was cleared and planted, which doubtless was
the ostensible object of Pationi’s people being
here. As the village lay upon the opposite shore
from that on which we arrived, we sat some
time under the shelter of a large tree, to contemplate
its appearance, and to give time
to arrange our party for passing the stream,
and also for my making a sketch. The red
glare of the setting sun, just touching the top
of every object, beautifully illuminated the
landscape; and its rays, bursting through the
black woods in the back-ground, gave the
woods an appearance of being on fire; while a
beautiful rainbow, thrown across the sky, tinged
the scene with a fairy-land effect.
As soon as they perceived us from the opposite
shore, a loud shout of welcome was
raised, and all the inhabitants came out to
meet us. They carried us over the stream,
conducted us to their huts, and then sat down
to gaze at and admire us.
As we were very hungry after our fatiguing
walk, we soon unpacked our baggage, and in
so doing made an unavoidable display of
many valuable and glittering objects, which
roused the attention of our savage spectators,
and caused them, on the unfolding of every
fresh object, to make loud and long exclamations
of wonder and admiration. As I was
then “ a stranger in their land,” and unaccustomed
to their peculiarities, I felt a little
alarmed at their shouts ; but, on a longer acquaintance
with them, I found my fears had
been groundless.
Here we saw the son of Pationi, accompanied
by thirty or forty young savages, sitting
or lying all round us. All were exceedingly
handsome, notwithstanding the wildness
of their appearance and the ferocity of their
looks. Let the reader picture to himself this
savage group, handling every thing they saw,
each one armed with a musket, loaded with
ball, a cartouch-box buckled round his waist,
and a stone patoo-patoo, or hatchet, in his
hand, while human bones wei’e hung round
each neck by way of ornament ; let the scene
and situation be taken into consideration, and
he will acknowledge it was calculated to make
the young traveller wish himself safe at home :
but, when I suspected, I wronged them ; for
D