THE FOREST. 29 



The Indian is at home in the forest His colour 

 is in harmony with his surroundings and his hut 

 seems altogether fitted for the little mound on 

 which it generally stands. Its palm thatch soon 

 becomes brown and differs little from the dead 

 leaves which are falling in every direction, while 

 its uprights are only small tree stems which can 

 be matched a few yards away. No painted walls 

 or carving of any kind obstruct the view, nor do 

 his few articles of furniture disturb the general 

 effect. When we see a boarded cottage on the 

 bank of the river with its surroundings of stumps, 

 and perhaps charred logs, a contrast is at once 

 produced, and the gap is a blot on the landscape, 

 but when an Indian makes a similar clearing for 

 his cassava field he always chooses a place at some 

 distance from the settlement, where, surrounded by 

 tall trees, it can only be found after a careful 

 search. 



As the home of the red man harmonises with 

 the forest, so does his canoe with the dark waters 

 of the creek. He uses no ornament on his frail 

 craft, so that whether it lies on the surface of the 

 water, is hidden in a tangle of bush-ropes, or drawn 

 up on the bank, it is hardly distinguishable from 

 its surroundings. As he sits and paddles quietly 

 along it makes us think of a possible explanation 



