NARRATIVE of FOUR VOYAGES Captain Benjamin Morrell Junr
NARRATIVE OF FOUR VOYAGES Captain Benjamin Morrell Junr. CHAPTER VI Strait of Magellan -- Face of the Country -- Hailed by a Troop of Patagonians -- Arrival at Port Famine -- History of the Place -- Ledger River -- Natural Productions -- An Excursion into the Interior -- Ruins of Philipville -- Cape Froward -- Indians of the Highlands described -- A Visit to their Village -- The Visit reciprocated -- Excursion up the River Capac, accompanied by two Chiefs -- Adventures in returning -- Filial Affection of a Chief's Son -- Character, Manners, Habits, Customs, Employments, and Dress of the Natives -- Their Canoes, Arms, &c. -- Their Want of Cleanliness, moral Condition, and probable Origin -- Enter the Pacific Ocean. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Terra del Fuego, generally represented as one large island, is in fact composed of several islands, the cluster being separated from the continent of South America by the Strait of Magellan. The passages between these different islands are very narrow, and have never yet been explored. The interior of the largest presents a cold, dreary, cheerless, and desolate appearance; rising into rugged barren mountains, the summits of which are covered with snow. One of these is a volcano, the fires of which occasionally brighten and illume the snows, which they can never melt. "Here it was," says Burney, "that the sailors observed fires on the southern shores of the strait, for which reason the laud on that side was called Terra del Fuego." Another writer says, "Narrow channels, strong currents, and boisterous winds render it dangerous to enter into this desolate labyrinth. The coast, which is composed of granite, lava, and basaltic rocks, is inaccessible in many places.
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