Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-01-17
rowed with oars made bv tyins a piece of

rowed with oars made by tying a piece Of
board or thick bark to the end of pole.
On the bottom of each boat, near the GEN.
ter, some earth is piled, and on it small
fre of sticks is kept burning for the partial
comfort of the naked occupants. On each
side of this fire they huddle, six, eight or
more in one boat, ALWAYS giggling, chatter
ing and apparently in the best of spirits, in
spite of the weather and the constant neces-
| sity of taking turns in bailing out the water
that flows in between the imperfectly
Joined planks. Uglier looking mortals
never breathed. They are 8 rusty iron color,
with fat noses, high cheek bones, enormous
| chins and jaws, crocodile mouths filled with
long, yellow teeth, no forehead, extremely
wide, fat faces, over which coarse hair falls
| in matted humps, in figure squatty and
round-shouldered, having the peculiarly
bloated, pot-bellied appearance of charity
orphans who have
Been Raised on Cabbage Soup.
Though big headed and round bodied,
their legs are abnormally 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, than the men, and seem to care
even less about covering their dirty bodies
with any sort of raiment, and their uncom-
monty numerous spawn look like young
baboons, only the latter are infinitely hand
somer. Their intelligence seems to be con-
fined to knowledge of boating and fishing,
in both of which pursuits they are very
skillfuL
Their fishing lines are made of grass, their
hooks of fish bones, their fishing spears have
forked end made from the bone of q sea
lion, and the women's implement is stout
stick or bone. generally notched, saw-tooth
fashion, on one edge, for knocking limpets
of the rocks They have knives, too, the
blades of which are sharpened mussle shells,
a very large species of which is found along
these coasts. A shell four or five inches
long has its brittle edge Clipped off, and
new edge formed by grinding the shell upon
the rocks, after which it Will cut not only
the hardest wood, but bones of fish and
seals, and serves the Fuegoan for every pur-
pose, even to the cutting of human throat.
How They Start q Fire.
His method of procuring q fire is unique.
Wherever he goes he carries along q bit of
"mundie," or iron pyrites, which is found
upon the mountain sides all over TERRA del
Frego. This mundie, when struck by a
pebble, will produce a spark. The sparks
are caught upon finder of dried moss or
the punk of dead log; and when ignited,
the tinder is placed within q ball of dried
grass, and this being rapidly whirled in
circles, soon sets the grass In blaze. Then
it is only necessary to communicate the
blaze to bundle of sticks, and the work is
complete
But this is too much work for the Fuegoan.
Therefore be is extremely careful of his fire,
lighting one on shore at nightfall from that
in the boat, and vice versa in the morning.
Among other striking points of difference
between these people and the Patagonisns
is the tsct that while the latter will drink
as much 'fre-water" as they can lay hands
on, and are always more or less drunk when
near a settlement, the Firelanders can nsver
be induced to drink wine, beer or spirits of
any sort Though nearly, if not quite
naked, both winter and summer, they make
some little attempt at personal sdornment,
the men daubing their faces and bodies with
red and black stain, and the women wear
ing necklaces, bracelets and earrings of shells |
and fish bones ingeniously Joined together.
Getting Acquainted by Canoe.
Ny first acquaintance with boatload of
those savages came about in this way:
While en- route to King Charles Southland !
in the missionary schooner, We came to |
anchor one sunset in narrow inlet, and, as
was our daily custom, vent out in the cap |
tain's boat for ramble on shore. Return |
ing In the deepening twilight we found our |
selves followed by two canoes filed with |
Fuegosns, all gesticulating wildly and |
yelling for ''tobac." Knowing that we |
were in no danger so near the larger vessel, |
we waited until the canoes came alongside |
and then crowded our boat between them, |
in order to get a closer view of the occu- |
pants by the light of the ships lanterns.
Such an incredibly dirty, squalled, VILE |
smelling lot of wretches hope never to |
see again. One wrinkled old crone, naked |
as the moment she was born, excited my |
commise ration by her violent shivering as
she crouched close to the fire, while bailing |
out the canoe with a bit of broken bottle. |
l gave her my shawl, and in return she pre-
sented me with her sole article of wearing |
few hollow bones strung on bit |
of greasy fiber, which hung around her neck
Then L tossed her what supposed was a
Chiiean coin, the value OF 20 cents; but she
did not take kindly to the gift and soon
handed il back, making signs that it was
''no good" Investigation by the lanterns
ligh: showed that the despised coin was a
golden sovereign (yaiue s5), of course of no
lss to the Faegoan grandmother, who
would doubtless have called down fervent |
blessings upon my read if instead I had
happened 20 have about me plug of to-
bacco, FANNIE b. WARD