This frail craft,
upon a nearer inspection, proved to be made only of rough planks,
rudely tied together with the sinews of animals; in fact, one of the
party had to bale constantly, in order to keep her afloat. We flung
them a rope, and they came alongside, shouting 'Tabaco, galleta'
(biscuit), a supply of which we threw down to them, in exchange for
the skins they had been waving; whereupon the two men stripped
themselves of the skin mantles they were wearing, made of eight or ten
sea-otter skins sewed together with finer sinews than those used for
the boat, and handed them up, clamouring for more tobacco, which we
gave them, together with some beads and knives.[4] Finally, the woman,
influenced by this example, parted with her sole garment, in return
for a little more tobacco, some beads, and some looking-glasses I had
thrown into the canoe.
[Illustration: Bartering with Fuegians]
[Footnote 4: These skins proved to be the very finest quality ever
plucked, and each separate skin was valued in England at from 4_l_. to
5_l_.]
The party consisted of a man, a woman, and a lad; and I think I never
saw delight more strongly depicted than it was on the faces of the two
latter, when they handled, for the first time in their lives probably,
some strings of blue, red, and green glass beads.
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