My life : a record of events and opinions - Wallace-online.org

IN THE AMAZON VALLEY 151ornaments, tribal marks, etc. ;they all carried weaponsor tools of their own manufacture ; they were living,for the most part, in large houses, many familiestogether,, quite unlike the huts of the tame Indians;but, more than all, their whole aspect and mannerwere different—they were all going about their ownwork or pleasure which had nothing to do with whitemen or their ways ; they walked with the free step ofthe independent forest-dweller, and, except the fewthat were known to my companion, paid no attentionwhatever to us, mere strangers of an alien race. Inevery detail they were original and self-sustaining asare the wild animals of the forests, absolutely independentof civilization, and who could and did livetheir own lives in their own way, as they had donefor countless generations before America was discovered.I could not have believed that there wouldbe so much difference in the aspect of the samepeople in their native state and when living underEuropean supervision. The true denizen of theAmazonian forests, like the forest itself, is uniqueand not to be forgotten.My voyage home was rather adventurous. I willtherefore print here a letter written to Dr. Spruce,which has not before been made public, and whichdescribes it." Brig Jordesoti, N. Lat. 49° 30', W. Long. 20°."Sunday, September 19, 1852."My dear Friend," Having now some prospect of being homein a week or ten days, I will commence giving youan account of the peculiar circumstances which havealready kept me at sea seventy days on a voyagewhich took us only twenty-nine days on our passage