of education, and was endeavouring to improve myself, and was
greedy to gain knowledge wherever I could obtain it. No person could
have devoted himself more earnestly to my instruction than did my
friend. He seemed never to weary in helping me over difficulties; and
if I took a pleasure in learning, he certainly took a still greater in
teaching me. Without his aid I could not have made a tenth part of the
progress I had done. I now read fluently, and even wrote tolerably. I
had read through and mastered even more than the outlines of ancient and
modern history, and with several periods I was tolerably conversant. I
knew something of the past and present state of every country in the
world, though I could not boast of knowing much about the mere names of
the chief towns and rivers. I had read the lives of several men who had
stood forward prominently in the world, and I had mastered some of the
important facts of natural science. I need not further describe the
amount of my knowledge. I could not have attained half I have mentioned
had I not read on steadily, and carefully eschewed anything like
desultory reading--that is to say, as far as the limited library to
which I had access would allow. I did not always read the books I might
have desired, but I diligently read the best I could obtain. If I,
therefore, did so much in a short time with indifferent means, how much
might be done with all the advantages possessed by those on shore!

Late in the evening Newman came back. The first thing he did on getting
on board was to go below and shift his clothes. He then sat himself
down on the windlass, with his arms folded across his bosom; and when I
went up to him, he burst into aloud fit of laughter.

"I thought it would be so!" he exclaimed, when he recovered himself.
"Mynheer Von Kniper was very polite, and so was his wife; and they
introduced me to all their company. I believe the governor-general was
there, or some great person. They paid me much more attention than they
did the captain, who, if he had not been a right honest, good-natured
fellow, might have been not a little jealous. First one person talked
to me in one language, then another would come up with a different
tongue in his mouth, and I had to show off in great style. Then I was
asked to exhibit my drawings, and they were handed about and held up to
the light, and admired by all hands as wonderful productions of art. In
fact, I saw clearly