The Hillsdale standard. [volume] (Hillsdale, Mich.) 1851-1909, 1877-07-31
NUMBER 1904.


A boy worthy of being immortalized
in a novel 10y Capt. Mayne Reid is Err
nest Morris, who gave a thrilling mar
ratiye, recently, OF his explorations and
adventures in the valley of the ANA
zon, before the Long Island Historical
Society. Young Morris is not merely
an intrepid boy, passionately fond OF
an adventurous life, aud OF irrepressi-
BILE spirits, but he is also an intelligent
and painstaking collector, an accurate
observer and economical traveller No
ordinary boy or man could start at the
mouth Of the Amazon with sixty-five
dollars in his pocket. penetrate far into
the depths Of hitherto unvisited viii
derness, and return at the end OF eight
months with a collection which at
low estimate is worth between 1000
and $1,000. His numerous specimens
OF birds and insects, prepared and
mounted with unmistakable skill, have
already been disposed of in large part,
and his unique collection OF preserved
Indian heads would be prize for any
museum in the world. An offer of
81, 400 was made to HIM for them by
an English gentleman who came with
him to this country on the Brazilian
steamer, but Morris declined to part
with them. He has ten of these heads
lying about on the chairs OF his room
and packed away in his trunk. Their
appearance is most startingly life-like.
The form of the head and face is per-
fectly retained, with the exception of
the nose, which is mostly gone, and
the thick. black hair tails profusely
over the cheeks and neck. which still
retain the color OF life. The method
by which they have been prepared is a
very simple one, if Morris is to be be-
ieved. When the Indians on the
banks OF Cururu, with whom he lived,
go out upon the war-path, they steal
silently mp and surprise hostile vii
lage, killing as many men and women
as they can. Then they cut off the
heads Of their victims and retreat has
tily, travelling day and night until they
have reached place of security. Then
the heads are cured by the burning OF
certain root under them at intervals
for a month. One of Morris discov-
cries was tree that yielded gum much
more elastic than the common India
rubber. The gum is white, and hard
ems rapidly on exposure to the air. A
piece of il no larger than the little fin
ger of man can be readily stretched
ten feet, and will resume its original
form when the tension is relaxed. Nor
ris is now twenty-one years old. He
converses fluently in both Spanish and
Portuguese, and has passable ac-
quaintance with several OF the South
American native dialects. At his home
in indianapolis he has received from
professors resident in the city consid-
erable instruction in natural history,
botany and mineralogy. and his study
in these branches has been carried t.
the limit of his opportunities, in books
and by personal observation. The
notes which he has taken in the course
of his explorations would fill several
large volumes, but his memory is SO
strong and his impressions of scenes
through which he has passed are so vi
vid that he will talk for hours, giving
dates, names and facts, without once
referring 10 his written pages. He de-
scribes his adventures with the fresh
ness of bright boy, and with the spir
10 of a natural actor Springfield
Mass. Republican.