SECOND JOURNEY. 95 



of Demerara. Your doors are ever open to harbour the 

 harbourless ; your purses never shut to the wants of the 

 distressed ; many a ruined fugitive from Oroonoque 

 will bless your kindness to him in the hour of need, 

 when, flying from the woes of civil discord, without food 

 or raiment, he begged for shelter underneath your roof. 

 The poor sufferer in Trinidad, who lost his all in the 

 devouring flames, will remember your charity to his 

 latest moments. The traveller, as he leaves your port, 

 casts a longing, lingering look behind ; your attentions, 

 your hospitality, your pleasantry, and mirth are upper- 

 most in his thoughts ; your prosperity is close to his 

 heart. Let us now, gentle reader, retire from the busy 

 scenes of man, and journey on towards the wilds in 

 quest of the feathered tribe. 



Leave behind you your high-seasoned dishes, your 

 wines, and your delicacies : carry nothing but 



Instructions 



to future ad- what is necessary for your own comfort, and 



venturers. . . .... , 



the object in view, and depend upon the 

 skill of an Indian, or your own, for fish and game. A 

 sheet, about twelve feet long, ten wide, painted, and with 

 loop-holes on each side, will be of great service; in a few 

 minutes you can suspend it betwixt two trees in the 

 shape of a roof. Under this, in your hammock, you 

 may defy the pelting shower, and sleep heedless of the 

 dews of night. A hat, a shirt, and a light pair of 

 trowsers will be all the raiment you require. Custom 

 will soon teach you to tread lightly and barefoot on the 

 little inequalities of the ground, and show you how to 

 pass on, unwounded, amid the mantling briers. 



Snakes, in these wilds, are certainly an annoyance, 

 though, perhaps, more in imagination than 

 reality ; for you must recollect that the 



