and water, and found some wild purslain that was very refreshing, they
sailed on the 28th; and, in the night, saw the burning mountain on the
peak of Fuego. Captain Wallis now ordered every man to be furnished with
hook and line, that he might supply himself with fish; and likewise, to
prevent infection, commanded that no man should keep his fish above
twenty-four hours. On the 20th they began to serve the crews with oil,
all the butter and cheese being consumed; and orders were issued, that,
during the remainder of the voyage, they should be served with vinegar
and mustard once a fortnight. On the 22d they judged that they were
within 60 degrees of land, from the sight of a great number of birds.
Two days after this orders were given for serving the men with brandy,
the wine being reserved for those that were ill. On the 27th the Prince
Frederick sprung a leak, and her crew were at this time so sickly,
through the fatigue of pumping, and the badness of their provisions,
that her commander, Lieut. Brine, was apprehensive he could not keep
company much longer, except some assistance could be given him. The
Captain sent a carpenter and six sailors on board, but he was unable to
supply her with better provisions. As the carpenter found he could do
little toward stopping the leak in the store-ship, the Dolphin and
Swallow compleated their provisions from her stores, and put on board
her the empty oil jars, staves, and iron hoops.
By the 12th of November they were in 30 degrees of south latitude, when
they found the weather so cold as to have recourse to their thick
jackets. On the 19th, at eight o’clock at night, they saw a meteor,
which flew horizontally from north-east to south-west, leaving a train
of light, which made it as bright as at mid-day on the deck. From the
20th to the 22d they saw whales, seals; snipes, plover, and other birds,
and some butterflies. On the 8th of December they saw land, and on the
9th remarked, that the sea appeared coloured, by the immense quantities
of red shrimps that surrounded the ship.
On the 16th, being very near Cape Virgin Mary, they saw several men
riding on the shore, who made signs for them to land. Having come to an
anchor, they observed that the natives remained opposite the ship all
night, shouting aloud, and keeping up large fires. In the morning the
Captain went on shore, with a boat’s crew from each ship, and having
made signs for the Indians to sit down, he gave them combs, buttons,
knives, scissars, beads, &c. and pleased the women greatly by the
distribution of some ribbands. He then intimated that he should be glad
to accept some guanicoes and ostriches, in exchange for bill-hooks and
hatchets, which he shewed them; but they were either really or
designedly ignorant of his meaning. The tallest among these people was
six feet seven inches, several others were from one to two inches
shorter; but the general height was from five feet ten to six feet. They
were muscular and well made, but their hands and feet very small, in
proportion to the rest of their bodies. They were dressed in the skin of
the guanico, with the hairy side to their bodies; and some of them wore
a square piece of cloth, made of the hair of the guanico, and a hole
being cut to admit the head through, it reached down to the knees: they
wore likewise a kind of buskin from the middle of the leg to the instep,
which was also conveyed under the heel, but the rest of the foot was
bare: their hair, which was strait and coarse, was tied back with a
cotton string; and their complexion was the dark copper. They rode on
horses about fourteen hands high, and had dogs of the Spanish kind; both
men and women rode astride, and the men were furnished with wooden
spurs: some of the men had their arms painted, the faces of others were
variously marked, and others again had the left eye enclosed by a
painted circle. Their arms were two round stones, enclosed with leather,
one of which was fastened at each end of a string eight feet in length:
and one stone being held in the hand, the other was swung round the head
with great force for some time, and then discharged at any mark they
chose to strike. They likewise catch guanicoes and ostriches by means of
this cord, which is thrown so, that the weight twists round and hampers
the legs of the intended prey. Some of them were observed to devour the
paunch of an ostrich raw, having only turned the inside outwards, and
shook off some of the filth.
These people, who are great talkers, were often heard to say
_Ca-pi-ta-ne_, on which they were successively addressed in Portuguese,
Spanish, Dutch, and French; but they had no knowledge of either of those
languages. When they shook hands with any of the crew, they always said
_chevow_; and they were amazingly ready in learning English words, and
pronounced the sentence “Englishmen come on shore” with great facility.
As they seemed desirous of going on board, the Captain took eight of
them into the boats, on which they instantly began singing for joy; but
when they came into the ship, they expressed no kind of surprize at the
novelties they beheld, till a looking glass being observed, they acted
many antic gestures before it, occasionally walking to and from it,
talking with earnestness, and laughing immoderately. They would drink
nothing but water, but they eagerly ate every article of the ship’s
provisions. They were highly pleased with some turkies and guinea-hens
which were on board, nor did the hogs and sheep escape their attention.
One of them making signs that he should be glad of some cloaths, the
Captain gave him a pair of shoes and buckles, and presented the rest
with a little bag each, in which he put new six-pences and halfpence,
with a ribband passed through a hole in them, to hang round their necks:
the remaining contents of the bag were, a looking-glass, a comb, some
beads, a knife, a pair of scissars, some twine, and a few slips of
cloth: being offered some tobacco, they smoked a few minutes, but did
not seem to like it. The marines being exercised before them, they were
terrified at the firing of the muskets, and one of them falling down,
shut his eyes, and lay without motion, as if to intimate that he knew
the destructive nature of those weapons.
It was with difficulty that they were at length prevailed on to go on
shore; and one of them would not leave the ship till he had sung a long
kind of prayer, and even petitioned to stay till evening, by pointing to
the sun, and then moving his hand round to the western horizon. As soon
as they were in the boat they began to sing, and did not cease till they
reached the shore, where many of their companions pressed eagerly to be
taken into the boat, and were highly affronted at being refused.
This day they turned into the Streight of Magellan with the flood-tide,
and saw many people on horseback hunting the guanicoes, which ran up the
country with prodigious swiftness. The natives lighted fires opposite
the ships, and in the morning about 400 of them, with their horses
feeding near them, were observed in a valley. This being the spot where
Mr. Byron saw the Patagonians, some officers were sent towards the
shore, but with orders not to land, as the ships were too far off to
assist them in case of necessity. When they came near the land, many of
the natives flocked towards them, among whom were women and children,
and some of the very men they had seen the preceding day: these waded
towards the boat, frequently calling out, “Englishmen come on shore;”
and were with difficulty restrained from getting into the boat, when
they found the crews would not land. Some bread, tobacco, and toys were
distributed, but not an article of provisions could be obtained in
return.
On the 23d the tide was so violent, that the ships were driven three
several ways; but in the evening they were safely anchored. On
Christmas-day they procured a quantity of celery from Elizabeth Island,
which being boiled with portable soup and wheat, the crews breakfasted
on it several days. Many huts were found on this island, and two dogs
were seen; but the Indians had quitted it for the present. Many high
mountains were observed, which, though it was then the midst of summer,
were, in a great degree, covered with snow.
On the 26th they anchored in Port Famine Bay, and the sick were sent on
shore, where a tent was erected for their reception, as was another for
the accommodation of the sail-makers, and those who landed to get wood.
On the 28th the empty water-casks were landed; and on this day great
quantities of fish were catched, among which were smelts. When they
arrived here, many of the people were very bad with the scurvy; but by
the plentiful use of vegetables, and bathing in the sea, they all
recovered in a very short time.
All hands were now employed in repairing and storeing the ships; and
thousands of young trees were carefully taken up with the mould about
them, to be carried to Falkland’s Islands, which produce no timber.
On the 17th of January, 1765, the Master of the Dolphin, who had been in
search of anchoring-places, returned with an account, that he had found
such as were proper for the purpose; and this day the Prince Frederick
sailed for Falkland’s Islands.
They sailed on the 18th, and came to an anchor the next day, half a mile
from the shore, opposite a current of fresh water, that falls rapidly
from the mountains. As a more convenient anchoring-place, and at the
same time better adapted for procuring wood and water, had been
discovered, they sailed again the next day, and, on the 23d, came to an
anchor in the bay near Cape Gallant, where they catched wild ducks in
such numbers, as to afford them a very seasonable relief. Near this spot
are very high mountains, one of which was climbed by the Master of the
Swallow, with the hope of getting a view of the South Sea; but being
disappointed in his expectation, he erected a pyramid, and having
written the ship’s name and the date of the year, he left the same, with
a shilling within the structure.
On the 24th they saw an animal that was as swift as a deer, and had a
cloven foot; but in other respects it was like an ass. Near this spot
the country has a most forbidding aspect:--the mountains on both sides
of the Streight are of a stupendous height; the lower parts of them are
covered with trees, above which a space is occupied by withered shrubs;
higher up are fragments of broken rock, and heaps of snow; and the tops
are totally rude, naked, and desolate.
On the evening of the 28th they saw a great smoke on the southern shore,
and another on Prince Rupert’s Island; and the next morning some people
being sent on shore for water, they had no sooner landed, than several
of the natives came off in three canoes; and, having advanced towards
the sailors, made signs of friendship, which being answered to their
wish, they shouted aloud, and the English shouted in return. When the
Indians came up they were eating the flesh of seals raw, and were
covered with the skins, which stunk intolerably. They had bows, arrows,
and javelins, the two last of which were pointed with flint. These
people were rather low of stature, the tallest of them not exceeding
five feet six inches, and their complexion was the deep copper colour.
Three of these people being taken on board the Dolphin, they ate
whatever food was offered them; but, like the Patagonians, would drink
only water:--like them too, they were highly diverted with a
looking-glass, in which they at first looked with astonishment, till,
having become a little more familiar with it, they smiled at its effect;
and finding a corresponding smile from the figure in the glass, they
burst into most immoderate fits of laughter.
The Captain going on shore with them, presented some trinkets to their
wives and children, and received some of their arms, and pieces of
mundic, of the kind found in the tin mines of Cornwall. These Indians
went off in canoes, the sails of which were made of the seal-skin.
The ships sailed on the 3d of February, and came to an anchor in York
Road on the same day. The next morning Captain Wallis, with a party,
went on shore near Batchelor’s River, and saw many Indian huts, and
several dogs, which ran away the moment they were noticed: they likewise
saw ostriches, and collected various kinds of fish and vegetables. There
is a cataract near this river, the noise of which is tremendous, as it
falls more than 400 yards, partly ever a very steep descent, and partly
in a perpendicular line.
They sailed on the 14th, and came to anchor again the same day in York
Road, after having lost ground by the contrary winds. The next morning
they were driven with such violence by the current, as to be in
momentary expectation of being dashed against the rocks, from which they
were frequently not half the length of the ship; but they were
providentially preserved, and came to an anchor in BUTLER’S BAY, which
was so called from the name of one of the mates, who discovered it. They
kept this station till the 20th, when they encountered a most violent
storm, attended with hail and rain, which increased till the evening,
the sea breaking over the forecastle upon the quarter-deck; yet, as the
cables did not part, they were again wonderfully preserved from
destruction. They remained here eight days, taking in wood and water,
and repairing the little damage the ship had sustained in the storm.
They catched fish of various kinds, among which were muscles near six
inches in length; and procured plenty of vegetables. The mountains in
this neighbourhood had the most rugged and desolate appearance; but
their height could not be ascertained, as their heads were lost in the
clouds; and some of them, on the southern shore, were so exceedingly
desolate, as not to produce even a single blade of grass; while the
vallies were equally barren, and almost covered with snow.
On the 1st of March they sailed again, and anchored on the same day in a
bay which they called LION’S COVE, from whence they sailed on Monday;
and on the five following days encountered such terrible weather, that
they had no prospect before them but that of immediate destruction: and
the crew on board the Dolphin were so prepossessed that the Swallow
could not ride out the storm, that they imagined they saw some of her
hands coming over the rocks towards them.
The storm at length subsided; but the weather being intensely cold, each
of the men was furnished with a thick jacket, made of the woollen stuff
called Fearnought. During a week which they remained at this place, they
were at two-thirds allowance, brandy excepted.
On the 15th both ships were safely anchored in a place called SWALLOW
HARBOUR, from whence they sailed the next morning; and on the following
day the Swallow, being driven among breakers, made signals of distress;
but she was happily relieved by a breeze from the shore.
This day the waves ran high, and there was so thick a fog, that they
narrowly escaped shipwreck among a number of small islands; but the
weather clearing up a little in the afternoon, they came safely to an
anchor in a bay under Cape Upright.
On the 19th two canoes, having on board several Indians, came a-longside
the Dolphin, who had with them a quantity of seal’s flesh, blubber, and
penguins, which they ate without any kind of dressing. A seaman having
catched a fish bigger than a herring, gave it to one of them, who killed
it by a bite near the gills, and instantly devoured it. These people
would not drink any liquor but water, but they eagerly ate provisions of
any kind, boiled, roasted, raw, salt, or fresh. Though the weather was
very cold, they had no covering but a seal-skin, and even that they did
not wear when they were rowing. It was remarked that they had all sore
eyes, probably occasioned by the smoke of their fires, and they lived in
such a nasty way that they smelt as rank as a fox. They had a kind of
javelin, pointed with bone, which they used in striking fish. The
Captain presented them with a few baubles, with which they departed well
satisfied.
Twenty-two of the sailors staying one night on an island, thirty of the
natives hurried to their boat, and began to make free with its contents;
but the sailors had just time to hinder their depredations, which
enraging them, they ran to their canoes, and armed themselves with poles
and javelins; but the sailors giving them some small presents, peace and
harmony were soon restored.
The 30th of the month proving a fine day, they employed themselves in
drying the sails of the ships, which were damaged by having been long
wet. Several Indians went on board the next day, and proved to be the
people which the boat’s crew had seen on shore.
On the 1st of April some of the natives brought several of the birds
called Race-horses, which they sold to the sailors. The next day eight
Indians brought six of their children on board, whom the Captain
gratified with bracelets and necklaces. These people were exceedingly
tender in the treatment of their children; and a circumstance happened
which proves that they are not less delicate in other respects.--A boat
was ordered on shore to get wood and water; at this time some of the
Indians were on board, and others in their canoes a-longside the ship:
the latter eyed the boat attentively; and, on her putting off, called
aloud to their companions, who, without speaking, instantly handed down
the children, and jumped into the canoes, which were hurried after the
boat, while the Indians cried out in a most distressful tone. When the
ship’s boat was near land, some women were seen among the rocks, to whom
the Indians called out aloud, and they all ran away; but the boat’s crew
having remarked their jealous fears, lay on their oars, to convince them
that no injury was intended. The Indians landed, drew their canoes on
shore, and hastily followed the objects of their affection.
On the 5th, at the request of the Surgeon, orders were given that no
more muscles, of which they had hitherto collected plenty, should be
brought on board, as the crew began to be troubled with fluxes. On the
10th the two ships sailed in company; and on the 11th they lost sight of
each other, and did not meet again during the whole voyage. This day the
Dolphin cleared the Streight of Magellan, in which she had laboured with
innumerable difficulties, and escaped most imminent dangers, in a
passage of almost four months, viz. from December the 17th, 1766, to the
11th of April, 1767.
Captain Wallis now proceeds to a description of the places in which the
ships anchored, during their passage through the Streight; but as a
minute recital of bearings, distances, and soundings, would be
unintelligible to most of our readers, and possibly disgusting to them
all, we shall omit these particulars; extracting only such anecdotes as
may furnish real improvement or entertainment.
In the year 1581 the Spaniards built a town, which they named
Phillipville, and left in it a colony of four hundred persons. These
were all starved to death except twenty-four, all of whom but one
proceeded in search of the river Plata, and most probably perished, as
no tidings were ever heard of them: the remaining man, whose name was
Hernando, was taken on board by Sir William Cavendish, in the year 1587,
and brought to England; and the place was called Port Famine, from the
melancholy fate of these unfortunate men. Wood and water abounds at this
place; geese, ducks, teal, &c. are in great abundance, and there is no
want of fish; so that the face of things must be greatly changed since
the Spaniards died there of hunger.
Cape Holland Bay, where fish are catched in great plenty; and the
adjacent country produces plenty of cranberries and wild celery, but
there are no birds. At Cape Gallant Bay there is wood, water,
vegetables, and fish; as there is also at Elizabeth’s Bay, and York
Road. Butler’s Bay abounds with rock-fish, muscles, wild-fowls, &c. Lion
Cove and Goodluck Bay produce scarce any thing but wood and water.
Muscles and rock-fish are found at Swallow Harbour, the mountains round
which are desolate beyond description. Upright Bay produces excellent
water, and some wild-fowl and fish.
On Sunday the 12th of April they held a westward course, during which a
number of sheerwaters, pintadoes, gannets, and other birds, flew about
the ship; the upper works of which being open, and the cloaths and
bedding constantly wet, the sailors in a few days were attacked with
colds and fevers. The 27th of this month proving a fine day, the sick
were brought on deck, and nourished with salop, and portable soup, in
which wheat was boiled. The violent gales soon returned, so that the
beds were again wet through, and it was feared that the ship would lose
her masts: they therefore began to think of altering their course, in
hope of better weather; and the rather, as the number of sick encreased
so fast, that there was danger of soon wanting hands to navigate the
vessel.
Nothing material happened from this time till the 14th of May, when
something appeared to the eastward, which looked like high land, towards
which a flock of brown birds were observed to fly: they therefore
steered all night for this supposed land; but at day-break could see no
signs of it. As the weather now mended, the people recovered very fast;
and the carpenters were busied in caulking the upper-works of the ship,
and repairing the boats. On the 21st they saw a number of flying-fish,
and on the day following tropic birds, bonettas, and dolphins. About
this time those who had recovered from colds were attacked with the
scurvy; on which some sweet-wort was extracted from malt for their use,
and they were supplied with pickled cabbage, and wine instead of brandy.
Two grampuses were seen on the 26th, and on the day following variety of
birds, one of which was taken for a land-bird, and resembled a swallow.
Every method of cleanliness, and change of food, was now taken to
prevent the scurvy, which began to encrease very fast.
On the first of June they saw several men of war birds, and the next day
observed some gannets; and the weather being at this time very various,
they conceived hopes that they drew near the land. On the 4th a turtle
swam close by the ship; and the next day a great variety of birds were
seen.
The long wished-for relief was now fast approaching; for on Saturday the
6th the man at the mast-head cried, “Land in the west-north-west.” This
proved to be a low island, distant five or six leagues, and was soon
seen from the deck, to the great joy of every one on board. When they
came within five miles of this island, they discovered another to the
west-north-west. Two boats were sent to the first discovered island,
under the command of the second Lieutenant, the crews being well
provided with arms. When the boats came near the island, two canoes were
observed to put off to the other island. The crews having landed,
gathered some cocoa-nuts, and collected a quantity of scurvy-grass, with
which they returned to the ship, bringing with them some fish-hooks
which the islanders had formed of oyster-shells. In this excursion they
saw three huts, supported on posts, and open all round, but thatched
with cocoa-nut and palm leaves, ingeniously wrought together. As no
anchorage was to be found, and the whole island was encompassed with
rocks and breakers, the Captain resolved to steer for the other island,
giving the name of WHITSUN ISLAND to this, because it was discovered on
the eve of Whitsunday.
Having approached the other island, about 50 of the natives, armed with
pikes, and some having fire-brands in their hands, were observed running
on the coast. Two boats were sent out, manned and armed, and the
Lieutenant was instructed to steer for that part of the shore where the
people had been seen; to avoid offending them, and to try to procure
water and fruit in exchange for such commodities as he took with them.
When the boat came near the shore, the natives put themselves in a
position as if they would defend it with their pikes; but the crew
making signs of friendship, and exposing their trinkets, some of the
Indians walked into the water; to whom it was hinted, that some
cocoa-nuts and water would be acceptable; which was no sooner done, than
they fetched a small quantity of each, which they ventured to bring to
the boats, and received some nails and other trifles in exchange. While
they were dealing, one of the Indians stole a silk handkerchief with its
contents, but the thief could by no means be discovered.