The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1904-06-02

sequestered inlet, filled with naked
savages, who invariably follow the ship
as fast as they can paddle, jabbering
and gesticulating like so many lunatics.
Should we happen to strike one of those
hidden rocks or be wrecked by an un-
expected gale, or find ourselves fast on
some treacherous shoal, there is no
doubt that scores of canoes, now un-
seen, but lurking like snakes under
shelter of the bushes. would flock to
our undoing. The Fuegoans would
probably not eat us, for most authori-
ties agree that these queer people never
were cannibals, Though that famous
American, Captain Smiley, declares
that he once visited chief of one
of these islands with whom he was
on friendly terms, and found him su-
perintending the cooking of his oldest
wife; but they would certainly rob us
of everything, even the clothes upon
our backs, and leave us to perish like
the ill-fated Gardiner party, if they did
not mercifully murder US in some
quicker manner
1t was a fine mild morning for this
latitude when we found ourselves in
the western end of what is known to
seamen as Spaniard's Harbor, and cast
anchor near shady beach upon which
surf was breaking with sullen roar
| Before us were grassy plains and a
winding river; beyond were low hills
covered with trees, and to the left a
dense forest. This is Starvation Beach,
the Mecca of all English-speaking peo-
pie who find themselves in these waters.
! We noticed dark mass of rock close
| by, looming up from the waters edge
fifty feet or more, dotted on top with
scanty shrubs, and instantly recognized
it as the entrance to that gloomy cav
ern so infinitely described in the mis-
| sionary annals, within which Captain
Gardiner and his friends tried to make
a home, a la Robinson Crusoe in his
castle. Just beyond reach of the surf
a mound Of stones marks a grave and
on the fiat surface of the upper rock
Captain Gardeners name is painted
and the year of his death, the exact
date not being known. Near this rude
cairn grows a giant beech tree, to which
board has been firmly dashed, which
bears upon it the names of all the par
| ty and asserts that they departed this
| life after much fatigue and privation
from want of food" and that their re-
mains are buried beneath. 1t would
| have been more exact to have painted
the full truth, "Died of starvation be-
cause forgotten by the home mission
| A little farther up the beach, one can
/ plainly see where the "Pioneer," the
martyrs boat, rotted away in the sand
1t seems that while the seven English
men were perishing by inches, they
kept daily record Of their thoughts
and doings: and months after they were
dead, tardy rescuing party found the
| journals, which have been preserved in
an almost miraculous manner from
i winds, rains and thieving natives.
Half sheets of paper, written with lead
| pencils, contained unintelligible SEN
fences, though saturated with water,
torn and otherwise defaced. | have
been permitted to read printed copy
of those words traced by dying men,
and wish | could transcribe them for
you entire, so full of cheerful faith and
even happiness are they, down to the
last moment. From time to time 9th
er Missionaries have labOred among the
Fuegoans, in different parts of the
archipelago, but in every case results
have been very meagre. Perhaps the
most notable effort was that which is
described in Darwin's Voyage of the
Beagle" Four Fuegoans were taken
to England, where one of them died
and the Others remained for three
years and were educated. One of these
was called Jimmy Button" because
his mother sold him to the Europeans
for brass button cut from an officers
coat. He was fairly intelligent and
gave promise of future usefulness, so
it was decided to send him back to his
native land as sort of assistant Mis-
sionary. Before starting for his form.
er home, Jimmy received great many
substantial gifts from charitable Eng
lish people, which rendered his vel
come the more cordial when he arrived
at his native island. The ships car
penter built a comfortable house fol
the Missionary and Jimmy; garden
of seeds was sown; the natives who
tlocked around the ship were well
treated, and all went swimmingly as
long as superior force remained on the
side of the whites. But hardly was
the ship out of sight before the natives
robbed Jimmy of all his treasures anC
forcibly reduced him to his origina
condition of a savage like themselves
They burned up his fine clothes anc
compelled him to dress-or rather tt
undress- like his own people; and the
Missionary would doubtless have beer
| m II rdprpd had mot tho chin lJa6 oOoi,