584 THE GEORGE CATLIN INDIAN GALLERY. 



ray announced it as ready, and we all went to work. Mr. Rankin, who had been 

 seated in the gallery during the presentation, having joined the party, had now t;iken 

 his seat with them at the table. With his usual kiuduess, Mr. Murray inisted ou 

 carving the roast-beef and helping them around, and next iu drinking the Queen's 

 health, which is customary at all public dinners. For this the first bottle of cham- 

 pagne was opened ; and when the cork flew and the wine was pouring into glasses, 

 the Indians pronounced the word " Chick-a-bob-boo! " and had a great laugh. A foam- 

 ing glass of it was set before each. Indian ; and when it was proposed to drink to Her 

 Majesty's health they all refused. I explained to Mr. Murray the promise they were 

 under to drink no spirituous liquor while in the Kingdom. Mr. Murray applauded 

 their noble resolution, but said at the same time that this was not spirituous liquor — 

 it was a light wine, and could not hurt them: and it would be the only time they 

 could everdrink to Her Majesty so properly, and Her Majesty's health could not be re- 

 fused by Her Majesty's subjects. When again urged they still refused, saying/' We no 

 drink ; can't drink." They seemed, however, to be referring it to me, as all eyes were 

 alternately upon me and upon their glasses, when I said to them, " Yes, my good fel- 

 lows, drink ; it will not hurt you. The promise you have made to Mr. Rankin and 

 myself will not be broken; it did not contemplate a case like this, where it is neces- 

 sary to drink the Queen's health. And agaiu, this is champagne, and not spirituous 

 liquor, which you have solemnly promised to avoid." u How ! how! how!" they all 

 responded, and with great delight all joined in " health to the Queen ! " And as each 

 glass was em|jtied to the bottom, they smacked their lips, again pronouncing the 

 word " Chick-a-bob-boo ! Chick-a-bob-boo ! '" with a roar of laughter among themselves. 

 Mr. Murray and I becoming anxious to know the meaning of chick-a-bob-boo, it 

 was agreed that the war-chief (who had a dry but amusing way of relating an anec- 

 dote) should give us the etymology of the word chiclc-a-bob-boo, which they said was 

 manufactured but a few years since in their country. The old Boy Chief, who was 

 not a stranger to chick-a-bob-boo, nor to good jokes, said that the " war-chief couldn't 

 tell a story well unless his lips were kept moist," and he proposed that we should 

 drink Mr. Murray's health before he commenced. So the champagne was poured 

 again j and the Hon. Mr. Murray's health being drunk, the war-chief proceeded by 

 saying that "Only a few years since, when the white men were bringing so much rum 

 aud whisky into the little village where he lives that it was making them all sick 

 and killing a great many, the chiefs decided in council that they would tomahawk 

 every keg of whisky the white men should bring in ; and it had the effect of keeping 

 them away, and their people who had been drunk and sick were getting well. 



"Not long after that," continued he, " a little old man with red hair, who used to 

 bring us bags of apples, got in the way of bringing in one end of his bag a great many 

 bottles filled with something that looked much, like whisky, but which, when we 

 smelled it and tasted it, we found was not fire-water, and it was much liked by the 

 chiefs and all, for they found, as he said, it was good, and would not make Indians 

 drunk. He sold much of this to the Indians, and came very often ; and when he had 

 carried it a great way on his horse and in the sun, it sometimes became very impa- 

 tient to get out of the bottles ; and it was very amusing to see the little old man turn 

 a crooked wire into the bottle to pull out the stopper, when one was holding a cup 

 ready to catch it. As he would twist the wire in, it would go chee — e — , and when he 

 poured it out it would say pop-poo, pop-poo.* This amused the women and childreu 

 very much, and they called it at first chee-pop-poo, and since chick-a-bob-boo. And this 

 the old man with red hair told us at last was nothing but the juice of apples, though 

 we found it very good; and yet it has made some very drunk." 



This story of the war-chief amused Mr. Murray very much, and he ordered one of 

 the waiters to " twist the crooked wire" into the neck of another bottle or two of the 

 chick-a-bob-boo and "pull out the little stoppers," for he was going to propose that 



* This word must be whispered, as the war-chief gave it, and not spoken, to be appreciated— after 

 the mode of Indians in their imitations, or exclamations of surprise. 



