He was like the old knights, rejoicing
most when the field of their devoir was distant and dangerous. Yet not
altogether like them. He was rather a man of the twelfth century,
disciplined and invigorated by the hard common-sense and sharp
utilitarianism of the nineteenth century. And we must not forget that he
honestly wished to benefit the native races. Every page, nay, almost
every line, in his journals and letters, bears witness to his profound
compassion for the despised and downtrodden Dyaks. Aside from this, when
we remember that he was a genuine Englishman, proud of his native land
and thoughtful always of her aggrandizement, we need be at no loss to
understand his motives. He went forth to gratify a love of adventure,
"to see something of the world and come back again," to extend a little
the realms of scientific knowledge, to suggest, perhaps, some plans for
the improvement of native character, and last, but not least, to learn
whether there might not be opened new avenues for the extension of
British trade and British power.
That the methods by which these objects were to be attained were not
very well defined even to his own mind is clear. He himself said, "I
cast myself upon the waters, like Southey's little book; but whether the
world will know me after many days, is a question I cannot answer.
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