516 THE GEORGE CATLIN INDIAN GALLERY. 



avalanche of clay that was above, and slid in sheets upon us ! Heavens ! what a scene 

 was here! The river beneath us and in distance, with windings infinite, whitening 

 into silver, and trees to deathlike paleness, at the lightning's flash ! All about us was 

 drenched in rain and mud. At this juncture poor Ba'tiste was making an effort to 

 raise his head and shoulders. He was in agony ! he had slept himself and slipped 

 himself partly from the robe, and his elbows were fastened in the mud. 

 " 'Oh sacre*, 'tis too bad, by gar ! we can get some slips nevare.' 

 " ' Ugh ! (replied Yankee Bogard) we shall get " slips" enough directly, by darn, for 

 we are all afloat and shall go into the river by and by, in the twinkling of a goat's 

 eye, if we don't look out.' 



" We were nearly afloat, sure enough, and our condition growing more and more 

 dreary every moment, and our only alternative was to fold up our nether robe and sit 

 upon it, hanging the other one over our heads, which formed a roof and shielded the 

 rain from us. To give compactness to the trio, and bring us into such shape as would 

 enable the robe to protect us all, we were obliged to put our backs and occiputs to- 

 gether and keep our heads from nodding. In this way we wore enabled to divide 

 equally the robe that we sat upon, as well as receive mutual benefit from the one that 

 was above us. We thus managed to protect ourselves in the most important points, 

 leaving our foet and legs (from necessity) to the mercy of mud. 



11 Thus we were re-encamped. 'A pretty mess' (said I), we look like the " three 

 graces,"' 'De tree grace, by gar!' said Ba'tiste. 'Grace! (whispered Bogard) yes, 

 it's all grace here, and I believe we'll all be buried in grace in less than an hour.' 



" Monsieur Cataliue ! excusez my back, si vous plait. Bogard ! comment, comment ? 

 — bonne nuit, messieurs. Oh! mon Dieu, mon Dieu! Je vous rends grace — je vous 

 priepour for me sauver ce nuit — delivrez nous! delivrez nous! Je vous adore, Saint 

 Esprit — la Vierge Marie— oh, je vous rends grace ! pour for de m'avoir conserve" from 

 de dam Riccree et de diable muskeet. Eh bien ! eh bien !' 



" In this miserable and despairing mood poor Ba'tiste dropped off gradually into a 

 most tremendous sleep, whilst Bogard and I were holding on to our corners of the 

 robe, recounting over the dangers and excitements of the day and night past, as well 

 as other scenes of our adveuturous lives, whilst we laid (or rather sat) looking at the 

 lightning, with our eyes shut. Ba'tiste snored loader and louder, until sleep had got 

 her strongest grip upon him ; and his specific gravity became so great that he pitched 

 forward, pulling our corners of the robe nearly off from our heads, reducing us to the 

 necessity of drawing upon them till we brought the back of his head in contact with 

 ours again, and his body in an erect posture, when he suddenly exclaimed : 



" ' Bon jour, Monsieur Bogard ; bon jour, Monsieur Cataline ; n'est ce pas morning, 

 pretty near ? ' 



" * No, it's about midnight.' 

 " ' Quel temps ? ' 

 " ' Why it rains as hard as ever.' 

 " ' Oh diable, I wish I was to hell. 1 

 " ' You may be there yet before morning, by darn.' 



" ' Pard6n! pard6n! Monsieur Bogard — I shall not go to-night, not to-night; I was 

 joke — mais! dis is not joke, suppose — oh vengeance ! I am slip down considerable — 

 mais I shall not go to hell quite — I am slip off de seat ! ' 

 11 ' What ! you are sitting in the mud ? ' 



" ' Oui, Bogard, in de muds! mais, I am content, my head is not in de mud. You 

 see, Bogard, I avait been sleep, et I raisee my head pretty suddain, and keepee my e 

 back e straight, et I am slip off of de seat. Now, Monsieur Bogard, you shall keepee you 



head straight and moove leet, at de bottom T remercie, Bogard, remercie eh 



bien ah well ha-ha-h a— by Gar, Bogard, I have a de good joke. Monsieur 



Cataline will paintez my likeeness as I am now look — he will paint us all — I am tink 



he will make putty coot view ? ha-ha-ha-a we should see very putty landeescape 



aboutee de legs, ha? Ha — ha — h—a— a.' 



