Few if any of these natives could ever have seen a white man; certainly nothing could exceed their astonishment at the apparition of the four boats.

Fires were lighted on every point (hence the name of Tierra del Fuego, or the land of fire), both to attract our attention and to spread far and wide the news.

Some of the men ran for miles along the shore.

I shall never forget how wild and savage one group appeared: suddenly four or five men came to the edge of an overhanging cliff; they were absolutely naked, and their long hair streamed about their faces; they held rugged staffs in their hands, and, springing from the ground, they waved their arms round their heads, and sent forth the most hideous yells.
At dinner-time we landed among a party of Fuegians.

At first they were not inclined to be friendly; for until the Captain pulled in ahead of the other boats, they kept their slings in their hands.