Page:Life and Adventures of William Buckley.djvu/185

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162
LIFE OF BUCKLEY.

him at the funeral of the master to whose lot he had fallen, that he might serve him in the other world.

"Luckily, the Portuguese had but one eye. He represented to the General Assembly of the nation, which was convened on that occasion, 'that a one-eyed man could be of service to nobody in the other world, as it was difficult to see clear there, even with two.' His argument succeeded, the Mosquittoes not only granted him his life, but also his liberty, a wife, and the surname of The man who knows a great deal."

Next, with reference to their jealousy, as shown in this narrative; it is a feeling known amongst all men, of all nations, and all classes. The following is an extract from the Work mentioned in the title page—"The Emigrant's Guide:"—

"The men have been represented as most outrageously jealous, but I do not believe they are more so than any other people. It is, however, a melancholy fact, one that will scarcely bear reflecting upon, and one that perhaps, 'will melt even Lawyers to pity,' that the American Indian has no more idea of a Lord Chancellor, than he has of the Chief Officer of the Inquisition, and knows no more about a suit in Chancery, than he does of the North-west Passage. Poor fellow, he does not even know the meaning of an action for damages;—totally senseless to all the charms of briefs and refreshers, he actually lives, moves, and has his being, without the assistance of 'Letters and Messages,' or of even one solitary six-and-eight-penny, to inform him that black is not white, and vice versâ. Now, where