Chapter 9-10 Summary and Analysis

Captain Fitz Roy anchors the Beagle in the mouth of the Santa Cruz River and decides to take boats up the river as far as he can. He leaves with Darwin and 23 hands, a force big enough to ward off hostile natives. In three boats the party heads up the wide, deep river, but as the current is too strong, the men tie the boats together and pull them upstream from the river bank.

Darwin finds nothing new or of great interest along the river. He describes several varieties of mice and a small fox that hunts them. Puma tracks are common, and they come upon a few guanaco skeletons, obviously brought down by the cats. Ahead clouds form above a mountain range.

The river bed changes from the usual stones to black volcanic rock. The party comes upon...