years, and said that American
missionaries had visited them, but that they had gone away because the
Fuegians who crossed the Strait were such thieves that they ate up their
provisions and cut up their books. However, no objection was made to
Gardiner's remaining, so he set up a tarred canvas tent, closed at each
end with bullock-hides, and slept on shore, a good deal disturbed by the
dogs, who gnawed at the bullock-hides, till a coat of tar laid over them
prevented them. Not so, however, with another visitor, a huge
Patagonian, who walked in with the words, "I go sleep," and leisurely
coiled himself up for the purpose, unheeding Johnstone's discourse; but
the Captain, pointing with his finger, and emphatically saying "Go,"
produced the desired effect. Then followed the erection of seventeen
skin tents, all in a row, set up by the women. These Patagonians behaved
well and quietly; but, in the meantime, the master of the schooner had
asked San Leon to obtain some guanaco meat for the crew, and the natives
who went in search of the animals insisted on being paid, though they had
caught nothing. These however were Fuegians, and the Patagonians were
very angry with them. Captain Gardiner even ventured to remain alone
with Johnstone among this people, while San Leon went on to Port Famine
in the _Montgomery_, which was in search of wood; but, in the meantime,
he could do nothing but hold a little monosyllabic communication; and
once, when he and his servant both went out at the same time, they lost
their dinner, which, left to simmer over the fire, proved irresistible to
the Patagonians. They, however, differed from the Fuegians in not
ordinarily being thieves.

A chief named Wissale arrived with a body of his tribe with whom he had
been purchasing horses on the Rio Negro, and bringing with him an
American negro named Isaac, who had three years since run away from a
whaler, and who spoke enough English to be a useful interpreter.

Wissale, with Isaac's help, was made to perceive Captain Gardiner's
intentions sufficiently to promise to make him welcome if he should
return, and to declare that he should be glad to learn good things. There
seemed so favourable an opening that the Captain made up his mind to take
up his abode there with his family to prepare the way for a missionary in
Holy Orders, for whom he never deemed himself more than a pioneer.

After distributing presents to the friendly Patagonians, he embarked