62 pages • 2-hour read
The Voyage of the Beagle
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Chapters 4-6Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 4 Summary
The Beagle leaves Maldonado on July 24, 1833, and arrives at the mouth of the Rio Negro on August 3. Although the Rio Negro is the largest river on this part of the coast, the landscape is barren and covered in small rocks. The history of this area is complicated, as evidenced by ruins of European establishments. One of Darwin’s guides tells him about a rebellion by Indigenous Chileans against European colonists that ended with the death of 39 of the rebels. Darwin’s journal frames this as a conflict between “Indians” and “Christians” and seems to consider the outcome a victory for the Spanish. He is nevertheless dismissive of Spanish settlements in general, noting that the Spanish colonies don’t expand and grow as efficiently as the English ones do.
Darwin’s home base for this section of the journal is a town called El Carmen or Patagones, which is built into the face of a sandstone cliff along the Rio Negro. Indigenous people live alongside Europeans in this town, although Darwin is not impressed by their way of life or behavior, calling them an entirely “immoral” people. Darwin stays here for nearly two weeks, exploring and collecting specimens.
Near Patagones, Darwin visits a giant salt lake and witnesses the means of salt production. Although Darwin discusses the economic impacts of the salt lake, his primary concern is the life that somehow manages to survive on the inhospitably salty lake. He observes a flock of flamingos feeding on small worms burrowing in the mud, which themselves eat microscopic algae and organisms growing in the brine: Observing the interaction of these creatures once again triggers a mention of the concept of adaptation. Darwin draws attention to the connection between seemingly distant European and South American landscapes, noting similarities between these salt pools and similar examples in Siberia.
Darwin decides to travel inland and rejoin the crew of the Beagle at Bahia Blanca, further along the Argentinian coast. He travels with an English guide named Mr. Harris, following a well-guarded path established by General Rosas, a Spanish commander tasked with eliminating Indigenous people in the Buenos Aires region. During the journey, Darwin spends time with people on both sides of this conflict. He is impressed by the ranching, riding, and metalworking skills of the Indigenous people, whom he calls beautiful. He is equally impressed by General Rosas, who oversees a massive plantation.
Chapter 5 Summary
The Beagle has docked in Bahia Blanca on its way north to La Plata. Darwin obtains Captain FitzRoy’s consent to travel inland and meet the crew in Buenos Aires. Bahia Blanca is notable for the variety and quality of skeletons found on its beaches. Darwin observes the skulls and partial skeletons of two types of giant ground sloths and the complete skeleton of a third. He also finds the partial skeletons of a slightly smaller ground sloth (named after himself), an armadillo-like mammal, and an extinct species of horse. Most impressive is the skeleton of the Toxodon, a large-hoofed mammal that may have resembled a rhinoceros in size and shape. Darwin is amazed that so many different species lived in such close proximity in the distant past and comments on the natural diversity of the region. He also notes that the existence of extinct mammals alongside the fossils of extant invertebrates suggests that most mammal species are geologically much younger than most invertebrates.
Darwin’s speculation on the behavior and habits of these extinct creatures leads him to reject the common assumption that large mammals require extensive vegetation to sustain them. As further evidence, he points to the great number of species in southern Africa despite the plains’ relative lack of vegetation. Given this, he concludes that the fossilized remains of large mammals in Siberian ice does not suggest vegetation was once present in Siberia; rather, it suggests that large mammals can survive—and indeed thrive—in places with very little vegetation.
While in Bahia Blanca, Darwin also records the habits of several interesting birds, including the ostrich (i.e., rhea), which he observes swimming and feeding on small fish caught in mudbanks. Darwin’s gaucho guides tell him that male ostriches hatch eggs and care for the young, and Darwin corroborates this information with observations from an English zoo. He also observes and describes a species of bird that builds nests six feet underground. Darwin notes that many of these species may be unique to this region.
The chapter ends with a scene of violence that clearly disturbs Darwin. After an attack on a Spanish fort, a group of soldiers massacre a group of about 110 Indigenous people. Darwin describes the slaughter of men, women, and children as inhuman and laments the continued violence against Indigenous groups in South America.
Chapter 6 Summary
Darwin begins the long journey from Bahia Blanca to Buenos Aires, a distance of about 400 miles. Along with his gaucho guides, Darwin begins to climb the Sierra de la Ventana, which he believes no foreigner has previously summited. The mountain is composed primarily of quartz, and Darwin notes that pieces of this quartz have traveled as far as 45 miles away. Darwin makes it to the mountain’s second peak before painful leg cramps and a dangerous path cause him to turn back, missing two higher peaks. He is nevertheless deeply satisfied by the adventure and notes that danger adds to the excitement of his journeys.
Darwin’s journey to Buenos Aires brings him into contact with many different types of people. While riding, he encounters a group of Indigenous men riding on horseback, whom he describes as “wild” but friendly. At a military fort, he encounters Spanish soldiers who impress him with their skills with bolas, throwing weapons made with weights tied to leather cords. Although he admires their hunting skills and the aesthetics of their lives on the plain, he believes they must be miserable. He is also critical of the soldiers among the troop, describing them as “mongrels” because they are of diverse or indeterminate racial background.
The journey is treacherous: At one point, hail the size of apples falls in the middle of the night, killing many animals and destroying several structures. The people living near the fort gather as many of these animals as they can to eat and collect materials. Darwin himself eats puma, which he describes as tasting like veal. He reflects on the prevalence of meat in the gaucho diet and wonders if this helps them to go longer without eating.
After a few more days traveling, Darwin spends the night at one of General Rosa’s massive cattle ranches and reflects on the influence of ranching on the South American landscape. He observes that the massive herds of horses, cattle, and sheep that colonists have introduced to the plains have pushed out many other species, such as small deer and ostriches. The ranching industry impacts even the great city of Buenos Aires. Although Darwin admires the precision of the city’s right-angle design, he ends this chapter with the bloody, noisy slaughterhouses, which he describes as a revolting sight.
Chapters 4-6 Analysis
This section of The Voyage introduces the conflict between General Rosas and the Indigenous people of Argentina, revealing the colonial tension inherent to Darwin’s journey of “discovery” and further developing the theme of Human Diversity and the Challenges of Cultural Exchange. Darwin frames many of these encounters explicitly as conflict between “Indians” and “Christians,” and he unequivocally aligns himself with the second group, celebrating European victories. He is nevertheless horrified by the violence he encounters, and his tone in these chapters reflects the tension between colonialist beliefs and his own personal values. At times, Darwin’s descriptions of the “immorality” and “wildness” of the Indigenous people mirror the attitudes of General Rosas and the other Spanish colonialists tasked with removing Indigenous settlements for European expansion. He distinguishes between “civilized” and “uncivilized” groups, suggesting that Darwin’s belief in the specialized development of species may also extend to humans. Indeed, later 19th-century proponents of the idea that people of certain races or classes were better “adapted” to their environment—i.e., capitalist imperialism—would become known as “social Darwinists.”
However, if Darwin sometimes takes a denigrating tone in his descriptions of Indigenous people, he is also critical of General Rosas and the Spanish treatment of the groups he encounters. The use of unambiguous terms like “massacre,” “inhuman,” “atrocities,” and “shocking” to describe the actions of the Europeans results in a dark tone and conveys Darwin’s distress. The tension between these two attitudes—colonial disdain for Indigenous populations and horror at the attitudes of the colonists—highlights the dark underbelly of Darwin’s exploration. Although new knowledge is being created for Europeans, there is a cost for the Indigenous people and landscapes being “discovered.”
The section also represents a time of growth for Darwin as an explorer, as the journey inland forces him to provide for himself for the first time. While onboard the Beagle, and in the earlier stages of his journey, Darwin was accompanied by professional rangers and hunters who provided for him. On a brief excursion away from General Rosas’s estate back to the coast to see if the Beagle has arrived, Darwin is exposed to the reality of life on the Argentinian plains: He must catch and cook his own food rather than relying on the generosity of others or the skills of his guides. His willingness to admit a lack of skill in this arena demonstrates his growth, even this early in the journey.
Darwin’s experiences inland contrast with his previous coastal route in other ways as well. Darwin’s inland journey is generally more desolate than his experience on the coast: There is less vegetation, more mountainous terrain, and increasingly frequent encounters with Indigenous people. As Darwin moves inland, then, the danger of his journey increases. This reproduces in miniature the gradual expansion of European powers from their coastal colonial outposts into the heart of South America, as well as the anxieties that attended that expansion. As Darwin explores beyond the boundaries of what is known to Europeans, his comfort level changes, and his descriptions of the landscape become more intimidating. The delight and joy seen in the early chapters of the voyage give way to scenes of increasing desolation.
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