THE GEORGE CATLIN INDIAN GALLERY. 511 



sure you that I shall be perfectly happy whilst you are with me. Pardon me a little, 

 while I order you some dinner, and attend to some Indians who are in my store trad- 

 ing and taking their fall credits." 



" That's a fine fellow, I'll engage you," said my companion. 



" Yes, he is all that. I have known him before ; he is a gentleman, and a polished 

 one, too, every ounce of him. You see, in this instance, how durable and lasting are 

 the manners of a true gentleman, and how little a life-time of immersion in the wil- 

 derness, amid the reckless customs of savage life, will extinguish or efface them. I 

 could name you a number of such, whose surface seems covered with a dross, which, 

 once rubbed off, shows a polish brighter than ever." 



CAMP AT COTEAU DES PRAIRIES. 



We spent a day or two very pleasantly with this fine and hospitable fellow, until 

 we had rested from the fatigue of our journey , when he very kindly joined us with 

 fresh horses and piloted us to the pipe-stone quarry, where he is now encamped with 

 us, a jolly, companionable man, and familiar with most of the events and traditions 

 of this strange place, which he has visited on former occasions.* 



ATTEMPT OF LA FROMBOISE TO PROCURE AN INDIAN MEDICINE BAG. 



La Fromboise has some good Indian blood in his veins, and, from his modes of life, 

 as well as from a natural passion that seems to belong to the French adventurers in 

 these wild regions, he has a great relish for songs and stories, of which he gives us 

 many, and much pleasure, and furnishes us one of the most amusing and gentlemanly 

 companions that could possibly be found. My friend Wood sings delightfully, also, 

 and as I cannot sing, but can tell, now and then, a story with tolerable effect, we 

 manage to pass away our evenings, in our humble bivouac, over our buffalo meat and 

 prairie hens, with much fun and amusement. In these nocturnal amusements I have 

 done my part by relating anecdotes of my travels on the Missouri, and other parts of 

 the Indian country which I have been over, and occasionally reading from my note- 

 book some of the amusing entries I had formerly made in it, but never have had 

 time to transcribe for the world. 



As I can't write music, and can (in my own way) write a story, the reader will ac- 

 quit me of egotism or partiality in reporting only my own part of the entertainments, 

 which was generally the mere reading a story or two from my notes which I have 

 with me, or relating some of the incidents of life which my old traveling compan- 

 ion Ba'tiste and I had witnessed in former years. 



Of these, I read one last evening that pleased my good friend La Fromboise so ex- 

 ceedingly that I am constrained to copy it into my letter and send it home. 



This amusing story is one that my man Ba'tiste used to tell to Bogard and others 

 with great zest, describing his adventure one night in endeavoring to procure a med- 

 icine-bag which I had employed him to obtain for me on the Upper Missouri, and 

 he used to prelude it thus : 



" Je commence — " 



11 Damn your commonce (said Bogard), tell it in English — " 



"Pardon, monsieur, en Americaine — " 



" Well, American then, if you please ; anything but your darned 'parlez vow.'" 



"Bien, excusez. Now, Monsieur Bogard, you m ust know, first place, de medicine- 

 bags is mere humbug, he is no medicine in him —no pills ; he is someting myse"trieux. 

 Some witchcraft, suppose. You must know que tous les sauvages have such tings 

 about him, pour for good luck. Ce n'est que (pardon) it is only hocus pocus, to keep off 

 witch, suppose. You must know ces articles can nevare be sold ; of course you see dey 



*This gentleman, the summer previous to this, while I was in company with him at Prairie du Chien, 

 gave me a very graphic account of the red pipe-stone quarry, and made for me, from recollection, a 

 chart of it, which I yet possess, and which was drawn with great accuracy. — G. . C 



