"I purposely made my letters home as concise as possible, so that they could be easily read, and in consequence have left out much that might have been interesting. It is almost unnecessary to mention that when I wrote these letters I had no thought whatever of writing a book. If I had thought of doing so, I might have mentioned more about the customs, ornaments and weapons of the natives and have written about several other subjects in greater detail. As it is, a cursory glance will show that this book has not the slightest pretence of being "scientific. " Far from its being so, I have simply related a few of the more interesting incidents, such as would give a GENERAL IMPRESSION of my life among savages, during my wanderings in many parts of the world, extending over nearly a score of years. "