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 



