The Republican journal., 1892-01-21

still live in barbarous condition, having
no chiefs nor other form of government,
and always actively hostile to the neigh
boring tribes who each speak a different
dialect. The most warlike and danger
Gus Indians are those of the extreme south
ern islands, known as Yaghans; while
from Cape Forward northward, and up all
the western channels to the Gulf of Fenas,
the natives appear to be of the same fami
lies on both sides of the Straits of Magel-
Ian, or at least to maintain friendly rela-
tons with one another. These are the
celebrated ''Canoe Indians" about the
lowest type of savages on the face of the
earth, lower even than the dirt eating
"Diggers'' of the California peninsula.
Though there are thousands of them, and
they spend all the hours of daylight on the
water-each rude canoe containing whole
family one on two men with their mother
and several wives and as many children
as can be crowded in. returning to shore
a fire upon the rocks and cuddle around it
iii the most atfectionate manner to keep
themselves from freezing-it is surpris-
ing how few OF them are ever seen by the
numerous vessels that pass regularly
through the Straits But still more as
tonishing it is to note how rapidly they
will collect from all quarters, perhaps Il
hundred or more boat loads of them in
few minutes time all ready for robbery OF
murder whenever a strange vessel comes
along, particularly if it be a small one, or
in any way disabled. How the rendez-
vous became know to so many Indians at
once when not wretched canoe was in
sight, is a mystery; but many ship wreck
ed mariners have reported the same thing
that signal fires suddenly blazed up all
along the coasts for miles. and from be-
hind every sheltered rock and out of every
tiny creek canoes came shooting swiftly
toward the rallyiny point
Though the Fuegoan is essentially a
Waterman his canoe is about the rudest
affair that can be made to float Instead of
being followed out in good shape from
the trunk Of a tree, OF made of bark like
those of the Canadians, these are rough
planks, obtained Heaven knows how, tied
together with fiber and thongs, without
the slightest regard for form, a long end
sticking up in front like an exaggerated
prov. In their motion there is none of
the graceful gliding of the North Ameri-
being propelled by paddles, these miser
able crafts are rowed, with oars made by
tvino a piece Of board or thick bark to the
end of a pole. On the bottom of each
boat near the centre some earth is piled.
and on it a small fire OF sticks is kept
burning, for the partial comfort OF the
naked occupants. On each side OF this
they huddle. six. eight or more in one
boat, always oiggling. chattering and APP
parently IN the best of spirits. in spite Of
the weather and the constant necessity of
taking turns in bailing out the water that
| flows in between the imperfectly joined
planl>s.
I'glicr looking lnortals never breathed
They are a rusty-iron color. with fiat
noses, high cheek bones. enormous chins
and Jaws. crocodile mouths filled with
long yellow teeth Ii" forehead extremely
wide. fat faces. over which coarse hair
falls in matted humps. in figure squatty
and round shouldered having the pecll-
| liarly bloated. pot-bellied appearance of
charity orphans who have been raised on
cabbage soup. Though big headed and
round bodied their legs are abnormal
ly short, slender and crooked-a physical
deformity probably due to spending most
OF their lives squatting in canoes. The
women are more repulsive, if possible i,
than the men. and seem to care even less
sort OF rament. and their uncommonly
numerous spawn look like young balloons,
only the latter are infinitely handsomer
| Their intelligence seems to be confined TO
a knowledge of boating and fishing, in
both OF which pursuits they are very skill
full. Their fishing lines are made of
grass, their hooks of fish bones. their
| fishing spears have forked end made
| from the bone of sea-lion; and the
women's implement is stout stick OF bone
generally notched, saw tooth fashion, on
one edge, for knocking limpets off the
rocks. Their weapons are bows and
lances, the former having strings made of
the entrails of animals and arrows tipped
with flint the lances long slender
poles with tips of sharpend bone. They
have knives too. the blades of which are
sharpened mussle-shells yerv large
species of which is found along these
coasts. A shell four OF five inches LONG
has it's brittle edge clipped off and new
edge formed by grinding the shell upor
the rocks, after which it will cut not onl,
the hardest wood. but bones of fish anC
seals. and serves the Fuegoan for every pur-
pose, even to the cutting of human throat.
His method of procuring fire is unique