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with tales of great marvels, had circulated exaggerated stories of
these simple people. Pigafetta, the chronicler of Magellan's voyage,
had given the name patagones ('big-feet') to the people of this region
and claimed that they were of remarkable stature. Later visitors had
either confirmed or denied the existence of a Brobdingnagian race
and the truth of the matter had become something of considerable
speculation in scholarly circles. Byron had promised Lord Egmont
that he would try to make contact with the Indians and establish
their size once and for all.
But that is precisely what he did not do. The report he sent
home of his encounter with the Indians and the published accounts
of the voyage which soon appeared gave rise to still more wildly
inaccurate stories of 'enormous goblins' and 'frightful Colossuses'.
What happened was this: anchoring in a bay close by Cape Virgins
(or Cape Virgin Mary as it was by now named on the charts), at the
eastern end of Magellan's Straits, the Englishmen saw a large group
of the local people waving and beckoning to them. Byron landed two
boatloads of men, drew them up in impressive battle order on the
beach, then went forward alone to meet the strangers. There were
men and women of all ages, some of whom were on horseback. They
were loosely covered in animal skins worn 'as a Highlander wears
his plaid', their faces were vividly painted, and they seemed nervous
but friendly. Like all European travellers to 'savage' lands the Eng-
lishmen carried a supply of such baubles and gewgaws as were be-
lieved to appeal to primitive peoples. Byron distributed some beads.
Then he motioned the people to sit down in a line, stretched a length
of green ribbon along the row as far as it would go, cut it into lengths
of about a yard and tied these strips round the men's heads like
bandanas. What the Indians made of all this is impossible to say but
one did manage to make clear by signs that they would rather have
tobacco and so Byron sent for some. He and the Patagonians con-
 
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