REVIEWS — WANDERINGS OP AN ARTIST. 1 91 



away ; but if I asked tbem to sit they most frequently refused, sup« 

 posiug that it would have some injurious effect upon themselves." 



The incidents connected with some of Mr. Kane's attemps to 

 secure a " sitting," furnish curious and amusing illustrations of Indian 

 manners, and along with other portions of his lively and spirited 

 narrative, open up exceedingly picturesque glimpses of Indian life. 

 But before noticing one or two of them, let us follow him on the 

 way to one of his pictorial experiences. Proceeding to Vancouver's 

 Island on one occasion, he thus describes the navigation of an arm, 

 of the Pacific under native pilotage : — 



" A.t 3 o'clock, A. M., we embarked and proceeded to make a traverse of thirty- 

 two miles in an open sea. When we had been out for about a couple of hours the 

 wind increased to a perfect gale, and blowing against an ebb tide caused a heavy 

 swell. We were obliged to keep one man constantly bailing to prevent our being 

 swamped. The Indians on board now commenced one of their wild chants, which 

 increased to a perfect yell whenever a wave lai-ger than the rest approached ; this 

 was accompanied with blowing and spitting against the wind as if they were in 

 angry contention with the evil spirit of the storm. It was altogether a scene of 

 the most wild and intense excitement ; the mountainous waves roaming round our 

 little canoe as if to engulph us every moment, the wind howling over our heads, 

 and the yelling Indians, made it actually terrific. I was surprised at the dexterity 

 with which they managed the canoe, all putting out their paddles on the windward 

 side whenever a wave broke, thus breaking its force and guiding the spray over 

 our heads to the other side of the boat. 



"It was with the greatest anxiety that I watched each coming wave as it came 

 thundering down, and I must confess that I felt considerable fear as to the event. 

 However, we arrived safely at Fort "Victoria, at 2 P. M., without further damage 

 than what we suffered from intense fatigue, as might be expected from eleven 

 hours' hard work, thoroughly soaked, and without food. One of the Indians told 

 , me he had no fear during the storm, except on my account, as his brethren could 

 easily reach the shore by swimming, even should the distance have been ten 

 miles." 



Once safely ashore, our artist-traveller employs himself busily on 

 Indian portraiture. While taking the likeness of one Indian he 

 unceremoniously ejects all others, and among the rest one is sum- 

 marily turned out of doors who struck him only as being of a very 

 plain and unprepossessing appearance. Half an hour after he learns 

 that he has abruptly ordered out of doors Tellow-cum, the head chief 

 of the Macaws, a warrior feared and detested by his enemies the 

 Clallum Indians, and whose fame had led Mr. Kane to project a 

 journey of sixty miles to see him. Tellow-cum proved placable, on 

 receiving the explanations and flatteries of the courtly painter and 



