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 — John Shaqi
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
They received great applause at the end of this dance, and also a
number of presents, which were handed and thrown on to the platform.
This created much excitement and good cheer among them, and I was not
a little surprised, nor was I less amused and gratified, to discover
at this moment, that the (so-called) "_jolly fat dame_," of Ojibbeway
notoriety, was along side of the platform, at her old stand, and, in
her wonted liberality, the first one to start the fashion of making the
poor fellows occasional presents. I regretted, however, that I should
have been the ignorant cause of her bestowing her first present upon a
person for whom she did not intend it. The finest-looking man of the
party, and one of the youngest, was _No-ho-mun-ya_ (the _Roman-nose_),
upon whom it seems this good lady's admiration had been fixed during
the evening, notwithstanding the smiles that had been lavished by the
Doctor, and the eloquence which he had poured forth in his boastings
and speeches.
The elegant limbs, Herculean frame, and graceful and terrible
movements of this six foot and a-half young man, as she had gazed
upon him in this last dance, had softened her heart into all its
former kindness and liberality, and she had at this moment, when I
first discovered her, unclasped a beautiful bracelet from one of her
arms, and was just reaching over the platform to say to me as she
did, "Wonderful! wonderful! Mr. Catlin; I think it one of the wonders
of the world! Will you hand this to that splendid fellow, with my
compliments--give him my compliments, will you--it's a bracelet for his
arm (Cadotte has got the other, you know). Oh! but he is a splendid
fellow--give him my compliments, will you. I think them a much finer
party than the other--oh, far superior! I never saw the like; hand it
to him, will you, and if he can't put it on, poor fellow, I will show
him how."
All this had been run over so rapidly that I scarcely could recollect
what she said, for several were speaking to me at the same time; and
at that unfortunate moment it was that I committed the error, for
which I was almost ready to break my own back when I found it out. I
presented it by mistake to the Doctor, who, I supposed, had of course
been winning all the laurels of the evening, and with them the good
lady's compliments, which it would have been quite awkward on her part
and mine also to have unpresented. The Doctor raised up the bracelet as
high as he could reach, and made the house ring and almost tremble with
the war-whoop, which he several times repeated.[7] What could be done?
_She_ was too gallant, and I did not yet know the mistake. The Doctor
happened to know how to put it on--it fitted to his copper-coloured arm
above his elbow--and his true politeness led him to bow and to smile
a thousand thanks upon the fair dame as he bent over her from the
platform.
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