User:Apcbg/Darwin-1834

Charles Darwin’s Beagle Diary (1831-1836)

(Fragment)

E. Falkland Islands 1834

March 10th

Arrived in the middle of the day at Berkeley Sound, having made a short passage by scudding before a gale of wind. — Mr Smith, who is acting as Governor, came on board, & has related such complicated scenes of cold-blooded murder, robbery, plunder, suffering, such infamous conduct in almost every person who has breathed this atmosphere, as would take two or three sheets to describe. — With poor Brisbane, four others were butchered; the principal murderer, Antuco, has given himself up. — he says he knows he shall be hanged but he wishes some of the Englishmen, who were implicated, to suffer with him; pure thirst for blood seems to have incited him to this latter act. — Surrounded as Mr Smith, with such a set of villains, he appears to be getting on with all his schemes admirably well. — (?)

11th — 14th

The ship was moved to near the Town. — The Adventure arrived, after an exceedingly prosperous voyage. They killed so many wild bulls, geese &c &c & caught so many fish, that they have not tasted salt meat; this with fine weather is the beau ideal of a sailors cruize. I went on shore, intending to start on a riding excursion round the island, but the weather was so bad I deferred it. East Falkland Isd. 1834

March 16th

Early in the morning I set out with 6 horses & two Gauchos. These were the only two Spaniards who were not directly concerned with the murder; but I am afraid my friends. had a very good idea of what was going to take place. — However they had no temptation to murder me & turned out to be most excellent Gauchos, that is they were dexterous hands in all the requisites of making the camp-life comfortable. — The weather was very boisterous & cold, with heavy hail storms. We got on however pretty well; excepting some little geology nothing could be less interesting. — The country is uniformly the same, an undulating moorland; the surface covered with light brown withered grass, & some few very low shrubs all growing out of an elastic peaty soil. — There is one main range of quartz rock hills, whose broken barren crests gave us some trouble to cross. Few sorts of birds inhabit this miserable looking country: there are many small flocks of geese feeding in the valleys, & solitary snipes are common in all parts. — On the South side of the range of hills we came into the best country for the wild cattle; we did not however see very many, because the Murderers had by hunting them so much, driven them amongst the mountains. These men only killed the cows, & then took out the tongue & piece of meat from the breast, when this was finished they killed another. By their own account they must have killed more than 200 head. — We saw plenty of the half decayed carcases. — In the evening we came across a nice little herd. St Jago soon separated a fat cow, he threw his balls, they hit her legs, but did not entangle her: he dropped his hat to mark the place where the balls fell, uncoiled his lazo & again we commenced the chace; at last he caught her round the horns. — The other Gaucho had gone on with the horses, so that St Jago had some difficulty in killing the furious beast. The horses generally soon learn for their own safety to keep the lazo tight when their rider dismounts, when this is the case the man can easily hamstring & thus secure the beast. Here the horse would not stand still, & it was admirable to see with what dexterity St Jago dogged about the cow till he contrived to give the fatal touch to the main tendon of the hind leg. After which, driving his knife into the head of the spinal marrow the animal dropped as if struck by lightning. — St Jago cut off enough flesh with the skin, & without any bones, to last for our expedition. We then rode on to our sleeping place. Meat roasted with its skin (carne con cuero) is known over all these parts of S. America for its excellence, — it bears the same relation to common beef, which venison does to mutton. — I am sure if any worthy alderman was once to taste it; carne con cuero would soon be celebrated in London. — E. Falkland Isd 1834

March 17th

During the night it rained, & the next day was very stormy with much hail & snow. From the number of cows which have been killed there is a much greater larger proportion of bulls. — These wander about by two & threes or by themselves & are very savage. — I never saw such magnificent beasts; they truly resemble the ancient sculptures, in which the vast neck & head is but seldom seen amongst tame animals. The young bulls run away for a short distance, but the old ones will not stir a step, excepting to rush at man & horse; — & many horses have thus been killed. — One old bull crossed a boggy stream & took up his stand on the side opposite to us. We in vain tried to drive him away & failing were obliged to make a large circuit. — The gauchos in revenge were determined to render him for the future innocuous; it was very interesting to see how art completely mastered huge force. One lazo was thrown over his horns as he rushed at the horse, & another round his hind legs; — in a minute the monster was stretched harmless on the ground. —

During the whole time we only saw one troop of wild horses & this was to the North of the hills — it is [a] curious thing that these horses although very numerous always remain in the East end of the island. — The Gauchos cannot account for it. —

We slept in a valley in the neck of land which joins the rincon del toro, the great peninsula to the SW point of the island. The valley was pretty well sheltered from the cold wind; but there was very little brushwood for making a fire; the Gauchos soon found what to my surprise made nearly as hot a fire as coals, it was the bones of a bullock, lately killed but all the flesh picked off by the Vultures. They told me that in winter time they have often killed an animal, cleaned the flesh from the bones with their knives, & then with these very bones roasted the meat for their dinner. What curious resources will necessity put men to discover! — E. Falkland Isd. —

1834

March 18th

It rained during nearly the whole day; so that at night it began to be very miserable work. We managed however with our Recado's to keep pretty warm & dry; but the ground on which we slept was every night more or less a bog & there was not a dry spot to sit on after our days work. — The best wood in the island for burning is about the size of large heath it has however the good property of burning when green. — It was very surprising to see the Gauchos in the midst of rain, & everything soaking wet, with nothing more than a tinder box & piece of rag immediately make a fire. — They seek beneath the bushes for some dry twigs or grass & this they rub into fibres & then (somewhat like a birds nest) surround it with coarser twigs; they put the rag with its spark of fire in the centre & then covering it up with the fibrous matter, hold it up to the wind. When by degrees it smokes more & more & at last burst out into flames. — I am sure no other method would have any chance of succeeding with such damp materials. —

19th

The weather continued so bad I was determined to make a push & try to reach the Ship before dark, which I succeeded in doing. From the great quantity of rain this boggy country was in a very bad state. — I suppose my horse fell at least a dozen times & sometimes the whole six were floundering in the mud together: All the little streams have their sides soft, so that it is a great exertion for the horses to jump over them, & from the same cause they repeatedly fall. — To finish our misery, we crossed an arm of the sea, which was up to the top of the horses backs, & the little waves from the violent winds broke over us. — So that even the Gauchos were not sorry to reach the houses. —

20th — 30th

The Adventure sailed to continue her survey. — We are detained owing to some prisoners who are in irons on board: we are waiting till a Cutter returns which will be chartered to take them to Rio. — My time passes very evenly. —one day hammering the rocks; another pulling up the roots of the Kelp for the curious little Corallines which are attached to them. E. Falkland Is to R. Santa Cruz 1834

April 7th

Finally weighed our anchor on our passage to the coast of Patagonia. Several causes have delayed us. — The Cutter has not returned & in consequence to our great sorrow we are obliged to keep the two prisoners & the "Kings evidence", — the weather has been very bad: & lastly a French Whaler came in with her rudder injured, a bad leak, & mutinous crew. The latter wished to desert the vessel & live on shore; in the present state of affairs this of course could not be allowed, & we were obliged to bully them, & finally to see the vessel on her way to Rio de Janeiro. — Having thus removed two of the worst prisoners, there are little fears for Mr Smith's safety. — Two Gauchos yet remain free, & they are to be trusted: with their assistance sufficient wild cattle can be caught for the subsistence of the Colony. — Perhaps this may be the first start in that prosperity which these islands must ultimately obtain. —

13th

Dropped our anchor within the mouth of the river of Santa Cruz: our passage has been a fortunate one; only six days, & this against the constant Westerly breezes. — It blew very strong in the morning, & we could only just manage to fetch in. — I have never seen His Majesty's vessel under a greater press of sail or much closer to a lee-shore. — Tomorrow a place will be sought out to lay her aground to look at her bottom.

Source

 * The Complete Work of Charles Darwin Online