The Descent of Man

indicated the presence of some strange living
agent, and that no stranger had a right to be on
his territory.
The belief in spiritual agencies would easily
pass into the belief in the existence of one or
more gods. For savages would naturally attribute
to spirits the same passions, the same love
of vengeance or simplest form of justice, and
the same affections which they themselves feel.
The Fuegians appear to be in this respect in an
intermediate condition, for when the surgeon
on board the "Beagle" shot some young ducklings
as specimens, York Minster declared in
the most solemn manner, "Oh, Mr. Bynoe,
much rain, much snow, blow much"; and this
was evidently a retributive punishment for
wasting human food. So again he related how,
when his brother killed a "wild man," storms
long raged, much rain and snow fell. Yet we
could never discover that the Fuegians believed
in what we should call a God, or practised any