A.B.BROOKE.
O !PT.
See Page 253.
WANDERINGS
IN
SOUTH AMEEICA,
THE
NORTH-WEST OF THE UNITED STATES,
AND THE ANTILLES,
IN THE YEARS 1812, 1S16, 1820, & 1824,
ORIGINAL INSTRUCTIONS
FOR THE PERFECT PRESERVATION OF BIRDS, &c.
FOR
CABINETS OF NATURAL HISTORY.
BY CHAELES WATEETOX, ESQ.
SIXTH EDITION.
T. FELLOWES, LUDGATE HILL*
1866.
LONDON :
R CiAY, SON, AND TAYLOR, PRINTERS,
BREAD STREET HILL.
PKEFACE
TO THE FIEST EDITION.
I OFFER this book of "Wanderings" with a
hesitating 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 pne 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 coun-
try, 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
VI PREFACE.
discoveries ; for, as Ulysses sent Achilles to Troy,
so I sent him to Guiana. I intended to have
written much more at length; but days, and
months, and years have passed away, and nothing
has been done. Thinking it very probable that
I shall never have patience enough to sit down
and write a full account of all I saw and examined
in those remote wilds, 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 very instructive lesson you have
favoured us with this morning, which far excelled,
in real utility, everything I have hitherto seen."
And in another letter he says, " I hear with
particular pleasure your intention of resuming
PREFACE. Vll
your interesting travels, to which natural history-
has already been so much indebted." And again,
" I am sorry you did not deposit some part of
your last harvest of birds in the British Museum,
that your name might become familiar to natu-
ralists, 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 Eoyal Society of its brightest ornament.
SOUTH AMERICA.
FIRST JOURNEY.
-"nec herba, nee latens in asperis
Eadix fefellit me locis."
IN the month of April, 1812, I left the town of
Stabroek, to travel through the wilds of Demerara and
Essequibo, a part of ci-devant Dutch Guiana, in South
America.
The chief objects in view were to collect a quantity
of 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 would exhaust him in his attempts to
wade through the swamps, and the mosquitos at night
would deprive him of every hour of sleep.
The road for horses runs ^parallel to the river ; but it
extends a very little way, and even ends before the
cultivation of the plantation ceases.
The only mode, then, that remains is to proceed by
water ; and when you come to the high lands, you
may make your way through the forest on foot, or
continue your route on the river.
B
2 WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA.
After passing the third island in the river Demerara,
Face of the there are few plantations to he seen, and
those not joining on to one another, but
separated by large tracts of wood.
The Loo is the last where the sugar-cane 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 passing these there
is not a ruin 'to inform the traveller that either coffee
or sugar has 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 hill
presents itself; and often, on turning a point, the eye
is pleased with the contrast 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 see a sloping extent of noble trees,
whose foliage displays a charming variety of every
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 with
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
FIRST JOURNEY. 6
mournful sound does the ear in music, and seem to
beckon to the sentimental traveller to stop a moment
or two, and see that the forests which surround him,
like men and kingdoms, have their periods of mis-
fortune and decay.
The first rocks of any considerable size that are
observed on the side of the river, are at a
Rocks.
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 worn 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. You see a few coffee -trees of a fine luxuriant
growth : and nearly on the top of Saba
Residence , , , •,-,-, -n- •
of the post- stands the house of the postnolder. He is
appointed by Government to give in his
report to the protector of the Indians, of what is going
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 painted 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 different shades, from the
red savage to the white man, and from the white man
to the sootiest son of Africa.
Beyond this post there are no more habitations of
white men, or free people of colour.
B2
4 WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA.
In a country so extensively covered with wood as
Trees this is, having every advantage that a tro-
pical 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 curiosity, must he be, who can journey on without
stopping to take a view of the towering niora. Its
topmost branch, 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 useful 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 hackea, for its toughness; the ducalabali,
surpassing mahogany ; the ebony and letter-wood, vieing
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 be met with
in the forest, betwixt the plantations and the rock Saba.
Beyond this rock, the country has been little ex-
plored ; 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.
FIRST JOURNEY. 5
On viewing the stately trees around him, the natu-
ralist will observe many of them bearing leaves, and
blossoms, and fruit not their own.
The wild fig-tree, as large as a common English
The wild apple-tree, often rears itself from one of the
thick branches at the top of the mora ; and
when its fruit is ripe, to it the birds resort for nourish-
ment. It was to an undigested seed, passing through
the body of the bird which had perched on the mora,
that the fig-tree first owed its elevated station there.
The sap of the mora raised it into full bearing ; but
now, in its turn, it is doomed to contribute a portion of
its own sap and juices towards the growth of different
species of vines, the seeds of which, also, the birds
deposited on its branches. These soon vegetate, and
bear fruit in great quantities ; so, what with their
usurpation of the resources of the fig-tree, and the fig-
tree of the mora, the mora, unable to support a charge
which nature never intended it should, languishes and
dies under its burden ; and then the fig-tree, and its
usurping progeny of vines, receiving no more succour
from their late foster-parent, droop and perish in their
turn.
A vine called the bush-rope by the wood-cutters,
The bush- on account of its use in hauling out the
heaviest timber, has a singular appearance
in the forests of Demerara. Sometimes 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, join tree and tree, and branch and branch
together. Others, descending from on high, take root as
soon as their extremity touches the ground, and appear
6 WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA.
like shrouds and stays supporting the mainmast of a
line-of-battle ship ; while others, sending out parallel,
oblique, horizontal, and perpendicular 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 seeing trees,
not only vegetating, but sending forth vigorous shoots,
though far from their perpendicular, and their trunks
inclined to every 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 per-
pendicularly from near the root of the reclined trunk,
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
decayed trees, is very rich and fertile in the
, valleys. On the hills, it is little better than
sand. The rains seem to have carried away, and swept
into the valleys, every particle which nature intended
to have formed a mould.
Four-footed Four-footed animals are scarce, consider-
ing how very thinly these forests are in-
habited by men.
Several species of the animal commonly called tiger,
though, in reality, it approaches nearer to the leopard,
are found here ; and two of their diminutives, named
FIRST JOURNEY. 7
tiger-cats. The tapir, the lobba, and deer afford excel-
lent 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
heard oftener than it is seen ; while the common brown
monkey, the bisa, and sacawinki rove from tree to tree,
and amuse the stranger as he journeys on.
A species of the polecat, and another of the fox, are
destructive to the Indian's poultry ; while the opossum,
the guana, and salempenta afford him a delicious morsel.
The small ant-bear, and the large one, remarkable for
its long, broad, bushy tail, are sometimes seen on the
tops of the wood-ants' nests ; the armadillas bore in the
sand-hills, like rabbits in a warren ; and the porcupine
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 him. These
are the only weapons of 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 ;
8 WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA.
he has never hurt one living creature. A few leaves,
and those of the commonest and coarsest kind, are all
he asks for his support. On comparing him with other
animals, you would say that you could perceive defi-
ciency, deformity, and superabundance in his com-
position. He has no cutting teeth, and, though four
stomachs, he still wants the long intestines of rumi-
nating 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 in 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 disproportionably long. Were you to
mark down, upon a graduated scale, the different claims
to superiority amongst the four-footed animals, this
poor ill-formed creature's claim would be the last upon
. the lowest degree.
Demerara yields to no country in the world in her
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 every one of
those singular and elegant birds described by Buffon as
belonging to Cayenne, are to be met with in Demerara ;
but it is only by an indefatigable naturalist that they
are to be found.
The scarlet carew breeds in innumerable quantities
FIRST JOURNEY. 9
in the muddy islands on the coasts of Pomauron ; the
egrets and crabiers in the same place. They resort to
the mud-flats at ebbing water, while thousands of sand-
pipers and plovers, with here and there a spoonbill and
flamingo, are seen amongst them. The pelicans 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.
You never fail to see the common vulture where
there is carrion. In passing up the river
The vulture. -L * • • ?
there was an opportunity 01 seeing a pair ot
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 prudent to return, the
goat remained in the same place where he had killed it ;
it had begun to putrefy, and the vultures had arrived
that morning to claim the savoury morsel.
At the close of day, the vampires leave the hollow
trees, whither they had fled at the morning's
The vampire.
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. K"ot man alone,
but every unprotected animal, is exposed to his depre-
dations ; and so gently does this nocturnal surgeon
draw the blood, that, instead of being roused, the
patient is lulled into a still profounder sleep. There
are two species of vampire in Demerara, and both suck
living animals : one is rather larger than the common
10 WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA.
bat ; tile other measures above two feet from wing to
wing extended.
Snakes are frequently met with in the woods betwixt
the sea-coast and the rock Saba, chiefly near
Snakes. .. ,
the creeks and on the banks ol the river.
They are large, beautiful, and formidable. The rattle-
snake seems partial to a tract of ground known by the
name of Canal Number Tliree ; 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
length of seventy or eighty feet, and that he will
destroy the strongest and largest bull. His name seems
to confirm 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 horribly, 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 transverse bars of black
and red, glide from bush to bush, and may be handled
with safety ; they are harmless 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 about eight feet, and his bite often proves
fatal in a few minutes.
Unrivalled in his display of every lovely colour of
the rainbow, and unmatched in the effects of his deadly
FIRST JOURNEY.
poison, the couuacouchi glides undaunted on, sole
monarch of these forests ; he is commonly 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 caimen, from two to twelve feet long, may
be observed now and then in passing up and down the
river ; they just keep their heads above the water, and a
stranger would nat know them from a rotten stump.
Lizards of the finest green, brown, and copper colour,
from two inches to two feet and a half long,
are ever and anon rustling 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.
The fish are of many different sorts, and well-tasted,
but not, generally speaking, very plentiful.
It is probable that their numbers are con-
siderably 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 to the producing of insects ; it gives
birth to myriads, beautiful past description
in their variety of tints, astonishing 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 the
wild sounds in the woods, will be delighted in passing
up the river Demerara. Every now and then the
rnaani or tinamou sends forth one long and plaintive
12 WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA.
whistle from the depth of the forest, and then stops ;
whilst the yelping of the toucan, and the shrill voice
of the bird called pi-pi-yo, are heard during the interval.
The campanero never fails to attract the attention of
the passenger : at a distance of nearly three miles, you
may hear this snow-white bird tolling every four or
five minutes like the distant convent-bell. From six
to nine in the morning, the forests resound with the
mingled cries and strains of the feathered race ; after
this they gradually die away. From eleven to three all
nature is hushed as in a midnight 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. The different 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 though 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
sunrise ; the maam whistles about the same hour ; the
hannaquoi, pataca, and maroudi announce his near ap-
proach to the eastern horizon, and the parrots and the
parroquets confirm his arrival there.
The crickets chirp from sunset to sunrise, and often
during the day when the weather is cloudy. The
beterouge is extremely numerous in these extensive
FIRST JOURNEY. 13
•wilds, and not only man, but beasts and birds, are tor-
mented 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 see 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 Mungo 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 it, 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 mountain-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 to
enable thee to give mankind a true and proper de-
scription of them, thou must not destroy a third
through wantonness, or to show what a good marks-
man thou art : that would only blot the picture thou
art finishing, not colour it.
Though retired from the haunts of men, and even
without a friend with thee, thou wouldst not find it
solitary. The crowing of the hannaquoi will sound in
thine ears like the daybreak town-clock ; and the
14 WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA.
wren 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 Genius will lead thee to the troely, one
leaf of which will defend thee from both sun and rain.
And if, in the cool of the evening, thou hast been
tempted to stray too far from thy place of abode, and
art deprived of light to write down the information
thou hast collected, the fire-fly, which thou
The fire-fly. . •"
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 again on the next
branch to thee. It will want no other reward for its
services.
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 pensive mood, the owl will bear
thee company. She will tell thee that hard
has been her fate too ; and at intervals, " Whip-poor-
Will," and " Willy come go," will take up the tale of
sorrow. Ovid has told thee how the owl once boasted
the human form, and lost it for a very small offence ;
and were the poet alive now, he would inform thee
that " Whip-poor- Will " and " Willy come go " are the
shades of those poor African and Indian slaves who
died worn out and broken-hearted. 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 turf, near the houses of those whose
ancestors tore them from the bosom of their helpless
FIRST JOURNEY. 15
families, which all probably perished through grief and
want, after their support was gone.
About an hour above the rock of Saba stands th«
habitation of an Indian, called Simon, on
Simon's hut. , „ , .., „, . , ,
the top of a hill. Ihe side next the river is
almost perpendicular, and you may easily throw a stone
over to the opposite bank. Here there was an oppor-
tunity 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 fancifully 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 others had an orna-
ment on the left arm, midway betwixt the shoulder and
the elbow. At the close of day, they regularly bathed
in the river below ; and the next morning seemed busy
in renewing the faded colours of their faces.
One day there came into the hut a form which
literally might be called the wild man of the woods.
On entering, he laid down a ball of wax which he had
collected in the forest. His hammock 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 for-
bidding, and his whole appearance neglected. His long
black hair hung from his head in matted confusion ;
nor had his body, to all appearance, ever been painted.
They gave him some cassava bread and boiled fish,
which he ate voraciously, and soon after left the hut.
As he went out, you could observe no traces in his
16 WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA.
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 persuade him to
come and live amongst them ; but all was of no avail.
He went roving on, plundering the wild bees of their
honey, and picking up the fallen nuts and fruits of the
forest. When he fell in with game, he procured fire
from two sticks, and cooked it on the spot. When a
hut happened to be in his way, he stepped in, and
asked for something to eat ; and then months elapsed
ere they saw him again. They did not know what had
caused him to be thus unsettled ; he had been so for
years; nor did they believe that even old age itself
would change the babits 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 season ;
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 within
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 plan-
tations and the rock Saba, are to be met with here.
From Simon's to the great fall, there are five habi-
tations of the Indians : two of them close to the
river's side ; the other three a little way in the forest.
FIRST JOURNEY. 17
These habitations consist of from four to eight huts,
Indian ha- situated on about an acre of ground, which
bitations. 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 small quantity of the
wourait poi- wourali poison was procured. It was in a
son- little gourd. The Indian who had it, said
that he had killed a number of wild hogs with it, and
two tapirs. Appearances seemed to confirm what he
said ; for on one side it had been nearly taken out to
the bottom, at different times, which probably would
not have been the case had the first or second trial
failed.
Its strength was proved on a middle-sized
Its strength.
dog. He was wounded in the thigh, in
order that there might be no possibility of touching a
vital part. In three or four minutes he began to be
affected, smelt at every little thing on the ground around
him, and looked wistfully at the wounded part. Soon
after this he staggered, laid himself down, and never
rose more. He barked once, though not as if in pain.
His voice was low and weak ; and in a second attempt
it quite failed him. He now put his head betwixt his
fore legs, and, raising it slowly again, he fell over on
his side. His eye immediately became fixed; and
though his extremities every now and then shot con-
vulsively, he never showed the least desire to raise up
his head. His heart fluttered much 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.
18 WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA.
In a quarter of an hour after he had received the
poison he was quite motionless.
A few miles before you reach the great
The great fall. . .
fall, and which, indeed, is the only one
which can be called a fall, large balls of froth come
floating past you. The river appears beautifully marked
with streaks of foam, and on your nearer approach the
stream is whitened all over.
At first, you behold the fall 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 where the river is smooth
and quiet above. It must be remembered, that this
is during the periodical rains. Probably, in the dry
season, it puts on a very different appearance. There
is no perpendicular fall of water of any consequence
throughout it, but the dreadful roaring and rushing
of the torrent, down a long, rocky, and moderately
sloping channel, has a fine effect ; and the stranger
returns well pleased with Avhat he has seen. No animal,
FIRST JOURNEY. 19
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 alongside 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 their return, bring them down the
same way.
About two hours below this fall, is the habitation of
an Acoway chief called Sinkerman. At
Habitation . , . , . „ , „ ,, „
of an Acoway night you hear the roaring of the iall from
it. It is pleasantly situated on 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, especially to him who
has been accustomed to a level country.
Here, a little after midnight, on the 1st 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 together, like sheep at the approach of the
wolf. There were no soldiers within three or four
hundred miles. Conjecture Avas 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.
He who Avishes 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,
c2
20 WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA.
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 western bank of the
Demerara. After proceeding about a couple of hundred
yards up it, he leaves it, and pursues a west-north-west
direction by land for the Essequibo. The path is good,
though somewhat rugged with 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, with a little brook
running at the bottom of them ; but they are easily
passed over, and the fallen trees serve for a bridge.
You may reach the Essequibo with ease in a day and
a half ; and so matted and interwoven 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,
powisses, maams, maroudis, and waracabas, for your
nourishment, and there are plenty of leaves to cover a
shed, whenever you are inclined to sleep.
The soil has three-fourths of sand in it, till you come
within half an hour's walk of the Essequibo,
The Essequibo. L
where you find a red gravel and rocks.
In this retired and solitary tract, Nature's garb, to all
appearance, has not been injured by fire, nor her pro-
ductions broken in upon by the exterminating hand
of man.
Here the finest green-heart grows, and wallaba,
purple-heart, siloabali, sawari, buletre, tauronira, and
mora, are met with in vast abundance, far and near,
FIRST JOURNEY. 21
towering up" in majestic grandeur, straight as pillars,
sixty or seventy feet high, without a knot or branch. .
Traveller, forget for a little while the idea thou hast
of wandering further 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 purple-heart before thee ! Nature has
been kind to it. Not a hole, not the least oozing from
its trunk, to show that its best days are passed.
Vigorous in youthful blooming beauty, it stands, the
ornament of these sequestered wilds, and tacitly rebukes
those base ones of thine own species, Avho have been
hardy enough to deny the existence of Him who
ordered it to flourish here.
Behold that one next to it ! — Hark ! how the ham-
merings 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 which trickle down from them ! The lightning,
too, has blasted one side of it. Nature looks pale and
wan in its leaves, and her resources are nearly dried up
in its extremities : its sap is tainted ; a mortal sickness,
slow as a consumption, and as sure in its consequences,
has long since entered its frame, vitiating and destroy-
ing 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 millions of insects, which
are busily employed in destroying them. One branch
of it still looks healthy ! Will it recover 1 No, it
22 WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA.
cannot : Mature 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 mortifi-
cation, when he feels no more pain and fancies his dis-
temper has left him ; it is as the momentary gleam
of a wintry sun's ray close to the western horizon.
— See ! while we are speaking 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 topmost branch. The succession of fruit
which it hath borne, like good cheer in the houses of
the great, has invited the birds to resort to it, and they
have disseminated 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 days, and probably in
another year they will finally kill it, long before nature
intended that it should die.
Ere thou leavest this interesting scene, look on the
ground around thee, and see what everything here
below must come to.
Behold that newly-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 firm,
tough texture.
The tree which thou passedst but a little ago, and
which perhaps has laid- over yonder brook for years,
FIRST JOURNEY. 23
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 seest 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 to, and how plain your mouldering ruins show
that the firmest texture avails us nought when Heaven
wills that we should cease to be ! —
" The cloud-capt towers, the gorgeous palaces.
The solemn temples, the 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 view of them from
the opening seed on the surface, sending 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 the productions which the vast and
well-stored colony of Demerara presents to thee1?
What an immense range of forest is there from the
24 WANDERINGS IN SOUTH , AMERICA.
rock Saba to the great fall ! and what an uninterrupted
extent "before thee from it to the banks of the Essequibo !
Xo doubt, there is many a balsam and many a medicinal
root yet to be discovered, and many a resin, gum, and
oil yet unnoticed. Thy work would be a pleasing one,
and thou mightest make several useful observations
in it.
Would it be thought impertinent in thee to hazard
a conjecture, that with the resources the 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 1 Or would the timber-
merchant point at thee in passing by, and call thee a
descendant of La Mancha's knightj because thou main-
tainest that the stones which form the rapids might be
removed with little expense, and thus open the navi-
gation to the wood-cutter 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 number of settlers 1 In thy disserta-
tion on the Indians, thou mightest hint, that possibly
they could be induced to help the new settlers a little ;
and that, finding their labours well requited, it would
be the means of their keeping up a constant communi-
cation with us, which probably might be the means of
laying the first stone towards their Christianity. They
are a poor, harmless, inoffensive set of people, and their
wandering and ill-provided way of living seems more
to ask for pity from us, than to fill our heads with
thoughts that they would be hostile to us.
FIRST JOURNEY. 25
What a noble field, kind reader, for thy experimental
philosophy and speculations, for thy learning, for thy
perseverance, for thy kind-heartedness, for everything
that is great and good within thee !
The accidental traveller who has journeyed 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 afloat 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 idea, which the deep gloom had helped
to collect there. In coming out of the woods, you see
the western bank of the Essequibo before you, low and
flat. Here the river is two-thirds as broad as the
Demerara at Stabroek.
26 WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA.
To the northward there is a hill higher than any
Pace of the in *ne Demerara; and in the south-south-
country. wegj. quarter a mountain. It is far away,
and appears like a bluish cloud in the horizon. There
is not the least opening on either side. Hills, valleys,
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, whichever
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 three huts, on the point of an
island. It is said that a Dutch post once stood here.
But 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 some 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
Islands.
in the way, enliven and change the scene,
by the avenues which they make, which look like the
mouths of other rivers, and break that long-extended
sameness which is seen in the Demerara.
Proceeding onwards, you get to the falls and rapids.
In the rainy season they are very tedious to
and P*88? an(i often stop your course. In the
dry season, by stepping from rock to rock,
the Indians soon manage to get a canoe over them.
But when the river is swollen, as it was in May, 1812,
it is then a difficult 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
FIRST JOURNEY. 27
take everything out of the canoe, cut a passage through
the branches, which hung over into the river, and then,
drag up the canoe by main force.
At one place, the falls form an oblique line quite
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 terminate.
There are no huts in the way. You must bring
your own cassava bread along with you, hunt in the
forest for your meat, and make the night's shelter for
yourself.
Here is a noble range of hills, all covered
with the finest trees, rising majestically one
above the other, on the western bank, and presenting
as rich a scene as ever the eye would wish to look on.
^Nothing in vegetable nature can be conceived more
charming, grand, and luxuriant.
How the heart rejoices in viewing this beautiful
landscape ! when the sky is serene, the air cool, and
the sun just sunk behind the mountain's top.
. The hayawa-tree perfumes the 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 caprimulgus wheels in busy
flight around the canoe, while " Whip-poor- Will " sits
on the broken stump near the water's edge, complaining
as the shades of night set in.
A little before you pass the last of these
•ocks- rapids, two immense rocks appear, nearly on
the summit of one of the many hills which form this
28 WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA.
far-extending range, where it begins to fall off 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 antiquated 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 summit of the
southern one appeared crowned with bushes. The one
to the north was quite 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 reve-
rential awe.
In about seven hours from these stupen-
and enter the river Apoura-poura, which falls
into it from the south. The Apoura-poura is nearly
one-third the size of the Demerara at Stabroek. For
two days you see nothing but level ground, richly
clothed in timber. You leave the Siparouni 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
FIRST JOURNEY. 29
perhaps 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
crabwood tree, and then shoot it with an arrow.
You are now within the borders of Macoushia, in-
habited by a different tribe of people, called
Macoushi Macoushi Indians : uncommonly dexterous
Indians.
in 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 Kessi-kessi, are procured. Here the crystal
mountains are found ; and here the three different
species of the ara are seen in great abundance. Here,
too, grows the tree from which the gum elastic is got :
it is large, and as tall as any in the forest. The wood
has much the appearance of sycamore. The gum is
contained in the bark ; when that is cut through, it
oozes out very freely : it is quite white, and looks as
rich as cream : it hardens almost 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 India rubber without
undergoing any other process.
The elegant crested bird called Cock of the rock,
admirably described by Buff on, is a native of the woody
mountains of Macoushia. 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 houtou, never associates with
the other birds of the forest.
The Indians, in the just- mentioned settlement, seemed
30 WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA.
to depend more on the wourali poison for killing their
game, than upon anything else. They had only one
gun, and it appeared rusty and neglected ; but their
poisoned weapons were in fine order. Their
tdJ^Dtoe blow-pipes hung from the roof of the hut,
carefully suspended by a silk grass cord ;
and on taking a nearer view of them, no dust seemed
to have collected there, nor had the spider spun the
smallest web on them ; which showed that they were
in constant use. The quivers were close by them, with
the jawbone of the fish Pirai tied by a string to their
brim, and a small wicker-basket of wild cotton, which
hung down 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 some-
thing 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 the strong
generally show to the weak. Seeing 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 which pressed so heavily
on him, aud which he had done all that an honest man
FIRST JOURNEY. 31
could do, to ward off. He left his creditors to talk of
him as they thought fit, and, bidding adieu for ever to
the place in which he had once seen better times, he
penetrated thus far into these remote and gloomy wilds,
and ended his days here.
According to the new map of South
Lake Piirima.
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 was such a place, and that
he had been there. This information would have been
satisfactory in some degree, had not the Indians carried
the point 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 kept them out, it might have done, but his intro-
ducing them was sadly against the lake. Thus you
must either suppose that the old savage and his com-
panion had a confused idea of the thing, and that pro-
bably the Lake Parima they talked of was the Amazons,
not far from the city of Para, or that it was their inten-
tion to deceive you. You ought to be cautious in giving
credit to their stories, otherwise you will be apt to be
led astray.
Many a ridiculous thing concerning the interior of
Guiana has been propagated and received as true,
merely because six or seven Indians, questioned sepa-
rately, have agreed in their narrative.
Ask those who live high up in the Demerara, and
they will, every one of them, tell you that there is a
nation of Indians with long tails ; that they are very
32 WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA.
malicious, cruel, and ill-natured ; and that the Portu-
guese have been obliged to stop them off in a certain
river, to prevent their depredations. They have also
dreadful stories concerning a horrible beast, called the
Watermamma, 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 bottom with it, and there destroys
them. Ludicrous extravagances ! pleasing to those fond
of the marvellous, and excellent matter for a distem-
pered brain.
The misinformed and timid court of policy
in Demerara was made the dupe of a savage
who came down the Essequibo, and gave himself out
as king of a mighty tribe. This naked wild man of
the woods seemed to hold the said court in tolerable
contempt, and demanded immense supplies, all which
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 induced to send
up an expedition into his territories to see if he had
spoken the truth, and nothing but the truth. It ap-
peared, however, 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 state wild and uncultivated as the forests
through which 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
FIRST JOURNEY. 33
that showed the least progress towards civilization. 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 con-
tains 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 white man
lived, you see a creek on the left hand, and shortly
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 carried by the Indians. The
creek you passed in the river intersects the path to the
next settlement ; 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 are about two^thousand
acres of grass, with here and there a clump of trees, and
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
distinguish 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 northward 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
D
34 WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA.
in abruptly, disclosing a new scene behind it at every
step as you advance along.
This beautiful park of nature is quite surrounded by
lofty hills, all arrayed in superbest garb of trees ; some
in the form of pyramids, others like sugar-loaves, tower-
ing 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 com-
munication betwixt them sinks so gradually, that it
forms a crescent ; and there the ridges of others re-
semble the waves of an agitated sea. Beyond these
appear others, and others past them ; and others still
further on, till they can scarcely be distinguished from
the clouds.
There are no sand-flies, nor bete-rouge, nor mosquitos,
in this pretty spot. The fire-flies, during the night,
vie in numbers and brightness with the stars in the
firmament above; the air is pure, and the north-east
breeze blows a refreshing gale throughout the day.
Here the white-crested maroudi, which is never found
in the Demerara, is pretty plentiful ; and here grows
the tree which produces the moran, sometimes called
balsam-capivi.
Your route lies south from this place; and at the
extremity of the savanna, you enter the
Route.
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 follow-
ing day. The hills, over which it lies, are rocky, steep,
and rugged; and the spaces betwixt them swampy, and
mostly knee-deep in water. After eight hours' walk,
you find two or three Indian huts, surrounded by the
FIRST JOURNEY. 35
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 are still
covered with wood ; but on looking to the south-west
quarter, you perceive it begins to die away. In these
forests you may find plenty of the trees which yield the
sweet-smelling resin called Acaiari, and which, when
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 border on it, have nothing but a thin coarse
grass and huge stones on them ; others quite wooded ;
others with their summits crowned, and their base
quite bare ; and others again with their summits bare,
and their base in thickest wood.
Half of this day's march is in water, nearly up to
the knees. There 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
marshy savanna through which you have
The Jabiru. . , T . '
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 way 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
D2
36 WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA.
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 mid-
night, and all as still and unmoved as a monument,
had not the jabiru in the marsh, and a few vultures
soaring over the mountain's top, shown that it was not
quite deserted by animated nature. There were no
insects, 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 mosquito on the sea-
coast.
This seems to be the native country of the Arrow-
root. Wherever you passed through a patch
Arrow-root. ...... .,
oi wood in a low situation, there you round
it growing luxuriantly.
The Indian place you are now at is not the proper
place to have come to, in order to reach the Portuguese
frontiers. You have advanced too much to the west-
ward. But there was no alternative. The ground
betwixt you and another small settlement (which 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 way.
But the grand landscape this place affords, 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
FIRST JOURNEY. 37
immense rocks. The huts are not all in one place, but
dispersed wherever they have found a place levef
enough for a lodgement. Before you ascend the hill,
you see at intervals an acre or two of wood, then an
open space, with a few huts on it ; then wood again,
and then an open space, and so on; till the inter-
vening of the western hills, higher and steeper still,
and crowded with trees of the loveliest shades, closes
the enchanting scene.
immense At the base of this hill stretches an im-
piam. mense 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 gradually retire, till they
are undiscernible from the clouds in which they are
involved. To the south-south-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 rivulet's course is marked
out by the aata-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 creek stops your progress :
it is wide and rapid, and its banks very
Creek. . r ' .
steep, ihere is neither curial nor canoe,
nor purple-heart tree in the neighbourhood to make a
wood 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 must be very cautious
38 WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA.
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 pre-
cautions, lest they should be devoured by this cruel
and voracious reptile. They cut long sticks, and ex-
amined 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 swum 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 are
covered over with coucourite and aeta trees.
This is the place you ought to have come to, two
days ago, had the water permitted you. In crossing
the plain at the most advantageous place, you are
above ankle-deep in water for three hours ; the re-
mainder of the way is dry, the ground gently rising.
As the lower parts of this spacious plain put on some-
what 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.
A few deer are feeding on the coarse rough grass
of this far-extending plain ; they keep at a
Deer.
distance from you, and are continually on
the look-out.
The spur-winged plover, and a species of the curlew,
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
FIRST JOURNEY. 39
duck is numerous ; and large flocks of two other kinds
wheel round you as you 'pass on, but keep out of
gun-shot. The milk-white egrets, and jabirus, are dis-
tinguished at a great distance ; and in the seta and
coucourite trees, you may observe flocks of scarlet and
blue aras feeding on the seeds.
It is to these trees that the largest sort of toucan
resorts. He is remarkable by a large black
The Toucan. . J °
spot on the point ol his tine yellow bill.
He is very scarce in Demerara, and never seen except
near the sea-coast.
The ants' nests have a singular appearance on this
plain ; they are in vast abundance on those
parts of it free from water, and are formed
of an exceedingly hard yellow clay. They rise eight or
ten feet from the ground, in a spiral form, impenetrable
to the rain, and strong enough to defy the severest
tornado.
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 and the Portuguese frontiers. If you
Portuguese -yyish to visit their fort, it would be advisable
frontiers.
to send an Indian with a letter from hence,
and wait his return. On the present occasion a very
fortunate circumstance occurred. The Portuguese com-
mander had sent some Indians and soldiers to build a
canoe, not far from this settlement ; they had just
finished it, and those who did not stay with 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 ;
40 WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA.
but he added, as there were 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 were making the new one.
From the Pirarara you get into the river Maou, and
then into the Tacatou; and just where the Tacatou
falls into the Rio Branco, there stands the Portuguese
frontier fort, called Fort St. Joachim. From the time
of embarking in the river Pirarara, 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 frequently plunged into the river ; he was
by no means shy, and it was easy to get a shot at him
on land. The kessi-kessi paroquets were in great
abundance ; and the fine scarlet aras innumerable in
the coucourite trees at a distance from the river's bank.
In the Tacatou was seen the troupiale. It was charm-
ing to hear the sweet and plaintive notes of this pretty
songster of the wilds. The Portuguese call it the
nightingale of Guiana.
Towards the close of the fourth evening, the canoe,
-, which had been sent on with a letter, met us
Message
from the For- with the commander's answer. During its
tuguese com-
mander, absence, the nights had been cold and stormy,
the rain had fallen in torrents, the days cloudy, and
there was no sun to dry the wet hammocks. Ex-
posed thus, day and night, to the chilling blast and
FIRST JOURNEY. 41
pelting shower, strength of constitution at last failed,
and a severe fever came on. The commander'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," con-
tinued he, " I have ordered the soldier to land you at a
certain distance from the fort, where 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 equatorial sun had burnt and shrivelled up
his face, still there was something in it so inexpressibly
affable and kind, that it set you immediately at your
ease. He came close up to the hammock, and taking
hold of my wrist to feel the pulse, " I am 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 about again.
The orders I have received forbidding the admission of
strangers, were never intended to be put in force against
a sick English gentleman."
As the canoe was proceeding slowly down the river
towards the fort, the commander asked, with much more
interest than a question in ordinary conversation is
asked, where was I on the night of the 1st of May ?
42 WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA.
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 alarmed all the Indians,
he said the same astonishing noise had roused every
man in Fort St. Joachim, and that they remained under
arms till morning. He observed, that he had been
quite at a loss to form any idea what could have caused
the noise ; but now learning that the same noise had
been heard at the same time far away from th& Bio
Branco, it struck him there must have been an earth-
quake somewhere or other.
Good nourishment and rest, and the unwearied atten-
tion and kindness of the Portuguese commander, stopped
the progress of the fever, and enabled me to walk about
in six days.
Fort St. Joachim was built about five-and-
JoacMnf*' forty years ago, under the apprehension, it
is said, that the Spaniards were coming from
the Rio Kegro to settle there. It has been much neg-
lected ; the floods 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 commander's house, the
barracks, the chapel, the father confessor's house, and
two others, all at little intervals from each other ; and
these are the only buildings at Fort St. Joachim. The
neighbouring 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 officer if there were such a place
FIRST JOURNEY. 43
as Lake Pariina, or El Dorado, lie replied, he looked
upon it as imaginary altogether. " I have been above
forty years," added he, "in Portuguese Guiana, but
have never yet met with anybody 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.
" Grammatici certant, et adliuc sub judice lis est."
Having now reached the Portuguese inland frontier,
Wovraiipoi- an(^ collected a sufficient quantity of the
"^ wourali poison, nothing remains but to give
a brief account of its composition, its effects, its uses,
and its supposed antidotes.
It has been already remarked, that in the extensive
wilds of Demerara and Essequibo, far away from any
European settlement, there is a tribe of Indians who
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-
noque, still this tribe makes it stronger than any of the
rest. The Indians in the vicinity of the Eio Negro
are aware of this, and come to the Macoushi country to
purchase it.
Much has been said concerning this fatal and extra-
ordinary poison. Some have affirmed 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 assertions without
44 WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA.
sufficient proof. The following short story points out
the necessity of a cautious examination.
One day, on asking an Indian if lie
Anecdote. ,•,•,.,•, • -, -, -, ••,-, -,
thought the poison would kill a man, he
replied, that they always go to battle with it ; that
he was standing by when an Indian was shot with a
poisoned arrow, and that he expired almost immedi-
ately. Hot wishing to dispute this apparently satisfac-
tory information, the 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 an immediate dissolution in this
case 1 Of course the weapon.
The second have been misled by disappoinment,
caused by neglect in keeping the poisoned arrows, or
by not knowing how to use them, or by trying inferior
poison. If the arrows are not kept dry, the poison
loses its strength, and in wet or damp weather it turns
mouldy, and becomes quite 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 gentleman, some time ago,' owed his disap-
pointment, 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 affected by it.
FIRST JOURNEY. 45
"Wishful to obtain the best information concerning
this poison, and as repeated inquiries, in lieu of dissi-
pating the surrounding shade, did but tend more and
more to darken the little light that existed ; I deter-
mined to penetrate into the country where the poisonous
ingredients grow, where this pernicious composition is
prepared, and where it is constantly used. Success
attended the adventure ; and the information acquired
made amends for one hundred and twenty days passed
in the solitudes of Guiana, and afforded a balm to the
wounds and bruises which every traveller must expect
to receive who wanders through a thorny and obstructed
path.
Thou must not, courteous reader, expect a disserta-
tion on the manner in which the wourali poison ope-
rates on the system ; a treatise has been already written
on the subject, and, after all, there is probably still
reason to doubt. It is supposed to affect 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 suf-
ficient quantity of it enters the blood, death is the
inevitable consequence ; 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 service 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 inferior animals, the ensuing experiments. The
larger animals were destroyed in order to have proof
positive of the strength of a poison which hath hitherto
46 WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA.
been doubted ; and the smaller ones were killed with
the hope of -substantiating 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 compas-
sionate traveller occasion to heave a sigh as he journeys
on. However, here, though the kind-hearted will be
sorry to read of an unoffending 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 victim
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 Macoushi Indian prepares
his poison, he goes into the forest, in quest of the in-
gredients. 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 pro-
cured enough of this, he digs up a root of a very bitter
taste, ties them together, and then looks for about 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 finds two species of
ants. One of them is very large and 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 gene-
rally 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 pepper is used ;
FIRST JOURNEY. 47
"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 commonly
has in store ; for when he kills a snake, he generally
extracts the fangs, and keeps them by him.
Having thus found the necessary ingredients, he
scrapes the wourali vine and bitter root into
Preparation . .
of the wourali thin shavings, and puts them into a kind ot
colander made of leaves : this he holds over
an earthen pot, and pours water on the shavings : the
liquor which comes through has the appearance of
coffee. When a sufficient quantity has been procured,
the shavings are thrown aside. He then bruises the
bulbous stalks, and squeezes a proportionate quantity
of their juice through his hands into the pot. Lastly,
the snake's 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 wourali is added, ac-
cording as it may be found necessary, and the scum is
taken off with a leaf : it remains on the fire till reduced
to a thick syrup of a deep brown colour. As soon as it
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
manufacture, which is carefully covered with a couple
of leaves, and over them a piece of deer's skin, tied
round with a cord. They keep it in the most dry part
of the hut ; and from time to time suspend it over the
fire, to counteract 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 the point of his arrow, and make his other
implements of destruction, either lying in his hammock,
48 WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA.
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
present, lest the Yabahou, or evil spirit,
e Yabahou, or shouicl 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 morning, 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 anything before, otherwise the poison
would be deficient in strength : add to this, that the
operator must take particular care not to expose him-
self to the vapour which arises from it while on the
fire.
Though this and other precautions are taken, such as
frequently washing the face and hands, still the Indians
think that it aifects the health ; and the operator either
is, or, what is more probable, supposes himself to be,
sick for some days after.
Indian su- Thus it appears that the making the
perstition. wourali poison is considered as a gloomy
and mysterious operation ; and it would seem that they
imagine it affects others as well as him who boils it ;
for an Indian agreed one evening to make some for me,
but the next morning he declined having anything to
do with it, alleging that his wife was with child !
Here it might be asked, are all the ingredients just
mentioned necessary, in order to produce the wourali
poison 1 Though our opinions and conjectures may
militate against the absolute necessity of some of them,
still it would be hardly fair to pronounce them added
FIRST JOURNET. 49
by the hand of superstition, till proof positive can be
obtained.
We might argue on the subject, and by bringing
forward instances of Indian superstition, draw our
conclusion by inference, and still remain 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
bone snatched from the jaws of a fasting bitch, and a
feather from the wing of a night owl — " ossa ab ore
rapta jejuna canis, plumamque nocturnae strigis," — were
necessary for Canidia's incantations. And in aftertimes,
parson Evans, the Welshman, was treated most ungen-
teelly by an enraged spirit, solely because he had for-
gotten a fumigation in his witch-work.
If, then, enlightened man lets his better sense give
way, and believes, or allows himself to be persuaded,
that certain substances and actions, in reality of no
avail, possess a virtue which renders them useful in
producing the wished-for effect ; may not the wild, un-
taught, unenlightened savage of Guiana, add an ingre-
dient which, on account of the harm it does him, he
fancies may be useful to the perfection of his poison,
though, in fact, it be of no use at all 1 If a bone
snatched from the jaws of a fasting bitch be thought
necessary in incantation ; or if witchcraft have recourse
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 animated
nature sleeps ; certainly the savage may imagine that
E
50 WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA.
the ants, whose sting causes a fever, and the teeth of
the Labarri and Counacouchi snakes, which convey
death in a very short space of time, are essentially
necessary in the composition of his poison ; and being
once impressed with this idea, he will add them every
time he makes the poison, and transmit the absolute use
of them to his posterity. The question to be answered
seems not to be, if it is natural for the Indians to
mix these ingredients, but, if they are essential to
make the poison.
' So much for the preparing of this vegetable essence ;
terrible importer of death, into whatever animal it
enters. Let us now see how it is used ; let us examine
the weapons which 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 Macoushia goes in quest
of the blow- of feathered game or other birds, he seldom
carries his bow and arrows. It is the blow-
pipe he then uses. This extraordinary tube of death
is, perhaps, one of the greatest natural curiosities of
Guiana. It is not found in the country of the Macoushi.
Those Indians tell you that it grows to the south-west
of them, in the^vilds which extend betwixt them and
the Rio Negro. The reed must grow to an amazing
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 out. 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
FIRST JOTJRXEY. 51
and stronger, and common in Guiana, and this the
Indians make use of as a case, in which they put the
ourah. It is brown, susceptible of a fine polish, and
appears as if it had joints five or six inches from each
other. It is called Samourah, and the pulp inside
is easily extracted, by steeping it for a few days in
water.
Thus the ourah and samourah, one within the other,
form the blow-pipe of Guiana. The end which is ap-
plied to the mouth is tied round with a small silk-grass
cord, to prevent its splitting ; and the other end, which
is apt to strike against the ground, is secured by the
seed of the acuero fruit, cut horizontally through the
middle, with a hole made in the end, through which is
put the extremity of the blow-pipe. It is fastened on
with string on the outside, and the inside is filled up
with wild bees' -wax.
The arrow is from nine to ten inches long.
The arrow.
It is made out of the leal of a species of
palm-tree, called Coucourite, hard and brittle, and
pointed as sharp as a needle. About an inch of the
pointed end is poisoned. The other end is burnt to
make it still harder, and wild cotton is put round it for
about an inch and a half. It requires considerable
practice to put on this cotton well. It must just be
large enough to fit the hollow of the tube, and taper
off to nothing downwards. They tie it on with a
thread of the silk-grass, to prevent its slipping off
the arrow.
The Indians have shown ingenuity in
The quiver. .
making a quiver to hold the arrows. It will
contain from five to six hundred. It is generally from
twelve to fourteen inches long, and in shape resembles
£ 2
52 WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA.
a dice-box used at backgammon. The inside is prettily
done in basket work, with wood 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.
Eound the centre there is fastened a loop, large
enough to admit the arm and 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 which the Indian scrapes the point of his
arrow.
Before he puts the arrows into the quiver, he links
them together by two strings of cotton, one string at
each end, and then folds them round a stick, which is
nearly the length of the quiver. The end of the stick,
which is uppermost, is guarded by two little pieces
of wood crosswise, with a hoop round their extre-
mities, which appears something like a wheel ; and
this saves the hand from being wounded when the
quiver is reversed, in order to let the bunch of arrows
drop out.
There is also attached to the quiver 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 shoulder, and with his blow-pipe
in his hand, in the same position as a soldier carries his
musket, see the Macoushi Indian advancing towards
the forest in quest of powises, maroudis, waracabas,
and other feathered game.
These generally sit high up in the tall and tufted
trees, but still are not out of the Indian's
The Indian . .
in pursuit of reach ; ior his blow-pipe, at its greatest
elevation, will send an arrow three hundred
feet. Silent as midnight he steals under them, and so
FIRST JOURNEY. 53
cautiously does he tread the ground that the fallen leaves
rustle not beneath his feet. His ears are open to the
least sound, while 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 within 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 which he
blows, there are fastened two teeth of the acouri, and
these serve him for a sight. Silent and swift the
arrow flies, and seldom fails to pierce the object at
which it is sent. Sometimes the wounded bird remains
in the same tree where it was shot, and in three
minutes 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 is inflicted, the game will make its escape. Far
Effects of otherwise ; the wourali poison almost in-
thePwou°nd°d stantaneously mixes with blood or water,
bird- so that if you wet your finger, and dash it
along the poisoned arrow in the quickest manner pos-
sible, you are sure to carry off some of the poison.
Though three minutes generally elapse before the con-
vulsions come on in the wounded bird, still a stupor
evidently takes place sooner, and this stupor manifests
itself by an apparent unwillingness ia the bird to move.
This was very visible in a dying fowl.
Having procured a healthy full-grown one, a short
piece of a poisoned blow-pipe arrow was broken oft" and
§4 WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA.
run up into its thigh, as near as possible betwixt the
skin and the flesh, in order that it might not be in-
commoded by the wound. For the first minute it
walked about, but walked very slowly, and did not
appear the least agitated. During the second minute it
stood still, and began to peck the ground ; and ere half
another had elapsed, it frequently opened and shut its
mouth. The tail had now dropped, and the wings
almost touched the ground. By the termination of
the third minute it had sat down, scarce able to support
its head, which nodded, and then recovered itself, and
then nodded again, lower and lower every time, like
that of a weary traveller slumbering in an erect posi-
tion ; the eyes alternately open and shut. The fourth
minute brought on convulsions, and life and the fifth
terminated together.
The flesh of the game is not in the least injured by
the poison, nor does it appear to corrupt sooner than
that killed by the gun or knife. The body of this fowl
was kept for sixteen hours, in a climate damp and rainy,
and within seven degrees of the equator ; at the end of '
which time it had contracted no bad smell whatever,
and there were no symptoms of putrefaction, saving
that, just round the wound, the flesh appeared some-
what discoloured.
The Indian, on his return home, carefully suspends
his blow-pipe from the top of his spiral roof ; seldom
placing it in an oblique position, lest it should receive a
cast.
Here let the blow-pipe remain suspended, while you
take a view of the arms which are made to slay the
larger beasts of the forest.
When the Indian intends to chase the peccari, or
FIRST JOURNEY. __ 55'
surprise 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 generally from six to seven feet long,
and strung with a cord spun out of the
The bow
used for the silk-grass. The forests of Guiana furnish
chase.
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
Arrows. iength, made of a yellow reed without a
knot or joint It is found in great plenty up and
down throughout Guiana. A piece of hard wood,
about nine inches long, is inserted into the end of the
reed, and fastened with cotton well waxed. A square
hole, an inch deep, is then made in the end of this
piece of hard wood, done tight round with cotton to
keep it from splitting. Into this square hole is fitted
a spike of Coucourite wood, poisoned, and which may
be kept there or taken out at pleasure. A joint of
bamboo, about as thick as your finger, is fitted on
over the poisoned spike, to prevent accidents and
defend it from the rain, and is taken off 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 flight. .
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
Spikes. . . j ° .
piece ot wood is dipped in the poison, and
with this they give the spike a first coat. It is then
exposed to the sun or fire. After it is dry, it receives
56 WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA.
another coat, and is then dried again ; 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 rather a tedious operation to make one of these
arrows complete ; and as the Indian is not famed for
industry, except when pressed by hunger, he has hit
upon a plan of preserving his arrows which deserves
notice.
About a quarter of an inch above the part where the
Coucourite spike is fixed into the square hole, he cuts
it half through ; and thus, when it has entered the
animal, the weight of the arrow causes it to break off
there, by which means the arrow falls to the ground
uninjured ; so that, should this be the only arrow he
happens to have 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 destination.
Thus armed with deadly poison, and hungry as the
hysena, he ranges through the forest in quest of the
wild beasts' track. No hound can act a surer part.
Without clothes to fetter him, or shoes to bind his feet,
he observes the footsteps of the game, where an Euro-
pean eye could not discern the smallest vestige. He
pursues it through all its turns and windings with
astonishing perseverance, and success generally crowns
his efforts. The animal, after receiving the poisoned
arrow, seldom retreats two hundred paces before it
drops.
In passing overland from the Essequibo to the
Demerara, we fell in with a herd of wild hogs. Though
FIRST JOURNEY. 57
encumbered with baggage, and fatigued with a hard
day's walk, an Indian got his bow ready, and let
fly a poisoned arrow at one of them. It
hojm a wild entered the cheek-bone, and broke off. The
wild hog was found quite dead about one
hundred and seventy paces from the place where he had
been shot. He afforded us an excellent and wholesome
supper.
Thus the savage of Guiana, independent of the com-
mon 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 de-
stroyed imbibes no deleterious qualities. Nature has
been bountiful to him. She has not only ordered
poisonous herbs and roots to grow in the unbounded
forests through which he strays, but has also furnished
an excellent reed for his arrows, and another, still more
singular, for his blow-pipe ; and planted trees of an
amazing hard, tough, and elastic texture, out of which
he forms his bows. And in order that nothing might
be wanting, she has superadded a tree which yields him
a fine wax, and disseminated up and down a plant not
unlike that of the pine-apple, which affords him capital
bow-strings.
Having now followed the Indian in the chase, and
described the poison, let us take a nearer view of its
action, and observe a large animal expiring under the
weight of its baneful virulence.
Many have doubted the strength of the wourali
poison. Should they ever by chance read what follows,
probably their doubts on that score will be settled
for ever.
In the former experiment on the hog, some faint
58 WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA.
resistance on the part of nature was observed, as if
Further re- existence struggled for superiority ; but in the
virulence of following instance of the sloth, life sank in
e poison, (jgg^ without the least apparent contention,
without 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 preserve the
skin, and the wourali poison was resorted to as the
easiest death.
Of all animals, not even the toad and tortoise ex-
cepted, this poor ill-formed creature is the most tena-
cious of life. It exists long after it has received
wounds which would have destroyed any other animal ;
and it may be said, on seeing ar mortally wounded
sloth, that life disputes with death every inch of flesh
in its body.
The Ai was wounded 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 itself 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, which has
been formed of a texture to resist death in a thousand
shapes, make 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 strength, the sloth
slowly doubled its body, and placed its head betwixt
its hind legs, which still adhered to the table ; but
when the poison had affected these also, it sank to the
ground, but sank so gently, that you could not distin-
guish the movement from an ordinary motion; and had
FIRST JOURNEY. 59
you been ignorant that it was wounded with a poisoned
arrow, you would never have suspected that it was
dying. Its mouth was shut, nor had any froth or
saliva collected there.
There was no subsultus tendinum, or any visible
alteration 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 the poison began to operate, you would
have conjectured that sleep was overpowering it, and
you would have exclaimed, " Pressitque jacentem, dulcis
et alta quies, placidseque simillima morti."
There are now two positive proofs of the effect of
this fatal poison : viz. the death of the hog, and that
of the sloth. But still these animals were nothing
remarkable 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
u^anc*nt *° a thousand pounds' weight, was tied to
a stake by a rope sufficiently long to allow
him to move to and fro. Having no large Coucourite
spikes at hand, it was judged necessary, on account of
his superior size, to put three wild-hog arrows into him.
One was sent into each thigh just above the hock, in
order to avoid wounding a vital part, and the third was
shot transversely 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
firmly on his legs, and remained quite still in the same
place, till about the fourteenth minute, when he smelled
the ground, and appeared as if inclined to walk. He
advanced a pace or two, staggered, and fell, and re-
60 WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA.
mained 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 involuntarily ; 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 tendinum, now became gradually weaker
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 show that life was still
within him, except that his heart faintly beat and
fluttered at intervals. In five-and-twenty minutes from
the time of his being wounded, he was quite dead. His
flesh was very sweet and savoury at dinner.
On taking a retrospective view of the two
sections °b" different kinds of poisoned arrows, and the
animals destroyed by them, it would appear
that the quantity of poison must be proportioned to the
animal ; and thus those probably labour under an error
who imagine that the smallest particle of it introduced
into the blood has almost instantaneous effects.
Make an estimate of the difference in size betwixt
the fowl and the ox, and then weigh a sufficient
quantity of poison for a blow-pipe arrow, with which
the fowl was killed, and weigh also enough poison for
three wild-hog arrows, which destroyed the ox, and it
will appear that the fowl received much more poison in
proportion than the ox. Hence the cause why the fowl
died in five minutes, and the ox in five-and-twenty.
FIRST JOURNEY. 61
Indeed, were it the case that the smallest particle of
it introduced into the blood has almost instantaneous
effects, the Indian would not find it necessary to make
the large arrow ; that of the blow-pipe is much easier
made, and requires less poison.
And now for the antidotes, or rather the supposed
antidotes. The Indians tell you, that if the
wounded animal be held for a considerable
time up to the mouth in water, the poison will not
prove fatal ; also that the juice of the sugar-cane,
poured down the throat, will counteract the effects of
it. These antidotes were fairly tried upon full-grown
healthy fowls, but they all died, as though no steps
had been taken to preserve their lives. Eum was
recommended, and given to another, but with as little
success.
It is supposed by some, that wind introduced into
the lungs by means of a small pair of bellows, would
revive the poisoned patient, provided the operation be
continued for a sufficient 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 the hut of the savages, stands but a poor
chance of being saved by it.
Had the Indians a sure antidote, it is likely they
would carry it about with them, or resort to it
immediately after being wounded, if at hand ; and
their confidence in its efficacy would greatly diminish
the horror they betray when you point a poisoned
arrow at them.
One day while we were eating a red monkey,
erroneously called a baboon, in Demerara, an Arowack
Indian told an affecting story of what happened to a
62 WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA.
comrade of his. He was present at his death. As it
did not interest this Indian in any point to tell a false-
hood, it is very probable that his account was a true one.
If so, it appears that there is no certain antidote, or, at
least, an antidote that could be resorted to in a case of
xirgent 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, 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 the descent,
struck him in the arm, a little above the elbow. He
was convinced it was all 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 having said
that, he took off his little bamboo poison box, which
hung across his shoulder, and putting it together with
his bow and arrows on the ground, he laid himself down
close by them, bid his companion farewell, and never
spoke more.
He who is unfortunate enough to be wounded by a
poisoned arrow from Macoushia, had better not depend
upon the common antidotes for a cure. Many who
have been in Guiana will recommend immediate immer-
sion in water, or to take the juice of the sugar-cane, or
to fill the mouth full of salt ; and they recommend these
antidotes, because they have got them from the Indians.
But were you to ask them if they ever saw these an-
tidotes used with success, it is ten to one their answer
woitld be in the negative.
FIRST JOURNEY. 63
Wherefore let him reject these antidotes as unprofit-
able, and of no avail. He has got an active and a
deadly foe within him, which, like Shakspeare's
fell Sergeant 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 :
" Continue, culpam'ferro compesce priusquam,
Dira per iufaustum serpant contagia corpus."
And now, kind reader, it is time to bid thee farewell.
The two ends proposed have been obtained. The Por-
tuguese inland frontier fort has been reached, and the
Macoushi wourali poison acquired. The account of this
excursion through the interior of Guiana has been sub-
mitted to thy perusal, in order to induce thy abler
genius to undertake a more extensive one. If any diffi-
culties have arisen, or fevers come on, they have been
caused by the periodical rains, which fall in torrents,
as the sun approaches the tropic of Cancer. In dry
weather there would be no difficulties or sickness.
Amongst the many satisfactory conclusions which
thou Avouldst be able to draw during the journey,
there is one which, perhaps, would please thee not a
little ; and that is, with regard to dogs. Many a time,
no doubt, thou hast heard it hotly disputed, that dogs
existed in Guiana previous to the arrival of the Spaniards
in those parts. Whatever the Spaniards introduced,
and which bore no resemblance to anything the Indians
had been accustomed to see, retains its Spanish name
to this day.
64 WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA.
Thus the Warrow, the Arowack, the Acoway, the
Macoushi, 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, perro.
This argues strongly against the existence of dogs in
Guiana, before it was 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 con-
sider 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 Plata has raised the standard of indepen-
dence, and thinks itself sufficiently strong to obtain
a Government of its own. On the other side, the
Caraccas are in open revolt ; and should Santa Fe
Join them in good earnest, they may form a powerful
association.
Thus, on each side of ci-devant 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 1 Colonies enjoy-
FIRST JOURNEY. 60
ing perpetual summer. Colonies of the richest soil.
Colonies containing within themselves everything ne-
cessary for their support. Colonies, in fine, so varied
in their quality and situation, as to be capable of
bringing to perfection every tropical production ; and
only wanting the support of Government, and an en-
lightened governor, to render them as fine as the finest
portions of the equatorial regions. Kind reader, fare
thee well.
LETTER TO THE PORTUGUESE COMMANDER.
MUY SEXOR,
Como no tengo el honor, de ser conocido de VM. lo pienso
major, y mas decoroso, quedarme aqui, hastaque huviere recibido
su respitesta. Haviendo caminado hasta la chozo, adonde estoi,
no quisiere volverme, antes de haver visto la fortaleza de los
Portugueses ; y pido licencia de VM. para que me adelante.
Honradissimos son mis motivos, ni tengo proyecto ninguno, o
de comercio, o de la soldadesca, no sieudo yo, o comerciante, o
oficial. Hidalgo catolico soy, -de hacienda in Ynglatierra, y
muchos anos de mi vida he pasado en caminar. Ultimamente,
de Demeraria vengo, la qual dexe el 5 dia de Abril, para ver
este hermoso pais, y coger unas curiosidades, especialmente, el
veneno, que se llama wourali. Las mas recentes noticias que
tenian en Demeraria, antes de mi salida, eran medias tristes,
medias alegres. Tristes digo, viendo que Valencia ha caido en
poder del enemigo comun, y el General Blake, y sus valientes
tropas quedan prisioneros de guerra. Alegres, al contrario,
porque Milord Wellington se ha apoderado de Ciudad Rodrigo.
A pesar de la caida de Valencia, parece claro al mundo, que las
cosas del enemigo, estan andando, de pejor a pejor cada dia.
Nosotros debemos dar gracias al Altissimo, por haver sido ser-
vido dexarnos castigar ultimamente, a los robadores de sus
santas Yglesias. Se vera VM. que yo no escribo Portugues ni
aun lo hablo, pero, haviendo aprendido el Castellano, no nos
faltara medio de communicar y tener conversacion. Ruego se
66 WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA.
escuse esta carta escrita sin tinta, porque un Indio dcxo caer mi
tintero y quebrose. Dios le de a VM. muckos aiios de salud.
Entretanto, tengo el honor de ser
Su mas obedeciente servidor,
CARLOS WATERTON.
EEMAEKS.
"Incertus, quo fata ferant, ubi sistere detur."
KIND and gentle reader, if the journey in quest of
the wourali poison has engaged thy attention, probably
thou mayest recollect that the traveller took leave of
thee at Fort St. Joachim, on the Rio Branco. Shouldst
thou wish to know what befell him after-
Illness at
Fort st. Jo- -wards, excuse the following uninteresting
achim.
narrative.
Having had a return of fever, and aware that the
further he advanced into these wild and lonely regions,
the less would be the chance of regaining his health ;
Returns to he gave UP a^ idea of proceeding onwards,
Demerara. ^ went giowiv ^ck towards the Deme-
fara, nearly by the same route he had come.
Fails of the On descending the falls in the Essequibo,
iseqmbo. -which form an oblique line quite across the
river, it was resolved to push through them, the down-
ward stream being in the canoe's favour. At a little
distance from the place, a large tree had fallen into the
river, and in the meantime the canoe was lashed to one
of its branches.
The roaring of the water was dreadful; it foamed
and dashed over the rocks with a tremendous spray,
like breakers on a lee shore, threatening destruction to
whatever approached it. You would have thought, by
she confusion it caused in the river, and the whirlpools
FIRST JOURNEY. 67
it made, that Scylla and Charybdis, and their whole pro-
geny, had left the Mediterranean, and come and settled
here. The channel was barely twelve feet wide, and
the torrent in rushing down formed transverse furrows,
which showed how near the rocks were to the surface.
Nothing could surpass the skill of the Indian who
steered the canoe. He looked stedfastly at it, then at
the rocks, then cast an eye on the channel, and then
looked at the canoe again. It was in vain to speak.
The sound was lost in the roar of waters ; but his eye
showed that he had already passed it in imagination.
He held up his paddle in a position, as much as to
say, that he would keep exactly amid channel ; and
then made a sign to cut the bush-rope that held the
canoe to the fallen tree. The canoe drove down the
torrent with inconceivable rapidity. It did not touch
the rocks once all the way. The Indian proved to a
nicety, " niedio tutissimus ibis."
Shortly after this it rained almost day and night, the
Thunder and lightning flashing incessantly, and the roar
of thunder awful beyond expression.
The fever returned, and pressed so heavy on him,
Fever re- that to all appearance his last day's march
was over. However, it abated ; his spirits
rallied, and he marched again ; and after delays and
inconveniences he reached the house of his worthy
Reaches Mi- friend Mr. Edmonstone, in Mibiri Creek,
bin creek. wWch falls j^ the Demerara. No words
of his can do justice to the hospitality of that gentleman,
whose repeated encounters with 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 eruption had taken place in
68 WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA.
St. Vincent's ; and thus the noise heard in the night
of the first of May, which had caused such terror
amongst the Indians, and made the garrison at Fort
St. Joachim remain under arms the rest of the night, is
accounted for.
Sails for After experiencing every kindness and
attention from Mr. Edmonstone, he sailed
for Granada, and from thence to St. Thomas's, a few
days before poor Captain Peake lost his life on his own
quarter-deck, bravely fighting for his country on the
coast of Guiana.
St. Thomas's At St. Thomas's they show you a tower,
a little distance from the town, which they
say formerly belonged to a bucanier chieftain. Probably
the fury of besiegers has reduced it to its present dis-
mantled state. What still remains of it bears testimony
of its former strength, and may brave the attack of
time for centuries. You cannot view its ruins without
calling to mind the exploits of those fierce and hardy
hunters, long the terror of the western world. While
you admire their iindaunted courage, you lament that
it was often stained with cruelty ; while you extol their
scrupulous justice to each other, you will find a want
of it towards the rest of mankind. Often possessed of
enormous wealth, often in extreme poverty, often trium-
phant on the ocean, and often forced to fly to the
forests ; their life was an . ever-changing scene of ad-
vance and retreat, of glory and disorder, of luxury and
famine. Spain treated them as outlaws and pirates,
while other European powers publicly disowned them.
They, on the other hand, maintained that injustice
on the part of Spain first forced them to take up
arms in self-defence; and that, whilst they kept in-
FIRST JOURNEY. 69
violable the laws which they had framed for their own
common benefit and protection, they had 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. Thomas's, a severe ter-
ThomasXami ^an ague» every now and then, kept putting
a t'ertknilue the traveller in mind that his shattered
Eiit'ian™310 frame> " starting and shivering in the incon-
stant blast, meagre and pale, the ghost of
what it was," wanted repairs. Three years elapsed
after arriving in England, before the ague took its final
leave of him.
During that time several experiments were
Experi- . r
mentsinLon- made with the wourali poison. In London
don of the r
wourali poi- an ass was inoculated with it, and died in
son.
twelve minutes. The poison was 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 though all were right. After an
hour had elapsed, the bandage was untied, and ten
minutes after, death overtook him.
A she-ass received the wourali poison in the shoulder,
and died apparently in ten minutes. An incision was
then made in its windpipe, and through it the lungs
were regularly inflated for two hours with a pair of
bellows. Suspended animation returned. The ass held
up her head, and looked around; but the inflating
being discontinued, she sunk once more in apparent
death. The artificial breathing was immediately recom-
menced, and continued without intermission for two
70 WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA.
hours more. This saved the ass from final dissolution :
she rose up and walked about ; she seemed neither in
agitation nor in pain. The -wound through which the
poison entered was healed without difficulty. Her con-
stitution, however, was so severely affected, that it was
long a doubt if ever she would be well again. She
looked lean and sickly for above a year, but began to
mend the spring after ; and by Midsummer 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 "VVakefield. There
she goes by the name of Wouralia. Wouralia shall be
sheltered from the wintry storm ; and when summer
comes, she shall feed in the finest pasture. ~No burden
shall be placed upon her, and she shall end her days in
peace.*
For three revolving autumns, the ague-beaten wan-
derer never saw, without a sigh, the swallow bend her
flight towards warmer regions. He wished to go too,
but could not ; for sickness had enfeebled him, and
prudence pointed out the folly of roving again, too
soon, across the northern tropic. To be sure, the Con-
tinent was now open, and change of air might prove
beneficial ; but there was nothing very tempting in a
trip across the Channel ; and as for a tour through
England ! — England has long ceased to be the land for
adventures. Indeed, when good King Arthur reappears
to claim his crown, he will find things strangely altered
here ; and may we not look for his coming ? for there
is written upon his grave -stone : —
* Poor Wouralia breathed her last on the 15th of February, 1839, having
survived the operation nearly flve-and-twenty years.
FIRST JOURNEY. 71
"Hie jacet Arturus, Rex quondam Rexque futurus."
" Here Arthur lies, who formerly
Was king— and king again to be."
Don Quixote was always of opinion that this famous
king did not die, but that he was changed into a raven
by enchantment, and that the English are momentarily
expecting his return. Be this as it may, 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 gar-
lauds for their lambkins. If by chance some rude un-
civil fellow dared to molest them, or attempted to throw
thorns in their path, there was sure to be a knight-
errant, not far off, ready to rush forward in their de-
fence. But, 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 neighbour-
ing 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 !
^Eneas's route on the other side of Styx could not
have been much worse than this, though, by his account,
when he got back to earth, it appears that he had fallen
in with " Bellua Lernae, horrendum stridens, flammis-
que, armata Chimsera."
Moreover, he had a sybil 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
from sauntering through this land of freedom, and wait
with patience the return of health. At last this long-
looked-for, ever-welcome stranger, came.
72 WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA.
SECOND JOURNEY.
Sails for Per- IN the year 1816, two days before the
aco' vernal equinox, I sailed from Liverpool for
Pernambuco, in the southern hemisphere, on the coast
of Brazil There is little at this time of the year, in
the European part of the Atlantic, to engage the atten-
tion of the naturalist. As you 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, attend
you a little way into the Bay of Biscay. When it
blows a hard gale of wind, the stormy petrel makes its
appearance. While the sea runs mountains high, and
every wave threatens destruction to the labouring 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 appears no more. It is
known to every English sailor by the name of Mother
Carey's chicken. It must have been hatched in ^Eolus's
cave, amongst a clutch of squalls and tempests ; for
whenever they get out upon the ocean, it always con-
trives to be of the party.
Though the calms, and storms, and adverse
Trade winds. . ° .
winds in these latitudes are vexatious, still,
when you. reach the trade winds you are amply repaid
for all disappointments and inconveniences. The trade
winds prevail about thirty degrees on each side of the
equator. 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 habita-
bilis sestu," is rendered healthy and pleasant by these
SECOND JOURNEY. 73
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 to 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 dis-
tinctly see," said he, "the ruts of my chariot wheels,
' manifesta rotre vestigia 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 ! More-
over, 'per insidias iter est, formasque ferarum,' the
road is full of nooses and bull-dogs, ' Haemoniosque
arcus,' and spring guns, ' ssevaque ' circuitu, curvan-
tem brachia longo, Scorpio,' and steel traps of uncom-
mon size and shape." These were nothing in the eyes
of Phaeton : go he would ; 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 thrown out of the box, and tumbled
into the river Po.
Some of our modern 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 un-
Torrid zone.
commonly grand. Its plains, its swamps, its
74 WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA.
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 tra-
veller in the old world is astonished at the elephant,
the tiger, the lion, and the rhinoceros, he who wanders
through the torrid regions of the new, is lost in admi-
ration at the cotingas, the toucans, the humming-birds,
and aras.
The ocean, likewise, swarms with curiosi-
ties. Probably the flying-fish may be con-
sidered as one of the most singular. This little scaled
inhabitant 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 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 re-
moisten them, and then up again into the air : thus
passing its life, sometimes wet, sometimes dry, sometimes
in sunshine, arid 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
SECOND JOURNEY. 75
appear to use every exertion to prolong their flight, hut
vain are all their efforts; 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
escape by swimming, and others get out again as quick
as 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 no avail, at last drops on board the vessel, verifying
the old remark,
" Ineidit in Scyllam, cupiens vitare Chary bdim."
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-arm, and
with a long staff, leaded at one end, and armed at the
other with five barbed spikes, he heaves it at him. If
successful in his aim, there is a fresh mess for all hands.
The dying dolphin affords a superb and brilliant sight:
" Mille trahit moriens, adverse sole colores."
All the colours of the rainbow pass and repass in rapid
succession over his body, till the dark hand of death
closes the scene.
76 WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA.
From the Cape de Verd islands to the coast of
Brazil, you see several different kinds of gulls, which,
probably, are bred in the island of St. Paul. Some-
times the large bird called the Frigate Pelican, soars
majestically over 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 Avater.
On entering the bay of Pernambuco, the
cj,f gate Peli" Frigate Pelican 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 Pernam-
buco. 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 Pernambuco, and a pillar
midway to aid the pilot.
Pernambuco probably contains upwards
Pernambuco
of fifty thousand 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
SECOND JOURNEY. 77
the line, its climate is remarkably salubrious, and ren-
dered almost temperate by the refreshing sea-breeze.
Had art and judgment contributed their portion to its
natural advantages, Pernambuco, at this day, would
have been a stately ornament to the coast of Brazil.
On viewing it, it will strike you that every one has
built his 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 har-
bour, so happy in its climate, and so well situated for
commerce, could have risen under the flag of Dido, in
lieu of that of Braganza.
As you walk down the streets, the appearance of the
houses is not much in their favour. Some
housed*8 and °^ ^em 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 accu-
mulation of litter from the beasts of burden, are un-
pleasant 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 of all nations ; when you know that
nambuco Per~ ^ie Behest commodities of Europe, Africa,
and Asia are brought to it ; when you see
immense quantities of cotton, dye-wood, and the choicest
78 "WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA.
fruits pouring into the town, you are 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 frequent, the remedy is in their
own hands. At present, certainly, they seem perfectly
regardless of them; and the Cap tain- General of Per-
nambuco 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 what is
Pslcics of
the Captain- called the, palace of the Captain-General of
Pernambuco. Its form and appearance alto-
gether, strike the traveller that it was never intended
for the use it is at present put to.
Eeader, throw a veil over thy recollection for a little
while, and forget the cruel, unjust, and unmerited cen-
sures thou hast heard against an unoffending order.
This palace -was once the Jesuits' college, and originally
built by those charitable fathers. Ask the aged and
respectable inhabitants of Pernambuco, and they will
tell thee that the destruction of the Society
Destruction
of the Society of Jesus was a terrible disaster to the public,
of Jesus.
and its consequences severely felt to the
present day.
SECOND JOURNEY. 79
"When Pombal took the reins of power into his own
hands, virtue and 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 philosophers 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 dis-
grace of Portugal, the philosophers blinded her king,
and nattered 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 as hard as flint. He struck a
mortal blow, and the Society of Jesus, throughout the
Portuguese dominions, was no more.
One morning all the fathers of the college in Per-
nambuco, some of them very old and feeble, were sud-
denly ordered into the refectory. They had notice
beforehand of the fatal storm, in pity from the governor,
but not one of them abandoned his charge. They had
done their duty and had nothing to fear. They bowed
with resignation to the will of Heaven. As soon as
they had all reached the refectory, they were all locked
up, and never more did they see their rooms, their
friends, their scholars, or acquaintance. 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 experienced from Pombal's creatures,
were at last ordered to Lisbon. The college of Per-
80 WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA.
nambuco was plundered, and sortie time after an ele-
phant was kept there.
Thus the arbitrary hand of power, in one night,
smote and swept away the sciences ; to which succeeded
the low vulgar buffoonery 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 who 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 triumphant, and learning is at its lowest ebb.
Neither is this to be wondered at. Destroy the com-
pass, and will the vessel find her far distant port ?
Will the flock keep together, and escape the wolves,
after the shepherds 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 prover-
bial 1 who so fit, as those who enjoy our entire confidence?
who so worthy, as those whose lives are irreproachable 1
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. ISTo exertions of
theirs could rally the dispersed, or skill prevent the
fatal consequences. At the present day, the seminary
of Olinda, in comparison with the former Jesuits'
SECOND JOURNEY. 81
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, with your own eyes, the evils
their dissolution has caused ; when you hear the inha-
bitants telling you how good, how clever, how cha-
ritable they were, — what will you think of our poet
laureate, for calling them, in his " History of Brazil,"
" Missioners, whose zeal the most fanatical was directed
by the coolest policy 1 "
"Was it fanatical to renounce the honours and com-
forts of this transitory life, in order to gain eternal
glory in the next, by denying themselves, and taking
up the cross ? Was it fanatical 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 many 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 policy. 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 ^obrega rise from the tomb, he would
thus address you : — " Ungrateful Englishman, 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 countrymen that ' we
taught the idolatry we 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
G
82 WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA.
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 good principles of my order were called into
action, and still, in most absolute contradiction to this,
you remark we believed the idolatry we taught in Brazil.
Thus we brought none but good principles into action,
and still taught idolatry.
"Again, you state there is no individual to whose
talents Brazil is so greatly and permanently indebted as
mine, and that I must be regarded as the founder of
that system so successfully pursued by the Jesuits in
Paraguay ; a system productive of as much good as is
compatible with pious fraud. Thus you make 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 bye, the system was only productive of
as much good as is compatible with pious fraud !
" "What means all this ? After reading such incom-
parable nonsense, should your countrymen wish to be
properly informed concerning the Society of Jesus,
there are in England documents enough to show that
the system of the Jesuits was a system of Christian
charity towards their fellow-creatures, administered in
a manner which human prudence judged best calculated
to ensure success ; and that the idolatry which you un-
charitably affirm they taught, was really and truly the
very same faith which the Catholic church taught for
SECOND JOURNEY. 83
centuries in England, which she still teaches to those
who wish to hear her, and which she will continue to
teach, pure and unspotted, till time shall be no more."
The environs of Pernambuco are very pretty. You
see country houses in all directions, and the
p«-nambucof appearance of here and there a sugar plan-
tation 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 brilliant plumage,
many of the birds have a very 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 captivity in the houses. A bird called here
Sangre do Buey, blood of the ox, cannot fail to engage
your attention : he is of the passerine 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 species exactly the same as this in
shape, note, and economy, but differing 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 mourning
84 WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA.
to the north of the line, and wear scarlet to the south
of it.
For three months in the year the environs of Pernam-
buco are animated beyond description. From
November to March the weather is particu-
larly 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, every 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 towards evening the roads
become a moving scene of silks and jewels. The gaming-
tables have constant visitors ; there thousands are daily
and nightly lost and won ; parties even sit down to try
their luck round the outside of the door as well as in
the room : —
" Vestibulum ante ipsum primisque in faucibus aulas
Luctus et ul trices, posuere sedilia curse."
About six or seven miles from Pernambuco stands a
pretty little village called Monteiro; the
river runs close by it, and its rural beauties
seem to surpass all others in the neighbourhood ; there
the Captain-General of Pernambuco 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 accustoms
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
SECOND JOURNEY. 85
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
dazzling glare of wealth and power. Retired from the
public 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 for-
bidden bans. And as he moves on " with wandering
step and slow," he may hear a broken-hearted 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 speedy and a final close : six or seven blackbirds, with
a white 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
entangled 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
fluttering ; and having quietly approached it, intending
86 WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA.
to make sure of it — behold, the head of a large rattle-
snake 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 flew away 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 clime.
It was now the rainy season ; the birds
Rainy Season.
were moulting : fifty-eight specimens of the
handsomest of them in the neighbourhood of Pemam-
buco 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 well 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, whose urbanity and goodness
SECOND JOURNEY. 87
have long gained it the esteem and respect of all ranks
in Pernambuco. The kindness and attention I received
from Dennis Kearney, Esq. and his amiable lady, will
be remembered with gratitude to my dying day.
After wishing farewell to this hospitable
cEyeaneksf°r family, I embarked on board a Portuguese
brig, with poor accommodations, for Cayenne
in Guiana. The most eligible bed-room was the top of
a hen-coop on deck. Even here, an unsavoury 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 off, there
are two bold wooded islands, called the Eather 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. The French call it "1'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 moun-
tains become unconnected and few in number; and long
before you reach Surinam, the Atlantic wave washes a
flat and muddy shore.
Considerably to windward of Cayenne, and about
88 WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA.
>
twelve leagues from land, stands a stately
Constable rock. J
and towering rock, called the Constable. As
nothing grows on it to tempt greedy and aspiring man
to claim it as his own, the sea-fowl rest and raise their
offspring there. The bird called the frigate is ever
soaring round its rugged 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, spoon-
bills, and flamingos.
Cayenne is capable of being a noble and
Cayenne*7 °f 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.
Governor of He who has received humiliations from
cayenne. ^ hand of thig haughty, iron-hearted
governor may see him now in Cayenne, stripped of all
his revolutionary honours, broken down and ruined,
SECOND JOURNEY. 89
and under arrest in his own house. He has four
accomplished daughters, respected hy 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 attention, to
remove the settled gloom from his too guilty brow.
This was not the time for a traveller to enjoy Cayenne.
The hospitality of the inhabitants was the
tantsf Ichabl" same as ever, but they had lost their wonted
gaiety in public, and the stranger might
read in their countenances, as the recollection 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 ears : 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 cele-
brated national plantation. This spot was judiciously
chosen, for it is out of the reach of enemies' cruisers.
Plantation of ^ is called La Gabrielle. No plantation
LaGabrieUe. ^ fl^ western W0rld can vie with La
Gabrielle. Its spices are of the choicest kind ; its soil
particularly favourable to them ; its arrangements beau-
90 WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA.
tiful ; and its director. Monsieur Martin, a botanist of
first-rate abilities. This indefatigable naturalist ranged
through the East, under a royal commission, in quest 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
Gabrielle 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 Gabrielle. 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 Gabrielle 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 black pepper, the cinnamon, and nutmeg
are also in great abundance here, and very productive.
While the stranger views the spicy groves of La
Gabrielle, and tastes the most delicious fruits which
have originally been 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
SECOND JOURNEY. 91
different species are raised and distributed gratis to
those colonists who wish to cultivate them.
Not far from the hanks of the river Oyapoc, to
windward of Cayenne, is a mountain which
thehRockCk °f 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
head 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 Spaniards 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
Macousliia ; and he has been shot south of the line, in
the captainship of Para.
The bird called by Buffon Grand Gobe-mouche, has
never been found in Demerara, although very common
in Cayenne. He is not quite so large as the jackdaw,
and is entirely black, except a large spot under the
throat, which is a glossy purple.
You may easily sail from Cayenne to the river
Surinam 'in two days. Its capital, Para-
Paramaribo. ., . . ,
man bo, 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 Paramaribo,
and travel through the interior of Surinam, till you
come to the Nlcari, which is close to the large river
92 WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA.
Coryntin. "When yon have passed this river, there is a
good public road to New Amsterdam, the capital of
Berbice.
On viewing New Amsterdam, it will
sterdam Am 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 Amsterdam has
been languid for some years, and now the tide of com-
merce seems ebbing fast from the shores of Berbice.
Gay and blooming is the sister colony of
Demerara. Perhaps, kind reader, thou hast
not forgot that it was from Stabroek, the capital of
Demerara, that the adventurer 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
Kio 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 with fine plumage
had already set in, I left Cayenne in an American ship
SECOND JOURNEY. 93
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 De-
merara ; and then we will retire to its forests, to collect
and examine the economy of its most rare and beautiful
birds, and give the world a new mode of preserving
them.
Stabroek, the capital of Demerara, has been rapidly
increasing for some years back : and if pro-
Stabroek. D . J '
sperity go hand in hand with the present
enterprising spirit, Stabroek, ere long, will be of the
first colonial consideration. It stands on the eastern
bank at the mouth of the Demerara, 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 Stabroek : its market wants better regu-
lations. The hotels are commodious, 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
bandage was easily removed from the eyes of
OoartoUM- the goddess, and her scales thrown out of
equilibrium, now rises in dignity under the
firmness, talents, and urbanity of Mr. President Rough.
The plantations have an appearance of
Thepianta- high cultivation: a tolerable idea may be
tions. »
formed of their value, when you know that
last year Demerara numbered seventy-two thousand
94 WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA.
nine hundred and ninety-nine slaves. They made about
forty-four million pounds of sugar, near two million
gallons of rum, above eleven million pounds of coffee,
and three million eight hundred and nineteen thousand
five hundred and twelve pounds of cotton ; the receipt
into the public chest was five hundred and fifty-three
thousand nine hundred and fifty-six guilders ; the
public expenditure, four hundred and fifty-one thousand
six hundred and three guilders.
Slavery can never be defended ; he whose
heart is not of iron can never wish to be able
to defend it : while he heaves a sigh for the poor negro
in captivity, he wishes from his soul that the traffic had
been stifled in its birth ; but, unfortunately, the govern-
ments of Europe nourished it, and now that they are
exerting themselves to do away the evil, and ensure
liberty to the sons of Africa, the situation of the
plantation slaves is depicted as truly deplorable, and
their condition wretched. It is not so. A Briton's
heart, proverbially kind and generous, is not changed
by climate, or its streams of compassion dried up by
the scorching heat of a Demerara 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 cruelty 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
immediate redress, and preventing a repetition.
Long may ye flourish, peaceful and liberal inhabitants
SECOND JOURNEY. 95
of Demerara. Your doors are ever open to harbour the
harbourless ; your purses never shut to the wants of the
distressed ; many a ruined fugitive from Oroonoque
will bless your kindness to him in the hour of need,
when, flying from the woes of civil discord, without food
or raiment, he begged for shelter underneath your roof.
The poor sufferer in Trinidad, who lost his all in the
devouring flames, will remember your charity to his
latest moments. The 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.
Leave behind you your high-seasoned dishes, your
wines, and your delicacies : carry nothing but
Instructions
to future ad- what is necessary for your own comfort, and
venturers. . . .... ,
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 and barefoot on the
little inequalities of the ground, and show you how to
pass on, unwounded, amid the mantling briers.
Snakes, in these wilds, are certainly an annoyance,
though, perhaps, more in imagination than
reality ; for you must recollect that the
96 WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA.
serpent is never the first to offend : his poisonous fang
was not given him for conquest : he never inflicts a
wound 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 fly before
the noble 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,
Birds.
are not common 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
haunts.
Though least in size, the glittering mantle
bird™111111118" of the humming-bird entitles it to the first
place in the list of the birds of the new
world. It may truly be called the bird 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 quick 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
with gold ! It would be arrogant to pretend to describe
this winged gem of nature after Buffon's elegant de-
scription of it
SECOND JOURNEY. 97
Cayenne and Demerara produce the same humming-
birds. Perhaps you would wish to know
Haunts of .
the humming- something of their haunts. Chiefly in the
birds.
months of July and August, the tree called
Bois Immortel, very common in Demerara, bears abun-
dance of red blossom, which stays on the tree for some
weeks ; then it is that most of the different species of
humming-birds are very plentiful. The wild red sage is
also their favourite shrub, and they buzz like bees round
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 in-
terior, 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 species
alone never shows his beauty in 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, or Ara humming-bird, from the
Indians. You never find him on the sea-coast, 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 woody
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
H
98 WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA.
on a twig over the water in the unfrequented creeks ; it
looks like tanned cow leather.
As you advance towards the mountains of Demerara,
other species of huniniing-birds present themselves before
you. It seems to be an erroneous opinion, that the hum-
ming-bird lives entirely on honey-dew. Almost every
flower of the tropical climates contains insects of one
kind or other ; now, the humming-bird is most busy
about the flowers an hour or two after sunrise, and after a
shower of rain, and it is just at this time that the insects
come out to the edge of the flower, in order that the sun's
rays may dry the nocturnal dew and rain which they
have received. On opening the stomach of the hum-
ming-bird, dead insects are almost always found there.
Next to the humming-birds, the cotingas
TheCotingas. ' f
display the gayest plumage. Iney are ol the
order of passeres, and you number five species betwixt
the sea-coast and the rock Saba. Perhaps the scarlet co-
tinga is the richest of the five, and is one of those birds
which are 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
wings brown. He has no song, is solitary, and utters a
monotonous whistle which sounds like "quet." He is
fond of the seeds of the hitia-tree, and those of the
siloabali and bastard siloabali-trees, which ripen in
December, and continue on the trees for about two
months. He is found throughout the year in Demerara ;
still nothing is known of Ins incubation. The Indians all
agree in telling you that they have never seen his nest.
SECOND JOURNEY. 99
The ur le- ^ne Purple-breasted cotinga has the throat
breasted Co- an(j breast of a deep purple, the wings and
tail black, and all the rest of the body a
most lively shining blue.
The purple-throated cotinga has black wings and tail,
and every other part a light and glossy blue, save the
throat, which is purple.
The Pompadour cotinga is entirely purple, ex-
cept his wings, which are white, their foiir
The Pom- r
padour Co- first feathers tipped with brown. The great
tinga. J r
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.
They are easily shot in these trees during the months of
December, January, 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 Campanero of the
The Cam- Spaniards, called Dara by the Indians, and
panero. 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 communication with the palate, and when filled
with air, looks like a spire ; when empty, it becomes
pendulous. His note is loud and clear, like the sound
H2
100 WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA.
of a bell, and may be beard at the distance of three
miles. In the midst of these extensive wilds, generally
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 goat-sucker, causes 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 whole of animated nature, the campanero
still cheers the forest. 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 chace, 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-white campanero. He is
never seen to feed with the other cotingas, nor is it
known in what part of Guiana he makes his nest.
While the cotingas attract your attention
TheToucan. . ° J .
by their superior plumage, the singular form
of the toucan makes a lasting impression on your
memory. There are three species of toucans in Demerara,
and three diminutives, which may be called toucanets.
The largest of the first species frequents the mangrove
trees on the sea-coast. He is never seen in the interior
till you reach Macoushia, where he is found in 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
SECOND JOURNEY. 101
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 every 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 exami-
nation, 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
enormous bill. It cannot be for the offensive, as it has
no need to wage war with any of the tribes of animated
nature ; for its food is fruits and seeds, and those are
in superabundance throughout the whole year in the
regions where the 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 can-
not be for any particular protection to the tongue, as
the tongue is a perfect feather.
The flight of the toucan is by jerks : in
Its flight. " . . '
the action of flying it seems incommoded by
JLU2 WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AJU^A^^.
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 make it amends.
Were a specimen of each species of the
thf bin"* °f toucan presented to you, you would pro-
nounce 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, with this difference,
that there is black about an inch from the point. The
stripe corresponding to 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
transparent 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
SECOND JOURNEY. 103
a "boiled toucan, the thought struck me that the colours
in the bill of a preserved specimen might be kept as
bright as those in life. A series of experiments
a'Mii of the proved this beyond a doubt. If you take
your penknife and cut away the roof of the
upper mandible, 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 with, 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 ; 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 undergo
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 membrane, 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
104 WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA.
reviewing the bill in this state, you conclude that its
former bright colours are lost.
Something still remains to be done. You have ren-
dered the bill transparent by the operation, and that
transparency must be done away to make it appear
perfectly natural. Pound some clean chalk, and give it
enough water till it be of the consistency of tar ; add
a proportion of gum arabic to make it adhesive ; then
take a camel-hair brush, and give the inside of both
mandibles 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
off. If you remember, there is a little space of trans-
parent 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 com-
pleted, the bill will please you ; it will appear in its
original colours. Probably your own abilities will
suggest a cleverer mode of operating than the mode
here described. A small gouge would assist the pen-
knife, and render the operation less difficult.
The Houtou ranks high in beauty amongst
the birds 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 trimming the tail, which undergoes
the same operation as our hair in a barber's shop, only
SECOND JOURNEY. 105
with this difference, that it uses its own beak, which
is serrated, in lieu of a pair of scissors. As soon as his
tail is full grown, he begins about an inch from the
extremity of the two longest feathers in it, and cuts
away the web on both sides of the shaft, making a gap
about an inch long : both male and female Adonise
their tails in this manner, which gives them a remark-
able appearance amongst all other birds. While we
consider the tail of the houtou blemished and defective,
were he to come amongst us, he would probably con-
sider our heads, cropped and bald, in no better light.
He who wishes to observe this handsome
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 soli-
tary houtou. In those far-extending wilds, about day-
break, you hear him articulate, in a distinct and mourn-
ful tone, "houtou, houtou." Move cautiously on to
where the sound proceeds from, and you will see him
sitting in the underwood, 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 underwood, and very rarely is seen
in the lofty trees, except the bastard siloabali-tree, 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.
While in quest of the houtou, you will now and
then fall in with the jay of Guiana, called by the
, Indians Ibibirou. Its forehead is black, the
The Jay of
Guiana. rest of the head white ; the throat and
106 WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA.
breast like the English magpie : about an inch of the
extremity of the tail is white, the other part of it,
together with the back and wings, a greyish 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 in one place; they are
never seen in the cultivated parts.
Through the whole extent of the forest, chiefly from
sunrise till nine o'clock in the morning, you hear a
sound of " wow, wow, wow, wow." This is the bird
called Boclora by the Indians. It is smaller
The Boclora. ,, ., ...
than the common pigeon, and seems, in some
measure, to partake of its nature : its head and breast
are blue ; the back and rump somewhat resemble the
colour on the peacock's neck ; its belly is a bright
yellow ; the legs are so very short that it always appears
as if sitting on the branch • it is as ill adapted for
walking as the swallow ; its neck, for about an inch all
round, is quite bare of feathers ; but this deficiency is
not seen, for it always sits with its head drawn in upon
its shoulders. It sometimes feeds with the cotingas on
the guava and hitia-trees ; but its chief nutriment
seems to be insects, and, like most birds which follow
this prey, its chaps are well armed with bristles : it is
found in Demerara at all times of the year, and makes
a nest resembling that of the stock dove. This bird
never takes long flights, and when it crosses a river or
creek, it goes by long jerks.
The boclora is very unsuspicious, appearing quite
heedless of danger : the report of a gun within twenty
yards will 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. Perhaps
SECOND JOURNEY. 107
there is no bird known whose feathers are so slightly
fixed to the skin as those of the boclora. After shoot-
ing it, if it touch a branch in its descent, or if it drop
on hard ground, whole heaps of feathers fall off : on
this account it is extremely hard to procure a specimen
for preservation. As soon as the skin is dry in the
preserved specimen, the feathers become as well fixed
as those in any other bird.
Another species, larger than the boclora.
TheCuia. r \i • a. -1,1
attracts much of your notice in 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 different; its head, breast, back, and
rump, are a shining, changing green ; its tail not
quite so bright; a black bar runs across the tail to-
wards the extremity, and the outside feathers are
partly white as in the boclora ; its belly is entirely ver-
milion, a bar of white separating it from the green on
the breast.
There are diminutives of both these birds; they
have the same habits, with a somewhat different
plumage, and about half the size. Arrayed from head
to tail in a robe of richest sable hue, the
bird16 Bice" kird called Eice-bird loves spots 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, equally 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.
108 WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA.
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 attractions.
One bird, however, in Demerara is not
sique.6 Cas actuated by selfish motives : this is the
Cassique ; in size, he is larger than the star-
ling; 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 par-
takes 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 ; Le takes
his station on a tree close to his house, 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 different species of the wood-
pecker ; and when the sheep bleat, he will 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 cassique 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 the pretty choristers
resort to a tree near the planter's house, and from its
SECOND JOURNEY. 109
outside branches weave their pendulous nests. So
conscious 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
Waratilla creek affords a proof of this.
The proportions of the cassique are so fine, that he
may be said to be a model of symmetry 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 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 cassique, nearly the same size, and of the
same habits, though not gifted with its powers of imi-
tation. Except in breeding time, you will see hundreds
of them retiring to roost, amongst the moca-moca-trees
and low shrubs on the banks of the Demerara, after
you pass the first island. They are not common 6n
the sea-coast. The rump of the 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 common in the plantations. In the
Another J r
species of the morning he generally repairs to a large tree,
and there, with his tail spread over his back,
110 WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA.
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, which often contains fifty or sixty
of them, you cannot help stopping to admire them as
they wave to and fro, the sport of every storm and
breeze. The rump is chestnut ; ten feathers of the
tail are a fine yellow, the remaining two, which are the
middle ones, are black, 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 he erects at pleasure.
There is one more species of cassique in Demerara,
Avhich 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 rump paler than those
of the former. Half of his beak is red.
, . You would not be long in the forests of
peckers'1" 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, is so loud, that
you would never suppose it to proceed from the efforts
of a bird. You would take it to be the woodman, with
SECOND JOURNEY. Ill
his axe, trying by a sturdy blow, often repeated,
whether the tree were sound or not. There are four-
teen 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
ornamented 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 complaint 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 man,
" why do you wrongfully accuse me 1 why do you hunt
me up and down to death for an imaginary offence ] I
have never spoiled a leaf of your property, much less
your wood. Your merciless shot strikes me, at the
very time I am doing you a service. But your short-
sightedness Avill not let you see it, or your 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 man possesses, or ought to
possess, above all other animals, do a poor injured
creature a little kindness, and watch me in your woods
only for one day. I never wound your healthy trees.
I should perish for want in the attempt. The sound
bark would easily resist the force of my bill ; and were
I even to pierce through it, there would be nothing
112 WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA.
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, I labour for hours
together till I get at it ; and by consuming it, for my
own support, I prevent its further depredations in that
part. Thus I discover for you your hidden and un-
suspected 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
prime. Millions of insects, engendered by disease, are
preying upon its vitals. Ere long it will fall a log in
useless ruins. Warned by this loss, cut down the rest
in time, and spare, 0 spare the unoffending wood-
pecker."
In the rivers, and different creeks, you
fisiwr6 King" number six species of the King-fisher. They
make their nest in a 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 dis-
played by the English king-fisher. This little native
of Britain would outweigh them altogether in the scale
of beauty.
SECOND JOURNEY. 113
A bird called Jacamar is often taken for a
mar16 3ac!l~ king-fisher, 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 expectation, and as soon as a fly,
butterfly, or moth passes 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 jacamar 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 green, that it may
be ranked with the choicest of the humming-birds. Ma-
ture 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 for in the wallaba forest.
The third is found throughout the whole extent of these
wilds ; and the fourth, which is the largest, frequents
the interior, where you begin to perceive stones in the
ground.
When you have penetrated far into Ma-
naie16 Tr°U" cousnia> y°u 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 predominant colours
are rich orange and shining black, arrayed to great
advantage ; his delicate and well-shaped frame seems
unable to bear captivity. The Indians sometimes bring
down troupiales to Stabroek, but in a few months they
114 WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA.
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 in better
spirits ; but, when you least expect it, they drop down
and die in epilepsy.
Smaller in size, and of colour not so rich,
cies of Trou- and somewhat differently arranged, another
species of troupiale sings melodiously in
Demerara. The woodcutter is particularly 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 culti-
vated parts.
You would not grudge to stop for a few minutes as
you are walking in the plantations, to ob-
Third spe- J .... 6. .' .
cies of Trou- serve a third species of troupiale : his wings,
tail, and throat are black, all the rest of the
body is a bright yellow. There is something very sweet
and plaintive in his song, though much shorter than
that of the troupiale in the interior.
A fourth species goes in flocks from place
Fourth spe-
cies of Trou- to place in the cultivated parts at the time
the Indian corn is ripe ; he is all black,
except the head and throat, which are yellow ; his
attempt at song is not worth attending to.
Wherever there is a wild fig-tree ripe, a
desDgara8pe~ numer°us species of birds, called Tangara, is
sure to be on it. There are eighteen beau-
tiful 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 be impossible to
mark their boundaries; while others again exhibit them
SECOND JOURNEY. 115
strong, distinct, and abrupt : many of these tangaras
have a fine song. They seem to partake much of the
nature of our linnets, sparrows, and finches. Some of
them are fond of the plantations ; others are never seen
there, preferring the wild seeds of the forest to the
choicest fruits planted by the hand of man.
On the same fig-trees to which they repair,
Manikin an(j often accidentally up and down the
species.
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 golden crown, and red
feathers at the knee. The half red and half black
species is the scarcest. There is a creek in the Demerara
called Camouni. About ten minutes from the mouth
you see a common-sized fig-tree on your right hand, as
you ascend, hanging over water ; it bears a very small
fig 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
TvThev5™,a11 see the bird called the small Tiger-bird.
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
have 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 manikin, it has no song : it
depends solely upon a showy garment 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 from the eyes
•
to the beak ; its legs are yellow ; its throat,
i2
116 WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA.
wings, and tail, black ; all the rest of the body a charm-
ing blue. Chiefly in the dry savannas, and here and
there accidentally in the forest, you see a songless
yawaraciri still lovelier than 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
species, busy amongst the fallen leaves, or seeking in-
sects at the roots of the trees.
Here, too, you find six or seven species of small birds,
Avhose 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
lines 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 : when these ants are
stirring, you are sure to find him near them. You can-
not well mistake the ant after you have once
been in its company, for its sting is very
severe, and you can hardly shoot the bird, and pick it
up, without having five or six upon you.
Parrots and Parrots and Paroquets are very numerous
Paroquets. here, an(j of manv different kinds. You will
know when they are near you in the forest, not only by
the noise they make, but also by the fruits and seeds
which they let fall while they are feeding.
The Hia-hia parrot, called in England the
TheHia-hia. . b
parrot oi the sun, is very remarkable : he can
SECOND JOURNEY. 117
erect at pleasure a fine radiated circle of tartan feathers
quite round the back of his head from jaw to jaw. The
fore part of his head is white; his back, tail, and wings,
green ; and his breast and belly, tartan.
Superior in size and beauty to every parrot
of South America, the Ara will force you to
take your eyes from the rest of animated nature, and
gaze at him : his commanding strength, the flaming
scarlet of his body, the lovely variety of red, yellow,
blue, and green in his wings, the extraordinary length
of his scarlet and blue tail, seem all to join and demand
for him the title of emperor of all the parrots. He is
scarce in Demerara till you reach the confines of the
Macoushi country ; there he is in vast abundance ; he
mostly feeds on trees of the palm species. When the
coucourite-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 quiver of poisoned
arrows, and kill more than you are able to carry back
to your hut. They are very vociferous, and, like the
common 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 Indians 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.
He is nearly the size of the scarlet ara, but much in-
ferior in plumage. Blue and yellow are his predomi-
nant colours.
113 WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA.
The Bittern Along the creeks and river sides, and in
the wet savannas, six species of the Bittern
will engage your attention. They are all handsome.
The smallest not so large as the English water-hen.
In the savannas, too, you will sometimes
white Burette surPrise the Snow- white Egrette, whose back
is adorned with the plumes from which it
takes its name. Here too the spur-winged water-hen,
the blue and green water-hen, and two other species of
ordinary plumage, are found. "While in quest of these,
the blue heron, the large and small brown heron, the
boat-bill, and Muscovy duck, now and then rise up
before you.
When the sun has sunk in the western woods, no
longer agitated by the breeze ; when you can only see
a straggler or two of the feathered tribe hastening to
join its mate, already at its roosting-place,
sucker G°at then it is that the goatsucker comes out of
the forest, where it has sat all day long in
slumbering ease, unmindful of the gay and busy scenes
around it. Its eyes are too 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 him to par-
take of the pleasures her dusky presence brings.
The harmless, unoffending goatsucker, from the time
of Aristotle down to the present day, has been in
disgrace 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 suffered, and how foul a stain has
inattention to facts put upon thy character ! Thou hast
never robbed man of any part of his property, nor
deprived the kid of a drop of milk.
SECOND JOURNEY. 119
When 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 quiet they stand, and how
sensible they seem of his good offices, for they neither
strike at him, nor hit him with their tail, nor tread on
him, nor try to drive him away as an uncivil intruder.
Were you to dissect him, and inspect his stomach, you
would find no milk there. It is full of the flies which
have been annoying the herd.
The prettily mottled plumage of the goat-
sucker, 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 English wood owl. Its cry
is so remarkable, that having once heard it you will never
forget it. When night reigns over these immeasurable
wilds, whilst lying in your hammock, 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 was the departing voice of a midnight
murdered victim, or the last wailing of Xiobe for her
poor children, before she was turned into stone. Sup-
pose 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
120 WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA.
will have some idea of the moaning of the largest goat-
sucker in Demerara.
Four other species of the goatsucker articulate some
words so distinctly, that they have received their names
from the sentences they utter, and absolutely hewilder
the stranger on his arrival in these parts. The most
common one sits down close by your door, and flies and
alights three or four yards before you, as you walk along
the road, crying, " Who-are-you, who-who-who-are-you."
Another bids you, "Work-away, work-work-work-away."
A third cries, mournfully, " Willy-come-go. Willy-
"VYilly-Willy-come-go." And high up in the country,
a fourth tells you to " Whip-poor- Will. Whip-whip-
whip-poor-Will."
You will never persuade the negro to destroy these
birds, or get the Indian to let fly his arrow at them.
They are birds of omen, and reverential dread. Jumbo,
the demon of Africa, has them under his command ; and
they equally obey the Yabahou, or Demerara Indian
devil. They are the receptacles for departed souls, who
come back again to earth, unable to rest for crimes done
in their days 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 goatsucker chance to cry near the white man's
door, sorrow and grief will soon be inside ; and they ex-
pect to see the master waste away with a slow consum-
ing sickness. If it be heard close to the 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, that in our own civilized country, the black
SECOND JOURNEY. 121
cat and broomstaff should be considered as conductors
to and from the regions of departed spirits.
Many years ago I knew poor harmless
Anecdote
Mary ; old age had marked her strongly, just
as he will mark you and me, should we arrive at her
years and carry the weight of grief 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. 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 blighted ; she became quite in-
different to everything around her, and seemed to think
of nothing but how she could best attend her mother,
who was lame, and not long for this life. Her mother
had begged a black kitten from soim boys who were
going to drown it, and in her last illness 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 had dealings with spirits ; her cat confirmed
the suspicion. If a cow died, or a villager wasted away
with an unknown complaint, Mary and her cat had it
to answer for. Her broom sometimes served her for a
walking-stick : and if ever she supported her tottering
frame with it as far as the May-pole, where once, in
youthful bloom and/ beauty, she had attracted the eyes
of all, the boys woUld surround her, and make sport of
her, while her ca^ had neither friend nor safety beyond
the cottage wall: Nobody considered it cruel or un-
charitable to torment a witch ; and it is probable, long
122 WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA.
before this, that cruelty, old age, and want have worn
her out, and that both poor Mary and her cat have
ceased to be.
Would you wish to pursue the different species of
game, well-stored and boundless is your range in Deme-
rara. Here no one dogs you, and afterwards clandes-
tinely inquires if you have a hundred a year in land to
entitle you to enjoy such patrician sport. Here no saucy
intruder asks if you have taken out a licence, by virtue
of which you are allowed to kill the birds which have
bred upon your own property. Here
" You are as free as when God first made man,
Ere the vile laws of servitude began,
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
F&r~ differing somewhat in colour from the Eng-
lish partridge : it lives entirely in the forest,
and probably the young brood very soon leave their
parents, as you never flush more than two birds in the
same place, and in general only one.
About the same hour, and sometimes even
Two species . .
of the Maam at midnight, you hear two species oi Maarn,
or Tinamou, send forth their long and plain-
tive whistle from the depth of the forest. The flesh
of both is delicious. The largest is plumper, and almost
equals in size the black cock of Northumberland. The
quail is said to be here, though rare.
The Hannaquoi, which some have compared to the
TheHanna- pheasant, though with little reason, is very
iuoi- common.
Here are also two species of the Powise, or Hocco,
SECOND JOURNEY. 123
and two of the small wild Turkeys called Maroudi ;
they feed on the ripe fruits of the forest, and
o^Hocco™6 are found in all 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
Flocks of
waracabas or two or three hundred "Waracabas, or Trum-
Trumpeters. ,. , „ . ,
peters, called so irom 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 turkeys to own
their superiority.
If, kind and gentle reader, thou shouldst ever visit
these regions with an intention to examine their pro-
ductions, perhaps the few observations contained in
these wanderings may be of service to thee ; excuse
their brevity : more could have been written, and 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
eagles, the falcons, the hawks, and shrikes ; nothing of
the different species of vultures, the king of which is
124 WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA.
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 carcase 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 vultures 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
governor of the carrion crows."
Now, the Indians have never heard of a personage in
Demerara higher .than that of governor ; and the colo-
nists, through a common mistake, call the vultures
carrion crows. Hence the Indian, in order to express
the dominion 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
Spanish Main, he is called Eey de Zamuros, king of the
vultures. The many species of owls, too, have not been
noticed ; and no mention made of the columbine tribe.
The prodigious variety of water fowl, on the sea-shore,
has been but barely hinted at.
There, and on the borders and surface of the inland
waters, in the marshes and creeks, besides the flamingos,
scarlet curlew, and spoonbills, already mentioned, will
be found ; greenish-brown curfews, sand-pipers, rails,
coots, gulls, pelicans, jabirus, nandapoas, crabiers, snipes,
plovers, ducks, geese, cranes, and anhingas ; most of
SECOND JOURNEY. 125
them in vast abundance ; some frequenting only the
sea-coast, others only the interior, according to their
different natures; all worthy the attention of the
naturalist, all worthy of a place in the cabinet of the
curious.
Should thy comprehensive genius not confine itself to
birds alone, grand is the appearance of other objects all
around. Thou art in a land rich in botany and mine-
ralogy, 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 drenched with Londo-
Parisian sauces, and a new stock of health will bring
thee an appetite to relish the wholesome 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 hammock fresh as April lark. Be
convinced also, that the dangers and difficulties which
are generally supposed to accompany the traveller
in his journey through distant regions, are not half
so numerous or dreadful as they are commonly thought
to be.
Dangers to T^16 youth who incautiously reels into the
e,i,aPnortehreai lobby of Drury Lane, after leaving the table
bu'timaginary. ^^ to tne god of ^j^ £g expose<l to
more certain ruin, sickness, and decay, than he who
wanders a whole year in the wilds of Demerara. 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
126 WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA.
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 cannibal ; 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 fire-side !
Prudence and resolution ought to be the traveller'^
constant companions. The first will cause him to avoid
a number of snares which he will find in the path as he
journeys on ; and the second will always lend a hand to
assist him if he has unavoidably got entangled in them.
The little distinctions which have been shown him at
his own home, ought to be forgotten when he travels
over the world at large ; for strangers know nothing of
his former merits, and it is necessary that they should
witness 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
amusements, to pay a compliment or two to their man-
ners and customs, to respect their elders, to give a little
to their distressed and needy, and to feel, as it were, at
home amongst them, is the sure way to enable you to
pass merrily on, and to find other comforts as sweet and
palatable as those which you were accustomed to partake
of amongst your friends and acquaintance in your own
native land. 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
SECOND JOURNEY. 127
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 be imagined,
on account of the perpetual verdure and refreshing
north-east 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 country, till your eye catches the hills
in the interior. How beautiful and magnificent are the
lakes in the heart of the forests, and how charming the
forests themselves, for miles after miles on each side of
the rivers ! How extensive appear the savannas or
natural meadows, teeming with innumerable herds of
cattle where the Portuguese 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 wood first emerging
from the level, then hills a little higher, rugged with
bold and craggy rocks, peeping out from amongst the
most luxuriant timber. Then come plains, and dells,
and far-extending valleys, arrayed in richest foliage ;
and beyond them, mountains piled on mountains, some
bearing prodigious 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 Cordilleras
de los Andes, which rise in towering majesty, and com-
mand all America.
How fertile must the lowlands be, from the accumu-
lation of fallen leaves and trees for centuries ! How
propitious the swamps and slimy beds of the rivers,
128 WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA.
heated by a downward sun, to the amazing growth of
alligators, serpents, and innumerable 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 the same tree ! How secure the
wild beasts may rove in endless mazes ! Perhaps those
mountains too, which appear so bleak and naked, as if
quite neglected, are, like Potosi, full of precious metals.
Let us now return the pinions we bor-
Conclusion.
rowed Irom Icarus, and prepare to bid
farewell to the wilds. The time allotted to these wander-
ings 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 Demerara. Above
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 Eng-
land, in March 1816, to the present day, nothing has
intervened to arrest a fine flow of health, saving a
quartan 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 penned down during the
passage 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, I have gained my end. Adieu !
CHARLES WATERTON.
April 6th, 1817.
THIRD JOURNEY. 129
THIRD JOURNEY.
" Desertosque videre locos, littusque relictum.'
GENTLE reader, after staying a few months in Eng-
land, I strayed across the Alps and the Apennines^ and
returned home, but could not tarry. Guiana still
whispered in my ear, and seemed to invite me once
more to wander through her distant forests.
Shouldst thou have a leisure hour to read what
follows, I pray thee pardon the frequent use of that
unwelcome monosyllable I. It could not well be
avoided, as will be seen in the sequel. In February,
1820, I sailed from the Clyde, on board the Glenbervie,
a, fine West-Indiaman. She was driven to the north-
west of Ireland, 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 fever ^a^ anc^ roournful was the story we heard
at Demerara. on entering the river Demerara. The yellow
fever had swept off numbers of the old inhabitants,
and the mortal remains of many a new comer were daily
passing down the streets, in slow and mute procession
to their last resting-place.
Residence at -^^ staying a few days in the town, I
Mibiri creek. went up the Demerara to the former habita-
tion of my worthy friend, Mr. Edmonstone, in Mibiri
creek.
130 WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA.
The house had been abandoned for some years. On
arriving at the hill, the remembrance of scenes long past
and gone, naturally broke in upon the mind. All was
changed ; the house was in ruins, and gradually sinking
under the influence of the sun and rain ; the roof had
nearly fallen in ; and the room, where once governors
and generals had caroused, was now dismantled, and
tenanted by the vampire. You would have said,
" "Tis now the vampire's bleak abode,
'Tis now the apartment of the toad ;
'Tis here the painful Cliegoe feeds,
'Tis here the dire Labarri breeds,
Conceal'd in ruins, moss, and weeds."
On the outside of the house, nature had nearly re-
assumed her ancient right : a few straggling fruit-trees
were still discernible amid the varied hue of the near
approaching forest ; they seemed like strangers lost, and
bewildered, and unpitied, in a foreign land, destined to
linger a little longer, and then sink down for ever.
I hired some negroes from a woodcutter
Conrerted into .
the author's in another creek to repair the roof ; and
then the house, or at least what remained of
it, became head-quarters for natural history. The frogs,
and here and there a snake, deceived that attention
which the weak in this world generally experience
from the strong, and which the law commonly denomi-
nates an ejectment. But here, neither the frogs nor
serpents were ill-treated ; they sallied forth, without
buffet or rebuke, to choose their place of residence;
the world was all before them. The owls went away
of their own accord, preferring to retire to a hollow
tree rather than to associate with their new landlord.
The bats and vampires stayed with me, and went in and
out as usual.
THIRD JOURNEY. 131
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 required much time and patience to
drive anything 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 Ednion-
stone, nephew to the above gentleman, had a fine
mulatto, capable of learning anything. He requested
me to teach him the art. I did so. He was docile
and active, and was with me all the time in the forest ;
I left him there to keep up this new art of preserving
birds, and to communicate 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 hut, which,
in times long past, had served for a store to keep pro-
visions in, there lived a coloured man and his wife, by
name Backer. Many a kind turn they did to me ; and
I was more than once a service to them and their
children, by bringing to their relief, in time of sickness,
what little knowledge I had acquired of medicine.
I would here, gentle reader, wish to draw thy atten-
Raimentand *i°n> ^or a ^ew minutes, to physic, raiment,
and diet. Shouldst thou ever wander
through these remote and dreary wilds, forget not to
carry with thee bark, laudanum, calomel, and jalap, and
the lancet. There are no druggist shops here, nor sons
of Galen to apply to in time of need. I never go en-
cumbered with many clothes. A thin flannel waistcoat
under a check shirt, a pair 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
K2
132 WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA.
retarded me in the chase of wild beasts ; and in the
rainy season they would have kept me in a perpetual
state of damp and moisture. I eat moderately, and
never drink wine, spirits, or fermented liquors in any
climate. This abstemiousness has ever proved a faith-
ful friend ; it carried me triumphant through the epi-
demia at Malaga, where death made such havoc about
the beginning of the present century ; and it has since
befriended me in many a fit of sickness, brought on by
exposure to the noon-day sun, to the dews of night, to
the pelting shower, and unwholesome food.
Perhaps it will be as well, here, to mention a fever
which came on, and the treatment of it ; it may pos-
sibly be of use to thee, shouldst thou turn wanderer in
the tropics : a word OP two also of a wound I got in
the forest, and then we will say no more of the little
accidents which sometimes occur, and attend solely to
natural history. "We shall have an opportunity of see-
ing the wild animals 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 informa-
tion, or a near observance, have crept into their several
histories.
It was in the month of June, when the sun was
Severe at- within a few days of Cancer, that I had a
tack of fever. gevere attack of fever> Tnere had been a
deluge of rain, accompanied with tremendous thunder
and lightning, and very little sun. Nothing could
exceed the dampness of the atmosphere. For two or
three 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
THIRD JOURNEY. 133
was merely slumber. This was the time to have taken
medicine ; but I neglected to do so, though I had just
been reading, " 0 navis referent in mare te novi fluctus,
0 quid agis ? fortiter occupa portum." I awoke at
midnight ; a cruel headache, thirst, and pain in the
small of the back, informed me what the case was.
Had Chiron himself 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 down 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 was no remission of fever or headache,
though the pain of 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 headache almost insup-
portable, especially on looking to the right or left. I
now opened a vein, and made a large orifice, to allow
the blood to rush out rapidly ; I closed it after losing
sixteen ounces. I then steeped my feet in warm water,
and got into the hammock. After bleeding, the pulse
fell to ninety, and the head was much relieved ; but
during the night, which was very restless, the pulse
rose again to one hundred and twenty, and at times the
134 WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA.
headache was distressing. I relieved the headache from
time to time, by applying cold water to the temples, and
holding a wet handkerchief there. The next morning
the fever ran very high, and I took five more grains of
calomel and ten of jalap, determined, whatever might
be the case, this should be the last dose of calomel.
About two o'clock in the afternoon the fever remitted,
and a copious perspiration came on ; there was no more
headache, nor thirst, nor pain in the back, and the
following night was comparatively a good one. The
next morning I swallowed a large dose of castor oil : it
was genuine, for Louisa Backer had made it from the
seeds of the trees which grew near the door. I was
now entirely free from all symptoms of fever, or appre-
hensions of a return ; and the morning after I began to
take bark, and continued it for a fortnight. This put
all to rights.
Meets with The story of the wound I got in the forest,
an accident. &n(j the mode Qf cm^ aJ.Q ve]y 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 woodpecker, as I ran along, than of the
way before me, I trod upon a little hardwood stump,
which was just about an inch or so above the ground ;
it entered the hollow part of my foot, making a deep
and lacerated wound there. It had brought me to the
ground, and there I lay till a transitory fit of sickness
went off. I allowed it to bleed freely, and on reaching
head-quarters, washed it well and probed it, to feel if
any foreign body was left within it. Being satisfied
that there was none, I brought the edges of the wound
together, and then put a piece of lint on it, and over
that a very large poultice, which was changed morning,
THIRD JOURNEY. 135
noon, and night. Luckily, Backer had a cow or two
upon the hill ; now, as heat and moisture are the two
principal virtues of a poultice, nothing could produce
those two qualities better than fresh cow-dung boiled :
had there been no cows there, I could have made it
with boiled grass and leaves. I now took entirely to
the hammock, placing the foot higher than the knee ;
this prevented it from throbbing, and was, indeed, the
only position in which I could be at ease. When the
inflammation was completely subdued, I applied a wet
cloth to the wound, and every now and then steeped
the foot in cold water duiing the day, and at night
again applied a poultice. The wound was now healing
fast, and in three weeks from the time of the accident
nothing but a scar remained ; so that I again sallied
forth sound and joyful, and said to myself —
" I, pedes quo t« rapiunt et aura
Dum favet sol, et locus, i secundo
Online, et conto latebras, ut olim,
Rumpe ferarum."
Now, this contus was a tough light pole, eight feet long,
on the end of which was fixed an old bayonet. I never
went into the canoe without it ; it was of great use in
starting the beasts and snakes out of the hollow trees,
and in case of need, was an excellent defence.
In 1819, I had the last conversation with
Lastconver- _. _ _ . , ... ,
sation with sir bir Joseph .Banks. I saw with sorrow that
death was going to rob us of him. We talked
much of the present mode adopted by all museums in
stuffing quadrupeds, and condemned it as being very
imperfect : still we could not find out a better way ; and
at last concluded, that the lips and nose ought to be cut
off, and replaced with wax ; it being impossible to make
those parts appear like life, as they shrink to nothing, and
136 WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA.
render the stuffed specimens in the different museums
horrible to look at. The defects in the legs and feet
would not he quite so glaring, being covered with hair.
I had paid great attention to this subject
Stuffing
birds and for above fourteen years ; still it would not
quadrupeds. .
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 would answer. I
tried it the next day, and succeeded according to ex-
pectation.
By means of this process, which is very simple, we
can now give every feature back again to the animal's
face, after it has been skinned; and when necessary,
stamp grief, or pain, or pleasure, or rage, or mildness
upon it. But more of this hereafter.
Let us now turn our attention to the
Sloth, whose 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 perpetual state of pain, that
he is proverbially slow in his movements, that he is a
prisoner in space, and that as soon as he has consumed
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 is 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,
THIRD JOURNEY. 137
that though all other quadrupeds may be described
while resting upon the ground, the sloth is an exception
to this rule, and that his history must be written while
he is in 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 this his upper
element. He is a scarce and solitary animal, and being
good food, he is never allowed to escape. He inhabits
remote and gloomy forests, where snakes take
Lives in ....
gloomy fo- up their abode, and where cruelly stinging
rests. .
ants and scorpions, and swamps, and innu-
merable thorny shrubs and bushes, obstruct the steps
of civilized man. Were you to draw your own con-
clusions from the descriptions which have been given
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
haunts, 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 unfit 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
ease 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
138 WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA.
been penned down with the slightest intention to mis-
lead the reader, or give him an exaggerated history, hut
that these errors 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 ex-
tend far and wide on every side of us. This, then, is
the proper place to go in quest of the sloth. We will
first take a near view of him. By obtaining a know-
Anatomy of ledge of his anatomy, we shall be enabled
the sloth. £O account for his movements hereafter, when
we see him in his proper haunts. His fore-legs, or,
more correctly speaking, his arms, are apparently much
too long, while his hind-legs are very short, and look
as if they could be bent almost to the shape of a cork-
screw. Both the fore and hind-legs, by their form,
and by the manner in which they are joined to the
body, are quite incapacitated from acting in a perpen-
dicular direction, or in supporting it on the earth as the
bodies of other quadrupeds are supported, by their legs.
Hence, when you place him on the floor, his belly
touches the ground. Now, granted that he supported
himself on his legs like other animals, nevertheless he
would be in pain, for he has no soles to his feet, and
his claws 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
surface, the sloth would actually be quite stationary ;
but as the ground is generally rough, with little pro-
THIRD JOURNEY. 139
tuberances upon it, such as stones, or roots of grass, &c.,
this just suits the sloth, and he moves his fore-legs 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 uncomfortable 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 imme-
diately 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 would 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
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
to inhabit the trees : still these may change their relative
situations without feeling much inconvenience : but the
sloth is doomed to spend his whole life in the trees ; and
140 WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA.
what is more extraordinary, 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 must have a very different formation
from that of any other known quadruped.
Hence, his seemingly bungled conformation is at once
accounted for ; and in lieu of the sloth leading a painful
F.fe, and entailing a melancholy and miserable existence
on its progeny, it is but fair to surmise that it just
enjoys life as much as any other animal, and that its
extraordinary formation and singular habits are but
further proofs to engage us to admire the wonderful
works of Omnipotence.
It must be observed, that the sloth does not hang
head downwards like the vampire. When asleep, he
supports himself from a branch parallel to the earth.
He first seizes the branch 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 would be at a loss to know 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 it hang down, it would become the sport of
the winds. Thus his deficiency of tail is a benefit to
him; it is merely an apology for a tail, scarcely ex-
ceeding an inch and a half in length.
I 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 animals, and, I
believe, hitherto unnoticed by naturalists ; his hair is
THIRD JOURNEY. 1
thick and coarse at the extremity, and gradually tapers
to the root, where it becomes fine as a 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 difficult to
make him out when he is at rest.
The male of the three-toed sloth has a longitudinal
bar of very fine black hair on his back, rather lower
than the shoulder-blades ; on each side of this black bar
there is a space of yellow hair, equally 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, we 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 pronounc-
ing them a bungled composition, as a celebrated natu-
ralist has done, we shall consider them as remarkably
well calculated to perform their extraordinary functions.
As the sloth is an inhabitant of forests within the
tropics, where the trees touch each other in the greatest
profusion, there seems to be no reason why he should
confine himself to one tree alone for food, and entirely
strip it of its leaves. During the many years I have
ranged the forests, I have never seen a tree in such a
state of nudity ; indeed, I would hazard a conjecture,
that, by the time the animal had finished the last of the
old leaves, there would be a new crop on the part of
the tree he had stripped first, ready for him to begin
again, so quick is the process of vegetation in these
countries.
There is a saying amongst the Indians, that when
the wind blows, the sloth begins to travel. In calm,
weather he remains tranquil, probably not liking to
142 WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA.
cling 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 of 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 considerable 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.
Thus, it would appear that the different histories we
have of this quadruped are 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 haunts ; and secondly, they have
described him in a situation in which he was never
intended by nature to cut a figure ; I mean on the
ground. The sloth is as much at a loss to proceed on
his journey upon a smooth and level floor, as a man
would be who had to walk a mile in stilts upon a line
of feather beds.
One day, as we were crossing the Essequibo, I saw
•The two- a large two-toed sloth on the ground upon
toed sloth. the bank. how he had got there nobody
could tell : the Indian said he had never surprised a
sloth 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 as it
may, though the trees were not above twenty yards
from him, he could not make his way through the sand
THIRD JOURNEY. 143
time enough to escape before 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 misfortune ; the forest is large
enough both for thee and me to rove in : go thy ways
up above, and enjoy thyself in these endless wilds : it is
more than probable thou wilt never have another inter-
view with man. So fare thee well." On saying this, I
took a long stick which was lying there, held it for him
to hook on, and then conveyed him to a high and
stately mora. He ascended with wonderful rapidity,
and in about a minute he was almost at the top of the
tree. He now went off in a side direction, 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 betwixt us ; and then I lost
sight for ever of the two-toed sloth. I was going to
add, that I never saw a sloth take to his heels in such
earnest ; but the expression will not do, for the sloth
has no heels.
That which naturalists have advanced of his being so
tenacious of life, is perfectly true. I 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 quickly. 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 much for this harmless, unoffending animal. He
holds a conspicuous place in the catalogue of the animals
144 WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA.
of the new world. Though naturalists have made no
mention of what follows, still it is not less true on that
account. The sloth is the only quadruped known
which spends its whole life from the branch of a tree,
suspended by his feet. I have paid uncommon attention
to him in his native haunts. The monkey and squirrel
will seize a branch with their fore-feet, and pull them-
selves up, and rest or run 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 ob-
served 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 ease
in any situation, where his body is higher, or above his
feet. We will now take our leave of him.
In the far-extending wilds of Guiana, the
traveller will be astonished at the immense
quantity of ants which 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 ground. In this
covered way thousands are perpetually passing and
repassing ; and if you destroy part of it, they turn to,
and immediately 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, each carrying in its mouth to its nest a green leaf,
the 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.
THIRD JOURNEY. 145
Three species The ants have their enemies, as well as
the rest of animated nature. Amongst the
foremost of these stand 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 about six feet from the
snout to the end of the tail. He is the most inoffensive
of all animals, and never injures the property of man.
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 grows. There he goes up
and down in quest 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 speed. "With-
out swiftness to enable him to escape from his enemies,
without teeth, the possession of which would assist him
in self-defence, and without the power of burrowing in
the ground, by which he might conceal himself from
his pursuers, he still is capable of ranging through
these wilds in perfect safety ; nor does he fear the fatal
pressure of the serpent's fold, or the teeth of the
famished jaguar. Xature has formed his fore-legs
wonderfully thick, and strong, and muscular, and
armed his feet with three 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. JSor does the ant-bear, in the
meantime, 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, excepting the land-
tortoise. His skin is of a texture that perfectly resists
L
146 WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA.
the bite of a dog; his hinder parts are protected by
thick and shaggy hair, while his immense tail is large
enough to cover his whole body.
The Indians have a great dread of coming in contact
with the ant-bear ; and after disabling him in the chase,
never think of approaching 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 pecu-
liar 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
terrestrial animals, the sloth excepted, you will be in
error. Examine only a figure of this animal in books
of natural history, or inspect a stuffed specimen in the
best museums, and you will see that the fore-claws are
just in the same forward attitude as those of a dog, or
a common bear, when he walks or stands. But this is
a distorted and unnatural position ; and in life, would
be a painful and intolerable attitude for the ant-bear.
The length and 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
quite bent inwards ; the claws collected into a point,
and going under the foot. In this position he is quite
at ease ; while his long claws are disposed of in a
manner to render them harmless to him, and are pre-
vented from becoming dull and worn, like those of the
dog, which would inevitably be the case, did thei
points come in actual contact with the ground ; for his
claws have not that retractile power which is given
animals of the feline species, by which they are enabled
THIRD JOURNEY. 147
to preserve the sharpness of their claws on the most
flinty path. A slight inspection of the fore-feet of the
ant-bear will immediately convince you of the mistake
artists and naturalists have fallen into, by putting his
fore-feet in the same position as those of other quad-
rupeds ; for you will perceive that the whole outer side
of his foot is not only deprived of hair, but is hard
and callous — proof positive of its being in perpetual
contact with the ground. Now, on the contrary, the
inner side of the bottom of his foot is soft and rather
hairy.
Peculiarity There is another singularity in the
onfttheanl^ryanatomy of the ant-bear, I believe, as yet
bear- unnoticed in the page of natural history.
He has two very large glands situated below the root
of the tongue. From these is emitted a glutinous
liquid, with which his long tongue is lubricated when
he puts it into the ants' nests. These glands are of the
same substance as those found in the lower jaw of the
woodpecker. The secretion from them, when wet, is
very clammy and adhesive, but on being dried it loses
these qualities, and you can pulverize it betwixt your
finger and thumb ; so that, in dissection, if any of it
has got upon the fur of the animal, or the feathers of
the bird, allow it to dry there, and then it may be
removed without leaving the least stain behind.
The ant-bear is a pacific animal. He is never the
first to begin the attack. His motto may be, " Noli me
tangere." As his habits and his haunts differ materially
from those of every other animal in the forest, their
interests never clash, and thus he might 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
L2
148 WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA.
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 hold of his enemy with his tremendous claws, the
invader is sure to pay for his rashness with the loss
of life.
We will now take a view of the Vampire. As there
was a free entrance and exit to the vampire,
in the loft where I slept, I had many a fine
opportunity of paying attention to this nocturnal sur-
geon. He does not always live on blood. When the
moon shone bright, and the fruit of the banana-tree
was ripe, I could see him approach and eat it. He
would also bring into the loft, 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 sawarri nut-tree, which was grateful
to him ; for on coming up Waratilla creek, in a moon-
light night, 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 I 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
abode in flowers.
The vampire, in general, measures about twenty-six
inches from wing to wing extended, though I once
killed one which measured thirty-tv^o inches. He fre-
quents old abandoned houses and hollow trees; and
THIRD JOURNEY. 149
sometimes a cluster of them may be seen in the forest
hanging head downwards from the branch of a tree.
Goldsmith seems to have been aware that the vam-
pire hangs in clusters ; for in the " Deserted Village,"
speaking of America, he says, —
" And matted woods, where birds forget to sing,
But silent bats in drowsy clusters cling."
The vampire has a curious membrane, which rises
from the nose, and gives it a very singular appearance.
It has been remarked before, that there are two species
of vampire in Guiana, a larger and a smaller. The
larger sucks men and other animals ; the smaller seems
to confine himself chiefly to birds. I learnt from a
gentleman, high up in the river Demerara, that he was
completely unsuccessful with his fowls, on account of
the small vampire. He showed me some that had been
sucked the night before, and they were -scarcely able
to walk.
Some years ago I went to the river Paumaron with a
Scotch gentleman, by name Tarbet. We
hung our hammocks in the thatched loft of a
planter's house. Next morning I heard this gentleman
muttering in his hammock, and now and then letting
fall an imprecation or two, just about the time he ought
to have been saying his morning prayers. " What is-
the matter, Sir," said I, softly; " is anything amiss ? "
" What's the matter ! " answered he, surlily ; " why,
the vampires have been sucking me to death." As soon
as there was light enough, I went to his hammock, and
saw it much stained with blood. " There," said her
thrusting his foot out of the hammock, " see how these
infernal imps have been drawing my life's blood." On
150 WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA.
examining his 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 oozing 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 a 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 I had better have spared this piece of ill-
timed levity.
Species of -^ was no* *ke last punishment of this
large red Ant. g00(j 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 Hanger, sometimes
Coushie. These ants march in millions 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,
but go quite through it. Though they sting cruelly
when molested, the 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 different ways. Paumaron
is famous for crabs, and strangers who go thither con-
sider them the greatest luxury. The Scotch gentleman
made a very capital dinner on crabs ; but this change
of diet was productive of unpleasant circumstances : he
THIRD JOURNEY. 151
awoke in the night in that state in which Virgil de-
scribes Cseleno to have been, viz. " foedissima ventris
proluvies." Up he got, to verify the remark,
" Berius aut citius, sedem properamus ad unam."
Now, unluckily for himself, and the nocturnal tran-
quillity of the planter's house, just at that unfortunate
hour the coushie ants were passing across the seat of
Cloacina's temple ; he had 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 have caused a greater recoil. Up he jumped,
and forced his way out, roaring for help and for a light,
for he was worried alive by ten thousand devils. The
fact is, he had 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 watch-
man had fallen asleep, and it was some time before a
light could be procured, the fire having gone out ; in
the meantime, the poor gentleman was suffering an in-
describable martyrdom, and would have found himself
more at home in the Augean stable than in the planter's
house.
I had often wished to have been once sucked by the
vampire, in order that I might have it in my power to
say it had really happened to me. There can be no
pain in the operation, for the patient is always asleep
when the vampire is sucking him ; and as for the loss
of a few ounces of blood, that would be a trifle in the
long run. Many a night have I slept with my foot out
152 WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA.
of the hammock to tempt this winged surgeon, expect-
ing that he would be there ; but it was all in vain ; the
vampire never sucked me, and I could never account
for his not doing so, for we were inhabitants of the
same loft for months together.
The Anna- The Armadillo is very common in these
forests ; he burrows in the sand-hills like a
rabbit As it often takes a considerable time to dig
him out of his hole, it would be a long and laborious
business to attack each hole indiscriminately without
knowing whether the animal were 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
armadillo is in it : wherever 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 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 further 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 armadillo, 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 consider 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
THIRD JOURNEY. 153
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 would 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 surprised, he is
sure to be near the mouth of his hole. Every part of
the armadillo 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.
On inspecting the arrangement of the shell, it puts
you very much in mind of a coat of armour ; indeed it
is a natural coat of armour to the armadillo, and being
composed both of scale and bone, it affords ample
security, and has a pleasing effect.
The Land Often, when roving in the wilds, I would
tortoise. fa^ jn wj^ ^e Lanci tortoise ; he 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
154 WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA.
lie 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 com-
mon 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 quad-
rupeds, and have some very particular mark, or mode of
existence, different from all other animals. The sloth
has four feet, but never can use them to support his
body on the earth ; they want soles, which are a marked
feature in the feet of other animals. The ant-bear has
not a tooth in his head, still he roves fearless on, in
the same forests with the jaguar 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 quadruped is seen. The
armadillo has only here and there a straggling hair, and
has neither fur, nor wool, nor bristles, but in lieu of
them has received a movable shell, on which 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
obedient to the will or pleasure of the bearer. The egg
of the tortoise has a very hard shell, while that of the
turtle is quite soft.
In some parts of these forests I saw the
The Vanilla. . .
Vanilla growing luxuriantly. It creeps up
the trees to the height of thirty or forty feet. I found
it difficult to get a ripe pod, as the monkeys are very
fond of it, and generally take care to get there before
THIRD JOURNEY. 155
me. The pod hangs from the tree in the shape of a
little scabbard. Yayna is the Spanish for a scabbard,
and Vanilla for a little scabbard. Hence the name.
In Mibiri creek there was a Cayman of
Shoots a . .
Cayman in the small species, measuring about five ieet
Mibiri creek. . . i <?
in length ; I saw it in the same place tor
months, but could never get a shot at it ; for the
moment I thought I was sure of it, it dived under 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 already 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.
Negro ser- ^7 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, monkeys,
hawks, and grubs. The Daddy made three or four
meals on this cayman while it was not absolutely
putrid, and salted the rest. I could never get him to
face a snake ; the horror he betrayed on seeing 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 examin-
Speeies of . rr J .
the Capri- ing several species of the Caprimulgus. 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 the moon shone bright,
156 WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA.
I would frequently go and stand within three yards of a
cow, and distinctly see the oaprinmlgus 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
The Wasps, . . f • XT.
or Maribnn- 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 underside 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 dessert after dinner, but
my stomach was offended 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
Snakes and is n°t much danger in roving amongst snakes
wild beasts. an(j wild beastS; provided only that you have
self-command. You must never approach them ab-
ruptly ; 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 defend himself from
what he considers an attack upon him, makes the
intruder feel the deadly effect 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
THIRD JOURNEY. 157
him too suddenly, it is ten to one but that he had
retired, in lieu of disputing the path with you. The
labarri snake is very poisonous, and I have often
approached within two yards of him without fear. I
took care to move very softly and gently, without
moving niy 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 offering 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 day, wishful to see how the poison
live Labarri comes out of the fang of the snake, I caught
a labarri alive. He was about eight feet long.
I held him by the neck, and my hand was so near his
jaw, that he had not room to move his head to bite it.
This was the only position I could have held him in
with safety and effect. 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. Towards the
point of the fang, there is a little oblong aperture on
the convex side of it. Through this, there is a com-
munication down the fang to the root, at which lies a
little bag containing the poison. Is"ow, 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
158 WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA.
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, he was as
brisk and vigorous as ever, and in the course of the day
showed no symptoms of being affected. Is then the life
of the snake proof against its own poison 1 This subject
is not unworthy of the consideration of the naturalist.
The Bete- ^n Guiana there is a little insect in the
grass, and on the shrubs, which the French
call Bete-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 way to get rid of it, is to rub the
part affected with oil or rum. You must be careful
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, the bete-rouge, and my own want of know-
ledge, and, I may add, the little attention I paid to it,
created an ulcer above the ankle, 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 inflammation.
Tho Still more inconvenient, painful, and an-
Chegoe. n0ying is another 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
THIRD JOURNEY. 159
animal. It attacks different 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
unpleasant. In a day or so, after examining the part,
you perceive a place about the size 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 to be
the nest of the chegoe, containing hundreds of eggs,
which, if allowed to hatch there, the young ones will
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, and 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 effectually
destroy any chegoe that may be lurking there. Some-
times I 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 see that they were
clear of chegoes. Now and then a nest would escape
the scrutiny, and then I had to smart for it a day or
two after. A chegoe 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 himself in the skin. I then let him feel the
point of my knife, and exterminated him.
160 WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA.
More than once, after sitting down upon
Ticks.
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 aU faU off.
Let us now forget for awhile the quadrupeds, ser-
pents, and insects, and take a transitory view of the
native Indians of these forests.
Principal There are five principal nations or tribes
tribeTof in- °f Indians in ci-devant Dutch Guiana, com-
monly known by the name of Warow, Aro-
wack, Acoway, Carib, and Macoushi. They live in small
hamlets, which consist of a few huts, never exceeding
twelve in number. These huts are always in the forest,
near a river or some creek. They are open on all
sides, (except those of the Macoushi,) aud 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 com-
monly made of cotton ; though those of the
Warows are formed from the asta-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 which surround the huts, and there
plant pepper, papaws, sweet and bitter cassava, plan-
tains, sweet potatoes, yams, pine-apples, and silk-grass.
Besides these, they generally have a few acres in some
fertile part of the forest for their cassava, which is as
THIRD JOURNEY. 161
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 cas-
sava. 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 with
sharp stones. They have no cows, horses, mules, goats,
sheep, or asses. The men hunt and fish, and the women
work in the provision-ground, and cook their victuals.
- Fermented -"-n eacn hamlet there is the trunk of a
liquor. large 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 frequency of the brewing
depends upon the superabundance of cassava.
Both men and women go without clothes. The men
have a cotton wrapper, and the women a
Their habits. , ,
bead-ornamented square piece of cotton,
about the ske of your hand, 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 perfumed
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
pulmonary complaints seem to be the chief agents for
removing them to another world. The pulmonary com-
plaints are generally brought on by a severe cold, which
they do not know how to arrest in its progress, by the
M
162 WANDERINGS IN SOOTH AMERICA.
use of the lancet. I never saw an idiot amongst them,
nor could I perceive any that were deformed from their
birth. Their women never perish in childbed, owing,
no doubt, to their never wearing stays.
They have no public religious ceremony.
Religious _ J . J
customs and They acknowledge two superior beings, — a
ceremonies.
good one and a bad one. They pray to the
latter not to hurt them, and they are of opinion that
the former is too good to do them an injury. I suspect,
if the truth were known, the individuals of the village
never offer up a single prayer or ejaculation. They
have a kind of priest, called a Pee-ay-man, who is an
enchanter. He finds out things lost. He mutters
prayers to the evil spirit over them and their children
when they are sick. If a fever be in the village, the
Pee-ay-man goes about all night long, howling and
making dreadful noises, and begs the bad spirit to
depart. But he has very seldom to perform this part
of his duty, as fevers seldom visit the Indian hamlets.
However, 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 make a new
settlement elsewhere. They consider the owl and the
goatsucker as familiars of the evil spirit, and never
destroy them.
I could find no monuments or marks of antiquity
amongst these Indians; so that after penetrating to
the Bio Branco, from the shores of the Western Ocean,
had anybody questioned me on this subject, I should
have answered, I have seen nothing amongst these
Indians which tells me that they have existed here
for a century ; though, for aught I know to the con-
trary, they may have been here before the Kedemption ;
THIRD JOURNEY. 163
but their total want of civilization 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 j he
has left no record behind him, either on parchment, or
on a stone, or in earthenware, to say what he has done.
Perhaps the place where his buried ruins lie was un-
healthy, 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 formerly. 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 serpents and caymen, and noted in
the chase of the tapir and wild boar, but that he re-
members 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 communication with the whites, they have no
inclination to become civilized. Some Indians who
have accompanied 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, there is a
large shed, open on all sides, built for them by order of
government. Hither the Indians come with monkeys,
parrots, bows and arrows, and pegalls. They sell these
M2
164 WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA.
to the white men for money, and too often purchase
rum with it, to which they are wonderfully addicted.
Government allows them annual presents, in order to
have their services when the colony deems it necessary
to scour the forests in quest of runaway negroes. For-
merly these expeditions were headed by Charles Edmon-
stone, Esq. now of Cardross-park, near Dumbarton.
This brave colonist never returned from the woods
without being victorious. Once, in an attack upon the
rebel negroes' camp, he led the way, and received two
balls in his body; at the same moment that he was
wounded, two of his Indians fell dead by his side ; he
recovered after his life was despaired of, but the balls
could never be extracted.
Since the above appeared in print, I have had the
account of this engagement with the negroes in the
forest from Mr. Edmonstone' s own mouth.
He received four slugs in his body, as will be seen in
the sequel.
The plantations of Demerara and Essequibo are
bounded by an almost interminable extent of forest.
Hither the runaway negroes repair, and form settle-
ments, from whence they issue to annoy the colonists,
as occasion may offer.
In 1801, the runaway slaves had increased to an
alarming extent. The Governor gave orders, that an
expedition should be immediately organized, and pro-
ceed to the woods, under the command of Charles
Edmonstone, Esq. General Hislop sent him a corporal,
a sergeant, and eleven men, and he was joined by a part
of the colonial militia, and by sixty Indians.
With this force Mr. Edmonstone entered the forest,
and proceeded in a direction towards Mahaica.
THIRD JOURNEY. 165
He marched for eight days through swamps, and over
places obstructed by fallen trees and the bush-rope ;
tormented by myriads of mosquitos, and ever in fear
of treading on the poisonous snakes, which can scarcely
be distinguished from the fallen leaves.
At last he reached a wooded sand-hill, where the
Maroons had intrenched themselves in great force. Not
expecting to come so soon upon them, Mr. Edmonstone,
his faithful man Coffee, and two Indian chiefs, found
themselves considerably a-head of their own party. As
yet, they were unperceived by the enemy, but, unfortu-
nately, one of the Indian chiefs fired a random shot at
a distant Maroon. Immediately the whole negro camp
turned out, and formed themselves in a crescent, in
front of Mr. Edmonstone. Their chief was an uncom-
monly fine negro, about six feet in height ; and his
head-dress was that of an African warrior, ornamented
with a profusion of small shells. He advanced un-
dauntedly with his gun in his hand, and, in insulting
language, called out to Mr. Edmonstone to come on and
fight him.
Mr. Edmonstone approached him slowly, in order
to give his own men time to come up ; but they were
yet too far off for him to profit by this manoeuvre.
Coffee, who carried his master's gun, now stepped up
behind him, and put the gun into his hand, which
Mr. Edmonstone received without advancing it to his
shoulder.
He was now within a few yards of the Maroon chief,
who seemed to betray some symptoms of uncertainty ;
for instead of firing directly at Mr. Edmonstone, he
took a step sideways and rested his gun against a tree,
no doubt with the intention of taking a surer aim.
166 WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA.
Mr. Edmonstone, on perceiving this, immediately cocked
his gun, and fired it off, still holding it in the position
in which he had received it from Coffee.
The whole of the contents entered the negro's body,
and he dropped dead on his face.
The negroes, who had formed in a crescent, now in
their turn fired a volley, which brought Mr. Edmon-
stone and his two Indian chiefs to the ground. The
Maroons did not stand to reload, but on Mr. Edmon-
stone's party coming up, they fled precipitately into the
surrounding forest.
Four slugs had entered Mr. Edmonstone's body.
After coming to himself, on looking around he saw one
of the fallen Indian chiefs bleeding by his side. He
accosted him by name, and said he hoped he was not
much hurt. The dying Indian had just strength enough
to answer, " Oh no," — and then expired. The other
chief was lying quite dead. He must have received
his mortal wound just as he was in the act of cocking
his gun to fire on the negroes ; for it appeared that the
ball which gave him his death-wound had carried off
the first joint of his thumb, and passed through his
forehead. By this time his wife, who had accompanied
the expedition, came up. She was a fine young woman,
and had her long black hair fancifully braided in a
knot on the top of her head, fastened with a silver
ornament. She unloosed it, and falling on her hus-
band's body, covered it with her hair, bewailing his
untimely end with the most heart-rending cries.
The blood was now running out of Mr. Edmonstone's
shoes. On being raised up, he ordered his men to pur-
sue the flying Maroons, requesting at the same time
that he might be left where he had fallen, as he felt
THIRD JOURNEY. 167
that lie was mortally wounded. They gently placed
him on the ground, and after the pursuit of the
Maroons had ended, the corporal and sergeant returned
to their commander, and formed their men. On his
asking what this meant, the sergeant replied, " I had
the General's orders, on setting out from town, not to
leave you in the forest, happen what might." By slow
and careful marches, as much as the obstructions in the
woods would admit of, the party reached Plantation
Alliance, on the bank of the Demerara, and from thence
it crossed the river to Plantation Vredestein.
The news of the rencounter had been spread far and
wide by the Indians, and had already reached town.
The General, Captains Macrai and Johnstone, and
Doctor Dunkin, proceeded to Vredestein. On examin-
ing Mr. Edmonstone's wounds, four slugs were found
to have entered the body ; one was extracted, the rest
remained there till the year 1824, when another was
cut out by a professional gentleman of Port-Glasgow.
The other two still remain in the body ; and it is sup-
posed that either one or both have touched a nerve,
as they cause almost continual pain. Mr. Edmonstone
has commanded fifteen different expeditions in the
forest in quest of the Maroons. The Colonial Govern-
ment has requited his services, by freeing his pro-
perty from all taxes, and presenting him a handsome
sword, and a silver urn bearing the following inscrip-
tion : —
" Presented to CHARLES EDMONSTONE, Esq. by the Governor
and Court of Policy of the Colony of Demerara; as a token of
their esteem, and the deep sense they entertain of the very great
activity and spirit manifested by him, on various occasions, in
his successful exertions for the internal security of the Colony. —
January 1st, 1809."
168 'WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA.
I do not believe that there is a single Indian in ci-
devant Dutch Guiana who can read or write,
General Re- nor am j aware that any white man has
reduced their language to the rules of gram-
mar ; some may have made a short manuscript vocabu-
lary of the few necessary words, but that is all. Here
and there a white man, and some few people of colour,
talk the language well. The temper of 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. Men in general will not be 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 idea of making pleasure-grounds. Money is of no
use to him, for in these wilds there are no markets for
him to frequent, nor milliners' shops for his wife and
daughters ; he has no taxes to pay, no highways to
keep up, no poor to maintain, nor army nor navy to
supply ; 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 con-
sumed 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 hunt-
ing the wild boar, he stops for the night, and continues
the chase the next morning. In my way through the
wilds to the Portuguese frontier, I had a proof of this.
THIRD JOURNEY. 169
We were eight in number, six Indians, a negro, and
myself. About ten o'clock in the morning we observed
the feet-mark of the wild boars ; we judged by the fresh-
ness of the marks that they had passed that way early
the same 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 with his eye as the dog is with 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 hour the Indians shot
more fish with their arrows than we could consume.
The night was beautifully serene and clear, and the moon
shone as bright as day. ISText morn we rose at dawn, got
breakfast, 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 we
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 mouth like
hounds. We pushed on in silence, and soon came up
with them ; there were about one hundred of them ;
we killed six, and the rest took off in different direc-
tions. But to the point.
Amongst us the needy man works from light to dark
for a maintenance. Should this man chance to acquire
a fortune, he soon changes his habits. I^o longer under
" strong necessity's supreme command," he contrives to
get out of bed between nine and ten in the morning.
His servant helps him to dress, he walks on a soft
170 WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA.
carpet to his breakfast table, his wife pours out his tea,
and his servant hands him his toast. After breakfast,
the doctor advises a little gentle exercise in the car-
riage for an hour or so. At dinner-time he sits down
to a table groaning beneath the weight of heteroge-
neous 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 draw-
ing-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 chair
at rest, till he retires for the night. He mounts
leisurely upstairs upon a carpet, and enters his bed-
room : there, one would hope that at least he mutters
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 warm-
ing-pan. Now, could the Indian in his turn see this
he would call the white men a lazy, indolent 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
Indian me-
thod '.of com- whatever of communicating his intentions
inunication.
by writing, he has fallen upon a plan of
communication sure and simple. When two or three
families have determined to come down the river and
pay you a visit, they send an Indian beforehand with a
string of beads. You take one bead off every day ;
and on the day that the string is beadless, 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.
THIRD JOURNEY. 171
"When lie is on the meridian, they generally sit down,
and rove onwards again as soon as he has sufficiently
declined to the west ; they require 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 everything around you, conspire
to inform you that man has no habitation 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 offered 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 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 arma-
dillo : and he had his little dog with him. On coming
back, about noon, the dog began to bark at the root 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
172 WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA.
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
search of a 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 discovered ;
but it was a young one, called the Bush-master, a rare
and poisonous snake.
I instantly rose up, and laying hold of the eight-foot
lance, which was close by me, "Well then, Daddy,"
said I, " we'll go and have a look at the snake." I was
bare-foot, with an old hat, 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 when we had got about
half a mile in the forest, the negro stopped, and pointed
to the fallen tree : all was 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 cau-
Finds and rm
secures an tious. The snake was well concealed, but at
enormous . .
Couiacanara last 1 made him out ; it was a Coulacanara
not poisonous, but large enough to have
crushed any of us to death. On measuring him after-
wards, he was something more than fourteen feet long.
THIRD JOURXEY. 173
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 skin-
ning 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 Brouwer, killed a
boa, twenty-two feet long, -with a pair of stag's horns in
his mouth : he had swallowed the stag, but could not
get the horns down. : so he had 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 serpent which the
negro had just found, I retired slowly the way I came,
and promised four dollars to the negro who had shown
it to me, and 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 dissec-
tion, a thought struck me that I could take him alive.
I imagined, if I could strike bim 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 anno." 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
174 WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA.
cutlass from one of the negroes, and then ranging both
the sable slaves behind me, I told them to follow
and that I would cut them down if they offered 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.
When we got up to the place, the serpent had not
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
place for a length of time, as it bore marks of aii
ancient settlement.
I now took my knife, determining to cut away the
woodbine, and break the twigs in the gentlest manner
possible, till I could get a view of his head.
Prepares to *" &
grapple with One negro stood guard close behind me with
the Snake.
the lance; 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 the
body, and was flat on the ground. This was the very
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 to persuade me to let them go for a gun. I
THIRD JOURNEY. 175
smiled in a good-natured manner, and made a feint to
cut them down with the weapon I had in my hand.
This was all the answer I made to their request, and
they looked very 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 lance the moment I struck the snake, and
that the other must attend my movements. It now
only remained to take their cutlasses 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 cutlasses from
them, if I 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 quicker than usual ; and I felt those sensations
which one has on board a merchant vessel in war tune,
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 alarm as much as
possible, lest the snake should glide off, or attack us in
self-defence. I carried the lance perpendicularly before
me, with the point about a foot from the ground. The
snake had not moved ; and on getting up to him I
struck him with the lance on the near side, just behind
the neck, and pinned him to the ground. That moment
the negro next to me seized the lance, and held it firm
in its place, while I dashed head foremost into the den
176 WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA.
to grapple with the snake, and to get hold of his tail
before he could do any mischief.
On pinning 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 I found I
was not heavy enough. He did so, and the additional
weight was of great service. I had now got firm 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
helping me, I contrived to unloose my braces, and with
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
prepared to convey him out of the forest. I stood at
his head, and held it firm under my arm, one negro
supported the belly, and the other the tail. In this
order we began to move slowly towards home, and
reached it after resting ten times ; for the snake was
too heavy for us to support him without stopping to
recruit our strength. As we proceeded onwards with
him, he fought hard for freedom, but it was all in vain.
The day was now too far spent to think of dissecting
him. Had I 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 con-
tain any animal that I should want to dissect. I
THIRD JOURNEY. 177
considered this the best mode of keeping live wild
animals when I was pressed for daylight ; for the bag
yielding in every direction to their efforts, 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 closed, the
bag itself was not fastened or tied to anything, but
moved about wherever the animal inside caused it to
roll. After securing afresh the mouth of the coulaca-
nara, 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 quiet night.
My hammock was in the loft just above him, and 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
Medusa been my wife, there could not have been more
continued and disagreeable hissing in the bed-chamber
that night. At day-break, 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
prudent to have a good force, in case he should try to
escape from the house when we opened the bag. How-
ever, nothing serious occurred.
We untied the mouth of the bag, kept
Kills and
dissects the him down by main force, and then I cut his
Snake.
throat. He 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 expected to have found them ; but
they are exactly suited to what they are intended by
nature to perform. The snake does not masticate his
I
178 WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA.
food, and thus the only service his teeth have to per-
form 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 museum, a wooden head is substituted,
armed with teeth which are large enough to suit a
tiger's jaw ; and this tends to mislead the spectator,
and give him erroneous ideas.
During this fray with the serpent, the old negro,
Daddy Quashi, was in George-town procuring provi-
sions, and just returned in time to help to take the
skin off. He had spent best part of his life in the
forest with his old master, Mr. Edmonstone, and
amused me much in recounting their many adventures
amongst the wild beasts. The Daddy had a particular
horror of snakes, and frankly declared he could never
have faced the one in question.
The week following, his courage was put
another to the test, and he made good his words. It
Suake- • a- 4. j 4. i !
was a curious conmct, and took place near
the spot where I had captured the large snake. In the
morning I had been following a new species of paroquet,
and the day being rainy, I had taken an umbrella to
keep the gun dry, and had left it under a tree ; in the
afternoon I 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 formerly been dragged
along. Here I observed a young coulacanara, ten feet
long, slowly moving onwards ; I saw he was not thick
THIRD JOURNEY. 179
enough to break my arm, in case he got twisted round
it. There was not a moment to be lost. I laid hold
of his tail with the left hand, one knee being on the
ground ; with the right I took off 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 ask
me, what business I had to take liberties with his tail.
I let him come, hissing and open-mouthed, within two
feet of my face, and then, with all the force I was
master of, I drove my fist, shielded by my hat, full in
his jaws. He was stunned and confounded bj' the
blow, and ere he could recover himself, I had seized his
throat with both hands, in such a position that he
could not bite me ; I then allowed him to coil himself
round my body, and marched off with him as my lawful
prize. He pressed me hard, but not alarmingly so.
In the mean time, Daddy Quashi, having found the
umbrella, and having heard the noise which the fray
occasioned, was coming cautiously up. As soon as he
saw me, and in what company I was, he turned about
and ran off home, I after him, and shouting, to increase
his fear. On scolding him for his cowardice, the old
rogue begged that I would forgive him, for that the
sight of the snake had positively turned him sick at
stomach.
When I had done with the carcass of the large
snake, it was conveyed into the forest, as I expected
that it would attract the king of the vultures, as soon
as time should have rendered it sufficiently savoury.
In a few days it sent forth that odour which a carcass
should send forth, and about twenty of the common
vultures came and perched on the neighbouring trees ;
N2
180 WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA.
the king of the vultures came too ; and I observed that
none of the common ones seemed inclined to begin
breakfast till his majesty had finished. When he had
consumed as much 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 King of The head and neck of the king of the
the vultures. vuitures are bare of feathers ; but the beau-
tiful 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 ears down-
Avards, 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 forehead orange, and the cere orange ;
the orbits scarlet, and the irides white. Below the
bare part of the neck there is a cinereous ruff. The
bag of the stomach, which is only seen when distended
with food, is of a most delicate white, intersected with
blue veins, which appear on it just like the blue veins
on the arm of a fair-complexioned 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 live animals, not even upon lizards, rats, mice, or
THIRD JOURNEY. 181
frogs ; I have watched them for hours together, 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 off. I have frequently observed, that 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 lizards ; after shooting one, it turned out
to be not a vulture, but a hawk, with a tail squarer and
shorter than hawks have in general. The vultures,
like the goatsucker and woodpecker, seem to be in dis-
grace with man. They are generally termed a voracious,
stinking, cruel, and ignoble tribe. Under these im-
pressions, the fowler discharges his gun at them, and
probably thinks he has done well in ridding the earth
of such vermin.
Some governments impose a fine on him who kills a
vulture. This 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
countries in giving them the vulture ; he has ordered
it to consume that which, if left to dissolve in putre-
faction, would infect the air and produce 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
182 WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA.
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, will be satisfied that his flight is
wonderfully majestic, and of long continuance.
This bird is above five feet from wing to wing
extended. You will see 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 vulture, and the
Spaniards of Angustura never think of molesting him.
In 1808, I saw the vultures in that city as tame as
domestic fowls ; a person who had never seen a vulture
would have taken them for turkeys. 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.
otherspecies The common black, short, square-tailed
of Vulture, vulture is gregarious ; but the aura vulture
is not so : for, though you may see fifteen or twenty of
them feeding on the 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 acci-
dental, 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
THIRD JOURNEY. 183
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 that 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 con-
trary, the vulture be empty at the time you commence
the operation, 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
Sails in a ca-
noe down to in it to George-town: where, having put in
the Essequibo. °. r
the necessary articles for the expedition, not
forgetting a couple of large shark-hooks, with chains
attached to them, and a coil of strong new 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 eleven
o'clock till two beat perpendicularly upon the top of
my feet, betwixt the shoes and the trowsers. Not feel-
ing it disagreeable, or being in the least aware of painful
consequences, as I had been barefoot for months, I neg-
lected 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
184 WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA.
different from being exposed to the sun while in
motion.
suffers much We went ashore in the Essequibo, about
feeTfrom ex- three o'clock in the afternoon, to choose a
cento heat place for tke j^gj^g residence, to collect
fire-wood, and to set the fish-hooks. It was then that
I first began to find my legs very painful : they soon
became much inflamed, and red, and blistered ; and it
required considerable caution not to burst the blisters,
otherwise sores would have ensued. I immediately got
into the hammock, and there passed a painful and
sleepless night, and for two days after I was disabled
from walking.
About midnight, as I was lying awake, and in great
pain, I heard the Indian say, " Massa, massa,
Visited in the e
night by a Ja- you no hear tiger 1 " I listened attentively,
guar Tiger. J e
and heard the softly-sounding tread of his
feet as he approached us. The moon had gone down ;
but every now and then we could 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 jaguar 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
THIRD JOURNEY. 185
and fro, and at other times we could hear him mend
his pace, as if impatient. At last the Indian, not
relishing the idea of having such company in the
neighbourhood, could contain himself no longer, and
set up a most tremendous yell. The jaguar bounded
off 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, we got to the first
Reaches the ' '
Falls of the falls in the Lssequibo. There was a superb
Essequibo. .
barrier ot rocks quite 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 everything
about taking him. We were a day in passing these
falls and rapids, celebrated for the pacou, the richest
and most delicious fish in Guiana. The coloured man
was now in his element ; 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, and seized the fish as it was struggling
with it. He dived and swam 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 enchant-
ing scenery of the Essequibo ; but that not being the
186 WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA.
case, them 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 tine gradation, all
covered with trees of gigantic height and size. Here
their leaves were of a lively purple, and there of the
deepest green. Sometimes the Caracara extended its
scarlet blossoms from branch to branch, and gave the
tree the appearance as though it had been hung with
garlands.
This delightful scenery of the Essequibo made the
soul overflow with joy, and caused 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 niora, now dead
and ragged in its topmost branches, while 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 the night set in,
and then the 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 splendour. Scarce had he sunk behind the
western hills, when the goatsuckers sent forth their
soft and plaintive cries ; some often repeating, " Who
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 Essequibo. It
THIRD JOURNEY. 187
was delightful 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 owls
and vampires as they every now and then passed up
and down the river.
The Cam- ^ne nex^ day, about noon, as we were
panero. proceeding onwards, we heard the Campanero
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 I could not resist
the opportunity offered of acquiring the campanero.
The place where he was tolling was low and swampy,
and my legs not having quite recovered from the effects
of the sun, I sent the Indian to shoot the campanero.
He got up to the tree, which he described as very high,
with a naked top, and situated in a swamp. He fired
at the bird, but either missed it, or did not wound it
sufficiently to bring it down. This was the only oppor-
tunity I had of getting a campanero during this
expedition. We had never heard one toll before this
morning, and never heard one after.
About an hour before sunset, we reached the place
which |the two men who had joined us at the Falls
pointed out as a proper one to find a cayman. There
wa*1 a large creek close by, and a sand-bank 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.
The Indian found a large land-tortoise, and this, with
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
188 WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA.
night since we had entered the Essequibo. The sound
was awfully fine. Sometimes it was in the immediate
Roaring of neighbourhood ; at other times it was far
the Tigers. of^ an(j echoed amongst the hills like dis-
tant 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 dis-
coverers 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 purpose. 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 end 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 sand-bank.
It was now an hour after sunset. The sky *vas
cloudless, and the moon shone beautifully bright.
There was not a breath of wind in the heavens, and
the river seemed like a large plain of quicksilver.
Every now and then a huge fish would strike and
plunge in the water ; then the owls and goatsuckers
would continue their lamentations, and the sound of
these was lost in the prowling tiger's growl. Then all
was still again and silent as midnight.
THIRD JOURNEY. 189
The caymen were now upon the stir, and at in-
tervals their noise could be distinguished amid that of
Noise of the *ne Ja8uar> *ne owls, the goatsuckers, and
Caymen. frogs. It was a singular 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 off. First one emitted this horrible noise, and
then another answered ; and on looking at the counte-
nances 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 turtle-pot and the other on
the bait in the river, said he saw the cayman coming.
Upon looking towards the place, there appeared
something on the water like a black log of wood. It
•was so unlike anything 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 began to move. The moon shone so bright, that
we could distinctly see him open his huge jaws, and
take in the bait. We pulled the rope. He imme-
diately let drop the bait ; and then we saw his black
head retreating from the board, to the distance of a
few yards ; and there it remained quite 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 to deal with
knaves and cheats, he held it in his mouth, but did not
swallow it. We pulled the rope again, but with no
better success than the first time.
190 WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA.
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, worn out with disappoint-
ment, we went to the hammocks, turned in, and fell
asleep.
When day broke, we found that he had contrived to
get the bait from the hook, though we had tied it on
with string. We had now no more hopes of taking a
cayman till the return of night. The Indian took off
into the woods, and brought back a noble supply of
game. The rest of us went into the canoe, and pro-
ceeded up the river to shoot fish. We got even more
than we could use.
As we approached the shallows, we could see the
large sting-rays moving at the bottom. The coloured
man never failed to hit them with his arrow. The
weather was delightful. There was scarcely a cloud to
intercept the sun's rays.
I saw several scarlet aras, anihingas, and
ducks, but could not get a shot at them.
The parrots crossed the river in innumerable quantities,
almost 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 enough to let fly
an arrow at them, they had all sunk into the river, and
appeared no more.
THIRD JOURNEY. 191
We went on the sand-bank to look for their nests,
as this was the breeding season. The coloured man
Turtles' showed us how to find them. Wherever a
nests. portion of the sand seemed smoother than
the rest, there was sure to be a turtle's nest. On dig-
ging 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 : those which had no speck
were put into dry sand, and were good some weeks
after.
At midnight, two of our people went to this sand-
bank, while the rest stayed to watch the cayman. The
turtle had advanced on to the sand to lay their eggs,
and the men got betwixt them and the water ; they
brought off half a dozen very fine and well-fed turtle.
The egg-shell of the fresh- water turtle is not hard, like
that of the land-tortoise, but appears like white parch-
ment, and gives 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 know-
ledge, till the sun'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, quite unsuccessful. 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
192 WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA.
stage amongst the trees, close to the water's edge.
From this we intended to shoot an arrow into the
cayman : 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, we were to have the canoe
ready, and pursue him in the river.
"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
close to the side of the river. Unfortunately, the
Indian said it was not a jaguar that was roaring, but a
couguar. The couguar is of a pale, brownish
red colour, and not as large as the jaguar.
As there was nothing particular in this animal, I
thought it better to attend to the apparatus for catch-
ing the cayman than to go in quest of the couguar.
The people, however, went in the canoe to the place
where the couguar was roaring. On arriving near the
spot, they saw 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 fired
at him with a ball, but probably missed him, and the
tiger instantly descended, and took off into the woods.
I went 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 no traces of him, or any marks
of blood, so I concluded that 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. I was now con-
vinced that something was materially wrong. We ought
to have been successful, considering our vigilance and
THIRD JOURNEY. 193
attention, and that we had repeatedly seen the cayman.
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
Discharges .
the man of in any expedition where I am commander ;
and so I convinced the man, to his sorrow,
that I could do without him ; for I paid him what I
had agreed to give him, which amounted to eight
dollars, and ordered him back in his own curial to
Mrs. Peterson'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
Reaches a a stranger would have passed it without
Indian se£ kao\ving 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 Orpheus
came back Avith his young wife from Styx, his path must
have been similar to this ; for Ovid says it was
" Arduus, obliquus, caligine densus 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 what
we wanted, and by promising handsome presents of
powder, shot, and hooks, they dropped their expedition,
and invited us up to the settlement they had just left,
and where we laid in a provision of cassava,
o
194 WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA.
They gave us for dinner boiled ant-bear and red
monkey : two dishes unknown even at Beau-
Indian dinner. . , „
villiers in Paris, or at a London city least.
The monkey was very good indeed, but the ant-bear
had been kept beyond its time — it stunk as 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 Indians, three in number, ac-
companied us in their own curial, and, on entering the
river, pointed to a place, a little way above, well calcu-
lated 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 night. 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 be-
twixt 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 laughed at it, and said it would not
do. When he was a boy, he had seen his father catch
the caymen, and on the morrow he would make some-
thing that would answer.
Jn the mean time, we set the shark -hook ; but it
availed us nought : 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 civi-
lized man went, everything had been procured and done
to ensure success. We had hooks, and lines, and baits
THIRD JOURNEY. 195
and patience ; we had spent nights in watching, had
seen the cayman come and take the bait, and, after
our expectations 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, whichever 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 turtles' 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 arrows struck them ; they turned round and
bit it, and snapped at us when we went into the water
to take them out. Daddy Quashi boiled one of them
for his dinner, and found it very sweet and tender. I
do not see why it should not be as good as frog or
veal.
The day was now declining apace, and the Indian
had made his instrument to take the cayman. It was
very simple. There were four pieces of tough 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 con-
ceive the rope to be an arrow, these four sticks would
form the arrow's head; so that one end of the four
united sticks answered to the point of the arrow-head,
o2
196
WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA.
while the other end of the sticks expanded at equal
distances round the rope, thus —
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 was steep and abrupt, 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, and the end of the rope was made fast
to a stake driven well into the sand.
The Indian then took the empty shell of a land-
tcrtoise, and gave it some heavy blows with an axe. I
asked why he did that. He said it was to let the
THIRD JOURNEY. 197
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 caymen.
The roaring of the jaguars was awful ; but it was music
to the dismal noise of these hideous and malicious
reptiles.
About half-past five in the morning, the Indian
, . stole off silently to take a look at the bait.
Succeed m
hooking a Qn arriving at the place he set up a tremen-
Cayman. ° *\ r
dous shout. We all jumped out of our ham-
mocks, and ran to him. The Indians got there before
me, for they had 110 clothes to put on, and I lost two
minutes in looking for my trousers, and in slipping
into them.
We found a cayman, ten feet and a half long, fast to
the end of the rope. Nothing now remained to do but
to get him out of the water without injuring his scales,
" hoc opus, hie labor." We mustered strong : there
were three Indians from the creek, there was my own
Indian (Yan), Daddy Quashi (the negro from Mrs. Pe-
terson's), James (Mr. B. Edmonstone's man, whom I
was instructing to preserve birds), and, lastly, myself.
I informed the Indians that it was my intention to
draw him quietly 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, " consedere duces," they squatted on their hams
with the most perfect indifference.
198 WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMEPICA.
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 off, 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 offered to knock him down for his cowardice,
and he shrank back, begging that I would be cautious,
and not get myself worried, and apologising for his own
want of resolution. My Indian was now in conversa-
tion with the others, and they asked me 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 hundred miles on purpose to get a cayman
uninjured, and not to carryback 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 her thought he should
have dropped down dead with fright, for he was firmly
persuaded, if I had caught him, I should have bundled
him into the cayman's jaws. Here, then, we stood in
silence, like a calm before a thunder-storm. " Hoc res
summa loco. Scinditur in contraria vulgus." 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 con-
siderable 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
THIRD JOURNEY. 199
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 cay-
man'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.
"Brave squad ! " said I to myself, " 'Audax omnia
perpeti,' now that you have got me betwixt
Prepare to * J a
take the Cay- yourselves and danger." I then mustered all
man alive. •
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 lan-
guage.
Daddy Quashi hung in the rear; I showed him a
large Spanish knife, which I always carried in the
waistband of my trousers : it spoke volumes to him,
and he shrugged up his shoulders in absolute despair.
The sun was just peeping over the high forests on the
eastern hills, as if coming to look on, and bid us act
with becoming fortitude. 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.
I 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
200 WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA.
uncomfortable in this situation, and I thought of Cer-
berus on the other side of the Styx ferry. The people
pulled the cayman to the surface ; he plunged furiously
as soon as he arrived in these upper regions, and imme-
diately went below again on their slackening 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. They pulled again, and out he
came, — " monstrum horrendum, informe." This was
an interesting moment. I kept my position firmly,
with my eye fixed stedfastly 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
instantly 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
begun 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 strike, and made my seat very uncom-
fortable. It must have been a fine sight for an un-
occupied spectator.
The people roared out in triumph, and were so voci-
ferous, that it was some time before they heard me tell
them to pull me and my beast of burthen further inland.
I was apprehensive the rope might break, and then there
would have been every chance of going down to the
regions under water with the cayman. That would
THIRD JOURNEY. 201
have been more perilous than Arion's marine morning
ride : —
" Delphini insidens vada cserula sulcat Arion."
The people now dragged us about forty yards on the
sand : it was the first and last time I was ever on a cay-
man's back. Should it be asked, how I managed to keep
my seat, I would 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 tranquil 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 were 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, com-
menced the dissection.
Xow that the affray 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 with the account of
the frays his master had had in the woods with snakes,
wild beasts, and runaway negroes. Old age was now
202 WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA.
coming fast upon 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 another negro, while the Daddy was
engaged in an intrigue.
The back of The back of the cayman may be said to be
the Cayman. aimost 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 would 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 made for snatch and swallow ;
there are thirty -two in each jaw. 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 walk-
ing with Don Felipe de Ynciarte, governor
of Angustura, on the bank of the Oroonoque,
" Stop here a minute or two, Don Carlos," said he to
me, " while I recount a sad accident. One fine evening,
last year, as the people 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, and carry him down, before
anybody had it in his power to assist him. The screams
of the poor fellow were terrible as the cayman was run-
ning off with him. He plunged into the river with his
prey ; we instantly lost sight of him, and never saw or
heard him more."
THIRD JOURNEY. 203
I was a day and a half in dissecting our cayman, and
then we all got ready to return to Demerara.
It was much more perilous to descend than to ascend
the falls in the Essequibo.
Great danger ^ne place we had to pass had proved fatal
IhSofthf to four Indians about a month before. The
Essequibo. water foamed, and dashed, and boiled amongst
the steep and craggy rocks, and seemed to warn us to
be careful how we ventured there.
I was for all hands to get out of the canoe, and then,
after lashing a long rope ahead and astern, we might
have climbed from rock to rock, and tempered her in
her passage down, and our getting out would have
lightened her much. But the negro who had joined
us at Mrs. Peterson's said he was sure it would be safer
to stay in the canoe while she went down the fall. I
was loth to give way to him ; but I did so this time
against my better judgment, as he assured me that he
was accustomed to pass and repass these falls.
Accordingly we determined to push down : I was at
the helm, the rest at their paddles. But before we got
half-way through, the rushing waters deprived the canoe
of all power of steerage, and she became the sport of the
torrent ; in a second she was half full of water, and I
cannot comprehend to this day why she did not go
down ; luckily the people exerted themselves to the
iitmost, 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 distance, got out,
unloaded the canoe, and dried the cargo in the sun,
which was very hot and powerful. Had it been the wet
season, almost everything would have been spoiled.
204 WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA.
After this, the voyage down the Essequibo was quick
and pleasant till we reached the sea-coast : there we had
a trying day of it ; the wind was dead against us, and
the sun remarkably hot ; we got twice aground upon a
inud-flat, and were twice obliged to get out, up to the
middle in mud, to shove the canoe through it. Half-way
betwixt the Essequibo and Demerara the tide of flood
caught us ; and after the utmost exertions, it was half-
past six in the evening before we got to George-town.
Reaches We had been out from six in the morning
Teorge-town. jn &]1 Ope-n canoe on the sea-coast, without
umbrella or awning, exposed all day to the fiery rays of
a tropical sun. My face smarted so that I could get no
sleep during the night, and the next morning my lips
were all in blisters. The Indian Yan went down to the
Essequibo a copper colour, but the reflection of the sun
from the sea, and from the sand-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 stayed one day in George-town, 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 : the 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 armadillos, 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. K. Edmonstone previous to embark-
THIRD JOURNEY. 205
ing for Europe. I must 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 into the forest
by every opportunity.
Embarks for I embarked for England, on board the
England. j)^ West_Indiamailj commanded by Cap-
tain Grey.
Sir Joseph Banks had often told me, he hoped I
would give a lecture in public, on the new mode I had
discovered of preparing specimens in natural history for
museums. I always declined to do so, as I despaired
of ever being able to hit upon a proper method of doing
quadrupeds ; 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 gentleman who went to Africa to
explore 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
superiority of the new plan, they would probably be in-
duced to abandon the old and common way, which is a
disgrace to the present age, and renders hideous every
specimen in every museum that I have as yet visited.
I intended to have given three lectures : one on insects
and serpents ; one on birds ; and one on quadrupeds.
But as it will be shortly seen, this little plan was
doomed not to be unfolded to public view. Illiberality
blasted it in the bud.*
"We had a pleasant passage across the Atlantic, and
arrived in the Mersey in fine trim and good spirits.
206 WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA.
Great was the attention I received from the commander
of the Dee. He and his mate, Mr. Spence, took every
care of my collection.
Arrives at On our landing, the gentlemen of the
Liverpool. Liverpool Custom-house received me as an
old friend and acquaintance, and obligingly offered
their services.
Twice before had I landed in Liverpool, and twice
had I reason to admire their conduct and liberality.
They knew I was incapable of trying to introduce any-
thing contraband, and they were aware that I never
dreamed of turning to profit the specimens I had pro-
cured. They considered that I had left a comfortable
home in quest of science ; and that I had wandered into
far-distant climes, and gone barefooted, ill clothed, and
ill fed, through swamps and woods, to procure speci-
mens, some of which had never been seen in Europe.
They considered that it would be difficult to fix a price
upon specimens which had never been bought or sold,
and which never were to be, as they were intended to
ornament my own house. It was hard, they said, to
have exposed myself, for years, to danger, and then be
obliged to pay on return to my native land. Under
these considerations, they fixed a moderate duty, which
satisfied all parties.
However, this last expedition ended not so. It taught
me how hard it is to learn the grand lesson, "^Equam
memento rebus in arduis, servare men tern."
But my good friends in the Custom-house of Liver-
pool were not to blame. On the contrary, they did all
in their power to procure balm for me instead of rue.
But it would not answer.
They appointed a very civil officer to attend me to
THIRD JOURNEY. 207
the skip. While we were looking into some of the
boxes, to see that the specimens were properly stowed,
previous 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 consequence. Without preface or apology, he
thrust his head over my shoulder, and said, we had no
business to have opened a single box without his per-
mission. 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 Phi-
lippi. The boxes, ten in number, were conveyed in
safety from the ship to the depot. I then proceeded
to the Custom-house. The necessary forms were gone
through, and a proportionate duty, according to circum-
stances, was paid.
This done, we returned from the Custom-house to the
depot, accompanied by several gentlemen who wished
to see the collection. They expressed themselves highly
gratified. The boxes were closed, and nothing now re-
mained but to convey them to the cart, which was in
attendance at the door of the depot. Just as one of the
inferior officers was carrying a box thither, in stepped
the man whom I suspected I should see again at Phi-
lippi. He abruptly declared himself dissatisfied with
the valuation 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.
After this pitiful stretch of power, and bad compli-
ment to the other officers of the customs, who had been
satisfied with the valuation, this man had the folly to
208 WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA.
take me aside, and after assuring me that he had a great
regard for the arts and sciences, he lamented that con-
science ohliged 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 ex-
pressing 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 pack-
ing them in charcoal, according to a receipt I had 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 personages in London interested themselves in
behalf of 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 !
THIRD JOURNEY. 209
A friend now wrote to me from Liverpool, requesting
that I would come over and pay the duty, in 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 there had been some recent
smuggling discovered in Liverpool ; and that the man
in question 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
suffer for the guilty. After all, a little encouragement,
in the shape of exemption from paying the duty on this
collection, might have been expected ; but it turned out
otherwise ; and after expending large sums in pursuit of
natural history, on my return home I was doomed to
pay for my success : —
" Hie finis Caroli fatorum, hie exitus ilium
Sortetulit!"
Thus, my fleece, already ragged and torn with the
thorns and briers which one must naturally expect to
find in distant and untrodden wilds, was shorn, I may
say, on its return to England.
However, this is nothing new ; Sancho
Conclusion. 1. 1. • ' i_ j » • -i f
Jranza must have heard of similar cases ; for
he says, " Muchos van por lana, y vuelven trasquilados :"
Many go for wool, and come home shorn. In order to
p
210 WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA.
pick up matter for natural history, I have wandered
through the wildest parts of South America's equatorial
regions. I have attacked and slain a modern Python,
and rode on the hack 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 barefoot 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 pursued the wild beasts over hill and dale,
through swamps and quagmires, now scorched by the
noon-day sun, now drenched by the pelting shower, and
returned to the hammock, to satisfy the cravings of
hunger, often on a poor and scanty supper.
These vicissitudes have turned to chestnut hue a once
English 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
intention of giving a lecture in public on preparing spe-
cimens to adorn museums. In fine, it is this ungenerous
treatment that has paralysed my plans, and caused me
to give up the idea I once had of inserting here the
newly discovered mode of preparing quadrupeds and
serpents ; and without it, the account of this last expedi-
tion to the wilds of Guiana is nothing but a — fragment.
Farewell, Gentle Eeader.
FOURTH JOURNEY. 211
FOURTH JOURNEY.
' ' Nunc hue, nunc illuc et utrinque sine ordine curro."
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 sumine, birds of passage,
for warmer regions, once so interesting to me, now
scarcely caused me to turn my face to the south ; and I
continued 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 in-
duced to give a lecture in the Philosophical Hall of
Leeds. A little after this, Wilson's " Ornithology of
the United States " fell into my hands.
Sails for The desire I had of seeing that country,
New York, together with 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
p 2
212 WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA.
board, and the polite attention of the commander, ren-
dered 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 buffaloes, which we Europeans imagine
are so frequent and ferocious in these never-ending
western wilds.
I left New York on a fine morning in July,
Leaves New .
York for Ai- without one letter ot introduction, ior the
city of Albany, some 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 acquaintance. Full many a
face do I see, as I go wandering up and down the world,
whose mild eye, and sweet and placid features, seem to
beckon to me, and say, as it were, " Speak but civilly
to me, and I will do what I can for you." Such a face
as this is worth more than a dozen letters of introduc-
tion ; and such 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
gentlemen in the vessel, all entire strangers to me. I
fancied I could see several, whose countenances invited
an unknown wanderer to come and take a seat beside
them ; but there was one who encouraged me more than
the rest. I saw clearly that he was an American, and
I judged by his manners and appearance that he had
not spent all his time upon his native soil. I was right
in this conjecture, for he afterwards told me that he had
FOURTH JOURNEY. 213
"been in France and England. I saluted him as one
stranger gentleman ought to salute another ^when he
wants a little information ; and soon after, I dropped in
a word or two by which he might conjecture that I was
a foreigner ; but I did not tell him so : I wished him
to make the discovery himself.
He entered into conversation with the openness and
candour which is so remarkable 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 doing a fellow-
creature a kind turn or two, and he completely won my
regard by an affability which I shall never forget. This
obliging gentleman pointed out everything that was
grand and interesting as the steam-boat plied her course
up the majestic Hudson. Here the Catskill mountains
raised their lofty summit ; and there the hills came
sloping down to the water's edge. Here he pointed to
an aged and venerable oak, which having escaped the
levelling axe of man, seemed almost to defy the blasting
storm, and desolating hand of time ; and there, he bade
me observe an extended tract of wood, by which I might
form an idea how rich and grand the face of the country
had once been. Here it was that, in the great and
momentous struggle, the colonists lost the day ; and
there they carried all before them : —
" They closed full fast, on every side
No slackness there was found ;
And many a gallant gentleman
Lay gasping on the ground."
Here, in fine, stood a noted regiment ; there, moved
their great captain ; here, the fleets fired their broad-
214 WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA.
sides; and there, the whole force rushed on to
battle :—
" Hie Dolopum manus, hie magnus tenebat Achilles,
Classibus hie locus, hie acies eertare solebat."
At tea-time we OOK our ea ogetner, and the next
morning this worthy American walked up with me to
the inn in Albany, shook me by the hand, and then
went his 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 offer him ' my choicest
cheer. This excellent gentleman lived in New York,
and his name was William Tyas.
The great ^ ^s at Albany that the great canal opens
canaL jn^o fae j£U(jsonj and joins the waters of
this river to those of Lake Erie. The Hudson, at the
city of Albany, is distant from Lake Erie about 360
miles. The level of the lake is 564 feet higher than the
Hudson, and there are eighty-one locks on the canal.
It is to the genius and perseverance of De Witt Clinton
that the United States owe the almost incalculable
advantages of this inland navigation. " Exegit rnonu-
mentum sere perennius." 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 accommodations.
Cold and phlegmatic must he be who is not warmed
into admiration 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 nierri-
FOU RTH JO URNET. 215
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 Magara. There
is nothing haughty or forbidding in the Americans ;
and wherever you meet them, they appear to be quite
at home. This is exactly what it ought to be, and very
much in favour of the foreigner who journey famongs
them. The immense number of highly polished females
who go in the stages to visit the different places of
amusement, and see the stupendous natural curiosities
of this extensive country, incontestably proves that
safety and convenience are ensured to them, and that
the most distant attempt at rudeness would, by com-
mon consent, be immediately put down.
By the time I had got to Schenectady, I began
strongly to suspect that I had come into the wrong
country to look for bugs, bears, brutes, and buffaloes.
It is an enchanting journey from Albany to Schenec-
tady, and from thence to Lake Erie. The situation of
the city of Utica is particularly attractive ; the Mohawk
running close by it, the fertile fields and woody moun-
tains, and the falls of Trenton, forcibly press the stran-
ger to stop a day or two here, before he proceeds
onward to the lake.
At some far-distant period, when it will not be pos-
sible to find the place where many of the celebrated
cities of the East once stood, the world will have to
thank the United States of America for bringing their
names into the western regions. It is, indeed, a pretty
thought of these people to give to their rising towns
the names of places so famous and conspicuous in
former times.
As I was sitting one evening under an oak, in the
216 WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA.
high grounds behind Utica, I could not look down
upon the city without thinking of Cato and his mis-
fortunes. Had the town been called Crofton, or Warm-
field, or Dewsbury, 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 Eubicon with Csesar ; fought at
Pharsalia ; saw poor Pompey into Larissa, and tried to
wrest the fatal sword from Gate'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
would most benefit his country. There is something
magnificent " in the idea of a man taking by choice
the conquered side. The Eoman gods themselves did
otherwise.
" VvArix causa Diis placuit, sed victa Catoni."
" In this did Cato with the Gods divide,
Tliey chose the conquering, he the conquer'd side."
The whole of the country from Utica to Buffalo is
Face of the pleasing ; and the intervening of the inland
lakes, large and deep and clear, adds consi-
derably to the effect. The spacious size of the inns,
their excellent provisions, and the attention which the
traveller receives in going from Albany to Buffalo, must
at once convince him that this country is very much
visited by strangers ; and he will draw the conclusion
that there must be something in it uncommonly in-
teresting to cause so many travellers to 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,
FOURTH JOURNEY. 217
corn-fields, villages, and pastures are ever and anon
bursting upon the traveller's view as he journeys on
through the remaining tracts of wood. I wish I could
say a word or two for the fine timber which is yet
standing. Spare it, gentle inhabitants, for your country's
sake ; these noble sons of the forest beautify your land-
scapes beyond all description ; when they are gone, a
century will not replace their loss ; they cannot, they
must not fall ; their vernal bloom, their summer rich-
ness, and autumnal tints, please and refresh the eye
of man ; and even when the days of joy and warmth
are fled, the wintry blast soothes the listening ear with
a sublime and pleasing melancholy as it howls through
their naked branches.
" Around me trees unnumber'd rise,
Beautiful in various dyes :
The gloomy pine, the poplar blue,
The yellow beech, the sable yew ;
The slender tir, that taper grows,
The sturdy oak, with broad-spread boughs."
A few miles before you reach Buffalo, 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
caused me many a day of pain and mortification, as
will be seen in the sequel.
Buffalo looks down on 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 convey
you some sixteen or twenty miles down to the Falls.
Long before you reach the spot you hear the mighty
roar of waters, and see the spray of the far-famed Falls
of Niagara, rising up like a column to the heavens, and
mingling with the passing clouds.
218 WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA.
At this stupendous cascade of nature, the waters of
the lake fall one hundred and seventy-six
Niagara. °f fee^ perpendicular. It has been calculated,
I forget by whom, that the quantity of
water discharged down this mighty fall, is six hundred
and seventy thousand two hundred and fifty-five tons
per minute. There are two large inns on the Canada
side ; but, after you have satisfied your curiosity in
viewing the Falls, and in seeing the rainbow in the
foam 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 attractions;
there you meet with great attention, and every accom-
modation.
The day is passed in looking at the Falls, and in
sauntering up and down the wooded and rocky environs
of the Niagara ; and the evening is often enlivened by
the merry dance.
Words can hardly do justice to the unaf-
ladies16"0311 f60^ ease and elegance of the American
ladies who visit the Falls of Niagara. The
traveller need not rove in imagination through Circassia
in search of fine forms, or through England, France,
and Spain, to meet with polished females. The
numbers who are continually arriving from all 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 such a becoming air and grace, that it
was impossible not to have been struck with her
appearance.
FOURTH JOURNEY. 219
" Her bloom was like the springing flower
That sips the silver dew,
The rose was budded in her cheek,
Just opening to the view."
I could not help feeling a wish, to know where she had
" Into such beauty spread, and blown so fair."
Upon inquiry, I found that she was from the city of
Albany. The more I looked at the fair Alhanese, the
more I was convinced, that in the United States of
America may be found grace and beauty and symmetry
equal to anything in the Old World.
I now for good and all (and well I might) gave up
the idea of finding bugs, bears, brutes, and buffaloes in
this country, and was thoroughly satisfied that I had
laboured under a great mistake in suspecting that I
should ever meet with them.
I wished to join in the dance 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, full many a passing
gentleman stopped to inquire the cause of my misfor-
tune, presuming at the same time that I had got an
attack of gout. Now this surmise of theirs always
mortified me ; for I never had a fit of gout in my life,
and, moreover, never expect to have one.
In many of the inns of the United States, there is an
album on the table, in which travellers insert their
arrival and departure, and now and then indulge in a
little flash or two of wit.
I thought, under existing circumstances, that there
would be no harm in briefly telling my misadventure ;
and so, taking up the pen, I wrote what follows ; and
was never after asked a single question about the gout.
"C. Waterton, of Walton-hall, in the county of
220 "WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA.
York, England, arrived at the Falls of Niagara, in
July, 1824, and "begs leave to pen down the following
dreadful accident : —
" He sprain'd his foot, and hurt his toe,
On the rough road near Buffalo.
It quite distresses him to stagger a-
Long the sharp rocks of famed Niagara.
So thus he's doomed to drink the measure
Of pain, in lieu of that of pleasure.
On Hope's delusive pinions borne,
He came for wool and goes back shorn.
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 together plague him so."
I remember once to have sprained my ankle very
violently many years ago, and that the doctor ordered
me to hold it under 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
journeys through the country. This being the case,
I can easily account for the desire I felt to hold my
sprained foot under the fall of Niagara. I descended
the winding staircase which has been made for the ac-
commodation of travellers, and then hobbled on to the
scene of action. As I held my leg under the fall, I
tried to meditate on the immense difference there was
betwixt 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 unknown wanderer wishing to have it
in his power to tell the world, that he had held his
FOURTH JOURNEY. 221
sprained foot under a fall of water, which discharges
six hundred and seventy thousand two hundred and
fifty-five tons per minute. A gentle purling stream
would have suited better. Now, it would have become
"Washington to have quenched his battle-thirst in the
fall of Niagara ; and there was something royal in the
idea of Cleopatra drinking pearl-vinegar, made from
the grandest pearl in Egypt ; and it became Cains
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, \ipon 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 to Ontario, and so on
to Montreal and Quebec, and take Lakes Champlain
and George in my way back to Albany.
Just as I had made up my mind to it, a family from
the Bowling-green, in New York, who was going the
same route, politely invited me to join their party.
Nothing could be more fortunate. They were highly
accomplished. The young ladies sang delightfully ;
and all contributed their portion, to render the tour
pleasant and amusing.
222 WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA.
Travellers have already filled the world with descrip-
tions of the bold and sublime scenery from Lake Erie
to Quebec : —
" The fountain's fall, the river's flow,
The woody valleys, warm and low
The windy summit wild and high,
Roughly rushing to the sky."
And there is scarce one of them who has not described
the achievements of former and latter times, on the
different battle-grounds. Here, great Wolfe expired.
Brave Montcalm was carried, mortally wounded,
through yonder gate. Here fell the gallant Brock ;
and there General Sheaffee captured all the invaders.
And in yonder harbour may be seen the mouldering
remnants 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 which must sooner or later destroy the fairest
works of man.
The excellence and despatch of the steam-boats,
together with the company which the traveller is sure
to meet with at this time of the year, render the trip
down to Montreal and Quebec very agreeable.
The Canadians are a quiet, and apparently
dians6 C&na~ a ^appy Pe°P^e- They are very courteous
and affable to strangers. On comparing
them with the character which a certain female traveller,
a journalist, has thought fit to give them, the stranger
might have great doubts whether or not he were
amongst the Canadians.
Fortifications Montreal, Quebec, and the Falls of Mont-
at Quebec. morency, are well worth going to see. They
FOURTH JOURNEY. 223
are making tremendous fortifications at Quebec. It
will be the Gibraltar of the New World. When one
considers its distance from Europe, and takes a view
of its powerful and enterprising neighbour, Virgil's re-
mark at once rushes into the mind, —
" Sic vos non vobis nidiflcatis aves."
I 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. Lawrence,
in the steam-boat, I felt something crossing over my
neck ; and on laying hold of it with my finger and
thumb, it turned out to be a little half-grown, ill-
conditioned bug. Now, whether it were going from
the American to the Canada side, or from the Canada
to the American, and had taken the advantage of my
shoulders 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 putting my thumb-nail vertically upon it, I quietly
chucked it amongst some baggage that was close by,
and recommended it to get ashore by the first
opportunity.
When we had seen all -that was worth "seeing in
Quebec and at the Falls of Montmorency, and had
been on board the enormous ship Columbus, we re-
turned for a day or two to Montreal, and then proceeded
to Saratoga by Lakes Champlain and George.
224 WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA.
The steam-boat from Quebec to Montreal had above
five hundred Irish emigrants on board. They
emigrant were going " they hardly knew whither,"
far away from dear Ireland. It made 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 accommodations on board the ship which
had brought them away, and the tossing of the angry
ocean, in a long and dreary voyage, would have rendered
them callous to good behaviour. But it was quite
otherwise. They conducted themselves with great pro-
priety. Every American on board seemed to feel for
them. And then " they were so full of wretchedness.
Need and oppression stared in their eyes. Upon their
backs hung ragged misery. The world was not their
friend." "Poor dear Ireland," exclaimed an aged
female, as I was talking to her, " I shall never see it
any more ! " and then her tears began to flow. Pro-
bably the scenery on the banks of the St. Lawrence
recalled to her mind the remembrance of spots once
interesting to her : —
" The lovely daughter, — lovelier in her tears,
The fond companion of her father's years,
Here silent stood,— neglectful of her charms,
And left her lover's for her father's arms.
With louder plaints the mother spoke her woes,
And bless'd the cot where every pleasure rose ;
And press'd her thoughtless babes witli many a tear,
And clasp'd them close, in sorrow doubly dear.
WJiile the fond husband strove to lend relief,
In all the silent manliness of grief."
We went a few miles out of our route to take a look
at the once formidable fortress of Ticonderago. It has
long been in ruins, and seems as if it were doomed to
moulder quite away.
FOURTH JOURNEY. 225
" Ever and anon there falls
Huge heaps of hoary moulder1 d walls.
But time has seen, that lifts the low
And level lays the lofty brow,
Has seen this ruin'd pile complete,
Big with the vanity of state,
But transient is the smile of fate."
The scenery of Lake George is superb ; the inn re-
markably spacious and well attended ; and the convey -
Saratoga. ance ^rom thence to Saratoga very good. He
must be sorely afflicted with spleen and
jaundice who, on his arrival at Saratoga, remarks,
there is nothing here worth coming to see. It is a
gay and fashionable place ; has four uncommonly fine
hotels ; its waters, for medicinal virtues, are surpassed
by none in the known world ; and it is resorted to.
throughout the whole of the summer, by foreigners and
natives of the first consideration. Saratoga pleased me
much ; and afforded a fair opportunity of forming a
pretty correct idea of the gentry of the United States.
There is a pleasing frankness, and ease, and becoming
dignity in the American ladies ; and the good humour,
and absence of all haughtiness and puppyism in the
gentlemen, must, no doubt, impress the traveller with
elevated notions of the company who visit this famous
spa.
During my stay here, all was joy, and affability, and
mirth. In the mornings the ladies played and sang for
us ; and the evenings were generally enlivened with
the merry dance. Here I bade farewell to the charm-
ing family in whose company I had passed so many
happy days, and proceeded to Albany.
The stage stopped a little while in the town
Troy.
of Troy. The name alone was quite suffi-
cient to recall to the mind scenes long past and gone.
226 WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA.
Poor king Priam ! Napoleon's sorrows, sad and piercing
as they were, did not coine up to those of this ill-fated
monarch. The Greeks first set his town on fire, and
then began to bully : —
" Incensa Danai dominantur in urbe."
One of his sons was slain before his face ; " ante ora
parentum, concidit." Another was crushed to mummy
by boa constrictors ; " immensis orbibus angues." His
city was razed to the ground, " jacet Ilion ingens."
And Pyrrlms ran him through with his sword, " capulo
tenus abdidit ensem." This last may be considered as
a fortunate stroke for the poor old king. Had his life
been spared at this juncture he could not have lived
long. He nnist have died broken-hearted. He would
have setin 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, " cessi et sublato, montem
genitore petivi." He would have heard of his grand-
son being thrown neck and heels from a high tower,
" mittitur 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 perfida
lumina condit." Soon after this, losing all appearance
of woman, she became a bitch,
" Perdidit infelix hominis post omnia formam,"
and rent the heavens with her howlings,
" Externasque novo latratu terruit auras." •
Then, becoming distracted with the remembrance, of
her misfortunes, "veterurn memor ilia malorum," she
took off howling into the fields of Thrace, —
" Turn quoque Sithonios ululavit mcesta per agros."
FOURTH JOURNEY. 227
Juno, Jove's wife and sister, was heard to declare, that
poor Hecuha did not deserve so terrible a fate, —
" Ipsa Jovis conjuxque sororque,
Eventus Hecubam meiuisse negaverit illos."
Had poor Priam escaped from Troy, one thing, and only
one thing, would have given him a small ray of satis-
faction, viz. he would have heard of one of his daughters
nobly preferring to leave this world, rather than live to
become servant-maid to old Grecian ladies : —
" Non ego Myrmidonum sedes, Dolopumve superbas,
Adspiciam, aut Graiis servitum matribus ibo."
At some future period, should a foreign armed force, or
intestine broils, (all which Heaven avert,) raise Troy to
the dignity of a fortified city, Virgil's prophecy may
then be fulfilled, —
" Atque iterum-ad Trojam magnus mittetur Achilles."
After leaving Troy, I passed through a fine country to
Albany ; and then proceeded by steam down the Hudson
to New York.
Travellers hesitate whether to give the
preference to Philadelphia *or to New York.
Philadelphia is certainly a noble city, and its environs
beautiful ; but there is a degree of quiet and sedate-
ness in it, which, though no doubt very agreeable to
the man of calm and domestic habits, is not so attrac-
tive to one of speedy movements. The quantity of
white marble which is used in the buildings 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 which supply the city are a proud monument of
the skill and enterprise of its inhabitants ; and the
market is well worth the attention of the stranger.
Q2
228 WAXDERINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA.
When you go to Philadelphia, be sure not
to forget to visit the Museum. It will afford
you a great treat. Some of Mr. Peale's family are con-
stantly in it, and are ever ready to show the curiosities
to- strangers, and to give them every necessary informa-
tion. Mr. Peale has now passed his eightieth year, and
appears to possess the vivacity, and, I may almost add,
the activity of youth.
To the indefatigable exertions of this gentleman is
the western world indebted for the possession of this
splendid museum. Mr. Peale is, moreover, an excellent
artist. Look attentively, I pray you, at the portrait he
has taken of himself, by desire of the State of Penn-
sylvania. 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. I have never seen anything finer in the way
of light and shade. The skeleton of the mammoth is
a national treasure. I 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 squares of this city are ornamented
with well-grown and luxuriant trees. Its unremitting
American attention to literature might cause it to be
literature. styled the Athens of the United States.
Here, learning and science have taken up their abode.
The literary and philosophical associations, the enthu-
siasm of individuals, the activity of the press, and the
FOURTH JOURNEY. 229
cheapness of the publications, ought to raise the name
of Philadelphia 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 history of
numberless absurdities, which inexperienced theorists
had introduced into it. It is a pleasing and a brilliant
work. We have no description of birds in any European
publication that can come up to this. By perusing
" Wilson's Ornithology" attentively before I left Eng-
land, I knew where to look for the birds, and imme-
diately recognised them in their native land,
white-headed Since his time, I fear that the white-
headed eagles have been much thinned. I
was perpetually looking out for them, but saw very
few. One or two came now and then, and soared in lofty
flight over the Falls of Niagara. The Americans are
proud 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
Redbreast, for his charity, is cherished by the English :-
" No burial these pretty babes
Of any man receives,
Till Robin Redbreast painfully
Did cover them with leaves." *
The fault against grammar is lost in the beauty of the idea.
230 WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA.
Poor Wilson was smote by the hand ol' death, before
he had finished his work. Prince Charles Buonaparte,
nephew to the late Emperor Napoleon, aided by some
of the most scientific gentlemen of Pennsylvania,
is continuing this valuable and interesting publi-
cation.
New York, with great propriety, may be called the
New York commercial capital of the new world : —
" Urbs augusta potens, nulli cessura."
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.
its streets Broadway is the principal street. It is
houses, &c. 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 filling the atmo-
sphere 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 luxuriant trees.
American Nothing can surpass the appearance of
the American ladies, when they take their
morning walk, from twelve to three, in Broadway. The
stranger will at once see that they have rejected the
extravagant superfluities which appear in the London
and Parisian fashions ; and have only retained as much
of those costumes as is becoming to the female form.
FOURTH JOURNEY. 231
This, joined to their own just notions of dress, is what
renders the Xew York ladies 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
hinds down the brim to one fixed shape, and that none
of the handsomest. The wearer is obliged to turn her
head full ninety degrees before she can see the person
who is standing by her side. But in New York the
ladies have the brim of the hat, not fettered with wire,
or tape, or riband, but quite free and undulating ; and
by applying the hand to it, they can conceal or expose
as much of the face as circumstances require. This
hiding and exposing of the face, by-the-bye, is certainly
a dangerous movement, and often fatal to the passing
iswain. I am convinced in my own mind, that many a
determined and unsuspecting bachelor has been shot
down by this sudden manoeuvre, before he was aware
that he was within reach of the battery.
The American ladies seem to have an abhorrence (and
a very just one too) of wearing caps. When 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
Canova's Venus look in a mob cap 1 If there be any
ornament to the head in wearing a cap, it must surely
be a false ornament. The American ladies are per-
suaded that the head can be ornamented without a cap.
A rose-bud or two, a woodbine, or a sprig of eglantine,
232 WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMEKICA.
look well in the braided hair ; and if there be raven
locks, a lily or a snowdrop may be interwoven with
effect.
Now that the 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 the Diligence for Paris. They
would bring back more taste, and less caricature. And
it' they could persuade a dozen or two of the farmers'
servant girls to return with them, we should soon have
proof positive, that as good butter and cheese may be
made with the hair braided up, and a daisy or primrose
in it, as butter and cheese made in a cap of barbarous
shape ; washed, perhaps, in soap-suds last new moon.
New York has very good hotels, and.
Hotels and J
boarding- genteel boarding-houses. All charges in-
houses. ° c °
eluded, you do not pay above two dollars
a-day. " Little enough, when you consider the capital
accommodations, and the abundance of food.
In this city, as well as in others which I visited,
everybody seemed to walk at his ease. I could see 110
inclination for jostling ; no impertinent staring at you ;
nor attempts to create a row in order to pick your
pocket. I would stand for an hour together in Broad-
way, to observe the passing multitude. There is cer-
tainly a gentleness in these people, both to be admired
and imitated. I could see very few dogs, still fewer
cats, and but a very small proportion of fat women, in
the streets of New York. The climate was the only
thing that I had really to find fault with ; and as the
autumn was now approaching, I began to think of
preparing for warmer regions.
Strangers are apt to get violent colds, on account of
FOURTH JOURXEY. 233
the sudden changes of the atmosphere. The noon
would often be as warm 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 circum-
spection than I am master of to guard against it. I
contracted a bad and obstinate cough, which did not
quite leave me till I had got under the regular heat
of the sun, near the equator.
I may be asked, AYas it all good fellowship and
civility during my stay in the United States 1
I ns society
Did no forward person cause offence 1 was
there no exhibition of drunkenness, or swearing, or
rudeness; or display of conduct which disgraces civilized
man in other countries 1 I answer, very few indeed :
scarce any worth remembering, and none worth noticing.
These are a gentle and a civil people. Should a tra-
veller, now and then in the long run, witness a few of
the scenes alluded to, he ought not, on his return home,
to adduce a solitary instance or two, as the cxistom of
the country. In roving through the wilds of Guiana,
I have sometimes seen a tree hollow at heart, shattered
and leafless ; but I did not on that account condemn
its vigorous neighbours, and put down a memorandum
that the woods were bad. On the contrary, I made
allowances : a thunder-storm, the whirlwind, a blight
from heaven, might have robbed it of its bloom, and
caused its present forbidding appearance. And, in
leaving the forest, I 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.
234 WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA.
A man generally travels into foreign countries for his
own ends ; and T suspect there is scarcely an instance
to be found of a person leaving his own home solely
with 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 information 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 drawn in such different shades, by different tra-
vellers who have been through his territory, that it
requires a personal interview before a correct idea can
be formed of his true colours. He is very inquisitive ;
but it is quite wrong on that account to tax him with
being of an impertinent turn. He merely interrogates
you for information ; and when 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 everything about it with great good humour, and
in excellent language. He has certainly hit upon the
way (but I could not make out by what means) of
speaking a much purer English language than that
which is in general spoken on the parent soil. This
FOURTH JOURNEY. 235
astonished me much ; but it is really the case.
Amongst his many good qualities, he has one unenvi-
able, and, I may add, a bad propensity : he is immo
derately fond of smoking. He may say, that he learned
it from his nurse, with whom it was once much in
vogue. In Dutch William's time (he was a man of
bad taste) the English gentleman could not do without
hio pipe. During the short space of time that Corporal
Trim was at the inn inquiring 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 custom ; it makes a foul
mouth, and a foul place where the smoker stands :
however, every nation has its whims. John Bull
relishes stinking venison ; a Frenchman depopulates
whole swamps in quest of frogs ; a Dutchman's pipe is
never out of his mouth ; a Eussian will eat tallow
caudles ; and the American indulges in the cigar.
" De gustibus non est disputandum."
Our Western brother is in possession of a country
replete with everything that can contribute to the hap-
piness and comfort of mankind. His code
"•ovemmentld °^ ^aws5 purified by experience and common
sense, has fully answered the expectations
of the public. By 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.
236 WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA.
It is but some forty years ago that he had the dis-
pute 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 abso-
lutely 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 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 everything 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 away, 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 tributary 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 immeasurable territory
affords a shelter and a home to mankind in general :
Jew or Gentile, king's-man or republican, he meets
with a friendly reception in the United States. His
opinions, his persecutions, his errors, or mistakes, how-
ever they may have injured him in other countries, are
dead, and of no avail on his arrival here. Provided he
keeps the peace, he is sure to be at rest.
FOURTH JOURNEY. 237
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
a conjecture. Heaven forbid that it should happen.
The world 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 island of Antigua, with the intention
°^ calling a* 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 much 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
St. John's. . r
better times it may have had its gaieties and
amusements : at present, it appears sad and woe-begone.
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 wanders
through them, he might fancy that they would afford a
congenial promenade to the man who is about to take
his last leave of surrounding worldly misery, 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 truth, be called Eosinante's own. The mules
238 WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA.
feeding on them, put you in mind of Ovid's description
of famine. : —
" Dura cutis, per quam 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, ac-
cording to old writers, has five rivers ; viz. Acheron,
Phlegeton, Cocytus, Styx, and 'Lethe.
In this island I found the Red-start, described in
"Wilson'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 north when the sun comes out of the
southern hemisphere ; but, upon inquiry, I could get
no information whatever.
After passing a dull week here, I sailed
Guadaiou °e ^or Guadaloupe, whose bold and cloud-capped
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 smoke which issues from it.
Nearly midway, betwixt Guadaloupe and Dominica,
you descry the Saintes. Though high, and bold, and
rocky, they have still a diminutive appearance when
compared with their two gigantic neighbours. Yoxi
just see Marigalante to windward of them, some leagues
off, about a yard high in the horizon.
Dominica is majestic in high and rugged
Domtotea.°f mountains. As you sail along it, you cannot
help admiring its beautiful coffee planta-
FOURTH JOURNEY. 239
tions, in places so abrupt and steep, that you would
pronounce them almost inaccessible. Roseau, the
capital, is but a small town, and has nothing
Roseau. . _.
attractive except the well-known hospitality
of the present harbour-master, who is particularly atten-
tive to strangers, and furnishes them with a world of
information 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 ; while a raging h're destroyed its finest
buildings. Some time after, an overwhelming flood
rolled down the gullies and fissures of the adjacent
mountains, and carried all before it. Men, women,
and children, houses and property, were all swept 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, which
the inhabitants keep in readiness to slaughter for the
table. In the woods of this island, the large rhinoceros
beetle 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
240 WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA.
to have been acquired by hearsay ; and so I concluded
that it does not appear in Mexico. I suspect that 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 inhabitants seem to pay consider-
able attention to the cultivation of the tropical fruits.
A stream of water runs down the streets with 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 " Ornithology." They
told me it is a migratory bird in Martinico. It pro-
bably 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.
It was fortified during the last war with France, and
bravely defended by an English captain.
In a few hours from Martinico, you are
St. Lucie.
at ot. Lucie, whose rough and towering
mountains fill you with sublime ideas, as you approach
its rocky shore. The town Castries is quite
Castries. ,
embayed. It was literally blown to 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 is
passed away ; and that it is in mourning, as it were,
with the rest of the British West Indies.
From St. Lucie, I proceeded to Barbadoes in quest of
a conveyance to the Island of Trinidad.
FOURTH JOURNEY. 241
Near Bridge-town, the capital of Barbadoes, I saw
the metallic cuckoo, already alluded to.
Barbadoes is no longer the merry island it
Barbadoes. ago .__
" Infelix habitum, temporis hujus habet."
There is an old song, to the tune of La Belle Catha-
rine, 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 the lute."
Quashi's fiddle was silent, and mute was the lute of
Venus, during my stay in Barbadoes. The difference
betwixt the French and British islands was very
striking. The first appeared happy and content ; the
second were filled with murmurs and complaints. The
late proceedings in England, concerning slavery, and
the insurrection in Demerara, had evidently caused the
gloom. The abolition of slavery is a ques-
Slavery. -.-„,, , , n , , ?
tion lull of benevolence and fine feelings,
difficulties and danger : —
" Tantum ne noceas, dum vis prodesse videto.*
It requires consummate prudence, and a vast fund of
true information, in order to draw just conclusions on
this important subject. Phaeton, by awkward driving,
set the world on fire : " Sylvas cum montibus ardent."
Dtedalus gave his son a pair of wings, without consider-
ing the consequence ; the boy flew out of all bounds,
lost his wings, and tumbled into the sea : —
Icarus, Icariis nomina fecit aquis.
R
242 WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA.
"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 consults mente gerenda tegens."
Foresight is half the battle. "Hombre apercebido,
medio combatido," says Don Quixote, or Sancho, I do
not remember which. Had Queen Bess weighed well
in her own mind the probable consequences of this
lamentable traffic, it is likely she would not have been
owner of two vessels in Sir John Hawkins's squadron,
which committed the first robbery in negro flesh on the
coast of Africa. As philanthropy is the very life and
soul of this momentous question on slavery, which is
certainly fraught with great difficulties and danger,
perhaps 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 thing 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 Barbadoes 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 the island, and every Englishman too, pays
the tax !
Finding no vessel here for Trinidad, I
forDeinerara. embarked in a schooner for Demerara,
landed there after being nearly stranded on
a sand-bank, and proceeded without loss of time to the
FOURTH JOURNEY. 243
forests in the interior. It was the dry season, which
renders a residence in the woods very delightful.
There are three species of jacamar to be found on the
different sand-hills and dry savannas of Demerara ; but
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
The Jacamar. .
amnity to the woodpecker or king-fisher
(notwithstanding what travellers 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 approaches, 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
feathers on the throat. I suspect that all the male
jacamars hitherto discovered have this distinctive mark.
I could learn 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-adoucati, that is, grandfather
B2
244 WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA.
of the jacamar. It is certainly a splendid bird ; and in
the brilliancy and changeableness 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. The large jacamar is pretty common
about two hundred miles up the river Demerara.
Here I had a fine opportunity once more
toedesioth!e~ 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, I 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 depicted on his counte-
nance ; and when I made him 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 Buffon, 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 individuals 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 come
up with them, I should suppose they have seldom
escaped from experiencing 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
FOURTH JOURNEY. 245
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 country, that he was on the
right road to happiness ; and felt persuaded more than
ever that the world has hitherto erred in its conjec-
tures concerning the sloth, on account of naturalists not
having given a description of him 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 Buffon, 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 Grossbeak, with a
beak.6 S picn 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 found in Deme-
rara. This bird is of a greenish broAvn before it acquires
its rich plumage.
Procures a Amongst the bare roots of the trees, along-
laj*£ ,sPecies side of this part of the river, a red crab
ot Owl.
sometimes makes its appearance, as you are
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 some-
what lighter brown. The belly and thighs are of a
246 WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA.
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 darting down upon its prey in the mud. But this
is mere conjecture.
Here too, close to the river, I frequently
saw the bird called Sun-bird by the English
colonists, and Tirana by the Spaniards in the Oroonoque.
It is very elegant ; and in its outward appearance ap-
proaches 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, and chestnut in
the plumage of this bird, baffles any attempt to give a
description of the distribution of them which would be
satisfactory to the reader.
There is something remarkable in the
Tinamo^ea great Tinamou, which I suspect has hitherto
escaped notice. It invariably roosts in trees ;
but the feet are so very small in proportion to the body
of this bulky .bird, that 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 quite flat, and somewhat concave. On it are
strong pointed scales, which are very rough, and catch
your finger as you move it along from the knee to the
FOURTH JOURNEY. 247
toe. Now, by means of these scales, and the particular
flatness of that part of the leg, the bird is enabled to
sleep in safety upon the branch of a tree.
At the close of day, the great Tinamou gives a loud,
monotonous, plaintive whistle, and then immediately
springs into the tree. By the light of the full moon,
the vigilant and cautious naturalist may see him sitting
in the position already described.
The small Tinamou has nothing that can
Tinamou!ia ^e called a tail. It never lays more than
one egg, which is of a chocolate colour. It
makes no nest, but merely scratches a little hollow in
the sand, generally at the foot of a tree.
Here Ave have an instance of a bird, the size of a
partridge, and of the same tribe, laying only one egg,
while the rest of the family, from the peahen to the
quail, are 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 upon 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, to 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, unfortunately, the time had passed away, and the
seeds had fallen.
While ranging here in the forest, we stopped under
an ants' nest ; and, by the dirt below, conjectured that
it had got new tenants. Thinking it no harm to dis-
248 WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA.
lodge them, " vi et 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
The Vampire. , . . n T . -
to have it in niy power to say, that 1 had
been sucked by the Yampire. I gave them many an
opportunity, but they always fought shy ; and thougli
they now sucked a young man of the Indian breed very
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 all the attrac-
tions. 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 own 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 generally 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 opera-
tion. 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.
its teeth. The teeth of the vampire are very sharp,
and not unlike those of a rat. If it be that
FOURTH JOURNEY. 249
he inflicts the wound with his teeth (and he seems to
have no other instruments), 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. It is to be hoped
that some future wanderer through the wilds of
Guiana will be more fortunate than I have been, and
catch this nocturnal depredator in the fact. I
have 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 Ivara-
bimiti, invariably builds its nest in the
bimttf Kara" slender branches of the trees which hang
over the rivers and creeks. In appearance,
it is like brown tanned leather, without any particle of
lining. The rim of the nest is doubled inwards, and I
always conjectured that it had taken this shape on ac-
count 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 are particularly exposed
to violent gusts of wind, and while I have been sitting
in the canoe, and looking on, I have seen the slender
branch of the tree which held the humming-bird's nest
so violently 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
250 WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA.
been jerked out into the water. I suspect the humming-
bird never lays more than two eggs. I never found
more than two in any of the many nests which have
come in my way. The eggs were always white, with-
out any spots on them.
Probably travellers have erred in asserting that the
monkeys of South America throw sticks and
fruit at their pursuers. I have had fine op-
portunities of narrowly watching the different species
of monkeys which are found in the wilds, betwixt the
Amazons and the Oroonoque. I entirely acquit them
of acting on the offensive. When the monkeys 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 monkeys pass along them ; but they are never
hurled from their hands.
Monkeys, commonly so called, both in the
of Monkeys?8 old- an(i 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 baboons as yet dis-
covered in the Xew World. Its monkeys may be very
well and very briefly ranged under two heads; namely,
those with 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 to the branch of the tree, as though it were
a supple finger, and frequently swing by it from the
FOURTH JOURNEY. 251
branch like the pendulum of a clock. It answers all
the purposes of a fifth ha"nd to the monkey, as
naturalists have already observed.
The large red monkey of Demerara is not
The large red
Monkey of De- a baboon, though it goes by that name,
merara. . , ., ., ^ _.T , .
having a long prensile tail.* -Nothing can
sound more dreadful than its nocturnal howlings.
While lying in your hammock in these gloomy and
immeasurable wilds, you hear him howling at intervals,
from eleven o'clock at night till daybreak. You would
suppose that half the wild beasts of the forest Avere
collecting for the work of carnage. ISTow, 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 are those of enraged
and dying wild beasts, proceed from a number of the
red monkeys howling in concert. One of them alone is
capable of producing all these sounds ; and the anato-
mist, on an inspection of the 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, the size of a large hen's egg. In
dark and cloudy weather, and just before a squall of
rain, this monkey will often howl in the day-time;
and if you advance cautiously, and get under the
high and tufted tree where he is sitting, you may
have a capital opportunity of witnessing his wonderful
» I believe prensik is a new-coined word. I have seen it, but do not
remember where.
252 WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA.
powers of producing these dreadful and discordant
sounds.
His flesh is good food; but when skinned,
Mo^y?fthe his appearance 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 affirm, 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 quad-
rupeds retain their 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 im-
mense difference that exists betwixt the features of this
monkey and those of man.
I also procured an animal which has caused not a
little 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 day-
light, and, moreover, felt no inclination to have the
whole weight of his body upon my back, I contented
FOURTH JOURNEY. 253
myself with his head and shoulders, which I cut off :
and have brought them with me to Europe.* I have
since found that I acted quite right in doing so, having
had enough to answer for. The head alone, without
saying anything of his hands and feet, and of his tail,
which is an appendage, Lord Kanies 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 gentlemen of great skill and talent, on inspecting
his head, were convinced that the whole series 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 be changed into the noble counte-
nance of man. — " Scinditur. vulgus." One might argue
at considerable length on this novel subject : and per-
haps, after all, produce little more than prolix pedantry.
" Vox et praeterea nihil."
Let us suppose for an instant that it is a new
species. "Well ; " Una golondrina no hace verano ; " One
swallow does not make summer, 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 reader, 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
« My young friend, Mr. J. H. Foljambe, eldest son of Thomas Foljamre,
Esq. of Wakefield, has made a drawing of the head and shoulders of this
animal (sue Frontispiece), and it is certainly a most correct and striking
likeness of the original.
254 WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA.
conjux detinet," still I would fain crave a little repose.
I have already been a long while errant : —
" Longa mihi exilia, et vastum marts aequor aravi,
Ne mandate mihi, nam ego sum defessus agendo."
Should anybody be induced to go, great and innumer-
able 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 perfect 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. !N"ow if, on the other
hand, we argue, that this head in question has had all
its original features destroyed, and a set of new ones
given to it, by what means has this hitherto unheard-
of change been effected ? Nobody in any of our
museums has 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 sun of Proteus has
risen to our museums : —
" Unius hie faciem, facies transformat in omnea ;
Nunc homo, nune 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 youth-
ful beauty, and shape the mouth and jaws to the
features of a malicious old ape. Here is a new field
FOURTH JOURNEY. 255
opened to the adventurous and experimental natu-
ralist : 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, —
" Ardnus, obliquus, caligine densus opaca."
I pray thee, gentle reader, let me out awhile. Time
passes on apace ; and 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, pro-
bably, not "been made out 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 equally striking.
It is commonly 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 generally conjectured that their failure pro-
ceeded from inexperience.
Xow, when you ascend the Essequibo, some hundred
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 mountains 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 errantes in gurgite vasto."
256 WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA.
It remains to be yet learnt, whether this portion of
Guiana be worth looking after, with respect to its
supposed mines. The mining speculations at present
are flowing down another channel. The rage in
England for working the mines of other states has
now risen to such a pitch, that it would require a
considerable degree of caution in a mere wanderer
of the woods in stepping forward to say anything
that might tend to raise or depress the spirits of the
speculators.
A question 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
quietly submit to see foreigners carrying away those
treasures which are absolutely part of their own soil, and
which necessity (necessity has no law) forced them to
barter away in their hour of need 1 Now, if it should
so happen that the masters of the country begin to re-
pent of their bargain, and become envious of the riches
which foreigners carry off, many a teasing law might
be made, and many a vexatious enaction might be put
in force, that would, in all probability, bring the specu-
lators into trouble and disappointment.
Besides this consideration, there is another circum-
stance which ought not to be overlooked. I allude to
the change of masters throughout nearly the whole of
America. It is a curious subject for the European
philosopher to moralize upon, and for the politician to
examine. The more they consider it, the more they
will be astonished. If we may judge by what has
already taken place, we are entitled to predict that, in
a very few years more, no European banner will be
FOURTH JOURNEY. 257
seen to float in any part of the New "World. Let us
take a cursory view of it.
England, some years ago, possessed a large portion
of the present United States ; France had Louisiana ;
Spain held the Floridas, Mexico, Darien, Terra Firma,
Buenos Ayres, Paraguay, Chili, Peru, and California;
and Portugal ruled the whole of Brazil. All these
immense 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 settle-
ment in Honduras, and the wilds of Demerara and
Essequibo ; 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 in 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. Domingo has already shaken off" her old
masters, and become a star of observation to the rest
of the sable brethren. The anti-slavery associations of
England, full of benevolence and activity, have opened
a tremendous battery upon the last remaining forts
which the lords of the old continent still hold in the
New World, and, in all probability, will not cease firing
till they shall have caused the last flag to be struck of
Europe's late mighty empire in the transatlantic regions.
It cannot well be doubted, but that the sable hordes in
the West Indies will like to follow good example, when-
ever they shall have it in their power to do so.
Now, with St. Domingo as an example before them,
I
258 WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA.
how long will it be before they try to raise themselves
into independent states 1 And if they should succeed
in crushing us in these our last remaining tenements, I
would bet ten to one that none of the new governments
will put on mourning for our departure out of the Xew
World. We must well remember that our own govern-
ment was taxed with injustice and oppression by the
United States during their great struggle ; and the
British press 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 obloquy. Now,
this being the case, will not America at large wish most
devoutly for the day to come when Europe shall have
no more dominion over her? Will she not say to us,
" Our new forms of government are very different from
your old ones 1 We will trade with you ; but we shall
always be very suspicious of you, as long as you retain
possession of the West Indies, which are, as we may
say, close to our door-steads. You must be very cautious
how you interfere with our politics ; for, if we find you
meddling with them, and by that means cause us to
come to loggerheads, we shall be obliged to send you
back to your own homes, three or four thousand miles
across the Atlantic ; and then, with that great ditch
betwixt us, we may hope we shall be good friends."
He who casts his eye on the East Indies, will there see
.quite a different state of things. The conquered dis-
tricts have merely changed one European master for
another ; and I believe there is no instance of any
portion of the East Indies throwing off the yoke of the
Europeans, and establishing a government of their own.
FOURTH JOURNEY. 259
Ye who are versed in politics, and study the rise and
fall of empires, and know what is good for civilized
man, and what is bad for him, — or, in other words,
what will make him happy, and what will make him
miserable, — tell us how comes it that Europe has lost
almost her last acre in the boundless expanse of ter-
ritory which she so lately possessed in the West, and
still contrives to hold her vast property in the extensive
regions of the East ?
But whither am I going 1 I find myself uii a new
and dangerous path. Pardon, gentle reader, this sudden
deviation. Me thinks I hear thee saying to me, —
"Tramite quo tendis, majoraque viribus audes."
I grant that I have erred, but I will do so no more. In
general I avoid politics ; they are too heavy for me,
and I am aware that they have caused the fall of many
a strong and able man : they require the shoulders of
Atlas to support their weight.
When I was in the rocky mountains of Macoushia, in
Cocks of the the month of June, 1812, I saw four young
Cocks of the Eock in an Indian's hut ; they
had been taken out of the nest that week. They were
of a uniform dirty brown colour, and by the position of
the young feathers upon the head, you might see that
there would be a crest there when the bird arrived at
maturity. By seeing young ones in the month of June,
I immediately concluded that the old cock of the rock
would be in fine plumage from the end of November to
the beginning of May ; and that the naturalist who was
in quest of specimens for his museum ought to arrange
his plans in such a manner as to be able to get into
Macoushia during these months. However, I find now
s2
260 WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA.
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. I took it on board a ship with me
for England ; but it was so very susceptible of cold,
that it shivered and died, three days after we had
passed Antigua.
If ever there should be a great demand for large sup-
indian-rub- P^es °f gum-elastic, commonly called Indian-
rubber, it may be procured in abundance far
away in the wilds of Demerara and Essequibo.
Some years ago, when I was in the Macoushi country,
An Indian there was a capital trick played upon me
about Indian-rubber. It is almost too good
to be left ont of these Wanderings, and it shows that the
wild and uneducated Indian is not without abilities.
Weary and sick, and feeble through loss of blood, I
arrived at some Indian huts, which 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 pure Indian-
rubber ; it hardened immediately as it became exposed
to the air, and its elasticity was almost incredible.
While procuring it, exposure to the rain, which fell
in torrents, brought on a return of inflammation in the
stomach, and I was obliged to have recourse again to
the lancet, and to use it with an unsparing 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, ten-
FOURTH JOURNEY. 261
dered Ms services, and asked two handfuls of fish-hooks
for his trouble.
Off he went, and, to my great surprise, returned in a
very short time. Bearing in mind the trouble and time
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 imderstand 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 that 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 taut 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 gum-elastic. It immediately received a coat
about as thick as a sixpence. He then rolled some
more leaves round it, and gave it another coat. He
seems to have continued this process, till he had made
262 WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA.
the ball considerably larger than the one I had pro-
cured ; 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
Returns home ^ne wilds of Demerara and Essequibo with
to England. jegcti, to wards the close of December, 1824,
and reached once more the shores of England, after a
long and unpleasant passage.
Ere we part, kind reader, I could wish to draw a
Concluding little of thy attention to the instructions
remarks. which are to be found at the end of this
book. Twenty years have now rolled away since I
first began to examine the specimens of zoology in our
museums. As the system of preparation is founded in
error, nothing but deformity, distortion, and dispro-
portion will be the result of the best intentions and
utmost exertions of the workman. Canova's education,
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 ! Now,
when we reflect that the preserved specimens in our
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 preserving spe-
cimens can only be surpassed by their obstinacy in
adhering to the old method, — can we any longer wonder
FOURTH JOURNEY. 263
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 informa-
tion, and occasionally had a smile upon thy countenance,
while perusing these "Wanderings;" and begging, at
the same time, to add, that,
Well 1 know thy penetration
Many a stain and blot will see,
In the languid long narration
Of my sylvan errantry.
For the pen too oft was weary,
In the wandering writer's hand,
As he roved through deep and dreary
Forests, in a distant land.
Show thy mercy, gentle reader,
Let him not entreat in vain :
It will be his strength's best feeder,
Should he ever go again.
And who knows how soon, complaining
Of a cold and wifeless home,
He may leave it, and again in
Equatorial regions roam ?
c. w
PRESERVING BIRDS
CABINETS OF NATURAL HISTORY.
WERE you to pay as much, attention to birds as the
sculptor does to the human frame, you would imme-
diately see, on entering a museum, that the specimens
are not well done.
This remark will not be thought severe, when you
reflect that, — that which once was a bird has probably
been stretched, stuffed, stiffened, and wired by the
hand of a common clown. Consider, likewise, how the
plumage must 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 which, 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
Dissecting. , .„ , ,
to ensure success, viz. a penknife, a hand not
coarse or clumsy, and practice. The first will furnish
you with the means, the second will enable you to
dissect, and the third cause you to dissect well. These
may be called the mere mechanical requisites.
ON PRESERVING BIRDS. 265
In stuffing, you require cotton, a needle and thread,
a little stick, the size of a common knitting-
stuffing.
needle, glass eyes, a solution of corrosive sub-
limate, 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 Angelo
was in sculpture, you must apply to profound study,
and your own genius to assist you. And these may be
called the scientific requisites.
You must have a complete knowledge of
Requisite to
have a thorough ornithological anatomy. You must pav close
knowledge of j r *
ornithological attention to the form and attitude of the
Anatomy. n .
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 were, into your pre-
served specimen.
Repair to the haunts of birds, on plains and moun-
Examinethe tains, forests, swamps, and lakes, and give
th^orders'of UP your time to examine the economy of
the different orders of birds.
Then you will place your eagle, in attitude command-
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
sparrow will retain its wonted pertness, by means of
placing his tail a little elevated, and giving a moderate
arch to the neck. Your vulture will show his sluggish
habits, by having his body nearly parallel to the earth ;
his wings somewhat drooping, and their extremities
266 ON PRESERVING BIRDS.
under the tail, instead of above it, — expressive of
ignoble indolence.
Your dove will be in artless, fearless innocence ; look-
ing 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 discovery;
but in moderate, perpendicular length, supporting the
head horizontally, which will set off the breast to the
best advantage. And the breast ought to be conspi-
cuous, 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 ; when 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 fea-
The feathers. , „ ,,.
thers of a bird are arranged ; one tailing
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 im-
mediately to the eye of a naturalist. Thus, a bird not
wounded, and in perfect feather, must be procured if
possible ; for the loss of feathers can seldom be made
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 con-
tract the skin, bring down the upper feathers, and
shove in the lower ones, which would throw all the
surrounding parts into contortion.
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
OX PRESERVING BIRDS. 267
admirably formed for expansion about the throat and
stomach ; arid they fit into the different cavities of the
body at the wings, shoulders, rump, and thighs, with
wonderful exactness; so that in stuffing the bird, if
you make an even rotund surface of the skin, where
these cavities existed, in lieu of reforming them, all
symmetry, order, and proportion are lost for ever.
You must lay it down as an absolute rule, that the
bird is to be entirely skinned, otherwise you can never
succeed in forming a true and pleasing specimen.
You will allow this to be just, after reflecting a
moment on the nature of the fleshy parts and tendons,
which are often left in : 1st, they require to be well
seasoned with aromatic spices ; 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 withered, distorted,
and too small ; 4thly, the inside then becomes like a
ham, or any other dried meat. Ere long the insects
claim it as their own ; the feathers begin to drop off,
and you have the hideous 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 disagree-
able 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 skull 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
268 ON PRESERVING BIRDS.
the wing-bones, the jaw-bones, and half of the thigh-
bones, remain. Everything else, flesh, fat, eyes, bones,
brains, and tendons, are all to be taken away.
While dissecting, it will be of use to keep
rections.al ' ^- naind, — That, in taking off the skin from
the body, by means of your fingers and a
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 allow it to dangle from your hand, its own
weight will stretch it too much.
That, throughout the whole operation, as fast as you
detach the skin from the body, you must put cotton
immediately 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 opera-
tion 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 may 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
ON PRESERVING BIRDS. 269
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, and 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 the part in water, without
soap, and keep gently agitating the feathers, with your
fingers, till they are quite dry. Were you to wash
them, and leave them to dry by themselves, they would
have a very mean and shrivelled appearance.
In the act of skinning a bird, you must
ning the tod" either have it upon a table, or upon your
knee. Probably, you will prefer your knee ;
because when you cross one knee over the other, and
have the bird upon the uppermost, you can raise it to
your eye, or lower it, at pleasure, by means of the foot
on the ground, and then your knee will always move
in unison with your body, by which much stooping
will be avoided and lassitude prevented.
With these precautionary hints in mind, we will now
proceed to dissect a bird. Suppose we take a hawk.
The little birds will thank us, with a song, for his death,
for he has oppressed them sorely; and in size he is
just the thing. His skin is also pretty tough, 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 the mouth and nostrils of the bird
with cotton, and place it upon your knee on its back,
with its head pointing to your left shoulder. Take
270 ON PRESERVING BIRDS.
hold of the knife with your two first 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 hold it so, you would cut
the inner skin of the belly, and thus let the bowels out.
To avoid this, let your knife be parallel to the body,
and then you will divide the outer skin with great
ease.
Begin on the belly below the breast-bone, and cut
down the middle, quite to the vent. This done, put
the bird in any convenient position, and separate the
skin from the body, till you get at the middle 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- bone. 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 of the vent, and never
mind at present the part from the vent to the 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,
cut quite across, and deep, till you see 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. Apply plenty of cotton.
After this, seize the end of the back-bone with your
finger and thumb : and now you can hold up the bird
clear of your knee, and turn it round and round, as
occasion requires. While you are holding it thus, con-
trive, with the help of your other hand and knife, by
ON PRESERVING BIRDS. 271
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
nictitating membrane quite through, otherwise you
would tear the orbit of the eye ; and after this, nothing
difficult intervenes to prevent your arriving at the root
of the bill.
"When this is effected, cut away the body, leaving a
little bit of skull, just as much as will reach to the
forepart of the eye ; clean well 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 supposed to have 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 what-
ever may have remained at the under jaw.
Here is now before you the skin, without loss of any
feathers, and all the flesh, fat, and uncleaned bones out
of it, except the middle joint of the wings, one bone of
the thighs, and fleshy root of the tail The extreme
point of the wing is very small, and has no flesh on it,
comparatively speaking, so that it requires no attention,
272 ON PRESERVING BIRDS.
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 push
off the skin with your thumb-nail and fore-finger.
Now skin the thigh quite to the knee ; cut away all
flesh and tendons, and leave the bone : form an arti-
ficial thigh round it with cotton ; apply the solution,
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 replace 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 you had fastened to the end of
the wing-joints, leaving exactly the same space betwixt
them 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 whilst you are about
the following operation. You must recollect that half
of the thigh, or in other words, one joint of the thigh-
ON PRESERVING BIRDS. 273
bone, has been cut away. Now, as this bone never
moved perpendicularly to the body, but on the contrary
in an oblique direction, of course, as soon as it is cut
off, the remaining part of the thigh and leg, having
nothing now to support them obliquely, 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 under the wing with several strong stitches.
This will shorten the thigh, and render it quite capable
of supporting the weight of the body without the help
of wire. This done, take out every bit of cotton, ex-
cept the artificial thighs, and adjust the wing-bones
(which are connected by the thread) in the most even,
manner possible, so that one joint does not appear to,
lie lower than the other ; for unless they are quite
equal, the wings themselves will be unequal, when you
come to put them in their proper attitude. Here then
rests the shell of the poor hawk, ready to receive, from
your skill and judgment, the size, the shape, the features
and expression it had, ere death, and your dissecting
hand, brought it to its present still and formless state.
The cold hand of death stamps deep its mark upon
the prostrate victim. 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 dead specimen,
you will be in error. With this in mind, and at the
same time forming your specimen a trifle larger than
T
274 ON PRESERVING BIRDS.
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 arti-
ficial 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 admired in animated nature, so little attended
to in preserved specimens. 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 stitch, keep adding a
little cotton, in order that there may be no deficiency
there. Lastly, dip your 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 requires no other fastener.
Your close inspection of the eyes of animals will
already, have informed you that the orbit is capable of
receiving a much larger body than that part of the eye
ON PRESERVING BIRDS. 2/5
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. In-
attention to this has caused the eyes of every specimen,
in the best cabinets of natural history, to be out of all
proportion. To prevent this, contract the orbit, by
means of a very small delicate needle and thread, at
that part of it furthest from the beak. This may be
done with such nicety, that the stitch cannot be ob-
served ; 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 everything necessary,
except attitude, and a proper degree of elasticity, two
qualities very essential.
Procure any common ordinary box ; fill 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. !N~ow take the hawk in your
hands, and, after putting the wings 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, which you formerly fixed there, into the head
of the cork. This will support the bird's head ad-
mirably. 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
276 ON PRESERVING BIRDS.
more than the fore part, 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 beak, and fastening it to the end of the
'box with a pin or 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 anywhere in your room, out of the
influence of the sun, wind, and fire, for the specimen
must dry very slowly, if you wish to reproduce every
feature. On this account, the solution of corrosive
sublimate is uncommonly serviceable ; 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 yeu 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. Press the feathers down. The skin will
adhere no more to the bone, and they will cease to rise.
ON PRESERVING BIRDS. 277
Every now and then touch, and retouch all the
different parts of the features, in order to render them
distinct and visible, correcting 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-
ticitj-, 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 position, or
curve them to your finger. If you wish to set the bird
on a branch, bore a little hole under 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, &c. from under the
bill, and all is done. In lieu of being stiff with 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 your other hand,
it will rise again. You need not fear that your hawk
will alter, or its colours fade. The alcohol has intro-
duced the sublimate into every part and pore of the
skin, quite to the roots of the feathers. Its use is two-
fold. 1st. It has totally prevented all tendency to
putrefaction ; and thus a sound skin has attached itself
to the roots of the feathers. You may take hold of a
single one, and from it suspend five times the weight
of the bird. You 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 par
278
tides of sublimat
a spot exposed to j
will never ventur
received corrosive |
You are aware
fatal poison to ii
trescent — so is ale
of course they car
spirit penetrates
velocity, deposits
and flies off. The
and nothing can
alcohol has left it. I
Furs of animal
retain their pristine brightness and durability in any
climate.
Take the finest curled feather from a lady's head,
dip it in the solution, and shake it gently till it be
dry ; you will find that the spirit will fly off in a few
minutes, not a curl in the feather will be injured, and
the sublimate will preserve it from the depredation of
the insect.
Perhaps it may be satisfactory to add here, that,
some years ago, I did a bird upon this plan in Deme-
rara. It remained there two years. It was then con-
veyed to England, where it stayed five months, and
returned to Demerara. After being four years more
there, it was conveyed back again through the West
Indies to England, where it has now been near five
years, unfaded and unchanged.
* All the feathers require to be touched with the solution, in order that
they may be preserved from 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.
ON PRESERVING BIRDS. 279
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 everything
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 extravagant 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 pro-
duce a finished specimen. " Mox similis volucri, mox
vera volucris." If your early performance should not
correspond 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 dis-
secting, 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 ease beyond
the sight of man.
Little more remains to be added, except that what
has been penned down 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.
280 ON PRESERVING BIRDS.
If, by their means, you should he 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, unfortunately
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 as she is sitting on
the nest to warm her little ones, or kill the father as
he is bringing a mouthful of food for their support —
oh, then ! deep indeed will be the regret that I ever
wrote them.
Adieu,
CHARLES WATERTON.
FINIS
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