nothing of his personal
difficulties and discomforts, and encumbers his pages with neither
statistics nor information of the guidebook kind. His observation of
birds and beasts, written down in the forests, and the description of the
forests themselves, fill all his pages. The great ant-eater and the
sloth were for the first time accurately described by him. He showed
that the sloth, instead of being a deformed, unhappy creature, was
admirably adapted to its habitat. He explained the use of the great
claws of the ant-eater, and the curious gait which they necessitated.
The habits of the toucan, of the houtou, of the campanero, and of many
other birds, were first correctly described by him. He determined to
catch a cayman or alligator, and at last hooked one with a curious wooden
hook of four barbs made for him by an Indian.

The adventure which followed is perhaps one of the most famous exploits
of an English naturalist.

"We found a cayman, ten feet and a half long, fast to the end of the
rope. Nothing now remained to do, but to get him out of the water
without injuring his scales, 'hoc opus, hic labor.' We mustered strong:
there were three Indians from the creek, there was my own Indian, Yan;
Daddy Quashi, {24} the negro from Mrs. Peterson's; James, Mr. R.
Edmonstone's man, whom I was instructing to preserve birds; and, lastly,
myself.

"I informed the Indians that it was my intention to draw him quietly out
of the water, and then secure him. They looked and stared at each other,
and said I might do it myself, but they would have no hand in it; the
cayman would worry some of us. On saying this, 'consedere duces,' they
squatted on their hams with the most perfect indifference.

"The Indians of those wilds have never been subject to the least
restraint; and I knew enough of them to be aware, that if I tried to
force them against their will, they would take off, and leave me and my
presents unheeded, and never return.

"Daddy Quashi was for applying to our guns, as usual, considering them
our best and safest friends. I immediately offered to knock him down for
his cowardice, and he shrank back, begging that I would be cautious, and
not get myself worried; and apologising for his own want of resolution.
My Indian was now in conversation with the others, and they asked me if I
would allow them to shoot a dozen arrows into him, and thus disable him.
This would have ruined all. I had come above three hundred