begging for
rum and tobacco, some by gestures and some in a _patois_, in which
Spanish and Indian words were strangely blended; and French, whose
policy was always to secure their good will, invited them on board and
ordered the steward to bring spirits and tobacco, and also a plentiful
supply of ship biscuit and sweets.

The men were of medium size, and not bad looking, and for the most
part dressed in loose-fitting mantles of guanaco skins, stained bright
red. In spite of the cold, this one garment was their only protection,
and even this they would offer in exchange for rum. Knowing their
customs, French was astonished to find the first man who stepped on
board wearing the coat of civilization under his mantle, and his
astonishment gave way to alarm when he recognized an old checked
cutaway of Simeon's, which had done service for many a winter at
Harmouth, and was as unmistakable as the features of its lost owner.
While Stephen stared--too agitated to find a word of Spanish---the
Indian tossed off half a tumbler of raw whisky at a gulp and, drawing
from the pocket of poor Simeon's coat a silver flask, he presented it
to the steward to be filled with the same genial fluid. The flask was
Stephen's parting gift to Simeon, and marked with his name.

The excitement now became intense, for the Indians declared that the
owner of the coat was alive, and the one who was wearing it, and who
seemed to exercise some authority over the others, began an
explanation in signs. He pointed to a cliff that overhung the stony
beach at the mouth of the river, and, lifting his hand high above his
head; brought it down with a violent gesture, as if to simulate a
fall. He next motioned toward the canoes, talking volubly all the
while, though his language was unintelligible to anyone except the
captain of the _Tintoretto_, who picked out a word here and there.

The tribes of the Straits of Magellan and the adjacent coasts vary
greatly in their characteristics; some have the impassive bearing we
associate with the Indian, and some are imitative, reproducing sounds
and gestures with surprising exactness.

It was not difficult to guess that Simeon had fallen over the cliff
and been found by the Indians, who are always skirting the shore in
their canoes, and the Spanish captain made out that he was now in one
of their boats higher up the river. When the Indian was asked whether
he would guide them to the place, he hesitated until bribed by