nd such
a heat, that it would sometimes almost scorch one, it was so hot, and
was of such brightness that the eye could not look at it without danger
of blindness. She was heartily glad, she said, she was not born in so
wretched a land; and she did not believe there was any other so good
as her own. I thought no benefit could arise from my combating these
innocent prejudices, so I let them alone.

She had often lamented to me the difference of our eyesight, and the
trouble it was to her that she could not at all times go about with me,
till it gave me a good deal of uneasiness to see her concern. At last I
told her, that though I believed it would be impossible to reduce my
sight to the standard of hers, yet I was persuaded I could bring hers to
bear the strongest light I had ever seen in this country. She was
mightily pleased with the thought of that, and said she wished I might,
for she was sensible of no grief like being obliged to stay at home when
I went abroad on my business, and was resolved to try my experiment if I
pleased, and in the meantime should heartily pray for the success. I hit
on the following invention.

I rummaged over all my old things, and by good luck found an old
crape hatband. This I tried myself, single, before my own eyes, in the
strongest light we had; but believing I had not yet obscured it enough,
I doubled it, and then thought it might do; but for fear it should not
I trebled it, and then it seemed too dark for eyes like mine to discover
objects through it, and so I judged it would suit hers; for I was
determined to produce something, if possible, that would do at first,
without repetition of trial, which I thought would only deject her more,
by making her look on the matter as impracticable. I now only wanted a
proper method for fixing it on her, and this I thought would be easily
effected, but had much more difficulty in it than I imagined. A first I
purposed to tie the crape over her eyes, but trying it myself, I found
it very rough and fretting: I then designed fixing it to an old crown of
a hat that held my fish-hooks and lines, and so let it hang down before
her face; but that also had its inconveniences, as it would slap
her eyes in windy weather, and would be not only useless, but very
troublesome in flight; so that I was scarce ever more puzzled before. At
last I thought of a method that answered exceedingly well, the hint
of which I took from somewhat I had seen with my master