,7®3-
av o usX»
circumftance impreffedon every one, at the time, an idea
which will poflibly now as forcibly imprels the reader,
that there was every caufe to fuppofe there had never
been a communication between thefe. people and any «other
nation; that they and their anceftry,through a line of
ages too remote for human conjedture to fix a date, might
have lived as fovereigps of the world, uaconfcious that
it extended beyond the horizon that bounded them; un-
confcious alfo that there were any more inhabitants/inifc
than themfelves ; |fe!|in f r i^ ^ B ^ h a t might not be th l
fentimeots that burll: on a mind thus fuddenly awakened
to a new and more enlarged notion o f nature and -mankind
! *-
As the King was going toward our tents, o f which there
were three, with a femry Rationed at each, the day being
fine, and the fun in full power, he noticed the bright glitter
of the bayonet; it of courfe aftonifhed him, who had never
feen, any polifhed body, or the action of light on it. He
flepped haftily to the centinei and wiflied to feel it, offering
to take it out of the man’s hand, who thereupon drew back;
Captain Wilson then explained to him, that no Englijh cem-
* It is not improbable but that, from feeing tbe Malay, feme notion of this kind
ought have been awakened before ; but now, having before him a people of a different
colour, and hearing of a variety of nations who were of. the fime complexion, the imr
sreflion would naturally operate, on his mind with redoubled ftrength.
tinei
tinel would, o r dared fuffer any one., to touch his arms.— 1783.
U ®|] g 1 , |a3UvG-#;S(
Upon this the King« fe e zed /a'ti^fied, „and went on to view
other things in and about the cove. R aa K ook would now
«mow^his^Qther the kitchen, which was in the hollow o f a
rock» a little above the cove. It was the time when the -conk
was preparing dinner ; the implements which furnifhed the-jh
kitchen v^re-fcapty indee^, and.could in,no other place but
thisohaye at£$a^pd ajfy one’s .attention-; ^but here, an iron «pot,
a- tea-battle, a tin faucepap, whh a poker^aa pair o f tongs*
and, fryir^-pan,, became, froip -their peculiar fituation, o f
fufficieBh.cpp^q|iff a?9/. g^ci^g ^aioairatifjp | nor were the
b e ^ J n nW f fo l’g o .t te a ^ th c GejnhraL(of ^ h ich fpme,mention
has, hehjrc .been made^wtun taking them up, ^ he m r
plained their ufe to the King, deemed ambitious to let his
brother fee what an adept he was, and began to blow the
fire. The bald cook, who was always clofe fhaved, and never
wpre any thing-on his head, and was belidC a little meagre
fellow, was alfo pointed out by him for the King’s notice
for the General’s vein o f humour, as well as his wifh ° f ui-
formation, made him attentive even to the moft trivial cir-
cumftanees.
He was alfo taken to fee the two dogs, which he was-
ftruclc and delighted with in full as great a degree as his
brother Arra Kooker had been before. But thefe animals,
whofe novelty equally impreffed all the natives, excited