OTHER INHABITANTS OF THE FOREST. 251 



luxuriance of Nature, is lonely, and he is rarely 

 happy. 



Should he, however, content himself with his 

 lot, he becomes a kind of forest king ; and, like 

 the Indian, gets acquainted with every herb and 

 flower, and every tree and bush, near his little 

 domain. And he knows the voices of the birds, 

 and the animals, and leads a life of perfect free- 

 dom, if not of enjoyment. 



Besides the settlers in the forest, there are 

 many runaway negroes, who subsist by hunting 

 and by plunder, and are not very pleasant to meet 

 with. And there are different tribes of Indians, 

 who wander about in the accessible parts of the 

 forest. 



These wandering tribes are, many of them, low 

 enough in the scale of intelligence. But they are 

 skilled in the forest paths, and the forest lore. 



They know the properties of plants, and where 

 to obtain their terrible poisons. And they under- 

 stand the habits of birds and animals, and can 

 track them with patience and dexterity. 



The Indians, in the forests of Guiana, are a 



