368 
DIGNITY. — WORDS MISAPPLIED. 
13 July, 
moment for bringing forward the presents which I intended making 
to the Chief, he advised that I should wait till another opportunity, 
as he knew, he said, that Mattivi would be better pleased if they 
were given to him when quite alone. 
At length Mattivi rose, and without ceremony, or speaking to 
any one, left the assembly. I remained a few minutes after ; but on 
ascertaining that he would not return, I quitted the circle also, and 
retired to my waggon ; on which, the chieftains rose, and the crowd 
dispersed. 
During this interview, which lasted little more than three 
quarters of an hour, the principal object of my attention had been 
to discover, if possible, the character of the man to whom I was 
about to commit myself, and on whose dealings so much depended. 
But his silence baffled all power of guessing ; yet I thought I 
could discern through all this affectation of dignity, indications of a 
want of mind and of that which constitutes real dignity. To have 
expected to find this last quality in him, was not expecting more 
than was possible, since it is as much the gift of nature as of refined 
education ; and an uncultivated savage may often possess it in a 
higher degree than those whom art would elevate, but to whom 
nature has refused her support. Although I observed nothing which 
could be considered as prepossessing in his favor ; yet the impres- 
sions of a first interview had not disappointed the expectations which 
I had allowed myself to entertain of his character. 
To make use of the word king when speaking of such a man, or 
of queens, |9rmces, or princesses, to designate his wives, sons, or 
daughters, would betray a childish vanity which, instead of adding 
importance to my journal, would only serve to give extremely false 
notions of the persons whom it means to describe. I am content 
with humble terms for expressing humble things. It is, I may be 
excused for saying, very far from being the object of this narrative, 
to create an interest in it by any of the arts of exaggeration ; among 
which, that of elevating the character of ideas by false names, or of 
depressing it by similar means, is not the least dishonest. 
Scarcely had I seated myself in the waggon, when another crowd 
formed itself. From the first, all women, girls, and boys had been 
