or white; the idea of black or white seems alternately to fill their
minds. So it was with these Fuegians, and hence it was generally
impossible to find out, by cross questioning, whether one had rightly
understood anything which they had asserted. Their sight was
remarkably acute; it is well known that sailors, from long practice,
can make out a distant object much better than a landsman; but both
York and Jemmy were much superior to any sailor on board: several times
they have declared what some distant object has been, and though
doubted by every one, they have proved right, when it has been examined
through a telescope. They were quite conscious of this power; and
Jemmy, when he had any little quarrel with the officer on watch, would
say, "Me see ship, me no tell."
It was interesting to watch the conduct of the savages, when we landed,
towards Jemmy Button: they immediately perceived the difference between
him and ourselves, and held much conversation one with another on the
subject. The old man addressed a long harangue to Jemmy, which it
seems was to invite him to stay with them. But Jemmy understood very
little of their language, and was, moreover, thoroughly ashamed of his
countrymen. When York Minster afterwards came on shore, they noticed
him in the same way, and told him he ought to shave; yet he had not
twenty dwarf hairs on his face, whilst we all wore our untrimmed
beards. They examined the colour of his skin, and compared it with
ours. One of our arms being bared, they expressed the liveliest
surprise and admiration at its whiteness, just in the same way in which
I have seen the ourangoutang do at the Zoological Gardens. We thought
that they mistook two or three of the officers, who were rather shorter
and fairer, though adorned with large beards, for the ladies of our
party. The tallest amongst the Fuegians was evidently much pleased at
his height being noticed. When placed back to back with the tallest of
the boat's crew, he tried his best to edge on higher ground, and to
stand on tiptoe. He opened his mouth to show his teeth, and turned his
face for a side view; and all this was done with such alacrity, that I
dare say he thought himself the handsomest man in Tierra del Fuego.
After our first feeling of grave astonishment was over, nothing could
be more ludicrous than the odd mixture of surprise and imitation which
these savages every moment exhibited.
The next day I attempted to penetrate some way into the country. Tierra
197