“(28) Right hand grasping chest repeatedly, fingers curved and spread.—‘Strong.’ “(29) Both hands pressed to temple, and head moved from side to side.—‘Drunk, headache.’ “(30) Both index fingers placed together extended, pointing forward.—‘Together.’ “(31) Fingers interlaced repeatedly.—‘Build.’ “(32) Left hand extended, fingers closed, placed slopingly against left.—‘Camp.’ “(33) Both wrists placed against temples, hands curved upward and outward, fingers spread.—‘Horns.’ “(34) Both hands horizontally lifted to height of shoulder, right arm extended gradually full length, hand drooping a little at the end.—‘Long back, moose.’ “(35) Both hands upright, palm outward, fingers extended and spread, placing one before the other alternately.—‘Trees, dense forest.’ “(36) Sign of cross.—‘Russian.’ “(37) Motions of shooting again.—‘Shot.’ “(38) Sign for moose (Nos. 33, 34); showing two fingers of left hand.—‘Two.’ “(39) Sign for camp as before (No. 10).—‘Camp.’ “(40) Right hand describing curve from east to west, twice.—‘Two days.’ “(41) Left hand lifted height of mouth, back outward, fingers closed as if holding something; right hand simulating motion of tearing off, and placing in mouth.—‘Eating moose meat.’ “(42) Right hand placed horizontally against heart; fingers closed, moved forward a little and raised a little several times.—‘Glad at heart.’ “(43) Fingers of left hand and index of right hand extended and placed together horizontally, pointing forward height of chest. Hands separated, right pointing eastward, and left westward.—‘Three men and speaker parted, going west and east.’” And so on, the conversation continuing up to 116 paragraphs. No doubt some of these gestures appear conventional, and such is undoubtedly the case with a great many which Colonel Mallery gives in his _Dictionary of Indian Signs_. But this only shows that no system of signs can be developed in any high degree without becoming more or less conventional. The point I desire to be noticed is, that gesture-language continues as far as possible—or as long as possible—to be the natural expression of the logic of recepts. As Mallery elsewhere observes, “the result of the studies, so far as presented is, that that which is called the sign-language of Indians is not, properly speaking, one language; but that it, and the gesture-systems of deaf-mutes, and of all peoples, constitute together one language—the gesture-speech of mankind—of which each system is a dialect.” As showing this, and at the same time to give other instances of the perfection of gesture-language, I may quote one instance of the employment of such language by other nations, and one of its employment by deaf-mutes. The first which I select is recorded by Alexander Dumas.