ge, form a
very correct idea of what the country contains. But then he has used
his eyes--he has seen those objects between which the parallel or the
difference has been pointed out. Now I had not that advantage. I had
seen nothing but the sea, rocks, and sea-birds, and had but one
companion. Here was my great difficulty, which, I may say, was never
surmounted, until I had visited and mixed with civilisation and men.
The difficulty, however, only increased my ardour. I was naturally of
an ingenious mind, I had a remarkable memory, and every increase of
knowledge was to me a source of delight. In fact, I had now something
to live for--before I had not; and I verily believe, that if Jackson had
been by any chance removed from me at this particular time, I should
soon have become a lunatic, from the sudden drying up of the well which
supplied my inordinate thirst for knowledge.

Some days passed before I asked Jackson to continue his narrative,
during which we lived in great harmony. Whether it was that he was
deceiving me, and commanding his temper till he had an opportunity of
revenge, or whether it was that his forlorn and helpless condition had
softened him down, I could not say; but he appeared gradually to be
forming an attachment to me; I was, however, on my guard at all times.
His wounded wrist had now healed up, but his hand was quite useless, as
all the tendons had been severed. I had therefore less to fear from him
than before. At my request that he would continue his history, Jackson
related as follows:--

"After sailing in vessel after vessel, and generally dismissed after the
voyage for my failing of intemperance, I embarked on board a ship bound
to Chili, and after having been on the coast for nearly a year, we were
about to proceed home with a cargo, when we anchored at Valdivia,
previous to our homeward voyage, as we had some few articles to ship at
that port. We were again ready for sea, when we heard, from the
captain, that he had agreed to take two passengers, a gentleman and his
wife, who wished to proceed to England. The cabin was cleared out, and
every preparation made to receive them on board, and in the evening the
boat was sent on shore for the luggage. I went in the boat, as I
thought it likely that the gentleman would give the boat's crew
something to drink; nor was I wrong--he gave us four dollars, which we
spent immediately in one of the ventas, and were all more or less
intoxica