I 



NARRATIVE OF A JOURNEY 183 



was sitting on the gi'ound near the fire, surrounded by a quantity 

 of fish bones which he had been picking. Our sympathy was 

 very much excited for the poor little unfortunate, particularly as 

 he was made a subject for the taunting jibes and laughter of a 

 number of men and women, squatting around, and his mother sat 

 by with the most cruel apathy and unconcern, and only smiled 

 at the commiseration which we expressed for her innocent and 

 peculiarly unhappy offspring. It seems difficult to believe that 

 those who possess the form and countenance of human creatures, 

 should so debase the natural good feelings which God has im- 

 planted in them : but these ignorant and gross v/retches seemed 

 to take credit to themselves in rendering this afflicted being 

 unhappy, and smiled and looked at each other when we 

 endeavored to infuse a little pity into them. The child had evi- 

 dently been very much neglected, and almost starved, and the 

 little articles which we presented it, (in the hope, that the Indians 

 on seeing us manifest an interest in it, would treat it more ten- 

 derly,) it put to its mouth eagerly, but finding them not eatable, 

 threw them aside in disgust. Oh ! how I wished at that moment 

 for a morsel of bread to give this little famished and neglected 

 creature. We soon left the place, and returned to the brig, but 

 I could think of nothina; durinnj the remainder of the evening but 

 the little blind child, and at night I dreamed I saw it, and it raised 

 its dim and sightless orbs, and stretched out its little emaciated 

 arms towards me, as if begging for a crumb to prevent its 

 starving. 



These people, as I have already said, do not appear to possess 

 a particle of natural good feeling, and in their moral character, 

 they are little better than brutes. In the case of the blind boy, 

 they seemed to take pride in tormenting it, and rendering it 

 miserable, and vied with each other in the skill and dexterity 

 with which they applied to it the most degrading and insulting 

 epithets. These circumstances, with others, in regard to their 



