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*:■:

WANDERINGS

IN

SOUTH AMERICA,

THB

NORTH-WEST OF THE UNITED STATES,

anlr tbt ^nttUes,

IN THE YEARS IHi'i, 1816, 1820, AND 1824.

VMTH ORIGINAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE PF.RFECT PRESERVATION OF BIRDS, Sfc.
FOR CABINETS OF NATURAL HISTORY.

BY ChARLES WATERTON, ESQ.

LONDON :

PRINTED FOR J. MAWMAN, LUDGATE-STREET.

1825.

I

1'

'I'
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PREFACE.

I OFFER this book of ** Wanderings" with a he-
sitating hand. It has little merit, and must
make its way through the world as well as it can.
It will receive many a jostle as it goes along, and
perhaps is destined to add one more to the number
of slain, in the field of modern criticism. But if
it fall, it may still, in death, be useful to me ;
for should some accidental rover take it up, and,
in turning over its pages, imbibe the idea of
going out to explore Guiana, in order to give
the world an enlarged description of that noble
countiy, I shall say, - fortem ad fortia misi,"
and demand the armour; that is, I shall lay
claim to a certain portion of the honours he will
receive, upon the plea, that I was the first mover
of his discoveries ; for, as Ulysses sent Achilles
to Troy, so I sent him to Guiana. I intended

a

VI

PREFACE.

itf

to have written much more at length ; but days,
and montlis, and years have passed away, and
nothing lias been done. Tliinking it very pro-
bable that I shall never have patience enough to
sit down and write a full account of all 1 saw
and examined in those remote \vilds, I give up
the intention of doing so, and send forth this
account of my ** Wanderings," just as it was
written at the time.

If critics are displeased with it in its present
form, I beg to observe, that it is not totally devoid
of interest, and that it contains something useful.
Several of the unfortunate gentlemen who went
out to explore the Congo, were thankful for the
instructions they found in it ; and Sir Joseph
Banks, on sending back the journal, said in his
letter, ** I return your journal, with abundant
thanks for the veiy instructive lesson you have
favoured us with this morning, which far excelled,
in real utility, every thing I have hitherto seen."
And in another letter he says, " I hear with par-
ticular pleasure your intention of resuming your

f

; ■ ■

PREFACE.

VII

interesting travels, to which natural history has
already been so much indebted." And again,
" I am Sony you did not deposit some part of
your last harvest of birds in the British Museum,
that your name might become familiar to na-
turalists, and your unrivalled skill in preserving
birds, be made known to the public." And again,
*' You certainly have talents to set forth a book,
which will improve and extend materially the
bounds of natural science."

Sir Joseph never read the third adventure.
Whilst I was engaged in it, death robbed
England of one of her most valuable subjects,
and deprived the Royal Society of its brightest
ornament.

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WANDERINGS

IN

SOUTH AMERICA.

'* nee herba, nee latens in asperis

Radix fcfellit nic locis."

In the month of April, 1812, 1 left the town of Stabroek, 1''«st
to travel through the wilds of Dcnierara and Esseciuibo, — "-'*
a part of ci-devant Dutch Guiana, in South America.

The chief objects in view, were to collect a quantity of its ..bject.
the strongest Wourali poison ; and to reach the inland
frontier fort of Portuguese Guiana.

It would be a tedious journey for him who wishes to
travel through these wilds,, to set out from Stabroek on
foot. The sun Avould exhaust him in his attempts to
wade through the swamps ; and the mosquitos at night
would deprive him of every hour of sleep.

B

r

WANDEIUNGS IN

FiBHT
.loi'HNRV.

fi

■ V

I'lUf of till'

loimtry.

Tho roiul Ibr lioi'se>t rims parallel to the river, hut
it cxtt'iuls a very little May, and even ends before the
eultivation of the plantations eeases.

The only mode then that remains, is to j)roeeed by
water J and when ycm eome to the hi^h lands, you may
make yom* way throufjfh the forest on foot, or eontinue
y(mr route on the river.

After passing the third island in tho river Dcmcrara,
tliere are few plantations to be seen, and those not
joinin*; on to one another, but separated by large tracts
of wood.

The Loo is the last where the sugar-eane is growing.
The greater part of its negroes have just been ordered to
another estate ; and ere a few months shall have elapsed,
all signs of cultivation will be lost in underwood.

Higher up stand the sugar-works of Amelia's Waard,
solitary and abandoned ! and after passuig these, there is
not a niin to inform the traveller, that either eoftee or
sugar have ever been cultivated.

From Amelia's Waard, an unbroken range of forest
covers each bank of the river, saving here and there
where a hut discovers itself, inhabited by free people of
colour, with a rood or two of bared ground about it ;
or where the wood-cutter has erected himself a dwelling,
and cleared a few acres for pasturage. Sometimes you
see level ground on each side of you, for two or three
hours at a stretch ; at other times, a gently sloping hiU

•^

•■ I

SOUTH AMERICA.

presents itself ; and often, on turning a point, the eye iis ,,/''"".

pleased with the eontrast of an almost perpendicular

height jutting into the water. The trees put you in mind
of an eternal spring, with summer and autumn kindly
blended into it.

Here you may sec a sloping extent of noble trees,
whose foliage displays a charming variety of eveiy shade,
from the lightest, to the darkest green and purple. The
tops of some are crowned with bloom of the loveliest
hue ; while the boughs of others bend Mith a profusion
of seeds and fruits.

Those whose heads have been bared by time, or
blasted by the thunder-storm, strike the eye, as a
mournful sound does the ear in music; and seem to
beckon to the sentimental traveller to stop a moment or
two, and sec that the forests which surround him, like
men and kingdoms, have their periods of misfortune and
decay.

The first rocks of any considerable size, that are ob- Rocks.
served on the side of the river, are at a place called
Saba, from the Indian word, which means a stone. They
appear sloping down to the water's edge, not shelvy, but
smooth, and their exuberances rounded off, and, in some
places, deeply furrowed, as though they had been woni
with continual floods of water.

There are patches of soil up and down, and the huge
stones amongst them produce a pleasing and novel effect.

D 2

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FIB8T

Joi-RXKY.

lli's'ulencc
f)t' till' post-
holder.

Tree*.

WANDERINGS IN

You see a few coffee-trees of a fine luxuriant growth ;
and nearly on the top of Saba, stands the house of the
j>ostholder.

He is appointed by government to give in his report
to the protector of the Indians, of what is gohig on
amongst them ; and to prevent suspicious people from
passing up the river.

When the Indians assemble here, the stranger may
have an opportunity of seeing the Aborigines, dancing
to the sound of their country music, and })ainted in their
native style. They will shoot their arrows for him with
an unerring aim, and send the poisoned dart, from the
blow-pipe, true to its destination : and here he may often
view all the ditterent shades, from the red savage to the
white man ; and from the white man to the sootiest son
of Africa.

Beyond tliis post, there are no more habitations of
M'hite men, or free people of colour.

In a country, so extensively covered with wood as this
is, having every advantage that a tropical sun, and the
richest mould, in many places, can give to vegetation, it
is natural to look for trees of very large dimensions.
But it is rare to meet with them above six yards in
circumference. If larger have ever existed, they have
fallen a sacrifice, either to the axe or to fire.

If, however, they disappoint you in size, they make
ample amends in height. Heedless, and bankrupt, in all

SOUTH AMERICA.

6

First

UHNEY,

curiosity must he be, who can journey on without stopping . ^
to take a view of the towering mora. Its topmost brandi,
when naked with age, or dried by accident, is the favourite
resort of the toucan. Many a time has this singular bird
felt the shot faintly strike him, from the gun of the fowler
beneath, and owed his life to the distance betwixt them.

The trees which form these far-extending wilds, are
as usefid as they are ornamental. It would take a volume
of itself to describe them.

The green-heart, famous for its hardness and dura-
bility; the hackca, for its toughness; the ducalabali,
surpassing mahogany ; the ebony and letter-wood, vicing
with the choicest woods of the old world ; the locust-
tree, yielding copal; and the hayawa and olou-trees,
furnishing a sweet smelling resin, are all to bo met with
in the forest, betwixt the plantations and the rock Saba.

Beyond this rock, the country has been little explored ;
but it is very probable that these, and a vast collection of
other kinds, and possibly many new species, are scattered
up and down, in all directions, through the swamps, and
hills, and savannas of ci-devant Dutch Guiana.

On viewing the stately trees around him, the naturalist
will observe many of them bearing leaves, and blossoms,
and fiiiit, not their oavu.

The wild fig-trce, as large as a connnon English apple- ti.c «ii.i
tree, often rears itself from one of the thick branches at

fijr-tice.

the top of the mora ; and when its fruit

is ripe, to it the

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6

First

JOVRNEY.

Tlie bush-
rope.

WANDERINGS IN

birds resort for notiriMhment. It was to an indigested
seed, passinjj; throu|u;h the body of the bird which had
perched on the mora, that the fig-tree fii*st owed its
elevated station there. Tlie sap of the mora raised it
into ftill bearing ; but now, in its turn, it is doomed to
contribute a portion of its own sap and Juices towards
the growtli of diflVrent species of vines, the seeds of
which, also, th(^ birds deposited on its branches. These
soon vegetate, and bear fruit in great quantities; so what
with their usur|>ation of the resources of the fig-tree, and
the fig-tree of the mora, the mora, unable to support
a charge which nature never intendetl it should, lan-
guishes and dies under its burden ; and then the fig-tree,
and its usurping progeny of vines, receiving no more
succour froni their late .foster parent, droop and perish
in their tuni.

A vine called the bush-rope by the wood-cutters, on
account of its use in hauling out the heaviest thnber, has
a singular appearance in the forests of Demerara. Some-
times you see it nearly as thick as a man's body, twisted
like a corkscrew round the tallest trees, and rearing its
head high above their tops. At other times, three or four
of them, like strands in a cable, johi tree and tree, and
branch and braiu'h together. Others, descending from on
high, take root us soon as their extremity touches the
ground, and appear like shrouds and stays supporting
the mainmast of a line of battle ship ; while others.

■3

! I

i

SOUTH AMERICA.

sending out pari)' oblique, horizontal, and perpendicular jj^'""
shoots in all directions, put you in mind of what travellers
call a matted forest. Oftentimes a tree, above a hundred
feet high, uprooted by the whirlwind, is stopped in its
fall by these amazing cables of nature ; and hence it is
that you account for the phenomenon of seemg trees,
not only vegetating, but sending forth vigorous shoots,
though far from their perpendicular, and their trunks
inclined to eveiy degree from the meridian to the horizon.

Their heads remain firmly supported by the bush-rope ;
many of their roots soon refix themselves in the earth,
and frequently a strong shoot will sprout out perpendi-
cularly from near the root of the reclined tmiik, and in
time become a fine tree. No grass grows under the trees ;
and few weeds, except in the swamps.

The high grounds are pretty clear of underwood, and
with a cutlass to sever the small bush-ropes, it is not
difficult walking among the trees.

The soil, chiefly formed by the fallen leaves and de- Soils.
cayed trees, is very rich and fertile in the vallies. On
the hills, it is little better than sand. The rains seem to
have carried away, and swept into the vallies, every
particle which nature intended to have formed a mould.

Foiu'-footed animals are scarce, considering how very Four-footeU

itninials.

thinly these forests are inhabited by men.

Several species of the animal, commonly called tiger,
though in reality it approaches nearer to the leopard, are

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8

First
Journey.

The sloth.

WANDERINGS IN

found here ; and two of their diminutives, named tiger
cats. The tapir, the lobba, and deer, afford excellent
food, and chiefly frequent the swamps and low ground,
near the sides of the river and creeks.

In stating that four-footed animals are scarce, the
peccari must be excepted. Three or four hundred of
them herd together, and traverse the wilds in all directions
in quest of roots and fallen seeds. The Indians mostly
shoot them with poisoned arrows. When wounded, they
run about one hundred and fifty paces ; they then drop,
and make wholesome food.

The red monkey, erroneously called the baboon, is
hearU oftener than it is seen ; while the common brown
monkey, the bisa, and sacawinki rove from tree to tree,
and amuse the stranger as ho journies on.

A species of the polecat, and another of the fox, are
destructive to the Indian's poultry; while the opossum,
the guana, and salempcnta, afford him a delicious morsel.

The small ant-bear, and the large one, remarkable for
his long, broad, bushy tail, arc sometimes seen on the
tops of the wood ants' nests ; the armadillas bore in
the sand hills, like rabbits in a warren ; and the porcu-
pine is now and then discovered in the trees over your
head.

This too, is the native country of the sloth. His looks,
his gestures, and his cries, all conspire to entreat you
to take pity on liim. These are the only weapons of

iiji

SOUTH AMERICA.

9

defence which nature hath given him. While other
animals assemble in herds, or in pairs range through
these boundless wilds, the sloth is solitary, and almost
stationary ; he cannot escape from you. It is said, his
piteous moans make the tiger relent, and turn out of the
way. Do not then level your gun at him, or pierce him with
a poisoned arrow ; — he has never hurt one living creature.
A fcAV leaves, and those of the connnonest and coarsest
kind, are all he asks for his support. On comparing him
Avith other animals, you would say that you could per-
ceive deficiency, deformity, and superabundance in his
composition. He has no cutting teeth, and though four
stomachs, he still wants the long intestines of ruminating
animals. He has only one inferior aperture, as in birds.
He has no soles to his feet, nor has he the power of
moving his toes separately. His hair is flat, and puts
you in mind of grass withered by the wintry blast. His
legs are too short ; they appear deformed by the manner
hi which they are joined to the body, and when he is on
the ground, they seem as if only calculated to be of
use in climbing trees. He has forty-six ribs, while the
elephant has only forty ; and his claws are disproportion-
ably long. Were you to mark doAvn upon a graduated
scale, the different claims to superiority amongst the four-
footed anhnals, this poor, ill-formed creature's claim would
be the last upon the lowest degree.
Demerara yields to no countiy in the world in her Birds.

c

First
•Tourney,

■n*-

J!IP

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10

WANDERINGS IN

FiBBT

Journey.

wonderful and beautiful productions of the feathered

race. Here the finest precious stones are far surpassed

by the vivid tints which adorn the birds. The naturalist
may exclaim, that nature has not known where to stop
in forming new species, and painting her requisite shades.
Almost cveiy one of tliose singular and elegant birds
described by Butfon as belonging to Cayenne, are to be
met with in Demerara ; but it is only by an indefatigable
naturalist that they arc to be found.

The scarlet curlew breeds in innumerable quantities in
the muddy islands on the coast of Pomauron ; the egrets
and crabiers hi the same place. They resort to the mud-
flats at ebbing water, while thousands of sandpipers and
plovers, with here and there a spoonbill and flamingo,
are seen amongst them. The pelicjins go farther out to
sea, but return at sundown to the courada trees. The
humming-birds are chiefly to be found near the flowers
at which each of the species of the genus is wont to feed.
The pie, the gallinaceous, the columbine, and passerine
tribes resort to the fruit-bearing trees.
The vulture. You iicvcr fail to scc the common vulture where there
is carrion. In passing up the river there was an oppor-
tunity of seeing a pair of the king of the vultures ; they
were sitting on the naked branch of a tree, with about
a dozen of the common ones with them. A tiger had
killed a goat the day before ; he had been driven away
in the act of sucking the blood, and not finding it safe or

SOUTH AMERICA.

11

prudent to return, the goat remained in the same place Fihst

Journey.

where he had killed it ; it had begim to putrefy, and the

vultures had arrived that morning to claim the savoury-
morsel.
At the close of d^y, the vampires leave the hollow Tiie

T 1 /• , 1 vampire.

trees, whither they had fled at the monnng's dawn, and
scour along the river's banks in quest of prey. On
waking from sleep, the astonished traveller finds his
hammock all stained with blood. It is the vampire that
hath sucked him. Not man alone, but every unprotected
animal, is exposed to his depredations ; and so gently
does this nocturnal surgeon draw the blood, that instead
of being roused, the patient is lulled into a still pro-
founder sleep. There are two species of vampire in
Demerara, and both suck living animals : one is rather
larger than the connnon bat ; the other measures above
two feet from wing to wing extended.

Snakes are frequently met with in the woods betwixt Snrkea.
the sea-coast and the rock Saba, chiefly near the creeks,
and on the banks of the river. They are large, beautiful,
and formidable. The rattlesnake seems partial to a tract
of ground known by the name of Canal No. 3 ; there
the effects of his poison will be long remembered.

The Camoudi snake has been killed from thirty to
forty feet long; though not venomous, his size renders
him destructive to the passing animals. The Spaniards
in the Oroonoque positively affirm that he grows to the

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12

First

JoURNKY.

WANDERINGS IN

length of seventy or eighty feet, and that he will destroy
the strongest and largest bull. His name seems to con-
firm this ; there he is called " matatoro," which literally
means '* bull-killer." Thus he may be ranked amongst
the deadly snakes ; for it comes nearly to the same thing
in the end, whether the victim dies by poison from the
fangs, which corrupts his blood and makes it stink hor-
ribly, or whether his body be crushed to mummy, and
swallowed by this hideous beast.

The whipsnake of a beautiful changing green, and the
coral with alternate broad traverse barii of black and red,
glide from bush to bush, and may be handled with safety;
they are hannless little creatures.

The Labarri snake is speckled, of a dirty brown colour,
and can scarcely be distinguished from the ground or
stump on which he is coiled up ; he grows to the length
of abput eight feet, and his bite often proves fatal in a
few minutes.

Unrivalled in his display of eveiy lovely colour of the
rainbow, and unmatched in the effects of his deadly
poison, the counacouchi glides undaunted on, sole mo-
narch of these forests ; he is commoidy known by the
name of the bush -master. Both man and beast fly
before him, and allow him to pursue an undisputed path.
He sometimes grows to the length of fourteen feet.

A few small caimcn, from two to twelve feet long, may
be observed now and then in passing up and down the

M

^i

First

JoiHNEY.

SOUTH AMERICA. |8

river; they just keep their heads above the water, and
a stranger would not know them from a rotten stump.

Lizards of the finest green, brown, and copper colour. Lizards.
from two inches to two feet and a half long, are ever and
anon nistling among the fallen leaves, and crossing the
path before you ; whilst the chameleon is busily employed
in chasing insects round the trunks of the neighbouring
trees.

Tlie fish are of many diflbrent sorts, and wcU-tasted, Fish.
but not, generally speaking, very plentiful. It is pro-
bable that their numbers arc considerably thinned by the
otters, which are much larger than those of Europe. In
going through the overflowed savannas, which have all
a communication with the river, you may often see a
dozen or two of them sporting amongst the sedges before
you.

This warm and humid climate seems particularly adapted insects.
to the producing of insects ; it gives birth to myriads,
beautiful past description in their variety of tints, asto-
nishing in their form and size, and many of them noxious
in their qualities.

He whose eye can distinguish the various beauties of
uncultivated nature, and whose ear is not shut to tlic
wild sounds in the woods, will be delighted in passing up
the river Demerara. Every now and then, the maam or
tinamou sends forth one long and plaintive whistle from
the depth of the forest, and then stops ; whilst the yelping

If'

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14

WANDERINGS IN

' 41 I

FlHST
JOVKNKY.

'!!

II

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of the toucan, and the shrill voice of the bird called
Pi-pi-yo, is heard durintj the interval. The Campanero
never fails to attract the attention of the passenger ; at
a distance of nearly three miles, you may hear tliis snow-
white bird tolling every four or five minutes, like the
distant convent bell. From six to nine in the morning,
the forests resound witli the mingled cries and strains of
the feathered race ; after tliis, they gradually die away.
From eleven to three all nature is hushed as in a mid-
night silence, and scarce a note is heard, saving that
of the campanero and the pi-pi-yo ; it is then that,
oppressed by the solar heat, the birds retire to the
thickest shade, and wait for the refreshing cool of
evening.

At sundown the vampires, bats, and goat-suckers
dart from their lonely retreat, and skim along the trees
on the river's bank. Tlie dirterent kinds of frogs almost
stun the ear with their hoarse and hollow sounding
croaking, while the owls and goat-suckers lament and
mourn all night long.

About two hours before daybreak, you will hear the
red monkey moaning as thougli in deep distress ; the
houtou, a solitary bird, and only found in the thickest
recesses of the forest, distinctly articulates, " houtou,
houtou," in a low and plaintive tone, an hour before sun-
rise ; the maam Avhistles about the same hour ; the han-
naquoi, pataca, and maroudi announce his near approach

J'

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11

In

SOUTH AMERICA.

15

to the eastern horizon, and the parrots and paroquets
confirm his , > rrival the e.

The crickets chirp from sunset to sunrise, and often
during the day, when the weather is cloudy. The bete-
rouge is exceedingly numerous in these extensive wilds,
and not only man, but beasts and birds, are tormented
by it. Mosquitos are very rare after you pass the third
island in the Demerara, and sand-flies but seldom appear.

Courteous reader, here thou hast the outlines of an
amazing landscape given thee ; thou wilt sec that the
principal parts of it are but faintly traced, some of them
scarcely visible at all, and that the shades are wholly
wanting. If thy soul partakes of the ardent flame which
the persevering Mango Park's did, these outlines will be
enough for thee ; they will give thee some idea of what
a noble country this is ; and if thou hast but courage to
set about giving the world a finished picture of it, neither
materials to work on, nor colours to paint it in its true
shades, will be wanting to thee. It may appear a difficult
task at a distance ; but look close at at, and it is nothing
at all ; provided thou hast but a quiet mind, little more
is necessary, and the genius which presides over these
wilds will kindly help thee through the rest. She will
allow thee to slay the fawn, and to cut down the moun-
tain-cabbage for thy support, and to select from every part
of her domain whatever may be necessary for the work
thou art about ; but having killed a pair of doves in order

FimT

JOURNRV.

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WANDERINGS IN

J 1
1

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111

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First to ciiablc tlicc tu givc luaiikiiul a true and proper de-

Joi'MNEY.

scriptioii of them, thou must not destroy a third through

wantonness, or to show what a good marksman thou art ;
that would only blot the pieturc thou art fmishing, not
colour it.

Though retired from the haunts of men, and even
without a friend with tliee, thou wouldst not fmd it soli-
tary. Tiie crowing of tlie hanna(|uoi Mill sound in thine
cars like the daybreak town clock ; and the mtcu and
the thrush will join with thee in thy matin hymn to thy
Creator, to thank him for thy night's rest.

At noon the Genitis will lead thee to the troely, one
leaf of which M'ill defend thee from both sun and rahi.
And if, in the cool of the evening, thou hast been tempted
to stray too far from thy place of abode, and art tleprived
of light to write down the information thou hast collected.

The fire-ny. the firc-lly, wlucli thou wilt see in almost every bush
around thee, will be thy candle. Hold it over thy pocket-
book, in any position which thou knowest will not hurt
it, and it will afford thee ample light. And when thou
hast done with it, put it kindly back agahi on the next
branch to thee. It will >vant no other reward for its
sei'vices.

When in thy hammock, should the thought of thy
little crosses and disappointments, in thy ups and downs
through life, break in upon thee, and throw thee into a

The owl. pensive mood, the owl will bear thee company. She will

m

1 1 4'

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SOUTH AMERICA.

17

tell thee that hard has been her fate too ; and at intervals, Fm«T

Jot'RNKV.

♦* Whip-poor -Will," and •♦ Willy come ro," will take up

the tale of sorrow. Ovid has told thee how the owl once
boasted thehnman form, and lost it for a very small offence ;
and were the poet alive now, he Mould inform tiiee, that
♦♦ Whip-poor- Will," and •* Willy come go," are the
shades of those poor African and Indian slaves, Avho
died wom out and brokenhearted. They wail and cry,
'• Whip-poor- Will," ** Willy come go," all night long;
and often, when the moon shines, you see them sitting
on the green ttirf, near the houses of those whoso ances-
tors tore them from the bosom of their helpless families,
which all probably perished through grief and want, after
their support was gone.

About an hour above the rock of Saba, stands the Simon's imt.
habitation of an Indian, called Simon, on the top of a hill.
The side next the river is almost perpendicular, and you
may easily throw a stone over to the opposite bank.
Here there was an opportunity of seeing man in his
rudest state. The Indians who frequented this habitation,
though living in the midst of woods, bore evident marks
of attention to their persons. Their hair was neatly
collected, and tied up in a knot ; their bodies foncifully
painted red, and the paint was scented with hayawa.
This gave them a gay and animated appearance. Some
of them had on necklaces, composed of the teeth of
wild boars slain in the chase; many wore rings, and

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First

JoDHNBY.

WANDERINGS IN

Others had an ornament on the left arm, midway betwixt
the shoulder and the elbow. At the close of day, they
regidarly bathed in the river below ; and the next morn-
ing seemed bnsy in renewing the faded colonrs of their
faces.

One day there came into the hnt a form which literally
might be called the Mild man of the woods. On entering,
he laid down a ball of wax, which he had collected in
the forest. His hannnock was all ragged and torn ;
and his bow, though of good wood, was without any
ornament or polish ; '• erubuit domino, cultior esse suo."
His face was meagre, his looks forbidding, tand his whole
appearance neglected. His long black hair hung from
his head in matted confusion ; nor had IrTs body, to all
appearance, ever been painted. They gave him some
cassava bread and boiled fish, which he ate voraciously,
and soon fifter left the hut. As he went out, you could
observe no traces in his countenance or demeanour,
which indicated that he was in the least mindful of
having been benefited by the society he was just leaving.

The Indians said that he had neither wife, nor child,
nor friend. They had often tried to persuadi- him to
come and live amongst them ; but all was oi no avail.
He went roving on, plundering the wild bees of their
honey, and picking up the fallen nuts and fniits of the
forest. When he fell in with game, he procured fire from
two sticks, and cooked it on the spot. When a hut hap-

! if

SOUTH AMERICA.

19

First

JounNEY.

1

pened to be in his way, he stepped in, and asked for
something to eat, and then months ehipsed ere they saw
him again. They did not know wliat liad caused liini to
be thus unsettled ; he had been so for years ; nor did
they believe that even old age itself, would change the
habits of this poor, harmless, solitary wanderer.

From Simon's, the traveller may reach the large fall,
with ease, in four days.

The first falls that he meets are merely rapids, scarce
a stone appearing above the water in the rainy sea-
son ; and those in the bed of the river, barely high
enough to arrest the water's course, and by causing a
bubbling show that they are there.

With this small change of appearance in the stream,
the stranger observes nothing new, till he comes withhi
eight or ten miles of the great fall. Each side of the
river presents an uninterrupted range of wood, just as
it did below. All the productions found betwixt the
plantations and the rock Saba, arc to be met with here.

From Simon's to the great fall, there are five habita-
tions of the Indians. Two of them close to the river's
side ; the other three a little way in the forest. These Indian habi-

1 1 . . . -. /. /. tations.

habitations consist of from four to eight huts, situated on
about an acre of ground, which they have cleared from the
surrounding woods. A few pappaw, cotton, and mountain
cabbage-trees, are scattered round them.

At one of these habitations, a suuiU ([uantity of the

d2

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20

WANDERINGS IN

First

JoUHNEY

Wourali
poison.

wournli po'iHoii wna procured. It was in a little gourd.
The liullau who had it, said that he had killed a number
of wild hofjiH with it, and two tapirs. Appearances seemed
to contirni what ho said ; for on one side it had been nearly
taken out to tlu» bottom, at different times, which probably
wouUl not have been the case, had the first or second trial
failed.
itsstroiigtJ). Its strength was proved on a middle-sized dog. He
was wounded in the thigh, in order 'that there might be
no ])ossibility of touching a vital part. In three or four
minutes he began to be affectetl, siuelt at every little thing
on the groun<l around him, and looked wistfully at the
wouiuled part. Soon after this he staggered, laid himself
down, and never rose more. He barked once, though
not as if hi pain. His voice was low and weak ; and in
a secoml attempt it (|uite failed hhn. He now put his
head betwixt his fore legs, and raising it slowly again, he
fell over t)n his side. His eye innnediately became fixed,
and though his extremities every noAv and then shot con-
vulsively, he never HJiowcd the least desire to raise up his
head. His heart fluttered nuich from the time he laid
down, and at intervals beat very strong ; then stopped
for a moment or two ; and then beat again, and continued
faintly beating several minutes, after every other part of
his body seemed dead.

In Ji <|inu'ter <»f an hour after he had received the poison
he was <iuite motionless.

I

SOUTH AMERICA.

21

A few miles before you reach the great fall, and which, First

JOURXKY.

indeed, is the only one which can be called a fall,, large ^,^^ ^^^^
balls of froth come floating past you. The river appears Mi.
beautifully marked with streaks of foam, and on your
nearer approach the stream is whitenetl all over.

At first, you behold the foil rushing down a bed of
rocks, with a tremendous noise, divided into two foamy
streams, which, at their junction again, form a small
island covered with wood. Above this island, for a short
space, there appears but one stream, all white with froth,
and fretting and boiling amongst the huge rocks which
obstruct its course.

Higher up it is seen dividing itself into a short channel
or two, and trees grow on the rocks which caused its
separation. The torrent, in many places, has eaten deep
into the rocks, and split them into large fragments, by
driving others against them. The trees on the rocks are
in bloom and vigour, though their roots are half bared,
and many of them bruised and broken by the rushing
waters.

This is the general appearance of the fall from the
level of the water below, to u liere the river is smooth and
quiet above. It must be remembered, that this is during
the periodical rains. Probal)ly, in the dry season, it puts
on a very different appearance. There is no perpendi-
cular fall of water of any conseciuence throughout it, but
the dreadful roaring and rushing of the torrent, down a

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22

First
Journey.

Habitation
of ail
Afoway
chief.

WANDERINGS IN

long, rocky, aiid moderately sloping channel, has a fine
effect ; and the stranger returns well pleased with what
he has seen. No animal, nor craft of any kind, could
stem this downward flood. In a few moments the first
would be killed, the second dashed in pieces.

The Indians have a path along-side of it, through the
forest, where prodigious crabwood trees grow. Up this
path they drag their canoes, and launch them into the river
above ; and on then* return, bring them down the same way.

About two hours below this fall, is the habitation of an
Acoway chief called Sinkerman. At night you hem* the
roaring of the fall from it. It is pleasantly situated ou
the top of a sand-hill. At this place you have the finest
view the river Demerara affords : three tiers of hills rise
in slow gradation, one above the other, before you, and
present a grand and magnificent scene, esj)ecially to him
who has been accustomed to a level country.

Here, a little after midnight, on the fkst of May, was
heard a most strange and unaccountable noise ; it seemed
as though several regiments were engaged, and musketry
firing with great rapidity. The Indians, terrified beyond
description, left their hammocks, and crowded all toge-
ther, like sheep at the approach of the wolf. There were
no soldiers within three or four hundred miles. Conjecture
was of no avail, and all conversation next morning on
the subject was as useless and unsatisfactory as the dead
silence which succeeded to the noise.

w

A-*

SOUTH AMERICA.

He who wishes to reach the Macoushi country had
better send his canoe over land, from Sinkerman's to the
Essequibo.

There is a pretty good path, and meeting a creek about
three quarters of the way, it eases the labour ; and twelve
Indians will arrive with it in the Essequibo in four days.

The traveller need not attend his canoe ; there is a
shorter and a better way. Half an hour below Sinker-
man's, he finds a little creek on the M^estem bank of the
Demcrara. After proceeding about a couple of hundred
yards up it, he leaves it, and pursues a west -north -west
direction by laud for the Essequibo. Tlie path is good,
though somewhat rugged wi - the roots of trees, and
here and there obstructed by fallen ones ; it extends more
over level ground than otherwise. There are a few steep
ascents and descents in it, Mith a little brook running at
the bottom of them ; but they are easily passed over,
and the fallen trees seiTe for a bridge.

You may reach the Essecpiibo with ease in a day and
a half; and so matted and intei-Moven are the tops of
the trees above you, that the sun is not felt once all the
way, saving where the space which a newly fallen tree
occupied lets in his rays upon you. The forest contains
an abundance of wild hogs, lobbas, acouries, powisscs,
maams, maroudis, and waracabas, for your nourishment,
and there are plenty of leaves to cover a shed, whenever
you are inclined to sleep.

23

First

JOURNBY.

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24

WANDERINGS IN

First The soil lias tln'ce fourths of sand in it, till you come

JOVRNEV.

— within liJilf an hour's walk of the Essequibo, where you

Essequibo, fl,,i| ^ yed pjravcl and rocks. In this retired and solitary
tract nature's garb, to all appearance, has not been
injured by fire, nor her productions broken in upon by
the exterminating hand of man.

Here the finest groen-heart grows, and wallaba, puiple-
heart, siloabali, sawari, buletre, tauronira, and mora, are
met with in vast abundance, far and near, towering up in
majestic grauucuv, ♦raight as pillars, sixty or seventy feet
high, without a knot or branch.

Traveller, forget for a little Avhilc the idea thou hast
of wandering farther on, and stop and look at this grand
picture of vegetable nature ; it is a reflection of the crowd
thou hast lately been in, and though a silent monitor, it
is not a less eloquent one on that account. — See that
noble piu'ple-heart before thee ! Natm-e has been kind to
it. Not a hole, not the least oozing from its trunk, to
show that its best days are past. Vigorous in youthful
bloom and beauty, it stands the ornament of these
sequestered wilds, and tacitly rebukes those liase ones of
thine owni species, who have l)een hardy enough to deny
the existence of Jlijn who ordered it to flourish here.

Behold that one next to it ! — Hark ! how the hammer-
ings of the red-headed woodpecker resound through its
distempered boughs! See what a quantity of holes he
has made in it, and how its bark is stained with the drops

SOUTH AMERICA.

25

which trickle down from them. The Hghtniiig, too, has
blftfstcd one side of it. Nature looks pale and wan in its
leaves, and her resources are nearly dried up in its extre-
mities ; its sap is tainted ; a mortal sickness, slow as a
consumption, and as sure in its consecjucnces, has long
since entered its frame, vitiating and destroying the
wholesome juices there.

Step a few paces aside, and cast thine eye on that
remnant of a mora behind it. Best part of its branches,
once so high and ornamental, now lie on the ground in
sad confusion, one upon the other, all shattered and
fungus-grown, and a prey to milUons of insects, which
arc busily employed in destroying them. One branch of
it still looks healthy ! Will it recover } No, it cannot ;
nature has already run her course, and that healthy-
looking branch is only as a fallacious good symptom in
him who is just about to die of a mortification, when he
feels no more pain, and fancies his distemper has left
him ; it is as the momentary gleam of a wintry sun's ray
close to the Mcstcrn hori/on. See ! while we are speak-
ing a gust of wind has brought the tree to the ground,
and made room for its successor.

Come further on, and examine that apparently luxuriant
tauronira on thy right hand. It boasts a verdure not its
own ; they are false ornaments it wears : the bush-rope
and bird-vines have clothed it from the root to its top-
most brmicli. Tlie succession of fruit which it hath

E

First

JOURXEY.

iriiii

2G

FlHST
.lot'RNEV.

,fr'i

WANDERINGS IN

borne, like fjfoocl cheer in the houses of the great, has
invited the birds to resort to it, and they have dis-
seminated beautiful, though destructive, plants on its
branches, which, like the distempers vice brings into the
human frame, rob it of all its health and vigour ; they
have shortened its tluys, and probably in another year
they ^^•ill finally kill it, long before nature intended that
it should die.

Ere thou leavcst this interesting scene, look on the
ground around thee, and see what every thing here
below nuist come to.

Behold that ncAvly fallen wallaba ! The whirlwind has
uprooted it in its prime, and it has brought down to the
ground a dozen small ones in its fall. Its bark has
already begun to drop off! And that heart of mora close
by it is fast yielding, in spite of its finn, tough texture.

The tree which thou passed but a little ago, and which
perhaps has laid over yonder brook for years, can now
hardly support itself, and in a few months more it will
have fallen into the water.

Put thy foot on that large trunk thou scest to the left.
It seems entire, amid the surrounding fragments. Mere
outward appearance, delusive phantom of what it once was !
Tread on it, and like the fuss-ball, it will break into dust.

Sad and silent mementos to the giddy traveller as he
wanders on! Prostrate remnants of vegetable nature,
how incontestably ye prove what we must all at last come

f

■•■ff'

SOUTH AMERICA.

to, and how plain your mouldering ruins show that the
firmest texture avails us naught when Heaven wills that
we should cease to be ! —

27

FinsT

Joi-RNRV.

" Tlic cloud-capt towers, the gorgeous palaces.
The solemn temples, tlic great globe itself,
Yea, all which it inhabit, shall dissolve.
And, like the baseless fabric of a vision.
Leave not a wreck behind."

Cast thine eye around thee, and see the thousands of
nature's productions. Take a \iev/ of them from the
opening seed on the surface, sendhig a downward shoot,
to the loftiest and the largest trees, rising up and
blooming in wild luxuriance ; some side by side, others
separate ; some curved and knotty, others straight as
lances ; all, in beautiful gradation, fulfilling the mandates
they had received from heaven, and though condemned
to die, still never failing to keep up their species till time
shall be no more.

Reader, canst thou not be induced to dedicate a few
months to the good of the public, and examine with thy
scientific eye tlie productions which the vast and well-
stored colony of Demerara presents to thee ?

What an immense range of forest is there from the
rock Saba to the great fall ! and what an uninterrupted
extent before thee from it to the banks of the Essequibo !
No doubt, there is many a balsam and many a medicinal
root yet to be discovered, and many a resin, gum, and oil

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28

WANDERINGS IN

First yet iiiuiotieed. Thy work would be a pleasing one, and

.loi'UNKV.

thou mightest make several useful oljservations in it.

Would it be thought impertinent in thee to hazard a
conjeeture, that Arith the resoiuvcs tlie government of
Demerara has, stones might be conveyed from the rock
Saba to Stabroek, to stem the equinoctial tides, which
are for ever sweeping away the expensive wooden piles
round the mounds of the fort ? Or would the timber-
merchant point at thee in passing by, and call thee a
descendant of La Mancha's knight, because thou niain-
tainest that the stones which form the rapids might be
removed with little expense, and thus open the navigation
to tlie wood-cuttor from Stabroek to the great fall ? Or
wouldst thou be deemed enthusiastic or biassed, because
thou givest it as thy opinion that the climate in these high
lands is exceedingly wholesome, and the lands themselves
capable of nourishing and maintaining any lunnbor of set-
tlers ? In tliy dissertation on the Indians, thou mightest
hint, that jmssibly they could be induced to help the
new settlers a little ; and that linding their labours well
requited, it would be the means of their keeping up a
constant connnunication with us, which probably might
be the means of laying the first stone towards their
Christianity. They are a poor, harmless, inoflfensive set
of i)eople, and their wandering and ill -provided way of
living seems more to ask for pity from us, than to (ill our
heads with thoughts that they would be hostile to us.

-if

SOUTH AMERICA.

4
',""

i

What a noble field, kind reader, for thy experimental
l)hilosophy and speculations, for thy learning, for thy
perseverance, for thy kind-heartedness, for eveiy thing
that is great and good within thee !

The accidental traveller who has journicd on from
Stabroek to the rock Saba, and from thence to the banks
of the Essequibo, in pursuit of other things, as he told
thee at the beginning, with but an indifferent interpreter
to talk to, no friend to converse with, and totally unfit
for that which he wishes thee to do, can merely mark
the outlines of the path he has trodden, or tell thee the
sounds he has heard, or faintly describe what he has seen
in the environs of his resting - places ; but if this be
enough to induce thee to undertake the journey, and give
the world a description of it, he will be amply satisfied.

It will be two days and a half from the time of entering
the path on the western bank of the Demerara till all
be ready, and the canoe fairly attoat on the Essequibo.
The new rigging it, and putting every little thing to
rights and in its proper place, cannot well be done in less
than a day.

After being night and day in the forest impervious to
the sun and moon's rays, the sudden transition to light
has a fine heart-cheering effect. Welcome as a lost
friend, the solar beam makes the frame rejoice, and with
it a thousand enlivening thoughts rush at once on the
soul, and disperse, as a vapour, every sad and sorrowful

First

JoURNRY.

!■•'♦
II :l 'h'

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* Ill

30

First

JoURNKY.

Face of tlie
country.

Islands

Fulls and
rupids.

WANDERINGS IN

idea, which the deep gloom had helped to eoUect there.
Ill coining out ol" the woods, you see the western bank of
the Esse(iuil)() before yon, low and Hat. Here the river
is twothirds as broad as the Demerara at Stabroek.

To the northward there is a hill higher than any in the
Demerara ; and in the south-south-west (juarter a moun-
tain. It is far away, and ai>pears like a bluish cloud in
the hori/on. There is not the least opening on either side.
Hills, vallies, and lowlands, are all linked together by a
chain of forest. Ascend the highest mountain, climb the
loftiest tree, as far as the eye can extend, which ever
way it directs itself, all is luxuriant and unbroken forest.

In about nine or ten hours from this, you get to an
Indian habitation of thr^e huts, on the point of an island.
It is saitl that a Dutch post once stood here. Hut there
is not the smallest vestige of it remaining, and, except
that the trees appear younger than those on the other
islands, which shows that the place has been cleared soin«
time or other, there is no mark left by which you can
conjecture that ever this was a post.

The many islands which you meet with in the way,
enliven and change the scene, by the avenues which they
make, which look like the mouths of other rivers, Jind
break that long-extended sameness, which is seen hi the
Demerara.

Piocceding onwards, you get to the falls and raj>ids.
In the rainy season they are very tedious to pass, and

I

:f'

SOUTH AMERICA.

31

First

JoURNBY.

often stop your courNC. In the dry season, by stepping

from rock to rock, the IndianH soon ninnagc to get a

canoe over them. B»it wlien the river is swollen, as it
was in May, 1^12, it is then a difl'icult task, and often a
dangerous one too. At that time many of the islands were
overflowed, the rocks covered, and the lower branches
of the trees in the water. Sometimes the Indians were
obliged to take every thing out of the canoe, cut a
passage through the !)ranches, which hung over into the
river, and then drag up the canoe by main force.

At one place, the falls form an obli(|UC line (piitc across
the river, impassable to the ascending canoe, and you are
forced to have it dragged four or five hundred yards
by land.

It will take you five days, from the Indian habitation,
on the point of the island, to where these falls and rapids
tenninate.

There are no huts in the way. You must bring your
o^v^l Cassava bread )ng with you, hunt in the forest
for your meat, and make the night's shelter for youraelf.

Here is a iiobK' range of hills, all covered with the iiuis.
finest trees, risiiii^ inajestically one above the other, on
the western bank, and presenting as rich a scene as ever
the eye won! ' wish to look on. Nothing in vegetable
nature < i conceived more charming, grand, and
luxuriant.

How the heart rejoices in viewing this beautiful land-

w.

'^ill

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i

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32

First
.Tov«xKV.

Rocks.

River

Apouni-
poura.

WANDERINGS IN

scape ! when the sky is serene, the air cool, and the sun
just sunk behind the mountain's top.

The hayawu tree perfumes tlie woods around: pairs
of scarlet Aras are continually crossing the river. The
maam sends forth its plaintive note, the wren chants
its evening song. The caj)riinulgus wheels in busy flight
aroinul the canoe, while " Whip-poor-Will " sits on the
broken stump near the Avater's edge, complaining as the
shades of night set in.

A little before you pass the last of these rapids, two
immense rocks a})pear, nearly on the summit of one of
the many hills which form this far-extending range, where
it begins to fall olF gradually to the south.

They look like two ancient stately towers of some
Gothic potentate, rearing their heads above the sur-
rounding trees. What with their situation, and their
shape together, they strike the beholder with an idea of
anticpiatcd grandeur, which he will never forget. He
may travel far and near and see nothing like them. On
looking at them through a glass, the sunnnit of the
southern one ai)peared crowned with bushes. The one
to the north Mas (juite bare. The Indians have it from
their ancestors, that they are the abode of an evil genius,
and they pass in the river below, with a reverential awe.

In about seven hours from these stupendous sons of
the hill, you leave the Essetiuibo, and enter the river
Apoura-poura, M'hich falls into it from the south. The

^

SOUTH AMERICA.

33

Apoura-poura is nearly one third the size of the Deme-
rara at Stabrock. For two days you see nothing but level
ground, richly clothed in timber. You leave the Sii)a-
rouni to the right hand, and on the third day come to
a little hill. The Indians have cleared about an acre
of ground on it, and erected a temporary shed. If it
be not intended for provision ground alone, perhaps the
next white man who travels through these remote wilds
will find an Indian settlement here.

Two days after leaving this, you get to a rising ground
on the western bank, where stands a single hut ; and
about half a mile in the forest there are a few more;
some of them square, and some round, with spiral
roots.

Here the fish called Pacou is very plentiful : it is per-
haps the fattest and most delicious fish in Guiana. It
does not take the hook, but the Indians decoy it to the
surface of the water by means of the seeds of the crab-
wood tree, and then shoot it with an arrow.

You are now within the borders of Macoushia, inha-
bited by a different tribe of people, called Macoushi
Indians ; uncommonly dexterous hi the use of the blow-
pipe, and famous for their skill in preparing the deadly
vegetable poison, commonly called Wourali.

It is from this country that those beautiful paroquets,
named Kcssi-kessi, are procured. Here the ciystal moun-
tains are found ; and here the three different species of

F

First

JOURNKV.

Macou^lii
Indians.

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34

F1118T

.loUBNBY.

Indian
blo\v-j)i|)e.

WANDERINGS IN

the Am arc wen Iti great abundance. Here, too, grows
the tree from wliicli the gum-elaatic is got : it is large,
and as tall m uny in the forest. Tlie wood has much
the appearance of sycamore. The gum is contained in
tlie bark : > len that is cut tlirough, it oozes out very
freely : it is (piitc white, and looks as rich as cream : it
hardens ahnost immediately as it issues from the tree ;
so that it is very easy to collect a ball, by forming the
juice into a globular shape as fast as it comes out :
it becomes nearly black by being exposed to the air,
and is real Indian rubber without undergoing any other
process.

The elegant crested bird called Cock of the rock,
admirably described by Button, is a native of the woody
mountains of Maconshia. In the daytime, it retires
amongst the darkest rocks, and only comes out to feed
a little before sunrise, and at sunset : he is of a gloomy
disposition, and, like the Ronton, never associates with
the other birds of the forest.

The Indians, in the just mentioned settlement, seemed
to depend more on the wcmrali poison for killing their
game, than up<m any thing else. They had only one gun,
and it appeared rusty and neglected ; but their poisoned
weapons were in Hue order. Their blow-pipes hung from
the roof of the hut, carefully suspended by a silk grass
coitl ; and on taking a nearer view of them, no dust
seemed to have collected there, nor had the spider spun

M

M

"t

SOUTH AMERICA.

:t

'^

the smallest web on them ; which showed that they were
in constant use. The quivers were close by them, with
the jaw-bone of the fish Pirai tied by a string to their
brim, and a small wicker-basket of wild cotton, whicT*
hung do>vn to the centre : they were nearly full of
poisoned arrows. It was with difficulty these Indians
could be persuaded to part with any of the wourali
poison, though a good price was offered for it: they
gave to understand that it was powder and shot to them,
and very difficult to be procured.

On the second day after leaving this settlement, in
passing along the Indians show you a place where once
a white man lived. His retiring so far from those of his
own colour and acquaintance seemed to carry something
extraordinary along with it, and raised a desire to know
what could have induced him to do so. It seems he had
been unsuccessful, and that his creditors had treated
him with as little mercy as tlie strong generally show to
the weak. Seehig his endeavours daily frustrated, and his
best intentions of no avail, and fearing that when they
had taken all he had, they would probably take his
liberty too, he thought the world would not be hard-
hearted enough to condemn him for retiring from the
evils wjiich pressed so heavily on him, and which he had
done all that an honest man could do, to ward off. He
left his creditors to talk of him us they thought fit, and,
bidding adieu for ever to the place in which he had once

f2

First

JoUKNEY.

J ^; ■",:|:l

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30

First

JOUHNKY.

Lake
I'arimn.

WANDERINGS IN

seen better times, he penetrated thus far into these
remote and gloomy wilds, ar.d ended his days here.

According to the new map of South America, Lake
Parima, or the White Sea, ought to be within three or
four days* walk from this place. On asking the Indians
whether there was such a place or not, and describing
that the water was fresh and good to drink, an old
Indian, who appeared to be about sixty, said that there
Mas such a i)lacc, and that he had been there. This
hiformation would have been satisfactory in some degree,
had not the Indians carried the poiut a little too far. It
is very large, said another Indian, and ships come to it.
Now, these unfortunate ships were the very things which
were not wanted : had he but kept them out, it might
have done, but his introducing them was sadly against
the lake. Thus you must cither suppose that the old
savage and his companion had a confused idea of the
thing, and that probably the L.ake Parima they talked of
was the Aniazons, not far from the city of Para, or that
it WRs tlieir intention to deceive you. You ought to be
cautious in giving credit to their stories, other\vise you
M'ill be apt to be led astray.

Many a ridiculous thing concerning the interior of
Guiana has been propagjited and received as true, merely
])ecause six or seven Indians, questioned separately, have
agreed in theii narrative.

Ask those who live high up in the Demerara, and they

V

'if

SOUTH AMERICA.

37

First
Journey.

• 1 .

4

will, every one of them, tell you that there is a nation
of Indians with long tails ; that they are very malicious,
ciiiel, and ill-natured ; and that the Portuguese have
been obliged to stop them off in a certain river, to pre-
vent their depredations. They have also dreadful stories
concerning a homble beast, called the Water-mamma,
which, when it happens to take a spite against a canoe,
rises out of the river, and in the most unrelenting manner
possible carries both canoe and Indians down to the bot-
tom with it, and there destroys them. Ludicrous extra-
vagances ! pleasing to those fond of the marvellous, and
excellent matter for a distempered brain.

The misinformed and timid court of policy in Deme- Aneciiote
rara, M-as made the dupe of a savage, M'ho came do^m the
Essequibo, and gave himself out as khig of a mighty
tribe. This naked wild man of the woods seemed to hold
the said court in tolerable contempt, and demanded im-
mense supplies, all Avhich he got ; and moreover, some
time after, an invitation to come down the ensuing year
for more, which he took care not to forget.

This noisy chieftain boasted so much of his dynasty
and domain, that the government was hiduced to send up
an expedition into his territories to sec if he had spoken
the truth, and nothing but the truth. It appeared, how-
ever, that his palace was nothing but a hut, the monarch
a needy savage, the heir-apparent nothing to inherit but
his father's club and bow and arrows, and his officers of

Am

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38

First

JOURMEY.

WANDERINGS IN

state wikl and uncultivated as the forests through wliich
they strayed.

There was nothing in the hut of this savage, saving
the presents he had received from government, but what
was barely sufficient to support existence ; nothing that
indicated a power to collect a hostile force ; nothing that
showed the least progress towards civilisation. All was
rude and barbarous in the extreme, expressive of the
utmost poverty, and a scanty population.

You may travel six or seven days without seeing a hut,
and when you reach a settlement, it seldom contains more
than ten.

The further you advance into the interior, the more
you are convinced that it is thinly inhabited.

The day after passing the place where the M-hite man
lived, you see a creek on the left hand, and sliortly after
the path to the open country. Here you drag the canoe
up into the forest, and leave it there. Your baggage
must now be curried by the Indians. Tlie creek you
passed in the river, intersects the path to the next settle-
ment ; a large mora has fallen across it, and makes an
excellent bridge. After walking an hour and a half, you
come to the edge of the forest, and a savanna unfolds
itself to the view.

The finest park that England boasts, falls far short of
this delightful scene. There arc about two thousand
.icres of grass, with here and there a clump of trees, and

■m

SOUTH AMERICA.

39

a few bushes and single trees, scattered up and down by
the hand of nature. The ground is neither hilly nor
level, but diversified with moderate rises and falls, so
gently running into one another, that the eye cannot dis-
tinguish where they begin, nor where they end; while the
distant black rocks have the appearance of a herd at rest.
Nearly in the middle there is an eminence, which falls off
gradually on every side ; and on this the Indians have
erected their huts.

To the nortliAvard of them the forest forms a circle, as
though it had been done by art ; to the eastward it hangs
in festoons; and to the south and west it rushes in
abi-uptly, disclosing a new scene behind it at eveiy step
as you advance along.

This beautiful park of nature is quite surrounded by
lofty hills, all an-ayed in superbest garb of trees ; some in
the form of pyramids, others like sugar-loaves, towering
one above the other, some rounded off, and others
as though they had lost their apex. Here two hills rise
up in spiral summits, and the wooded line of communi-
cation betwixt them sinks so gradually, that it fonns a
crescent; ana there the ridges of others resemble the
waves of an agitated sea. Beyond these appear others,
and others past them ; and others still farther on, till
they can scarcely be distinguished from the clouds.

There are no Sand-flies, nor Bete-rouge, norMosquitos
in this pretty spot. The Fire-flies, durmg the night, vie

First
Journey.

40

WANDERINGS IN

ki,

'■*"Hli

; •'"♦f!

1?/

M ''•'''■"III!'
■ ■" ...lift.

-I'

First

JoURNBY.

Route,

in numbers and brightness witli the stars in the firma-
ment above ; tlie air is pure, and the nortli-cast breeze
blows a refreshing gale throughout the day. Here the
M'hite-erested Maroudi, which is never found in the
Demerara, is pretty plentiful ; and here grows the tree
which produces the moran, sometimes called balsam-

cr^;ivi.

Your route lies south from this place ; and at the ex-
tremity of the savanna, you enter the forest, and journey
along a winding path at the foot of a hill. There is no
habitation within this day's walk. The traveller, as usual,
must sleep in the forest ; the path is not so good the
following day. The hills, over which it lies, are rocky,
steep, and rugged ; and the spaces betwixt them swampy,
and mostly knce-decp in water. After eight hours' walk,
you find two or three Indian huts, surrounded by the
forest ; and in little more than half an hour from these,
you come to ten or twelve others, where you pass the
night. They are prettily situated at the entrance into a
savanna. The eastern and western hills arc still covered
with wood ; but on looking to the south-west (juarter, you
perceive it begins to die away. In these forests you may
find plenty of the trees which yield the sweet-smeUing
resin called Acaiari, and which, Avhen pounded and burnt
on charcoal, gives a delightful fragrance.

From hence you proceed, in a south-west direction,
through a long swampy savanna. Some of the hills which

I

SOUTH AMERICA.

41

'i'S

'•-:<?

FlHST
JOUBNEY.

border on it, have nothing but a thin coarse grass and
huge stones on them; others quite wooded; otliers
witli their summits crowned, and their base quite bare ;
and others again with tlieir summits bare, and their base
in thickest wood.

Half of this day's march is in water, nearly up to the
knees. Tliere are four creeks to pass : one of them has
a fallen tree across it. You must make your own bridge
across the other three. Probably, were the truth known,
these apparently four creeks are only the meanders of
one.

The Jabiru, the largest bird in Guiana, feeds in the ThcJubim.
marshy savanna through which you have just passed.
He is wary and shy, and will not allow you to get within
gunshot of him.

You sleep this night in the forest, and reach an Indian
settlement about three o'clock the next evening, after
walking one third of the A\ay through wet and miry
ground.

But bad as the walking is through it, it is easier than
where you cross over the bare hills, where you have to
tread on sharp stones, most of them lying edgewise.

The ground gone over these two last days, seems con-
demned to perpetual solitude and silence. There was not
one four-footed animal to be seen, nor even the marks of
one. It would have been as silent as midnight, and all
as still and unmoved as a monument, had not the Jabiru

G

„ , . .

i

42

WANDERINGS IN

I h.'M\

|f:'

I'rnsT ill the marsh, and a few vultures soaring over tlic monn-

.lovUNRV.

tain's top, shown that it was not (luitc deserted by animated

nature. There were no inseets, except one kind of fly,
about one fourth the size of the common house fly. It
bit cruelly, and was much more tormenting than the
mosijuito on the sea-coast.
Anow-root. 'l^\\[s secuis to bc tlic iiativc country of the Arrow-root.
Wherever you passed through a patcb of Avood in a low
situation, there you found it growing luxuriantly.

The Indian place you are now at, is not the proper
place to have come to, in order tu reach the Portuguese
frontiers. You have advanced too much to the westward.
But there was no alteriuitive. The ground betwixt you
and another small settlement (whicb was the right place
to have gone to) was overflowed ; and thus, instead of
proceeding southward, you were obliged to wind along
the foot of the western hills, quite out of your M-ay.

But the grand landscape this place aflbrds, makes
you ample amends for the time you have spent in
reaching it. It would require great descriptive powers to
give a proper idea of the situation these people have
chosen for their dwelling.

The hill they are on is steep and high, and full of
immense rocks. The huts arc not all in one place, but
dispersed wherever they have found a place level
enough for a lodgement. Before you ascend the hill,
you see at intervals an acre or two of wood, then

4

SOUTH AMERICA.

43

Z9

an open space, with a few huts on it ; then wood again,
and then an open space ; and so on ; till the inteiTening
of the western hills, higher and steeper still, and crowded
with trees of the loveliest shades, closes the enchanting
scene.

At the base of this hill stretches an immense plain,
which appears to the eye, on this elevated spot, as level
as a bowling-green. The mountains on the other side
are piled one upon the other in romantic forms, and gra-
dually retire, till they are undiscernible from the clouds
in which they are involved. To the south-soiith-west this
far-extending plain is lost in the horizon. The trees on
it, which look like islands on the ocean, add greatly to
the beauty of the landscape ; while the rimlct's course is
marked out by the Mta trees which follow its meanders.

Not being able to pursue the direct course from hence
to the next Indian habitation, on account of the floods of
water which fall at this time of the year, you take a
circuit westerly along the mountain's foot.

At last a large and deep crcelv stops your progress : it
is wide and rapid, and its banks very steep. There is
neither curial nor canoe, nor purple-heart tree hi the
neighbourhood to make a )od skin to carry you over,
so that you are obliged to swim across ; and by the time
you have formed a kind of raft, composed of boughs of
trees and coarse grass, to ferry over your baggage, the
day will be too far spent to think of proceeding. You

First
.louHXEy.

Immense
plain.

Creek.

,:K'

■'■si,

^-4

'It,

0

tt2!

FlRRT

Journey.

H! ; I

44 WANDERINGS IN

must be very cautious before you venture to swim across
this creek, for the alligators are numerous, and near
twenty feet long. On the present occasion, the Indians
took uncommon precautions, lest they should be devoured
by this cruel and voracious reptile. They cut long sticks,
and examined closely the side of the creek for half a mile
above and below the place where it was to be crossed ;
and as soon as the boldest had swam over, he did the same
on the other side, and then all followed.

After passing the night on the opposite bank, which is
well wooded, it is a brisk walk of nine hours before you
reach four Indian huts, on a rising ground, a few hundred
paces from a little brook, whose banks arc covered with
Coucourite and -^.ta trees.

This is the place you ought to have come to, two days
ago, had the water pennitted you. In crossing the plain
at the most advantageous place, you are above ankle-deep
in water for three hours ; the remainder of the way is dry,
the ground gently rising. As the lower parts of this spa-
cious plain put on somev/hat the appearance of a lake,
during the periodical rains, it is not improbable but that
this is the place which hath given rise to the supposed
existence of the famed Lake Parima, or El Dorado ; but
this is mere conjecture.
Deer. A fcw dccr arc feeding on the coarse rough grass of this

far-extending plain ; they keep at a distance from you,
and are continually on the look out.

SOUTH AMERICA.

45

The spur- winded plover, nnd a species of the curlew, Fimt

JoiHNRY.

black, with a white bar across the wings, nearly as large

again as the scarlet curlew on the sea-coast, frequently rise
before you. Here, too, the Moscovy duck is numerous ;
and large flocks of two other kinds wheel round you as
you pass on, but keep out of gunshot. Tlic milk-white
Egrets, and Jabirus, are distinguished at a great (iistance ;
and in the ^ta and Coucouritc trees, you may observe
flocks of scarlet and l)luc Aras feeding on the seeds.

It is to these trees that the largest sort of Toucan ThcTuumn.
resorts. He is remarkable by a large black spot on the
point of his fine yellow bill. He is very scarce in Deme-
rara, and never seen except near the sea-coast.

The ants' nests have a singular apj)earancc on this Ants' nests.
plain ; they are in vast abundance on those parts of it free
from water, and are formed of an exceeding hard yellow
clay. Tliey rise eight or ten feet from the ground, in a
spiral form, impenetrable to the rain, and strong enough
to defy the severest toniado.

The wourali poison, procured in these last-mentioned
huts, seemed very good, and proved afterwards to be very
strong.

There are now no more Indian settlements betwixt you Portuguese

•1 1 Ti /. . .,. . , . frontiers.

and the Portuguese frontiers. It you wish to visit their
fort, it would be advisable to send an Indian with a letter
from hence, and wait his return. On the present occasion
a very fortunate circumstance occurred. The Portuguese

f^

I ,a

; |^»!

m-

.•r'''

46

WANDERINGS IN

First
Journey.

1-

commander had sent some Indians and soldiers to build
a canoe, not far from this settlement; they had just
linished it, and those who did not stay Avith it, had
stopped here on their return.

The soldier who commanded the rest, said, he durst not,
upon any account, convey a stranger to the fort : but he
added, as there Mxrc two canoes, one of them might be
despatched with a letter, and then we could proceed slowly
on in the other.

About three hours from this settlement, there is a river
called Pirarara ; and here the soldiers had left their canoes
while they Avere making the new one. From the Pliarara
you get into the river Maou, and then into the Tacatou ;
and just Avhcre the Tacatou falls into the Rio Branco,
there stands the Portuguese frontier ftjrt, called Fort St.
Joachim. From the time of embarking in the river Pira-
rara, it takes you four days before you reach this fort.

There was nothing very remarkable in passing down
these rivers. It is an open country, producing a coarse
grass, and interspersed with clumps of trees. The banks
have some wood on them, but it appears stinted and
crooked, like that on the bleak hills in England.

The Tapir frcipiently plunged into the river ; ho was
by no means shy, and it was easy to get a shot at him
on land. The Kessi-kessi paroipiets were in great
abundance ; and the fine scarlet Aras innumerable in the
Coucourite trees at a distance from the river's bank. In

SOUTH AMERICA.

the Tacatoii was seen the Troupiale. It was charming to
hear the sweet and plaintive notes of this pretty songster
of the wilds. The Portngnese call it the nightingale of
Guiana.

Towards the close of the foiu-th evening, the canoe,
which had been sent on with a letter, met us with the
commander's answer. During its absence, the nights
had been cold and stormy, the rain had fallen in tor-
rents, the days cloudy, and there was no sun to dry the
wet hammocks. Exposed thus, day and night, to the
chilling blast and pelting shower, strength of constitution
at last failed, and a severe fever come on. The com-
mander's answer was very polite. He remarked, he
regretted much to say, that he had received orders to
allow no stranger to enter the frontier, and this being
the case, he hoped I would not consider him as uncivil :
however, continued he, I have ordered the soldier to
land you at a certain distance from the fort, Avhere we
can consult together.

We had now arrived at the place, and the canoe which
brought the letter returned to the fort, to tell the
commander I had fallen sick.

The sun had not risen above an hour the morning after,
when the Portuguese officer came to the spot where we
had landed the preceding evening. He was tall and
spare, and appeared to be from fifty to fifty-five years
old ; and though thirty years of service under an equa-

47

First
Journey.

Message
from tlic
rortugucsc
coiniuandci-.

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48

First
Journey.

WANDERINGS IN

torial sun hud burnt and shrivelled up his face, still there
was sunictliing In It so inexpressibly atfable and kind,
that it set you innnediately at your ease. He came close
up to the luunnioek, and taking hold of my wrist to feel
the pulse, ' I ant sorry, sir," said he, " to see that the
fever has taken such hold of you. You shall go directly
with me," continued he, " to the fort ; and though we
have no doctor there, I trust," added he, " we shall
soon bring you al)out again. The orders I have received
forbidding the a(ht)ission of strangers, M'cre never intended
to be put in force against a sick English gentleman."

As the canoe was j)roceeding slowly down the river
towards the fort, tlie conunander asked, with much more
interest than a (|ii*>stion in ordinary conversation is asked,
where was 1 on the night of tlic first of May? On telling
him that I was at an Indian settlement a little below the
great fall in the Demerara, and that a strange and sudden
noise had ahu'med all the Indians, he said the same
astonishing noise had roused every man in Fort St.
Joachim, and thai they renniined under arms till morning.
He observetl, that he had been (juite at a loss to form
any idea what could have caused the noise ; but now
learning that the wame noise had been heard at the same
time far away from the Rio Branco, it struck him there
must have been an earthquake somewhere or other.

Good nourishment and rest, and the unwearied atten-
tion and kindness of the Portuguese commander, stopped

I ^

1

1

First

Jof R\EY,

SOUTH AMERICA.

the progress of the fever, and enabled me to walk about
in six days.

Fort St. Joachim Avas built about five and forty years Fort st.

Joachim.

ago, under the apprehension, it is said, that the Spaniards
were coming from the Rio Negro to settle there. It has
been much neglected ; the flooils of water have carried
away the gate, and destroyed the wall on each side of
it ; but the present commander is putting it into thorough
repair. When finished, it will mount six nine, and six
twelve pounders.

In a straight line with the fort, and within a few yards
of the river, stand the conmiander's house, the barracks,
the chapel, the father confessor's house, and tMO others,
all 1'^ 1" He intervals from each other ; and these are the
onh h: iMhigs at Fort St. Joachim. The neighbounng
extensive plains afford good pasturage for a fine breed of
cattle, and the Portuguese make enough of butter and
cheese for their own consumption.

On asking the old olliccr if there were such a i)lace as
Lake Parima, or Kl Dorado, he replied, he looked upon
it as imaghiary altogether. " I have been above forty
years," added he, " in Portuguese Guiana, but have
never yet met with any body who has seen the lake."

So much for Lake Parima, or El Dorado, or the White
Sea. Its existence at best seems doubtful ; some affirm
that there is such a place, and others deny it.
** GrauimaticI certant, et adhuc s\ib judice lis est."

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50

WANDERINGS IN

FlKST
.loURNKY

Wourali
]>oit>on.

Having noAv reached the Portuguese inUind frontier,
and collected a siilHciont quantity of the wourali poison,
nothi'.ig remains but to give a brief account of its com-
position, its eflfects, its uses, and its supposed antidotes.

It Ikks been already remarked, that in the extensive
wilds f)f Dcmerara and Essequibo, far away from any
European settlement, there is a tribe of Indians Avho are
known by the name of Macoushi.

Though the wourali poison is used by all the South
American savages betwixt the Amazons and the Oroo-
noquc, still this tribe makes it stronger than any of the
rest. The Indians in the vicinity of the Rio Negro are
aAvare of this, and come to the Macoushi country to
purchase it.
Its effect;. Much has been said concerning this fatal and extra-
ordinary poison. Some have alKrmed that its effects are
almost instantaneous, provided the minutest particle of it
mixes with the blood ; and others again have maintained
that it is not strong enough to kill an animal of the size
and strength of a man. The first have erred by lending
a too willing ear to the marvellous, and believing asser-
tions without suflicicnt proof. The following short story
points out the necessity of a cautious examination.

One day, on asking an Indian if he thought the poiscu
would kill a man, he replied, that they always go to
battle with it ; that he was standing by, when an Indian
was shot Avith a poisoned arrow, and that he expired

Anecdote

SOUTH AMERICA.

51

vi|

almost immediately. Not wishing to dispute tliis appa- , Jj^J^^
rently satisfactoiy information, tlie subject was dropped.
However, about an hour after, having purposely asked
him in what part of the body the said Indian was wounded,
he answered, without hesitation, that the arrow entered
betwixt his shoulders, and passed quite through his
heart. Was it the weapon, or the strength of the poison,
that brought on immediate dissolution in this ease ? Of
course, the weapon.

The second have been mifsled by disappointment,
caused by neglect in keeping the poisoned arrows, or by
not knowing how to use them, or by trying inferior
poison. If the arrows arc not kept dry, the poison loses
its strength* and in wet or damp weather it turns mouldy,
and becomes (juite soft. In shooting an arrow in this
state, upon examining the place where it has entered, it
will be observed that, though the arrow has penetrated
deep into the flesh, still by far the greatest part of the
poison has shrunk back, and thus, instead of entering
with the arrow, it has remained collected at the mouth
of the wound. In this case the arrow might as well have
not been poisoned. Probably, it was to this that a gen-
tleman, some time ago, owed his disappointment, when
he tried the poison on a horse in the town of Stabroek,
the capital of Demerara ; the horse never betrayed the
least symptom of being aftbcted by it.

Wishful to obtain the best information concerning this

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WANDERINGS IN

I- i:

First poisoii, iuul .IS rcpcatctl iiuiuiiics, ill lieu of dissipating

JorKXEY.

— the siirrouiuling shade, did but tend more and more to

darken the little light that existed ; I determined to pene-
trate into the country M-here the poisonous ingredients
grow, where this pernieious composition is prepared, and
where it is constantly used. Success attended the adven-
ture ; and the information acquire<l, made amends for one
hundred and twenty days passed in the solitudes of
(iuiana, and aft'ordcd a balm to the M'ounds and bruises
Mhich every traveller must expect to receive, who wanders
through a thorny and obstructed path. \

Thou must not, courteous reader, ex})c<;t a dissertation
on the manner in which the Mourali poison operates on
the svstcm ; a treatise has b< en already Hvritten on the
subject, and after all, there is probably still reason to
doubt. It is supposed to aftect the nervous system, and
thus destroy the vital functions ; it is also said to be
perfectly harmless, provided it does not touch the blood.
However, this is certain, when a suflicient quantity of
it enters the blood, death is the inevitable consecpience ;
but there is no alteration in the colour of the blood, and
both the blood and flesh may be eaten with safety.

All that thou wilt find here is a concise, unadorned
account of the wourali poison. It may be of sei-vice to
thee some time or other, shouldst thou ever travel
through the wilds where it is used. Neither attribute to
cruelty, nor to a want of feeling for the sufferings of the

SOUTH AMERICA.

inferior animals, the ensning experiments. Tlie larger
animals were destroyed in order to have proof positive of
the strength of a poison which hath hitherto been doubted ;
and the smaller ones Avere killed with the hope of sub-
stantiating that, which has commonly been supposed to
be an antidote.

It makes a pitying heart ache to see a poor creature
in distress and pain ; and too often has the cc ;.,iSsionate
traveller occasion to heave a sigh as he journies on.
Howevei-, here, though the kind-hearted will be sorry to
read of an unottonding animal doomed to death, in order
to satisfy a doubt, still it will be a relief to know that the
victim was not tortured. The wourali poison destroys
life's action so gently, that the victhn appears to be in
no pain whatever ; and probably, were the truth known,
it feels none, saving the momentary smart at the time
the arrow enters.

A day or two before the Maeousr' Tmij.qH prepares his
poison, he goes into the forest in cpiv )f the ingredients.
A vine grows in these wilds, which is called wourali. It
is from this that the poison takes its name, and it is the
principal ingredient. When he has procured enough of
this, he digs up a root of a very bitter taste, ties them
together, and then looks about for two kinds of bulbous
plants, which contain a green and glutinous juice. He
fills a little quake, which he carries on his back, with the
stalks of these ; and lastly, ranges up and down till he

53

First

JOUHXKY.

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WANDERINGS IN

FiHST finds two species of ants. One of them is very larce and

Journey. ^

black, and so venomous, that its sting produces a fever :

it is most commonly to be met with on the ground. The
other is a little red ant, which stings like a nettle, and
generally has its nest under the leaf of a shrub. After
obtaining these, he has no more need to range the
forest.

A quantity of the strongest Indian j)cpper is used ;
but this he has already planted round his hut. The
pounded fangs of the Labarri snake, and those of the
Counacouchi, are likewise added. These he conunonly
has in store ; for when he kills a snake, he generally
extracts the fangs, and keeps thcui l)y him.

rrcpnntion Having thus found the necessary ingredients, he scrapes

of the wou-

ndi poison, tlic wourali viuc and bitter root into thin shavings,
and puts them into a kind of colander made of leaves :
this he holds over an earthen pot, and pours water on
the shavings : the licjuor which comes through has the
appearance of coftce. When a suflicient (piantity has
been procured, the shavings are thrown aside. He then
biiiises the bulbous stalks, and s(iuoezcs a proportionate
quantity of their juice through his hands into the pot.
Lastly, the snakes' fangs, ants, and pepper are bruised,
and thrown into it. It is then placed on a slow fire, and
as it boils, more of the juice of the Mourali is added,
according as it may be found necessary, and the scum
is taken off with a leaf: it remains on the fire till reduced

'l' •

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It !

SOUTH AMERICA.

55

to a thick simp of a deep brown colour. As soon as it First

JOURNBV.

has arrived at this state, a few arrows are poisoned with

it, to try its strength. If it answer the expectations, it is
poured out into a calabash, or little pot of Indian manu-
facture, which is carefully covered with a couple of leaves,
and over them a piece of deer's skin, tied round witli a
cord. Tiiey keep it in the most dry part of the hut ;
and from time to time suspend it over the fire, to coun-
teract the effects of dampness.

The act of preparing this poison is not considered as a
common one ; the savage may shape his bow, fasten the
barb on tlio point of his arrow, and nuike his other imple-
ments of destruction, cither lying in his hammock, or in
the midst of his family ; but, if he has to prepare the
wourali poison, many precautions are supposed to be
necessary.

The women and young girls are not allowed to be Yabahou, or

evil spirit.

present, lest the Yabahou, or evil spirit, should do them
harm. The shed under which it has been boiled, is
pronounced polluted, and abandoned ever after. He
who makes the poison must eat nothing that monihig,
and must continue fasting as long as the operation lasts.
The pot in which it is boiled, must be a new one, and
must never have held any thing before, otherwise the
poison would be deficient in strength : add to this, that
the operator must take particular care not to expose
himself to the vapour which arises from it while on the fire.

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FiRIT
JOUHN'BV.

Iniliiui
superstition,

WANDERINGS IN

Though this mid other precautions arc taken, such as
tVequeiitly waxhinp the face and hands, still the Indians
think that it aftects the health ; and the operator either
is, or what is more probable, supposes himself to be, sick
f(jr some days after.

Thus it appears that the makinj» the wourali poison is
considered as a gloomy and mysterious operation ; and
it would seem that they inmgine it attects others as well
as him mIio boils it ; for an Indian agreed one evening to
nudce some for me, but the next mt)rning he declined
having any thing to do with it, alleging that his Avife was
with child !

Here it might be asked, arc all tiie ingredients just
mcntionctl necessary, in order to produce the wourali
poison ? Though our opinions and conjectures nuiy
militate against the absolute necessity of some of them,
still it wouUl l)e hardly fair to pronounce them added
l)y the hand of superstition, till proof positive can be
obtained.

We might argue on the subject, and by bringing forward
histances of Indian suj)erstition, draw our conclusion by
inference, Jind still renuiin in doubt on this head. You
know superstition to be the offspring of ignorance, and
of course that it takes up its abode amongst the rudest
tribes of uncivilized man. It even too often resides with
man in his more enlightened state.

The Augustan age furnishes numerous examples. A

SOUTH AMERICA.

bone snatched from the jaws of a fusthig bitch, and
a fcatlier from the wing of a ni^ht owl, — " ossa ab ore
rapta joJHnic canis, phnnamciuc nocturnu; strigis," — were
necessary for Canidia's incantations. And in aftertimcs,
parson Evans, the Welshman, was treated most nngen-
teelly by an enraged spirit, solely because he had
forgotten a fumigation in his witch-work.

If, then, enlightened man lets his better sense give way,
and l)elieves, or allows himself to be persuaded, that
certain substances and actions, in reality of no avail,
possess a virtue wliich renders them nseful in ])roducing
the wished for elVect ; may not the wild, untaught, unen-
lightened savage of Ciuiana, add an ingredient which, on
acconnt of the harm it does hiui, he fancies maybe useful
to the perfection of his poison, though in fact it be of no use
at all? If a bone snatched from the jaws of a fasting bitch
be thought necessary in incantation ; or if witchcraft have
ivcourse to the raiment of the owl, because it resorts to
the tombs and mausoleums of the dead, and wails and
hovers about at the time that the rest of auinuitod nature
sleeps ; certainly the savage may imagine that the ants,
M'hose sting causes a fever, and the teeth of the liabarri
and Counacouchi snakes, which convey death in a very
short space of time, are essentially necessary in the com-
position of his poison ; and being once impressed with
this idea, he will add tiiem every time he makes the poison,
and transmit the absolute use of them to his posterity.

57

FlHST
JoiRXEY.

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WANDERINGS IN

Fiiisr

.fol'KNKV.

The (lucHtion to bo niiHwcrcd sccins not to be, it' it is
natural for tbc Indians to mix these ingredients, but, if
they are essential to make the poison.

So mueh for the preparing of this vegetable essence ;
terrible importer of death, into whatever animal it enters.
Let us MOW see how it is used ; let us examine the weapons
whieli bear it to its destination, and take a view of the
poor victim, from the time he receives his wound, till
death comes to his relief.

When a native of Maeoushia poes in (piest of feathered

game or other birds, he seldom carries his bow and arrows.

[)i-!criptioii It is the blow-pipe he then uses. This extraordinaiy tube

of tilt' blow- „ , , . I rt , ....

i)i|,o. ot death is, perhaps, one of th« greatest natm'al curiosities

of Guiana. It is not found in the country of tlie Mae<tushi.
Those Indians tell you that it grows to the south-west of
them, in the wiUls which extend betwixt them and the
Rio Xegro. The reed must grow to an ama^^ing length,
as the part the Indians use is from ten to eleven feet long,
and no tapering can be perceived in it, one end being as
thick as the other. It is of a bright yellow colour,
perfectly smooth both inside and cmt. It grows hollow ;
nor is there the least appearance of a knot or joint
throughout the whole extent. The natives call it Ourah.
This, of itself, is too slender to answer the end of a blow-
pipe ; but there is a species of Palma, larger and stronger,
and common in Guiana, and this the Indians make use
of as a case, in which they put the Ourah. It is bro\ni.

= 4i:

!,,((>«

SOUTH AMLWICIL

5?)

FlBdT

JoriiNiv.

susceptible of a fine polish, and apiwars as if it had joints
five or six inches from each other. It is culled Saniourah,
and the pulp inside is easily cxTracted. by steeping it for
a few days in water.

Thus the Ourah and Samourah, one within the other,
form the blow-pipe of tiniauii. The end which is api)lied
to the mouth is tied round M'ith a small silk grass cord, to
prevent its splitting ; and the other end, which is apt to
wtrike against the ground, is secured by the >ce(l of the
Acuero fruit, cut horizontally thnnigh the middle, with u
hole made in the end, through which is put the exticmity
of the blow-pipe. It is fastened on with string on riie
outside, and the uiside is filled up with wild bees'-wax.

The arrow is from nine to ten inches long. It is i ^ ck' The anow
out of the leaf of a species of palm-tree, called Coucoi.ritt,
hard and brittle, and pointed as sharp as a needle. Abcmt
an inch of the pointed end is poisoned. The other end
is burnt, to make it still harder, and Mild cotton is put
round it for about an inch and a half. It retiuires con-
siderable practice to put on this cotton well. It nnist just
be large enough to fit the hollow of the tube, and taper oif
to nothing dowuM'ards. They tie it on M'ith a thread of
the silk grass, to prevent its slip})ing ott* h: arrow.

The Indians have shown in.<»enuitv in makimr a ouivcr TIil- iiuiver

nimty

ang a qmv(

to hold the arrows. It will contain iVom five to six hun-
dred. It is generally from tweh c io fourteen inches long,
and in shape resembles a dice-box used at backgammon.

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The inside is prettily done in basket-work, with Avood not
unlike bamboo, and the outside has a coat of wax. The
cover is all of one piece, formed out of the skin of the
Tapir. Round the centre there is fastened a loop, large
enough to admit the arm antl shoulder, from which it
hangs when used. To the rim is tied a little bunch of
silk grass, and half of the jaw-bone of the fish called Pirai,
with Avhich the Indian scrapes the point of his arrow.

J3efore he puts the arrows into the quiver, he links theni
together by two strings of cotton, one string at each end,
and then folds them round a stick, Avhich is nearly the
length of the quiver. The end of the stick, which is
uppermost, is guarded by two little pieces of wood cross-
wise, with a hoop round their extremities, which appears
something like a wheel ; and this saves the hand from
being wounded when the (juivcr is reversed, in order to
let the bunch of arrows drop out.

There is also attached to the (juiver a little kind of
basket, to hold the wild cotton which is put on the blunt
end of the arrow. With a quiver of poisoned arrows
slung over his shouMer, and Avith his blow-pipe in his
hand, in the same position as a soldier carries his musket,
sec the Macoushi Indian advancing towartls the forest
in (jucst of Powises, Maroutlis, Waracabas. and other
feathered game.
iiu Indian Thcsc generally sit high up in the tall and tufted trees,

in pursuit of

his jiuuK'. but still arc not out of the Indian's reach ; for his blow-

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Fib ST

Joi'RNEV.

SOUTH AMERICA. 01

pipe, at its greatest elevation, will send an arrow three
hundred feet. Silent as midnight he steals inider them,
and so cautiously does he tread the ground, that the
fallen leaves rustle not beneath his feet. Kis ears are
open to the least sound, Avhile his eye, keen as that of the
lynx, is employed in finding out the game in the thickest
shade. Often he imitates their cry, and decoys them
from tree to tree, till they are Avithin range of his tube.
Then taking a poisoned arrow from his quiver, he puts
it in the blow-pipe, and collects his breath for the fatal
puff.

About two feet from the end through Avhich he blows,
there are fastened two teeth of the Acouri, and these servo
him for a sight. Silent and swift the arrow Hies, and seldom
fails to pierce the object at Avhich it is sent. Sometimes
the wounded bird remains in the same tree where it was
shot, and in three mimites falls down at the Indian's feet.
Should he take wing, his flight is of short duration, and
the Indian, following the direction he has gone, is sure to
find him dead.

It is natural to imagine that, when a slight wound only F.iTocts of

tlie poitioti

is inflicted, the game will make its escape. Far other- <>" f'l-

WDIlIlllcil

wise; the wourali poison almost histantaneously mixes ^''^d.
with blood or M'ater, so that if you wet your finger, and
dash it along the poisoned arrow in the (piickest manner
possible, you are sure to carry off some of the poison.
Though three minutes generally elapse before the

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First

JOUHNKY.

WANDERINGS IN

convulsiouH fonio on in the wounded bird, still a stupor
evidently tuke« pluee sooner, and this stupor manifests
itself by an apparent unwillingness in the bird to move.
This was very visibk' in a dying fowl.

Having procured a healthy full-grown one, a short
pieee of a poisoned blow-pipe arrow Mas broken otf, and
run u|> into its thigh, as near as possible, betwixt the skin
and the tU'sh, in oriU-r that it might not be incommoded
by the \M)nnd. J'oi" the lirst minute it walked about, but
■walked very sl(n\ ly, and did not ap])ear the least agitated.
During the second minute it stood still, and began to
])cck the grotuid ; and ere half another had elapsed, it
fretjnently opened and shut its mouth. The tail had now
droj)pcd, and the wings almost touched the ground.
By the tcrniinutK)n of the third minute, it had sat down,
scarce able to suppcu't its head, which nodded, and then
recoveretl itself, iind then nodtled again, lower and lower
every time, like that of a weary traveller slumbering in an
erect j)osition ; jhc eyes alternately oj)en and shut. The
fourth minute bnnight on convulsions, and life and the
(iffh terminated together.

Thellc.Nh of the game is not in the least injured by the
poison, nor does it a|)pear to corrupt so(mer than that
killed by the gun or knife. The body of this fowl was
kept for sixteen hours, m a elinuite damp and rainy, and
within seven degri'cs of the equator ; at the end of which
time it hail contracted no bad smell whatever, and there

m

First
Journey.

SOUTH AMERICA. 63

were no symptoms of putrefaction, saving that, just round
the wound, the tiesh appeared somewhat discoloured.

The In(Uan, on his return home, carefully suspends
his blow-pipe from the top of his spiral roof; seldom
placing it in an oblicjue position, lest it should receive
a cast.

Here let the blow-pipe remain sus[)ended, while you
take a view of the arms which are made to slay the larger
beasts of the forest.

When the Indian iiitends to chase the Peccari, or sur-
prise the deer, or rouse the Tapir from his marshy retreat,
he carries his bow and arrows, which are very different
from the weapons already described.

The bow is generallv from six to seven feet long, and ""'e ixiw

^ • used lor till'

Strung with a cord, spun out of the silk grass. The forests '^^•'"-'^
of (luiana furnish many species of hard wood, tough and
elastic, out of which beautiful and excellent bows are
formed.

The arrows are from four to five feet in length, made Armwv*.
of a yellow reed without a knot or joint. It is found in
great i)lenty up anti down throughout Guiana. A piece
of haril wood, about nine inches long, is inserted irio ilic
end of the reed, and fastened with cotton well Avaxed.
A scjuare hole, an inch deep, is then made in the end of
this piece of hard Mood, done tight round with cotton
to keep it from splitting. Into this scpiare hole is fitted
a spike of Coucourite wood, poisoned, and which may be

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64

First

JoUKNEV,

Sj)ikcs

WANDERINGS IN

kept there, or taken out at pleasure. A joint of bamboo,
about as thick as your linger, is fitted on over the poisoned
spike, to prevent accidents, and defend it from the rain,
and is taken oft' when the arrow is about to be used.
Lastly, two feathers are fastened on the other end of the
reed to steady it in its Higl :

Besides his bow and arrows, the Indian carries a little
-box made of bamboo, which holds a dozen or fifteen
poisoned spikes, six inches long. They are poisoned in
the following manner : a small piece of wood is dij)ped
in the j>oison, and with this Ihey give the spike a first
coat. It is then exposed to the sun or fire. After it is
dry it receives another coat, and then dried agan: ; after
this a third coat, and sometimes a fourth.

They take great care to put the poison on thicker at
the middle than at the sides, by which means the spike
retains the shape of a two-edged sword. It is ratlu r a
tedious operation to make one of these arrows complete ;
and as the Indian is not famed for industry, except when
pressed l)y hunger, he has hit ujion a [dan of preserving
his arrows which deserves notice.

About a (piartcr of an inch above the part where the
Coucoiirite spike is fixed into the s(|uarc hole, he cuts it
half through ; and tinis, Avhen it has entered the animal,
the weight of the arrow causes it to break oft" there, by
which means the arrow falls to tli(^ ground uninjured ; so
that, should this be the only arrow he iiappens to have

SOUTH AMERICA.

65

with him, and should another shot immediately occur, he
has only to take another poisoned spike out of his little
bamboo box, fit it on his arrow, and send it to its
destina'jon.

Thus armed Avith deadly poison, and hungry as the
hyiena, he ranj]^es through the forest in cpiest of the wild
beasts' track. Xo hound can act a surer part. With-
out clothes to fetter him, or shoes to bind his feet, he.
observes the footsteps of the jLj;amc, where an Eiu'opeau
eye could not discern the smallest vestige. He piusues
it through all its turns and windings, with astonishing per-
severance, and success generally crowns his etforts. Tlie
animal, after receiving the poisoned arrow, seldom retreats
two hundred paces before it tlrops.

In passing over land from the Esseciuibo to the
Dcmerara, wc fell in ^ith a herd of wild hogs. Tliough
encumbered with baggage, and fatigued witli a hard day's
walk, an Indian got his bow ready, and let tly a'})oisonod
arrow at om^ of them. It entered the cheek bone and
broke off. Tlie wild hog was found (juite dead about
one hundred and seventy paces from the place ^vhere he
had becji shot. He aftbrded us an excellent and whole-
some supper.

Thus the savage of Guiana, independent of the connnon
weapons of destruction, has it in his power to prepare a
poison, by which he can generally ensure to himself a
supply of animal food ; and the food so destroyed imbibes

TlKST

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First

JorKXEV.

FiirtliiT re-
marks (111
till" viru-
loiuo t,)f the
poison.

VVANDERINC.S IN

no deleterious (|iiaiities. Nature has been bountiful ta
him. She has not only ordered poisonous herbs and
roots to f>ron' in the luibounded forests through whieh he
strays, but has also furnished an exeellent rccd for his
arrows, antl another still more singular for his bloM -pipe ;
and j)lanted trees of an amazing hard, tough, and elastic
texture, out of Avhieh he forms his bows. And in order
that nothing might be wanting, site has sujieradded a
tree whieh yields him a fine wax, and dissesiiinated np
an<l down, a jilant not unlike that of the pineapple,
whieh affords him capital bow-strings.

Having now followed the Indian in the ehase, and
described the poison, iit us i^;d<e a nearer view of its
aetioi), and obst-rvi' n large animal ex'piring under the
weight of its baneful virulenec.

Many have doubted the strength of the wourali
poison. Should they ever by ehaiicc read what follows,
probably their doubts on that score will be settled for
ever.

In tbe former experiment on the dog, some faint resist-
ance on the part of nature was obsenxd, as if existence
stniggled for superiority ; but in the following instance
of the sloth, life sunk in death Avithoiit the least apparent
contention, Avithout a cry, without a struggle, and without
a groan. This was an Ai, or three-toed sloth. It was
in the possession of a gentleman who was collecting
curiosities. He wished to have it killed, in order to

SOUTH AxMERICA.

preserve the skin, and the wourali poison was resorted
to as the easiest death.

Of all animals, not even the toad and tortoise excepted,
this poor ill-formed creature is the most tenacious of life.
It exists lonf» after it has received wounds which Mould
have destroyed any other animal ; antl it may be said,
on seeing a mortally wounded sloth, that life disputes
with dcatli every inch of llesh in its body.

The Ai was M'ounded in the leg, and put down on the
floor, about two feet from the table ; it contrived to
reach the leg of the table, and fastened it?»elf on it, as if
wishful to ascend. But this was its last advancing >step :
life was ebbing fast, though imperceptibly ; nor could
this singular production of nature, wliich has l)ecn formed
of a texture to resist death in a thousand shapes, nudvc
any stand against the wourali poison.

First, one fore-leg let go its hold, and dropped down
motionless by its side ; the other gradually did the same.
The fore-legs having now lost their strength, the wloth
slowly doubled its body, and placed its head betAvixt its
hind -legs, which still adhered to the table ; but when the
poison had affected these also, it sunk to the ground, but
sunk so gently, that you could not distinguish the move-
ment from an ordinaiy motion ; and had you been
ignorant that it was wounded with a poisoned arrow,
you would never have suspected that it M'as dying. Its
mouth was shut, nor had any froth or saliva collected there.

k2

67

First

JolIlNEV.

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JOVRNEY.

Experiment
iipdii ail (i.\.

WANDERINGS IN

There was no subsultiis teiuUmiin, or any visible alter-
ation in its breathing. During the tenth minute from
the time it was wounded it stirred, and that was all ; and
the minute after, life's last spark went out. From the
time tlie poison began to operate, you would have eon-
jeetured that sleep was overpowering it, and you would

have exclaimed, " Pressit(jue jaccntem, dulcis et alta
quies, placidjiMjue simillima niorti."

There are now two positive i»roofs of the effect of this
fatal poison ; vi/. the death of the dog, and that of
the sloth. But still these animals Avere nothing remark-
able for size ; and the strength of the poison in large
animals might yet be doubted, were it not for what
follows.

A large well-fed ox, from nine hundred to a th(nisand
pounds' weight, was tied to a stake by a rope sufficiently
strong to allow him to move to and fro. Having no
large Coucourite spikes at hand, it Mas judged necessary,
on account of his superior si/e, to put three wild hog
arrows into hiui ; one was sent into each thigh just above
the hock, in order to avoid wounding a vital part, and
the third M'as shot traverscly into the extremity of the
nostril.

The poison seemed to take effect in four minutes.
Conscious as though he would fall, the ox set himself
firndy on his legs, and remained (piitc still in the same
place, till about the fourteenth minute, when he smelled

O

SOUTH AMERICA.

the ground, and appeared as if inclined to Avalk. Ho
advanced a pace or two, staggered, and fell, and remained
extended on his side, with his head on the ground. His
eye, a few minutes ago so bright and lively, now became
fixed and dim, and though you put your hand close to it,
as if to give him a blow there, he never closed his eyelid.

His legs were convulsed, and his head from time to
time started invohmtarily ; but he never showed the least
desire to raise it from the ground ; he breathed hard, and
emitted foam from his mouth. The startings, or subsultus
tendlnum, now became gradually Aveaker and weaker ;
his hinder parts were fixed in death ; and in a minute or
two more his head and fore-legs ceased to stir.

Nothing now remained to shoAv that life was still
within him, except that his heart faintly beat and fluttered
at intervals. In live and twenty minutes from the time
of his being wounded, he wjis ([uite dead. His flesh Avas
very sweet and savoury at dinner.

On taking a retrospective view of the two different
kinds of poisoned arrows, and the animals destroyed by
them, it avouUI appear that the {quantity of poison must
be proportioned to the animal, and thus those probably
labour inider an error who imagine that the smallest
particle of it introduced into the blood has almost instan-
taneous effects.

Mako an estimate of the difl'erence in size betwixt the
fowl and the ox, and then Avcigh a sufficient quantity of

First

.Tof RNKY.

(ionoral oI>
bcrvations.

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70

WANDERINGS IN

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Antidoti's.

poison for a blow-pipe arrow, with which the fowl was
killed, and Avei^h also enough poison for three wild -hog
arrows, which destroyed the ox, and it will appear that
the fowl receivetl nnieh more poison in proportion than
the ox. Hence the cause why the fowl died in five
minutes, and the ox in five and twenty.

Indeed, were it the case, that the smallest particle of
it introduced into the blood has almost instantaneous
cttbcts, the Indian woukl not find it necessary to make
the larfj;e arrow ; that of the blow-pipe is much ea^'er
made, and recjuircs less poison.

And now for the anti(U)tes, or rather the supposed
antidotes. The Inilians tell you, that if the M'onnded
animal be hcltl for a considerable time up to the mouth
in water, tlie jjoison will not prove fatal : also that the
juice of the sugar-cane poured down the throat Mill
counteract the efiects of it. These antidotes were fairly
tried upon full-grown healthy fowls, but they all died, as
though no steps had been taken to preseiTe their Jives.
Rum was reconnnendcd and given to another, bnt with
as little success.

It is sui)posed by some, that wind, introduced into the
lungs by means of a small pair of bellows, would revive
the poist)ned patient, provided the operation be continued
for a sufiicicnt length of time. It may be so ; but this
is a difficult and a tedious mode of cure, and he who is
wounded in the forest, far away from his friends, or in

SOITH AMf.UICA.

71

the hut of the savafj;cs, staiuls but ii poor cliiuicc of I'ikht

.IdlUMlY

bcin^ Havcd by it.

Had the Indiana a sure antidote, it is likely they would
cany it about with them, or resort to it immediately after
bein^" wounded, if at hand ; and their eoiihdeuee in its
cllicaey Mouhl greatly diminish the horror they betray
when you point a poisoned arrow at them.

One day Avhile we Avere eating a red monkey, errone-
ously called the baboon, in Demerara, an Arowack Indian
told an affecting story of what happened to a connade of
his. He was present at his death. As it did not interest
this Indian in any point to tell a falsehood, it is very
probable that his account was a true one. Jf so, it
appears that there is no certain antidote, or, at least, an
antidote that coultl be resorted to in a case of urgent
need ; for the Indian gave up all thoughts of life as soon
as he was wounded.

The Arowack Indian said it was but four years ago ^"ectiotc.
that he and his companion were ranging in the forest in
quest of game. His companion took a poisoned arrow,
and sent it at a red monkey in a tree above him. It was
nearly a perpendicular shot. The arrow missed the
monkey, and, in its descent, struck him in tlo arm, a
little above the elbow. He was convinced it was ail over
with him. " I shall never," said he to his companion, in
a faltering voice, and looking at his bow as he said it,
" I shall never," said he, *' bend this bow again." And

I ^.'

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72

WANDERINGS IN

III \r

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Joi'H.NtY.

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hnviiif? said that, lie took oH' his HttU' bamboo poison
box, whii'h huu^ across his shouUlcr, and putting it
together with his bow and arrows on the ground, Iio laid
hinisc'U" down close by them, bid his companion farewell,
nnd never sjiokc more.

He M ho is unfortunate enough to be Avounded by a
poisoned arrow from Maeoushia, had l)etter not depend
upon the eonnnon antidotes for a cure. Many who have
been in (luiana, will reeonunend innnediate iimnersiun in
Mater, or to take the juiee of the suf^ar-enne, or to fill
the mouth full of salt ; a:ul they reeonunend these anti-
dotes, beeausc they have ijot them from the Indians.
But were v<m to ask them if thev vver saw these antidotes
useil with success, it is ten to one their answer would bo
in the negative.

Wherefore let him reject these antidotes as unprofitable,
and of no avail. He has j»ot an active and deadly foe
within him, which, like Shakspeare's fell Serjeant Death,
is strict in his arrest, and will allow him but little time — very
— very little time. In a few minutes he will be numbered
with the dead. Life ought, if possible, to be preserved,
be the expense ever so great. Should the part affected
admit of it, let a ligature be tied tight round the wound,
and have immediate recourse to the knife :

*' Coiitinuo, ciilpam ferro compcsce pritisqiiam,
Dira per iiifuustum bcrpant contagiii corpiiH."

SOUTH AMKIUCA.

Alul now, kind rondor, it i^ time to bid tlu'o i'mcnvi'll.
The two t'lids proposed Imve been ohtaiix'd. The Portu-
miese iidaiid frontier fort has been rcaehed, and the
Maeoushi wourali poison aecinired. The aeeount of tliis
exeursion thronfj[li the interior of (iniana has been sub-
niltted to thy pernsal, in order to inthiee tliy abler
genius to undertake a more extensive one- Jf any (Uf-
fieulties have arisen, or fevers come on, tliey have been
caused by tlie periodical rains, which fall in torrents as
the sun approaches the tropic of Cancer. In dry weather
there avouUI be no dill'icuUies or sickness.

Amonfj[st the inany satisfactory conclusions which thou
wouldest be able to draw duriufj; the journey, there is one,
which, perhaps, would please thee not a little; and that
is with rcjLjard to dop;s. Many a time, no doubt, thou
hast heard it hotly disputed, that do^s existed in (iuiana
previously to the arrival <if the Spaniards in those parts.
AVhatever the Spaniards introduced, and which bore no
resemblance to any thing the Indians had been accustomed
to see, retains its Spanish, name to this day.

Thus, the Warow, the Arowack, the Acoway, the Ma-
eoushi, and Carib tribes, call a hat, sombrero; a shirt,
or any kind of cloth, camisa ; a shoe, zapato ; a letter,
carta; a fowl, gallina ; gunpowder, colvora, (Spanish,
polvora;) ammunition, bala ; a cow, vaca ; and a dog,
pcrro.

This argues strongly against the existence of dogs in

73

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First

Joi'RXEY.

Tolitics.

WANDERINGS IN

Guiana, before it Mas discovered by the Spaniards, and
probably may be of use to thee, in thy next canine
dispute.

In a political point of view this country presents a large
field for speculation. A few years ago there was but little
inducement for any Englishman to explore the interior of
these rich and fine colonies, as the British government
did not consider them worth holding at the peace of
Amiens. Since that period their mother-country has
been blotted out from the list of nations, and America has
unfolded a new sheet of politics. On one side, the crown
of Braganza, attacked by an ambitious chieftain, has fled
from the palace of its ancestors, and now seems fixed on
the banks of the Janeiro. Cayenne has yielded to its arms.
La I'lata has raised the standard of independence, and
thinks itself sufticiently strong to obtain a government of
its own. On the other side, the Caraccas arc in open
revolt, and should Santa F^ join them in good eaniesr,
they may form a powerful association.

Thus, on each side of ci-ilevanl Dutch Guiana, most
unexpected and astonishing changes have taken place.
Will they raise or lower it in the scale of estimation at
the court of St. James's? Will they be of benefit to
these grand and extensive colonies.^ Colonies enjoying
perpetual sunnner. Colonies of the richest soil. Colo-
nies containing within themselves every thing necessary
for their support. Colonies, in fine, so varied in their

SOUTH AMERICA.

75

quality and situatiun, as to bo capable of bringing to
perfection eveiy tropical production; and only want the
support of governuient, and an enlightened governor, to
render them as fnie as the finest portions of the ecjuatorial
regions. Kind reader, fare thee well.

Letter to the I'ortiigiiese 0»iuituii(ler.

FlHST
Jol'UNKV.

f '■

I I

MIY SF.NOlt,

Como no tongo el honor, ilo scr conociilo tic \'M. lo pienso niejor, y
nuis ik'coroso, (itaHlurnio iuiiii, luistiuiuo liiiviiTc rct-iliido hii n"sj)\ii'sta.
Ilavicndo caminado liasta la clio/a, ailondo cstoi, no <|nisicre volvi'rnif,
anti's du haver visto la fortalc/a de los I'ortiigiiesets ; y pido lieciieia de
V'M. para <fue nie adel.iiile. llonradissinios son mis niothos, ni teiii^o
proyecto ninguno, o tli- eoniercio, o de la soldadosea, no siendo \o, o
coinerciante, o otieiai. Hidalgo catulico soy, de haeienda in Viiglatierra,
y muelios afios de mi \ida he pasado en eanii;\ar. I'ltimaniente, do
Denieraria vengo, la cpial dexe el ."» dia de Ahril, para ver este herinoso
pais, y coger uiias euriosidades, espceialmente, el veiieno, ijue se llama
Wourali. Las mas reeenles nolieias (jue tenian en Demeraria, antes do
mi salida, eran inedias tristes, niedias alegres. 'I'ristes digo, \ ieiulo (jue
Valencia ha eaido en poder del eneiuigo eomiin, y el (icneral IJlaUe, y
sus valicntes tropas (|ucdan piisioneros de guerr.i. Alegres, al contrario,
por<iue Milord Wellington se ha apoderado de C iudad Kodrigo. A pcsar
tie la caida tic Valencia, parecc claro al mundo, (|ue las eosas tlel cMemigo,
cstaii andando, de pejor a pejor eatla dia. Nosotros debemos dar gracias
al Altissimo, por haver sido servido tlcxarnos castigar nltinian)ente, a
los robadores tie sus santas Vglesias. Se vera \M. ()ue yo no cscribo
Portiigucs ni aim lo hablo, pero, haviendo aprendido ol Castellano, no nos

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76

WANDERINGS IN

I'lHST faltiira iiu'dio (Ii* ('onniiiu;iu' y toner con versacion. Ruego se escuse csta
JouiiMcv. ...
carta csi'iiva Hin (iiita, piirquc un Indio dcxo cuor mi tiutero y qucbroso.

Dios Iv i\v a VM. nnwl.— .„-,ys dc salud. Entrctanto, tcngo cl honor

de bcr

hii mas obcdccicnte servidor,

CARLOS WATERTON.

I

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m "li

SOUTH AMERICA.

tf

REMARKS.

" Iiicertiis, quo fata foraiit, ubi sistere dctur."

Kind and gentle reader, if the journey in (juest of the
AVO\n-iili poison 1ms engaged thy attention, probably thou
niaycst recoUeet that the traveller took leave of thee at
Fort St. .Joaehini, on the Rio Braneo. Shouldest thou
wish to know what befell him afterwards, exeuse the
following uninteresting narrative.

Having had a return of fever, and a^vive that the
farther he advaneed into these wVul and lo \ely regions,
the less would be the ehanee of regaining his health ;
he ^'ive up all idea of pfoeeeding op.wards, and went
slowly back towards the Deuierara, nearly by iiie sauie
route he had eonie.

On descending the falls in tiie ]<ls^e(iuibo, whieh form
an oblique line (juite across the rive. , it Avas resolved to
push through them, the downward stream being in the

First

JOIHXKY.

Illness at
Fort St.
Joacliiin.

Hoturiis to
Di'iiH'i-ara.

Falls of the
Essc'cHiibo.

,pt'

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78

VVANDEUINGS IN

FiHsi canoe's favour. At a little distance from the j)lace, a large

Jul HN'KV.

tree luul fallen into the river, and in the mean time the

can<ie was lashed to one of its branches.

The roarinfT of the water Mas dreadfnl ; it foamed and
dashed over the rocks Avith a tremcndons spray, like
breakers on a lee-shore, thrcateninff destruction to what-
ever approached it. You would have thought, by the
confusion it caused in the river, and the whirlpools it
made, that Scylla and (harybdis, and their Avhole ])ro-
geny, had left the Mediterranean, and come and settled
here. The channel was barely twelve feet wide, and the
torrent in rushing down formed traverse furrows, which
(siiowcd how near the rocks were to the surtace.

Nothing coukl surpass the skill of the Jndian who
steered the canoe. He looked steadfastly at it, then at the
rocks, tlu J) cast an eye on the channel, and then looked
at tlie canoe again, it was in vain to speak. The sound
was lost in the roar of waters: but his t>ye showed that
he had already passed it in imagination. He hckl up his
pad<lle in a position, as nmch as to say, that he would
Keep c.xactly amid channel ; aiul then made a sign to cut
the bush-rope that held the canoe to the fallen tree.
The cai»oe drove down the tt)rrent with incont eivable
rapitlity. it did not touch the rocks once all the way.
The indian ])roved to a nicety, " medio tntissimus
ibis."

bhortly after this it raiued almost day and night, the

m ...

SOUTH AMERICA.

79

lightning flashing incessantly, and the roar of thunder First

Journey.

a>vful beyond expression.

The fever returned, and pressed so heavy on hiui, that aiidiight-

1 • 1 1 iiiiig.

to all appearance his last day's march was over. How- i,vver le-
ever, it abated ; his spirits rallied, and he marched again ; "'"'^^ '
an I after delays and inconveniences he reached the house
of his worthy friend Mr, Edmonstone, in Mibiri creek, Rt':>ciics
which falls into the Demerara. No words of his can ^^<(^r^'^-
do justice to the hospitality of that gentleman, whose
repeated encounters ^ith the hostile negroes in the forest
have been publicly rewarded , and will be remembered in
the colony for years to come.

Here he learned that an cru[)tion had taken place in
St. Vincent's; and thus tlie noise heard in the night of the
first of May, which had causeil such terror amongst the
Indians, and made the garrison at Fort St. Joachim
remain under arms the rest of the night, is accounted
for.

After experiencing every kindness and attention from siii^ tor

(iraiKula.

Mr. Edmonstone, he sailed for Granada, and from thence
to St. Thomas's, a few days before poor Captain Peakc
'r^st his life on his own (luarter-dcck, bravely fighting for
his country on the coast of Ciuiana.

At St. Thomas's they show yon a tower, a little distance st. Thomas's

tower.

from the town, which they say formerly belonged to a
Bucanier < lucftain. Probably the fury of besiege s has
reduced it to its prestnt dismantled state. AVhai still

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80

I'lKsr

JolllNKV.

WANDERINGS IN

ivmaiiis of it bears tostimony of its former strenij;tli, and
may brave the attaek of time for eenturies. You eaniiot
view its ruins, witlioiit eallinin to mind tlic exploits of tlioso.
fierce and hardy hunters, h)njjf the terror of tlie western
worUl. While vou admire their undaunted eouraije, vou
lament that it was often stained Avith cruelty ; while yon
extol their scrupulous justice to each other, yon will find
a ■\viv\t of it towartls the rest of mankind. Often pos-
se->.ed of enormous wealth, often in extreme poverty,
ofti i triuuii)hant on the ocean, and often forced to fiy to
tlie ibrests ; their life was an e\er-chanf^in<j; scene of
ad^'ance and retreat, of jvlory and disorder, ol' luxury
a;i(i famine. Spain treated them as outlaws and pirates,
Mhile other European jxjwers publicly disowned them.
They, on the other hand, maintained, that injustice on the
part of Spain first forced them to take u]) arms in self-
defence ; and that, whilst they kept inviolable the laws
which they had framed for their own connnon benefit and
protection, they luul a right to consider as foes, those
who treated them as outlaws. Under this impression
they drew the sword, and rushed on as though in lawful
war, and divided the spoils of victory in the scale of
justice.

After leaving St. Thonn- . ;, a .Ncvere tertian ague, every
now and then, kept puttir.i:!: the travclk-; ui mind, that
tertiiiiuitMic-, IjIj^ ishattercd frame, " starting and shivering in the incon-

aiid returns ^ "

toEnsiiiui. stj^ijf blast, meagre and i)ale, the ghost of Avhat it was,"

Leaves St.
'J'lioiiKis's,
and is at-
tacked bv a

I

I

SOUTFI AMERICA.

91

Avantcd repairs. Three years elapsed after arriving in rmsx

.lot km: V.

Eiiglaiul, belbrc the ague toolv its final leave ofhini.

During that time, several exi)crinients were made Avith ^'^v^^'*:

" ' llll'lltS III

the Avourali poison. In London, an ass Avas inoculated >'"'"'"""*'

* till' wounili

with it, and died in twelve minutes. The poison was i""-""-
inserted into the leg of another, round which a bandage
had been previously tied a little above the place where
the wourali was introduced. He walked about as usual,
and ate his food as thougli all Averc right. After an hour
had elapsed, the bandage was untied, and ten minutes
after death overtook him.

A shc-ass received the Avourali poison in the shoidder,
and died apparently in ten miiuites. An incision was then
nuulc in its windpipe, and through it the lungs were
regularly inflated for two hours with a pair of bellows.
Suspended aninuition returned. The ass held uj) her
head, and looked around ; but the inilating being dis-
continued, she sunk once more in apparent death. The
artificial breathing Avas innnediatcly recommenced, and
contimied Avithout intermission for two hours more. This
saved the ass from final dissolution ; she rose up, and
AA'alked about ; she seemed neither in agitation nor in
pain. The AA'ound, through AA-hich the poison entered,
AA-as healed Avithout dillicnlty. Her constitution, hoAv-
ever, Avas so severely attected, that it Avas long a doubt
if ever she Avould be Avell again. She looked lean and

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FiBRT
Joi'RNRY.

A\ ANDERINGS IN

sickly for al)ovc a year, but began to mend the spring
after ; and by Midsinnnicr became fat and frisky.

The kind-hearted reader will rejoice on learning that
Earl Percy, pitying her misfortunes, sent her down from
London to Walton Hall, near AVakefield. There she
goes by the name of Wouralia. Wouralia shall be
sheltered from the wintry storm ; and when summer
comes, she shall feed in tlie finest pasture. No burden
shall be ]>laced uj)on her, and she shall end her days in
peace.

For three revolving autunuis, the ague-beaten wan-
derer never saw, without a sigh, the swallow bend her
flight towards ^^'armer regions. He Avished to go too,
but could not ; for sickness had enfeebled him, and pru-
dence pointed out the folly of roving again, too soon,
across the northern tropic. To be sure, the continent
was now open, and change of air might prove beneficial ;
but there >vas nothing very tempting in a trip across the
chaimel, and as for a tour through England ! — England
lias long ceased to be the land for adventures. Indeed,
when good King Arthur reappears to claim his cro\m, he
will find tilings strangely altered here ; and may wo not
look for his coming ? for there is written upon his grave-
stone.

" Hie jacct Aiturut;, Rex quoiMlain Rexque futurus."

" Here Artluir lies, whu fonvicrly
Was king — and king again to be."

■■-wi

SOUTH AMERICA.

83

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M

Don Quixote was always of opinion that this famous
king did not die, but that he was clumgcd into a raven
by enchantment, and tliat the English are momentarily
expecting his return. Be this as it nu\y, it is certain that
when he reigned here, all was harmony and joy. The
browsing herds passed from vale to vale, the swains sang
from the bluebell-teeming groves, and nymphs, with
eglantine and roses in their neatly braided hair, went hand
in hand to the flowery mead, to weave garlands for their
lambkins. If by chance some rude uncivil fellow dared to
molest them, or attempted to throw thorns in their path,
there Avas sure to be a knight errant, not far oft", ready
to rush forward in their defence. IJut, alas! in these
degenerate days it is not so. Should a harmless cottage
maid wander out of the highway to pluck a primrose or
two in the neighbouring field, the haughty owner sternly
bids her retire ; and if a pitying swain hasten to escort
her back, he is perhaps seized by the gaunt house-dog
ere he reach her !

i^'neas's route on the other side of Styx, could not
have been n)uch worse than this, though, by his account,
when he got back to earth, it appears that he had fallen
in with " Bellua Lernte, horrendum stridens, flammisijue,
arnuita Chinuera."

Moreover, he had a sibyl to guide his steps ; and as
such a conductress, now-a-days. could not be got for
love or money, it was judged most prudent to refrain

First

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84

WANDERINGS IN

First from sauiiteiiug through this land of freedom, and wait

Jut'HNEY.

with patience the return of health. At last this long-
looked for, ever-welcome stranger eanie.

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SOLTH AMERICA.

85

SECOND JOURNEY.

m

In the ycnr 181G, two days before t'' 'i:ii eciuiuox, I SEcoxn
sailed from Liverpool for Pernambuco, in the southern -
hemisphere, on the eoast of J?razil. There is Uttle at ivnmin-
this time of the year, in the European part of the Athuitie,
to engaj^e the attention of the naturalist. As yon go
down the channel, you see a few Divers and Gannets.
The middle-sized Gulls, with a black spot at the end of
the wings, atte'id you a little way into the Hay of Biscay.
When it bl )Wi a hard gale of wind, the stormy Petrel
makes its appearance. While the sea nms mountains
high, and every wave threatens destruction to the labour-
ing vessel, this little harbinger of storms is seen enjoying
itself, on rapid pinion, up and down the roaring billows.
When the storm is over, it a])pears no more. It is known
to every English sailor, by the name of Mother Carey's
chicken. It must have been hatched in iEolus's cave,
amongst a clutch of s(pialls and tempests ; for, whenever
they get out upon the ocean, it always contrives to be of
the party.

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86

WANDERINGS IN

Second
Journey.

Though the cahns, and storms, and adverse wmds in
these hititudes, are vexatious, still, when you reach the
Trade winds trade wiuds, you are amply repaid for all disappointments
and inconveniences. The trade winds prevail about thirty
degrees on each side of the ecjuator. This part of the ocean
may be called the Elysian Fields of Neptune's empire ;
and the torrid zone, notwithstanding Ovid's remark, " non
est habitabilisajstu," is rendered healthy and pleasant by
these gently-blowing breezes. The ship glides smoothly
on, and you soon find yourself within the northern tropic.
When you are on it, Cancer is just over your head, and
betwixt him and Capricorn is the high road of the Zodiac,
forty-seven degrees wide, famous for Phaeton's misad-
venture. His father begged and entreated him not to
take it into his head to drive parallel to the five zones, but
to mind and keep on the turnpike which runs obliquely
across the equator. " There you will distinctly see," said
be, " the ruts of my chariot wheels, ' manifesta rotae ves-
tigia cernes.' " "But," added he, "even suppose you
keep on it, and avoid the by-roads, nevertheless, my
dear boy, believe me, you will be most sadly put to your
shifts ; ' ardua prima via est,' the first part of the road
is confoundedly steep ! ' ultima via prona est,' and after
that, it is all down hill ! Moreover, ' per insidias iter est,
formasque ferarum,' the road is full of nooses and bull-
dogs, ' Heemoniosque arcus,' and spring-guns, * seevaque
circuitu, curvantcm brachia longo, Scorpio,' and steel-traps

>■■■:(• '

SOUTH AMERICA.

87

of uncommon size and shape." These were nothing in the Second

Journey.

eyes of Phaeton — go he Avould — so off he set — full speed, —
four in hand. He had a tough drive of it ; and after
doing a prodigious deal of mischief, very luckily for the
world, he got thro%vn out of the box, and tumbled into
the river Po.

Some of our modein bloods have been shallow enough
to try to ape this poor empty-headed coachman, on a little
scale, making London their Zodiac. Well for them, if
tradesmen's bills, and other trivial perplexities, have not
caused them to be thrown into the King's Bench.

The productions of the torrid zone are uncommonly Torrid zone.
grand. Its plains, i':s swamps, its savannas, and forests,
abound with the largest serpents and wild beasts ; and its
trees are the habitation of the most beautiful of the
feathered race. While the traveller in the old Avorld is
astonished at the elephant, the tiger, the lion, and rhino-
ceros, he who wanders through the torrid regions of the
new, is lost in admiration at the Cotingas, the Toucans,
the Humming-birds, and Aras.

The ocean, likewise, swarms with curiosities. Proba- Fiying-fish.
bly the Flying-fish may be considered as one of the most
singular. This little scaled inhabiUut of water and air,
seems to have been more favoured than the rest of its
finny brethren. It can rise out of the waves, and on
wing visit the domain of the birds.

After flying two or three hundred yards, the intense

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Srxoxn

JOURNKY.

WANDERINGS IN

heat of the sun has dried its pellucid wings, and it is
obliged to wet them, in order to continue its flight. It
just drops into the ocean for a moment, and then rises
again and flies on ; and then descends to remoisten them,
and then up again into the air; thus passing its life,
sometimes wet, sometimes dry, sometimes in sunshine,
and sometimes in the pale moon's nightly beam, as
pleasure dictates, or as need requires. The additional
assistance of wings is not thrown away upon it. It has
full occupation both for fins and wings, as its life is in
perpetual danger.

The Bonito and Albicore chase it day and night ; but
the Dolphin is its worst and swiftest foe. If it escape
into the air, the Dolphin pushes on with proportional
velocity beneath, and is ready to snap it up the moment
it descends to wet its wings.

You will often see above one hundred of these little
marine aerial fugitives on the wing at once. They appear
to use every exertion to prolong their flight, but vain are
all their effbrts ; for when the last drop of water on their
wings is dried up, their flight is at an end, and they must
drop into the ocean. Some are instantly devoured by
their merciless pursuer, part e »e by swimming, and
others get out again as quick a. possible, and trust once
more to their wings.

It often happens that this unfortunate little creature,
after alternate dips and flights, finding all its exertions of

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SOUTH AMERICA.

89

u

no avail, at last drops on board the vessel, verifying the second

* Journey.

old remark,

'* Incidit in Scyllam, cupiens vitare Charybdini."

There, stunned by the fall, it beats the deck with
its tail and dies. When eating it, you would take it for
a fresh herring. The largest measure from fourteen to
fifteen inches in length. The dolphin, after pursuing it
to the ship, sometimes forfeits his own life.

In days of yore, the musician used to play in softest,
sweetest strain, and then take an airing amongst the
dolphins; " inter delphinas Arion." But now-a-days,
our tars have quite capsized the custom ; and instead of
riding ashore on the dolphin, they invite the dolphin
aboard. While he is darting and playing around the
vessel, a sailor goes out to the spritsailyard-ann, and
with a long stall', leaded at one end, and aimed at the
other with five barbed spikes, he heaves it at him. If suc-
cessful in his aim, there is a fresh mess for all hands.
The dying dolphin affords a superb and brilliant sight : —

" Milie traliit moricns, ndverso sole colorea."

AH the colours of the rainbow pass and repass in
rapid succession over his body, till the dark hand of
death closes the scene.

From the Cape de Verd islands, to the coast of Brazil,
you see several different kinds of gulls, Avhich, probably,
are bred in the island of St. Paul. Sometimes the large
bird called the Frigate Pelican, soars majestically over

N

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90

Second
Journey.

Frigate Pe-
lican.

Scenery.

Pcrnam-
buco.

VV ANDERINGS IN

the vessel, and the tropic bird comes near enough to let
you have a fair view of the long feathers in his tail. On
the line, when it is calm, sharks of a tremendous size
make their appearance. They are descried from the ship
by means of the dorsal fin, which is above the water.

On entering the bay of Pemambuco, the Frigate Peli-
can is seen watching the shoals of fish from a prodigious
height. It seldom descends without a successful attack
on its numerous prey below.

As you approach the shore the view is charming. The
hills are clothed with wood, gradually rising towards the
interior, none of them of any considerable height. A
singular reef of rocks runs parallel to the coast, and
forms the harbour of Pernambuco. The vessels are
moored betwixt it and the town, safe from every storm.
You enter the harbour through a very narrow passage,
close by a fort built on the reef. The hill of Olinda,
studded with houses and convents, is on your right hand,
and an island thickly planted with cocoa-nut trees, adds
considerably to the scene on your left. There are two
strong forts on the isthmus, betwixt Olinda and Pernam-
buco, and a pillar midway to aid the pilot.

Pernambuco probably contains upwards of fifty thou-
sand souls. It stands on a flat, and is divided into three
parts ; a peninsula, an island, and the continent. Though
within a few degrees of the line, its climate is remarkably
salubrious, and rendered almost temperate by the refresh-
ing sea breeze. Had art and judgment contributed their

<
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life

SOUTH AMERICA.

91

portion to its natural advantages, Pernambuco, at this Second

* JOVBNEY.

day, would have been a stately ornament to the coast of

Brazil. On viewing it, it will strike you that every one
has built Lis house entirely for himself, and deprived
public convenience of the little claim she had a right to
put in. You would wish that this city, so famous for its
harbour, so happy in its climate, and so well situated for
commerce, could have risen under tho flag of Dido, in
lieu of that of Braganza.

As vou walk down the streets, the aiipearance of the streets and

•' * ^ nouses.

houses is not much in their favour. Some of them are
very high, and some very low ; some newly whitewashed,
and others stained, and mouldy, and neglected, as though
they had no owner.

The balconies, too, are of a dark and gloomy appear-
ance. They are not, in general, open, as in most tropical
cities, but grated like a farmer's dairy-window, though
somewhat closer.

There is a lamentable want of cleanliness in the streets.

The impurities from the houses, and the accumulation of

litter from the beasts of burden, are unpleasant sights to

the passing stranger. He laments the want of a police

as he goes along ; and when the wind begins to blow, his

nose and eyes are too often exposed to a cloud of very

unsavoury dust.

When you view the port of Pernambuco, full of ships Port of Per-
nambuco.

of all nations, when you know that the richest commo-

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92

WANDERINGS IN

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SuroND dities of Europe, Africa, and Asia, arc brought to it ;

JOUKNKY.

when you see innnense ({uantities of cotton, dye-wood,

and the choicest fruits pouring into the town, you arc
apt to wonder at the little attention these people pay to
the common comforts which one always expects to find
in a large and opulent city. However, if the inhabitants
are satisfied, there is nothing more to be said. Should
they ever be convinced that inconveniences exist, and
that nuisances are too frcciucnt, the remedy is in their
own hands. At present, certainly, they seem perfectly
regardless of them ; and the Captain-General of Pernam-
buco walks through the streets with as apparent content
and composure, as an English statesman would proceed
down Charing-cross. Custom reconciles every thing. In
a week or two the stranger himself begins to feel less
the things which annoyed him so much upon his first
arrival, and after a few months' residence, he thinks no
more about them, while he is partaking of the hospitality,
and enjoying the elegance and splendour within doors
in this great city.

Close by the river side stands M'hat is called the palace
of the Captain-General of Pernambuco. Its form and
appearance altogether, strike the traveller that it was
never intended for the use it is at present put to.

Reader, throw a veil over thy recollection for a little
Avhile, and forget the cruel, unjust, and unmerited cen-
sures thou hast heard against an unotFending order.

Palace of
the Captain-
Cioiierul.

■;

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SOUTH AMERICA.

08

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This palace was once the Jesuits* college, and originally Sfxond

Journey.

built by those charitable fathers. Ask the aged and

respectable inhabitants of Pernambuco, and they will tell
thee that the destruction of the Society of Jesus was "niell,'?"
a terrible disaster to the public, and its consequences j|!!,']'g.*^
severely felt to the present day.

When PombaJ took the reins of power into his own
hands, virtue und learning beamed bright within the
college walls. Public catechism to the children, and
religious instruction to all, flowed daily from the mouths
of its venerable priests.

They were loved, revered, and respected throughout
the whole town. The illuminating philosopliers of the
day had sworn to exterminate christian knowledge, and
the college of Pernambuco was doomed to founder in the
general storm. To the long-lasting sorrow and disgrace
of Portugal, the philosophers blinded her king, and
flattered her prime minister. Pombal was exactly the
tool these sappers of every public and private virtue
wanted. He had the naked sword of power in his own
hand, and his heart was hard as flint. He struck a
mortal blow, and the Society of Jcsu^ , throughout the
Portuguese dominions, was no more.

One morning all the fathers of the college in Pernam-
buco, some of them very old and feeble, were suddenly
ordered into the refectory. They had notice beforehand
of the fatal storm, in pity from the governor, but not

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94

WANDERINGS IN

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Second

JOUKNSY.

one of them abandoned his charge. They had done their
duty, and liad nothing to fear. They bowed with resig-
nation to the will of heaven. As soon as they had all
reached the refectory, tliey were there locked up, and
never more did they see their rooms, their friends, their
scholars, or ac(iuaintance. In the dead of the following
night, a strong guard of soldiers literally drove them
through the streets to the water's edge. They were then
conveyed in boats aboard a ship, and steered for Bahia.
Those who survived the barbarous treatment they expe-
rienced from Pombal's creatures, were at last ordered to
Lisbon. The college of Pernambuco was plundered, and
some time after an elcj)hant was kept there.

Thus the arbitrary hand of power, in one night, smote
and swept away the sciences ; to which succeeded the
low vulgar bullbonery of a showman. Virgil and Cicero
made way for a wild beast from Angola ! and now a guard
is on duty at the very gate where, in times long past, the
poor were daily fed ! ! !

Trust not, kind reader, to the envious remarks which
their enemies have scattered far and near ; believe not the
stories of those M'ho have had a hand in the sad tragedy.
Go to Brazil, and see with thine own eyes the effect of
Pombal's short-sighted policy. There vice reigns tri-
umphant, and learning is at its lowest ebb. Neither is
this to be wondered at. Destroy the compass, and will
the vessel find her far distant port ? Will the flock keep

•■

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*>

SOUTH AMERICA.

together, nnd escape the wolves, after the shcphcrdN are
all slain ? The Brazilians were told, that public education
would go on just as usual. They might have asked
government, who so able to instruct our youth, as those
whose knowledge is proverbial ? who so fit, as those who
enjoy our entire confidence? who so worthy, as those
whose lives are irreproachable .''

They soon found that those who succeeded the fathers
of the Society of Jesus, had neither their manner nor
their abilities. They had not made the instruction of
youth their particular study. Moreover, they entered on
the field after a defeat, where the officers had all been
slain ; where the plan of the campaign was lost ; where all
was in sorrow and dismay. No exertions of theirs could
rally the dispersed, or skill prevent the fjntal consequences.
At the present day, the seminary of Olinda, in compari-
son with the former Jesuits' college, is only as the waning
moon's beam to the sun's meridian splendour.

When you visit the places where those learned fathers
once flourished, and see witli your own eyes the evils
their dissolution has caused ; when you hear the inhabit-
ants telling you how good, how clever, how charitable they
were ; what will you think of our j)oet laureate, for calling
them, in his " History of Brazil," '* Missioners, whose zeal
the most fanatical was directed by the coolest policy.''"

Was it fanatical to renounce the honours and comforts
of this transitoiy life, in order to gain eternal glory in

05

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WANDERINGS IN

SBroND the next, by denying tlieniselves, and ttikinir nn the cross?
Was it fanutknl to preach salvation to innumerable wild
hordes of Americans ? to clothe the naked? to encourage
the repenting sinner ? to aid the dying Christian ? The
fathers of the Society of Jesus did all this. And for this
their zeal is pronounced to be the most fanatical, directed
by the coolest policy. It will puzzle nmny a clear brain
to comprehend how it is possible, in the nature of things,
that zeal the most fanatical should be directed by the
coolest policif. Ah, Mr. Laureate, Mr. Laureate, that
" quidlibet audendi" of yours, may now and then gild
the poet, at the same time that it makes the historian cut
a sorry figure!

Could Father Xobrega rise from the tomb, he would
thus address you : — '* Ungrateful Englislnnan, you have
drawn a great part of your information from the writings
of the Society of Jesus, and in return you attempt to
stain its character by telling your countrjinen that ' we
taught the idolatry mc believed !' In speaking of me,
you say, it was my happy fortune to be stationed in a
country where none but the good principles of my order
were called into action. Ungenerous laureate, the nar-
row policy of the times has kept your countrymen in the
dark with regard to the true character of the Society of
Jesus ; and you draw the bandage still tighter over their
eyes, by a malicious insinuation. I lived, and taught,
and died in Brazil, where you state that none but the

wm

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SOUTH AMICHICA.

97

good principles of my order were cnlled into action, and skcond
still, in nioHt absolute contradiction to this, you remark — —
we believed the ifhliitn/ we taup[lit in Wrazil. Thus we
brought none but good |)rincipleH into action, and still
taught idolatry!

•* Again, you state there Is no individual to whose
talents Brazil is so greatly luid pennnnently indebted as
mine, and that I nuist be regarded as the founder of that
system so successfully pursued by the Jesuits in Paraguay ;
a system productive of as nnich good as is compatible
with pious fraud. Thus you nuike me, at one and the
same time, a teacher of none but good principles, and a
teacher of idolatry, and a believer in idolatry, and still
the founder of a system for which Brazil is greatly and
permanently indebted to me, though, by the by, the
system was only productive of as much good as is
compatible M'ith pious fraud !

♦• What means all this? After reading such Incom-
parable nonsense, should your countrymen wish to be
properly infonned concerning the Society of Jesus, there
are in England documents enough to show that the
system of the Jesuits was a system of ihristinn charity
towards their fellow-creatures, administered in a manner
which human prudence judged best calculated to ensure
success ; and that the idolatry which you uncharitably
affirm they taught, was really and truly the very same
faith which the Catholic church taught for centuries in

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98

WANDERINGS IN

Environs
of I'crnam-

l)UCO.

Second England, which she still teaches to those who wish to

JOUHNEY.

hear her, and which she will continue to teach, pure

and unspotted, till time shall be no more."

The en\'irons of Pemambuco are veiy pretty. You see
country houses in all directions, and the appearance of
here and there a sugar plantation enriches the scenery.
Palm-trees, cocoa-nut-trees, orange and lemon groves,
and all the different fruits peculiar to Brazil, are here in
the greatest abundance.

At Olinda there is a national botanical garden : it
wants space, produce, and improvement. The forests,
which are several leagues off, abound with birds, beasts,
insects, and serpents. Besides a brilHant plumage, many
of the birds have a ver^' fine song. The Troupiale, noted
for its rich colours, sings delightfully in the environs of
Pernambuco. The red-headed Finch, larger than the
European sparrow, pours forth a sweet and varied strain,
in company with two species of wrens, a little before
daylight. There are also several species of the thrush,
which have a song somewhat different from that of the
European thrush ; and two species of the linnet, whose
strain is so soft and sweet that it dooms them to cap-
tivity in the houses. A bird called here Sangre do Buey,
blood of the ox, cannot fail to engage your attention :
he is of the t)asserine tribe, and very common about the
houses ; the wings and tail are black, and every other
part of the body a flaming red. In Guiana, there is a

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SOUTH AMERICA.

99

species exactly the same as this in shape, note, and second

JUVKNBY.

economy, but diflfering in colour, its whole body being

like black velvet ; on its breast a tinge of red appears

through the black. Thus nature has ordered this little

Tangara to put on mournuig to the north of the line, and

wear scarlet to the south of it.

For three months in the year the environs of Pernam- Seasons.

buco ai'e animated beyond description. From November

to March the weather is particularly fine ; then it is that

rich and poor, young and old, foreigners and natives, all

issue from the city to enjoy the country till Lent

approaches, when back they hie them. Villages and

hamlets, where nothing before but rags was seen, now

shine in all the elegance of dress ; every house, every

room, eveiy shed become eligible places for those whom

nothing but extreme necessity could have forced to live

there a few weeks ago : some join in the merry dance,

others saunter up and down the orange-groves ; and

towai'ds evening, the roads become a moving scene of silk

and jewels. The gaming-tables have constant visitors ;

there, thousands are daily and nightly lost and won ;

parties even sit down to tiy their luck round the outside

of the door as well as in the room : —

" Vcstibuluin ante ipsuiu priinisqiie in futicibus aula;
Luctus et ultrjccs, posucrc sedilia curie.

About six or seven miles from Pernambuco stands a Monteiro.
pretty little village called Monteiro ; the river runs close

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lUi.

100

Second
Journey.

WANDERINGS IN

by it, and its rural beauties seem to surpass all others in
the neighbourhood ; there the Captain- General of Per-
nambuco resides during this time of merriment and joy.

The traveller, who allots a portion of his time to peep
at his fellow -creatures in their relaxations, and accus-
toms himself to read their several little histories in their
looks and gestures as he goes musing on, may have full
occupation for an hour or two every day at this season
amid the variegated scenes around the pretty village of
Monteiro. In the evening groups sitting at the door,
he may sometimes see with a sigh how wealth and the
prince's favour cause a booby to pass for a Solon, and
be reverenced as such, while perhaps a poor neglected
Camoens stands silent at a distance, awed by the daz-
zling glare of wealth and power. Retired from the pub-
lic road he may see poor Maria sitting under a palm-tree,
with her elbow in her lap, and her head leaning on one
side within her hand, weeping over her forbidden bans.
And as he moves on " with wandering step and slow,"
he may hear a brokenhearted nymph ask her faithless
swain, —

" How could you say my face was fair.
And yet that face forsake ?
How could you win my virgin heart,
Yet leave that heart to break ?"

One afternoon, in an unfrequented part not far from
Monteiro, these adventures were near being brought to a

I
■J

1 1 : :

.

SOUTH AMERICA.

sp • ly and a final close : six or seven blackbirds, with
a , hite spot betwixt the shoulders, were making a noise,
and passing to and fro on the lower branches of a tree
in an abandoned, weed-grown, orange orchard. In the
long grass underneath the tree, apparently a pale green
grasshopper was fluttering as though it had got en-
tangled in it. When you once fancy that the thing you
are looking at is really what you take it for, the more
you look at it, the more you are convinced it is so. In
the present case, this was a grasshopper beyond all
doubt, and nothing more remained to be done but to
wait in patience till it had settled, in order that you
might run no risk of breaking its legs in attempting to
lay hold of it while it was fluttering — it still kept flut-
tering; and having quietly approached it, intending to
make sure of it — behold, the head of a large rattlesnake
appeared in the grass close by : an instantaneous spring
backwards prevented fatal consequences. What had
been taken for a grasshopper was, in fact, the elevated
rattle of the snake in the act of announcing that he was
quite prepared, though unwilling, to make a sure and
deadly spring. He shortly after passed slowly from
under the orange-tree to the neighbouring wood on the
side of a hill : as he moved over a place bare of grass
and weeds he appeared to be about eight feet long ; it
was he who had engaged the attention of the birds, and
made them heedless of danger from another quarter : they

101

Second
Journey.

^i.

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102

Sbconb
Journey.

Rainy
Seasons.

Embarks
for Cayenne.

WANDERINGS IN

flew iiway on his retiring ; one alone left his little life
in the air, destined to become a specimen, mute and
motionless, for the inspection of the curious in a far
distant elune.

It was now the rainy season ; the birds were moulting ;
fifty -eight specimens of the handsomest of them in the
neighbourhood of Pernanibuco had been collected ; and
it was time to proceed elsewhere. The conveyance to
the interior was by horses ; and this mode, together with
the heavy rains, would expose preserved specimens to
almost certain damage. The journey to Maranham by
land, would take at least forty days. The route was not
wild enough to engage the attention of an explorer, or
civilized enough to afford common comforts to a traveller.
By sea there were no opportunities, except slave ships.
As the transporting poor negroes from port to port for
sale pays mcU in Brazil, the ships' decks are crowded with
them. This would not do.

Excuse here, benevolent reader, a small tribute of
gratitude to an Irish family, M'hose urbanity and goodness
have long gained it the esteem and respect of all ranks
in Pernanibuco. The kindness and attention I received
from Dennis Kearney, Esq. and his amiable lady, will be
remembered \^ith gratitude to my dying day.

After wishing farewell to this hospitable family, I
embarked on board a Portuguese brig, with poor accom-
modations, for Cayenne in Guiana. The most eligible bed-

J

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SOUTH AMERICA.

103

Second

JoURNKY.

room was the top of a hen-coop on deck. Even here,
an unHavouiy little beast, called bug, was neither shy
nor deficient in appetite.

The Portuguese seamen are famed for catching fish.
One evening, under the line, four sharks made their
appearance in the wake of the vessel. The sailors caught
them all.

On the fourteenth day after leaving Pernambuco, the
brig cast anchor off the island of Cayenne. The entrance
is beautiful. To windward, not far oflF, there are two
bold wooded islands, called the Father and Mother ; and
near them are others, their children, smaller, though as
beautiful as their parents. Another is seen a long way
to leeward of the family, and seems as if it had strayed
from home, and cannot find his way back. Tlie French
call it " I'enfant perdu." As you pass the islands, the
stately hills on the main, ornamented with ever- verdant
foliage, show you that this is by far the sublimest scenery
on the sea-coast, from the Amazons to the Oroonoquo.
On casting your eye towards Dutch Guiana, you will see
that the mountains become imconnected, and few in
number, and long before you reach Surinam, the Atlantic
wave washes a flat and muddy shore.

Considerably to windward of Ca venue, and about twelve f onstabie

•' - rock.

leagues from land, stands a stately and towering rock,
called the Constable. As nothing gi'ows on it to tempt
greedy and aspiring man to claim it as his o%vti, the

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104

Second
Journey.

Colony of
Cayenne.

The town.

Governor of
Cayenne.

WANDERINGS IN

sea-fowl rest and raise their offspring there. The bird
called the Frigate is ever soaring round its nigged summit.
Hither the Phaeton bends his rapid flight, and flocks of
rosy Flamingos here defy the fowler's cunning. All along
the coast, opposite the Constable, and indeed on every
uncultivated part of it to windward and leeward, are seen
innumerable quantities of snow-white Egrets, scarlet
Curlews, Spoonbills, and Flamingos.

Cayenne is capable of being a noble and productive
colony. At present it is thought to be the poorest on the
coast of Guiana. Its estates are too much separated one
from the other, by immense tracts of forest ; and the
revolutionary war, like a cold eastern wind, has chilled
their zeal, and blasted their best expectations.

The clove -tree, the cinnamon, pepper and nutmeg,
and many other choice spices and fruits, of the eastern
and Asiatic regions, produce abundantly in Cayenne.

The town itself is prettily laid out, and was once well
fortified. They tell you it might easily have been
defended against the invading force of the two united
nations; but Victor Hugues, its governor, ordered the
tri-coloured flag to be struck ; and ever since that day,
the standard of Braganza has waved on the ramparts
of Cayenne.

He who has received humiliations from the hand of
this haughty, iron-hearted governor may see him now in
Cayenne, stripped of all his revolutionary honours.

ill

SOUTH AMERICA.

105

; -3

broken down and ruined, and under arrest in his own Sbcond

JOUHNBY.

house. He has four accomplished daughters, respected

by the whole town. Towards the close of day, when the
sun's rays are no longer oppressive, these much-pitied
ladies are seen walking up and down the balcony with
their aged parent, trying, by their kind and filial atten-
tion, to remove the settled gloom from his too guilty
brow.

This was not the time for a traveller to enjoy Cayenne. The inha-

■ ' ^ bitunts.

The hospitality of the inhabitants was the same as ever,
but they had lost their wonted gaiety in public, and the
stranger might read in their countenances, as the recol-
lection of recent humiliations and misfortunes every now
and then kept breaking in upon them, that they were
still in sorrow for their fallen country : the victorious
hostile cannon of Waterloo still sounded in their cars :
their emperor was a prisoner amongst the hideous rocks
of St. Helena ; and many a Frenchman who had fought
and bled for France was now amongst them, begging for
a little support to prolong a life which would be forfeited
on the parent soil. To add another handful to the cypress
and wormwood already scattered amongst these polite
colonists, they had just received orders from the court of
Janeiro to put on deep mourning for six months, and
half-mourning for as many more, on account of the death
of the queen of Portugal.

About a day's journey in the interior, is the celebrated

p

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106

Second
Journey.

riantntion
of La Ga-
bricUc.

WANDERINGS IN

national plantation. This spot was judiciously chosen,
for it is out of the reach of enemies' cruisei's. It is called
La Gabriolle. No plantation in the western world can
vie with La Gabriclle. Its spices are of the choicest
kind ; its soil particularly favourable to them ; its arrange-
ments beautiful ; and its directeur, Monsieur Martin, a
botanist of first-rate abilities. This indefatigable natu-
ralist ranged tlu'ough the East, under a royal connnission,
in (juest of botanical knowledge ; and during his stay in
the western regions, has sent over to Europe from twenty
to twenty-five thousand specimens, in botany and zoology.
La Gabriclle is on a far-extending range of woody hills.
Figure to yourself a hill in the shape of a bowl reversed,
with the buildings on the top of it, and you will have an
idea of the appearance of La Gabriclle. You approach
the house through a noble avenue, five hundred toises
long, of the choicest tropical fruit trees, planted with
the greatest care and judgment ; and should you chance
to stray through it, after sunset, when the clove-trees
are in blossom, you would fancy yourself in the Idalian
groves, or near the banks of the Nile, where they were
burning the finest incense, as the queen of Egypt passed.
On La Gabriclle there are twenty-two thousand clove-
trees in full bearing. They are planted thirty feet asunder.
Their lower branches touch the ground. In general the
trees are topped at five and twenty feet high ; though
you will see some here towering up above sixty. The

SOUTH AMERICA.

107

black pepper, the cinnamon, and nutmeg are also in great Skcond
abundance here, and very productive.

While the stranger views the spicy groves of La Ga-
brielle, and tastes the most deUcious fruits which have been
originally imported hither from all parts of the tropical
world, he will thank the government which has supported,
and admire the talents of the gentleman who has raised to
its present grandeur, this noble collection of useful fruits.
There is a large nursery attached to La Gabrielle, where
plants of all the different species are raised and distri-
buted gratis to those colonists who wish to cultivate them.

Not far from the banks of the river Oyapoc, to windward The Cotk of

the Rock.

of Cayenne, is a mountain which contains an immense
cavern. Here the Cock of the Rock is plentiful. He is
about the size of a fan-tail pigeon, his colour a bright
orange, and his wings and tail appear as though fringed ;
his hej^l is ornamented with a superb double-feathery
crest, edged with purple. He passes the day amid gloomy
damps and silence, and only issues out for food a short
time at sunrise and sunset. He is of the gallinaceous tribe.
The South- American Spmiiards call him " Gallo del Rio
Negro," (Cock of the Black River,) and suppose that he
is only to be met with in the vicinity of that far-inland
stream ; but he is common in the interior of Demerara,
amongst the huge rocks in the forests of Macoushia ;
and he has been shot south of the line, in the captainship
of Para.

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108

WANDERINGS IN

Skcond
Journey,

The bird called by Buffoii Grand Gobe-mouche has
never been found in Demerara, although very common
in Cayenne. He is not quite so large as the jackdaw,
is entirely black, except a large spot under the throat,
which is a glossy purple.

Faramaribo. You may casily Sail from Cayenne to the river Surinam
in two days. Its capital, Paramaribo, is handsome, rich,
and populous : hitherto it has been considered by far
the finest town in Guiana ; but probably the time is not
far off when the capital of Demerara may claim the prize
of superiority. You may enter a creek above Para-
maribo, and travel through the interior of Surinam, till
you come to the Nicari, which is close to the large river
Coryntin. When you have passed this river, there is
a good public road to New Amsterdam, the capital of
Berbice.

On viewing New Amsterdam, it will immediately strike
you that something or other has intervened to prevent
its arriving at that state of wealth and consequence for
which its original plan shows it was once intended.
What has caused this stop in its progress to the rank
of a fine and populous city, remains for those to find out
who are interested in it ; certain it is, that New Amster-
dam has been languid for some years, and now the tide
of commerce seems ebbing fast from the shores of
Berbice.

Demerara. Gay and blooming is the sister colony of Demerara.

New
Amstcrdiini.

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SOUTH AM£RICA.

Perhaps, kind reader, thou hast not forgot that it was
from Stnbroek, the capital of Demerara, that the adven-
turer set out, some years ago, to reach the Portuguese
frontier fort, and collect the wourali poison. It was not
intended, when this second sally was planned in England,
to have visited Stabroek again by the route here described.
The plan was, to have ascended the Amazons from Para,
and got into the Rio Negro, and from thence to have
returned towards the source of the Essequibo, in order
to examine the crystal mountains, and look once more
for Lake Parima, or the White Sea ; but on arriving at
Cayenne, the current was running with such amazing
rapidity to leeward, that a Portuguese sloop which had
been beating up towards Para for four weeks, was then
only half way. Finding, therefore, that a beat to the
Amazons would be long, tedious, and even uncertain,
and aware that the season for procuring birds in fine
plumage had already set in, I left Cayenne in an Ame-
rican ship for Paramaribo, went through the interior to
the Coryntin, stopped a few days in New Amsterdam, and
proceeded to Demerara. If, gentle reader, thy patience
be not already worn out, and thy eyes half closed in
slumber, by perusing the dull adventures of this second
sally, perhaps thou wilt pardon a line or two on Deme-
rara; and then we will retire to its forests, to collect
and examine the economy of its most rare and beautiM
birds, and give the world a new mode of preserving them.

109

Second
Journey.

MrKl

110

Srcond
Journey.

Stabruck.

Court of
justice.

The pl.intu-
tiuiis.

WANDERINGS IN

Sta1)roek, the capital of Deinrrara, has been rapidly
iiicreaHing for sonic years back ; niul if prosperity go
hand m hand with the present enterprisintf spirit, Sta-
broek, ere long, will be of the first colonial consideration.
It stands on the eastern bank at the mouth of the Deinc>
rara, and enjoys all the advantages of the refreshing sea
breeze ; the streets are spacious, well bricked, and
elevated, the trenches clean, the bridges excellent, and
the houses handsome. Almost every commodity and
luxury of London may be bought in the shops at Sta-
broek : its market wants better regulations. The hotels
are connnudious, clean, and well attended. Demerara
boasts as fine and well-disciplined militia as any colony in
the western world.

The court of justice, where, in times of old, the band-
age was easily removed from the eyes of the goddess, and
her scales thrown out of e(|uilibrium, now rises in dignity
under the firumess, tident.H, and urbanity of Mr. President
Rough.

The plantations have an appearance of high cultiva-
tion ; a tolerable idea may be formed of their value,
when you know that last year Demerara numbered
seventy-two thousand nine Imndred and ninety-nine
slaves. They made above forty-four million pounds of
sugar, near two million galhms of rum, above eleven
million pounds of cottee, and three million eight hun-
dred and nineteen thousand five hundred and twelve

i

NOOTil AMUUK'A.

Ill

poutuU of t'oltoii; tlu» ro('t»i|>t into the public chest was skcond

JoVRNBY.

five hundred and llrty -three thouNnnd nine hundred nnd

fifty-8ix Kuil(h>rM . the pulilic expenditure, four hundred
and fif>y-on( thouMiuid i*)\ luuuh'ed and tluce guilders.

Slavery can never lie defended j he whose heart is not slavery.
of iron can never winli to he able to defend it : while he
heaves a sigh for the poor negro in captivity, he wishes
from his soul that the traflle had been stiMed in its birth j
but, unfortunately, the goverinnents of Kurope nourished
it, and now that they are exerting themselves to do aAvay the
evil, and ensure liberty to the sons of Africa, the situation
of the plantation slaves is depicted as truly deplorable,
nnd their condition wretched. It is not so. A Bri-
ton's heart, proverl»ially kiiul and generous, is not
changed by eliuuite, or its streams of comjiassion dried
up by the scorching heat of a Demcrara sun ; he cheers
his negroes in labour, comforts them in sickness, is kind
to them in old age, and never forgets that they are his
fellow-creatures.

Instances of enielty and depravity certainly occur
here as well as all the world over ; but the edicts of the
colonial government are well calculated to prevent them ;
and the British planter, except here and there one, feels
for the wrongs done to a poor ill-treated slave, and
shows that his heart grieves for him by causing imme-
diate redress, and preventing a repetition.

Long may ye flourish, peaceful and liberal mhabitants

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112

WANDERINGS IN

skcond of Deiiierarn. Your doors are ever open to harbour the

JOURNRY.

harbourless ; your purses never shut to the wants of the

distressed : many a ruined fugitive from the Oroonoque
will bless your kindness to him in the hour of need,
when tlying from the avocs of civil discord, without food
or raiment, he begged for shelter underneath your roof.
The poor sufferer in Trinidad, wlio lost his all in the
devouring flames, will remember your charity to his
latest moments. Tlie traveller, as he leaves your port,
casts a longing, lingering look behind ; your attentions,
your hospitality, your pleasantry and mirth are upper-
most in his thoughts ; your prosperity is close to his
heart. Let us now, gentle reader, retire from the busy
scenes of man, and journey on towards the wilds in quest
of the feathered tribe.
tofuuire""* Leave behind you your high-seasoned dishes, your
adventurers. ^yi,n>(i.^ {^nj your dclicacics ; carry nothing but what is
necessary for your own comfort, and the object in view,
and depend upon the skill of an Indian, or your own,
for fish and game. A sheet, about twelve feet long, ten
wide, painted, and with loop-holes on each side, will be
of great service : in a few minutes you can suspend it
betwixt two trees in the shape of a roof. Under this, in
your hammock, you may defy the pelting shower, and
sleep heedless of the dews of night. A hat, a shirt, and
a light pair of trowsers, will be all the raiment you
require. Custom will soon teach you to tread lightly

•■ •».

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l|iim.Li,..-|l

SOUTH AMERICA.

113

and barefoot on the little incqujilities of the ground, and Skcond

.lolKXKY.

show you how to pass on, unwounded, amid the mant-
ling briars.

Snakes, in these M'ilds, are certainly an annoyance, Smikes.
though perhaps more in imagination than in reahty ; for
you must recollect that the serpent is never the first to
offend : his poisonous fang was not given him for con-
quest : he never inflicts a Avound with it, but to defend
existence. Provided you walk cautiously, and do not
absolutely touch him, you may pass in safety close by
him. As he is often coiled up on the ground, and
amongst the branches of the trees above you, a degree
of circumspection is necessary, lest you unwarily disturb
him.

Tigers are too few, and too apt to tly before the noble Tigers.
face of man, to require a moment of your attention.

The bite of the most noxious of the insects, at the
very worst, only causes a transient fever, with a degree
of pain more or less.

Birds, in general, with a few exceptions, are not com- Binis.
mon in the very remote parts of the forest. The sides
of rivers, lakes, and creeks, the borders of savannas, the
old abandoned habitations of Indians, and wood-cutters,
seem to be their favourite haimts. a

Though least in size, the glittering mantle of the Hum- Uinumiiig-

• 1 1 bird.

mmg-bird entitles it to the first place in the list of the
birds of the new world. It nu\y truly be called the bird

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114

Second
Journey.

Iliuints of
the IIiiiii-
luing-birds,

WANDERINGS IN

of paradise ; and had it existed in the old world, it
would have claimed the title instead of the bird which
has now the honour to bear it : — see it darting through
the air almost as (juick as thought ! — now it is within
a yard of your face ! — in an instant gone ! — now it
flutters from flower to flower to sip the silver dew — it is
now a ruby — now a topaz — now an emerald — now all
burnished gold ! It would be arrogant to pretend
to describe this winged gem of nature after
Buflx)n's elegant description of it.

Cayenne and Demerara produce the same humming-
birds. Perhaps you would wish to know something of
their haunts. Chiefly in the months of July and August
the tree called Bois Innnortel, very connnon in Dcmerura,
bears abundance of red blossom, Mhich stays on the tree
for some weeks ; then it is that most of the difterent
species of humming-birds are very plentiful. The wild
red sage is also their favourite shrab, and they buzz like
bees roimd the blossom of the Wallaba tree. Indeed,
there is scarce a flower in the interior, or on the sea-
coast, but what receives frequent visits from one or other
of the species.

On entering the forests, on the rising land in the
interior, the blue and green, the smallest brown, no bigger
than the humble bee, with two long feathers in the tail,
and the little forked-tail purple-throated humming-birds,
glitter before you in ever-changing attitudes. One

sR

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SOUTH AMERICA.

115

species alone never shaws his beauty to the sun ; and
were it not for his lovely shining colours, you might almost -
be tempted to class him with the goat-suckers, on account
of his habits. He is the largest of all the humming-birds,
and is all red and changing gold green, except the head,
which is black. He has two long feathers in the tail, which
cross each other, and these have gained him the name of
Karabimiti, orAra humming-bird, from the Indians. You
never find him on the seacoast, or where the river is salt,
or in the heart of the forest, unless fresh water be there.
He keeps close by the side of Avoody fresh-water rivers,
and dark and lonely creeks. He leaves his retreat before
sunrise to feed on the insects over the water ; he returns
to it as soon as the sun's rays cause a glare of light, is
sedentary all day long, and comes out again for a short
time after sunset. He builds his nest on a twig over the
water in the unfrequented creeks ; it looks like tanned
cow leather.

As you advance towards tlie mountains of Demerara,
other species of humming-birds present themselves before
you. It seems to be an erroneous opinion, that the
humming-bird lives entirely on honey-dew. Almost
every flower of the tropical climates contains insects of
one kind or other ; now, the luunming-bird is nu)st busy
about the flowers an hour or two after sunrise, and after
a shower of rain, and it is just at this tune that the
insects come out to the edge of tlic flower in order that

ti2

Second
Journey.

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116

WANDERINGS IN

The

Cotingns.

Second the sun's rays may dry the nocturnal dew and rain which

Journey. • i ,rx • i

they have received. On openuig the stomach of the

humming-bird, dead insects are ahnost always found
there.

Next to the hummhig-birds, the Cotingas display the
gayest plumage. They are of the order of passer, and
you number five species betwixt the seacoast and the
rock Saba. Perliaps the scarlet Cotinga is the richest
of the five, and is one of those birds which arc found in
the deepest recesses of the forest. His crown is flaming
red ; to this abruptly succeeds a dark shining brown,
reaching half way down the back : the remainder of the
back, the rump, and tail, the extremity of which is edged
with black, are a lively red ; the belly is a somewhat
lighter red ; the breast reddish black ; the Mings brown.
He has no song, is solitary, and utters a monotonous
Avhistle which sounds like " quct." He is fond of tht,
seeds of the Hitia tree, and those of the Siloabali and
bastard Siloabali trees, mIucIi ripen in December, and
continue on the trees for above two months. He is
found throughout the year in Dcmerara ; still nothing
is known of his incubatioii. The Indians all agree in
telling you that they have never seen his nest.

The purj)le-breasted Cotinga has the throat and breast
of a deep piu'ple, the wings and tail black, and all the
rest of the body a most lovely shining blue.

The purple-throated Cotinga has black wings and tail,

The |iui|)lc-
Cotinga.

'1- ».

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SOUTH AMERICA.

117

Second
Journey.

and every other part a light and glossy bhie, save the

throat, which is purple.

The Pompadour Cotinga is entirely puiple, except j^u/c"''*'
his wings, which are white, their four first feathers tipped ''"&'*•
with brown. The great coverts of the wings are stiff,
narrow, and pointed, being shaped quite different from
those of any other bird. When you are betwixt this
bird and the sun, in his flight, he appears uncommonly
brilliant. He makes a hoarse noise, which sounds like
'* Wallababa." Hence his name amongst the Indians.

None of these three Cotingas have a song. They feed
on the Hitia, Siloabali, and bastard Siloabali seeds, the
wild Guava, the fig, and other fruit trees of the forest.
Tliey are easily shot in these trees during the months of
December, Januai _.', and part of February. The greater
part of them disappear after this, and probably retire far
away to breed. Their nests have never been found in
Demerara.

The fifth species is the celebrated Campancro of the The Cmn-
Spaniards, called Dura by the Indians, and bell-bird by
the English. He is about the size of the Jay. His plumage
is white as snow. On his forehead rises a spiral tube
nearly three inches long. It is jet black, dotted all over
with small white feathers. It has a conmiunication with
the i)alate, and when filled with air, looks like a spire;
when empty, it becomes pendulous. His note is loud and
clear, like the sound of a bell, and may be heard at the

piuiero.

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JOUBNBT.

WANDERINGS IN

distance of three miles. In the midst of these extensive
wilds, gencnilly on the dried top of an aged Mora, almost
out of gun reach, you will see the Campanero. No sound
or song from any of the winged inhabitants of the forest,
not even the clearly pronounced " Whip-poor-Will,"
from the goatsucker, cause such astonishment, as the toll
of the Campanero.

With many of the feathered race, he pays the common
tribute of a morning and an evening song ; and even when
the meridian sun has shut in silence the mouths of almost
the wh'^^o of animated nature, the Campanero still cheers
the foicst. You hear his toll, and then a pause for a
minute, then another toll, and then a pause again, and
then a toll, and again a pause. Then he is silent for six
or eight minutes, and then another toll, and so on. Acteon
would stop in mid chase, Maria would defer her evening
song, and Orpheus himself would drop his lute to listen
to him ; so sweet, so novel, and romantic is the toll of
the pretty snow-Avhite Campanero. He is never seen to
feed with the other Cotingas, nop is it known in what
part of Guiana he makes his nest.
The'i'ouciiii. While the Cotingas attract your attention by their
superior plumage, the singular form of the Toucan makes
a lasting impression on your memory. There are three
species of Toucans in Demcrara, and three diminutives,
which may be called Toucanets. The largest of the first
species frequents the Mangrove trees on the sea-coast

SOUTH AMERICA,

119^

'I

He is never seen in tlie interior till yon reach Macoushia, Second

JuUHNKY,

where he is found hi the neighbourhood of the river

Tacatou. The other two species are very common. They
feed entirely on the fruits of the forest, and though of the
pie kind, never kill the young of other birds, or touch
carrion. The larger is called Bouradi by the Indians,
(which means nose,) the other, Scirou. They seem
partial to each other's company, and often resort to the
same feeding tree, and retire together to the same shady
noon-day retreat. They are very noisy in rainy weather
at all hours of the day, and in fair weather, at morn and
eve. The sound which the Bouradi makes, is like the
clear yelping of a puppy dog, and you fancy he says
'* pia-po-o-co," and thus the South American Spaniards
call him Piapoco.

All the Toucanets feed on the same trees on which the
Toucan feeds, and eveiy species of this family of enor-
mous bill, lays its eggs in the hollow trees. They are
social, but not gregarious. You may sometimes see eight
or ten in company, and from this you would suppose they
are gregarious ; but, upon a closer examination, you will
find it has only been a dinner party, which breaks up and
disperses towards roosting time.

You will be at a loss to conjecture for what ends nature
has overloaded the head of this bird with such an enor-
mous bill. It cannot be for the offensive, as it has no
need to wage war with any of the tribes of animated

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WANDERINGS IN

skconii nature ; for its food is fruits and seeds, and those are in

JoUBNEY.

superabundance throughout the whole year in the regions

where tlie Toucan is found. It can hardly be for the
defensive, as the Toucan is preyed upon by no bird in
South America, and were it obliged to be at war, the
texture of the bill is ill adapted to give or receive blows,
as you will see in dissecting it. It cannot be for any par-
ticular protection to the tongue, as the tongue is a perfect
feather.

Its flight. The flight of the Toucan is by jerks ; in the action of

flying it seems inconnnoded by this huge disproportioned
feature, and the head seems as if bowed down to the
earth by it against its will ; if the extraordinary form and
size of the bill expose the Toucan to ridicule, its colours

Colours of uittke it amends. Were a specimen of each species of
the Toucan presented to you, you would pronounce the
bill of the Bouradi the most rich and beautiful ; on the
ridge of the upper mandible a broad stripe of most
lovely yellow extends from the head to the point ; a stripe
of the same breadth, though somewhat deeper yellow,
falls from it at right angles next the head down to the
edge of the mandible ; then follows a black stripe, half as
broad, falling at right angles from the ridge, and running
narrower along the edge to within half an inch of the
point. The rest of the mandible is a deep bright red.
The lower mandible has no yellow : its black and red
are distributed in the same manner as on the upper one.

m^^

SOUTH AMERICA.

121

with this difference, that there is bhick about an inch Skcond

Journey.

from the point. Tiic stripe corresponding <o the deep •

yellow stripe on the upper mandible is sky blue. It is
worthy of remark that all these brilliant colours of the
bill are to be found in the plumage of the body, and the
bare skin round the eye.

All these colours, except the blue, are inherent in the
horn ; that part which appears blue is in reality transpa-
rent white, and receives its colour from a thin piece of
blue skin inside. This superb bill fades in death, and in
three or four days' time, has quite lost its original
colours.

Till within these few years, no idea of the true colours
of the bill could be formed from the stuffed Toucans
brought to Europe. About eight years ago, while eating
a boiled Toucan, the thought struck me that the colours
m the bill of a preserved specimen might be kept as
briirht as those in life. A scries of experiments proved Preserves a

" * * bill of the

this beyond a doubt. If you take your pen-knife and Toucan.
cut away the roof of the upper nmndible, you will find
that the space betwixt it and the outer shell contains a
large collection of veins, and small osseous fibres running
in all directions through the whole extent of the bill.
Clear away all these Avith your knife, and you will come
to a substance more firm than skin, but of not so strong
a texture as the horn itself; cut this away also, and
behind it is discovered a thin and tender membrane ;

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122

SlCOND
JOVRNIY.

WANDERINGS IN

yellow, where it has touched the yellow part of the horn ;
blue, where it has touched the red part, and black
towards the edge and point ; when dried , this thin and
tender membrane becomes nearly black ; as soon as it is
cut away, nothing remains but the outer horn, red and
yellow, and now become transparent ; the under mandible
must mulergo the same operation. Great care must be
taken, and the knife used very cautiously, when you are
cutting through the different parts close to where the bill
joins on to the head ; if you cut away too much, the bill
drops off; if you press too hard, the knife comes through
the horn ; if you leave too great a portion of the mem-
brane, it appears through the horn, and by becoming
black when dried, makes the horn appear black also, and
has a bad effect; judgment, caution, skill, and practice,
will ensure success.

You have now cleared the bill of all those bodies which
are the cause of its apparent fading ; for, as has been
said before, these bodies dry in death, and become
quite discoloured, and appear so through the horn ;
and reviewing the bill in this state, you conclude that
its former bright colours are lost.

Something still remains to be done. You have ren-
deretl the bill transparent by the operation, and that
transparency must be done away to make it appear per-
fectly natural. Pound some clean chalk, and give it
enough water till it be of the consistency of tar ; add a

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.lumtrav.

SOUTH AMERICA 123

proportion of gum arable to make it adhesive ; then takt
tL camel-hair brush, and give the inside of both irtnndi-
bles a coat ; apply a second when the first is dry, then
■another, and a fourth to finish all. The gum arabic will
prevent the chalk from cracking and falling oif. If you
remember, there is a little space of transparent white in
the lower mandible, which originally appeared blue, but
•which became transparent white as soon as the thin
piece of blue skin was cut away ; this must be painted
blue inside. When all this is completed, the bill will
please you ; it will appear in its original colours. Pro-
bably your own abilities will suggest a cleverer mode of
operating than the one here described. A small gouge
would assist the penknife, and render the operation less
difficult.

The Houtou ranks high in beauty amongst the birds tuc Hou-
of Demerara ; his whole body is green, with a bluish
cast in the wings and tail ; his crown, which he erects at
pleasure, consists of black in the centre, surrounded with
lovely blue of two different shades : he has a triangular
black spot, edged with blue, behind the eye, extending
to the ear; and on his breast a sable tuft, consisting
of nine feathers edged also with blue. This bird seems
to suppose that its beauty can be increased by trim-
mmg the tml, which undergoes the same operation
as our hair in a barber's shop, only with this differ-
ence, that it uses its own beak, which is seiTated, in

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WANDERINC^ IN

8rcom> lieu of a pair of scissars : as soon as his tail is full
grown, ho begins about an inch from the extremity of
the two longest feathers in it, and euts away the web on
both sides of the shaft, making a gap about an inch
long : both male and female Adonisc their tails in this
manner, whieh gives them a remarkable appearance
amongst all other birds. AVhile we consider the tail of
the Houtou blemished and defective, were he to come
amongst us, he would probably consider our heads,
cropped and bald, in no l)etter light. He who wishes
Its haunts, to obscrvc tlus luuidsome bird in his native haunts,
must be in the forest at the morning's dawn. The
Houtou shuns the society of man : the plantations and

»

cultivated parts are too much disturbed to engage it
to settle there ; the thick and gloomy forests are the
places preferred by the solitary Houtou. In those far-
extending wiUls, about daybreak, you hear him arti-
culate, in a distinct and nu)urnful tone, " Houtou,
houtou." Move cautious on to where the sound pro-
ceeds from, and you will see him sitting in the under-
wood, about a couple of yards from the ground, his tail
moving up and down every time he articulates " houtou."
He lives on insects and the berries amongst the under-
wood, and very rarely is seen in the lofty trees, except
the bastard Siloabali-trce, the fruit of which is grateful to
him. He makes no nest, but rears his young in a hole
in the sand, generally on the side of a hill.

SOUTH AMIilUCA.

125

While ill quest of the lloiitoii, you will now and then Skcok.^

JoUNNBy,

fall in with the jay of (iuiana, called hy the Indians „., , — -

•' ' ' •' I he Jay of

Ibibirou. Its forehead Is hlaeU, the rest of the head ^j"'"""-
white ; the throat and hreant like the Itinglish niaf^pie :
about an ineh of the extremity of the tail is white, the
otl'.cT part of it, together with the back and wings, a f^rayish
changing purple ; the belly is white : there are generally
six or eight of them in company ; they are shy and
garrulous, and tarry a very short time w one place : they
are never seen in the cidtivated parts.

Through the wliole extent of the forest, chicHy from
sunrise till nine o'clock in the morning, you hear a sound
of " wow, wow, wow, wow." This is the bird called J3oe- r^e Boc-

lorn.

loni by the ludians. It is snudler than the counnon
pigeon, and seems, in souie measure, to partake of its
nature ; its heatl and breast live blue ; the back and
rump somewhat reseuible the colour on the peacock's
neck ; its belly is a bright yellow ; the legs are so very
small that it always appears as if sitting on the branch ;
it is as ill jxlaptcd for walking as the sv,allow ; its neck,
for above an inch all round, is (juite bare of feathers;
but this deficiency is not seen, for it always sits with its
head diawn in upon its shoulders : it somethnes feeds
with tlic Cotingas on the (luava and Mitia trees; but its
chief nutriment seenis to be insects, and, like most birds
w. h follow this i)rev, its chaps are avcU armed with
bristles: it is found in Demerara at all times of the

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126

WANDERINGS IN

Second year, aiid iiiakcs a nest reseinblinc that of the stock

JOUHN£Y.

— dove. This bird never takes lonj;? flights, and when it

crosses a river or creek it goes by long jerks.

The JJoclora is very inisuspieious, appearing quite
heedless of danger : the report of a giin within twenty
yards Mill not cause it to leave the branch on which it is
sitting, and you may often approach it so near as almost
to touch it with the end of your bow. Perhaj)s there is
no bird known whose feathers are so slightly fixed to the
skin as those of the Boclora. After shooting it, if it
touch a branch in its descent, or if it drop on hard
ground, M'hole heaps of feathers fall off : on this account
it is extremely hard to procure a specimen for preser-
vation. As soon as the skin is diy in the presen'ed
specimen, the feathers becom( as m'cU fixed as those in
any other bird.

Another species, larger than the Boclora, attracts
much of your notice hi these wilds ; it is called Cuia by
the Indians, from the sound of its voice ; its habits are
the same as those of the Boclora, but its colours differ-
ent ; its head, breast, back, and rump are a shining,
changing green ; its tail not quite so bright ; a black bar
runs across the tail towards the extremity, and the out-
side feathers are partly white as in the Boclora ; its
belly is entirely vermilion, a bar of white separating it
from the green on the breast.

There are diminutives of both these birds ; they have

The Cuia.

II,.,

!'?!!♦*"'

SOUTH AMERICA.

127

the same habits, with a somewhat different phimage, and second

Journey.

about half the size. Arrayed from head to tail in a robe

of richest sable hue, the bird called Rice-bird loves spots J||.^,"''*^'

cultivated by the hand of man. The woodcutter's house

on the hills in the interior, and the planter's habitation

on the sea-coast, ecpudly attract this songless species of

the order of Pie, provided the Indian corn be ripe there.

He is nearly of the jackdaw's size, and makes his nest

far away from the haunts of men ; he may truly be

called a blackbird : independent of his plumage, his

beak, inside and out, his legs, his toes, and claws are jet

black.

Mankind, by clearing the ground, and sowing a variety
of seeds, induces many kinds of birds to leave their
native haunts, and come and settle near him : their little
depredations on his seeds and fruits prove that it is the
property, and not the proprietor, which has the attrac-
tions. -' "

One bird, however, in Demerara is not actuated by The cas-

•^ sicjue.

selfish motives ; this is the Cassique ; in size, he is
larger than the starling ; he courts the society of man,
but disdains to live by his labours. When nature calls
for support, he repairs to the neighbouring forest, and
there partakes of the store of fruits and seeds, which she
has produced in abundance for her aerial tribes. When
his repast is over, he returns to man, and pays the little
tribute which he owes him for his protection ; he takes his

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128

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Second
Journey.

WANDERINGS IN

station on u tree close to his lionse ; and there, for hours
together, pours forth a succession of imitative notes.
His own song is sweet, but very short. If a Toucan be
yelping in the neighbourhood, he drops it, and imitates
him. Then he will amuse his protector with the cries of
the (Mfferent species of the woodpecker ; and when the
sheep bleat, he Mill distinctly answer them. Then comes
his own song again, and if a puppy dog, or a Guinea fowl
interrupt him, he takes them off admirably, and by his
different gestures during the time, you would conclude
that he enjoys the sport.

The Cassi(jue is gregarious, and imitates any sound he
hears with such exactness, that he goes by no other name
than that of Mocking bird amongst the colonists.

At breeding time, a number of these pretty choristers
resort to a tree near the planter's house, and from its
outside branches weave their pendulous nests. So con-
scious do they seem that they never give offence, and so
little suspicious are they of receiving any injury from man,
that they will choose a tree within forty yards from his
house, and occupy the branches so low down, that he
may peep into the nests. A tree in Warsitilla Creek
affords a proof of this.

The proportions of the Cassique are so fine, that he
may be said to be a model of symnietiy in ornithology.
On each wing he has a bright yellow spot, and his rump,
belly, and half the tail, are of the same colour. All. the

U'i'

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Sfxond
Journey.

SOUTH AMERICA. 129

rest of the body is black. His beak is the colour of
sulphur, but it fades in death, and requires the same
operation as the bill of the Toucan to make it keep its
colours. Up the rivers, in the interior, there is another
Cassicpie, nearly the same size, and of the same habits,
though not gifted with its powers of imitation. Except
in breeding time, you will see himdreds of them retiring
to roost, amongst the Moca-moca-trees and low shrubs
on the banks of the Dcmerara, after you pass the first
island. They arc not common on the sea-coast. The
rump of this Cassique is a flaming scarlet. All the rest
of the body is a rich glossy black. His bill is sulphur
colour. You may often see numbers of this species
weaving their pendulous nests on one side of a tree,
while numbers of the other species are busy in forming
theirs on the opposite side of the same tree. Though
such near neighbours, the females are never observed to
kick up a row, or come to blows !

Another species of Cassique, as large as a crow, is very Another

species of

common in the plantations. In the morning, he generally tiicCassique
repairs to a large tree, and there with his tail s})read over
his back, and shaking his lowered wings, he produces
notes, which though they cannot be said to amount to a
song, still have something very sweet and pleasing in
them. He makes his nest in the same form as the other
Cassiques. It is above four feet long ; and when you
pass under the tree, Avhich often contains fifty or sixty of

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130

WANDERINGS IN

Sbcond them, yon cannot help stopping to admire them as they

JOURNBY.

wave to aiul fro, the sport of every storm and breeze.

The nnnp is chestnut ; ten feathers of the tail are a fine
yf^llow, the remaining two, which are the middle ones,
are bhicU, and an inch shorter than the others. His bill
is sulphur colour ; all the rest of the body black, with
here and there shades of brown. He has five or six long
narrow black feathers on the back of his head, which h*^
erects at pleasure.

There is one more species of Cassique in Dcmenira^
which always prefers the forests to the cultivated parts.
His economy is the same as that of the other Cassiques.
He is rather smaller than the last described bird. His
body is greenish, and his tail and nnnp paler than those
of the former, Half of his beak is red.

You would not be long in the forests of Demerara,
without noticing the Woodpeckers. You meet with them
feeding at all hours of the day. Well may they do so.
Were they to follow the example of most of the other
birds, and only feed in the morning and evening, they
would be often on short allowance, for they sometimes
have to labour three or four hours at the tree before
they get to their food. The sound which the largest
kind makes in hammering against the bark of the tree, i»
so loud, that you would never suppose it to proceed froui
the efforts of a bird. You would take it to be the wood-
man, with his axe, tryuigby a sturdy blow, often repeated.

■Wood-
peckers.

i:

SOUTH AMERICA.

131

whether the tree were sound or not. Tliere are fourteen
species here ; the largest the size of a magpie, the
smallest no bigger than the wren. They are all beauti-
ful ; and the greater part of them have their heads orna-
mented with a fine crest, movable at pleasure.

It is said, if you once give a dog a bad name, whether
innocent or guilty, he never loses it. It sticks close to
him wherever he goes. He has many a kick, and many
a blow to bear on account of it ; and there is nobody to
stand up for him. The Woodpecker is little better off.
The proprietors of woods, in Europe, have long accused
him of injuring their timber, by boring holes in it, and
letting in the water, which soon rots it. The colonists in
America have the same conuvlaint against him. Had he
the power of speech, which Ovid's birds possessed in days
of yore, he could soon make a defence. " Mighty lord
of the woods," he would say to num, " why do you
wrongfully accuse me .'' Why do you hunt me up and
down to death, for an imaginary offence ? I have never
spoiled a leaf of your property, mucli less your wood.
Your merciless shot strikes me, at the very time I am
doing you a service. But your shortsiglitedness will not
let you see it, or yoiu* pride is above examining closely
the .actions of so insignificant a little bird as I am. If
there be that spark of feeling in your breast, which they
say num possesses, or ought to possess, above all other
animals, do a poor injured creature a little kindness, and

s2

Second

JOUBNEY.

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132

WANDERINGS IN

Second watcli inc ill yoiii* woods oiily for one day. I never wound

JOVHNEY.

your healthy trees, I should perish for want in the at-
tempt. The sound bark would easily resist the force of
my bill, and were I even to pierce through it, there would
be nothing inside that I could fancy, or my stomach
digest. I often visit them it is true, but a knock or two
convince me that I must go elsewhere for support ; and
were you to listen attentively to the sound which my bill
causes, you would know whether I am upon a healthy, or
an unhealthy tree. Wood and bark are not my food. I
live entirely upon the insects which have already formed
a lodgement in the distempered tree. When the sound
informs me that my prey is there, 1 labour for hours to-
gether, till I get at it ; and by consuming it, for my own
support, I prevent its further depredation;! in that part.
Thus 1 discover for you your hidden and unsuspected foe,
which has been devouring your wood in such secrecy, that
you had not the least suspicion it was there. The hole
which I make, in order to get at the pernicious vermin,
will be seen by you as you pass under the tree. I leave
it as a signal to tell you, that your tree has already stood
too long. It is past its j)rime. Millions of insects, en-
gendered by disease, are preying upon its vitals. Ere
long it will fall a log in useless nuns. Warned by this
loss, cut down the rest in time, and spare, O spare, the
unoffending Woodpecker."

TheKicg- 111 the livci's, and different creeks, you number six

fisher.

SOUTH AMERICA.

133

mar.

species of the King-fisher. They make their nest in a Second

JOURNBV.

hole in the sand on the side of the bank. As there is
always plenty of foliage to protect them from the heat
of the sun, they feed at all hours of the day. Though
their plumage is prettily varied, still it falls far short
of the brilliancy displayed by the English king-fisher.
This little native of Britain would outweigh them alto-
gether in the scale of beauty.

A bird called Jacamar is often taken for a king-fisher, The Jaca-
but it has no relationship to that tribe ; it frequently sits
in the trees over the water, and as its beak bears some
resemblance to that of the king-fisher, this may probably
account for its being taken for one ; it feeds entirely
upon insects ; it sits on a branch in motionless expect-
ation, and as soon as a fly, butterfly, or moth pass by, it
darts at it, and returns to the branch it had just left.
It seems an indolent, sedentary bird, shunning the society
of all others in the forest. It never visits the plantations,
but is found at all times of the year in the woods. There
are four species of Jacauuir in Demerara ; they are all
beautiful ; the largest, rich and superb in the extreme.
Its plumage is of so fine a changing blue and golden
gree:;, that it may be ranked with the choicest of the
hmnming-birds. Nature has denied it a song, but given
a costly garment in lieu of it. The smallest species of
Jacamar is very common in the dry savannas. The
second size, all golden green on the back, must be looked

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134

WANDERINGS IN

The Tiou-
piulo.

' )<

Skcond for in the Wallaba forest. The third is found throughout

JuVKNIiY.

the whole extent of tlicsc wilds : and the fourth, which
is the largest, frequents the interior, where you begin to
perceive stones hi the ground.

When you have penetrated far into Macoushia you hear
the pretty songster, called Troupiale, pour forth a variety
of sweet and plaintive notes. This is the bird which the
Portuguese call the nightingale of Guiana ; its predomi-
nant colours are rich orange, and shining black, an-ayed
to great advantage : his delicate and well-shaped fname
seems unable to bear cai)tivity. The Indians sometimes
bring down Troupiales to Stabroek, but in a few months
they languish and die in a cage. They soon become very
familiar ; and if you allow them the liberty of the house,
they live longer than in a cage, and appear hi better
spirits ; but, mIicu you least expect it, they drop down
and die in epilepsy.

Smaller in size, and of colour not so rich, and some-
what ditterently arranged, another species of Troupiale
sings melodiously in Demerara. The woodcutter is pai'-
ticularly favoured by him ; for while the hen is sitting on
her nest, built in the roof of the woodcutter's house, he
sings for hours together close by : he prefers the forests
to the cultivated parts.

You would not grudge to stop for a few mhiutes, as
you are walking in the plantations, to observe a third
speL'ies of Troupiale : his wings, tail, and throat are

St'coiul spc-
t it's ot'Trou-
piale.

Third spe-
cies ot'Trou-
piiile.

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SOUTH AMERICA.

133

black, all the rest of the body in a brlfjjht yellow. There second

. . ... JoUHNBY.

18 soniethinj^ very sweet and plaintive in his song", though
much shorter than that of the Tronpiale in the interior.

A fourth species r »es in flocks from place to place in i^otirth spe-
thc cultivated parts at the time the Indian corn is ripe ; i""''^'-
he is all black, except the head and throat, which are
yellow ; his attempt at song is not Avorth attending to.

Wherever there is a wild fig-tree ripe, a numerous spc- Tangnra
cies of birds, called Tangara, is sure to l)e on it. There are
eighteen beautiful species here. Their plumage is very
rich and diversified ; some of them boast six separate
colours ; others have the blue, purple, green, and black
so kindly blended into each other, that it would l)e impos-
sible to mark tueir boundaries ; while others again ex-
hibit them strong, distinct, and abrupt : many of these
Tangaras have a fine song. Tliey seem to partake much
of the nature of our Ihmcts, span-ows, and finches. Some
of them are fond of the plantations ; others are never
seen there, preferring the Avild seeds of the forest to the
choicest fruits planted by the hand of man.

On the same fig-trees to which they repair, and often Mimikin

si)ec'ics.

accidentally up and down the forest, you fall in with four
species of Manikin. The largest is white and black,
with the feathers on the throat remarkably long : the
next in size is half red and half black : the third, black,
with a white crown : the fourth, black, with a goldeu
crown, and red. feathers at the knee.

The half red

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136

WANDERINGS IN

The sinnll
Tiger-hinl.

skcond Qiul half black spccieis \h the scarcest. There is a creek

JOURNKY.

in the Deinerara called Cainouni. About ten minutes
from the mouth, you see a common-sized fig-tree
on your right-hand, as you ascend, hanging over the
water ; it bears a very snudl iig twice a year. When its
fruit is ripe, this Manikin is on the tree from morn
till eve.

On all the ripe fig-trees in the forest you sec tlie bird
called the small Tiger-bird. Like some of our belles
and dandies, it has a gaudy vest to veil an ill-shaped
body : the throat, and part of the head, are a bright
red ; the breast and belly ' -n'e black spots on a yellow
ground ; the wings are a dark green, black, and white ;
and the rump and tail black and green. Like the Mani-
kin it has no song : it depends solely upon a showy
gannent for admiration.

Devoid too of song, and in a still superber garb, the
Yawaraciri comes to feed on the same tree. It has a bar
like black velvet fiom the eyes to the beak ; its legs are
yellow; its throat, wings, and tail black ; all the rest of
the body a charming blue. Chiefly in the dry savannas,
and here and there accidentally in the forest, you see a
songless Yawaraciri still lovelier tlian the last : his crown
is whitish blue, arrayed like a coat of mail ; his tail is
black, his wings black and yellow ; legs red ; and the
whole body a glossy blue. Whilst roving through the
forest, ever and anon you see individuals of the wren

The Yawa-
raciri.

I

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k

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M ■!

SOUTH AMERICA.

137

species, busy amongst the fallen leaves, or seeking insects Skcond

JoUIINKY.

at the roots of the trees.

Here, too, you find six or seven species of small birds,
whose backs appear to be overloaded with silky plumage.
One of these, with a chestnut breast, smoke-coloured
back, tail red, white feathers like horns on his head, and
white, narrow-pointed feathers under the jaw, feeds
entirely upon ants. When a nest of large, light, brown
ants emigrates, one following the other in meandering
Hues above a mile long, you see this bird watching them,
and every now and then picking them up. When they
disappear, he is seen no more : perhaps this is the only
kind of ant he is fond of : wheu these ants are stirring,
you are sure to find him near them. You cannot well
mistake the ant after you have once been in its com- Ants.
pany, for its sting is very severe, and you can hardly
jhoot the bird, and pick it uj), without having five or six
upon you.

Parrots and Paro(iuets are very numerous here, and of Purrots and

Paroi|uet!).

many different kinds. You will know when they are
near you in the forest, not only by the noise they nuike,
but also by the fruits and seeds which they let fall while
they are feeding.

The Hia-hia parrot, called in England the parrot of t'"" H''»-

* "^ Ilia.

the sun, is very re arkable : he can erect at i)leasurc a
fine radiated circle of tartan feathers tjuite round the
back of his head from jaw to jaw. The fore part of his

T

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138

WANDERINGS IN

Skcovd head is white ; his baek, tail, and wings, green ; and his

JOUHNEY.

breast and belly tartan.

The Arn. Snperior in size and beanty to every parrot of Sonth

America, the Ara will force yon to take yonr eyes from
the rest of animated natnre, and ga/c at him : his com-
manding strength, tiie flaming scarlet of his body, the
lovely variety of red, yellow, bine, and green in his
wings, the extraordinaiy length of his scarlet and bine
tail, seem all to join and demand for him the title of
emperor of all the parrots. He is scarce in Demerara
till yon reach the conlines of the Maconshi country ;
there he is in vast abundance ; he mostly feeds on trees
of the palm species. When tlie Concourite trees have
ripe fruit on them, they are covered with this magnificent
parrot : he is not shy or wary ; you may take your blow-
pipe and (juiver of poisonecl arrows, and kill more than
you are able to carry back to your hut. They are very
vociferous, and, like the conmion parrots, rise up in
bodies towards sunset, and fly two and two to their place
of rest. It is a grand sight in ornithology to see thousands
of Aras flying over your head, low enough to let you
have a full view of their flaming mantle. The Indi.ans
find their flesh very good, and the feathers serve for
ornaments in their head-dresses. They breed in the
holes of trees, are easily reared and tamed, and learn to
speak pretty distinctly.
Another species frequents the low lands of Demerara.

iSii

SOUrii AMEUICA.

139

He is nearly tlie mIzo of the? McurU't Ara, but iniich skcond

, JoUHNHV.

inferior in plunmge. Blue anil yellow are his predominant
colours.

Along the ereekw and river Hides, and in the wet
savannas, six Npcu'les of the Bittern will engage your
attention. They are all handsouie. T lie smallest not so
large as the ICnglJMh water-hen.

In the savannas too, yon will sonietiines surprise the Tiu- s»ow-

" ' white

snow-white I'igrette, whose baeU is adorned with the i^srettc.
plumes from whieh it takes its name. Here too the spur-
winged Water-hen, tlu' blue and green Water-hen, and
two other speeles of ordinary phnnage, are found. While
hi (juest of these, the bhu" Heron, the large and small
brown Heron, the Boatbill, and iMuscovy Duek, now and
then rlsc» up before yon.

When the sun has sunk in tiie western woods, no longer
agitated by the breeze ; when you can only see a straggler
or two of the featheri'd tribe hastening to join its mate,
already at its roosting place, then it is that the Goat- ihc Oout-
sueker eoines out ol the lorest, where it has sat all day
long in slumbering ease, unmindful of the gay and busy
scenes around it. Its eyes are loo delicately formed to
bear the light, and thus it is forced to shun the flaming
face of day, and wait in patience till night invites liim to
partake of the pleasures her dusky presence brings.

The harmless, unoll'ending (ioatsucker, from the time of
Aristotle down to the present day, has been hi disgrace

T '2

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W^ifc^?^

140

Skconi>

JOUHNUY.

WANDERINGS IN

with man. Father has handed down to son, and author
to author, that this nocturnal thief subsists by milking
the flocks. Poor injured little bird of night, how sadly
hast thou suttered, and how foul a stain has inattention
to tacts put upon thy character ! Thou hast never robbed
man of any part of his property, nor deprived the kid of
a drop of milk.

Wlien the moon shines bright, you may have a fair
opportunity of examining the Goatsucker. You will see
it close by the cows, goats, and sheep, jumping up every
now and then, under their bellies. Approach a little
nearer, — he is not shy, " he fears no danger, for he knows
no sin." See how the nocturnal flies are tormenting the
herd, and with what dexterity he springs up and catches
them, as fast as they alight on the belly, legs, and udder
of the animals. Observe how tpii^t they stand, anil how
sensible they seem of his good offices, for they neither
strike at hiiM, nor hit him with their tail, nor tread on
him, nor try to drive him away as an uncivil intruder.
Were you to disse(;t him, and inspect his stomach, you
would And no milk there. It is full of the flies which have
been annoying the herd.
Its plumage. The prettily mottled j)lumagc of the Goatsucker, like
that of the owl, wants the lustre which is observed in the
feathers of the birds of day. This, at once marks him as
a lover of the pale moon's nightly beams. There are nine
species here. The largest appears nearly the size of the

:^:

mm

SOUTH AMERICA.

141

English wood owl. Its cry is so remarkable, that having second

JOVRNEY.

once heard it you will never forget it. When night reigns

over these immeasurable wilds, whilst lying in your ham-
mock, you will hear this Goatsucker lamenting like one in
deep distress. A stranger would never conceive it to be
the cry of a bird. He would say it Mas the departing
voice of a midnight nuu-dered victim, or the last wailing
of Niobe for her poor children, before she was turned into
stone. Suppose yourself in hopeless sorrow, begin with
a high loud note, and pronounce, " ha, ha, ha, ha, ha,
ha, ha," each note lower and lower, till the last is scarcely
heard, pausing a moment or two betwixt every note, and
you will liavc some idea of the moaning of the largest
Goatsucker in Demerara.

Four other species of the Goatsucker articulate some
wortls so distinctly, tluit they have received their names
from the sentences tl"^y utter, and absolutely bewilder
the stranger on his arrival in these parts. Tiie most
common one sits down close by your door, and flics, and
alights three or four yards before you, as you walk along
the road, crying, ' ' Wlio-are-you, who-who-who-are-you."
Another bills you,*' Work-away, work-work-work-away."
A third cries, mournfully, " Willy-come-go. Willy-Willy-
Willy-come-go." And high up in the country, a fourth tells
you to " Whip-poor-Will. Whip-whip-wliip-poor-Will."

You will never persuade the negro to destroy these
birds, or get the Indian to let fly his arrow at them. They

"*i

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Second
Journey.

142 WANDERINGS IN

are birds of omen, and reverential dread. Jumbo, the
demon o'i Africa, has them under his connnand ; and they
equally obey the Yabahou, or Demerara Indian devil.
They are the receptacles for departed souls, who come
back ajjjain to earth, unable to rest for crimes done in their
dn/a of nature ; or they are expressly sent by Jumbo, or
Yabahou, to haunt cruel and hard-hearted masters, and
retaliate injuries received from them. If the largest Goat-
sucker chance to cry near the white man's door, sorrow
and grief will soon be inside ; and they expect to see the
master Avaste away with a slow consuming sickness. If
it be heard close to tlie negro's or Indian's hut, from that
night misfortune sits brooding over it ; and they await the
event in terrible suspense.

You will forgive the poor Indian of Guiana for this.
He knows no better ; he has nobody to teach him. But
shame it is, tliat in our own civilized country, the black
cat and broomstatf should be considered as conductors
to and from the regions of departed spirits.
AiRcdote. Many years ago 1 knew poor harndess Mary ; old age

had ma ked her strongly, Just as he will mark you and
me, slioiiUl we arrive at her years and carry the Mcight
of tirief which bent her double. The old men of the
village said she had been very pretty in her youth ; and
nothing could be seen more comely than Mary when she
danced on the green. He who had gained her heart, left
her for another, less fair, though richer than Mary.

Hi

i'^\.
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SOUTH AMERICA.

From that time she became sad and pensive ; the rose
left her cheek, and she was never more seen to dance
round the May-pole on the green : her expectations were
bhghted ; she became quite indifferent to every thing
around her, and seemed to think of nothing but how she
coukl best attend her mother, who was lame, . and not
long for this life. Her mother luul begged a bhick kitten
from some boys who Mere going to drown it, and in her
last illiiess she told Mary to be kind to it for her sake.

When age and want had destroyed the symmetry of
Mary's fine form, the village began to consider her as
one who bad dealings with sjjirits ; her cat confnined the
suspicion. If a cow died, or a villager Masted aMay M'ith
an unknoM-n complaint, Mary and her cat had it to
ansMTr for. Her broom sometnnes served her for a
• \alking-stick ; and if ever she supported her tottering
frame M-ith it as far as the May-pole, M'here once, in
youthful bloom and beauty, she had attracted the eyes of
all, the boys M'ould surround her, and make sport of her,
while her cat had neither friend nor safety beyond the
cottage Mall. Nobody considered it cruel or imcharitable
to torment a Mitch ; and it is prol)al)le, long before this,
that cruelty, old age, anil want, have Morn her out, and
that both poor Mary and her cat have ceased to be.

Would you M'ish to pursue the different species of
game, m'cU stored and boundless is your range in Deme-
rara. Here no one dogs you, and afterwards clandes-

143

Second
Journey.

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144

WANDERINGS IN

The Par-
tridge.

Second tiiiely inquires if you have a hundred a year in land to

JOUHNEY.

~ entitle you to enjoy sueh patrician sport. Here no saucy

intruder asks if you heave taken out a license, by virtue of
Avhich you are allowed to kill the birds which have bred
upon your own property. Here

•' You arc as free as when God first made man.
Ere the vile laws of servitude hegan.
And wild in woods the noble savage ran."

Before the morning's dawn you hear a noise in the
forest, which sounds like " duraquaura" often repeated.
This is the Partridge, a little smaller, and diflfering some-
what in colour from the £)nglish partridge : it lives
entirely in the forest, and probably the young brood veiy
soon leave their parents, as you never flush more than
two birds in the same place, and in general only one.
Two species About tlic samc liour, and sometimes even at mid-

oftlieMiKim , .

orTinamou. night, you hear two species of Maam, or Tmamou,
send forth their long and plaintive whistle from the dej)th
of the forest. The flesh of both is delicious. The largest
is plumper, and almost equals in si/e the black cock of
Northumberland. The quail is said to be here, though
rare.

The Hannaquoi, which some have compared to the
pheasant, though with little reason, is very common.

Here are also two species of the Powise or Hocco, and
two of the small wild turkies, called Maroudi ; they feed
on the ripe fruits of the forest, and are found in all

The Hanna-
quoi.

The Powise
or Hocco.

W::

SOUTH AMERICA.

directions in these extensive wilds. You will admire the
horned Screamer as a stately and majestic bird: he is
almost the size of the turkey cock ; on his head is a long
slender horn, and each wing is armed with a strong,
sharp, triangular spur, an inch long.

Sometimes you will fall in with flocks of two or three
hundred Waracabas, or Trumpeters, called so from the
singular noise they produce. Their breast is adorned
with beautiful changing blue and purple feathers ; their
head and neck like velvet ; their wings and back grey,
and belly black. They run with great swiftness, and
when domesticated, attend their master in his walks,
with as much apparent affection as his dog. They have
no spurs, but still, such is their high spirit and activity,
that they browbeat every dunghill fowl in the yard, and
force the Guinea birds, dogs, and turkies to own their
superiority.

If, kind and gentle reader, thou shouldst ever visit
these regions with an intention to examino their produc-
tions, perhaps the few oliservations contained in these
wanderings may be of service to thee : ex < use their
brevity : more could have been Avritten, aiul each bird
more particularly described, but it would have been
pressing too hard upon thy time and patience.

Soon after arriving in these parts, thou wilt find that
the species here enumerated are only as a handful from a
well-stored granary. Nothing has been said of the

u

145

Skcond

JOUKNEV.

Flocks of
Wuracubas
orTrumpot-
ers.

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146

WANDERINGS IN

Second

JOURNKY.

mi

ri

■^■, [

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Eaples, tlic Falcons, the Hawks, and Shrikes ; nothing
of the ditfercnt species of Vultures, the King of which is
very handsome, and seems to be the only bird which
claims regal honours from a surrounding tribe. It is a
fact beyond all dispute, that when the scent of carrion
has drawn together hundreds of the common Vultures,
they all retire from the carcass as soon as the King of the
Vultures makes his appearance. When his majesty has
satisfied the cravings of his royal stomach with the
choicest bits from the most stinking and corrupted parts,
he generally retires to a neighbouring tree, and then the
common ^'ultures return in crowds to gobble down his
leavings. The Indians, as well as the Whites, have
observed this ; for when one of them, who has learned
a little English, sees the King, and wishes you to have a
proper notion of the bird, he says, " There is the gover-
nor of the carrion crows."

Now, the Indians have never heard of a personage in
Demerara higher than that of governor ; and the colonists,
through a common mistake, call the Vultures carrion
crows. Hence the Indian, in order to express tlie domi-
nion of this bird over the common Vultures, tells you he
is governor of the carrion crows. The Spaniards have
also observed it, for, through all the Spanisli Main, he is
called Rcy de Zamuros, King of the Vultures. The many
BpecicH of Owls, too, have not been noticed; and no
mention made of the Columbine tribe. The prodigiouft

h'-

«■', r, ;;i|S

SOUTH AMERICA.

147

variety of Water Fowl, on the sea-shore, has been but Sbcowd

JOURNKY.

barely hinted at.

There, and on the borders and surftice of the inland
waters, in the marshes and creeks, besides the flamingos,
scarlet curlews, and spoonbills, already mentioned, will be
found; greenish-brown curlews, sandpipers, rails, coots,
gulls, pelicans, Jabirus, Nandapoas, crabiers, snipes,
plovers, ducks, geese, cranes, and Anhingas; most of
them in vast abundance ; somc> ^" '^uenting only the
sea-coast, others only the Interior, according to their
different natures ; all worthy the attention of the natu-
ralist, all worthy of a place in the cabinet of the curious.
Should thy comprehensive genius not confiue itself to
birds alone, grand is the appearance of other objects all
around. Thou art in a land rich in botany and miner-
alogy, rich in zoology and entomology. Animation will
glow in thy looks, and exercise will brace thy frame in
vigour. The very time of thy absence from the tables of
heterogeneous luxury will be profitable to thy stomach,
perhaps already sorely v bed with Londo-Parisian
sauces, and a new stock or health will bring thee an
appetite to relish the wh<ilesome food of the chase.
Never-failing sleep will wait on thee at the time she
comes to soothe the rest of animated nature ; and, ere the
sun's rays appear in the horizon, thou wilt spring from
thy hanunock fresh as the April lark. Be convinced
also, that the dangers and ditliculties which are generally

u2

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148

WANDERINGS IN

II :,.

Dangers to
be appro-
hcMuled, not
real but
imaginary.

skcom> supposed to accompany the traveller in his Journey

JOUHNEV.

through distant regions, are not half so numerous or
dreadful as they arc connnonly thought to be.

The youtli, who incautiously reels into the lobby of
Drury-lane, after leaving the table sacred to the god of
wine, is exposed to more certain ruin, sickness, and
decay, than he who Manders a M'hole year in the wilds
of Denicrara. But this will never be believed ; because
the disasters arising from dissipation are so common
and frequent in civilized life, that man becomes quite
habituated to them ; and sees daily victims sink into the
tomb long before their time, without ever once taking
alarm at the causes which precipitated them headlong
into it.

But the dangers which a traveller exposes himself to
in foreign parts are novel, out of the way things to a
man at home. The remotest apprehension of meeting
a tremendous tiger, of being carried off by a flying
dragon, or having his bones picked by a famished can-
nibal ; oh, that makes him shudder. It sounds in his
ears like the bursting of a bomb-shell. Thank heaven, he
is safe by his own fireside.

Prudence and resolution ought to be the traveller's
constant companions. The first will cause him to avoid
a number of snares wliich he will find in the path as he
journies on ; and the second will always lend a hand to
assist him, if he has unavoidably got entangled in them.

SOUTH AMERICA.

The little distinctions which have been shown him at his
own home, ought to be forgotten when he travels over
the AvorUl at large ; for strangers know nothing of his
former merits, and it is necessary that they should wit-
ness them before they pay him the tribute which he was
wont to receive within his own doors. Thus, to be kind
and affable to those we meet, to mix in their amuse-
ments, to pay a compliment or two to their manners and
customs, to respect their ciders, to give a little to their
distressed and needy, and to feel, as it were, at home
amongbt them, is the sure Avay to enable you to pass
merrily on, and to find other comforts as sweet and
palatable as those which you were accustomed to par-
take of amongst your friends and actpiaintance in your
own native laud. We will now ascend in fancy on
Icarian wing, and take a view of Guiana in general.
See an immense plain ! betwixt two of the largest rivers
in the world, level as a bowling-green, save at Cayenne,
and covered with trees along the coast quite to the
Atlantic wave, except where the plantations make a
little vacancy amongst the foliage.

Though nearly in the centre of the torrid zone, the sun's
rays are not so intolerable as might beinuigincd, on account
of the perpetual verdure and refreshing north-cast breeze.
See what numbers of broad and rapid rivers intersect it
in their journey to the ocean, and that not a stone or a
pebble is to be found on their banks, or in any part of the

149

Second

JOURN&Y.

*'|1 .1-

150

WANDERINGS IN

Second coiiiitrv, till your cye catches the hills in the interior.

JOURNKT.

How beautiful and magnificent are the lakes in the heart
of the forests, and how charnung the forests themselves,
for miles after miles on each side of the rivers ! How ex-
tensive appear the savannas or natural meadows, teeming
with innumerable herds of cattle, where the Portiiguese
and Spaniards are settled, but desert as Saara, where the
English and Dutch claim dominion! How gradually the
face of the country rises! See the sand-hills all clothed
in Avood first emerging from the level, then hills a little
higher, rugged with bokl and craggy rocks, peeping out
from amongst the most luxuriant timber. Then come
l)lains, and dells, and far-extending vallies, arrayed in
richest foliage ; antl beyond them, mountains i)iled on
mountains, some bearing ])rodigious forests, others of
bleak and barren aspect. Thus your eye wanders on,
over scenes of varied loveliness and grandeur, till it rests
on the stupendous pinnacles of the long-continued Cor-
dilleras de los Andes, which rise in towering majesty, and
command all America.

How fertile must the low-lands be, from the accumulation
of fallen leaves and trees for centuries ! How propitious
the swamps and slimy beds of the rivers, heated by a
downward sun, to the anmzing growth of alligators, ser-
pents, and imunnerable insects ! How inviting the forests
to the feathered tribes, where you see buds, blossoms,
green and ripe fruit, full grown and fading leaves, all on

t"^/

Wk ^ i

SOUTH AMERICA.

151

the same tree! How secure the wild beasts may rove in Sf.covd

JorRNEY.

endless ma/es ! Perhaps those mountains too, which
appear so bleak and naked, as if (juite neglected, are, like
Potosi, full of precious metals.

Let us now return the pinions we borrowed from Icarus, Conclusion.
and prepare to bid farewell to the wilds. The time
allotted to these wanderings is drawing fast to a close.
Every day for the last six months has been employed in
paying close attention to Natural History in the forests
of Dcmerara. Aljove two hundred specimens of the finest
birds have been collected, and a pretty just knowledge
formed of their haunts and economy. From the time of
leaving England, in March, 181G, to the present day,
nothing has intervened to arrest a fine flow of health,
saving a (juartan ague, which did not tarry, but fled as
suddenly as it appeared.

And now I take leave of thee, kind and gentle reader.
The new mode of preserving birds, heretofore promised
thee, shall not be forgotten. The plan is already formed
in imagination, and can be ])cnned down during the
passiige across the Atlantic. If the few remarks in these
wanderings shall have any weight in inciting thee to sally
forth, and explore the vast and well-stored regions of
Demerara, 1 have gahied my end. Adieu.

CUAULKS WATKRTON.
^pril 6, 1817.

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152

WANDERINGS IN

THIRD JOURNEY.

" Dcscrtosquc vidcrc loco.t, littiisquc reliftum."

r^if

Tiiinn Gkntlk rcadci", after staying a few niontlis in England, I

Joi'HNKV,

— strayed across the Alps and the Apennines, and returned

home, but eouhl not tarry. Ciuiana still M'hispered in
Miy ear, and seemed to invite me onee more to wander
through her distant forests.

Shouldst thou liave a leisure hoin* to read what follows,
1 pray thee pardon the frecpient use of that unwelcome
monosyllable I. It eould not well be avoided, as will
be seen in the secpiel. In February, 1820, I sailed from
the Clyde, on l)oard the (ilenbcrvie, a fme West-
Indiaman. She was driven to the north-Mest of Ire-
land, and had to contend with a foul and wintry wind
for above a fortnight. At last it changed, and we
had a pleasant passage across the Atlantic.
Yellow fc- Sad and mournful was the story we heard on entering
merara. the rivcr Deuicrara. The yellow fever had swept off
munbers of the old inhabitants, and the mortal remains

SOUTH AMRRItJi.

163

Third
Journey.

HesidciU'C
at Mihiri
creek.

of many « new couum*, wrrv daily pjissing down the
streets, in ^ilow und unite |Mnwi'i'NM*un to their hxat resting-
plnee.

After staying a few « .nyn in the town, 1 went up the
Demcrara to the fonuer habitation of my worthy friend,
Mr. Eduionstone, in Miliiri creek.

The house had beeu ahaiuloiied for some years. On
arriving at the hill, the renu'uihrance of scenes long past
and gone, natiu'ally broke iu upon the mind. All was
changed ; the house was in ruins, and gradually sinking
under the iniluenee of the Mtui and rain ; the roof had
nearly fallen in; and the rooiu, where once governors
and generalii had caroused, was now disuui 'led, iv'A
tenanted by the vampire. You would have said,

" 'Ti« now till' \'uiii|>Ii'i<'m bli-uk iiIkmIc,
'Titt now llu> iipurtniiMit of the load :
Tin licrt' the |iiiiiifiil ( lii-^of finuls,
• "V'lH liiTi' tilt' (lii'f liiilMirii hri'fdti

Coiii't'itl'il ill niinM, iiioHH, uiul wcimU."

On the outside of the house, nature had nearly re-
assumed her aucient right : a few straggling fruit-trees
were still discernible amid the varii'd hue of the near
approaching forest ; they seeuied like strangers lost, and
bewildered, and luipitied, in a f(),;'';:n land, destined to
linger a little longer, and then sink down for ever.

I hired some negroes from a woodcutter in another int., the
creek to repair the roof; and then tiie house, or at least IiwdUng.

PM

154

WANDERINGS IN

Mir

W^m

Third what remained of it, became liead-qiiarters for natural

.loi'UNEY.

history. The frops, and here and there a snake, received

that attontit)n Avliich the weak in this worUl generally
experience from the strong, and which the law com-
monly denominates an ejectment. But here, neither the
frogs nor serpents were ill-treated ; they sallied forth,
without bxittet or rebuke, to choose their place of resi-
dence. The worUl was all before them ; the omIs went
aAvay of their own accord, preferring to retire to a hol-
low tree rather than to associate Avith their new landlord.
The bats and vampires staid with me, and went in and
out as usual.

It was upon this hill in former days that I first tried
to teach John, the black slave of my friend Mr. Edmon-
stone, the proper way to do birds. But John had poor
abilities, and it retpiired much time and patience to drive
any thing into him. Some years after this his master took
him to Scotland, where, becoming free, John left him, and
got employed in the Glasgow, and then the Edinburgh
museum. Mr. Robert Edmonstone, nephew to the above
gentleman, had a fine nudatto capable of learning any
thing. He recjuested me tc teach him the art. I did so.
He was docile and active, and was M'ith me all the time
in the forest ; I left him there to keep up this new art
of presei-ving birds, and to commvaiicate it to others.
Here then I fixed my head-quarters, in the ruins of this
once gay and hospitable house. Close by, in a little

i

■l)r

Third

.TOUBNEY.

SOUTH AMERICA. 155

hut, which, hi tunes long past, liad served for a store to
keep provisions in, there hved a coloured man and his
wife, by name Backer. Many a kind turn they did to
me ; and I was more than once of service to them and
their children, by bringing to their reUef, in time of
sickness, what little knowledge / had ac([uired of
medicine.

I would here, gentle reader, wish to draw thy atten- Raiment

nnd diet.

tion, for a few minutes, to physic, raiment, and diet.
Shouldst thou ever wander through these remote and
dreaiy wilds, forget not to carry with thee, bark, lauda-
num, calomel, and jalap, and the lancet. There are no
druggist shops here, nor sons of Galon to apply to in time
of need. 1 never go encumbered with many clothes. A
thin tlanncl waistcoat under a check shirt, a j)air of
trowsers, and a hat, were all my wardrobe : shoes and
stockings I seldom had on. In dry weather they would
have irritated the feet, and retarded me in the chase
of wild beasts ; and in the rainy season they would have
kept me in a4)erpetual state of damp and moisture. I eat
moderately, and never th'ink wine, spirits, or fermented
liquors in any climate. This abstemiousness has ever
proved a faithful friend ; it carried me triumphant
through the epidemia at Malaga, where death made
such havoc about the beginning of the present century;
and it has since befrieiuled me in many a fit of sick-
ness, brought on by exposure to the noon-day sun, to

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156

Third

JOUKNEY,

Severe
nttiu'k of
fe\er.

WANDERINGS IN

the de'vs of night, to the pelting shower, and unwhole-
some food.

Perhaps it Avill be as well, here, to mention a fever
which came on, and the treatment of it ; it may possibly
be of use to thee, shouldst thou turn wanderer in the
tropics : a word or two also of a woiuid I got in the
forest, and then we will say no more of the little acci-
dents Avhich sometimes occur, and attend solely to
natural history'. We shall have an opportunity of seeing
the wild annuals in their native haunts, undisturbed and
unbroken in upon by man. We shall have time and
leisure to look more closely at them, and probably rectify
some errors which, for want of proper information, or
a near observance, have crept into their several histories.

It M'as in the month of June, when the sun Wias M-ithii.
a few days of Cancer, that I had a severe attack of fever.
There had been a deluge of rain, accomi)anied with
tremendous thunder and lightning, and very little sun.
Nothing could exceed the dampness of the atmosphere.
For two or tlu'ce days I had been in a kind of twilight
state of health, neither ill nor what you may call well ;
I yawned and felt weary without exercise, and my sleep
was merely slumber. This was the time to have taken
medicine ; but I neglected to do so, though I had just
been reading, " O navis referent in mare te novi fluctus,
O (juid ngis .•* f rtiter occupa portum." 1 awoke at mid-
night ; a cruel head-ach, thirst, and pain in the snudl of

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SOUTH AMERICA.

the back, informed me what the case was. Had Chiron
hhnself been present, he could not have told me more
distinctly that I was going to have a tight brush of it,
and that I ought to meet it with becoming fortitude.
I dozed, and woke, and startled, and then dozed again,
and suddenly awoke, thinking I was falling do^vn a
precipice.

The return of the bats to their diurnal retreat, which
was in the thatch above my hammock, informed me that
the sun was now fast approaching to the eastern horizon.
I arose, in languor and in pain, the pulse at one hundred
and twenty. I took ten grains of calomel and a scruple
of jalap, and drank during the day large draughts of tea,
weak and warm. The physic did its duty ; but there
Avas no remission of fever or head-ach, though the pain
in the back was less acute. I was saved the trouble of
keeping the room cool, as the wind beat in at every
quarter.

At five in the evening the pulse had risen to one
hundred and thirty, and the head-ach almost insupport-
able, especially on looking to the right or left. 1 now
opened a vein, and made a large orifice, to allow the
blood to rush out rapidly ; I closed it after losing sixteen
ounces. 1 tlien steeped my feet in warm waicr, and got
into the hanunock. After bleeding, tiie pulse fell to
ninety, and the head was much relieved ; but during the
night, which was very restless, the pulse rose again to

157

Third

JOUKXEY.

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153

Third

JOUUNEY.

Mceti" witli
an acciiltrtt,

WANDERINGS IN

one huiiclrcd and twenty, and at times the head-acli was
distiv!*sinpf. I relieved the head-aeli from time to time,
by apjilyinf^ cohl water to the temples, and hokling a wet
handkerchief there. Tlie next morning the fever run
very high, and 1 took five more grains of ealomel and
ten of jahin, deternti ed, whatever might be the case,
this fshoukl be the h) i dose of cak)mel. About two
o'clock in the aften >oii the fever remitted, and a copious
perspiration came on ; there was no more head-ach, nor
thirst, nor pain in tlie buck, and the followhig night was
comparatively a good one. The next morning I swal-
h)wed a largo dose of castor oil : it was genuine, for
Louisa Backer hail made it from the seeds of the trees
M'hicli ^rcw near the door. 1 was now entirely free from
all symptoms of fever, or apprehensions of a return ; and
the morning after I began to take bark, and continued it
for a fortnight. This put all to rights.

The story of the wound 1 got in the forest, and the
nioile of cure, are very short. — I had pursued a red-
headed woodpecker for above a mile in the forest,
without being able to get a shot at it. Thinking more
of the Mood})ecker, as I ran along, than of the way
before me, 1 trod upon a little hardwood stump which
was just .ibout an inch or so above the ground ; it
entered the hollow j)art of my foot, making a deep and
a eerated wound there. It had brought me to the ground,
and there I lay till a transitory fit of sickness went oflf.

'VI

Iw,

m

SOUTH AMERICA.

I allowed it to bleed freely, and on reaeliiii^ heail-
quarters, washed it well and probed it, to feel if any
foreitrn body Avas left within it. Being satisfied that
there was none, I brought the edges of the wound toge-
ther, and then put a pieee of lint on it, and over that
a very large poultice, which Avas chriugeil morning, noon,
and night. Luckily, Backer had a coav or two upon the
hill ; now, as heat and moisture are the two pr!neij)al
virtues of a poultice, nothing could produce those two
qualities better than fresh cow-dung boiled : had there
been no cows tliere, 1 could have made out Avith boiled
grass and leaves. 1 noAv took entirely to the hammock,
placing the foot higher than the knee ; this prevented it
from throbbing, and AA-as, indeed, the only position in
Avhich I coulil l)c at ease. When the inflammation Avas
completely subdued, I applied a AA'et cloth to the AA'onnd,
and every now and then steeped the foot in cold AAater
during the day, and at night again applied a poultice.
The Avound Avas now healing fast, and in three AA'ceks
from the time of the accident, nothing but a scar
remained ; so that 7 again sallied forth sound and joyful,
and said to myself—

" I, quo te pedes rapiuiit ct aiir.e
Dum favet sol, et locus, i secundo
Omine, et couto latcbras, ut olim,

Runipc ferarum."

NoAV, this contus Avas a tough light pole, eight feet long,
on the end of which Avas fixed an old bayonet. I never

159

TlITRI)
JoUUNEY.

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Third
Journey.

Lust con-
versation
with Sir
Joseph
Banks.

160 WANDERINGS IN

M'ent into the canoe without it; it was of great use in
starting the hcasts and snakes out of the hollow trees,
and, in case of need, was an excellent defence.

In 1819, T had the last conversation with Sir Joseph
Banks. I saw with sorrow that death was goinjy to rob
us of him. We talked nnich of the present modi' adopted
by all museums in stufling quadrupeds, and condemned
it as being very impcrfet t ; still we could not find out a
better way ; and at last concluded, that the lips and nose
ought to be cut oft', and replaced with wax ; it being
impossible to make those parts appear li!ce life, as they
shrink to nothing, and render the stutttd sjjeciuKMn in
the diff"eH nt nniseums Itorrible to look at. The defects
in the legs and feet would not be tpiite so glaring, being
covered witl. !iair.
stuinng I had paid great attention to this subject for above

birds iind i i . i i • i

(luiidrui.cds. fourteen years ; still it wonld not do : however, one night,
while I was lying in the hammock, and harping on the
string on which hung all my solicitude, I hit upon the
proper mode by inference ; it appeared clear to me that
it was the only true way of going to work, and ere I
closed my eyes in sleep, I was able to prove to myself
that there could not be any other way that wonld answer.
I tried it the next day, and succeeded according to
expectation.

By means of this process, which is very simple, \vc can
now give every feature back again to the animars face,

SOUTH AMERICA.

161

after it has been skinned ; and when necessary, stamp Tiuro

, . JOL-HNBY.

griet, or pani, or pleasure, or rage, or mildness upon it.

But more of this hereafter.

Let us now turn our attention to the Sloth, whose Thesioth.
native haunts have hitherto been so little known, and
probably little looked into. Those who have written on
this singular animal have remarked that he is in a perpe-
tual state of pain, that he is proverbially slow in his
movements, that he is a prisoner in space, and that as
soon scs he has ccnisumed all the leaves of the tree upon
which he had mounted, he rolls himself up in the form of
a ball, and then falls to the ground. This iis not the case.

If the naturalists who have written the history of the
Sloth had gone into the wilds, in order to examine his
haunts and economy, they would not have drawn the
foregoing conclusions ; they would have learned, that
though all other (juadrupeds may be described while
resting upon the ground, the Sloth is an e.vception to
this rule, and that his history must be written Avhile he
is ill the tree.

This singular animal is destined by nature to be pro-
duced, to live and to die in the trees ; and to do justice
to him, naturalists must examine him in tliis his upper
element. He is a scarce and solitary animal, and being
good food, he is never allowed to escape. He inhabits Lives iu

11 <• 1 11 I • glooniy

remote and gloomy forests, where snakes take up tlieir forests.
abode, and where cruelly stinging ants and scorpions,

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TniBD

JOIRXEY.

WANDERINGS IN

and swjxmps, and innumerable thorny shrubs and bushes,
obstruct tlie steps of civilized man. Were you to draw
your own conclusions from the descriptions which liavc
been ijjivcn of the Sloth, you would probably suspect,
that no naturalist has actually gone into the wilds with
the fixed determination to find him out and examine his
hauiTts, and see whether nature has committed any
blunder in the formation of this extraordinary creature,
which appears to us so forlorn and miserable, so ill put
together, and so totally mifit to enjoy, the blessings which
have been so bountifully given to the rest of animated
nature ; for, as it has formerly been remarked, he has
no soles to his feet, and he is evidently ill at case when
he tries to move on the ground, and it is then that he
looks up in your face with a countenance that says,
" Have pity on me, for I am in pain and sorrow."

It mostly happens that Indians and Negroes are the
people who catch the Sloth, and bring it to the white
man : hence it may be conjectured that the erroneous
accounts we have hitherto had of the Sloth, have not been
penned do^^Ti with the slightest intention to mislead the
reader, or give him an exaggerated history, but that
these en'ors have naturally arisen by examining the Sloth
in those places where nature never intended that he
should be exhibited.

However, we are now in his own domain. Man but
little frequents these thick and noble forests, which

pt^*i44

IT

Si

^m

SOUTH AMERICA.

163

extend far and wide on every side of U!s. Tlii>», then, is Thihd

JolRNEY.

the proper plaee to go in quest of the Sloth. We will first

♦like a near view of him. By obtaining a knowledge of

his anatomy, we shall be enabled to account for his Anatomy of

^ the Sloth.

movements hereafter, when we see him in his proper
haunts. His fore-legs, or, more correctly speaking, his
arms, are apparently nuieh too long, while his hind-legs
are very short, and look as if they could be bent almost
to the shape of a corkscrew. Both the fore and hind
legs, by their form, and by the manner in which they are
joined to the body, are (|uite incapacitated from acting
in a perpendicular direction, or in supi)orting it on
the earth, as the bodies of other quadrupeds are sup-
ported, by tiicir legs. Hence, when you jjlace him on the
floor, his belly touches the ground. Now, granted, that
he supported himself on his legs like other animals, never-
theless he would be in pain, for he has no soles to hi>s
feet, and his chnvs are very sharp and long, and
curved ; so that, were his body supported by his feet, it
would be by their extremities, just as your body would
be were you to throw yourself on all fours, and try to
support it on the ends of your toes and fingers — a trying
position. Were the floor of glass, or of a polished sur-
face, the Sloth Mould actually be (piite stationary ; but
tts the ground is generally rough, with little protu-
berances upon it, such as stones, or roots of gi-ass, ^c,
this just suits the Sloth, and he moves his fore-legs in

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164

Third

JCVHNEV.

WANDERINGS IN

all directions, in order to find something to lay hold of;
and when he has succeeded, he pulls himself forward,
and is thus enabled to travel onwards, but at the same
time in so tardy and awkward a manner, as to acquire
him the name of Sloth.

Indeed his looks and his gestures evidently betray his
im comfort able situation ; and as a sigh every now and
then escapes him, we may be entitled to conclude that
he is actually in pain.

Some years ago I kept a Sloth in my room for several
months. I often took him out of the house, and placed
him upon the ground, in order to have an opportunity of
observing his motions. If the ground were rough, he
would pull himself forwards, by means of his fore-legs,
at a pretty good pace ; and he invariably shaped his
course towards the nearest tree. But if I put him upon
a smooth and well-trodden part of the road, he appeared
to be in trouble and distress : his favourite abode was
the back of a chair ; and after getting all his legs in a
line upon the topmost part of it, he M'ould hang there
for hours together, and often, with a low and inward cry,
would seem to invite me to take notice of him.

The Sloth, in its wild state, spends its whole life in
the trees, and never leaves them but through force, or
by accident. An all-ruling Providence has ordered man
to tread on the surface of the earth, the eagle to soar in
the expanse of the skies, and the monkey and squirrel

m^

SOUTH AMERICA.

165

to inhabit the trees : still these may change their rehitive Tiimo

Journey.

situations without feeling nuieh inconvenience : but

the Sloth is doomed to spend his whole life in the
trees ; and, what is more extraordinaiy, not upon the
branches, like the squirrel and the monkey, but under
them. He moves suspended from the branch, he rests
suspended from it, and he sleeps suspended from it.
To enable him to do this, he nuist have a very different
formation from that of any other known tjuadruped.

Hence, his seemingly bungled confonnation is at once
accounted for ; and in lieu of the Sloth leading a pain-
ful life, and entailing a melancholy and miserable exist-
ence on its progeny, it is but fair to surmise that it just
enjoys life as nuich as any other aninud, and that its
extraordinary formation and singular habits are but fur-
ther proofs to engage us to admire the wonderful works
of Oumipotence.

It must be observed, that the Sloth docs not hang
head-downwards like the vampire. When asleep, he
supports himself from a branch parallel to the earth.
He first seizes the bvunch with one arm, and then with
the other ; and after that, brings up both his legs, one
by one, to the same branch ; so that all four are in a
line : he seems perfectly at rest in this position. Now,
had he a tail, he woidd be at a loss to kuow what to do
with it in this position : were he to draw it up within
his legs, it would interfere with them ; and were he to let

I

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WANDEUINGS IN

Tin III)

•TolHNKY.

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f.i

it lian^ down, it would bocome tho sport of th. 'v'nds.
Thus his dofK'icncy of tail i;s a bonofit to hiin ; it is merely
an apoU>fxy for a tail, scarcely exceeding au inch and a
half in Ungth.

1 observed, when he was climbing, he never used his
arms both together, but first one and then the other, and
so on alternately. There is a singularity in his hair,
different from that of all other aninuds, and, I believe,
hitherto unnoticed by naturalists ; his hair is thick and
coarse at the extremity, and gradually tapers to the root,
where it becomes line as the finest spider's web. His
fur has so much the hue of the moss which grows on the
branches of the trees, that it is very difiicult to make liim
out when he is at rest.

The male of the three-toed JSh)th has a longitudinal
bar of very fine black haii" on his back, rather lower than
the shoukler-blades ; on each side of this black bar
there is a space of yelloAV hair, ecpially fine ; it has the
appearance of being pressed into the body, and looks
exactly as if it had been singed. If we examine the
anatomy of his fore-legs, avc shall immediately perceive
by their firm and muscular texture, how very capable
they are of supporting the pendent weight of his body,
both in climbing and at rest ; and, instead of pronouncing
them a bungled composition, as a celebrated naturalist
has done, we shall consider them as remarkably well
calculated to perform their extraordiuaiy functions.

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As the Sloth is iiii iiilial)itaiit of forests witlin the
tropics, where thi' ti'i'cs touch each other hi the greatest
profusion, there Heems to he no reason why he should
eonfine himself to one trt'e ai«.iic for food, and entirely
strip it of its leaves. I)in*in^ the many years 1 have
ranged the fori'sts, I have never seen a tree in such a
state of nudity ; indeed, I would hazard a conjecture,
that, by the tinu> the animal had fmished the last of the
old leaves, there would he a new crop on the part of
the tree he had stripped iirst, ready for him to l)egin
apain, so (|ul('k is the process of vegetation in these
countries.

Thti'c is a saying amongst the Indians, that when the
wind Hows, the JSlotli begins to travel. In calm weather
he remains tran(|uil, prolmhly not liking to clhig to the
brittle extremity of the branches, lest they should break
with him in passing from one tree to another ; but as
soon as the wind rises, the branches of the neighbouring
trees become interwoven, and then the Sloth seizes hold
of them, and pursues his Journey in safety. There is
seldom an entire day (if calm in these forests. The trade-
wind generally sets in about ten o'clock in the morning,
and thus the Sloth may set off after breakfast, and get a
considemble way before dinner. He travels at a good
round pace ; and were you to see him pass from tree to
tree, as I have done, you would never think of calling
him a Sloth.

TiiiRn

.loiBNEY.

-tv

.44

d

168

TiilBD
Joi'RNEV.

The two-
toed Sloth.

WANDERINGS IN

Thus, it would appear that the different histories we
have of this cpiadruped arc erroneous on two accounts :
first, that the writers of them, deterred by difficulties
and local annoyances, have not paid sufficient attention
to him in his native liaunts ; and secondly, they have
described him in a situation in which he was never
intended by nature to cut a figure ; 1 mean on the
ground. The Sloth is as much at a loss to proceed on
his journey upon a smooth and level fioor as a man
would be M'ho had to walk a mile in stilts upon a line
of feather beds.

One day, as we were crossing the Essecjuibo, I saw a
large two-toed Sloth on the ground upon the bank ; hoAv
he had got there nobody could tell : the Indian said he
had never surprised a Slot'i in such a situation before :
he would hardly have come there to drink, for both above
and below the place, the branches of the trees touched
the water, and afforded him an easy and safe access to
it. Be this a« it may, though the trees were not above
twenty yards from him, he could not nuike his way
through the sand time enough to escape iK'fore we
landed. As soon as we got up to him he threw himself
upon his back, and defended himself in gallant style with
his fore-legs. " Come, poor fellow," said I to him,
" if thou hast got into a hobble to-day, thou shalt not
suffer for it : I'll take no advantage of thee in misfor-
tune ; the forest is large enough both for thee and me

,1 : ^

SOUTH AMERICA.

169

to rove in : go thy ways up above, and enjoy thyself in
these endless wilds ; it is more than probable thou wilt
never luive another interview with man. So fare thee
Avell." On saying this, 1 took up a long stiek whieh was
lying there, held it for him to hook on, and then conveyed
him to a high and stately Mora. Ho aseended with won-
derful rapidity, and in about a minute he was almost
at the top of the tree. He now went oft' in a sitle direc-
tion, and caught hold of the branch of a neighbouring
tree ; he then proceeded towards the heart of the forest.
I stood looking on, lost in amazement at his singular mode
of progress. I followed him with my eye till the inter-
vening branches closed in betwi.xt us ; and then I lost
sight for ever of the two-toed Sloth. 1 was going lo add,
that I never saw a Sloth take to his heels in such earnest;
bnt the expression will not do, for the Sloth has no
heels.

Tiiat which naturalists have advanced of his being so
tenacious of life, is perfectly trne. 1 saw the heart of
one beat for half an hour after it was taken out of the
body. The wourali poison seems to be the only thing
that will kill it cpiickly. On reference to a former part
of these wanderings, it will be seen that a poisoned arrow
killed the Sloth in about ten minutes.

So nmch for this harndess, unotlcnding animal. He
holds a conspicuous place in the catalogue of the animals
pf the new world. Though naturalists have made no

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170 WANDERINGS IN

mention of Avliat follows, still it is not less true on that
account. The Sloth is the only (juadruped known, which
spends its whole life from the branch of a tree, suspended
by his feet. I have paid uncommon attention to lum iu
his native haunts. The monkey and sciuirrel will seize a
brancli a\ iiii their fore feet, and pull themselves up, and
rest or rini upon it : but the Sloth, after seizing it, still
remains suspended, and suspended moves along under the
branch, till he can lay hold of another. Whenever I have
seen him in his native woods, whether at rest, or asleep,
or on his travels, I have always observed that he was
suspended from the branch of a tree. When his form
and anatomy are attentively considered, it will appear
evident that the Sloth cannot be at case in any situation,
where his body is higlier, or above his feet. We Mill now
take our leave of him.
Ants, ]|i the far-cxtciidiMg wilds of Ciuiana, the traveller will

be astonished at the immense (juantity of Ants Avhich he
perceives on the ground and in the trees. They have
nests in the branches, four or five times as large as that
of the rook ; and they have a covered way from them to
the groiuul. In this covered way tlumsands are perpe-
tually passing and repr-ssing ; and if you destroy part of
it. they turn to. and inunediately repair it.

Other species of Ants again have no covered way ; but
travel, exposed to view, upon the surface of the earth.
You will sometimes see a string of these Ants a mile long»

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SOUTH AxMEHICA.

171

each carrying in its mouth to its nest a grcon leaf, tJic Third

Journey.

size of a sixpence. It is wonderful to observe the order

in which they move, and with what pains and labour they
surmount the obstructions of the path.

The Ants have their enemies, as well as the rest of ^'"'^'^ ^

' species 01

animated nature. Amon-gst the foremost of these stand ^"t-'J*^''"-
the three species of Ant-bears. The smallest is not much
larger than a rat ; the next is nearly the size of a fox ;
and the third a stout and powerful animal, measuring
above six feet from the snout to the end of the tail. He
is the most inoftensive of all aninuds, and never injures
the property of num. He is chiefly found in the inmost
recesses of the forest, and seems partial to the low and
swampy parts near creeks, where the Troely tree gro^^•s.
There he goes up and down in (juest of Ants, of which
there is never the least scarcity ; so that he soon obtains
a sufficient supply of food, with very little trouble. He
cannot travel fast ; man is superior to him in sj)eed.
Without swiftness to enable liim to escape iV<>m his ene-
mies, without teeth, the possessioii -of which wouid assist
him in self-defence, and without thi- i )wrr of burrowing
in the ground, by which he might conceal himself fiom
his pursuers, he still is capable of ranging through these
wilds in perfect safety ; nor d< ■ ■^ ho fear the fatal pressure
of the serpent's fold, or the teeth ')f tlu famishedJaguar.
Nature has formed his fore legs wonderfully thick, and
strong, and muscular, and iirmed his feet with three

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WANDERINGS IN

tremendous sharp and crooked claws. Whenever he
seizes an animal with these formidable weapons, he hugs
it close to his body, and keeps it there till it dies through
pressure, or through want of food. Nor does the Ant-
bear, in the mean time, suffer much from loss of aliment, as
it is a well known fact, that he can go longer without food
than, perhaps, any other animal, except the land tortoise.
His skin is of a texture that perfectly resists the bite of a
dog ; his hinder parts are protected by thick and shaggy
hair, while his innncnse tail is large enough to cover his
whole body.

The Indians have a great dread of coming in contact
Avith the Ant-bear; and {cTter disabling him in the chase,
never think of approaciiing him till he be quite dead. It
is perhaps on account of this caution, that naturalists
have never yet given to the world a true and correct
drawing of this singular animal, or described the p'^vuliar
position of his fore feet when he walks or stands. If. in
taking a drawing from a dead Ant-bear, you judge of the
position in which he stands from that of all other terres-
trial animals, the sh)tl) excepted, you »<'ill be in error.
Examine only a figure of this aninud, in books of natural
history, or inspect a stuffed specimen in the best nuiseums,
and you will see that the fore claws are just in the same
forward attitude, as those of a dog. or a connnon bear,
Avhen he Malks or stands. But this is a distorted and un-
natural position ; and in life, would l>e a painful and

:u«;j|

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SOUTH AMERICA.

173

intolerable attitude for the Ant-bear. The length and Tiuhd

JOUBNEY.

curve of his claws cannot admit of such a position.

When he walks or stands, his feet have somewhat the
appearance of a club-hand. He goes entirely on the
outer side of his fore feet, which are (juite bent inwards ;
the claws collected into a point, and going under the foot.
In this position he is (juite at ease ; while his long claws
are disposed of in a manner to render tliem harmless to
him, and are prevented from becoming dull and worn,
like those of the dog, which would inevitably be the case,
did their pohits come in actual contact with the ground ;
for his claws have not that retractile power which is given
to animals of the feline species, by which they are enabled
to preserve the sharpness of their claws on the most flinty
path. A slight inspection of the fore feet of the Ant-
bear, will iunnediately convince you of the mistake artists
and naturalists have fallen into, by putting his fore feet in
the same position as that of other (|uadrupeds; for you
will perceive that the whole outer sside of his foot is not
only deprived of hair, but is hard and callous ; proof
positive of its being in perpetual contact Avith the ground.
Now, on the contrary, the inner side of the bottom of his
foot is soft and rather hairy.

There is another singularity in the anatomy of the ivcuii.irity

II 111. ' • 1 • 1 !• 1 '" ""■ ""''^'

Ant-bear, 1 beueve, as yet unnoticed in the page ot natural lomyof the
history. He has two very large glands situated below
the root of the tongue. From these is emitted a glutinous

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WANDERINGS IN

liquid, with which his long tongue is lubricated when he
puts it into the ants' nests. These glands are of the
same substance as tliose found in the lower jaw of the
woodpecker. The secretion from them, wlien wet, is
reiy clannny and adhesive, but on being dried it loses
these cjualities, and you can pulverize it betwixt your
finger and thumb ; so that, in dissecti(m, if any of it has
got upon the fur of tiie animal, or the feathers of the
bird, allow it to dry there, and then it may be removed
Avithout leaving the least stain behind.

The Ant-bear is a pacific animal. He i^ never the first
to begin the attack. His motto may be, " Noli me tan-
gere." As his habits and liis haunts differ materially from
those of every other animal in the forest, th( ir interests
never clash, and thus he n\ight live to a good old age,
and die at last in peace, were it not that his flesh is good
food. On this account, the Indian wages perpetual war
against him, and as he cannot escape by flight, he falls an
easy prey to the poisoned arrow, shot from the Indian's
bow at a distance. If ever he be closely attacked by
dogs, he immediately throws himself on his back, and if
he be fortunate enough to catch holtl of his enemy with
his tremendous claws, the invader is sure to pay for his
rashness with the loss of life.

We will now tnke a view of the Vampire. As there
was a free entranc, and exit to the Vampire, in the loft
where 1 slept, 1 hud many a fine opportunity of paying

SOUTH AMERICA.

175

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attention to this nocturnal surgeon. He docs not ahvays
live on blood. When the moon shone bright, and the
fniit of the Banana-tree was ripe, 1 could see him ap-
proach and eat it. He would also bring into the lol't,
from the forest, a green round fruit, something like the
wild Guava, and about the size of a nutmeg. There was
something also, in the blossom of the Sawani nut-tree,
which was grateful to hiui ; for on coming up Warotilla
creek, in a moonlight nigiit, I saw several Vampires
fluttering round the top of the Sawarri tree, and every
now and then the blossoms, which they had broken off,
fell into the water. They certainly did not drop off
naturally, for on examining several of them, they appeared
quite fresh and blooming. So 1 concluded the Vampires
pulled them from the tree, either to get at the incipient
fruit, or to catch the insects which often take up their
aljode in flowers.

The Vampire, in general, measures about twenty-six
inches from M'ing to wing extended, though I once killed
one which measured thirty-tAvo inches. He fretpients
old abandoned houses and hollow trees ; and sometimes
a cluster of them may be seen in the forest hanging head
downwarils from the branch of a tree.

GoUlsmith seems to have been aware that the Vampire
hangs in clusters, for in the ''JJeserted Village," speaking
of America, he says, —

Third

Joi'RNEY.

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Third " And matted woods, where birds forget to sing,

""'■'*■ ■ But silent bats in drowsy clusters cling."

The Vampire has a curious ineuibranc, which rises
from the uose, and gives it a very singuhir appearance.
It has been rcnuirkecl before, that there are two species
of Vampire in Guiana, a hirfrer and a smaller. The larger
sucks men and other aninmls ; the snuiller seems to con-
fine himself chietly to birds. I learnt from a gentleman,
high up in the river Demcrara, that he was comj)letely
imsucccssful with his foAvls, on account of the small
Vampire. He showed me some that had been sucked
the night before, and they were scarcely able to walk.
Anecdote. Somc years ago I Mcnt to the river Paumaron with a

Scotch gentleman, by name Tarbet. We hung oiu* ham-
mocks in the thatchetl loft of a planter's house. Next
morning I heard this gentleman muttering in his ham-
mock, and now and then letting full an imprecation or
two, just about the time he ought to have been saying
his morning prayers. " What is the n\atter, Sir," said
I, softly; " is any thing amiss?" " What's the mat-
ter?" answered he, surlily ; " why, the Vampires have
been sucking mc to death." As soon as there was light
enough, 1 went to his hammock, and saw it much
stained with blood. *' There," said he, thrusting his
foot out of the hammock, *' see how these infernal imps
hav.; been drawing my life's biood." On examining his

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SOUTH AMERICA.

foot, I found the Vampire had tapped his great toe :
there was a wound somewhat less than that made by a
leech ; the blood was still oosing from it ; I conjectured
he might have lost from ten to twelve ounces of blood.
Whilst examining it, I think I put him into a worse
humour by remarking, that an European surgeon would
not have been so generous as to have blooded him without
making a charge. He looked up in my face, but did not
say a word : I saw he was of opinion that 1 had better
have spared this piece of ill-timed levity.

It was not the last punishment of this good gentleman
in the river Paumaron. The next night he was doomed
to undergo a kind of ordeal unknown in Europe. There
is a species of large red Ant in Guiana, sometimes called
Ranger, sometimes Coushie. These Ants march in mil-
lions through the country, in compact order, like a
regiment of soldiers ; they eat up every insect in their
march ; and if a house obstruct their route, they do not
turn out of the way, btit go quite through it. Though
they sting cruelly when molested, tlie planter is not
sorry to see them in his house ; for it is but a passing
visit, and they destroy every kind of insect vermin that
had taken shelter under his roof.

Now, in the British plantations of Guiana, as well as
in Europe, there is always a little temple dedicated to the
goddess Cloacina. Our dinner had chiefly consisted of
crabs, dressed in rich and diiferent ways. Paumaron is

2 a

177

Third
.Journey.

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Third
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WANDERINGS IN

famous for crabs, and strnnpors who go thither, consider
tlictn the greatest hixiM-y. The Scotch gentleman made
a very cai)ital dinner on crabs ; but this ehanf!;'' of diet
was productive of unpleasant circumstances : h' awoke
in the night in tliat state in wliich Virgil describes
Cjclcno to have been, viz. " fjedissima ventris proluvies."
Up he got, to verify the remark,

" Sorius aiit citiiis, scdciii properiunus lul imam."

Now, unluckily for himself, and the nocturnal tran-
(|uillity of the planter's house, just at that unfortunate
hour, the Coushie ants were passing across the seat of
Cloacina's temple ; he hat! never dreamed of this ; and
so, turning his face to the door, he placed himself in
the usual situation which the votaries of the goddess
generally take. Had a lighted match dropped upon a
pound of gunpowder, as he afterwards remarked, it
could not I'nvc cfiused a greater recoil. Up he jumped,
and forcetl bis way out, roaring for help and for a light,
for he %vjis worried alive by ten thousand devils. The
fact is, he luid sat down upon an intervening body of
Coushie ants. Many of those which escaped being
crushed to death, turned again ; and, in revenge, stung
the unintentional intruder most severely. The watchman
had fallen asleep, and it Avas some time before a light
coidd be procured, the five heaving gone out ; in the
mean time, the poor gentleman was suffering an in-
describable martyrdom, and would have found himself

Pm''^

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Third

JOURNKV..

SOUTH AMERICA. 179

more at home iii the Augeaii stable than in the pUuiter's
house.

1 had often wished to have been once sucked by the
Vampire, in order that I might have it in my power
to say it liad really happened to me. There can be no
pain in the operation, for the patient is always asleep
when theVanipire is sucking him, and as for the loss of
a few ounces of blood, that ^^ ould be a trifle in the long
mn. Many a night hav( lept with my foot out of the
hammock to teni])t this w a surgeon, expecting that he
woultl be there ; but it ^^ as ;u. ui v ain ; the Vampire never
«ucked me, antl I could never account for his not doing so,
for we were inhabitants of the same loft for months together.

The Arnuidillo is very eonnnon in these forests ; he The Arma-
burrows in the sand-hills like a rabbit. As it often takes
a considerable thne to dig him out of his hole, it would
be a long and laborious business to attack each hole
1 idiscrimiuately without kno\\ing whether the aninud
\,'i?r'? there or not. To prevent disappointment, the
Indians carefully examine the mouth of the hole, and put
a short stick down it. Now if, on introducing the stick,
a number of Mosquitos come out, the Indians know to
a certainty that the Ai'madillo is in it : Avherever there
are no Mosquitos in the hole, there is no Armadillo. The
Indian having satisfied himself that the Armadillo is
there, by the Mosquitos which come out, he immediately
cuts a long and slender stick, and introduces it into the

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WANDERINGS IN

Third
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hole : he carefully observes the line the stick takes, and
then sinks a pit in the sand to catch the end of it : this
done, he puts it farther into the hole, and digs another
pit, and so on, till at last he comes up with the Arma-
dillo, which had been making itself a passage in the
sand till it had exhausted all its strength through pure
exertion. I have been sometimes three quarters of a
day in digging out one Annadillo, and obliged to sink
half a dozen pits, seven feet deep, before I got up to it.
The Indians and negroes are very fond of the flesh, but
I considered it strong and rank.

On laying hold of the Armadillo you must be cautious
not to come in contact with his feet : they are armed
with sharp claws, and with them he will inflict a severe
wound in self-defence : when not molested, he is very
harmless and innocent ; he Avould put you in mind of the
hare in Gay's fables, —

" Whose care was never to offend,
And every creature was her friend."

The Armadillo swims well in time of need, but does
not go into the water by choice. He is very seldom seen
abroad during the day ; and when sui-prised, he is sure to
be near the mouth of his hole. Every part of the Arma-
dillo is well protected by his shell, except his ears. In
life, this shell is very limber, so that the animal is enabled
to go at full stretch, or roll himself up into a ball, as
occasion may require.

Sir

Third
Journey.

SOUTH AMERICA. 181

On inspecting the arrangement of the shell, it puts you
very much in mind of a coat of annour ; indeed it is a
natural coat of armour to the Annadillo, and being com-
posed both of scale and bone, it affords ample security,
and has a pleasing effect.

Often, when roving in the wilds, I would fall in with The land

Tortoise.

the land Tortoise ; l\e too adds another to the list of
unoffending animals; he subsists on the fallen fruits of
the forest. When an enemy approaches he never thinks
of moving, but quietly draws himself under his shell, and
there awaits his doom in patience : he only seems to have
two enemies who can do him any damage ; one of these is
the Boa Constrictor : this snake swallows the Tortoise alive,
shell and all. But a Boa large enough to do this is very
scarce, and thus there is not much to apprehend from
that quarter ; the other enemy is man, who takes up the
Tortoise and carries him away. Man also is scarce in
these never-ending wilds, and the little depredations he
may commit upon the Tortoise will be nothing, or a
mere trifle. The tiger's teeth cannot penetrate its shell,
nor can a stroke of his paws do it any damage. It is of
so compact and strong a nature that there is a common
saying, a London waggon might roll over it and not
break it.

Ere we proceed, let us take a retrospective view of the
five animals just enumerated ; they are all quadrupeds,
and have some very particular mark, or mode of existence.

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TiiiBD diflferent from nil other nuimaU. The Sloth has four feet.

Journey.

— but never can une them, to support his body on the

earth ; they want soles, wliieh are a marked feature in
the feet of other aninuils. The Ant-bear has not a tooth
in his head, still he roves fearless on, in the same forests
with the Jaijuar and Boa Constrictor. The Vampire
does not make use of his feet to walk, but to stretch a
membrane, which enables him to go up into an element
where no other (|uadruped is seen. The Ai'uiadillo has
only here and there a strn^^ling hair, and has neither
fur, nor wool, nor bristles, but in lieu of them has
received a movable siicll, .on Avhich are scales very
much like those of fishes. The Tortoise is oviparous,
entirely without any appearance of hair, and is obliged
to accommodate itself to a shell which is quite hard and
inflexible, and in no point of view whatever, obetiient to
the will or pleasure t)f the bearer. The egg of the Tor-
toise has a very hard shell, M'hile that of the turtle is
quite soft.

The Vanilla. In some parts of these forests I saw the Vanilla grow-
ing luxuriantly. It creeps up the trees to the height of
thirty or forty feet. 1 found it diHicult to get a ripe pod
as the monkies are very fond of it, and generally took
care to get there l)efore me. The poc } s from the
tree in the shape of a little scabbard. Vayna is the
Spanish for a scabbard, and Vanilla for a little scabbard
Hence the name.

,*fe t

SOUTH AMERICA.

183

In Mibiri creek there was a Cayman of the small spe-
cies, measuring about five feet in length ; I saw it in
the same place for months, but could never get a shot at
it ; for the moment I thought I was sure of it, it dived
imder the water before I could pull the trigger. At last
I got an Indian with his bow and arrow ; he stood up in
the canoe with his bow ready bent, and as we drifted
past the place he sent his arrow into the Cayman's eye,
and killed it dead. The skin of this little species is
much harder and stronger than that of the large kind ; it
is good food, and tastes like veal.

My friend, Mr. Edmonstone, had very kindly let me
have one of his old negroes, and he constantly attended
me ; his name was Daddy Quashi ; he had a brave
stomach for heterogeneous food ; it could digest, and relish
too, Caymen, monkies, hawks, and grubs. The Daddy
made three or four meals on this Cayman while it was
not absolutely i)utrid, and salted the rest. I could never
get hun to face a snake ; the horror he betrayed on see-
ing one was beyond description ; I asked him why he
was so terribly alarmed ; he said it was by seeing so
many dogs, from time to time, killed by them.

Here I had a fine opportunity of examining several
species of the Caprimnlgus. I am fully persuaded that
these innocent little birds never suck the herds ; for
when they approach them, and jump up at their udders,
it is to catch the flies and insects there. When ^he

Third

JoCHNEY.

Shoots II
Cayman in

creek.

Xogro ser-
vant.

Species of
the Capri-
mulgus.

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Third
Journey.

The Wasps,
or Maribun-
tas.

Snakes and
wild beasts.

moon shone bright, I would frequently go and stand
within three yards of a cow, and distinctly see the Capri-
mulgus catch the flies on its udder. On looking for
them in the forest, during the day, I either found them
on the ground, or else invariably sitting longitudinally on
the branch of a tree, not crosswise like all other birds.

The Wasps, or Maribuntas, are great plagues in these
forests, and require the naturalist to be cautious as he
wanders up and down. Some make their nests pendent
from the branches ; others have them fixed to the un-
derside of a leaf. Now, in passing on, if you happen to
disturb one of these, they sally forth and punish you
severely. The largest kind is blue ; it brings blood where
its sting enters, and causes pain and inflammation
enough to create a fever. The Indians make a fire under
the nest, and after killing, or driving away the old ones,
they roast the young grubs in the comb and eat them.
I tried them once by way of desert after dinner, but my
stomach Avas oftbndcd at their intrusion ; probably it was
more the idea than the taste that caused the stomach to
rebel.

Time and experience have convinced me that there is
not much danger in roving amongst snakes and wild
beasts, provided only that you have self-command. You
must never approach them abniptly ; if so, you are sure
to pay for your rashness ; because the idea of self-defence
is predominant in every animal, and thus the snake, to

fe'.t

t^i

SOUTH AMERICA.

185

defend himself from what he considers an attack upon Thibd
hiin, makes the intruder feel the deadly eflfect of his
poisonous fangs. The Jaguar flies at you, and knocks
you senseless with a stroke of his paw ; whereas, if you
had not come upon him too suddenly, it is ten to one
but that he had retired, in lieu of disputhig the path with
you. The Labarri snake is rery poisonous, and I have
often approached within two yards of him without fear.
I took care to move very softly and gently without moving
my arms, and he always allowed me to have a fine view
of him, without showing the least inclination to make a
spring at me. He would appear to keep his eye fixed on
me, as though suspicious, but that was all. Sometimes
I have taken a stick ten feet long, and placed it on the
Labarri's back. He would then glide away without
ottering resistance. But when I put the end of the
stick abruptly to his head, he immediately opened his
mouth, flew at it, and bit it.

One dtiy, wishful to see how the i)oison comes out of Ciitciics a

* livcLiibarri

the fang of the snake, I caught a Labarri alive. He was «""'^'^-
about eight feet long. I held liim by the neck, and my
hand was so near his jaw, that he had not room to move
his head to bite it. Tliis was the only position I could
have held him with safety and ettect. To do so, it only
required a little resolution and coolness. I then took a
small piece of stick in the other hand, and pressed it
against the fang, which is invariably in the upper jaw.

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186

WANDERINGS IN

Third
Journey.

The Bete-
rouge.

Towards the point of tlic fang, there is a little oblong
aperture on the convex side of it. Through this, there
is a communieation down the fang to the root, at which
lies a little bag containhig the poison. Now, when the
point of the fang is pressed, the root of the fang also
presses against the bag, and sends up a portion of the
poison therein contained. Thus, when I applied a piece
of stick to the point of the fang, there came out of the
hole a liquor thick and yellow, like strong camomile tea.
This was the poison, which is so dreadful in its effects, as
to render the Labarri snake one of the most poisonous in
the forests of Guiana. I once caught a fine Labarri, and
made it bite itself. I forced the poisonous fang into its
belly'. In a few minutes I thought it was going to die,
for it appeared dull and heavy. However, in half an
hour's time, lie was as brisk and vigorous as ever, and
in the course of the day showed no symiptoms of being
affected. Is then the life of the snake proof against
its own poison ? This subject is not miwoi-thy of the
consideration of the naturaUst.

In Guiana there is a little insect in the grass, and on
the shrubs, which the French call Bcte-rouge. It is of a
beautiful scarlet colour, and so minute, that you must
bring your eye close to it before you can perceive it. It
is most numerous in the rainy season. Its bite causes an
intolerable itching. The best M'ay to get rid of it, is to
rub the part afftcted with oil or rum. You must be care-

i.:^.

!Tl!3i?"

SOUTH AMERICA.

187

TlIIID
JnURNIY.

ful not to scratch it. If you do so, and break the skin,
you expose yourself to a sore. The first year I was in
Guiana, tlie Bete-rouge, and my own want of knowledge,
and, I may add, the little attention 1 paid to it, created
an ulcer above the ancle, which annoyed me for six
months, and if I hobbled out into the grass, a number of
Bete-rouge would settle on the edges of the sore, and
increase the inflannnation.

Still more inconvenient, painful, and annoying is ano- TheChcgoe,
ther little pest, called the Chegoe. It looks exactly like
a very small flea, and a stranger would take it for one.
However, in about four and twenty hours, he would have
several broad hints that he had made a mistake in his ideas
of the animal. It attacks dittbrcnt parts of the body, but
chiefly the feet, betwixt the toe nails and the flesh. There
it buries itself, and at first causes an itching not unplea-
sant. In a day or so, after examining the part, you per-
ceive a place about the si/e of a pea, somewhat discoloured,
rather of a blue appearance. Sometimes it happens that
the itching is so trivial, you are not aware that the miner
is at work. Time, they say, makes great discoveries.
The discoloured part turns out lo be the nest of the
Chegoe, containing hundreds of eggs, which, it allowed
to hatch there, the young ones Mill soon begin to form
other nests, and in time cause a spreading ulcer. As soon
as you perceive that you have got the Chegoe in your
flesh, you must take a needle, or a sharp pointed knife,

2 b2

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188

WANDERINGS IN

Third

JOVRNKY.

Ticks.

ami take it out. If the nest be formed, great care must be
taken not to break it, otherwise some of the eggs remain
in the flesh, and then you will soon be annoyed with more
Chegoes. After removing the nest, it is well to drop
spirit of turpentine into the hole ; that will most eftec-
tually destroy any Chcgoe that may be lurking there.
Sometimes 1 have taken four nests out of my feet in the
course of the day.

Every evening, before sun down, it was part of my
toilette to examine my feet, and sec that they were
dear of Chcgoes. Now and then a nest would escape
the scrutiny, and then I had to smart for it a day or two
after. A Chcgoe once lit upon the back of my hand ;
wishful to see how he worked, I allowed him to take
possession. He immediately set to work, head foremost,
and in about half an hour he had completely buried him-
self in the skin. 1 then let him feel the point of my
knife, and exterminated him.

More than once, after sitting down upon a rotten
stump, I have found myself covered with Ticks. There
is a short and easy way to get quit of these unwelcome
adherents. Make a large fire and stand close to it, and
if you be covered with Ticks, they will all fall off.

Let us now forget for a while the quadrupeds, seipents,
and insects, and take a transitory view of the native
Indians of these forests.

There are five principal nations or tribes of Indians in

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' t

SOUTH AMERICA.

189

» t

ci-devant Dutch Guiniin, commonly kno^vn by the name Tbihd
of Wnrow, Arowack, Acowiiy, Carib, and Macoushi.

Principal

They live in small hamlets, which consist of a few huts, nntions, or

' ^ tribes of

never exceeding twelve in number. These huts are in«i>a'"'
always in the forest, near a river or some creek. They
are open on all sides, (except those of the Macoushi,)
and covered with a species of palm leaf.

Their principal furniture is the hammock. It serves Their ham-
them both for chair and bed. It is commonly made of
cotton ; though those of the Warows are formed from the
^ta tree. At night they always make a fire close to it.
The heat keeps them warm, and the smoke drives away
the Mosquitos and sand-flies. You sometimes find a
table in the hut ; but it was not made by the Indians, but
by some negro, or mulatto carpenter.

They cut down about an acre or two of the trees './hich Occupations
surround the huts, and there plant pepper, Papaws,
sweet and bitter Cassava, plantains, sweet potatoes, yams,
pineapples, and silk-grass. Besides these, they generally
have a few acres in some fertile part of the forest for their
Cassava, which is as bread to them. They make earthen
pots to boil their provisions in ; and they get from the
white men flat circular plates of iron, on which they bake
their Cassava. They have to grate the Cassava before
it is pressed, preparatory to baking ; and those Indians
who are too far in the wilds to procure graters from the
white men, make use of a flat piece of wood, studded

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WANUIiHINGS IN

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JoVRNBY.

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with sharp stones. They Iinve no cows, horses, nuileA,
goats, sheep, or asses. The men hunt and fish, and the
women work in the provision ground, and cook their
victuals.

In each liamlet there is the trunk of a hirge tree,
hollowed out like a trough. In this, from their Cassava,
they make an abominable ill-tasted and sour kind of
fermented liquor, called Piwarri. They are very fond of
it, and never fail to get drunk after every brewing. The
freiiuency of the brewing depends upon the superabundance
of Cassava.
Theirimbits. Both men and women go without clothes. The men
have a cotton wrapper, anil the women a bead-ornamented
square piece of cotton, about 'the size of your lumd, for
the fig leaf. Those far away in the interior, use the bark
of a tree for this purpose. They are a very clean people,
and wash in the river or creek, at least, twice every day.
They paint themselves with the Roucou, sweetly per-
fumed with Hayawa or Accaiari. Their hair is black and
lank, and never curled. The women braid it up fancifully,
something in the shape of Diana's head dress in ancient
pictures. They have very few diseases. Old age and
pulmonaiy complaints seem to be the chief agents for re-
moving them to another world. The pulmonary complaints
are gene^'ally brought on by a severe cold, which they do
not know how to arrest in its progress, by the use of the
lancet. I never saw an idiot amongst them, nor could I

SOUTH AMIiUICA.

101

IIIUIIICH.

perceive nny that were deforniotl from their birth. Their Tmpn

, JuURNKY.

women never perish m ehiltl-bed, owiufjf, no donbt, to

their never wearing stayN.

They have no pubUe reli^ion^ eereniony. They ac- nciif^ious
knowU'd^e two sujierior being's, — a ^ood one, and a bad "'"' '"•t-
one. They pray to the hitter not to hurt tlicm, and they
are of opinion tiiat the former is too f»ood to do them an
injnry. I suspect, if the truth were known, the indivuluals
of the village never otter np a single prayer or ejaeuhition.
They have a kind of a priest called a Pee-ay-man, who is
nn enchanter. He fmds out things lost. He mtitters
prayers to the evil spirit over them and their children
when they arc sick. If a fever be in the village, the
Pee-ay-nian goes about all night long, howling, and
making dreadful noises, and begs the bad sj)irit to de-
part. JJut he has very seldom to perform this part of his
duty, as fevers seldom visit the Indian Immlcts. How-
ever, when a fever does come, and his incantations are of
no avail, which I imagine is most commonly the case,
they abandon the place for ever, and nuike a new settle-
ment elsewhere. They consider the owl and the goat-
sucker as familiars of the evil spirit, and never destroy
them.

I could iind no monuments or marks of antiipiity
amongst these Indians, so that after penetrating to the
Rio Branco, from the shores of the Western Ocean, had
any body (juestioned me on this subject, I should have
answered, 1 have seen nothing amongst these Indians

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192

WANDERINGS IN

Third

JoVHNEY.

which tells me that they have existed here for a
century; though, for aught I know to the contrary,
they may have been here before the Redemption, but
their total want of civilisation has assimilated them to
the forests in which they wander. Thus, an aged tree
falls and moulders into dust, and you cannot tell what
was its appearance, its beauties, or its diseases amongst
the neighbouring trees ; another has shot up in its place,
and after nature has had her course, it will make way for
a successor in its turn. So it is with the Indian of
Guiana ; he is now laid low in the dust ; he has left no
record behind him, cither on parchment, or on a stone,
or in earthenware, to say what he has done. Perhaps
the place where his buried ruins lie was unhealthy, and
the survivors have left it long ago, and gone far away
into the wilds. All that you can say is, the trees where
I stand appear lower and smaller than the rest, and from
this I conjecture, that some Indians may have had a
settlement here fornicrly. Were I by chance to meet
the son of the father who moulders here, he could tell
me that his father was famous for slaying tigers and ser-
pents, and Caymen, and noted in the chase of the Tapir
and wild boar, but that he remembers little or nothing of
his grandfather.

They are very jealous of their liberty, and much
attached to their own mode of living. Though those in
the neighbourhood of the European settlements have
constant ('ommunication with the whites, they have no

I, 'm

SOUTH AMERICA.

193

iueliiiation to become civilized. Some IiulimiN who have 'i'lnnu
nccompanied white men to Europe, on returning to their
own land, have thrown off their clothes, and gone back
into the forests.

In George-town, the capital of Demerara, theri^ in a
large shed, open on all sides, built for them by order of
government. Hither the Indians come, M'ith moiikieN,
parrots, boM's and arrows, and Pegalls. They Hell tlwHH
to the white men for money, and too often purchase rtnn
with it, to which they are wonderfully aiUlicted,

Government allows them annual presents in t>rder to
have their services, when the colony deems It net'esHary
to scour the forests in (piest of runaway negroes, For-
merly these expeditions were headed by CharU's l<)diiion-
stone, Esq., now of Cardross-park, near Uumbartou. This
brave colonist never returned from tlie woods witltout
being victorious. Once, in an attack upon the rebel ne-
groes' cauip, he led the way and received two balls In his
body ; at tlie same moment that he was wounited, two
of his Indians fell dead by his side ; he recovered al'fer his
life was despaired of, but the balls could never be extracted.

I do not believe that there is a single Indian In <•/'- cidnrai
derant Dutch Guiana who can read or M'rUe, nor am I
aware that any white man has reduced their langnagt* to
the rules of grannnar ; some may have ujade ii short
manuscript vocabulary of the few necessary words, but
that is all. Here and there a white man, and some few

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194

WANDERINGS IN

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Third people of coloiir talk the langiitige well. Tlic temper of

JoVHNEY.

the Indian of Guiana is mild and gentle, and he is very-
fond of his children.

Some ignorant travellers and colonists call these
Indians a lazy race. M.in in general will not he active
without an object. Now when the Indian has caught
plenty of fish, and killed game enough to last him for a
week, what need has he to range the forest ? He has no
itlea of making pleasure grounds. Money is of no use to
him, for in these wilds there dl-e no markets for hhn to
frequent, nor milliners' shops for his wife and daughtei's ;
he has no taxes to pay, no highways to keep up, no
poor to maintain, nor army nor navy to supfily ; he lies
in his hammock both night and day, (for he has no chair
or bed, neither does he want them,) and in it he forms his
bow, and makes his arrows, and repairs his fishing tackle.
But as soon as he has consumed his provisions, he then
rouses himself, and like the lion scours the forest in
quest of food. He plunges into the river after the deer
and Tapir, and swims across it ; passes through swamps
and quagmires, and never fails to obtain a sufficient
supply of food. Should the approach of night stop his
career, while he is hunting the wild boar, he stops for the
night, and conthmes the chase the next morning. In my
way through the wilds to the Portuguese frontier I had
a proof of this : we were eight in number, six Indians^
a negro, and myself. About ten o'clock in the morning.

'"•"HII

fllil

SOUTH AMERICA.

we observed the feet-mai'k of the wild boars ; we judged
by the fref^h- >i of the marks that tliey had passed that
way early t^i. ^ame morning. As we were not gifted, like
the hound, with scent, and as we had no dog with us, we
followed their track by the eye. The Indian after game,
is as sure mth his eye as the dog is Avith his nose. We
followed the herd till three in the afternoon, then gave
up the chase for the present ; made our fires close to a
creek where there was plenty of fish, and then arranged
the hammocks. In an bour the Indians shot more fisli
with their arrows than we could consume. The night
was beautifully serene and clear, and the moon shone as
bright as day. Next morn we rose at dawn, got brep,k-
fast, packed up, each took his burden, and then we put
ourselves on the track of the wild boars, which we had
been following the day before. We supposed that they,
too, would sleep that night in the forest, as wc had done ;
and thus the delay on our part would be no disadvantage
to us. This was just the case, for about nine o'clock
their feet -mark became fresher and fresher; we now
doubled our pace, but did not give inouth like hounds.
We pushed on in silence, and soon came up with them ;
there were above one hundred of them j we killed six,
and the rest took oft' in different directions. But to the
point.

Amongst us the needy man works from light to dark
for a maintenance. Should this man chance to acquire

2c2

195

TniRD
Journey.

•!.i i

196

WANDERINGS IN

TniRo a fortune, he soon ehanffes his habits. No longer under

Journey.

^t stroujQf necessity's supreme command," he contrives to

get out of bed betwixt nine and ten in the morning. His
servant helps inm to dress, he walks on a soft carpet to
his breakfast -tabic, his wife pours out his tea, and his
servant hands him his toast. After breakfast the doctor
advises a little gentle exercise in the carriage for an hour
or so. At dinner-time he sits down to a table groaning
beneath the wciglit of heterogeneous luxury : there he
rests upon a chair for three or four hours, eats, drinks,
and talks (often unmeaningly) till tea is announced. He
proceeds slowly to the drawing-room, and there spends
best part of his time in sitting, till his wife tempts him
with something warm for supper. After supper, he still
remains on his cliair at rest, till he retires to rest for the
night. He mounts leisurely up stairs upon a carpet, and
enters his bed-room : there, one would hope, that at
least he nuitters a prayer or two, though perhaps not on
bended knee : he then lets himself drop into a soft and
downy bed, over which has just passed the comely
Jenny's warming-pan. Now, could the Indian in his
turn sec this, he would call the white men a lazy, indo-
lent set.

Perhaps then, upon due reflection, you would draw
this conclusion ; that men will always be indolent, where
there is no object to rouse them.

As the Indian of Guiana has no idea whatever of

SOUTH AMERICA.

197

communicating his intentions by writing, he has fallen Third

JOVRNEV.

upon apian of communication sure and simple. When , ,.

^ ^ * Indian ine>

two or three families have detennineU to come down the ^^°^^ "^ .

communi-

river and pay you a visit, they send an Indian before- cation.
hand with a string of beads. You take one bead off every
day ; and on the day that the string is headless, they
arrive at your house.

In finding their way through these pathless wilds, the
sun is to them what Ariadne's clue was to Theseus.
When he is on the meridian, they generally sit down, and
rove onwards again as soon as he has sufficiently de-
clined to the west ; they retiuire no other compass.
When in chase, they break a twig on the bushes as they
pass by every three or four hundred paces, and this often
prevents them from losing their way on their return.

You will not be long in the forests of Guiana before
you perceive how very thinly they are inhabited. You
may wander for a week together without seeing a hut.
The wild beasts, the snakes, the swamps, the trees, the
uncurbed luxuriance of every thing around you, conspire
to inform you that man has no liabitation here — man has
seldom passed this way.

Let us now return to natural history. There was a
person making shingles, with twenty or thirty negroes,
not far from Mibiri-hill. I had oftcred]a reward to any
of them who would find a good sized snake in the forest,
and come and let me know where it was. Often had

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196

WANDERINGS IN

Third
Journey.

Ii'ia

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Goes in
seiirch of a
suiikv,

these negroes looked for a large snake, and as often been
disappointed.

One Sunday morning I met one of them in the forest,
and asked him which way he was going : he said he was
going towards Warratilla creek to hunt an Armadillo ;
and he had his little dog Avith him. On coming back,
about noon, the dog began to bark at the i*oot of a large
tree, which had been upset by the whirlwind, and was
lying there in a gradual state of decay. The negro said,
he thought his dog was barking at an Acouri, which had
probably taken refuge under the tree, and he went up
with an intention to kill it ; he there saw a snake, and
hastened back to inform me of it.

The sun had just passed the meridian in a cloudless
sky ; there was scarcely a bird to be seen, for the winged
inhabitants of the forest, as though overcome by heat,
had retired to the thickest shade : all would have been
like midnight silence were it not that the shrill voice of
the Pi-pi-yo, every now and then, resounded from a
distant tree. I was sitting with a little Horace in my
hand, on what had once been the steps which formerly
led up to the now mouldering and dismantled building.
The negro and his little dog came down the hill in haste,
and I was soon informed that a snake had been dis-
covered ; but it was a young one, called the Bush-master,
a rare and poisonous snake.

I instantly rose up, and layhig hold of the eight-foot

'■•-n|ttfii''fi*

SOUTH AMERICA.

199

Third

JovRNtY.

lance, which was close by me, " Well then. Daddy,
said I, *' we'll go and have a look at the snake." I was
barefoot, with an old hat, and check shirt, and trowsers
on, and a pair of braces to keep them up. The negro
had his cutlass, and as we ascended the hill, another negro,
armed with a cutlass, joined us, judging, from our pace,
that there was something to do. The little dog came along
with us, and Avhen we had got about half a mile in the
forest, the negro stopped, and pointed to the fallen tree :
all wjis still and silent : I told the negroes not to stir
from the place where they were, and keep the little dog
in, and that I would go in and reconnoitre.

I advanced up to the place slow and cautious. The Finds uiui

secures an

snake was well concealed, but at last I made him out ; it ^iiormous

Coulacanara

was a Coulacanara, not poisonous, but large enough to snake.
have crushed any of us to death. On measuring him
afterwards, he was something more than fourteen feet
long. This species of snake is very rare, and much
thicker, in proportion to his length, than any other snake
in the forest. A Coulacanara of fourteen feet in length
is as thick as a common Boa of twenty-four. After
skinning this snake I could easily get my head into his
mouth, as the singular formation of the jaws admits of
wonderful extension.

A Dutch friend of mine, by name Bronwer, killed a
Boa, twenty-two feet long, with a pair of stag's horns in
his mouth : he had swalloAved the stag, but could not

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200

WANDERINGS IN

Third
Journey.

ft. u

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get the honis down ; so he liatl to wait in patience with
that uncomfortable mouthful till his stomach digested
the body, and then the horns would drop out. In this
plight the Dutchman found him as he was going in his
canoe up the river, and sent a ball through his head.

On ascertaining the size of the serjicnt which the negro
had just found, I retired slowly the way I came, and pro-
mised four dollars to the negro who had shown it to me,
f.nd one to the other who had joined us. Aware that the
day was on the decline, and that the approach of night
would be detrimental to the <lissection, a thought struck
me that 1 could take him alive. I imagined if I could
strike him with the lance behind the head, and pin him
to the ground, I might succeed in capturing him. When
I told this to the negroes, they begged and entreated me
to let them go for a gun, and bring more force, as they
were sure the snake would kill some of us.

I had been at the siege of Troy for nine years, and it
would not do now to carry back to Greece, " nil decimo
nisi dedecus aimo." I mean, I had been in search of a
large serpent for years, and now having come up with
one, it did not become me to turn soft. So, taking a
cutlass from one of the negroes, and then ranging both
the sable slaves behind me, I told them to follow me, and
that I would cut them down if they ottered to fly. I
smiled as I said this, but they shook their heads in silence,
and seemed to have but a bad heart of it.

SOUTH AMERICA.

201

When wc cot up to the iilaee, the serpent had not Third

JolH>fEY.

stirred, but I could see nothing of his head, and I judged
by the folds of his body that it must be at the farthest
side of his den. A species of woodbine had formed a
complete mantle over the branches of the fallen tree,
almost impervious to the rain, or the rays of the sun.
Probably he had resorted to this sequestered i)lace for a
length of time, as it bore marks of an ancient settle-
ment.

1 now took my knife, determining to cut away the Prepares to

^nipple

woodbine, and break the twigs in the gentlest nmnner with the

"^ Snake.

possible, till I could get a view of his head. One negro
stood guard close behind me with the Uuice ; and near
him the other with a cutlass. The cutlass which I had
taken from the first negro, was on the ground close by
me in case of need.

After working in dead silence for a quarter of an hour,
with one knee all the time on the ground, I had cleared
away enough to see his head. It appeared coming out
betwixt the first and second coil of his body, and was flat
on the ground. This was the veiy position I wished it
to be in.

I rose in silence, and retreated very slowly, making a
sign to the negroes to do the same. The dog was sitting
at a distance in mute observance. I could now read in
the face of the negroes, that they considered this as a
very unpleasant affair ; and they made another attempt

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202

WANDERINGS IN

Thikd

JoVHNISY.

to pcrsundo iiic to lot thciii ^o for n gun. I smiled in a
good-natured manner, and made a feint to eut them down
with the weapon I had in my hand. This was all the
answer I made to their reciucst, and they looked vciy
uneasy.

It must be observed, we were now about twenty yards
from the snake's den. I now ranged the negroes behind
me, and told him who stood next to me, to lay hold of the
lanee the moment 1 struck the snake, and that the other
must attend my movements. It now only renuiined to
take their eutlasses from them, for I was sure, if I did not
disarm them, they would be tempted to strike the
snake in time of danger, and thus for ever spoil his
skin. On taking their eutlasses from them, if 1 might
judge from their physiognomy, they seemed to consider
it as a most intolerable act of tyranny in me. Probably
nothing kept them from bolting, but the consolation that
I was to be betwixt them and the snake. Indeed, my
own heart, in spite of all I could do, beat (juicker than
usual ; and I felt those sensations which one has on board
a merchant vessel in war time, when the captain orders
all hands on deck to prepare for action, while a strange
vessel is coming down upon us under suspicious colours.

We went slowly on in silence, without moving our
arms or heads, in order to prevent all alann as nuich as
possible, lest the snake should glide off, or attack us in
self-defence. I carried the lance perpendicularly before

SOUTH AMERICA.

203

1
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■■'i:

me, with the point about a foot from the ground. The Third

Journey.

snake had not moved ; and on getting up to him, I struek

him with the hinc • on the near side, just behind the
neck, and pinned liini to the ground. Tluit moment,
the negro next to me seized the hmce and held it firm in
its place, while I dashed head foremost into the den to
grapple M'ith the snake, and to get hold of his tail before
he could do any mischief.

On i)inning him to the ground with the lance, he gave
a tremendous loud hiss, and the little dog ran away,
howling as he went. We had a sharp fray in the den,
the rotten sticks flying on all sides, and each party
struggling for superiority. I called out to the second
negro to throw himself upon me, as 1 found I was not
heavy enough. He did so, and the additional weight was
of great service. I had now 'got linn hold of his tail;
and after a violent struggle or two, he gave in, finding
himself overpowered. This was the moment to secure
him. So, while the first negro continued to hold the
lance firm to the ground, and the other was hel[)ing me,
I contrived to unloose my braces, and M'ith them tied up
the snake's mouth.

The snake, now finding himself in an unpleasant situa-
tion, tried to better himself, and set resolutely to work,
but we overpowered him. We contrived to make him
twist himself round the shaft of the lance, and then pre-
pared to convey him out of the forest. I stood at his

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204

WAI'DEUINGS IN

Third

Joi'RNKV.

hcnd, niul liold it firm under my nrm, one negro supported
the belly, nnd the other the tail. In this order we began
to move slowly towards home, nnd reaehed it after
resting ten times ; for the snake was too heavy for xw
to support him without stopping to reeruit our strength.
As we proeeeded onwards with him, he fought hard for
freedom, but it was all in vain. The day was now too
far spent to think of disseeting him. Had 1 killed
him, a partial putrefaction would have taken place
before morning. I had brought with me up into the
forest a strong bag, large enough to contain any aninud
that I should want to dissect. I considered this the best
mode of keeping live wild aninuds when 1 was pressed
for daylight ; for the bag yieltling in every direction to
their ettbrts, they would have nothing solid or fixed to
work on, and thus would be prevented from making a
hole through it. I say fixed, for after the mouth of the
bag was dosed, the bag itself was not fastened or tied to
any thing, but moved about wherever the animal inside
caused it to roll. After securing afresh the mouth of the
Coulacanara, so that he could not open it, he was forced
into this bag, and left to his fate till morning.

I cannot say he allowed me to have a (juiet night.
My hammock was in the loft just above him, nnd the
floor betwixt us, half gone to decay, so that in parts of it
no boards intervened betwixt his lodging room and mine.
He was very restless and fretful ; and had Medusn been

#

SOUTH AMERICA.

my wife, there eoiiltl iu)t have been more continued and
diNiigreeable hissing in tli<> bed -chamber that night. At
daybreak, I sent to borrow ten of the negroes who were
cutting wood at a distance , I could have done with half
that number, but judged it most pindcnt to have a good
force, in case he should try to escape from the house when
we opened the bag. However, nr)thing serious occurred.

We untied the mouth of the bag, kept him down by
main force, and then I cut his throat. lie bled like an
ox. By six o'clock the same evening, he was completely
dissected. On examining his teeth, I observed that they
were all bent like tenter-hooks, pointing down his throat,
and not so large or strong as I ex[)ccted to have found
them ; but they are exactly suited to what they are inteniled
by nature to perform. The snake does not masticate his
food, and thus the only service his teeth have to perfcniii
is to seize his prey, and hold it till he swallows it whole.

In general, the skins of snakes are sent to museums
without the head : for when the Indians and Negroes kill
a snake, they seldom fail to cut off the head, and then
they run no risk from its teeth. When the skin is stuffed
in the nmseum, a wooden head is substituted, anned with
teeth which arc large enough to suit a tiger's jaw ; and
this tends to mislead the spectator, and give him erro-
neous ideas.

During this fray with the serpent, the old negro, Daddy
Quaslii, was in George-town procuring provisions, and just

205

TiimD

JoVRNBV.

Kills niid
(liiHccts the
Siinke.

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WANDERINGS IN

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Attacks
aiiollier
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returned in time to help to take the skin oft'. He had
spent best part of his Hfe in the forest with his old master,
Mr. Edmonstone, and amused me mueh in recounting
their many adventures {\niongst the wild beasts. The
Daddy had a particular horror of snakes, and frankly
declared that he could never have faced the one in
(piestion.

The Moek following, his courage was put to the test,
and he made good his words. It Avas a curious contlict,
and took place near the spot where I had captured the
large snake. In tlic morning 1 had been following a new
species of paro(]uct, and the day being rainy, I li.id taken
an umbrella to keep the gun dry, and had left it under
a tree ; in the afternoon 1 took Daddy Quashi with me
to look for it. Whilst he was searching about, curiosity
took me towards the place of the late scene of action.
There was a path where timber had fonnerly been
dragged along. Here 1 observed a young Coulacanara,
ten feet long, sloAAly moving onwards ; I saw he was not
thick enough to break my arm, in case he got twisted
round it. There was not a moment to be lost. 1 laid
hold of his tail with the left hand, one knee being on the
ground ; with the right I took oft' my hat, and held it as
you would hold a shield for defence.

The snake instantly turned, and came on at me, with
his head about a yard from the ground, as if to iosk me,
what business 1 had to take liberties with his tail. I let

SOUTH AMERICA.

207

him come, hissing and open-mouthed, within two fuct of
my face, and tlien, with all the force 1 was maHtt'i* of,
I drove my fist, sliieklcd by my hat, full in \m Juwh. I Iu
was stunned and confounded by the blow, and ere he
could recover himself, I had seized his throat witii l)i»tli
hands, in such a position that he could not bite ine ; 1
then allowed him to coil himself round my hody, and
marched ott' with him as my lawful prize. lie prcHNt'd
me hard, but not alarminjjfly so.

In the mean time. Daddy Quashi haviiip; found tlic
lunbrella, and haviujj; heard tlie noise which the fray
occasioned, was cominuf cautiously up. As soon as he
saw me, and in what company I was, he turnetl about and
ran off home, 1 after him, and shoutin^jf to increaHc his
fear. On scohrm£» him for his cowarcUce, the ohi ro^ne
bcfrgod that 1 would for^'ive iiim, for that the si^jit of the
snake had positively turned him sick at stonuich.

When 1 had done with the carcass of the large nnake,
it Avas conveyed into the forest, as 1 expected tiiat it notild
attract the King of the Vultures, as soon as time Nh<Hihl
have rendered it suthciently savoury. In a few (hiyn it
sent forth that odour which a carcass should send forth,
and about twenty of the connnon Vultures came and
perched on the neighbouring trees ; the king of the
Vultures came too ; and I observed that none of the
common ones seemed inclined to begin breakfast (ill his
majesty had finished. When he had consumed as nnich

TtiinD

JoiHNBY.

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208

WANDERINGS IN

TUIRD
JOURN'EV.

The King
of the
Vultures.

Its bill.

snake as nature informed him would do him good, he
retired to the top of a high Mora-tree, and then all the
common Vultures fell to, and made a hearty meal.

The head and neck of the King of the Vultures are
bare of feathers ; but the beautiful appearance they
exhibit, fades in death. The throat and the back of the
neck are of a fine lemon colour ; both sides of the neck,
from the cars downwards, of a rich scarlet ; behind the
corrugated part, there is a white spot. The crown of
the head is scarlet ; betwixt the lower mandible and the
eye, and close by the ear, there is a part which has a fine
silvery blue appearance ; the corrugated part is of a dirty
light brown ; behind it, and just above the white spot,
a portion of the skin is blue, and the rest scarlet ; the
skin which juts out behind the neck, and appears like an
oblong caruncle, is blue in part, and part orange.

The bill is orange and black, the caruncles on his fore-
head orange, and the cere orange ; the orbits scarlet, and
the irides white. Below the bare part of the neck there
is a cinereous ruflf. The bag of the stomach, which only
appears when distended with food, is of a most delicate
white, intersected with blue veins, which appear on it
just like the blue veins appear on the arm of a fair-com-
plexioned person. The tail and long wing-feathers are
black, the belly white, and the rest of the body a fine
satin colour.

I cannot be persuaded that the Vultures ever feed upon

SOUTH AMERICA.

live animals, not even upon lizards, rats, mice, or frogs ;
I have watched them for hours togetlier, but never could
see them touch any living animals, though innumerable
lizards, frogs, and small birds swarmed all around them.
I have killed lizards and frogs, and put them in a proper
place for observation ; as soon as they began to stink,
the Aura Vulture invariably came and took them oif. I
have frequently observed, tliat the day after the planter
had burnt the trash in a cane-field, the Aura Vulture was
sure to be there, feeding on the snakes, lizards, and
frogs which had suffered in the conflagration. I often
saw a large bird (very much like the common gregarious
Vulture at a distance) catch and devour Hzards ; after
shooting one, it turned out to be not a Vulture, but
a hawk, with a tail squarcr and shorter than hawks have
in general. The Vultures, like the goatsucker and wood-
pecker, seem to be in disgrace with man. They are
generally termed a voracious, stinking, cruel, and ignoble
tribe. Under these impressions, the foAvler discharges
his gun at them, and probably thit;ks he has done well
in ridding the earth of such vermin.

Some governments impose a fine on him Avho kills
a Vulture. Tliis is a salutary law, and it were to be
wished that other governments would follow so good an
example. I would fain here say a word or two in favour
of this valuable scavenger.

Kind Providence has conferred a blessing on hot coun-

2e

209

Third

JOURKKY.

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WANDERINGS IN

Third
Journey.

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tries in f^iviiifjf them the Vulture ; he has ordered it to
consume that wiiieh, if left to dissolve in putrefaction,
would infect the air, and ])roduce a pestilence. When full
of food, the Vulture certainly appears an indolent bird ; he
will stand for hours together on the branch of a tree, or
on the top of a house, with his wings drooping, and after
rain, with them spread and elevated to catch the rays of
the sun. It has been remarked by naturalists, that the
flight of this bird is laborious. I have paid attention to
the Vulture in Andalusia, and to those in Guiana, Brazil,
and the West Indies, and conclude that they are birds of
long, even, and lofty flight. Indeed, whoever has
observed the Aura Vulture, Mill be satisfied that his
flight is wonderfully nuijestic, and of long continuance.

This bird is ai)ove five feet from wing to wing extended.
You will sec it soaring aloft in the aerial expanse on
pinions which never flutter, and which at the same time
carry him through the fields of ether with a rapidity
equal to that of the golden eagle. In Paramaribo the
laws protect the Vidture, and the Spaniards of Angustnra
never think of. mol(>sting him. In 1808, I saw the Vul-
tures in that city as tame as domestic fowls ; a person
who had never seen a Vulture would have taken them
for turkies. They were very useful to the Spaniards ;
had it not been for them, the refuse of the slaughter-
houses in Angustura would have caused an intolerable
nuisance.

SOUTH AMERICA.

211

The common black, short, square -tailed Vultm'e is Third

Journey.

gregarious ; but the Aura Vulture is not so ; for, though

Other spe-

you may see fifteen or twenty of them feeding on the <='e8 of Vui-
dead vermin in a cane-field, after the trash has been set
fire to, still, if you have paid attention to their arrival,
you will have observed that they came singly and retired
singly; and thus their being all together in the same
field was merely accidentjil, and caused by each one
smelling the effluvia as he was soaring through the sky
to look out for food. I have watched twenty come into
a cane -field; they arrived one by one, and from different
parts of the heavens. Hence we may conclude, that
though the other species of Vulture are gregarious, the
Aura Vulture is not.

If you dissect a Vulture *hat has just been feeding on
carrion, you must expect that your olfactory nerves will
be somewhat offended with the rank effluvia from his
craw ; just as they would be were you to dissect a citizen
after the lord mayor's dinner. If, on the contrary, the
Vulture be empty at the time you commence the opera-
tion, there will be no offensive smell, but a strong scent
of musk.

I had long wished to examine the native haunts of the
Cayman ; but as the river Demerara did not afford a
specimen of the large kind, I was obliged to go to the
river Essequibo to look for one.

I got the canoe ready, and went down in it to George-

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212

WANDERINGS IN

Third town ; whcro, Iiaviiig put in the necessary articles for

Journey.

. the expedition, not forgetting a couple of large shark-
fo"he EsTe" ^^^°^^' ^^^*^* cliaius attached to them, and a coil of strong
quibo. jjp^y rope^ I hoisted a little sail, which I had got made on
purpose, and at six o'clock in the morning shaped our
course for the river Essequibo. I had put a pair of shoes
on to prevent the tar at the bottom of the canoe from
sticking to my feet. The sun was flaming hot, and from
cloven o'clock till two beat pcqiendicularly upon the top
of my feet, betwixt the shoes and the trowsers. Not
feeling it disagreea))lc, or being in the least aware of
painful consciiucni- .■>, as I had been barefoot for months,
I neglected to put on a pair of short stockings which I
had with me. I did not reflect, that sitting still in one
place, with your feet exposed to the sun, was very
different from being exposed to the sun while in motion.
Suffers We went ashore, in the Essetpiibo, about three o'clock

much pain . , „ , i <• i • i > •

in the feet u\ tlic aftcmoou, to choosc a place for the night s resi-

from cxces- 1/.111T

sivc heat, dcucc, to collcct firc-wood, and to set the fish-hooks. It
was then that I first began to fintl my legs very painful :
they soon became nuich inflamed, and red, and blistered;
and it reciulred considerable caution not to burst the
blisters, otherwise sores would have ensued. I innnedi-
ately got into the hammock, and there passed a painful
and sleepless nif.;ht, and for two days after, I was disabled
from walking.

About midnight, as I was lying awake, and in great

SOUTH AMERICA.

213

pain, 1 Heard the Indian say, •* Massa, inassa, you no Thibd

Journey.

hear Tiger.?" I listened attentively, and heard the softly ^77-7^ —
sounding tread of his feet as he approached us. The the night by

■^ * * a .Tnguar

moon had gone down ; but every now and then we could '^'B*^''-
get a glance of him by the light of our fire : he was the
Jaguar, for I could see the spots on his body. Had I
wished to have fired at him I was not able to take a sure
aim, for I was in such pain that I could not turn myself
in my hammock. The Indian would have fired, but I
would not allow him to do so, as I wanted to see a little
more of our new visitor ; for it is not every day or night
that the traveller is favoured with an undisturbed sight of
the Jaguar in his own forests.

Whenever the fire got low, the Jagusir came a little
nearer, and when the Indian renewed it, he retired
abruptly ; sometimes he would come within twenty yards,
and then we had a view of him, sitting on his hind legs
like a dog ; sometimes he moved slowly to and fro, and
at other times we could hear him mend his pace, as if
impatient. At last, the Indian not relishhig the idea of
having such company in the neighbourhood, could contain
himself no longer, and set up a most tremendous yell. The
Jaguar boimded ofl' like a race-horse, and returned no
more ; it appeared by the print of his feet the next
morning, that he was a full-grown Jaguar.

In two days after this Ave cot to the first falls in the Reaches the

•^ ^ _ falls of the

Essequibo. There was a superb barrier of rocks quite Essequibo.

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214

WANDERINGS IN

TuiRD

Journey.

..;i'

Scener\-.

across the river. In the rainy season these rocks are for
the most part under water ; but it being now dry weather,
we had a fine view of them, while the water from the
river above them rushed through the different openings in
majestic grandeur. Here, on a little hill, jutting out into
the river, stands the house of Mrs. Peterson, the last
house of people of colour up this river ; I hired a negro
from her, and a coloured man, who pretended that they
knew the haunts of the Cayman, and understood every
thing about taking him. We were a day in passing these
falls anil rapids, celebrated for the Pacou, the richest
and most delicious fish in (iuiana. The coloured man
was now in his clement ; he stood in the head of the
canoe, and with his bow and arrow shot the Pacou as
they were swimming in the stream. The arrow had
scarcely left the bow before he had plunged headlong
into the river, jind seized the fish as it was struggling
with it. He dived and SAvam like an otter, and rarely
missed the fish he aimed at.

Did my pen, gentle reader, possess descriptive powers,
I would here give thee an idea of the enchanting scenery
of the Essequibo ; but that not being the case, thou
must be contented with a moderate and well -intended
attempt.

Nothing could be more lovely than the appearance of
the forest on each side of this noble river. Hills rose on
hills in fine gradation, all covered with trees of gigantic

,^

SOUTH AMERICA.

height and size. Here their leaves were of a lively
purple, and there of tlie deepest green. Sometimes the
Caracara extended its scarlet hlossoins from brand i
branch, and gave the tree the appearanee as though it
had been hung with garlands.

This delightful scenery of the Esscquibo made the
boul overllow M'ith joy, and eausetl you to rove in fancy
through fairy-land ; till, on turning an angle of the
river, you were recalled to more sober reflections on
seeing the once grand and towering Mora, now dead and
ragged in its topmost branches, wliile its aged trunk,
undermined by the rushing torrent, hung as though in
sorrow over the river, which, ere long, would receive it,
and sweep it away for ever.

During the day, the trade-wind blew a gentle and
refreshing breeze, which died away as tlie night set in,
and then tlie river was as smooth as glass.

The moon was within three days of being full, so that
we did not regret the loss of the sun, which set in all its
8plendour. Scarce had he sunk behind the western
hills, when the goatsuckers sent forth their soft and
plaintive cries ; some often repeating, " WIio are you —
who, who, who are you.''" and others, " Willy, Willy,
Willy come go."

The Indian and Daddy Quashi often shook their head
at this, and said they were bringing talk from Yabahou,
who is the evil spirit of the Essecpiibo. It was delightful

215

Third

JoUHNBY.

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216

WANDERINGS IN

Third

JOURNBV.

'S\

The Cnni-
(laiieru.

to sit on the branch of a fallen tree, near the water's edge,
and listen to these harmless birds as they repeated their
evening song ; and watch the om'Is and vampires as they
every now and then passed np and down the river.

The next day, al)ont noon, as we were proceeding
onwards, we heard the Canipanero tolling in the depth of
the forest. Though I should not then have stopped to
dissect even a rare bird, having a greater object in view,
still 1 could not resist the opportunity ottered of acijuiring
the Canipanero. The place where he was tolling was low
and swampy, and my legs not having (juite recovered
from the ettects of the sun, I sent the Indian to shoot the
Canipanero. He got np to the tree, which he described
as very high, with a naked top, and situated in a swamp.
He fired at the bird, but cither missed it, or did not
wound it sufficiently to bring it down. This was the only
opportunity I had of getting a Campanero during this
expedition. We had never heard one toll befoie this
morning, and never heard one after.

About an hour before sunset, we reached the j)lace
which the two men, who had joined us at the falls, pointed
ont as a proper one to find a Cayman. There was a
large creek close by, and a sandbank gently sloping to the
water. Just within the forest on this bank, we cleared a
place of brushwood, suspended the hammocks from the
trees, and then picked up enough of decayed wood for
fuel.

SOUTH AMERICA.

!I7

The Indian found a large land tortoise, and this, mth Tn.ii[>

JUURNKV.

plenty of fresh fish which we had in the canoe, afforded

a supper not to be despised.

The tigers had kept up a continual roaring every night tt«"»""'ng
since we had entered the Essequibo. The sound was
awfully fine. Sometimes it was in the immediate neigh-
bourhood ; at other times it was far ofi^, and echoed
amongst the hills like distant thunder.

It may, perhaps, not be amiss to observe here, that
when the word tiger is used, it does not mean the Bengal
tiger. It means the Jaguar, whose skin is beautifully
spotted, and not striped like that of the tiger in the East.
It is, in fact, the tiger of the new world, and receiving
the name of tiger from the discoverers of South America,
it has kept it ever since. It is a cruel, strong, and
dangerous beast, but not so courageous as the Bengal
tiger.

We now baited a shark-hook with a large fish, and put
it upon a board about a yard long, and one foot broad,
which we had brought on puq)ose. This board was
carried out in the canoe, about forty yards into the river.
By means of a string, long enough to reach the bottom
of the river, and at the cud of which string was fastened
a stone, the board was kept, as it were, at anchor. One end
of the new rope I had bought in town, was reeved through
the chain of the shark-hook, and the other end fastened
to a tree on the sjind-bank.

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218

WANDERINGS IN

TniMD

JOVRNEY.

mmu

Noise of the
Cuymcii,

It wns now an liour after sunset. The sky wn* cloud-
less, and the moon shone beautifully bright. There wns
not n breath of wind in the heuvtns, and the river seemed
like a large plain of (luicksilver. Every now and then a
huge fish would strike and plunge in the water ; then the
owls and goatsuekoi*s would oontiiuie their lamentations,
and the sound of these was lost in the prowling tiger's
growl. Then all M'as still again and silent as midnight.

The Caymen were now upon the stir, and at intei-vals
their noise could be distinguished amid that of the Jaguar,
the owls, the goatsuckers, and frogs. It was a singidor
and awful sound. It was like a suppressed sigh, bursting-
forth all of a sudden, and so loud that you might hear it
above a mile oif. First one emitted this horrible noise,
and then another answered him ; and on looking at the
countenances of the people round me, I could plainly see
that they expected to have a Cayman that night.

We were at supper, when the Indian, who seemed to
have had one eye on the tiu'tle-pot, and the oti/jr on the
bait in the river, said he saw the Cayman coming.

Upon looking towards the place, there appeared some-
thing on the water like a black log of wood. It was so
unlike any thing alive, that I doubted if it were a Cayman ;
but the Indian smiled, and said he was sure it was one,
for he remembered seeing a Cayman, some years ago,,
when he was in the Essequibo.

At last it gradually approached the bait, and the board

A

SOUTH AMEUICA.

began to move. The inooii Nlioue so brii^ht, that we
eould distinctly see him open liis Imge jtuvs, and take in
the bait. Wo pulled the rope. He immediately let drop
the bait ; and then we Haw his blaek head retreating from
the board, to the distance of a lew yards; and there it
remained <[uite motionless.

He did not seem inclined to advance again ; and so we
finished our supper. In about an hour's time he again
put himself in motion, and took hold of the bait. But,
probably, suspecting that he had tt) deal with knaves
and cheats, he held it in his moutli, but did not sAvallow
it. We pulletl the rope agaiii, but with no better success
than the first time.

He retreated as usual, and came back again in about
an hour. We paid him every attention till three o'clock
in the morning ; when, w(n'n out with disappointment, we
went to the hanunocks, turned In, and fell asleep.

When day Ijroke, we found that he had contrived to
get the bait from the ht)ok, though we had tied it on
with string. We had now no more hopes oi' taking a
Cayman, till tlie leturn of night. The Indian took oft'
into the woods, and brought back a noble supply of
game. The i ( st of us went into the canoe, and pro-
ceeded upthi river to shoot fish. We got even more than
we eould use.

As ' I )proaclied the shallows, we could see the large
Sthi(., lys moving at the bottom. The coloured man

2 F 2

219

TlllRU
.FoURNUV.

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220

Third

JOVRNRY.

Birds.

Turtle's
nests.

WANDERINGS IN

never failed to hit thein with his arrow. The weather was
delightful. There was scarcely a cloud to intercept the
sun's rays.

I saw several scarlet Aras, Anhingas, and ducks, but
could not get a shot at them. The parrots crossed the
river in innumerable quantities, always flying in pairs.
Here, too, I saw the Sun-bird, called Tirana by the
Spaniards in the Oroonoque, and shot one of them. The
black and white scarlet -headed Finch was very common
here. I could never see this bird in the Demerara, nor
hear of its being there.

We at last came to a large sand-bank, probably two
miles in circumference. As we approached it we could
see two or three hundred fresh-water turtle on the edge
of the bank. Ere we could get near eriough to lot fly an
arrow at them, they had all sunk into the river and
appeared no more.

We went on the sand-bank to look for their nests,
as this was the breeding season. The coloured man
showed us how to find them. Wherever a portion
of the sand seemed smoother than the rest, there was
sure to be a turtle's nest. On digging down with our
hands, about nine inches deep, we found from twenty to
thirty white eggs ; in less than an hour we got above
two hundred. Those which had a little black spot or
two on the shell we ate the same day, as it was a sign
that they were not fresh, and of course would not keep :

Biir"

SOUTH AMERICA.

221

those which had no speck Avere put into dry wind, nnd Th.»d
were good some weeks after. Jo^t^smv.

At midnight, two of our people went to thiH Huiul-btMik,
while the rest staid to watch the Cayman . The turtle had
advanced on to the sand to lay their eggs, «„,! fl,e ^^en
got betwixt them and the water ; they brought off half a
dozen very fine and well-fed turtle. The ogg-Hiit'l! of the
fresh-water turtle is not hard like that of the hmd tor-
toise, but appears like white parchment, and givcH way
to the pressure of the fingers ; but it is very tough, and
does not break. On this sand-bank, close to the forest,
we found several Guana's nests; but they had never
more than fourteen eggs a-piece. Thus passed the day
in exercise and knowledge, till the siui's declining orb
reminded us it was time to return to the place from
whence we had set out.

The second night's attempt upon the Cayman was a
repetition of the first, (piite unsuccessfid. We went a
fishing the day after, had excellent sport, and returned
to experience a third night's disappointment. On the
fourth evening, about four o'clock, we began to erect a
stage amongst the trees, close to the water's edge,
From this we intended to shoot an arrow into the Cay-
man : at the end of this arrow was to be attached a
string, which would be tied to the rope, and as soon as
the Cayman was struck, Ave were to have the canoe ready,
and pursue him in the river.

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WANDERINGS IN

TUIBD
JuURNEY.

While we were busy in preparing the stage, a tiger
began to roar. We judged by the sound that he was
not above a quarter of a mile from us, and that he was
elose to tiie sidv' of the river. Unfortunately, the Indian
said it was not a Jaguar that was roaring, but a Cou-
A Couguar. guar. The i )Uguar is of a pale, broAvuish red colour, and
not as large as the Jaguar. As there was nothing par-
ticular in this animal, I thought it better to attend to the
apparatus for catching the Cayiran than to go in quest
of the Couguar. The people, however, went hi the
canoe to the place where the Couguar Mas roaring. On
arrivuig near the spot, they saAv it was not a Couguar
but an immense Jaguar, standing on the trunk of an
aged Mora -tree, which bended over the river ; he
growled, and showed his teeth as they approached ; the
coloured man llrcd at him with a ball, but probably
missed him, and the tiger instantly descended, and took oft*
into the woods. I Avcnt to the place before dark, and we
searched the forest for about half a mile in the direction
he had fled, but we could see :io traces of him, or any
marks of blood ; so I conchided tiiat fear had prevented
the man from taking steady aim.

We spent best part of the fourth night in trying for
the Cayman, but all to no purpose. 1 was now con-
vinced that something was materially wrong. We ought
to have been successful, considering our vigilance and
attention, aiul that Ave had repeatedly seen the Cayman.

SOUTH AMERICA.

It was useless to tarry here any longer ; moreover, the
coloured man began to take airs, and fancied that I
could not do without him. I never admit of this in any
expedition where I am commander ; and so I convinced
the man, to his sorrow, that I could do ^vithout him ; for
I paid him what I had agreed to give him, which amounted
to eight doUai-s, and ordered him back in his own curial
to Mrs. Pfeterson's, on the hill at the first falls. I then
asked the negro if there were any Indian settlements in
the neighbourhood ; he said he knew of one, a day and
a half off. We went in quest of it, and about one
o'clock the next day, the negro showed us the creek
where it was.

The entrance was so concealed by thick bushes that a
stranger would have passed it without knowing it to be
a creek. In going up it we found it dark, winding, and
intricate beyond any creek that I had ever seen before.
When Oq^heus came back with his young wife from
Styx, his path must have been similar to this, for Ovid
saya it was

" Anluus, obliqiius, caligiiic <Iensus opaca,"

and this creek was exactly so.

When we had got about two -thirds up it, we met the
Indians going a fishing. I saw, by the way their things
were packed in the curial, that they did not intend
to return for some days. However, on telling them
^vhat we wanted, and by promising handsome presents

22a

Third

.ToUBNEY;

Discharges
the man of
colour.

Reaches a
creek and
Indian set*
tlenient.

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224

WANDERINGS IN

m

Third
Journey.

Indian
dinner.

;^/;

of powder, Nhot, niul hooks, they dropped their expe-
dition, and invited us up to the settlement they had just
left, and where we laid in a provision of Cassava.

They gave us for dinner boiled ant-bear and red
monkey ; two dishes unknown even at Beauvilliers in
Paris, or at a London city feast. The monkey was very
good indeed, but the ant-bear had been kept beyond its
time ; it stunk like our venison does in England ; and so,
after tasting it, I preferred dining entirely on monkey.
After resting here, we went back to the river. The In-
dians, three in number, accompanied us in their own
curial, and, on entering the river, pointed to aplace a little
way above, well calcidated to harbour a Cayman. The
water was deep and still, and flanked by an immense
sand-bank ; there was also a little shallow creek close by.

On this sand-bank, near the forest, the people made a
shelter for the nigiit. My own was already made ; for
I always take with me a painted sheet, about twelve feet
by ten. This, thrown over a pole, supported betwixt
two trees, makes you a capital roof with very little
trouble.

We showed one of the Indians the shark-hook. He
shook his head and lauglied at it, and said it would not
do. When he was a boy, he had seen his fiither catch
the Caymen, and on the morrow he would make some-
thing that would answer.

In the meantime, we set the shark-hook, but it availed

pi' M"'!!''

SOUTH AMERICA.

US naught ; a Cayman came and took it, but would not
swallow it.

Seeing it was useless to attend the shark-hook any
longer, we left it for the night, and returned to our
hammocks.

Ere I fell asleep, a reflection or two broke in upon me.
I considered, that as far as the judgment of civilized man
went, every thing had been procured and done to ensure
success. We had hooks, and lines, and baits, and
patience ; we had spent nights in watching, had seen the
Cayman come and take the bait, and after our expect-
ations had been wound up to the highest pitch, all
ended in disappointment. Probably this poor wild man
of the woods would succeed by means of a very simple
process; and thus prove to his more civilized brother,
that notwithstanding books and schools, there is a vast
deal of knowledge to be picked up at every step, which-
ever way we turn ourselves.

In the morning, as usual, we found the bait gone from
the shark-hook. The Indians went into the forest to
hunt, and we took the canoe to shoot fish, and get
another supply of turtle's eggs, which we found in great
abundance on this large sand-bank.

We went to the little shallow creek, and shot some
young Caymen, about two feet long. It was astonishing
to see what spite and rage these little things showed
when the arrow struck them ; they turned round and bit
it, and snapped at us when we went into the water to

2g

225

TuiRD

Journey.

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226

WANDERINGS IN

l^hily

It '••

Third
Journey.

take them up. Daddy Quashi boiled one of them for his
dinner, and found it very sweet and tender. I do not see
wliy it shouhl not be as good as frog or veal.

The day was uoav declining? apace, and the Indian had
made his instnunent to take tho Cayman. It was very
simple. There were four pieces of toiij^h hard wood, a foot
long, and about as thick as your little finger, and barbed
at both ends ; they were tied round the end of the rope,
in such a manner, that if you conceive the rope to be an
arrow, these four sticks would fonn the arrow's head ; so
that one end of the four united sticks answered to the
point of the arrow-head, while the other end of the sticks
expanded at equal distances round the rope, thus —

--.Y^-j^?>a-7-»'j'3-7 yj-y-r-r-aTTTmaaac

Now it is evident, that if the Cayman swallowed this,
(the other end of the rope, which was thirty yards long,
being fastened to a tree,) the more he pulled, the faster
the barbs would stick into his stomach. This wooden
hook, if you may so call it, was well-baited with the flesh
of the Acouri, and the entrails were twisted round the
rope for about a foot above it.

Nearly a mile from where we had our hammocks, the
sand-bank Avas steep and abnipt, and the river very still
and deep ; there the Indian pricked a stick into the sand.
It was two feet long, and on its extremity was fixed the
machine ; it hung suspended about a foot from the water.

*'iiH-i;

SOUTH AMERICA.

227

and the end of the rope was made fast to a stake driven Third
well into the sand. — vn^^r.

:'i ,: L.

The Indian then took the empty shell of a land tortoise,
and gave it some heavy blows with an axe. I asked
why he did that. He said, it was to let the Cayman hear
that something was going on. In fact, the Indian meant
it as the Cayman's dinner-bell.

Having done this, we went back to the hammocks, not
intending to visit it again till morning. During the night,
the Jaguars roared and grumbled in the forest, as though
the world was going wrong with them, and at intervals
we could hear the distant Cayman. The roaring of the
Jaguars was awful ; but it was music to the dismid noise
of these hideous and malicious rej^tiles.

About half past five in the morning, tlie Indian stole Succeed in
off silent' y to take a look at the bait. On arriving it the cayman.*
place, he act up a tremendous shout. We all jumped
out of our hammocks, and ran to him. The Indians got
there before mc, for they had no clothes to put on, and
I lost two minutes in looking for my trowsers and in
slipping into them.

We found a Cayman, ten feet and a half long, fast to

2g2

A""-'' .:<

228

WANDERINGS IN

TniRD

JofHNEV,

the end of the rope. Nothing now remained to do, hut
to get him out of the water without uijuring his scales,
" hoc opus, hie hibor." We mustered strong : there
were three Indians from the creek, there was my own
Indian Yan, Daddy Quashi, the negro from Mrs. Peter-
son's, James, Mr. R. Edmonstone's man, whom I Avas
instructing to preserve birds, and, histly, myself.

* informed the Indians that it was my intention to

draAv him (juictly out of the water, and then secure him.
They looked and stared at each other, and said, I might
do it myself ; but they would have no hand in it ; the
Cayman would worry some of us. On saying this,
*' consedcre duces," they squatted on their hams with
the most perfect indifference.

The Indians of these wilds have never been subject to
the least restraint ; and I knew enough of them to be
aware, that if I tried to force them against their will,
they would take oft*, and leave me and my presents
unheeded, and never return.

Daddy Quashi was for applying to our guns, as usual,
considering them our best and safest friends. I imme-
diately ottered to knock him down for his cowardice, and
he shrunk back, begging that I would be cautious, and
not get myself worried ; and apologizing for his own
want of resolution. My Indian was now in conversation
with the others, and they asked if I would allow them to
shoot a dozen arrows into him, and thus disable him.
This would have ruined all. I had come above three

id

ijipi'''''

Third
Journey.

SOUTH AMERICA. 229

hundred miles on purpose to get a Cayman uninjured,
and not to carry back a mutilated specimen. I rejected
their proposition with firmness, and darted a disdainful
eye upon the Indians.

Daddy Quashi was again beginning to remonstrate,
and I chased him on the sand -bank for a quarter of a mile.
He told me afterwards, he thought he should have
dropped down dead with fright, for he was firmly per-
suaded, if I had caught him, I should have bundled lum
into the Cayman's jaws. Here then we stood, in silence,
like a calm before a thunder-storm. *' Hoc res smuma
loco. Scinditur in contraria vulgiis." They wanted to
kill him, and I wanted to take him alive.

I now walked up and down the sand, revolving a dozen
projects in my head. The canoe was at a considerable
distance, and I ordered the people to bring it round to
the place where we were. The mast was eight feet long,
and not much thicker than my wrist. I took it out of
the canoe, and wrapped the sail round the end of it.
Now it appeared clear to me, that if I went down upon
one knee, and held the mast in the same position as the
soldier holds his bayonet when rushing to the charge,
I could force it down the Cayman's throat, should he
come open-mouthed at me. When this was told to the
Indians, they brightened up, and said they would help
me to pull him out of the river.

Prepare to

" Brave squad!" said I to myself, " ' Audax omma take the

Cayman

perpeti,' now that you have got me betwixt yourselves alive.

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230

WANDERINGS IN

Third
Journey.

Ir.

mm^'

and danger." I then mustered all hands for the last
time before the battle. We were, four South American
savages, two negroes from Africa, a Creole from Trinidad,
and myself a white man from Yorkshire. In fact, a little
tower of Babel group, in dress, no dress, address, and
language.

Daddy Quashi hung in the rear ; 1 showed him a large
Spanish knife, which 1 always carried in the waistband of
my trowsers : it spoke volumes to him, and he shrugged
up his shoulders in absolute despair. The smi was just
peeping over the high forests on the eastern hills, as if
coining to look on, and bid i: "^ct with becoming forti-
tude. I placed all the people at the end of the rope, and
ordered them to pull till the Cayman appeared on the
surface of the water; and then, should he plunge, to
slacken the rope and let him go again into the deep.

1 now took the mast of the canoe in my hand (the sail
being tied round the end of the mast) and sunk down
upon one knee, about four yards from the water's edge,
determining to thrust it down his throat, in case he gave
me an opportunity. I certainly felt somewhat uncomfort-
able in this situation, and I thought of Cerberus on the
other side of the Styx ferry. The people pulled the Cay-
man to the surface ; he plunged furiously as soon as he
arrived in these upper regions, and immediately went
Ijelow again on their slackenhig the rope. I saw enough
not to fall in love at first sight. I now told them we
would run all risks, and have him on land immediately.

t ■■ '\

SOUTH AMERICA.

They pulled apain, and out he came, — '* monstnun, lior-
rendum, iiiforme." This was an interesting moment. I
kept my position firmly, with my eye fixed steadfast on
him.

By the time the Cayman was within two yards of me,
I saw he was in a state of fear and perturbation ; I
mstantly dropped the mast, sprung up, and jumped on
his back, turning half round as I vaulted, so that I gained
my seat with my face in a right position. I immediately
seized his fore legs, and, by main force, twisted them on
his back ; thus they served me for a bridle.

He now seemed to have recovered from his surprise,
and probably fancying himself in hostile company, he
began to plunge furiously, and lashed the sand with his
long and powerful tail. I was out of reach of the strokes
of it, by being near his head. He continued to plunge
and sirikc, and made my seat very uncomfortable. It
must have been a fine sight for an imoccupied spectator.

The people roareil out in triumph, and were so vocife-
rous, that it was some time before they heard me tell them
to pull me and my beast of burden farther in land. I
was apprehensive the rope might break, and then there
would have been every chance of going down to the
regions under water ^dth the Cayman. That would have
been more perilous than rion's marine morning ride : —

" Delphini insidens vada cserula sulcat Arion."

The people now dragged us above forty yards on the

231

TniBD

JoURNET.

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232

WANDERINGS IN

Third

JOUMNBY.

m

W

sand : it was the first and last time 1 was ever on a
Cayman's back. 81iould it be asked, how I managed
to keep my seat, I wouUl answer, — I hunted some years
with Lord Darlington's fox hounds.

After repeated attempts to regain his liberty, the Cay-
man gave in, and became tramiuil through exhaustion. I
now managed to tie up his jaws, and firmly secured his
fore feet in the position I had held them. We had now
another severe struggle for superiority, but he was soon
overcome, and again remained quiet. While some of the
people Avere pressing upon his head and shoulders, I
threw myself on his tail, and by keeping it down to the
sand, prevented him from kicking up another dust. He
was finally conveyed to the canoe, and then to the place
where we had suspended our hammocks. There I cut
his throat ; and after breakfast was over, commenced the
dissection.

Now that the liftVay had ceased. Daddy Quashi played
a good finger and thumb at breakfast ; he said he found
himself much revived, and became very talkative and
useful, as there was no longer any danger. He was a
faithful, honest negro. His master, my worthy friend
Mr. Edmonstone, had been so obliging as to send out
particular orders to the colony, that the Daddy should
attend me all the time I was in the forest. He had lived in
the wilds of Demerara with Mr. Edmonstone for many
years ; and often amused me M-ith the account of the
frays his master had had in the woods with snakes.

SOUTH AMERICA.

233

Wild beasts, and riumwny negroes. Old age was now Third

, Joi-RNBV.

coming fast npon him ; he had been an able fellow in his

younger days, and a gallant one too, for he had a large
scar over his eyebrow, caused by the stroke of a cutlass,
from mother negro, while the Daddy was engaged in an
intrigue.

The back of the Cayman may be stiid to be almost The bnck of

tlicCiiymim.

impenetrable to a musket ball ; but his sides are not near
so strong, and are easily pierced with an arrow ; indeed,
were they as strong as the back and the belly, there
woidd be no part of the Cayman's body soft and elastic
enough to admit of expansion after taking in a supply of
food.

The Cayman has no grinders ; his teeth are entirely it3 teeth.
made for snatch and swallow; there are tliirty-two
in each ja-v. Perhaps no animal in existence bears
more decided marks in his countenance of cruelty and
malice than the Cayman. He is the scourge and terror
of all the large rivers in South America near the line.

One Sunday evening, some years ago, as I was walking Anecdote.
with Don Felipe de Ynciarte, governor of Angustura, on
the bank of the Oroonoquc, " Stop 1um*c a minute or two,
Don Carlos," said he to me, " while I recount a sad
accident. One fine evening last year, as the pooj)le of
Angustura were sauntering up and down here, in the
Alameda, I was within twenty yards of this place, when
I saw a large Cayman rush out of the river, seize a man,

2 n

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In'-"

234

WANDERINGS IN

Third

JOVRNKY.

and carry him down, before any body had it in his power
to assist him. The screams of the poor fellow were
terrible as the Cayman was running oif with him. He
plunged into the river Avith his prey ; we instantly lost
sight of him, and never saw or heard him more."

I was a day and a half in dissecting our Cayman,
and then Ave got all ready to return to Demerara.

It was much more perilous to descend than to ascend
the ftills in the Essequibo.
Great dan- The placc wc had to pass had proved fatal to four
sion(iin}!;the Indians about a month before. The water foamed, and

falls of the ,,,,,.,, i

Esbcciuibo. dashed and boned amongst the steep and craggy rocks,
and seemed to warn us to be careful how Ave ventured
there.

I Avas for all hands to get out of the canoe, and then,
after Joshing a long rope ahead and asteni, avc might
have climbed from rock to rock, and tempered her in her
passage down, and our getting out Avould have lightened
her much. But tlie negro Avho had joined us at Mrs.
Peterson's, said he Avas sure it Avould be safer to stay in
the canoe Avhile she Avent down the fall. I was loath to
give Avay to him ; but I did so this time against my
better judgment, as he assured me that he was accus-
tomed to pass and repass these falls.

Accordingly we determined to push down : I was at
the helm, the rest at their paddles. But before Ave got
half Avay through, the rushing waters deprived the canoe

SOUTH AMERICA.

235

of all power of steerage, and she became thf uport of the
torrent ; in a second she was half full of water, and I
cannot comprehend to this day why she did not ^o down ;
luckily the people exerted themselves to the utiuont, she
got headway, and they pulled through the whirlpool : I
being quite in the stern of the canoe, part of a wave
struck me, and nearly knocked me overboard.

We now paddled to some rocks at a diKtuuee, got out,
miloaded the canoe, and dried the cargo in tlie sun,
which was very hot and powerful. Had it been tlic wet
season, almost every thing would have been Npoile<i.

After this, the voyage down the KKNe(|uibo was (juick
and pleasant till we reached the sea-coaKt ; there we had
a trying day of it ; the wuid was dead aguiuHt uh, and
the sun remarkably hot ; we got twice aground upon a
mudttat, and were twice obliged to get out, Uj) to the
middle in mud, to shove the canoe through if. Halfway
betwixt the Essequibo and Demerara the ti«le of flood
caught us ; and after the utmost exertions, it vas half
past six in the evening before we got to (ieorge-fown.

We had been out from six in the morning in lui open
canoe on the sea-coast, without umbrella or awning,
exposed all day to the liery rays of a tropical sini. My
face smarted so that 1 could get no sleep diU'ing the
night, and the next morning my lips M'cre all in blisters.
The Indian Yan went down to the ICsseciuibo u copper
colour, but the reflection of the sun from tlie sea, and

2 u2

Third
Journey.

Hi'aclics
(ii'orge-
towii.

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236

Third
Journey.

Embarks
forEnglund,

WANDERINGS IN

from the sar.d -banks in the river, had turned him nearly
black. He laughed at himself, and said the Indians in
the Demerara would not know him again. I staid one
day in George-to>vn, and then set off the next morning
for head-quarters in Mibiri creek, where I finished the
Cayman.

Here the remaining time was spent in collecting birds,
and in paying particular attention to their haunts and
economy. The rainy season having set in, the weather
became bad and stormy ; the lightning and thunder were
incessant ; tiie days cloudy, and the nights cold and
misty. I had now been eleven months in the forests, and
collected some rare insects, two hundred and thirty
birds, two land tortoises, five Armadillas, two large
serpents, a sloth, an ant-bear, and a Cayman.

I left the wilds and repaired to George -town to spend
a few days with Mr. R. Edmonstone previous to embark-
ing for Europe. I nuist here return my sincerest thanks
to this worthy gentleman for his many kindnesses to me ;
his friendship was of the utmost service to me, and he
never failed to send me supplies up into the forest by
every opportunity.

I eml)arked for England, on board the Dee West India-
man, conunanded by Captain Gray.

Sir Joseph Banks had often told me, he hoped that I
would give a lecture in public, on the new mode I had
discovered of preparing specimens in natural history for

M

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'<H||*

SOUTH AxMERICA.

museums. I always declined to do so, as I. despaired of
ever being able to lilt upon a proper method of doing quad- ■
rupeds ; and I was aware that it would have been an
imperfect lecture to treat of birds only. I imparted
what little knowledge I was master of, at Sir Joseph's,
to the unfortunate gentlemen who went to Africa [to ex-
plore the Congo ; and that was all that took place in the
shape of a lecture. Now, that I had hit upon the way
of doing quadrupeds, I drew up a little plan on board the
Dee, which I trusted would have been of service to
naturalists ; and by proving to them the supcriority^of the
new plan, thc\ would probably be induced to abandon]the
old and common way, which is a disgrace to the present
age, and renders hideous every specimen in every museum
'i?t I have as yet visited. I intended to have given three
^i i ^.;res : one on insects and serpents ; one on birds ; and
one on quadrupeds. But, as it Mill be shortly seen, this
little plan was doomed not to be unfolded to public view.
lUibcrality blasted it in the bud.

We had a pleasant passage across the Atlantic, and
arrived in the Mersey in fine trim and good spirits.
Groat was the attention 1 received from the commander
of the Dee. He and his mate, Mr. Spenee, took every
care of my collection.

On our landing, the gentlemen of the Liverpool Custom-
house received me as an old friend and actjuaintance, and
obligingly offered their services.

237

Third

JOURNBT.

Arrives at
Liverpool.

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'^v^

238

WANDERINCS IN

Third

JOUUNEY.

Twice before had 1 landed in Liverpool, and twice had
I reason to admire their conduct and liberality. They
knew 1 waN incapable of trying to introduce any thing
contraband, tuid they were aware that I never dreamed
of turning to profit tlie specimens I had procured. They
considered that I had left a comfortable home in quest
of science ; and that 1 had wandered into ftu'-distant
elimos, and gone barefooted, ill clothed, and ill fed,
through swamps and woods, to procure specimens, some
of which had never been seen in Europe, They considered
that it would be diHicult to fix a price upon specimens
which had never been bought or sold ; and which never
were to be ; as they M'ere intended to ornament my oAvn
house. It was hard, they said, to have exposed myself,
for years, to danger, and then be obliged to pay on return-
ing to my native land. Under these considerations, they
fixetl a moderate duty, MJiich satisfied all parties.

However, this last expecUtion ended not so. It taught
me how hard it is to loarn the grand lesson, " tequam
memento rebus in arduis, servare mentem."

JJut my good friends in the Custom-house of Liverpool
were not to blame. On tlie contrary, they did all in
their power to procure balm for me instead of rue. But
it Mould lutt answer.

They ap))()inted a very civil ollicer to attend me to the
ship. While we were looking into some of the boxes,
to see that the sjiecimens were properly stowed, previous

■1 • \yt

SOUTH AMERICA.

to their being conveyed to the King's depot, another
officer entered the cabin. He was an entire stranger to
me, and seemed wonderfully aware of his own conse-
quence. AVithout preface or apology he thnist his head
over my shoulder, and said, we had no business to have
opened a single box without his permission. I answered,
they had been opened almost every day since they had
come on board, and that I considered there was no harm
in doing so.

He then left the cabin, and I said to myself as he went
out, I suspect I shall see that man again at Phillppi. The
boxes, ten in number, Avcre conveyed in safety from the
ship to the depot, I then proceeded to the Custom-house.
The necessary fonns were gone through ; and a pro-
portionate duty, according to circumstances, was paid.

This done, we returned from the Custom-house to the
depot, accompanied by several gentlemen who wished to
sec the collection. They expressed themselves highly
gratified. The boxes were closed, and nothing now
remained but to convey them to the c.crt Avhich was in
attendance Jit the door of the depot. Just as one ol the
inferior officers was carrying a box thither, in stepped the
man whom 1 suspected I should see again at Philippi.
He abruptly declared himself dissatisfied with the valua-
tion which the gentlemen of the customs had put upon
the collection, and said he must detain it. I remonstrated,
but it was all in vain.

239

TniRD

JoVHNEy.

:i,:i,;^-i!

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240

WANDERINGS IN

Third
Journey.

After this pitiful stretch of power, and bad compliment
to the other officers of the customs, who had been
satisfied M'ith the valuation, this man had the folly to take
me aside, and after assuring ine that he had a great regard
for the arts and sciences, he lamented that conscience
obliged him to do what he had done, and he wished he
had been fifty miles from Liverpool at the time that it fell
to his lot to detain the collection. Had he looked in my
face as he said this, he would have seen no marks of
credulity there.

I now returned to the Custom-house, and after express-
ing my opinion of the officer's conduct at the depot, I
pulled a bunch of keys (which belonged to the detained
boxes) out of my pocket, laid them on the table, took
my leave of the gentlemen present, and soon after set off
for Yorkshire.

I saved nothing from the grasp of the stranger officer,
but a pair of live Malay fowls, which a gentleman in
George-town had made me a present of. I had collected
in the forest several eggs of curious birds, in hopes of
introducing the breed into England, and had taken great
pains in doing them over with gum arabic, and in packing
them in charcoal, according to a receipt J luid seen in the
gazette, from the " Edinburgh Philosophical Journal."
But these were detained in the depot, instead of being
placed under a hen ; which utterly ruined all my hopes
of rearing a new species of birds in England. Titled

SOUTH AMERICA.

241

personages in London interested themselves in behalf of tuikd

the collection, but all in vain. And vain also were the '■ — -

public and private representations of the first officer of
the Liverpool Custom* house in my favour.

At last there came an order from the Treasury to say,
that any specimens Mr. Waterton intended to present to
public institutions might pass duty free ; but those which
he intended to keep for himself must pay the duty !

A friend now wrote to me from Live! iv J", requesting
that I would come over aid pay the duty, m order to save
the collection, which had just been detained there six
weeks. I did so. On paying an additional duty, (for
the moderate duty first imposed had already been paid,)
the man who had detained the collection, delivered it up
to me, assuring me that it had been well taken care of,
and that a fire had been frequently made in the room.
It is but justice to add, that on opening the boxes, there
was nothing injured.

I could never get a clue to these harsh and unex-
pected measures, except that tL ' ad been some recent
smuggling discovered in Liverpool ; and that the man in
(jucstion had been sent down from London to act the
part of Argus. If so, I landed in an evil hour ; " nefasto
die;" making good the Spanish proverb, " Pagan a las
veces, justos por pecadores ;" at times the innocent sufter
for the guilty. After all, a little encouragement, in the
shape of exemption from paying the duty on this coUec-

2i

''ill
i' I III

M\

\%ni

242

WANDERINGS IN

Third

JOURNBY.

tion, miplit liave been expected ; but it turned out other-

— wise ; and after expending large sums in jnirsuit of

natural history, on my return home I was doomed to
pay for my success : —

" Hie finis, Caroli fatorum, hie oxitus ilium,
Sorte tulit !"

Thus, my fleece, already ragged and torn with the thorns
and briars, which one must naturally expect to find in
distant and untrodden wilds, was shorn, I may say, on
its return to England.
Conclusion. Howevcr, this is nothing new ; Sancho Panza nmst
have heard of similar cases ; for he says, " Muchos van
por lana, y vuelven tras((uilados ;" many go for wool,
and come home shorn. In order to pick up matter for
natural history, I have wandered through the wildest
parts of South America's equatorial regions. 1 have
attacked and slain a modern Python, and rode on the
back of a Cayman close to the water's edge ; a very
different situation from that of a Hyde -park dandy on
his Sunday prancer before the ladies. Alone and bare-
foot I have pulled poisonous snakes out of their lurking
places ; climbed up trees to peep into holes for bats and
vampires, and for days together hastened through sun
and rain to the thickest parts of the forest to procure
specimens I had never got before. In fine, I have pur-
sued the wild beasts over hill and dale, through swamps
and quagmu-es, now scorched by the noon-day sun, now

;|»«iir'' " 4

SOUTH AMERICA.

drenched by the pelting shower, and returned to the
liannnock, to satisfy the cravings of hunger, often on a
poor and scanty supper.

Tliese vicissitudes have turned to chestnut hue a once
Enghsh complexion, and changed the colour of my hair,
before father Time had meddled with it. The detention
of the collection after it had fairly passed the Customs,
and the subsequent order from the Treasury that I should
pay duty for the specimens, unless they were presented
to some public institution, have cast a damp upon my
energy, and forced, as it were, the cup of Lethe to my
lips, by drinking which I have forgot my former inten-
tion of giving a lecture in public on preparing specimens
to adorn museums. In fine, it is this ungenerous treat-
ment that has paralyzed my plans, and caused me to give
up the idea 1 once had of inserting here the newly dis-
covered mode of preparing quadrupeds and serpents;
and without it, the account of this last expedition to the
wilds of Guiana is nothing but a — fragment.

Farewell, Gentle Reader.

243

TnrRD

JoVIiNBY.

;■ ■ ''A

Id i ""fcl

2i2

mi

FOURTH JOURNEY.

" Nunc liuc, nunc illuc ct untrinque sine online curro."

i. ;

Fourth

Jot'RNEY.

Courteous reader, when I bade thee last farewell, I
thought these wanderings were brought to a final close ;
afterwards I often roved in imagination through distant
countries famous for natural history, but felt no strong
inclination to go thither, as the last adventure had ter-
minated in such unexpected vexation. The departure of
the cuckoo and swallow, and summer birds of passage,
for warmer regions, once so interesting to me, now
scarcely caused me to turn my face to the south ; and
I contiinied in this cold and dreary climate for three
years. During this period, I seldom or ever mounted
my hobby-horse ; indeed, it may be said, with the old
song—

" The saddle and bridle were laid on the shelf,' '

and only taken down once, on the night that I was
induced to give a lecture in the philosophical hall of

Will 1-

SOUTH AMERICA.

245

Leeds. A little after this, Wilson's " Ornithology of Fouum

Journey.

the United States" fell into iny hands.

The desire I had of seeing that country, together with Saiu for

New York.

the animated description which Wilson had given of the
birds, fanned up the almost expiring flame. I forgot
the vexations already alluded to, and set off for New
York, in the beautiful packet John Wells, commanded
by Captain Harris. The passage was long and cold ;
but the elegant accommodations on board, and the
polite attention of the connnander, rendered it very
agreeable ; and I landed, in health and merriment, in the
stately capital of the new world.

We will soon pen down a few remarks on this magni-
ficent city, but not just now. I want to venture into the
north-west country, and get to their great canal, which
the world talks so much about, though I fear it will be
hard work to make one's way through bugs, bears,
brutes, and buft'alocs, which we Europeans imagine are
so fretpicnt and ferocious in these never-ending western
wilds.

1 left Xcw York on a fine morning in Julv, witliout one i^f^ycsN

' i ork for

letter of introduction, for the city of Albany, some Albany,
hundred and eighty miles up the celebrated Hudson.
I seldom care about letters of introduction, for I am one
of those who depend much upon an accidental acquaint-
ance. Full many a face do I see, as I go wandering
up and down the world, whose mild eye, and sweet and

ew

I,. , ^<

f.^ 'v:;',|!

.wl!l I

Kk

246

WANDERINGS IN

Fourth placid feiituivs, seciu to beckon to me, and suy, ns it

Journey.

were, " Speak but civilly to nie, nndl will do what I can
for you." Such n face as this is worth more than a
dozen letters of introduction ; and Huch a face, gentle
reader, I found on board the steam-boat from New York
to the city of Albany.

There was a great number of well-dressed ladies and
gcutkMuen hi the vessel, all entire strangers to me.
I fancieil 1 could see several, whose countenances invited
an unknown wantlcrcr to come and take a seat beside
them ; but there was one who encouraged me more than
the rest. 1 saw clearly that he was an American, and
1 judged, by his manners and appearance, that he had
not spent all his time upon his native soil. J was right
in this conjecture, for he afterwards told me that he had
been in France and l^ngland. 1 saluted him as one
stranger gentleman ought to salute another when he
wants a little infonnation ; and soon after, I dropped in
a word or two by which he might conjecture that 1 was a
foreigner ; but I did not tell him so ; 1 wished him to
make the discovery himself.

He entered into conversation with the openness and
candour which is so renuirkable in the American ; and in
a little time observed that he presumed I was from the
old country. I told him that I was, and added, that I
was an entire stranger on board. I saw his eye brighten
up at the prospect he had of douig a fellow-creature a

SOUTH AJ

247

kind turn or two, and lie cunapk^My worn my regard by Fouhtb

JoiRNEV.

an affability wbich I shall i»'"»«*r fiwjtict. Tliis obli^in^
gentl(Mnaii pointed out every ittiiiig that was grand and
interoMting as the steam-) «)at plK^d her course up the
majestic Hudson. Here the Carskill moinitains raised
their lofty sunnnit ; and there the hills came sloping
down to the Avater's edge. Heri" he pointed to an aged
and venerable oak, which having escaped the levelling
axe of nuui, seemed almost to defy the blasting storm, and
desolating hand of Time ; and there, he l>ade me obsei-ve
nn extended tract of wootl, by which 1 might form an
idea how rich and grand the face of the country had once
been. Here it was that, in the great ai l momentous
struggle, the colonists lost the day ; and there, they
carried all before them : —

" Thoy closed full fast, on ovcry side
No shickncsit there was found ;
And many a tralliint ^entleniait
Lay gasping on the ground."

Here, in fine, stood a noted regiment ; there, moved
their great captain ; here, the llects fired their broad-
sides ; and there the whole force rushed on to battle : —

<' Hie Dolopum manus, hie niagnus tcndebat Achilles,
Classibus hie locus, hie acies certarc solebat."

At tea-time we took our tea togetiier, and the next
morning this worthy American walked up with me to the
inn in Albany, shook me by the liand, and then went his

I '^^^ II

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248

WANDERINGS IN

Fourth
Journey.

The great
caual.

Scenery.

way. I bade him farewell, and again farewell, and
hoped that fortune might bring us together again once
more. Possibly she may yet do so ; and should it be in
England I will take him to my house, as an old friend
and acquaintance, and oifer him my choicest cheer.

It is at Albany that the great canal opens into the
Hudson, and joins the waters of this river to those of
Lake Erie. The Hudson, at the city of Albany, is
distant from Lake Eric about three hundred and sixfy
miles. The level of the lake is five hundred and sixty-
four feet higher than the Hudson, and there are eighty-
one locks on the canal. It is to the genius and perse-
verance of Dc Witt Clinton, that the United States owe
the almost incalculable advantages of this inland naviga-
tion. " Exegit monunientum tere percnnius." You may
either go along it all the way to Buffalo, on Lake Erie,
or by the stage ; or sometimes on one and then in the
other, just as you think fit. Grand, indeed, is the
scenery by either route, and capital the acconnnodations.
Cold and phlegmatic must he be who is not Avarmed into
admirsition by the surrounding scenery, and charmed with
the affability of the travellers he meets on the way.

This is now the season of roving, and joy and merri-
ment for the gentry of this happy country. Thousands
are on the move from different parts of the Union for the
springs and lakes, and the falls of Ni:«gara. There is
nothing haughty or forbidding in the Americans; a?ul

!-»<|K-

SOUTH AMERICA,

249

wherever you meet them, they appour to In* quite at Fouhth

JOURNKV.

home. This is exactly what it ou^ht to he, and veiy
much in fovour of the foreigner who joiirnieN amongst
them. The immense mnnber of highly pollsluMl fenuik's
who go in the stages to visit tlie dilferent plaeeN of anuise-
ment, and see the stupendous natural CMrioNliles of this
extensive country, incontestably proves tSiat safc'ty and
convenience are ensured to them, and tiiat the nu)st
distant attempt at rudeness would, hy coninion consent,
be immediately put down.

By the time I had got to Schenectady, I began strcnigly
to suspect that I had come into the urong coinitry to
look for bugs, bears, brutes, and biilfaloeN, If is an
enchanting journey from Albany to .Schenectady, and
from thence to Lake Erie. The situation of the city of
Utica is particularly attractive; the Mohawk running
ck)se by it, the fertile fields and woody mountains, and
the falls of Trenton, forcibly press the stranger to stop a
day or two here, before he proceeds onward to the lake.

At some far distant period, when it will not be possible
to find the place where numy of the celcbr.itt'jl cities of
the East once stood, the world will have to thank the
United States of AnuM-ica for bringing tlu'ir nanu's into
the western regions. It is, indeed, a pretty thought of
these people to give to their rising towns the luunes of
places so famous and conspiciums in former tlnjes.

As I was sitting one evening under an oak, in the high

2 k

liU

\K'.ir

,!iH

Tf|||.gH [I

^

250

WANDERINGS IN

Fourth gfrountls bc liiiul Utica, I could not look down upon the

JoURXEV.

city without thinking of Cato and his misfortunes. Had

the town been called Crofton, or Warmfield, or Dews-
bury, there would have been nothing remarkable in it ;
but Utica at once revived the scenes at school long past
and half forgotten, and carried me with full speed back
again to Italy, and from thence to Africa. I crossed the
Rubicon with Ccesar ; fought at Pharsalia ; saw poor
Pom])ey into Larissa, and tried to wrest the fatal sMord
from Cato's hand in Utica. When I perceived he was no
more, I mourned over the noble-minded man who took that
part which he thought A^ould most benefit his countiy.
There is something magnificent in the idea of a man
taking by choice the con(|uercd side. The Roman gods
themselves did otherwise.

" J'ktiix causa Diis placiiit, scd licta Catoni."

" In this (lid Cato with tlio Gods di\ido,

Tuvif cliosc tlic coiHjucring, he the coiujiicr'd side."

F*!!!!

h»^

Face of tlic
country.

The whole of the coimtry from Utica to Buffalo is
pleasing: and the intcrvcnhig of the inland lakes, large
and deep and clear, adds considerably to the effect.
The spacious size of the inns, their excellent provisions,
and the attention which the traveller receives in going
from Albany to Ruflfalo, must at once convince him that
this comitry is very much visited by strangers ; and he
will draw the conclusion that there must be something in

'<«lll)ll"'

M

SOUTH AMERICA.

251

it iinconuiionly interesting to cause so many travellers to Fourth

JOURNBY.

pass to and fro.

Nature is losing fast her ancient garb, and putting on
a new dress in these extensive regions. Most of the
stately timber has been carried away ; thousands of trees
are lying prostrate on the ground ; while meadows, corn-
fields, villages, and pastures are ever and anon bursting
upon the traveller's view as he journies on through the
remaining tracts of wood. 1 Avish 1 coidd say a word or
two for the line timber which is jet standing. Spare it,
gentle inhabitants, for yt)ur country's sake ; these noble
sons of the forest beautify your landscapes beyond all
description ; when they are gone, a century will not
replace their loss ; they cannot, they nuist not fall ; their
vernal bloom, their sunnner richness, and autumnal tints
please and refresh the eye of man ; ami even when the
days of Joy and warmth are lied, the M'intry blast st)othes
the listening car with a sublime and pleasiug melancholy
as it howls through their naked branches.

" Arouiul me trees umimuberM rise,
IJeiiutiful in various <Iyes.
Tiie gloomy pine, the pophir blue,
I'be yellow beech, the sable yew ;
The wleiider fir, that taper grows,
The sturdy oak, with broad-t^pread boughs."

A few miles before you reach Buttalo the road is low

and bad, and, in stepping out of the stage, I sprained

my foot very severely ; it swelled to a great size, and

•) u- o

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252

WANDERINGS IN

h-^

The falls of

FouKTH caused inc many a day of pain and mortification, as will

JOUBNKY.

be seen in the MC<|uel.
Buffalo. BufTalo looks down <m Lake Erie, and possesses a fine

and commodious inn. At a little distance is the Black
Rock, and there you pass over to the Canada side. A
stage is in waiting to con>r : you some sixteen or twenty
miles down to the falls, Lor;." before you reach the spot
you hear the mighty roai >f waters, and see the spray of
the far-famed falls of Niagara, rising up like i colunm
to the heavens, and mingling with the passing clouds.

At this stupendous cascade of nature, the waters of the
lake fall one hundred and seventy-six feet perpendicular.
It has been calculated, I forget by whom, that the (piantity
of water discharged down this mighty fall, is six hundred
and seventy thousand two hundred and fifty-five tons per
minute. Tlu ce are two large inns on the Canada .side ;
but, after you have satisfied y(mr curiosity in viewing the
falls, and in seeing the rainbow in the foai;» far below
where you are standing, do not, I pray you, tarry long
at either of them. Cross over to the American side, and
there you will find a spacious inn, which has nearly all
the attra<'tions ; there you meet with great attention,
and evcrv accoiniuodation.

The day is |)assed in looking at the fiills, and in
sauntering up and down the wooded and rocky environs
of the Niagara ; and the evening is often enlivened by the
merry dance.

SOUTH AMERICA.

253

Words can hardly do justice to the iinaifected ease and Fourth

Journey.

elegance of the American ladies who visit the falls of - ; —

" American

Niagara. The traveller need not rove in imagination ''^*''*'^-
through Circassia in search of fine fonns, or through
England, France, and Spain to meet with polished
females. The numbers who are continually arriving from
ail parts of the Union confirm the justness, of this remark.
I was looking one evening at a dance, being unable to
join in it on account of the accident I had received near
Buffalo, when a young American entered the ball-room
with sucli a becoming air and grace, that it was impos-
sible not to have been struck with her appearance.

" Her blooin was like llie springing flower
Tliat sips the silver dew,
The roue wus biuUled in lier eheck,
.Just opening to tlic view."

I could not help feeling a Avish to know where she had

*' Into such beauty spread, and blown so fair."

Upon inquiry, 1 found tliat she was from the city of
Albany. The more 1 looked at the fair Albanese, the
more I was convinced that in the United States of
America nuiy l)o found grace and beauty and synnnetry
eiiual to any thing in the old world.

I now for good and all (and well I might) gave up the
idea of finding l)ugs, l)cars, brutes, and buffaloes in this
country, and was thoroughly satisfied that I had laboured

)WJ1f

r,' 1^

km

■Jfi'I

J.*?'

'm'%'

254

WANDERINGS IN

FouBTii under a great mistuke in suspecting that I should ever

Journey.

meet with them.

1 wished to join in the ds.Jiee where the fair Albanese
was " to brisk notes in cadence beating," but the state
of my unlucky foot rendered it impossible ; and as I sat
with it reclined upon a sofa, lull many a passing gentle-
man stopped to imjuire the cause of my misfortuiic,
presuming at the same time that I had got an attack vf
gout. Now tins .surmise of theirs always aiortitJed me ;
for I never had a fit of gout in my life, and, moreover,
never expect to have one.

In many of the iims in the United States, there is an
album on the table in which travelleis insert tlieir
arrival and deparhnv. and how and then indulge in a
little Hash or two ol v,it.

l thought, \UKler existing circumstances, that there
Avonld be no harni in brielly telling my misadveuiure ;
and so, twkiug up the pen, 1 wrote what follows; and
was never after asked a single (juestion about the gout.

" C. Waterton, of Walton-hall, in the county of York,
England, arrived at the falls of Niagara, in July, 1824,
and begs leave to pen down the following dreadful
accident : —

" He t-praiiied Iiis foot, and hurt liis toe.
Oil tlie ruugli ruad iicai' Uullalo.
It quite distresses him to stagger a-
Long tlic sharp rocks of famed Niagara.

(;i|li.i-

SOUTH AMERICA.

So thus lie's (loomed to tlrink the measure
Of pain, in lieu of that of pleasure.
On Hope's delusive pinions borne
He came for m-ooI, and goes back sliorn.
N. B. — Here he alludes to nothing but
Th' adventure of his toe and foot;
Save this, — he sees all that which can
Delight and charm the soul of man,
But feels it not, — because his toe
And foot togetlicr plague him so."

255

Fol'BTII

Journey.

'''ij ,><- =

'tWIli'

rilSi'M

I remoinbor once to have sprained my ancle very
violently many years ago, and that the doctor ordered me
to hold It muler the pump two or three times a day.
Now, in the United States of America, all is upon a
grand scale, except taxation ; and I am convinced that
the traveller's ideas become much more enlarged as he
jouniies through the country. This being the case, I can
easily account for the desire I felt to hold my sprained
foot under the fsill of Niagara. I descended the winding
staircase which has been made for the accommodation of
travellers, and then hobbled on to the scene of action.
As T held my leg imder the fall, I tried to meditate on
the immense difterence there Mas betAvixt a house pump
and this tremendous cascade of nature, and what effect it
might have upon the sprain ; but the magnitude of the
subject was too overwhelming, and I was obliged to
drop it.

Perhaps, indeed, there was an unwarrantable tincture of
vanity in an unlvuown wanderer wishing to have it in his

mi

►t,' t

256

WANDERINGS IN

Fourth powcF to tell the world, that he had held his sprained

JOURNKV.

foot under a fall of water, which discharges six hundred

and seventy thousand two hundred and fifty-five tons per
minute. A gentle j)urling stream would have suited better.
Now, it would have become Washington, to have (pienched
his battle-thirst in the fall of Niagara ; and there was some-
thing royal in the idea of Cleopatra drinking pearl-vinegar,
made from the grandest pearl in Egypt : and it became
Caius Marius to send word, that he was sitting upon the
ruins of Carthage. Here, we have the person suited to
the thing, and the thing to the person.

If, gentle reader, thou wouldst allow me to indulge a
little longer in this harmless pen-errantry, I would tell
thee, that I have had my ups and downs in life, as well
as other people ; for I have climbed to the point of the
conductor above the cross on the top of St. Peter's, in
Rome, and left my glove there. I have stood on one
foot, upon the Guardian Angel's head, on the castle of
St. Angelo ; and, as I have just told thee, I have been
low down under the fall of Niagara. But this is neither
here nor there ; let us proceed to something else.

When the pain of my foot had become less violent,
and the swelling somewhat abated, I could not resist
the inclination I felt to go down Ontario, and so on to
Montreal and Quebec, and take Lakes Champlain and
George in my way back to Albany.

Just as 1 had made up my mind to it, a family from the

SOUTH AMERICA.

257

Bowliiig-grccn, in New York, Avho was goin^ the same Iovrtu

.llHIlNr.Y.

route, politely invited lue to join their party. Nothing
could be more fortunate. They were hifi^hly accomplislied.
The younjT ladies sang delightfully ; and all contributed
their portion, to render the tour pleasant and amusing.

Travellers have already filled the world with descrip-
tions of the bold and sublime scenery from Lake Erie to
Quebec : —

" The fountiiiii's fall, the river's flow.
The Moody viiUies, \\ arm aiui low ;
The windy wuniiiiit, wild and lii:;li,
Roughly rushing to the sky."

And there is scarce one of them wiio has not described
the achievements of former and latter times, on the dif-
ferent battle-grounds. Here, great Wolfe expired.
Brave Montcalm was carried, mortally wounded, through
yonder gate. Here fell the gallant Jirock ; and there
General Sheaffee captm-ed all the invaders. And in
yonder harbour may be seen the moiddering renmants of
British vessels. Their hour of misfortune has long
passed away. The victors have now no use for them in
an inland lake. Some have already sunk, while others,
dismantled and half dismasted, are just above the water,
waiting, in shattered state, that destiny Mhich nuist sooner
or later destroy the fairest M'orks of man.

The excellence and despatch of the steam-boats, to-
gether with the company which the traveller is sure to

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WANDERINGS IN

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Fortit'ica-
tions at
Qiiclii'c,

Fourth mcct With at this tiiuc of the year, render the trip down

JOUHNEV.

to Montreal and Quebec very ajjireeable.

The Canadians are a (|uiet, and apparently a happy
people. They are very courteous and atlable to strangers.
On comparing them with tlie character which a certain
female traveller, a journalist, has thought fit to give them,
the stranger might have great doubts whether or not he
Avere amongst the Canadians.

Montreal, Quebec, and the falls of Montmorency, arc
McU worth going to see. They are making tremendous
fortilications at Quebec. It will be the Gibraltar of the new
Avorld. When one considers its distance from Europe,
and takes a view of its powerful and enterprisiug neigh-
bour, \'irgil's remark at once rushes into the mind

*' Sic- vos lion vdbis luil'ificatis avcs."

1 left Montreal with regret. I had the good fortune to
be introduced to the Professors of the College. These
fathers are a very learned and worthy set of gentlemen ;
and on my taking leave of them, I felt a heaviness at
heart, in reflecting that I had not more time to cultivate
their acquaintance.

In all the way from Buffalo to Quebec, I only met with
one bug ; and I cannot even swear that it belonged to
the United States. In going down the St. LaAvrence, in
the steam -boat, I felt something crossing over my neck ;
and on laying hold of it with my finger and thumb, it

>I|||M

SOUTH AMERICA. 259

turned out to be a little liiilf-grown, ill-couiUtioncd hup. Fourth

JuVRNEV.

Now, '.vhcther it were goin^ from the American to the

Cnnnda side, or from the Canada to the American, and
had taken the advantage of my shouklers to ferry itself
across, I could not tell. Be this as it may, I thought of
my uncle Toby and the fly ; and so, in lieu of placing it
upon the deck, and then |)utting my thumb nail vertically
upon it, I tiuietly chucked it amongst son>e baggage that
was close by, and rcconnnendcil it to yet ashore by the
first opportunity.

When we had seen all that was worth seeing in Que-
bec and at the falls of Montmorency, and had hccii on
board the enormous ship Columbus, mc returned for a
day or two to Montreal, and then procectled to Saratoga
l)y Lakes Champlain and Cieorge.

The steam-boat from Quebec to Montreal had above iri^ii omU

grimts.

five hundred Irish emigrants on board. They were going,
*' they hardly knew whither," faraway from dear Ireland.
It nuule one's heart ache to see them all huddled together,
without any expectation of ever revisiting their native
soil. We feared that the sorrow of leaving home for
ever, the miserable acconunodations on board the ship
which had brought them away, and the tossing of the
angry ocean, in a long and dreary voyage, A\ould have
rendered them callous to good behaviour. But it was
quite otherwise. They conducted themselves Avith great
propriety. Every American on bom'd seemed to feel for

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WANDEIUNGS IX

thcMii. And then " tlu>y wt'ro m) full of wretchcdiiCNu.
Need niul opprossion starved in tlu-ir I'vcs. U|H)n their
backs him^' rnu^'od inisory. Tlio world was not their
friend." Poor dear Ireland, exelainied an a^ed female
as 1 was talkiiif^ to her, 1 shall never see it any more!
and then her tears hef^an to How. Probably the seenery
on the banks of the St. Lawrence recalled to her mind
the remembrance of spots once interesting to her : —

" 'I'lic lovely (Iimjflitfr, — lovelier in Iit-r tears,
The fond eoinpaiiioii of lier futlier's years',
Here silent titood, — nenieetful of iier eliarinr',
And left lier lover's for her faiher's anus.
\\ itli louder plaints, the mother spoke her woes.
And hlessed the '.''it, Viiiere every pleasure rose;
Ami pres-ed l;er l!ioni;ht!ess hahes, with many a tear,
Antl flaspeii tlieiu close, in sorrow douhly di'ar.
\\ hile tiie fond hubi)and strove to lend relief,
In all the sileiit manliness of ifrief."

We went a I'vw miles out of om* route to take a look
at the once formidable fortress of Ticonderajj^o. It has
long been in ruins, and seems as if it were doomed to

moulder (juite aw ay.

" I'^ver and aiu)ii there fails

llut(e heaps of hoary monlder'd walls.

But time has bclmi, tliut lifts the low

And level lays t!ic lofty hrow,

Has seen this rnin'd pile complete,

Big with the vanity of state,

But transient is the smile of fate."

The scenery of Lake George is snperb ; the inn re-
markably spacious .and well attended ; and the conveyances

•Illil' '

SOUTH AMERICA.

261

OUHNKV,

Sitratogn.

from thence to Saratoj^a, very good. He must be sorely Fourth
afflicted with Npleen and Jaimdiee, who, on his arrival at
Saratoga, remarks, there is nothing here worth coming
to see. It is a gay and fashion'Me phice ; has four
unconnnonly line hotels ; its waters, for medicinal virtues,
are surpassed by none in the known world ; and it is
resorted to, throughout the whole of the sunnner, by
foreigners and natives of the fu-st consideration. Saratoga
pleased me nuieh ; and afforded a fair opportunity of
forming ju pretty correct idea of the gentry of the United
States.

There is a pleasing frankness, and ease and l)ecoming
dignity in the American ladies ; and the good humour,
and absci re of all h lughtiness and pup[)yism in the
gentlemen, must, no doubt, impress the traveller
Avith elevated notions of the company who visit this
famous spa.

During my stay here, all was joy, and aftability, and
mirth. In the mornings the ladies played and sang for
us ; and the evenings were generally enlivened with the
merry dance. Mere 1 bade farewell to tlie charming
family, in whose company I had passed so nu\uy happy
days, and proceeded to Albany.

The stage stopped a little while in the town of Troy. Troy,
'ine name alone was (juite sudiciont to recall to the mind
scenes long past and gone. Poor king Priam ! Napo-
leon's sorrows, sad and piercing as they were, did not

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262

WANDERINGS IN

Fourth coiiic up to tliosc of tliis ill-fated Moiiarcli. The Greeks

JOURNBY.

- gj.j^|. gg|. IjJj^ to\m on fire, and then began to bnlly : —

" Iiicoiis.l Danai domiiiantur in urbc."

One of his sons was slain before his face ; * ' ante ora
parentuni, coneidit." Another was crnshed to nninnny
by boa constrictors ; " inmiensis orbibus angiies." His
city was rased to the ground, " jacet llion ingcns." And
Pyrrhus ran him througli with his sword, " capulo tenus
abdidit cnscm." This last may he considered as a for-
tunate stroke for the i)oor old king. Had his life been
spared at this juncture, he could not have lived long.
He must have died broken-hearted. He would have
seen his son-in-law, once master of a noble stud, now,
for want of a horse, obliged to carry off his father, up
hill, on his own back, " ces.si et sublato, montem geni •
tore j)etivi." He would have heard of his grandson
being thrown neck and heels from a high tower, " mitti-
tur Astyanax illis de turribus." He would have been
informed of his wife tearing out the eyes of king Odrysius
with her finger nails, " digitos in pcrfida lumina condit."
Soon after this, losing all appearance of M'oman, she
became a bitch,

" Perdidit infelix, liomiiiis post omnia fonnam,"

and rent the heavens Avith her bowlings,

a, " Externasquc novo latratu tcrruit auras."

I||IN*

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283

FolIBTD

Journey.

SOUTH AMERICA.

Then, becoming distracted with the renioiubmnce of lier
misfortunes, " veterum memor ilia malorum," nhc took
off howling into the fields of Thrace,—

'^ Tuni quoquc Sitlionios, uUilavit imcutft jiPi* n^vtm,"

Juno, Jove's wife and sister, was heard to declare, that
poor Hecuba did not deserve so terrible a fate, —

" Ipsa Jovis coiijiix(|iie )si)r<K'«|iU',
Evciitus Hecubam nicriiisse iicgiivt'rit ilUih,"

Had poor Priam escaped from Troy, one tliiii|^, and only
one thing, would have given him a sundl ray of satisfuc-
tion, viz. he would have heard of one of \\\h daughters
nobly preferring to leave this world, rather than live to
become servant maid to old Grecian ladlcH ;—

" Non ego Myrniitloiuim sedos, Dolopiiinvt' htipci'liiiH,
Adspiciam, aut Graiis scrvituiu luatiibim ibo,"

At some future period, should a foreign aruu'd force, or
intestine broils, (all M-hich heaven avert,) raise Troy to
the dignity of a fortified city, Virgil's proj^hecy may then
be fulfilled,

" Atquc itcruin ad Trojain uiagmiis iiiillctiii' At'liilU'H,"

After leaving Troy, I passed through a fme coinitiy to
Albany; and then proceeded by steam (h»vvn the Hudson
to New York.

Travellers hesitate whether to give the pr<'ference to riiiiadi'.-
Philadelphia or to New York. Philadelphia is certaiidy '''""'

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WANDERINGS IN

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Fourth u iioblo city, and its environs beautiful ; but there is a

Journey. n > i i • . , . ,

decree oi (luiet and sedateness in it, which, though no

doubt very agreeable to the man of eahn and domestic
habits, is not so attractive to one of speedy movements.
The (juantity of Avliite marble which is used in the build-
ing^, gives to Philadelphia a gay and lively appearance ;
but the sameness of the streets, and their crossing each
other at right angles, are somewhat tiresome. The water-
works Avhich supply the city, are a proud monument of
the skill awd enterprise of its inhabitants ; and tiie market
is well worth the attention of the stranger.

itsMuseum. Wlicii vou go to Philadeli)hia, be sure not to foiget to
visit the Museum. It will afford you a great treat. Some
of Mr. Peale's family arc constantly in it, and are ever ready
to show the curiosities to strangers, and to give them
every necessary information. Mr. Peale lias now ])assed
his eightieih year, and appears to possess the vivacity,
and, 1 may almost add, tlie activity of youth.

To the indefatigable exertions of this gentleman, is the
M-estern world indebted for the possession of this splendid
Museum. Mr. Peale is, moreover, an excellent artist.
Look attentively, I pray you, at the pt)rtrait he has
taken of himself, by desire of the State of Pennsylvania.
On entering the room he appears in the act of holding
up a curtain, to show you his curiosities. The effect of
the light upon his head is infinitely striking. 1 have
never seen any thing finer in the way of light and shade.

IM'"

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SOUTH AMERICA. 265

The skeleton of the Mammoth is a nationnl treasure. I Foubtu

JoUllNKY,

could form but a faint idea of it by description, until I

had seen it. It is the most magnificent skeleton in the
world. The city ought never to forget the great expense
Mr. Peale was put to, and the skill and energy he showed,
during the many months he spent in searching the swamps,
where these enormous bones had been concealed from the
eyes of the world for centuries.

The extensive stpiares of this city are ornamented with
well-grown and luxuriant trees. Its unremitting attention
to literature, might cause it to be styled the Athens of
the United States. Here, learning and science have Anicrican

literature.

taken up their abode. The literary and philosophical
associations, the enthusiasm of individuals, the activity
of the press, and the cheaj)ness of the publications, ought
to raise the name of Philadcli)hia to an elevated situation
in the temple of knowledge.

From the press of this city came Wilson's famous
" Ornithology." By observing the birds in their native
haunts, he has been enabled to purge their histdy of
numberless absurdities, which inexperiojiced theorists had
introduced into it. It is a plmi^ing aiui a brilliant Avork.
We have no description of birds in any European publi-
cation that can come up to this By perusing Wilson's
*• Ornithology" attentively before I left Figland, { knew
where to look for the birds, and iuuaediately recognised
them in their native land.

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266

WANDERINGS IN

Fourth
Journey.

White-
headed,
Eagles.

Since luH time, I fear that the white-headed Eagles
have been imich thinned. I was perpetually looking out
for thein, hut saw vciy few. One or two came now and
then, and soared in lofty flight over the falls of Niagara.
The AniericmiH arc ])roud of this bird in effigy, and their
hearts rejoice when its banner is unfurled. Could they
not then be persuaded to protect the white-headed Eagle,
and allow it to glide in safety over its own native forests ?
Were I an .American, I should think I had committed a
kind of sacrilege in killing the white-headed Eagle. The
Ibis was held sacred by the Egyptians ; the Hollanders
protect the stork ; the vulture sits unmolested on the
top of the houses in the city of Angustura ; and Robin-
red-breast, for his t'harity, is cherished by the English : —

" No buriiil, tlioac pretty babes
Of miy niuii receives.
Till Hobiii-rcd-breast painfully,
Did cover them with leaves."*

Poor Wilson was smote l)y the hand of death, before he
had linishcd his work. Prince Charles Buonaparte,
nephew to the late ciniicror Napoleon, aided by some of
the most scientific gentlemen of Pennsylvania, h con-
tinuuig this valuable and interesting publication.
New York, Ncw York, with great propriety, may be called the
commercial capital of the new world : —

•• (irbn auguHta potens, nulli cessura."

* Tlie fault af^aiimt grammar ix lost in the beauty of the idea.

SOUTH AMERICA.

Ere long, it will be on the coast of North America, what
Tyre once was on that of Syria. In her port are the
ships of all nations ; and in her streets is displayed
merchandise from all parts of the known world. And
then the approach to it is so enchanting! The verdant
fields, the woody hills, the farms, and country houses,
form a beautiful landscape as you sail up to the city of
New York.

Broadway is the principal street. It Is three miles and
a half long. I am at a loss to know where to look for a
street, in any part of the world, which has so many
attractions as this. There are no steam-engines to annoy
you by tilling the atmosphere full of soot and smoke ;
the houses have a stately appearance : while the eye is
relieved from the perpetual sameness, which is common in
most streets, by lofty and luxiu-iant trees.

Nothing can surpasis the appearance of the American
ladies, when they take their uioiiiing walk, from twelve
to throe, in Broadway. The stranger will at once see
that th( y have rejected the extravagant superfluities
which appear in the London and Parisian fashions ; and
have only retained as much of those costumes^ as is be-
coming to the female form. This, joined to their own
just notions of dress, is what renders the New York iidies
so elegant in their attire. The way they wear the Leghorn
hat deserves a remark or two. With us, the formal
hand of the milliner binds down the brun to one fixed

2 m2

267

Fourth
Journey.

"flii*. J

Its streets,
houses, &c.

American
ladies.

'4^i II

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268

WANDERINGS IN

Fourth sliapc, ixvA tluit iioiic of the huiidsomest. The wearer
J0CRV1.Y.
— is obliged to lurii her head full ninety degrees before she

can see the i)erson mIio is standing by her side. But in
New York the ladies have the brim of the hat not fet-
tered with wire, or tape, or riband, but quite free and
undulating; and by applying the hand to it, they can
conceal or expose as nuich of the face as circumstances
rc(]uire. This hiding and exposing of the face, by the
by, is certainly a dangerous movement, and often fatal
to tlic passing swain. I am convhiced in my own mind,
tluit many a determined and unsuspecting bachelor, has
h>m shot down by this sudden nmua-uvrc, before he was
auare that he was within reach of the battery.

The American ladies seem to have an abhorrciice <'and
!' \: ryjust one too,) of wearing caps. AVhen one con-
siders for a moment, that women wear the hair long,
which nature has given them both for an ornament and
to keep the head warm, one is apt to wonder, by what
perversion of good taste, they can be induced to enclose
it in a cap. A mob cap, a lace cap, a low cap, a high
cap, a flat cap, a cap with ribands dangling loose, a cap
with ribands tied under the chin, a peak cap, an angular
cap, a round cap, and a pyramid cap ! How would
C'anova's \'enus look in a mob cap f If there be any
oriuunent to tie head in Mcaring a cap. it must surely
be a false ornament. The Auierican ladies are i)ersuaded
thiit the head run be ornamented w'jUout a cap. A

,11-.

SOUTH AMERICA.

209

rose-bud or two, a woodbine, or a sprig of eglantine, look Foubth

JoUHNKY.

well in the braided hair ; and if there be raven locks, a

lily or a snowdrop may be interwoven with eflfeet.

Now that tije packets are so safe, and make such quick
passages to the United States, it would be as well if some
of our head milliners would go on board of them, in lieu
of getting into tlie Diligence for Paris. They would bring
back more taste, and less caricature. And if they could
persuade a dozen or two of the f.u'mer's servant girls to
return with them, we should soon have proof positive,
that as good butter and cheese uiay be made Avith the
hair braided uj), and a daisy or primrose in it, as butter
and cheese made in a cap of barbarous shaj)e ; Mashed,
})erhaps, iu soaj>-suds last new moon.

Xew York has verv good hotels, and genteel boarding- Hotels and

boariling-

ho'.ises. All charges included, you do not pay above two i>ouses.
dollars a day. Little enough, when you consider the
capital accommodations, and the abundance of food.

Ju this city, as well as in others whicii I visited, every
body seemed to walk at his ease. I could see no incli-
nation for jostling ; no impertinent staring at you ; nor
attempts to create a row in order t(j pick yoiu" pocket. I
woukl stand for an hour together in Ib-oadway, to
observe the j)assing undtitude. There is certainly a
gentleness iu these people, both to be admired and
imitated. 1 could see very few dogs, still fewer cats, and
but a very small proportion of fat women iu the streets of

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WANDERINGS IN

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FovKTH New York. The climate was the only thing that I had

Journey.

really to find fault with ; and as the autumn was now
approaching, 1 began to think of preparing for warmer
regions.

Climate. Strangers arc apt to get violent colds, on account of

the sudden change of the atmo.spherc. The noon would
often be as Avarm as tropical weather, and the close of
day cold and chilly. This must sometimes act with
severity upon the newly-arrived stranger ; and it requires
more care and circumspection than I am master of to
guard against it. 1 contracted a bad and obstinate cough,
whicli did not (juite leave me till I had got under the
regular heat of the sun, near the e(|uatar.

iw society. I may l)e asked, was it all good fellowship and civility
during my stay in the United States ? Did no forward
person cause offence } was there no exhibition of drunken-
ness, or swearing, or rudeness ; or ilisplay of conduct
which disgraces civiliaed man in other countries ? I
answer, very fow indeed : scarce any worth remembering,
and none worth noticing. Tlicse are a gentle and a civil
people, Shoidd a traveller, now and then in the long
nm, witness a few of the scenes alluded to, he ought not,
on his return home, to adduce a solitary instance or two,
as the custom of the country. In roving through the
wikls of Guiana, I have sometimes seen a tree hollow at
heart, shattered and leatless ; but 1 did not, on that
account, coudenm its vigorous neighbours, and put down

I

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I irl r

SOUTH AMERICA .

271

a memorandum that the woods were bad ; on the con- Fouhth

Jol'HNEY.

trary, I made allowances : a thunderstonn, the whirl-

wind, a bliglit from heaven might have robbed it of its
bloom, and caused its present forbidding appearance.
And, in leaving the forest, 1 carried away the impression,
that though some few of the trees were defective, the
rest were an ornament to the wilds, full of uses and
virtues, and capable of benefiting the world in a superior
degree.

A man generally travels into foreign countries for his
own ends ; and I suspect there is scarcely an instance to
be found of a person leaving his own home solely Avith
the intention of benefiting those amongst whom he is
about to travel. A commercial speculation, curiosity, a
wish for information, a desire to reap benefit from an
acquaintance with our distant fellow-creatures, are the
general inducements for a man to leave his own fire-side.
This ought never to be forgotten ; and then the traveller
will journey on under the persuasion that it rather
becomes him to court than expect to be courted, as his
own interest is the chief object of his travels. With this
in view, he will always render himself pleasant to the
natives ; and they are sure to repay his little acts of
courtesy with ample interest, and with a fund of infonna-
tion which will be of great service to him.

While in the United States, I found our western
brother a very pleasant fellow ; but his portrait has been

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272

WANDERINGS IN
Foimii drawn in such difforont shades, by different travellers

JoUHNEV.

who have been through his territory, that it recjuires a
personal interview before a correct idea can be formed of
his true colours. He is very in(iuisitive ; but it is (ijuito
wrong on that account to tax him with being (^f uu
impertinent turn. He merely interrogates you for infor-
mation ; and Avhen you have satisfied him on that score,
only ask him in your turn for an account of what is going
on in his own country, and he will tell you every thing
about it with great good humour, and in excellent lan-
guage. He has certainly hit upon the way (but I could
not make out by Mhat means) of speaking a nuich purer
English language than that which is in general spoken on
the parent soil. This astonished me nuich ; but it is
really the case. Amongst his numy good qualities, he
has one unenviable, and 1 nuiy add, a bad propensity ; he
is immoderately fond of smoking. He may say, that he
learned it from hh nurse, with whom it was once nnich
in vogue. In Duvch William's time (he was a man of
bad taste) the English gentleman could not do without
his pipe. During the short space of time that corporal
Trim was at the inn hupiiring after poor Lefevre's health,
my uncle Toby had knocked the ashes out of three pipes.
*' It was not till my uncle Toby had knocked the ashes
out of his third pipe," &c. Now these times have luckily
gone by, and the custom of smoking amongst genteel
Englishmen has nearly died away with them ; it is a foul

SOUTH AMERICA.

273

custom ; it makes a foul mouth, ami a foul place where Fourtu

Journey.

the smoker stands : hoAvever, every nation has its whims.
John Bull relishes stinking venison ; a Frenchman
depopulates whole swamps in (juest of frogs ; a Dutch-
man's pipe is never out of his mouth ; a Russian will eat
tallow candles ; and the American indulges in the cigar.
•' De gustibus non est disputandum."

Our western brother is in possession of a country
replete with every thing that cai. f,.. tribute to the happi-
ness and comfort of mankind. *U^ code of laws, purified iio inws and

govern-
by experience and common sen r fully answered the roent.

expectations of the public. Jiy acting up to the true

spirit of this code, he has reaped immense advantages

from it. His advancement, as a nation, has been rapid

beyond all calculation ; and, young as he is, it may be

remarked, without any impropriety, that he is now

actually reading a salutary lesson to the rest of the

civilized world.

It is hut some forty years ago, that he had the dispute

with his nurse about a dish of tea. She wanted to force

the boy to drink it according to her own receipt. He

said, he did not like it, and that it absolutely made him

ill. After a good deal of sparring, she took up the birch

rod, and began to whip him with an uncommon degree of

asperity. When the poor lad found that he must either

drink the nauseous dish of tea or be flogged to death, he

turned upon her in self-defence; showed her to the

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274

WANDERINGS IN

FOVRTB
JODHNEY,

outside of the nursery door, and never more allowed
her to meddle with his affairs.

Since the independence, the population has increased
from three to ten millions. A fine navy has been built ;
and every thing attended to that could ensure prosperity
at home, and respect abroad.

The former wilds of North America bear ample testi-
mony to the achievements of this enterprising people.
Forests have been cleared aAvay, swamps drained, canals
dug, and flourishing settlements established. From the
shores of the Atlantic an immense column of knowledge
has rolled into the interior. The Mississippi, the Ohio,
the Missouri, and their tributaiy streams have been
wonderfully benefited by it. It now seems as if it were
advancing towards the stony mountains; and, probably,
will not become stationary till it reaches the Pacific
Ocean. This almost immeusurable territory affords a
shelter and a home to mankind in general ; Je\» or Gen-
tile, king's-man or republican, he meets with a friendly
reception in the United States. His opinions, his perse-
cutions, his errors, or mistakes, however they may
have injured him in other countries, are dead, and of no
avail on his amval here. Provided he keeps the peace
he is sure to be at rest.

Politicians of other countries imagine that intestine
feuds will cause a division in this commonwealth ; at
present there certainly appears to be no reason for such

SOUTH AMERICA.

275

a conjecture. Heaven forbid that it should happen. The Foubth

JOURNKY.

worid at large would suffer by it. For ages yet to come, —

may this great commonwealth continue to be the United

States of North America.

The sun was now within a week or two of passing into

the southern hemisphere, and the mornings and evenings

were too cold to be comfortable. I embarked for the Embarks for

Antigua.

island of Antigua, with the intention of calUng at the
different islands in the Caribbean sea, on my way once
more towards the wilds of Guiana.

We were thirty days in making Antigua, and thanked
Providence for ordering us so long a passage. A tre-
mendous gale of wind, approaching to a hurricane, had
done mach damage in the West Indies. Had our passage
been of ordinary length, we should inevitably have been
caught in the gale.

St. John's is the capital of Antigua. In better times it St. John's.
may have had its gaieties and amusements. At present
it appears sad and woe-begonc. The houses, which are
chiefly of wood, seem as if they have not had a coat of
paint for many years ; the streets are uneven and ill-
paved; and as the stranger M'anders through them, he
might fancy that they would afford a congenial promenade
to the man who is about to take his last leave of sur-
rounding worldly miseiy, before he hangs himself. There
had been no rain for some time, so that the parched and
barren pastures near the town might, with great tmth, be

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WANDERINGS IN

Fourth called Rosinante's own. The mules feeding on them,

JOVRNBY.

put you in mind of Ovid's description of famine : —

" Dura cutis, per quain spectari viscera possent."

It is somewhat singular, that there is not a single river
or brook in the whole island of Antigua. In this it
differs from Tartary in the other world ; which, accord-
ing to old writers, has five rivers ; viz. Acheron, Phlegeton,
Cocytus, Styx, and Lethe.

In this island I found the Red-start, described in
Wiisou's " Ornithology of the United States." I wished
to learn whether any of these birds remain the whole
year in Antigua, and breed there ; or whether they all
leave it for the nortli when the sun comes out of the
southern hemisphere ; but, upon inquiry, I could get no
information whatever.
Island of After passing a dull week here, I sailed for Guadaloupe,

amuoupe. ^^i^qj^^, y^^y ^^j^j cloud-cappcd mountains have a grand

appearance as you approach the island. Basseterre, the
capital, is a neat town, with a handsome public walk in
the middle of it, well shaded by a row of fine Tamarind
trees on each side. Behind the town, La Souffriere raises
its high romantic summit ; and, on a clear day, you may
see the volcanic smo' t'hich issues from it.

Nearly mid-way, I Axt Guadaloupe and Dominica,
you descry the Saintes. Though high, and bold, and
rocky, they have still a diminutive appearance when com-

SOUTH AMERICA.

277

:r (ii

pared with their two gigantic neighbours. You just see Fod»th

JOURNIY.

Marigalante to windward of thein, some leagues off,

about a yard liigh in the horizon.

Dominica is majestic in high and rugged mountains, island of
As you sail along it, you cannot help admiring its beauti-
ful coflFee plantations, in places so abrupt and steep, that
you would pronounce them almost inaccessible. Roseau, Roseau.
the capital, is but a small town, and has nothing attractive
except the well-known hospitality of the present harbour-
master, who is particularly attentive to strangers, and
furnishes them with a world of informatior. concerning
the West Indies. Roseau has seen better days; and you
can trace good taste and judgment in the way in which
the town has originally been laid out.

Some years ago it was visited by a succession of mis-
fortunes, which smote it so severely, that it has never
recovered its former appearance. A strong French fleet
bombarded it ; Avhilc a raging fire destroyed its finest
buildings. Some time after, an overwhelming flood
rolled down the gullies and fissures of the adjacent moun-
tains, and carried all before it. Men, women, and
children, houses, and property, were all sAvept away by
this mighty torrent. The terrible scene was said to
beggar all description, and the loss was immense.

Dominica is famous for a large species of frog, Avhich
the inhabitants keep in readiness to slaughter for the table.
In the woods of this island, the large rhinoceros beetle

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WANDERINGS IN

FOURTU

Journey.

Martinico.

is very common ; it measures above six inches in length.
In the same woods is found the beautiful humming-bird,
the breast and throat of which are of a brilliant changing
purple. I have searched for this bird in Brazil, and
through the whole of the wilds from the Rio Branco,
which is a branch of the Amazons, to the river Paumaron,
but never could find it. I was told by a man in the
Egyptian-hall, in Piccadilly, that this humming-bird is
found in Mexico ; but upon questioning him more about
it, his information seemed to have been acquired by hear-
say ; and so I concluded that it docs not appear in Mexico.
I suspect tliat it is never found out of the Antilles.

After leaving Dominica, you soon reach the grand and
magnificent island of Martinico. St. Pierre, its capital,
is a fine town, and possesses every comfort. The inhabi-
tants seem to pay considerable attention to the cultivation
of the tropical fruits. A stream of Avater runs down the
streets Avith great rapidity, producing a pleasing effect as
you pass along.

Here I had an opportunity of examining a cuckoo,
which had just been shot. It was exactly the same as
the metallic cuckoo in Wilson's " Ornitholog)\" They
told me it is a migratory bird in Martinico. It probably
repairs to this island after its departure from the United
States.

At a little distance from Martinico, the celebrated
Diamond Rock rises in insulated majesty out of the sea.

!' :

SOUTH AMERICA.

279

It was fortified during the last war with France, and Fouhtu

JouRNsr.

bravely defended by an English captain.

In a few hours from Martinico, you are at St. Lucie, St. Lucie.
whose rough and towering mountains fill you with sublime
ideas, as you approach its rocky shore. The town
Castries is quite embayed. It was literally blown to Castriei,
pieces by the fatal hurricane, in which the unfortunate
governor and his lady lost their lives. Its present forlorn
and gloomy appearance, and the grass which is grown up
in the streets, too plainly show that its hour of joy has
passed away ; and that it is in mourning, as it were, >vith
the rest of the British West Indies.

From St. Lucie, I proceeded to Barbadoes in quest of
a conveyance to the island of Trinidad.

Near Bridge-town, the capital of Barbadoes, I saw the ^"fbnaoes.
metallic cuckoo, already alluded to.

Barbadoes is no longer the merry island it was when I
visited it some years ago : —

" Iiifclix hubitiim, tcmporis hujiis habet."

There is an old song, to the tune of La Belle Catharine,
which must evidently have been composed in brighter
times : —

•

'* Come let us dance and sing,
While Barbadoes bells do ring;
Quashi scrapes the fiddle string,
And Venus plays on the lute."

Quashi's fiddle was silent ; and mute was the lute of

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WANDERINGS IN

Slavery.

Fourth Veiius during mv stay in Barbadocs. The difference

Journey.

betwixt tlie French and British ishinds was very striking.

The first appeared happy and content ; the second were
filled with murmurs and complaints. The late proceed-
ings in England, concerning slavery, and the insurrection
in Demerara had evidently caused the gloom. The abo-
lition of slavery is a question full of benevolence and fine
feelings, difficulties and danger : —

" Tuntuni ne iioceas, dum vis prodessc videto."

It requires consummate prudence, and a vast fund of
true infonnation, in order to draw just conclusions on
this important subject. Phaeton, by awkward driving,
set the world on fire: " Sylvse cum montibus ardent."
Deedalus gave his son a pair of Avings without considering
the consequence ; the boy flew out of all bounds, lost
his wings, and tumbled into the sea : —

" Icarus, Icariis iioinina fecit aquis."

When the old man saw what had happened, he damned
his own handicraft in wing-making; " devovitque suas
artes." Prudence is a cardinal virtue : —

" Omnia consult^ mente gerenda tegens."

Foresight is half the battle. '♦ Hombre apereebido,
medio combatido," says Don Quixote, or Sancho, I do
not remember which. Had queen Bess weighed well in

SOUTH AMERICA. 281

her own inind the probable consequences of this la- Foubth

* * Jhurnby.

nientable traffic, it is likely she would not have been

owner of two vessels in sir John Hawkins's s(juadron,
which committed the first robbery in negro flesh on the
coast of Africa. As philanthropy is the very life and
soul of this momentous cjucstion on slavery, which is
certainly fraught with great difficulties and danger, per-
haps it would be as well at present for the nation to turn
its thoughts to poor ill-fated Ireland, where oppression,
poverty, and rags make a heart-rending appeal to the
feelings of the benevolent.

But to proceed. There was another thhig which added
to the dulness of Barbadoes, and which seemed to have
considerable effect in keeping away strangers from the
island. The legislature had passed a most extraordinary
bill, by virtue of which every person who arrives at Bar-
badoes is obliged to pay two dollars, and two dollars
more on his departure from it. It is called the alien bill;
and every Barbadian who leaves or returns to tiie island,
and every Englishman too, pays the tax !

Finding no vessel here for Trinidad, I embarked in a Embarks for

Demerara.

schooner for Demerara, huided there after being nearly
stranded on a sand-bank, and proceeded without loss of
time to the forests in the interior. It was the drj-^ season,
which renders a residence in the woods very delightful.

There are three species of Jacamar to be found on the
diflferent sand-hills and dry savannas of Demerara ; but

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282

WANDERINGS IN

ForiiTa
Journey.

Tlie Jnca-
mar.

there is another much larger and far more beautiful to be
seen when you arrive in that part of the country where
there are rocks. The Jacamar has no affinity to the
woodpecker or king's- fisher (notwithstanding what travel-
lers affirm) either in its haunts or anatomy. The Jacamar
lives entirely on insects, but never goes in search of them.
It sits patiently for hours together on the branch of a
tree, and when the incautious insect approache.H, it flies
at it with the rapidity of an arrow, seizes it, and generally
returns to eat it on the branch which it had just quitted.
It has not the least attempt at song, is very solitary, and
so tame that you may get within three or four yards of it
before it takes flight. The males of all the different
species which I have examined have white f(>athers on
the throat. 1 suspect that all the male Jacamars hitherto
discovered have this distinctive mark. I could leara
nothing of its incubation. The Indians informed me
that one species of Jacamar lays its eggs in the wood-
ants' nests, which are so frequent in the trees of Guiana,
and appear like huge black balls. I wish there had been
proof positive of this ; but the breeding time was over ;
and in the ants' nests which I examined, I could find no
marks of birds having ever been in them. Early in
January, the Jacamar is in fine plumage for the cabinet
of the naturalist. The largest species measures ten
inches and a half from the point of the beak to the end
of the tail ; its name amongst the Indians is Una-waya-

SOUTH AMERICA.

adoucati, that is, grandfather of the Jacainar. It is
certainly a splendid bird; and in the brilliancy and
changeablencHs of its metallic colours, it yields to none of
the Asiatic and African feathered tribe. The colours of
the female are nearly as bright as those of the male, but
she wants the white feathers on the throat. Tlie large
Jacamar is pretty common about two hundred miles up
the river Demerara.

Here I had a fme opportunity once more of examining
the three-toed Sloth. He was in the house with me
for a day or two. Had I taken a description of him
as he lay sprawling on the floor, 1 should have misled
the world, and injured natural history. On the ground
he appeared really a bungled composition, and faulty at
all points ; awkwardness and misery were dej)icted on his
countenance; and when I made htm advance he sighed
as though in pain. Perhaps it was, that by seeing him
thus out of his element as it were, that the count de
Buifon, in his history of the Sloth, asks the question —
*' why should not some animals be created for misery,
since, in the human species, the greatest number of indi-
viduals are devoted to pain from the moment of their
existence.'*" Were the question put to me, I would
answer, I cannot conceive that any of them are created
for misery. That thousands live in misery there can
be no doubt ; but then, misery has overtaken them
in their path through life, and wherever man has

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WANDERINGS IN

Fourth coinc up witli tlieiii, I should suppose they have sel-

JUVRNKY.

doin escaped from experieiicuig a certain proportion of

misery.

After fully satisfying myself that it only leads the
world into error to describe the Sloth while he is on the
ground, or in any place except in a tree, I carried the
one I had in my possession, to his native haunts. As
soon as he came in contact with the branch of a tree, all
went right with him. I could see as he climbed up into
his own countiy, that he was on the right road to happi-
ness ; and felt persuaded more than ever, that the world
has hitherto erred in its conjectures concerning the Sloth,
on account of naturalists not having given a description
of hhn when he was in the only position in which he ought
to have been described, namely, clinging to the branch of
a tree.

As the appearance of this part of the country bears
great resemblance to Cayenne, and is so near to it, I was
in hopes to have found the Grande Gobe Mouche of
Buftbn, and the septicoloured Tangara, both of which are
common in Cayenne ; but after many diligent searches, I
did not succeed ; nor could I learn from the Indians that
they had ever seen those two species of birds in these parts.

Here I procured the Gross-beak with a rich scarlet body,
and black head and throat. Buffon mentions it as coming
from America. I had been in quest of it for years, but
could never see it, and concluded that it was not to be

The Grose*
beak.

SOUTH AMCKICA.

285

found in Dcnicrnra. This bird is of n greenish brown Fouhtm
before it Rctiuires its rich pluuiage.

Amongst tlic bare roots of the trees, alongside of this i'rocnrc« a
part of the river, a red crab sometimes makes its ap- ofVwi. *^
pcarance, as you arc passing up and down. It is preyed
upon by a large species of Owl, which I was fortunate
enough to procure. Its head, back, wings, and tail, are
of so dark a brown, as almost to appear black. The
breast is of a somewhat lighter brown. The belly and
thighs are of a dirty yellow white. The feathers round
the eyes are of the same dark brown as the rest of the
body ; and then comes a circle of white, which has much
the appearance of the rim of a large pair of spectacles.
I strongly suspect that the dirty yellow white of the belly
and thighs has originally been pure white ; and that it
has come to its present colour by means of the bird dart-
ing down upon its prey in the mud. But this is mere
conjecture.

Here too, close to the river, I frequently saw the bird '"»"• Sun-

bird»
called Sun-bird by the English colonists, and Tirana by

the Spaniards, in the Oroonoquc. It is very elegant ; and

in its outward appearance approaches near to the heron

tribe ; still it does not live upon fish. Flies and insects

are its food ; and it takes them just as the heron takes

fish, by approaching near, and then striking with its beak

at its prey so quick, that it has no chance to escape. The

beautiful mixture of grey, yellow, green, black, white.

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WANDERINGS IN

The great
Tinaniou.

Fourth Qud cl'estiiut ill the plumagc of this bird, bafflcN any
attempt to give a description of the distribution of thcin,
wliich would be satisfactory to the reader.

Tliere is something remarkable in the groat Tinaniou,
which I suspect has hitherto escaped notice. It inva-
riably roosts in trees ; but the feet arc ho very Nmall in
proportion to the body of this bulky bird, tiuit they can
be of no use to it in grasping the branch ; and, moreover,
the hind toe is so short, that it does not touch the ground
when the bird is walking. The back part of the leg, just
below the knee, is (juite flat, and somewhat concave. On
it are strong pointed scales, which are very rough, and
catch your finger as you move it along from tlie knee
to the toe. Now, by means of these scalcN, and the
particular flatness of that part of the leg, tiie birtl is
enabled to sleep in safety upon the brancii of a tree.

At the close of day, the great Tinaniou gives a
loud, monotonous, plaintive whistle, and tlien inline-
diately springs into the tree. By the light of the full
moon, the vigilant and cautious naturalist may Mee him
sitting in the position already described.

The small Tinaniou has nothing that can be called a
tail. It never lays more than one egg, which is of a (fhoco-
lale colour. It makes no nest, but merely Ncratches n
little hollow in the sand, generally at the foot of a tree.

Here we have an instance of a bird, the Niyx» of a par-
tridge, and of the same tribe, laying only one egg, while

The'small
Tinaniou.

SOUTH AMERICA.

287

the rest of the family, from the peahen to the quail, are Fourth
known to lay a considerable number. The foot of this —--*'-
bird is very small in proportion, but the back part of the
leg bears no resemblance to that of the larger Tinamou ;
hence one might conclude that it sleeps on the ground.
Independent of the hollow trees, the Vampires have
another hiding-place. They clear out the inside of the
large ants' nests, and then take possession of the shell.
I had gone about half a day down the river, tt) a part of
the forest where the Wallaba trees were in great plenty.
The seeds had ripened, and I was in hopes to have got
the large scarlet Ara which feeds on them. But, unfor-
tunately, the time had passed away, and the seeds had
fallen.

While ranging here in the forest, we stopped under an
ant's nest ; and, by the dirt below, conjectured that it
had got new tenants. Thinking it no hann to dislodge
them, '* viet armis," an Indian boy ascended the tree ;
but before he reached the nest, out flew above a dozen
Vampires.

I have formerly remarked, that I wished to have it in TheVam-
my power to say, that I had been sucked by the Vampire.
I gave them many an opportunity, but they always fought
shy ; and though they now sucked a young man of the
Indian breed veiy severely, as he was sleeping in his
hammock in the shed next to mine, they would have
nothing to do with me. His great toe seemed to have

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WANDERINGS IN

Fourth
Journey.

Ita teeth.

all the attractions. I examined it minutely as he was
bathing it in the river at daybreak. The midnight
surgeon had made a hole in it, almost of a triangular
shape, and the blood was then running from it apace.
His hammock was so [defiled and stained with clotted
blood, that he was obliged to beg an old black woman
to wash it. As she was taking it down to the river side,
she spread it out before me, and shook her head. I
remarked, that I supposed her o^vn toe was too old and
tough to invite the Vampire -doctor to get his supper out
of it ; and she answered, with a grin, that doctors gene-
rally preferred young people.

Nobody has yet been able to inform me how it is, that
the Vampire manages to draw such a large quantity of
blood, generally from the toe, and the patient, all the
time, remains in a profound sleep. I have never heard of
an instance of a man waking under the operation. On
the contrary, he continues in a sound sleep, and at the
time of rising, his eyes first inform him, that there has
been a thirsty thief on his toe.

The teeth of the Vampire are very sharp, and not
unlike those of a rat. If it be that he inflicts the wound
with his teeth, (and he seems to have no other instru-
ments,) one would suppose that the acuteness of the pain
would cause the person who is sucked, to awake. We
are in darkness in this matter ; and I know of no means
by which one might be enabled to throw light upon it.

SOUTH AMERICA.

289

It is to be hoped that some future wanderer throujrh the Fourth
wilds of Guiana, Avill be more fortunate than I have been, -----
and catch this nocturnal depredator in the ftict. Ihave once
before mentioned that I killed a Vampire which measured
thirty-two inches from wing to wing extended ; but others,
which I have since examined, have generally been from
twenty to twenty-six inches in dimension.

The large humming-bird, called by the Indians Kara- T'leKara-
bimiti, invariably builds its nest in the slender branches
of the trees which hang over the rivers and creeks. In
appearance, it is like brown tanned leather, and without
any particle of lining. The rim of the nest is doubled
inwards, and I always conjectured that it had taken this •
shape, on account of the body of the bird pressing against
it, while she was laying her eggs. But this was quite a
wrong conjecture. Instinct has taught the bird to give
it this shape, in order that the eggs may be prevented
from rolling out.

The trees on the river's bank arc particularly exposed to
violent gusts of wind, and while I have been sitting in
the canoe, and looking on, Ihave seen the slender branch
of the tree which held the humming-bird's nest so vio-
lently shaken, that the bottom of the inside of the nest
has appeared, and had there been nothing at the rim to
stop the eggs, they must inevitably have been jerked out
into the water. I suspect the humming-bird never lays
more than two eggs. I never found more than two in

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WANDERINGS IN

Fourth

JoURNBV.

Moiikicir.

Three
classes of
Monkies.

any of the many nests which have come in my way. The
cfjjTs were alw.ays white, without any spots on them.

Probably travellers have erred in asserting that the
Monkies of South America throw sticks and fruit at their
pursuers. I have had fine opportunities of narrowly
watching the different species of monkies which are found
in the wilds, betwixt the Amazons and the Oroonoque. I
entirely acquit them of acting on the offensive. When the
Monkies are in the high trees over your head, the dead
branches will now and then fall down upon you, having
been broken off as the Monkies pass along them ; but
they are never hurled from their hands.

Monkies, commonly so called, both in the old and new
continent, may be classed into three grand divisions ;
namely, the Ape, which has no tail whatever ; the
Baboon, which has only a short tail ; and the Monkey,
which has a long tail. There are no Apes, and no Ba-
boons as yet discovered in the new world. Its Monkies
may be very well, and very briefly ranged under two
heads ; namely, those M'ith hairy and bushy tails ; and
those whose tails are bare of hair underneath, about six
inches from the extremity. Those with hairy and bushy
tails climb just like the squirrel, and make no use of the
tail to help them from branch to branch. Those which
have the tail bare underneath towards the end, find it of
infinite advantage to them, in their ascent and descent.
They apply it to the branch of the tree, as though it

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SOUTH AMERICA.

291

were a supple finger, and frequently swing by it from the Fourth
branch like the pendulum of a clock. It answers all the °""''~
purposes of a fifth hand to the monkey, as naturalists
have already observed.

The large red Monkey of Demcrara is not a Baboon, The large
though it goes by that name, having a long pensile tail.* oWemerml.
Nothing can sound more dreadful than its nocturnal
howUngs. While lying in your hammock in these gloomy
and immeasurable wilds, you hear him howling at inter-
vals, from eleven o'clock at night till daybreak. You
would suppose that half the wild beasts of the forest
were collecting for the work of carnage. Now, it is the
tremendous roar of the Jaguar, as he springs on his
prey: now, it changes to his terrible and deep-toned
growlings, as he is pressed on all sides by superior force :
and now, you hear his last dying moan, beneath a
mortal wound.

Some naturalists have supposed that these awful sounds,
which you would fancy arc those of enraged and dying
wild beasts, proceed from a number of the red Monkies
howling in concert. One of them alone is capable of
producing all these sounds ; and the anatomists, on an
inspection of his trachea, will be fully satisfied that this
is the case. When you look at him, as he is sitting on
the branch of a tree, you will see a lump in his throat,

* I believe prensife is a new-coined word. I have seen it, but do not
remember where.

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WANDERINGS IN

Flesh of the
Monkcv.

Fourth the sizG of a larce hen's esa. In dark and cloudy weather.

Journey. o o^ j i

and just before a squall of rain, this Monkey will often
howl in the daytime ; and if you advance cautiously, and
get under the high and tufted tree wheVc he is sitting,
you may have a capital opportunity of witnessing his
wonderful poAvers of producing these dreadful and dis-
cordant sounds.

His flesh is good food ; but when skinned, his appear-
ance is so like that of a young one of our own species,
that a delicate stomach might possibly revolt at the idea of
putting a knife and fork into it. However, I can affinn,
from experience, that after a long and dreary march
through these remote forests, the flesh of this Monkey is
not to be sneezed at, when boiled in Cayenne pepper, or
roasted on a stick over a good fire. A young one tastes
not unlike kid, and the old ones have somewhat the
flavour of he-goat.

I mentioned, in a former adventure, that I had hit upon
an entirely new plan of making the skins of quadrupeds
retain tlicir exact form and feature. Intense application
to the subject has since that period enabled me to shorten
the process, and hit the character of an animal to a very
great nicety, even to the preservation of the pouting lip,
dimples, warts, and wrinkles on the face. I got a fine
specimen of the howling Monkey ; and took some pains
with it, in order to show the immense difference that exists
betmxt the features of this Monkey, and those of man.

SOUTH AMERICA.

293

I

I also procured an animal which has caused not a little Fourth

Journey,

speculation and astonishment. In my opinion, his thick

coat of hair, and great length of tail, put his species out
of all question ; but then, his face and head cause the
inspector to pause for a moment, before he ventures to
pronounce his opinion of the classification. He was a
large animal, and as I was pressed for daylight, and
moreover, felt no inclination to have the whole weight of
his body upon my back, I contented myself with his head
and shoulders, which I cut oflF ; and have brought them
with me to Europe.* 1 have since found, that I acted
quite right in doing so, having had enough to answer for
the head alone, without saying any thing of his hands
and feet, and of his tail, wliich is an appendage, lord
Karnes asserts, belongs to us.

The features of this animal are quite of the Grecian
cast ; and he has a placidity of countenance which shows
that things went well with him when in life. Some gen-
tlemen, of great skill and talent, on inspecting his head,
were convinced that the whole scries of its features has
been changed. Others again have hesitated, and betrayed
doubts, not being able to make up their minds, whether
it be possible that the brute features of the Monkey can

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* My young friciul, Mr. J. H. Foljanibe, eldest son of Thomas
Foljuinbe, I'^sq. of VVakclicId, has made a drawing of the head and
(jhoulders of tliis anhnal, (sec Frontispiece,) and it is certainly a most
correct and striking likeness of the original.

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JOURNKY.

WANDERINGS IN

be changed into the noble countenance of man. —
" Seinditur vulgus." One might argue at considerable
length on this novel subject ; and perhaps, after all, pro-
duce little more than a heap of prolix pedantry. '• Vox
et prceterea nihil."

Let us suppose for an instant, that it is a new species.
Well; " Una golondrina no hace verano ;" one swallow
does not make sunmier, as Sancho Panza says. Still, for
all that, it would be well worth while going out to search
for it ; and these times of Pasco-Peruvian enterprise are
favourable to the undertaking. Perhaps, gentle readers,
you would wish me to go in quest of another. I would
beg leave respectfully to answer, that the way is dubious,
long, and dreary ; and though, unfortunately, I cannot
allege the excuse of " me pia conjux detinet," still I would
fain crave a little repose. I have already been a long
while errant : —

" Longa mihi exilia, et vastum maris tequor aravi,
Ne inaudatc mihi, nam ego sum dcfessus agendo."

Should any body be induced to go, great and innumerable
are the discoveries yet to be made in those remote wilds ;
and should he succeed in bringing home, even a head
alone, with features as i)erfect as those of that which I
have brought, far from being envious of him, I should
consider him a modern Alcides, fully entitled to register
a thirteenth labour. Now if, on the other hand, we argue
that this head in question has had all its original features

SOUTH AMERICA.

295

destroyed, and a set of new ones given to it, by what Fovbth

Joi-RNRY.

means has this hitlierto unheard of change been effected ?

Nobody in any of our museinns has as yet been able to
restore the natural features to stuffed animals ; and he
who has any doubts of this, let him take a living cat or
dog and compare them with a stuffed cat or dog in any
of the first-rate museums. A momentary glance of the
eye would soon settle his doubts on this head.

If I have succeeded in effacing the features of a brute,
and putting those of a man in their place, we might be
entitled to say, that the sim of Proteus has risen to our
museums :

" Unius hie facicni, facies transformat in onincs;
Nunc homo, nunc tigris ; nunc equa nunc mulier."

If I have effected this, we can now give to one side of
the skin of a man's face the appearance of eighty years,
and to the other side that of blooming seventeen. We
could make the forehead and eyes serene in youthful
beauty, and shape the mouth and jaws to the features of
a malicious old ape. Here is a new field opened to the
adventurous and experimental naturalist : I have trodden
it up and down till I am almost weary. To get at it
myself I have groped through an alley, which may be
styled, in the words of Ovid,—

" Arduus, obliquus, caligine densus opaca."

I pray thee, gentle reader, let me out awhile. Time

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WANDERINGS IN

Fourth passcs Oil apacc ; aiul I want to take thee to have a peep

at the spots where mines are supposed to exist in Guiana.

As the story of this singular head has probably not been
made out quite to thy satisfaction, perhaps (I may say it
nearly in corporal Trim's words) on some long and
dismal winter's evening, but not now, I may tell thee
more about it ; together with that of another head, which
is ecpially striking.

It is connnonly reported, and I think there is no reason
to doubt the fact, that when Demerara and Essequibo
were under the Dutch flag, there were mines of gold and
silver opened near to the river Essequibo. The miners
were not successful in their undertaking, and it is gene-
rally conjectured, that their failure proceeded from
inexperience.

Now, when you ascend the Essequibo, some hundre<l
miles above the place where these mines are said to be
found, you get into a high, rocky, and mountainous
country. Here many of the moimtains have a very
barren aspect^ producing only a few stinted shrubs, and
here and there a tuft of coarse grass. I could not learn
that they have ever been explored, and at this day their
mineralogy is totally unknown to us. The Indians are
so thinly scattered in this part of the country, that there
would be no impropriety in calling it uninhabited : —

" Apparent rari errantea in gurgite vnsto."

It remains to be yet learnt, whether t lis portion of

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SOUTH AxMERICA.

297

■Xr'i

Guiaiin be M'orth looking after, with respect to its rouHTu

Jlll-BNBY.

supposed mines. The mining specuhitions at present are

flowing iloMii another channel. The rage in England for
working the mines of other states has now risen to such
a pitch, that it M'ould retpiire a considerable degree of
caution in a mere wanderer of tlie woods, in stepping
forward, to say any thing that might tend to raise or
depress the spirits of the speculators.

A (juestion or two, however, might be asked. When
the revolted colonies shall have repaired in some measure
the ravages of war, and settled their own political
economy upon a firm foundation, will they (piietly submit
to see foreigners carrying awtiy those treasures which are
absolutely part of their own soil, and ^^•hich necessity
(necessity has no law) forced theuj to barter away in
their hour of need ? Now, if it should so happen that the
masters of the country begin to repent of their bargain,
and become envious of the riches which foreigners carry
oft', many a teasing law might be made, and many a
vexatious enaction might be put in force, that would, in
all probability, bring the speculators into trouble and
disappointment.

Besides this consideration, there is another circum-
stance which ought not to be overlooked. J allude to
the change of masters nearly throughout the whole of
America. It is a curlbus subject for the European philo-
sopher to moralize upon, and for the politician to

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WANDERINGS IN

FOVHTH

JoiraNUV.

cxniniiie. The more they consider it, the more they
will be astonished. If we may judge by what has already
taken plaee, we are entitled to predict, that in a very
few years more, no European banner will be seen to float
in any part of the new worlil. Let us take a cursory
view of it.

England some years ago possessed a large ])ortion of
the present United States. France had Louisiana ; Spain
held the Floridas, Mexico, Darien, Terra Firma, Buenos
Ayres, Paraguay, Chili, Peru, and California ; and Por-
tugal ruled the whole of Brazil. All these inmiense
regions are now independent states. England, to be
sure, still has Canada, Nova Scotia, and a few creeks on
the coast of Labrador ; also a small settlement in Hondur.is,
and the wilds of Demerara and Essecpiibo ; and these are
all. France has not a foot of ground, except the forests of
Cayenne. Portugal has lost every province ; Spain is
blockaded in nearly her last citadel ; and the Dutch flag
is only seen in Surinam. Nothing more now remains to
Europe of this immense continent, where, but a very few
years ago, she reigned triumphant.

With regard to the West India Islands, they may be
considered as the mere outposts of this Mammoth domain.
St. Donungo has already shaken otf her old masters, and
become a star of observation to the rest of the sable
brethren. The anti-slavery associations of England, fuil
of benevolence and activity, have opened a tremendous

SOUTH AMERICA.

299

battery upon the Inst renmiiiing forts, which the lords of Fourtb

the ohl coiithieiit still hold in the new world ; and, in nil -

probiihility, will not cease firing till they shall hnvo
caused the liist Hng to be struck, of Europe's late mighty
empire ui the transatlantic regions. It cainiot well be
doubted, but that the sable hordes in the West Indies
will like to follow good example, whenever they shall
have it in their power to do so.

Now, with St. Domingo as an example before them,
how long will it be before they try to raise themselves
into independent states ? And if they slumld succeed in
crushing us in these our last remaining tenements, I
would bet ten to one that none of the new govcrnnuMits
will put on mourning for our departure out of the new
world. We must avcU remember, that our own govern-
ment was taxed with injustice and oppres.sion by the
United States during their great struggle ; and the British
j>ress for years past has, and is still teeming with every
kind of abuse and unbecoming satire against Spain and
Portugal for their conduct towards the now revolted
colonies.

France also comes in for her share of oblocpiy. Now,
this being the case, M'ill not America at large wish most
devoutly ft)r the day to come when luu'ope shall have no
more dominion over her? Will she not say to us, our
new forms of government are very ditt'crent from your old
ones. We will trade with you, but we shall always be

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WANDERINGS IN

JouhnIv. ^^^'^ siispit'ious of you as long as you rotivln ponnosnI,)!! of
the West Indies, whicli are, as we may say, clone to our
door-steads. You must be very cautious how you hiter-
fere Avith our polities ; for, if we find you meddling M-ith
them, and hy that means cause us to conic to logger-
heads, we shall be obliged to send you back to yom- own
homes, three or four thousand miles across the Athuitic ;
and then, with that £>reat ditch betwixt us, wc nniy hope
we shall be good friends. He who casts his eye on the
East Indies, will there see (piite a ditlerent state of filings.
The conquered districts huve merely changed one ICm'o-
pean master for another; and I believe there is no
instance of any portion of the Kast Indies throwing olf
the yoke of the Europeans and establishing a government
of their own.

Ye who are versed in politics, and study the rise and
fall of eminres, and know what is good for civlli/cd man,
and Mhat is bad for him, or in other w<»rds what will
make him happy and Avhat will make him miserable— tell
us how comes it that Europe has lost almost her last
acre in the boniulless expanse of territory which she so
lately possessed in the west, and still contrives to
hold her vast property in the extensive regions of the
cast ?

But whither am I going? 1 find myself on a new and
dangerous path. Pardon, gentle reader, this sudden
deviation Methinks 1 hear thee saying to me,—

'I

Fourth

Joi-RN'Ey,

SOUTH AMERICA. 301

" Triunite quo tendia, nuyoraque viribus mules."

1 gnint that I have erred, but I will tlo so no more. In
general 1 avoid politics ; they are too heavy for me, and
I am aware that they have caused the fall of many a
strong and able nmn ; they recjuirc the shoulders of Atlas
to support their weight.

When 1 was hi the rocky mountains of Macoushia, in cotksofthe
the month of June, 1812, I saw four young ('ocks of the
Hock in an Iiulian's hut ; they had been taken out of the
nest that week. They Avere of a uniform dirty brown
colour, and by the position of the young feathers upon
the head, you might see thtit there would be a crest there
when the bird arrived at nuiturity. By seeing young ones
in the month of Juno, I innnediately concluded that the
old Cock of the Rock would be in line plumage from the
end of November to the l)eginniiig of May ; and that the
naturalist, who was in ([uest of specimens for his nuiseum,
ought to arrange his plans in such a manner as to l)e able
to get into INlacoushia during these months. However,
1 find now, that no exact period can be fixed; for, in
December, 1824, an Indian, in the river Demerara, gave
me a young Cock of the Rock not a month old, and it
had just been brought from the Macoushi country. By
having a young specimen at this time of the year, it puts
it out of one's power to say at what precise time the old
birds are in full plumage. 1 took it on board a ship with
me for England, but it M-as so very suscei)tible of cold

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302

WANDERINGS IN

Fourth

JUUHNEY,

Indian
rubber.

An Indian
trick.

that it sliivered and died, three days after we had passed
Antigua.

If ever there should be a great demand for large supplies
of gum elastic, commonly called Indian rubber, it may be
procured in abundance far away in the wilds of Demerara
and Essecjuibo

Some years ago, when I was in the Macoushi countiy,
there was a capital trick played upon me about Indian
rubber. It is almost too good to be left out of these
wanderings, and it shows that the wild and imeducated
Indian is not without abilities. Weary and sick, and
feeble through loss of blood, I arrived at Some Indian
huts, Avhich were about two hours distant from the place
where the gum elastic trees grew. After a day and a
night's rest I went to them, and with my own hands
made a fine ball of i)ure Indian rubber; it hardened
immediately as it became exposed to the air, and its
elasticity was almost incredible.

While procuiing it, exposure to the rain, which fell in
torrents, l)rought on a return of intlannnation in the
stomach, and I was ol)ligetl to have recourse again to the
lancet, and to use it with an luisparing hand. I wanted
another ball, but was not in a state the next morning to
proceed to the trees. A fine interesting young Indian,
observing my eagerness to have it, tendered his services,
and asked two handsfuU of lish-hooks for his trouble.
Off he wont, and to my great surprise returned in a

SOUTH AMERICA.

303

very short time. Bearing in mind the trouble and time Fourth
it had cost me to make a ball, I could account for this -- -~
Indian's expedition, in no other way, except, that being
an inhabitant of the forest, he knew how to go about his
work in a much shorter way than I did. His ball, to be
sure, had very little elasticity in it. I tried it repeatedly,
but it never rebounded a yard high. The young Indian
watched me with great gravity, and when I made him
understand that I expected the ball would dance better,
he called another Indian, who knew a little English, to
assure me that I might be quite easy on that score. The
young rogue, in order to render me a complete dupe,
brought the new moon to his aid. He gave me to
understand that the ball was like the little moon, which
he pointed to, and by the time it grew big and old, the
ball would bounce beautifully. This satisfied me, and I
gave him the fish-hooks, which he received without the
least change of countenance.

I bounced the ball repeatedly for two months after, but
I found that it still remained in its infancy. At last I
suspected tliat the savage (to use a vulgar phrase) had
come Yorkshire over me ; and so I determined to find out
how he had managed to take me in. I cut the ball in
two, and then saw what a taught trick he had played me.
It seems he had chewed some leaves into a lump, the size
of a walnut, and then dipped them in the liquid guui-
clastic. It immediately received a coat about as thick

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WANDERINGS IN

Fourth

JoUBXEY.

Returns
home to
Englaiul.

Concluding
remarks.

as a sixpence. He then had rolled some more leaves
round it, and gave it another coat. He seems to have
continued this process, till he made the ball considerably
larger than the one I had procured ; and in order to put
his roguery out of all chance of detection, he made the
last and outer coat thicker than a dollar. This Indian
would, no doubt, have thriven well in some of our great
towns.

Finding that the rainy season was coming on, I left the
wilds of Demerara and Essequibo Avith regret, towards
the close of December, 1824 ; and reached once more
the shores of England, after a long and unpleasant
passage.

Ere M'C part, kind reader, I couUl wish to draw a little
of thy attention to the instructions which are to be found
at the end of this book. Twenty years have now rolled
away, since I first began to examine tlie sj)ecimcns of
zoology in our museums. As the system of preparation
is founded in error, nothing but deformity, distortion,
and disproportion, will be the result of the best intentions,
and utmost exertions of the workman. Canova's educa-
tion, taste, and genius enabled him to present to the
world, statues so correct and beautiful, that they are
worthy of universal admiration. Had a common stone-
cutter tried his hand upon the block, out of which these
statues were sculptured, what a lamentable want of
symmetry and fine countenance there would have been.

SOUTH AMERICA.

305

Now when we reflect that the preserved specimens in our Fourth

. 1, . , , Journey.

museums, and private collections, are always done upon

a wrong principle, and generally by low and illiterate
people, whose daily bread depends upon the shortness of
time in which they can get through their work ; and whose
opposition to the true way of preparing specimens, can
only be surpassed by their obstinacy in adhering to the
old method ; can we any longer wonder at their want of
success ? or hope to see a single specimen produced that
will be worth looking at ? With this I conclude, hoping
that thou hast received some information, and occasionally
had a smile upon thy counten.ance, while persusing these
*' Wanderings ;" and begging, at the same time, to add,
♦hat.

Well I know thy penetration.

Many a stain and blot will sec,
In the languid long narration,

Of my sylvan errantry.

For the pen, too oft was weary,

In the wandering writer's hand,
As bn roved through deep and dreary

Forests, in a distant land.

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Show thy mercy, gentle reader.
Let him not entreat in vain ;

It will be his strength's best feeder,
Should he ever go again.

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306

WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA.

FoiniTa

JOURNET.

And who knows, how Boon complaining.
Of a cold and wifeless home.

He may leave it, and again in
Equatorial regions roam.

C.W.

ON

PRESERVING BIRDS

to*

CABINETS OF NATURAL HISTORY.

''■II

ii
m

Were you to pay aa much attention to birds, as the pbesbrvinq
sculptor does to the human frame, you would immediately — ^-^ —
see, on entering a museum, that the specimens are not
well done.

This remark will not be thought severe, when you re-
flect that, — that which once was a bird, has probably been
stretched, stuffed, stiffened, and wired by the hand of a
common clo\^ai. Consider, likewise, how the plumage
nmst have been disordered, by too much stretching or
drying, and perhaps sullied, or at least deranged, by the
pressure of a coarse and heavy hand, — plumage wliicli,
ere life had fled from within it, was accustomed to be
touched by nothing rougher than the dew of heaven, and
the pure and gentle breath of air.

In dissecting, three things are necessary to ensure Dissecting.
success ; viz. a penknife, a hand not coarse or clumsy,
and practice. The flrst will furnish you with the means ;
the second will enable you to dissect ; and the third

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308

ON PRESERVING BIRDS.

Birds.

Stuffing.

^* "* nV" ^^^^^^ y**" *o dissect well. These may be called the mere
mechanical requisites.

In stuffing,', you require cotton, a needle and thread, a
little stick, the size of a common knitting-needle, glass
eyes, a solution of corrosive sublimate, and any kind
of a common temporary box to hold the specimen. These
also may go under the same denomination as the former.
But, if you wish to excel in the art, if you wish to be in
ornithology, what Angclo was in sculpture, you must apply
to profound study, and your own genius to assist you.
And these may be called the scientific recjuisites.

You nnist have a complete knowledge of ornithological
anatomy. You nuist pay close attention to the form and
attitude of the bird, and know exactly the proportion
each curve, or extension, or contraction, or expansion of
any particular part bears to the rest of the body. In a
word, you must possess Promethean boldness, and bring
down fire, and animation as it M'cre, into your preserved
specimen.
Examine Repair to the haunts of birds, on plains and mountains,

the economy

oftheortkrs forcsts, swamps, and lakes, and give up your time to
examine the economy of the different orders of birds.

Then you will place your eagle, in attitude connnand-
ing, the same as Nelson stood in, in the day of battle,^
on the Victory's quarter-deck. Your pie will seem
crafty, and just ready to take flight, as though fearful of
being surprised in some mischievous plunder. Your

Reciuisite to
have It
thoroiiph
knowledge
of Ornitho"
logical Ana-
tomy.

of birds.

I

)'■ .'I

ON PRESERVING BIRDS.

309

sparrow will retain its wonted pertness, by means of Presbrvino

lilRDS.

placing his tail a little elected, and giving a moderate

arch to the neck. Your vu.curc will show his sluggish
habits, by having his body nearly parallel to the earth ;
his wings somewhat drooping, and their extremities
under the tail, instead of above it,— expressive of ignoble
indolence.

Your dove will be in artless, fearless innocence ;
looking mildly at you, with its neck, not too much,
stretched, as if uneasy in its situation ; or drawn too
close into the shoulders, like one wishing to avoid a dis-
covery ; but in moderate, perpendicular length, support-
ing the head horizontally, which will set off the breast to
the best advantage. And the breast ought to be con-
spicuous, and have this attention paid to it ; for when a
young lady is sweet and gentle in her manners ; kind
and affable to those around her ; Avhen her eyes stand in
tears of pity for the woes of others, and she puts a small
portion of what Providence has blessed her with into
the hand of imploring poverty and hunger, then we say,
she has the breast of a turtle dove.

You will observe how beautifully the feathers of a bird J^^^J^'"
are arranged ; one falling over the other in nicest order ;
and that, where this charming harmony is interrupted,
the defect, though not noticed by an ordinary spectator,
will appear immediately to the eye of a naturalist. Thus,
a bird not wounded, and in perfect feather, must be

3ie

ON PRESERVING BIRDS.

Phmuvino procured if possible ; for the loss of feathers can seldom

'— be niade good ; and where the deficiency is great, all the

skill of the artist will avail him little in his attempt to
conceal the defect ; because, in order to hide it, he must
contract the skin, bring down the upper feathers, and
shove in the lower ones, which would throw all the
surrounding parts into contorsion.

You will also observe that the whole of the skin does
not produce feathers, and that it is very tender where the
feathers do not grow. The bare parts are admirably
formed for expansion about the throat and stomach ; and
they fit into the different cavities of the body at the
wings, shoulders, rump, and thighs, wth wonderful exact-
ness ; so that, in stuffing the bird, if you make an even
rotund surface of the skin, ^vhere these cavities existed,
in lieu of re-forming them, all symmetiy, order, and
proportion, are lost for ever.

You must lay it down as an absolute rule, that the bird
is to be entirely skiinicd, otherwise you can never succeed
in forming a true and pleasing specimen.

You will allow this to be just, after reflecting a mo-
ment on the nature of the fieshy parts and tendons,
which are often left in : 1st, tlicy recjuire to be well seasoned
with aromatic ^spiccs ; 2dly, they must be put into the
oven to dry ; 3dly, the heat of the fire and the natural
tendency all cured flesh has to shrink, and become hard,
render the specimen witliered, distorted, and too small ;

I

h

ON PHf> HVING Bf " OS.

mtiy Ot l.tfT P»B8rnviK«

4thly, the inside then becomcN likt* a Imwi,
dried meat. Ere long, the insects eUiiin it ^ tUeir < ,q;
the feathers begin to drop off, and you hu\ the linU .an
spectacle of death in ragged plumage.

Wire is of no manner of use, but, on the contrary, a
great nuisance ; for where it is introduced, a disagreeable
stiffness and derangement of symmetry follow.

The head and neck can be placed in any attitude, the
body supported, the wings closed, extended or elevated,
the tail depressed, raised or expanded, the thighs set
horizontal or oblique, without any aid from wire. Cotton
will effect all this.

A very small proportion of the scull bone, say, from
the forepart of the eyes to the bill, is to be left in ;
though even this is not absolutely necessary. Part of the
wing-bones, the jaw-bones, and half of the thigh-bones,
remain. Every thing else, flesh, fat, eyes, bones, brains,
and tendons, are all to be taken away.

While dissecting, it will be of use to keep in mind, — General

directions.

That, in takmg off the skin from the body, by means
of your fingers and little knife, you must try to shove it,
in lieu of pulling it, lest you stretch it.

That, you must press as lightly as possible on the bird,
and every now and then take a view of it, to see that
the feathers, &c. are all right.

That, when you come to the head, you must take care
that the body of the skin rests on your knee ; for if you

III

312

ON PRESERVING BIRDS.

PiiMKBviNG allow it to dangle from your hand, itM own weicht will

stretch it too much.

That, throughout the whole operation, as fawt as you
detach the skin from the body, you must put cotton
inuncdiately betwixt the body and it; and this will
effectually prevent any fat, blood, or moisture from coming
in contact with the plumage. Here it may be observed
that, on the belly you find an inner skin, which keeps the
bowels in their place. By a nice operation with the
knife, you can cut through the outer skin, and leave the
inner skin whole. Attention to this will render your
work very clean ; so that, with a little care in other parts,
you nmy skin a bird without even soiling your finger
ends.

As you can seldom get a bird without shooting it, a
line or two on this head will be necessary. If the bird
be still alive, press it hard with your finger and thumb,
just behind the wings, and it will soon expire. Carry it
by the legs, and then the body being reversed, the blood
cannot escape down the plumage through the shot holes.
As blood will often have issued out before you have laid hold
of the bird, find out the shot holes, by dividing the feathers
with your fingers, and blowing on them, ami then, with
your penknife, or the leaf of a tree, carefully remove the
clotted blood, and put a little cotton on the hole. If,
after all, the plumage has not escaped the marks of
blood ; or if it has imbibed slime from the ground, wash

o\ i'ui:sKiivix(j niuDS.

m^

the pnrt in wiiter, without soap, niul keep ^c iitly nj^itatinj;? I'hrhkhvixo
the feathei'H, with your lingers, till they are (piite dry. Were
you to wash them, and leave them to dry by themnelves,
they would have a very mean and shrivelled appcaraiu-e.

In the act of skiunini^ a bird, you must either have it \" "[ "'''"'

• nim; tlii-

upon a table, or upon your knee. I'robably, you will '''"'•
prefer your knee ; beeause, when you eross one knee over
the other, and have the bird upon the uppermost, you
can raise it to your "ye, or lower it, at pleasure, by means
of the foot on the ground, and then vour knee will always
move in unison with your b(»dy, by whieh nuiih stf)f)')Ii
Mill be avoided and lassitude prevented.

With these precautionary hints in mind, we mI o,
proceed to dissect a bird. .Supj)()se we take i hav,;..
The little birds will thank us, with a sonj^ for his death,
for he has oppressed them .sorely ; and in size he is just
the thui^'. His skin is also i)rotty tou<,'h, and the feathers
adhere to it.

We will put close by us a little bottle of the solution of
corrosive sublimate in alcohol ; also a stick like a common
knitting needle, and a handful or two of cotton. Xow
fill tlie mouth and nostrils of the bird with cotton, and
place it upon your knee on its back, Avith its head point-
ing' to your left shoulder. Take hold of the knife with
your two fn-st fingers and thumb, the edge upwards. You
must not keep the point of the knife perpendicular to the
body of the bird; because, were you to bold it so, you

-l!

2s

i|

314

ON PRESERVING BIRDS.

p«E8ERvixG would cut the inner skin of the belly, nnd tluis lot the

BlBUS.

■ bowels out. To avoid this, let your knife b(» pnrnUel to

the body, and then you Avill divide the outer NJiin with
great ease.

Begin on the belly below the brenNt-boue, and eut
down the middle, quite to the vent. ThJN done, put the
bird in any convenient position, and Neparate the wkin
from the body, till you get at the mlddh' joint of the
thigh. Cut it through, and do nothing more there at
present, except introducing cotton all the way on that
side, from the vent to the breast-l)one. Do exactly the
same on the opposite side.

Now place the bird perpendicular, its breast resting on
your knee, with its back towards you. Separate the skin
from the body on each side at the vent, and never mind
at present the part from the vent to tiie root of the tail.
Bend the tail gently down to the back, and while your
finger and thumb are keeping down the detached parts of
the skin on each side of the vent, eut <|uite across, and
deep, till you sec the back-bone, near the oil gland at the
root of the tail. Sever the back-bone at the joint, and
then you have all the root of the tail, together with the
oil-gland, dissected from the body. Ap|)ly j)Ienty of
cotton.

After this, seize the end of the bnek-bone with your
finger and thumb : and now you can liold up the bird
clear of your knee, and turn it round and round, as

ON PRESERVING BIRDS.

315

occasion requires. While you are holding it thus, con- Preservixc
trive, with the help of your other hand and knife, by '^'"''''
cutting and shoving, to get the skin pushed up till you
come to where the wing joins on to the body.

Forget not to apply cotton ; cut this joint through ;
do the same at the other wing, add cotton, and gently
push the skin over the head ; cut out the roots of the
ears, which lie very deep in the head, and continue
skinning till you reach the middle of the eye ; cut the
i.i-titating membrane quite through, otherwise you would
tear tiie orbit of the eye ; and after this, nothing difficult
intervenes to prevent your arriving at the root of the bill.

When this is etfected, cut away the body, leaving a
little bit of skull, just as much as M-ill reach to the fore-
part of the eye; clean mtII the jaw-bones, fasten a little
cotton at the end of your stick, dip it into the solution,
and touch the skull and corresponding part of the skin,
as you cannot well get to these places afterwards. From
the time of pushing the skin over the head you are sup-
posed to have had the bird resting upon your knee ; keep
it there still, and with great caution and tenderness
return the head through the inverted skin, and when you
see the beak appearing, pull it very gently till the head
comes out unruffled and unstained.

You may now take the cotton out of the mouth ; cut
away all the remaining flesh at the palate, and whatever
may have remained at the under jaw.

2s2

316

ON PRESERVING BIRDS.

Pbkskrvixo

UlKDK.

Here is now before you the skin, without loss of any
feathers, and all the flesh, fat, and uncTeaned bones out of
it, except the middle joint of the wings, one bone of the
thighs, and the fleshy root of the tail. The extreme point
of the wing is very small, and has no flesh on it, compa-
ratively speaking, so that it requires no attention, except
touching it with the solution from the outside. Take all
the flesh from the remaining joint of the wing, and tie a
thread about four inches long to the end of it ; touch all
with the solution, and put the wing bone back into its
place. In baring this bone you must by no means pull
the skin ; you would tear it to pieces beyond all doubt,
for the ends of the long feathers are attached to the bone
itself; you must j)ush oft* the skin with your thumb-nail
and forefinger. Now skin the thigh quite to the knee ;
cut away all flesh and tendons, and leave the bone ; form
an artificial thigh round it Avith cotton; apply the solu-
tion, and draw back the skin over the artificial thigh : the
same to the other thigh.

Lastly, proceed to the tail ; take out the inside of the
oil-gland, remove all the remaining flesh from the root,
till you see the ends of the tail feathers; give it the
solution, and re|)lace it. Now take out all the cotton
which you have been putting into the body from time to
time to preserve the feathers from grease and stains.
Place the bird upon your knee on its back ; tie together
the two threads which vou had fastened to the end of the

ON PRESERVING BIRDS.

317

I

wing joints, leaving exactly the same space betwixt them Pbesebvino

Birds.

as your knowledge in anatomy informs you existed there

when the bird was entire ; hold the skin open with your
finger and thumb, and apply the solution to every part of
the inside. Neglect the head and neck at present ; they
are to receive it afterwards.

Fill the body moderately with cotton, lest the feathers
on the belly should be injured wliilst you are about the
following operation. You must recollect that half of the
thigh, or in other words, one joint of the thigh bone,
has been cut away. Now, as this bone never moved
perpendicular to the body, but on the contrary in an
obli(iue direction, of course, as soon as it is cut off, the
remaining part of the thigh and leg, having nothing now
to support them obli(iuely, must naturally fall to their
perpendicular. Hence the reason why the legs appear
considerably too long. To correct this, take your needle
and thread, fasten the end round the bone inside, and
then push the needle through the skin just opposite to it.
Look on the outside, and after finding the needle amongst
the feathers, tack up the thigh untler the Ming with
several strong stitches. This will shorten the thigh, and
render it tiuite capable of supporting the -weight of the
body without the help of Avire. This done, take out every
bit of cotton, except the artificial thighs, and adjust the
Aving bones (which are connected by the thread) in the
most even manner possible, so that one joint does not

318

ON PRESERVING BIRDS.

Pbeservino appear to lie lower than the other ; for unless they are

quite equal, the Avings themselves will be unequal, wlipu

you come to put them in their proper attitude. Here
then rests the shell of the poor hawk, ready to reeeive,
from your skill and judgment, the size, the shape, the
features and expression it had, ere death, and your disseet-
iiig hand, brouglit it to its present still and formless state.
The eold hand of death stann)s deep its mavk upon the
prostrate vietini. When the heart ceases to beat, and the
blood no longer courses through the veins, the features
collapse, and the whole frame seems to shrink within
itself. If then you have formed your idea of the real
appearance of the bird from a deatl specimen, you will be
in error. ^Vith this in mind, and at the same time forming
your specimen a trifle larger than life, to make up for
what it will lose in drying, you will reproduce a bird that
will please you.

It is now time to introduce the cotton for an artificial
body, by means of the little stick like a knitting needle ;
and without any other aid or substance than that of this
little stick and cotton, your own genius must produce
those swellings and cavities, that just proportion, that
elegance and harmony of the whole, so much adiniied in
animated nature, so little attended to in preserved speci-
mens. After you have introduced the cotton, sew up the
orifice you originally made in the belly, beginning at the
vent. And from time to time, till you arrive at the last

ON PRESERVING BIRDS.

319

stitch, keep adding a little cotton, in order that there may Preserving

Jj I RDSa

be no deficiency there. Lastly, dip yoar stick into the

solution, and put it down the throat three or four times,
in order that every part may receive it.

When the head and neck are filled with cotton quite
to your liking, close the bill as in nature. A little bit of
bees' wax, at the point of it, will keep the mandibles in
their proper place. A needle must be stuck into the
lower mandible perpendicularly. You will shortly
see the use of it. Bring also the feet together by
a pin, and then run a thread through the knees, by which
you may draw them to each other, as near as you judge
proper. Nothing now remains to be added but the eyes.
With your little stick make a hollow in the cotton
within the orbit, and introduce the glass eyes through the
orbit. Adjust the orbit to them, as in nature, and that
require no other listener.

Your close inspection of the eyes of animals, avIU
already have informed you, that the orbit is capable of
receiving a much larger body tlian that part of the eye
which appears within it when in life. So that, were you
to proportion your eye to the size the orbit is capable of
receiving, it would be far too large. Inattention to this,
has caused the eyes of every specimen, in the best cabinets
of natural history, to be out of all proportion. To pre-
vent this, contract the orbit, by means of a very small
delicate needle and thread, at that part of it farthest from

,1

320

ON PRESERVING BIRDS.

Preservinc. the beak. This may be done with such iiieety, that the

Birds. "^ ^

Stitch cannot be observed ; and thus you have the artificial

eye in true proportion.

After this, touch the bill, orbits, feet, and former oil-
gland at the root of the tail, with the solution, and then
you have given to the hawk every thing necessary, except
attitude, and a proper degree of elasticity, two (jualities
very essential.

Procure any common ordinary box, fdl one end of it,
about three-fourths up to the top, with cotton, forming a
sloping plane. Make a moderate hollow in it to receive
the bird. Now take the hawk in your hands, and, after
putting the Avings in order, place it in the cotton, with its
legs in a sitting posture. The head will fall down. Never
mind. Get a cork, and run three pins into the end, just
like a three-legged stool. Place it under the bird's bill,
and run the needle, mIucIi you formerly fixed there, into
the head of the cork. Tliis will support the bird's head
admirably\ If you wish to lengthen the neck, raise the
cork, by putting more cotton under it. If the head is to
be brought forward, bring the cork nearer to the end of
the box. If it requires to be set backwards on the shoulders,
move back the cork.

As in drying, the back part of the neck will shrink
more than the forepart, and thus throw the beak higher
than you wish it to be, putting you in mind of a star-
gazing horse, prevent this fault, by tying a thread to the

ON PRESERVING BIRDS.

321

beak, and fiisteniiig it to the end of the box with a pin or Pbeserviko

needle. If you choose to elevate the wings, do so, and —

support them with cotton ; and should you wish to have
them particularly high, apply a little stick under each
wing, and fasten the end of them to the side of the box
with a little bees' wax.

If you would have the tail expanded, reverse the order
of the feathers, beginning from the two middle ones.
When dry, replace them in their true order, and the tail
will preserve for ever the expansion you have given it.
Is the crest to be erect ? move the feathers in a contrary
direction to that in which they lie, for a day or two, and
it will never fall down after.

Place the box any where in your room, out of the in-
fluence of the sun, wind, and fire ; for the specimen must
dry very slowly, if you Avish to reproduce every feature.
On this account, the solution of corrosive sublimate is
uncommonly serviceable j for at the same time that it
totally prevents putrefaction, it renders the skin moist and
flexible for many days. While the bird is drying, take
it out, and replace it in its position once every day. Then,
if you see that any part begins to shrink into disproportion,
you can easily remedy it.

The small covert feathers of the wings are apt to rise
a little, because the skin will come in contact with the
bone which remains in the wing. Pull gently the part
that rises, with your finger and thumb, for a day or two.

2t

322

ON PRESERVING BIRDS.

Phrsebvino Press the feathers down. The skui will adhere no more

Birds.

to the bone, and tliey Avill cease to rise.

Eveiy now and then touch and retouch all the ditterent
parts of the features, in order to render them distinct
and visible, correctinj^ at the same time any harshness,
or unnatural risings, or sinkings, flatness, or rotundity.
This is putting the last finishing hand to it.

In three or four days the feet lose their natural elas-
ticity, and the knees begin to stiffen. When you observe
this, it is time to give the legs any angle you wish, and
arrange the toes for a standing j)osition, or curve them to
your finger. If you wish to set the bird on a branch,
bore a little hole luidcr each foot, a little way up the leg;
and having fixed two proportional spikes on the branch,
you can, in a moment, transfer the bird from your finger
to it, and from it to your finger, at pleasure.

When the bird is quite dry, pull the thread out of the
knees, take away the needle, ike, from under the bill,
and all is done. In liou of being stiff Avith wires, the
cotton will have given a considerable elasticity to every
part of your bird ; so that, when perching on your finger,
if you press it down with the other hand, it will rise again.
You need not fear that your hawk will alter, or its colours
fade. The alcohol has introduced the sublimate into
every part and pore of the skin, quite to the roots of the
feathers. Its use is twofold. Ist. It has totally pre-
vented all tendency to putrefaction ; and thus a sound

I

ON PRESERVING BIRDS.

323

^

skin has attached itself to the roots of the feathers,
may take hold of a single one, and from it suspend five
times the weight of the bird. Yon may jerk it ; it will
still adhere to the skin, and, after repeated trials, often
break short. 2dly. As no part of the skin has escaped
receiving particles of sublimate contained in the alcohol,
there is not a spot exposed to the depredation of insects;
for they will never venture to attack any substance which
has received corrosive sublimate.

Yon are aware that corrosive sublimate is the most
fatal poison to insects that is known. It is antiputrcscent ;
so is alcohol ; and they arc both colourless, of course
they cannot leave a stain behind them. The spirit pene-
trates the pores of the skin with wonderful velocity,
deposits invisible particles of the sublinuitc, and flies off.
The sublimate will not injure tlie skin, and notlnng can
detach it from the parts where the alcohol has left it.*

Furs of animal»s, immersed in this solution, Avill re-
tain their pristine brightness and durability in any
climate.

Take the finest curled feather from a lady's head, dip it
m the solution, and shake it gently till it be dry ; you will
find, that the spirit will fly ott' in a few minutes, not a curl

You PBE«KBVINa

Birds.

* All ti»e featiiers require to be touched with the solution, in order that
they may be preserved froui the depredation of the moth. The surest way
of proceeding is, to immerse the bird in the solution of corrosive sublimate,
and then dry it before you begin to dissect it.

2t 2

324

ON PRESERVING BIRDS.

PHESEBviNr. in the feather will be injureil, niul the sublimate will prc-

BlRDS.

serve it from the depredation of the insect.

Perhaps it umy be satisfactory to add here, that, some
years ago, I did a bird upon this plan in Demcrara. It
remained there two years. It was then conveyed to
England, where it staid five months, and returned to
Demerara. After being four years more there, it was
conveyed back again through the West Indies to Eng-
land, where it has now been near five years, unfaded and
imchanged.

On reflecting that this bird has been twice in the
temperate and torrid zone, and remained some years in
the hot and humid climate of Demerara, only six degrees
from the line, and where almost every thing becomes a
prey to the insect, and that it is still as sound and bright
as when it was first done, it will not be thought extrava-
gant to surmise, that this specimen will retain its pristine
form and colours for years after the hand that stuffed it
has mouldered into dust.

I have shown this art to the naturalists in Brazil,
Cayenne, Demerara, Oroonoque, and Rome, and to the
royal cabinets of Turin and Florence. A severe accident
prevented me from communicating it to the cabinet of
Paris, according to my promise. A word or two more,
and then we will conclude.

A little time and experience will enable you to produce
a finished specimen. *' Mox similis volucri, mox vera

r>

ON PRESERVING BIRDS.

325

volucris." If voiir early performance should not corrcs- Prkservino

pond with your expectations, do not][let that cast you

down. You cannot become an adept all at once. The
poor hawk itself, which you have just been dissecting,
waited to be fledged, before it durst rise on expanded
pinion ; and had parental aid, and frequent practice, ere
it could soar with safety and case beyond the sight of
man.

Little more remains to be added, except that what has
been penned doAvn with regard to birds, may be applied,
in some measure, to serpents, insects, and four-footed
animals.

Should you find these instructions too tedious, let the
wish to give you every information plead in their defence.
They might have been shorter ; but Horace says, by
labouring to be brief you become obscure.

If, by their means, you should be enabled to procure
specimens from foreign parts in better preservation than
usual, so that the naturalist may have it in his power to
give a more perfect description of them than has hitherto
been the case ; should they cause any unknown species to
be brought into public view, and thus add a little more to
the page of natural history, it will please me much. But
should they, imfortunatcly, tend to cause a wanton
expense of life ; should they tempt you to shoot the pretty
songster warbling near your door, or destroy the mother.

326

ON PRESERVING BIRDS.

*'"BT«"Dr' "^ ""^^ '^ ^'"'"^ °" *^^® "®^* ^^ ^»"" ^»er lUtlc ones; or
- kill the father, as he is bringing a mouthful of food for
their support;— Oh, then !— deep indeed wiU be the regi-et
that I ever uTote them.

Adieu,
CHARLES WATERTON.

lONDOiX : PFIMr£i> B\ A. APPLEGATH, STAMFORD-STRBET.

*

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