246 WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



feet-marks became fresher and fresher : we now doubled 

 our pace, but did not give mouth like hounds. We pushed 

 on in silence, and soon came up with them; there were 

 above one hundred of them ; we killed six, and the rest 

 took off in different directions. But to the point. 



Amongst us the needy man works from light to dark for 

 a maintenance. Should this man chance to acquire a 

 fortune, he soon changes his habits. No longer under 

 " strong necessity's supreme command," he contrives to 

 get out of bed betwixt nine and ten in the morning. His 

 servant helps him to dress, he walks on a soft carpet to 

 his breakfast table, his wife pours out his tea, and his 

 servant hands him his toast. After breakfast, the doctor 

 advises a little gentle exercise in the carriage for an hour 

 or so. At dinner-time he sits down to a table groaning 

 beneath the weight of heterogeneous luxury: there he 

 rests upon a chair for three or four hours, eats, drinks, and 

 talks (often unmeaningly) till tea is announced. He pro- 

 ceeds slowly to the drawing-room, and there spends the best 

 part of his time in sitting, till his wife tempts him with 

 something warm for supper. After supper, he still remains 

 on his chair at rest, till he retires to rest for the night. 

 He mounts leisurely up stairs upon a carpet, and enters 

 his bed-room : there, one would hope, that at least he 

 mutters a prayer or two, though perhaps not on bended 

 knee: he then lets himself drop into a soft and downy 

 bed, over which has just passed the comely Jenny's 

 warming-pan. Now, could the Indian in his turn see this, 

 he would call the white men a lazy, indolent set. 



Perhaps then, upon due reflection, you would draw this 

 conclusion ; that men will always be indolent where there 

 ■ is no object to rouse them. 



As the Indian of Guiana has no idea whatever of com- 

 municating his intentions by writing, he has fallen upon 



