earliest sea-going,
I have always had a strong liking for natives of tropical countries,
finding them affectionate and amenable to kindness. Why, I think, white
men do not get on with darkies well, as a rule, is, that they seldom
make an appeal to the MAN, in them. It is very degrading to find one's
self looked down upon as a sort of animal without reason or feelings;
and if you degrade a man, you deprive him of any incentive to make
himself useful, except the brute one you may feel bound to apply
yourself. My experience has been limited to Africans (of sorts),
Kanakas, natives of Hindostan, Malagasy, and Chinese; but with all these
I have found a little COMARADERIE answer excellently. True, they are
lazy; but what inducement have they to work? The complicated needs
of our civilized existence compel US to work, or be run over by the
unresting machine; but I take leave to doubt whether any of us with a
primitive environment would not be as lazy as any Kanaka that ever dozed
under a banana tree through daylight hours. Why, then, make an exalted
virtue of the necessity which drives us, and objurgate the poor black
man because he prefers present ease to a doubtful prospective retirement
on a competency? Australian blackfellows and Malays are said to be
impervious to kind treatment by a great number of witnesses, the former
appearing incapable of gratitude, and the latter unable to resist the
frequent temptation to kill somebody. Not knowing anything personally of
either of these races, I can say nothing for or against them.

All the coloured individuals that I have had to do with have amply
repaid any little kindness shown them with fidelity and affection, but
especially has this been the case with Kanakas, The soft and melodious
language spoken by them is easy to acquire, and is so pleasant to speak
that it is well worth learning, to say nothing of the convenience to
yourself, although the Kanaka speedily picks up the mutilated jargon
which does duty for English on board ship.

What I specially longed for now was a harpooner, or even two, so that
I might have my boat to myself, the captain taking his own boat with
a settled harpooner. Samuela, the biggest of my two Kanakas, very
earnestly informed me that he was no end of a "number one" whale
slaughterer; but I judged it best to see how things went before asking
to have him promoted. My chance, and his, came very promptly; so nicely
arranged, too, that I could not have wi