294 MY LIFE [Chap. 



the grand equatorial forests which supply so many of man's 

 wants in a way unknown in the colder climes. 



"The Indian's Hut. 



" 'Twas on the mighty Amazon, 



We floated with the tide, 

 While steep and flowery were the banks 



That rose on either side, 

 And where the green bananas grow, 



An Indian's cot I spied. 



" Like to the halls of Solomon, 



Yon humble dwelling rose, 

 Without the grating of the saw 



Or echoing hammers blows ; 

 For all its parts are bound with rope, 



Which in the forest grows. 



Those wild fantastic slender cords 



Which hang from branches high, 

 The place of staple, screw, and nail. 



With equal strength supply, 

 And pole and rafter firm and fast 



All silently they tie. 



" All silently, for stake and pole 



Were sharpened where they grew ; 

 And where the house was built, no axe 



Was lifted up to hew, 

 But slow and still the Indian worked, 



His wife and children too. 



" ' Oh, for a lodge ! ' thus Cowper cried ; 



And here's a peaceful home, 

 A quiet spot, a calm retreat. 



Where care can seldom come. 

 Adieu ! thou silent Indian cot, 



My fate it is to roam." 



I give the following verses on the Cayman or Alligator of 

 the Amazon because I remember how pleased my brother 

 was with the quotation from Macbeth, which so aptly applies 

 to this dangerous reptile. 



