the sailors ex-
cept Thomas Thorold. He sat there I'M
touched, expecting every moment to
receive his death wound, and re-
celving it not. Only he saw his
companions dropping one by one, meet
ing their deaths bravely, a Englishmen
are wont TO do. but with features tor
tured into that rigid glare which indi-
Gates the height OF suppressed terror and
extreme suspense.
When at last the mate was the only
living n left. to his horror they sur
rounded 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 pre-
ferring 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 prevented him from doing him
self any harm. Arrived at the shore,
they retired to their huts, leaving him
still bound hand and foot upon the
beach.
This was late in the afternoon, and all
that night he lay there helpless, expect
ing every ome TO be carried to the
hire or some other torture. But they
went about their business, gathering
clans and muscles and eating them raw,
collecting fuel and heaping up the fires,
n never touched their prisoner at all;
only they kept looking towards him. md