still on board the wreck; therefore a number
of hands were now dispatched to cut the gunwale of the ship in order to get
her out. Whilst we were employed in this business, there appeared three
canoes of Indians paddling towards us: they had come round the point from
the southern lagoons. It was some time before we could prevail upon them to
lay aside their fears and approach us, which at length they were induced to
do by the signs of friendship we made them, and by shewing some bale-goods,
which they accepted, and suffered themselves to be conducted to the
captain, who made them likewise some presents. They were strangely affected
with the novelty thereof, but chiefly when shewn the looking-glass, in
which the beholder could not conceive it to be his own face that was
represented, but that of some other behind it, which he therefore went
round to the back of the glass to find out.

These people were of a small stature, very swarthy, having long black
coarse hair hanging over their faces. It was evident, from their great
surprise and every part of their behaviour, as well as their not having one
thing in their possession which could be derived from white people, that
they had never seen such. Their clothing was nothing but a bit of some
beast's skin about their waists, and something woven from feathers over
their shoulders; and as they uttered no word of any language we had ever
heard, nor had any method of making themselves understood, we presumed they
could have had no intercourse with Europeans. These savages, who upon their
departure left us a few mussels, returned in two days, and surprised us by
bringing three sheep. From whence they could procure these animals in a
part of the world so distant from any Spanish settlement, cut off from all
communication with the Spaniards by an inaccessible coast and unprofitable
country, is difficult to conceive. Certain it is, that we saw no such
creatures, nor ever heard of any such, from the Straits of Magellan till we
got into the neighbourhood of Chiloe; it must be by some strange accident
that these creatures came into their possession, but what that was we never
could learn from them. At this interview we bartered with them for a dog or
two, which we roasted and eat. In a few days after they made us another
visit, and, bringing their wives with them, took up their abode with us for
some days, then left us again.

Whenever the weather permitted, which was now grown something