LITTLE 

 JOURNEYS 



by the captain of the ship they came out on, — this as 

 an earnest of what was to come. 

 Bates and Wallace were together for a year. 

 Bates insisted on remaining near the white settlements. 

 But Wallace wanted to go where white men had never 

 been. So alone he went into the forests, and for two 

 }?ears lived with the natives and dared the dangers of 

 jungle fever, snakes, crocodiles and savages. For a 

 space of ten months he did not see a single white per- 

 son J> & 



He collected nearly ten thousand specimens of birds, 

 which he skinned and carefully prepared so they could 

 be mounted when he returned to England ; there was 

 also a nearly complete Brazilian herbarium, and a finer 

 collection of birds' eggs than any museum of England 

 could boast. 



This collection represented over three years' continu- 

 ous toil. All the curious things were packed with great 

 care and placed on board ship. 



And so the young naturalist sailed away for England, 

 proud and happy, with his great collection of entomo- 

 logical, botanical and ornithological specimens. 

 But on the way the ship took fire, and the collection 

 was either burned or ruined by soaking salt water. 

 That the crew and their sole passenger escaped alive 

 was a wonder. Wallace on reaching England was in a 

 sorry plight, being destitute of clothes and funds. 

 And there were unkind ones who did not hesitate to 

 hint that he had only been over to Ireland working in 

 a peat bog, and that his knowledge of Brazil was got- 

 96 



