Unnecessaky to Teach Indians Morality. 
317 
travel bj way of the Awaricuru to Wai-ipukari Inlet : the ,baggage had 
to be properly packed here. Our s'quadron consisted of 8 vessels and 50 
Indians. Besides the eorial in which the coloured men had travelled up 
from the coast, the number of packages necessitated our purchasing 
from Captain J.eal yet an<»thei- Jarj^c Brazilian ei;ift (Igaiite), lately 
returned from a business trip to Georgetown that was still lying in the 
Inlet just menliuued. It was to tliis boat that i entrusted my boxes 
with palms, of which several had already reached a good size, us was also 
the case with the orchids. Tlie packing was completed within a eouple 
of days, when a livelier, more painful farewell awaited me. All our 
Indian friends from far and near, were ouce more gathered here to see 
us and shout tlieir "TomliaAvai 1'' I am not ashamed to admit that I was 
deeply affected, and could liardly restrain my tears when aged and 
young, old men and boys, pressed around to shake hands for the last, 
when the mothers held up their babes A\ itli ih( ir WiWr hasKis in front >>\ 
me, and implored me to stay. This honest sign of the love of Natureis 
innocent children was my rich re^^■a]•d for- so many troubles and suffer- 
ings, for so many misconceptions, and as I can yet still call to mind, for 
so many illusions. Civilisation possesses infinitely higher qualities 
than those which these children of Nature possess, but it lacks that 
clean morality which is generally found amongst those Indians who 
have not yet come into contact with the European, and accordingly 
have not yet been polluted -«^ith his vices. I found peace, happiness and 
ti-anquility quite natural with them : and just as natural the simple love 
of husband for wife, of parents for their children, of children for their 
elders. I also recognised plain honest friendship, and unlimited 
gratitude, whicli w'as certainly not expressed in empty words to die 
away, but to ' e presei^ved in the faithful keeping of theii- hearts. It is 
not necessary for the civilised world to teach them morality and virtue 
first: Indians 'f» not s]teak abont these things hut practise them: their 
words are acts: iheir promises are deerls. 
764. Though our little flotilla had already rounded a bend of the 
Kn]>unnni that blocked the figures with their outstretched arms from 
view, We still continned to hear the loud '^Tombawai!" of those who had 
assembled there. 
765. The strong current brought us by about 8 o'clock in 
the evening to the Macusi settlement Haiowa which on the 
journey up was so flourishing and populous: it Avas once moT'c 
abandoned and overgrown with weeds The sudden death of 
tlie chief and his wife, as well as that of several victims of smallpox had 
dHven away the residents. Two Tarib families had taken possession 
of the desolate houses. Next day Ave found both the settlements 
in the neighbourhood of Rupununi mouth in the same neglected and 
overgrown condition, and heartily did I welcome the broad sheet of 
water of the Essequibo which on the tliird day again i-eceived us. In 
going up stream it had taken us edght days to cover this distance. 
766. On the left bank of the Essequibo some miles from the junction 
Tvith its tributary, and in the iteigbliourhood of tlie big Ciimakiva Kir- 
ahagh we searched for the site of a former Dutch Post that had heen 
