Thomas County cat. [volume] (Colby, Kan.) 1885-1891, 1888-08-23

there is intense cold during the four
months from June to September. He
adds that the want of sufficient heat in
summer is the great drawback to the
climate, and is a greater inconvenience
than the cold in winter, which has
never been known to be lower than
II degrees Fahrenheit while the high
est summer temperature is only IS de-
grees. If it were not for the raw,
damp winds. the climate of TERRA del
Fuego would be much better than that
of Canada. While there are probably
few streams in the country which are
of sufficient size ever to be utilized for
| navigation, there is a large number of
| small rivers and watercourses, which
| carry of the rains and melted snow
from the mountains, and thus assist to
irrigate the lower plains.
Travellers reports as to the inhabit-
ants of TERRA del Fuego have been
conflicting. Some visitors have re-
ported the natives to be stalwart, fine
looking men, and others have described
them as small and abject beings.
Darwin, whose scientific Investigations
were confined to the south of the coun-
try, says that T" one can hardly believe
them to be fellow-creatures and inhab-
itants of the same world" On the
other hand. other explorers in the
north and northeast describe the Fue-
gians as powerful men of large stature
and warlike instincts. This apparent
discrepancy seems to be due to the
fact that the land is inhabited by
two very distinct races of Indians.
Mr.. Bridges, whose long residence
in the country enables him to speak
with authority on this point, assures
us that there are two separate and
distinct tribes dwelling in TERRA del
Fuego. He calls them, as they call
themselves. Onas and Yahgans, the for
mer living in the north and the lat
ter in the south. The Onas seem to be
almost identical in character, manners
and language with the Tuehelche In
dians of Patagonia. Like them. they
use bows and arrows in the chase, and
are muscular. active and well formed.
Their number is now much reduced; an
epidemic of measles having been very
fatal among them few years ago, and
the whole tribe probably does not now
number more than FIVE hundred per-
sons. They are nomadic, and live prin-
cipally in portable tents, covered with
guanaco skins. Mr.. Pepper did not
form high opinion of their intellec-
tual faculties. judging from the primi-
tive nature of their implements. He
describes their tools as consisting for
the most part of pieces of iron, taken
from some vessel cast on shore, and
tied to pieces of wood by leather
thongs. They have no canoes, and do
not fish. though they pick up on the
shore such fish as are left behind after
heavy tides. Their only water-vessels
are large shells; but they display some
ingenuity in making arrows and bas-
kets.
The Yaghans. who inhabited the
southern portion of TERRA del Fuego,
are an altogether different people
from the Onas, and have, with some
reason, been considered as the most
miserable species Of humanity in the
Western Hemisphere. They are quar-
relsome and treacherous, and are gov
erned entirely by their desires and
passions. Very dexterous in the man
agement of canoes, they live largely
by fishing. but are very destitute even
of the simplest appliance for cooking
and comfort. Some of the tribes are
of fair size. but others are extremely
diminutive and abject looking. Mr..
Bridges, however, who has lived
among them nearly quarter of a
century. says they are not so de-
graded as they have been represented,
and he particularly repudiates the
charge of cannibalism which has been
made against them. They have
been found capable of some small
measure of civilization. but, like
the Onas, have suffered severe
ly from epidemics, especially from
smallpox. Their number is now con-
siderably below three thousand. Mr..
Bridges describes their language as
''sOft. rich and very full;" how rich
and full may be inferred from his al
most incredible statement that he has
accumulated a vocabulary of no fewer
than $4,000 words. To find such
wealthy language among so low race
is curious circumstance and one
worthy of consideration by ethnolO-
gists.
Such are few of the latest particu-
lars about this ittle-known territory
Even the name by which it is known is
misnomer, it being land of frost
rather than a land of fire. 1t receives
the latter title from its discoverer,
Magellan. who. when passing its
northern coasts, noticed night after
night a succession of small fires, which
he supposed to be due to some myster-
r..