SOUTH AMERICA. 75 



active and deadly foe within him, which, like FIRST 



. JOURNEY. 



Shakspeare's fell Serjeant Death, is strict in his 



arrest, and will allow him but little time very 

 very little time. In a few minutes he will be 

 numbered with the dead. Life ought, if possible, 

 to be preserved, be the expense ever so great. 

 Should the part affected admit of it, let a ligature 

 be tied tight round the wound, and have im- 

 mediate recourse to the knife : 



" Continue, culpam ferro coinpesce priusquam, 

 Dira per infaustum serpant contagia corpus." 



And now, kind reader, it is time to bid thee 

 farewell. The two ends proposed have been ob- 

 tained. The Portuguese inland frontier fort has 

 been reached, and the Macoushi wourali poison 

 acquired. The account of this excursion through 

 the interior of Guiana has been submitted 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 wouldest 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 previously 



