A
letter by James Brooke
. .For my temperament and mode of thinking,
there is nothing which makes prolonged life desirable, and, I would fain
be doing something to add to the amount of happiness, especially in the
way of life suited to my wild habits, wild education and ardent love for
an undue degree of personal freedom . . . Could I carry my vessel to places
where the keel of European ship never before ploughed the waters - could
I plant my foot where white man's foot never before had been - could I
gaze upon scenes which educated eyes never have looked on - see man in
the rudest state of nature - I should be content without looking for further
reward. I can, indeed, say truly that I have no object of personal ambition,
no craving for personal reward: these things sometimes flow attendant
on worthy deeds or bold enterprises, but they are at best but consequences,
not principle objects.
