292 MY LIFE 



Land — a land flowing with caxaca and farina ; x a land where 

 a man may literally, and safely, sleep without breeches — a 

 luxury which must be enjoyed to be appreciated. 



" I am now waiting for a passage to Para, from thence to 

 return to England. There is a vessel caulking here I expect 

 will go in two or three weeks. I have a small collection of 

 birds and butterflies, but new species of the latter are very 

 scarce. 



" The Christmas festa is now over, and this little village 

 has resumed its wonted tranquillity. I suppose you intend soon 

 to proceed up the Rio Negro; no doubt my brother is now 

 glorying in ornithological rarities, and revelling amid the 

 sweets of lepidopterous loveliness. But enough! A little 

 while and the wintry sea is roaring around my pillow; then 

 shall I envy you in your snug redes far from the restless bil- 

 low; then, whilst vainly endeavouring to swallow preserved 

 salmon or other ship luxury, I shall long for my Amazonian 

 appetite and roasted pirarucu ; then But I will not antici- 

 pate hours which are inevitable. I hope yourself and Mr. 

 King are in good health. In this respect I have no cause to 

 complain. Wishing you both a prosperous and a pleasant 

 time, I must now remain, 



" Yours sincerely, 



" Edward Wallace." 



It is evident from this letter that the usual dilatoriness and 

 difficulties of Amazonian travel delayed his arrival at Para 

 about four months beyond the time he calculated on. The 

 answer to the enigma in the first letter, which he says he has 

 enclosed, I did not receive ; but I have no doubt it is as follows : 

 " Because it is a corpse (copse) sloping away from the town." 

 " Slope," " sloping," were at that time slang words for escaping 

 or running away, ' understanded by the people,' which perhaps 

 they may not be now. I may add here that he did not like the 

 name Herbert (his first name), and so took to his second — 

 Edward. 



1 Native rum and mandioca meal. 



