. Around the world in the yacht 'Sunbeam,' our home on the ocean for eleven months . splendid view back through the channelwe had just traversed to the snowy range of mountains inthe distance, crowned by Mount Sarmiento, not unlike theMatterhorn in appearance. At this point the weather generally changes, and Isuppose we must look forward to living in mackintoshesfor some little time to come. In the afternoon, when in English Reach, where manyvessels have been lost, great excitement was caused onboard by the appearance of a canoe on our port was stealing out from the Barbara Channel, an
. Around the world in the yacht 'Sunbeam,' our home on the ocean for eleven months . splendid view back through the channelwe had just traversed to the snowy range of mountains inthe distance, crowned by Mount Sarmiento, not unlike theMatterhorn in appearance. At this point the weather generally changes, and Isuppose we must look forward to living in mackintoshesfor some little time to come. In the afternoon, when in English Reach, where manyvessels have been lost, great excitement was caused onboard by the appearance of a canoe on our port was stealing out from the Barbara Channel, and asshe appeared to be making direct for us, Tom ordered theengines to be slowed. Her occupants thereupon redoubledtheir efforts, and came paddling towards us, shouting andmaking the most frantic gesticulations, one man waving a 126 STRANGE VISITORS. 127 skin round his head with an amount of energy that threat-ened to upset the canoe. This frail craft, upon a nearerinspection, proved to be made only of rough planks, rudelytied together with the sinews of animals; in fact, one of. Bartering with Fuegians. the party had to bale constantly, in order to keep herafloat. We flung them a rope, and they came alongside,shouting Tobaco, galleta (biscuit), a supply of which wethrew down to them, in exchange for the skins they hadbeen waving; whereupon the two men stripped themselvesof the skin mantles they were wearing, made of eight orten sea-otter skins sewed together with finer sinews thanthose used for the boat, and handed them up, clamoringfor more tobacco, which we gave them, together with somebeads and knives.* Finally, the woman, influenced by this * These skins proved to be the very finest quality ever plucked, andeach separate skin was valued in England at from £4. to £5. 128 BORJA BAY. example, parted with her sole garment, in return for alittle more tobacco, some beads, and some looking-glassesI had thrown into the canoe. The party consisted of a man, a woman, and a lad ; an
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Keywords: ., bookcentury180, bookdecade1870, booksubjectvoyagesaroundtheworld
