THE GEORGE CATLIN INDIAN GALLERY. 601 



ish duties of the camp, having the free nse of their hands and arms, are enabled to work 

 most of the time, and in fact exercise and labor nearly as well as if their children were 

 not attached to their persons. These cradles are often, as in the present instance, most 

 elaborately embroidered with porcupine quills, and loaded with little trinkets hanging 

 within the child's reach, that it may amuse itself with them as it rides, with its face 

 looking from that of its mother, while she is at work, so as not to draw upon her valu- 

 able time. 



This rigid and seemingly cruel mode of binding the child with its back to a straight 

 board seems to be one peculiarly adapted to Indian life, and, I believe, promotes straight 

 limbs, sound Inngs, and long life. 



I having thus introduced the party to their first audience in England, and left other 

 remarks upon themfor theirproper place, the Indians laid by their pipe and commenced 

 their evening's amusements by giving first their favorite, the eagle dance. The druni 

 (and their eagle whistles, with which they imitate the chattering of the soaring eagle), 

 ■with their voices, formed the music for this truly picturesque and exciting dance. Afe 

 their first pause in the dance the audience, who had witnessed nothing of this descrip- 

 tion in the amusements of the Ojibbeways, being excited to the highest degree, encour- 

 aged the strangers with rounds of applause. The song in this dance is addressed to their 

 favorite bird, the war eagle, and each dancer carries a fan made of the eagle's tail in his 

 left hand as he dances, and by his attitudes endeavors to imitate the motions of the soar- 

 ing eagle. This, being a part of the war-dance, is a boasting dance, and at the end of 

 each strain in the song some one of the warriors steps forth and in an •excited speech 

 describes the time and the manner in which he has slain his enemj'' in battle, or cap- 

 tured his horses, or performed some other achievement in war. After this the dance 

 proceeds with increased spirit; and several in succession having thus excited their fel- 

 low-dancers, an indescribable thrill and effect are often produced before they get through. 



THE DOCTOE'S speech. 



In the midst of the noise and excitement of this dance the doctor (or mjjstenj man) 

 jumped forward to the edge of the platform, and making the most tremendous flourish 

 of his spear Avhich he held in his right hand, and his shield extended upon his left arm, 

 recited the military deeds of his life — how he had slain his enemies in battle and taken 

 their scalps; and, with singular effect fitting the action to the word, acting them out as 

 he described. 



The thrilling effect produced Ijy the Doctor's boast brought him showers of applause, 

 which touched his vanity, and at the close of the dance he imagined all eyes in admira- 

 tioji fixed upon him, and no doubt felt himself called upon for the following brief but 

 significant speech, which he delivered, waving his right hand over the heads of the audi- 

 ence from the front of the platform where he stood, and from which he dropped his most 

 humble and obsequious smiles upon the groups of ladies who were near him and ap- 

 plauding at the end of every sentence: 



" My friends, it makes me very happy to see so many smiling faces about me, for when 

 people smile and laugh I know they are not angry — " 



Jeffrey, the interpreter, now made his debut; the doctor had beckoned him up by his 

 side to interpret his speech to the audience; and when he explained the above sentenfte 

 the doctor received a round of applause, and particularly from the ladies, who could 

 not but be pleased with the simple vanity of the speaker and the self-complacent smiles^ 

 he always lavished upon the fair sex who were around him. * * * 



The doctor yet stood, the concentration of smiles and anxious looks from every part 

 of the room, and at length proceeded (Plate 10): 



" My friends, I see the ladies are pleased, and this pleases me, because I know that 

 if they are pleased they will please the men." 



It was quite impossible for the doctor to proceed further until he had bowed to the 

 burst of laughter and applause from all parts of the room, and particularly from the 



