Adventures of the Ojibbeway and Ioway Indians in England, France, and Belgium; Vol. 2 (of 2): being Notes of Eight Years' Travels and Residence in Europe with his North American Indian CollectionCatlin, George
History
Adventures of the Ojibbeway and Ioway Indians in England, France, and Belgium; Vol. 2 (of 2): being Notes of Eight Years' Travels and Residence in Europe with his North American Indian Collection
Catlin, George
England -- Description and travel; France -- Description and travel; Indians of North America
These curious and amusing scenes altogether lasted about two hours,
after which their Majesties and all took leave, the King, the Queen,
and the Duchess of Orleans successively thanking me for the interesting
treat I had afforded them. Their carriages were then ordered to drive
back empty, and all the royal party were seen strolling amidst the
forest towards the Palace.
The Indians and ourselves were soon seated in our carriages, and, being
driven to a wing of the palace, were informed that a feast was prepared
for us, to which we were conducted, and soon found our good friend M.
Gudin by our side, who took a seat and joined us in it. The healths
of the King and the Queen and the little Count de Paris were drunk in
the best of _chickabobboo_, and from that we returned, and all in good
glee, to our quarters in the city.
The reader by this time knows that this interview afforded the Indians
a rich subject for weeks of gossip in their leisure hours, and charged
their minds with a burthen of impatience to know what communications
there might yet be from the King, as they had heard that gold and
silver medals and presents of other descriptions were sent to the
Ioways after their interview.
They proceeded with their exhibitions, as usual, however, and on the
second day after the interview there came a messenger from the King
with medals of gold for the two chiefs, and silver ones for each of the
others of the party, and also 500 francs in money, which was handed
to the head chief, and, as in the former instances, equally divided
amongst them.
This completed all their anxieties, and finished the grandest epoch of
the poor fellows' lives, and of which they will be sure to make their
boasts as long as they live, and give me some credit for bringing it
about--their presentation to the Kings and Queens of France and Belgium.
A curious occurrence took place a few days after this, as I learned
on inquiring the object for which two ladies and a gentleman were in
daily attendance on the Indians, and occasionally taking the War-chief
away for an hour or two in their carriage and bringing him back again.
Daniel told me that the young lady, who was one of the party, had
dreamed that _Say-say-gon_ could cure a cancer on the face of her
father, which had baffled all the skill of the medical faculty and was
likely to terminate his life; and in consequence of her dream, the
relatives and herself were calling on him to induce him to make the
attempt, which he had engaged in, and in their daily drives with him
they were taking him to the Garden of Plants and to various parts of
the country, where he was searching for a particular kind of herb or
root, with which he felt confident he could cure it.
[Illustration: N^o. 21.]
These visits were continued for some weeks, and I was informed by
Daniel and by the Indians that he succeeded in effecting the cure, and
that they handsomely rewarded him for it.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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