ABSTRACT
The life we led on board was monotonous in the extreme, and if Dr. Briggs and myself had not been well provided with books, would have been more so. Whenever we were able to do it, we were up at sunrise, and breakfasted at eight; at one we dined, and were generally in bed at eight in the evening. Sleeping, as we always did, on deck, we had frequent opportunities, after retiring to rest, of contemplating the beautiful scene which the river presented, as its noble waters rolled silently and majestically by us, when lighted by a moon such as those only who have been in the tropics can imagine. After a distressing and enervating day, the approach of night was always hailed by us with delight: its calmness and tranquillity, its silent grandeur and its beauty, made us for a time forget our own personal sufferings, and sometimes almost deem such enjoyment cheaply purchased by them.
