338 
READING SICHUANA. 
9 July, 
ascertain the truth of it. Revolving it often in my mind, I 
endeavoured to imagine, what might be his motive for such a journey. 
When I attributed it to that desire, so rare in a savage, of visiting 
other countries for the purpose of enhghtening his mind and of 
acquiring a knowledge of civilized arts, I glowed with so pleasing an 
idea, and almost regretted that I should not have the gratification 
of conducting him thither, of showing to him the practical ad- 
vantages of those arts, and of inspiring him with sentiments which, 
at his return to his own country, might stimulate him to the imita- 
tion of what he had seen, and to the civilizing of his countrymen. 
But his own countrymen, as far as I could yet see, had no 
dreams of this nature : their thoughts embraced little beyond eating 
and smoking. Our visitors begged for snufF and tobacco as soon 
as they accosted me ; and when they had obtained this and some 
meat, they seemed to enjoy as much happiness as man in a state of 
mere animal existence, probably ever attains. 
I was here much amused, and perhaps gained a new idea, by 
observing in them the workings of an untaught mind. I had my 
interpreter by my side, but wishing to put to the test, what I had 
hitherto learnt, or rather, written down, of the Sichuana language, 
I read to these men various words and sentences out of my book. 
These were readily understood by them, who at first, supposing 
me to have a tolerable knowledge of that tongue, talked a great 
deal, to which I could give no answer ; but when they at length dis- 
covered that I could speak only when I looked in the book, they stood 
with eyes and mouth wide open ; wondering both at the book and at 
myself, and unable to conceive how it could be, that ' the white thing 
in my hand,' told me what to say ; or how, by only looking at it, I 
could know more than when I did not. But the most singular 
part of this little comedy, was performed by Muchunka, whose 
simple brain seemed not yet to contain a true idea of the nature of 
writing or of the real purport and utility of our evening exercises at 
the dictionary and vocabulary. As it would have been only a proof 
of my own folly to have asked him to explain the operations and 
conceptions of his mind on this subject, I am left to suppose that he 
