Savage (10 page)

What is more, there seem to have been many aspects of their new lives that they found genuinely agreeable. Both loved the attention and affection they received, and there was one particular aspect of their time in England that they adored: dressing up.

In eleven months the two went, in British eyes, from primitive beasts content with a scrap of fur as a shoulder cover to well-dressed poseurs. Jemmy, in particular, loved the indulgence of fine clothes, gleaming shoes and kid gloves. He could not pass a mirror without preening. The transformation was remarkable. Giving a speech to a rally in Bedford twenty-five years later, Lieutenant Sulivan still remembered the boy's vanity when, at the end of his time in England, he returned to the ship: ‘Jemmy was the favourite … and his progress in civilization was most conspicuous in his excessive dandyism. In his own country two years previously he was a naked savage, but then, even in weather that made the officers thankful for their rough coats and greased boots, he would make his appearance on deck with polished boots and well brushed broad cloth…'

This enthusiasm was reflected in the speed with which the two youngsters learned. FitzRoy notes their ‘considerable progress', and from what is known of conversations with them over the next forty years it is clear that Jemmy and Fuegia had made great leaps in their understanding. In a letter dated fifteen years after the Fuegians had left England, Mr Wilson wrote of the boy's ability in English and his improvement in moral understanding:

Button was by far the most intelligent, he managed to pick up a few English words, and before he left, I was able to communicate, but in a very imperfect way, a few simple ideas: ‘Button;' ‘Mr Jenkins made that wheelbarrow;' ‘Mr Barber made that house;' ‘Who made the sky and the trees?' ‘Not know, our land, Mr Wilson.'

He seemed to have no idea of God. He confessed that he had eaten human flesh, but having once acknowledged it, appeared pained if the subject was mentioned to him again; he had some ideas of moral rectitude, and said of a man who had stolen, ‘He bad man.' ‘Button, shall I go to your land and preach to them?' ‘No, Mr Wilson, not go our land, bad people in our land.' They used to attend at our church, and once he said, ‘Mr Wilson go our land, we build large church for him.'

This sounds like faint praise, but it was almost certainly not intended as such. These words reflect instead that while they were in Walthamstow the Fuegians probably had little regular contact with Wilson. He arranged their place in the school and took some of the credit for overseeing their general care, but he did not have a day-to-day relationship with them. His contact was most likely restricted to the occasional snatched conversation at the church door, or across a crowded school hall. However, the real quality of Jemmy and Fuegia's advances would be measured in the years to come.

*   *   *

Education changed the Fuegians. In FitzRoy's eyes it was not just their intelligence that the experience enhanced. At the end of a long passage in the
Narratives,
describing in detail the general appearance of Fuegians he finishes, ‘The nose is always narrow between the eyes and, except in a few curious instances, is hollow in profile outline, or almost flat. The mouth is coarsely formed…' but then swiftly adds, ‘(I speak of them in their savage state, and not of those who were in England, whose features were much improved by altered habits and by education …)'

Of course, in many senses he was right. They wore expensive clothes, they were washed, their hair was trimmed neatly and their faces had filled out. With their growing English vocabulary they became more presentable and inevitably their contacts increased.

The church would have been a place of some significance to them. In addition to the scriptural and catechistic lessons they received at the infants' school, the three attended St Mary's every Sunday. This was one of the centres of Walthamstow's social scene and William Wilson was a preacher who packed the pews. The rich had permanent rented seats, and a further 432 were set aside for the poor families of the parish. There was a waiting list for them and Wilson had proclaimed, ‘If you neglect public worship, your seat will be given to the next poor inhabitant of the parish…'

We do not know what stares of curiosity greeted the Fuegians across the aisles in early December 1830, but the fact that the people of the village took them to their hearts is beyond doubt. FitzRoy noted the ‘utmost kindness by the benevolent men … by their families, and by many others in the neighbourhood, as well as casual visitors, who became much interested in their welfare, and from time to time gave them several valuable presents'. The casual visitors he speaks of were well-wishers and curious sightseers who came to take a peek at the Fuegians.

Some who have written of the Fuegians in England give the impression of frenetic excitement surrounding them, the constant stream of callers, rich and poor, knocking at the door of the school. In 1906 Mark Twain wrote in an article published in the collection
Letters from the Earth
that York Minster was invited to a ball at the court of St James.

He got himself ready for that. For the sake of convenience and comfort he resumed his national costume, thinking no harm; and at 11pm, he appeared in the midst of that gorgeous assemblage clad only in his awful innocence and that pathetic shoulder-skin.

Do you know, he emptied that place in two minutes by the watch? Then the guards turned him into the street. When he reached his hotel he was denied admission. The other hotels refused him. It looked as if he was nevermore going to find shelter, but at last he was rescued from his difficulties by compassionate friends.

The story is clearly nonsense – Twain was not a contemporary of the Fuegians and was probably repeating a story he had been told. The Fuegians never caused such a stir, they were not featured heavily in the press, and what references there were to them refer largely to their connection with either the arrival or departure of the
Beagle.
It is plausible that the three were a common discussion point in Walthamstow. It is possible that they inspired the following Christmas dish, reported in the
Essex Standard
in 1831:

PATAGONIAN PIES. – The Christmas pie made by Mr Roberts, of the Sportsman's Group in Fargate, we are informed, contained 30 rabbits, three stones of pork, two legs of veal, and four stones of flour. It measured in length upwards of three feet, and its weight about 16 stones. The other pie served up by Mr Kirk, of the Cross Daggers, Rotherham, was composed of four geese, 12 rabbits, six brace of partridges, three stones of veal, two stones of pork, eight fowls, three turkeys, seven pounds of sausages, four hares, four pounds of flour etc. – Heliogabalus might have been satisfied with such a plenitude of savoury ingredients.

On the whole, though, interest in the Fuegians was low-key. FitzRoy wanted it that way: his Fuegians were in Walthamstow to learn, to help the advance of civilisation and Christianity and to increase the safety of sailors in the South Atlantic. What he most feared was that they would be treated like objects in a freak show, so he restricted their access outside Walthamstow to a close coterie of friends and family. He wrote,

They gave no particular trouble; were very healthy; and the two younger ones became great favourites wherever they were known. Sometimes I took them with me to see a friend or relation of my own, who was anxious to question them, and contribute something to the increasing stock of serviceable articles which I was collecting for their use, when they should return to Tierra del Fuego.

His sister, twenty-nine-year-old Fanny Rice-Trevor – the future Lady Dynevor – became a firm favourite of the three and a frequent benefactress with whom they spent valuable time and who they called ‘Cappen's sisser'. Another who met them was Rodney Murchison – the future Sir Rodney, President of the Royal Society – and his wife, who enquired after them for at least three years after they had sailed for home.

FitzRoy was also aware that the Fuegians should be part of a dialogue: while it was of paramount importance that Jemmy, Fuegia and York learned English, he understood that it was also crucial that he picked up some of their language. Over the course of his time with them he therefore constructed a small vocabulary that recognised the differences between the tongues of what he called the Alikhoolip (Alakaluf) and Tekeenica (Yamana) Indians. It was a beginning, though little more. The surviving fragment of his vocabulary lists almost 200 words and their Fuegian translations. It consists largely of nouns and demonstrates no knowledge of Fuegian grammar, though it did point out the difficulty of pronunciation: ‘One Fuegian expression, something like the cluck of a hen, can scarcely be represented by our letters; its meaning is “no”.'

The Fuegians were not treated as scientific specimens: no record remains of any physical or anatomical examination of Jemmy, York and Fuegia, though a pickled body brought back from Tierra del Fuego, in the hold of the
Adventure,
was dissected. FitzRoy was particularly keen on the pseudo-science of phrenology – the belief that the size, shape and bumps of the head betray a person's character and mental state – so in late 1830 he had all three examined by a phrenologist. The results were as follows:

YOKCUSHLU
     [Fuegia Basket], a female, ten years of age.

– Strong in attachment.

– If offended, her passions strong.

– A little disposed to cunning, but not duplicity.

– She will manifest some ingenuity.

– She is not at all disposed to be covetous.

– Self-will at times very active.

– Fond of notice and approbation.

– She will show a benevolent feeling when able to do so.

– Strong feelings for a Supreme Being.

– Disposed to be honest.

– Rather inclined to mimicry and imitation.

– Her memory good of visible objects and localities, with a strong attachment to places in which she has lived.

– It would not be difficult to make her a useful member of society in a short time, as she would readily receive instruction.

ORUNDELLICO
     [Jemmy Button], a Fuegian, aged 15.

– He will have to struggle against anger, self-will, animal inclinations, and a disposition to combat and destroy.

– Rather inclined to cunning.

– Not covetous, not very ingenious.

– Fond of directing and leading.

– Very cautious in his actions: but fond of distinction and approbation.

– He will manifest strong feelings for a Supreme Being.

– Strongly inclined to benevolence.

– May be safely intrusted with the care of property.

– Memory, in general, good; particularly for persons, objects of sense and localities.

– To accustomed places he would have a strong attachment.

– Like the female, receiving instruction readily, he might be made a useful member of society; but it would require great care, as self-will would interfere much.

EL'LEPARU
     [York Minster], about 28.

– Passions very strong, particularly those of an animal nature; self-willed, positive and determined.

– He will have strong attachment to children, persons and places.

– Disposed to cunning and caution.

– He will show ready comprehension of things, and some ingenuity.

– Self will not be overlooked, and he will be attentive to the value of property.

– Very fond of praise and approbation, and of notice being taken of his conduct.

– Kind to those who render him a service.

– He will be reserved and suspicious.

– He will not have such strong feelings for the Deity as his two companions.

– He will be grateful for kindness, but reserved in showing it.

– His memory, in general, good: he would not find natural history, or other branches of science, difficult, if they can be imparted to him; but, from possessing strong self-will, he will be difficult to instruct, and will require a great deal of humouring and indulgence to lead him to do what is required.

In the several statements that FitzRoy made concerning his Fuegian charges, both in letters and in the press, it was said that they would be in the country for two or three years, or that their education would take place ‘over the course of a few years'. By the early summer of 1831, however, he was already planning to take them home. On 23 May he wrote to George Elliott at the Admiralty:

The proper season for the return of the Fuegians is now drawing near. They have been with me for 14 months, and at least five months more must elapse before they can reach their own shores.

They have always expected to return during the ensuing winter (summer of their country), and should they be disappointed, I fear that discontent and disease may be the consequence.

Clearly he had undergone a change of heart, though it is not clear why. By May a number of factors would have been preying on his mind, though the behaviour of the Fuegians was not one of them. The work resulting from the previous voyage of the
Beagle
was now completed and to a certain extent he was kicking his heels; the lack of support he had received with his charges' upkeep was galling and resulted in him having to spend more time and money looking after their needs than he had anticipated. Bringing them to England and educating them had already cost him personally £1,500. The loss of Boat Memory had been a shock, and now the morning papers were full of stories of the spread of cholera through English cities.

The deciding factor must have been the confirmation of rumours that plans to recommission the survey of Tierra del Fuego had been mothballed. This was a blow to his personal prestige, and it also opened the possibility of Jemmy, York and Fuegia being permanently marooned in England. His letter to the Admiralty continued with a tinge of bitterness and a reminder of why it was important to resettle the Fuegians: