102 
OUR TEACHERS. 
curl came, or that straight piece, or that yellow 
lock. 
We soon learnt to converse with the natives, 
for they took the liveliest interest in all our 
doings, and accompanied us in all our walks. 
Perceiving that we desired to learn the name of 
everything we encountered, they themselves 
adopted the rdle of teacher, repeating to us their 
word for every tangible object, as well as trying 
to bring us to a comprehension of their expres- 
sions for abstract ideas. These savages cannot 
be indifferent to the beauties of nature. The 
talk of parent and child, as they walk in forest or 
by shore, or sail on the sea, must be of her won- 
derful works, for the very young children could 
tell the name of every bird, butterfly, tree, seed, 
flower, and shell. I recall with pleasure, though 
sometimes deafened by the clamour at the time, 
how they used to pull my skirts and hold up 
some object, distinctly pronouncing its name. 
After some days our friends began to catechise 
us in past lessons, bringing us various objects 
whose names they had already given, and re- 
quiring us to repeat the word, laughing heartily 
when we made a failure or a mispronunciation. 
The buttons on our garments formed excellent 
objects on which to teach us numeration, and 
