The Gold Diggings of Cape Horn: A Study of Life in Tierra del Fuego and PatagoniaSpears, John Randolph
History
The Gold Diggings of Cape Horn: A Study of Life in Tierra del Fuego and Patagonia
Spears, John Randolph
Patagonia (Argentina and Chile) -- Description and travel
We need in no way be ashamed of the earthly parts of our duties
here, and I hesitate not to set it plainly before you. _The
society_ has now _three and a half acres_ of garden land in crop,
chiefly with turnips (Swedish), most of which will be used by the
natives in meat stews, thickened with flour, beans, or other
farinaceous food. Besides, much work has been done to the road in
carrying down the embankment, and we hope to have it available for
our cart in a few weeks by diligent labor. A large quantity of wood
has also been cut and brought down to the beach ready for shipment.
Mr. Whaits has commenced sawing out boards from native wood with
great success. We have had for weeks over thirty men employed. _The
natives_ have also considerably added to their own lands under crop
this year, and have _four acres_ in crop.
Peace, with a few and unimportant breaks, has reigned. I must
relate a few instances of its interruption: Some nine or ten men
were at work on the road, Stephen Lucia was in charge, and a few
were vexed that he was not silent when they were idle. Angry,
vengeful words were spoken, and Stephen, in great turmoil of
spirit, came to me and asked to be employed elsewhere, saying that
he could no longer work with the men with the cart. I set him to
other work, and I went down to the men and reproved the guilty ones
for violent language and threatening intimidations. Stephen,
knowing that I would speak to them, came down, and some angry
altercation took place. Yet, after some talking over the matter,
peace was restored, and those who were angry shook hands at my
suggestion, and real good-will has existed among them since.
Another occasion was in connection with a young Eastern called
Hidugalahgoon. He came here with a wife that had been the wife of a
man who had been very violent to her. The young fellow seemed very
fond of her and she of him. He had friends here whom he was
diligent to move in his favor by descanting on the cruelties of the
other man. He was for several weeks employed, and regularly came to
our meetings for worship and instruction. As payment he received a
sufficiency of food and a shirt.
As to the row that the real or original husband of the woman raised when
he came on and found that she would stay with her lover, Mr. Bridges
says:
Being consulted by Hidugalahgoon, I advised that he should, under
the circumstances, give what he could to restore peace. No doubt he
has been a very guilty party in the matter, and I told him to give
up his shirt; he might soon earn another.
That is, instead of denouncing Hidugalahgoon as an adulterer, this
missionary advised him to buy off the outraged husband. The effect of
such teaching as this will appear further on.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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