394 ON THE GENERAL CHARACTER OF THE BACHAPINS. 14 July, 
which they called metsi-morruka, and with which they were as much 
pleased, as with the rice. We had no sugar, but as they had not seen 
me use any, they thought the tea equally pleasant without it ; but 
without waiting to be guided by my example, they added to it a small 
quantity of milk as readily as if they had been accustomed to this 
beverage every day ; and had probably seen it thus used at Klaar- 
water, or had been informed that such was the practice of white- 
people. 
I considered that there were now sitting in my waggon, the 
highest personages at Litakun, and that I might view them as the 
most accomplished of their tribe. I watched their manners, and the 
workings of their mind, as far as they could be seen in the remarks 
they made ; and though I felt much interested in tracing what I 
viewed as the first steps of civilization as compared with the tribes I 
had hitherto examined, yet the contemplation of these specimens 
served only to convince me how many degrees the untutored 
Bachapin stands below the cultivated European. This is, however, 
an assertion not to be made without some modification, nor without 
a fair exposition of the sense in which it ought to be taken, nor 
without some limitation to its extent : but these will be best 
explained, and exemplified, by the following pages. Conduct appa- 
rently contradictory in itself, and sentiments seemingly inconsistent 
with each other, will only be rendered intelligible by an unprejudiced, 
and abstract, consideration of the nature of man. It is the combin- 
ation of a two-fold nature and of contending principles, which 
produces that diversity of feature and inconsistency of character, by 
which an observer may, unless with the utmost caution and attention, 
be confused in his judgment and misled in his conclusions. If then, 
there be some difficulty in obtaining at first, a clear view of this 
subject, there may be still more, in communicating it to others ; and 
the safer mode of exhibiting general character, will perhaps be that 
of allowing it to declare itself through the means of numerous parti- 
cular facts. 
Serrakutu, who was extremely eager to have a sight of the 
various goods which I had brought with me, whispered, just loud 
