His Humanity Was Genuine And
Instinctive, And His Rudeness Only A Manner.
He inquired, just
as we were passing out of earshot, if we had killed anything, and
we shouted after him that we had shot a _buoy_, and could see him
for a long while scratching his head in vain to know if he had
heard aright.
There is reason in the distinction of civil and uncivil. The
manners are sometimes so rough a rind that we doubt whether they
cover any core or sap-wood at all. We sometimes meet uncivil
men, children of Amazons, who dwell by mountain paths, and are
said to be inhospitable to strangers; whose salutation is as rude
as the grasp of their brawny hands, and who deal with men as
unceremoniously as they are wont to deal with the elements. They
need only to extend their clearings, and let in more sunlight, to
seek out the southern slopes of the hills, from which they may
look down on the civil plain or ocean, and temper their diet duly
with the cereal fruits, consuming less wild meat and acorns, to
become like the inhabitants of cities. A true politeness does
not result from any hasty and artificial polishing, it is true,
but grows naturally in characters of the right grain and quality,
through a long fronting of men and events, and rubbing on good
and bad fortune. Perhaps I can tell a tale to the purpose while
the lock is filling, - for our voyage this forenoon furnishes but
few incidents of importance.
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