ry size, but broad-breasted, and painted all
over; the men tying up their pudenda in a string, and the women covering
their parts of shame with the skins of a penguin; the men wearing their
hair long, while that of the women was kept very short; and both sexes
going naked, except cloaks made of penguin skins, reaching only to the
waist. There was also a fourth tribe, called _Tirimenen_, dwelling in
_Coin_, who were of a gigantic stature, being ten or twelve feet
high,[73] and continually at war with the other tribes.
[Footnote 73: This absurdity might be pardoned in the ignorant savage
boy, who knew neither numerals nor measures; but in the grave reporters
it is truly ridiculous, and yet the lie has been renewed almost down to
the close of the eighteenth century.--E.]
The 28th November, the navigators went over to the continent, or north
side of the straits, seeing some whales at a distance, and observed a
pleasant river, about which were some beautiful trees with many parrots.
Owing to this fine prospect, they called the mouth of this river _Summer
Bay_. The 29th they made sail for _Port Famine_, where the land trends
so far to the south, that the main land of Patagonia and the islands of
Terra del Fuego seemed, when seen afar off, to join together. They found
here no remains of the late city of King Philip, except a heap of
stones. The straits are here four miles wide, having hills of vast
height on both sides, perpetually covered with snow. At Port Famine they
cut down wood to build a boat, and found the bark of the trees to be hot
and biting like pepper.[74] Not finding good water at this place, and
indeed doubting if it were Port Famine, they proceeded onwards, and
found a good river two miles farther west on the 1st December. Next day
they doubled Cape Froward, with some danger, on account of bad anchorage
and contrary winds.
[Footnote 74: The Wintera aromatica, the bark of which is called
Winter's bark, said to have been first discovered by Captain Winter in
1567, on the coast of Terra Magellanica. The sailors employed this bark
as a spice, and found it salutary in the scurvy.--E.]
Passing four miles beyond this cape, they anchored in a large bay, where
was a plant resembling sneezwort, which they found serviceable in the
scurvy; also another plant, which rendered those who eat of it
distracted for a time. They here fell in with two ships belonging to the
fleet under Verhagen, which had been driven back ou
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