SOUTH AMERICA. 317 



was not in a state the next morning to proceed 

 to the trees. A fine interesting young Indian" 

 observing my eagerness to have it, tendered his 

 services, and asked two handsfull 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 understand that the ball 

 Tvas 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 



FOURTH 

 JOURNEY. 



