674 THE GEORGE CATLIN INDIAN GALLERY. 



• 



who were pouring into our apartments, and who would have continued to do so in 



all probability for the greater part of the night had we not taken up the line of 



march, endeavoring to make our way to our carriages on our way home. This was 



for some time exceedingly difficult, as we had a succession of rooms and halls to pass 



through before we reached the top of the staircase, all of which were filled with a 



dense mass of ladies and gentlemen, who had got information that theloway Indians 



were in the duke's apartments, and were then making their way there to get a peep 



at them. We crowded and squeezed through this mass as well as we could, and were 



all laughing at Jim's remarks as we passed along. He thought the people had all 



left the King and Queen to see the Indians. "Come see Ingins " (said he, in English) 



''at Salle Valentino— see em dance— better go back, see King, see Queen— Ingins 



no good." 



jim's attempt to trade. 



Mr. Melody gave the poor fellow the first idea that his words were thrown away, 

 as these people were all French, and did not understand English ; so Jim said, "I 

 spose em no buy Bible then ?" and began to whistle. We soon descended the grand 

 escalier, and, taking our carriages, were in a few minutes entering the Indians' apart- 

 ments in Salle Valentino. 



Jim got home a little provoked, as the Doctor was showing a very handsome eye- 

 glass which had been presented to him ; two or thrde of the women had also received 

 presents in money and trinkets, but Jim's wife, as well as himself, was amongst the 

 neglected or overlooked. Ho then took out of his pouch and throwing it down upon 

 the table, one of his beautiful gilt-bound little Bibles, and said, " Me no sell em.'' 

 "Did you try, Jim?" "Yes, me try em, but me no sell em — folks call em Onglaise. 

 Onglaise no good, I guess ; I no sell em." Poor Jim ! he looked quite chapfallcn at the 

 moment, and much more so when Daniel afterwards told him that he ought to have 

 had an auction or other sale of his Bibles before he left England, for the French 

 didn't care much about Bibles, and if they did they wouldn't buy his, for they were 

 in the English language, which they could not read. Jim's regrets were now very 

 great, to think they had so little oversight as to come away without thinking to 

 make some conversion of them into ready cash. Daniel told him, however, that he 

 thought there would be nothing lost on them, as they would sell better in America 

 than they would have sold in England, and he had better pack them away until they 

 went home. 



The conversation running upon Bibles, Jim was asked, as there was some sympa- 

 thy expressed for him, how many he and his wife had, to which he replied, "I no 

 know — I guess a heap." It was in a few moments ascertained more correctly from 

 his wife, who had the immediate charge of them, that they had twenty-eight, and 

 the account soon returned from the whole party that in all they had received about 

 one hundred and twenty since they arrived in England. 



Just as M. Vattemare and I were about to leave the room, I found Jim and the 

 Doctor interrogating Daniel about the " big guns that spoke so loud ; they thought 

 they must have very large mouths to speak so strong," and were anxious to see them. 

 Daniel told them that those which made the loudest noise were at the Hospital of the 

 Invalides, and it was then agreed that they should go there the next day to see them. 



Jim said they had all been delighted at what Daniel read in his paper about their 

 going before the King and Queen, and that he must be sure to bring the paper at an 

 early hour the next morning to let them hear what was said about the Indians being 

 in the palace the second time, and in the rooms of the duke to see the fireworks. 



The rest of their evening was taken up in " thinking " on what they had seen ; and 

 the next morning, as he had promised, Daniel came in with the paper and read along 

 account of the amusements of the day and evening, and also of the hundreds of thou- 

 sands in the crowd who moved along in front of the Duke d'Aumale's apartments to 

 look at the Indians in preference to look at the King and the Queen. 



