Indians on the housetops--Great alarm--Curious excitement--People
proposing to "take them" with ropes--Railway to London--The
"Iron-horse"--"The Iron-horse (locomotive) stops to
drink"--Arrive in London--Alarm of the landlady--Visit from the
Hon. Mr. Murray--Interview with His Royal Highness the Duke of
Cambridge--Old Chief's speech--War-dance--The Duke gives them
ten sovereigns and ten pounds of tobacco--Indians ride about the
city in an "omnibus and four"--Remarks on what they saw--The
smoke--"Prairies on fire"--Lascars sweeping the streets--Visit
from the Reverend Mr. S.--Impatience to see the Queen--Great
medicine-feast to gain Her Majesty's consent--Curious
ceremony--Hon. Mr. Murray's letter comes in--The Queen's
appointment to see them--Great rejoicing.
On our return from Stockport we found two reverend gentlemen, who
had been waiting nearly all day for an interview with the Indians
(which had been appointed, but forgotten), to talk upon the subject of
religion. They had come several miles, and seemed somewhat vexed, as
night was near approaching, and the old chief told them that they were
going to London in a few days, and should be very busy in the meantime;
and again, that they were expecting to see the Queen, and would rather
wait until after they had seen her Majesty. They had learned, also,
that London was the _great city_ of England, and thought that anything
of that kind had better be deferred until they were in London, and the
subject was therefore postponed.
The exhibitions at night were progressing much as I have above
described--the hall invariably full, and the Indians, as well as the
public, had their own amusement in the room, and also amusing themes
for conversation after retiring to their own quarters.
In the midst of our success and of their amusement and enjoyment, an
occurrence took place that was near getting us into difficulty, as it
raised a great excitement in the neighbourhood and no little alarm to
many old women and little children.
As I was leaving my exhibition-rooms one morning, I met, to my great
surprise, an immense crowd of people assembled in front, and the
streets almost completely barricaded with the numbers that were rapidly
gathering, and all eyes elevated towards the roof of my building. I
asked the first person I met what was the matter?--supposing that the
house was on fire--to which he replied, "I believes, sir, that the
Hob-jib-be-ways has got loose; I knows that some on em is hout, for I
seed one on em runnin hover the tops of the ouses, and they'l ave a ard
matter to catch em, hin my hopinion, sir."
It seems that the poor fellows had found a passage leading from their
rooms out upon the roof of the house, and that, while several of them
had been strolling out there for fresh air, and taking a look over the
town, a crowd had gathered in the street to look at them, and amongst
the most ignorant of that crowd the rumour had become current that they
"had broke loose, and people were engaged in endeavouring to take them."
I started back to my room as fast as I could, and to the top of
the house, to call them down, and stop the gathering that was in
rapid progress in the streets. When I got on the roof, I was as
much surprised at the numbers of people assembled on the tops of
the adjoining houses, as I had been at the numbers assembled in the
streets. The report was there also current, and general, that they had
"broke out," and great preparations were being made on the adjoining
roofs, with ropes and poles, &c., to "take them," if possible, before
any harm could be done. About the time I had got amongst them, and
was inviting them down, several of the police made their appearance
by my side, and ordered them immediately into their room, and told
me that in the excited state of the town, with their mills all out,
such a thing was endangering the peace; for it brought a mob of many
thousands together, which would be sure not to disperse without doing
some mischief. I was ordered by the police to keep them thereafter in
the rooms, and not to allow them to show themselves at the windows,
so great were their fears of a riot in the streets, if there was the
least thing to set it in motion. As an evidence of the necessity of
such rigour, this affair of about fifteen minutes' standing had already
brought ten or fifteen thousand people together, and a large body of
the police had been ordered on to the ground, having the greatest
difficulty during the day to get rid of the crowd.
Mr. Rankin, about this time, was getting alarming apprehensions that
our delay in Manchester was calculated to affect our prospect of going
before the Queen, and at his urgent request I announced our last night
in Manchester, after an exhibition of ten days. On the last night,
as on each of the preceding ones, the room was quite full, and even
so many were necessarily forbidden entrance, that they began a most
ruinous warfare on the door from the outside, and to such a degree,
that I was obliged to put the entrance to my premises in charge of
the police, for protection. We were now prepared to move off to the
metropolis, and I showed to Mr. Rankin, by his share of the profits of
ten days, that he had already received more than he would have got in
two months by the plan he had proposed, to hire the party to me for
100_l._ per month.
This seemed to please him very much, and we moved off pleasantly on
our way to London, leaving the ungratified curiosity that remained in
Manchester until a future occasion, when we might return again.
For our passage to London we had chartered a second-class carriage to
ourselves, and in it had a great deal of amusement and merriment on
the way. The novelty of the mode of travelling and the rapidity at
which we were going raised the spirits of the Indians to a high degree,
and they sang their favourite songs, and even gave their dances, as
they passed along. Their curiosity had been excited to know how the
train was propelled or drawn, and at the first station I stepped out
with them, and forward to the locomotive, where I explained the power
which pulled us along. They at once instituted for the engine, the
appellation of the "Iron-horse;" and, at our next stopping-place, which
was one where the engine was taking in water, they all leaped out "_to
see the Iron-horse drink_."
Their songs and yells set at least a thousand dogs barking and howling
on the way, and as we came under the station at Birmingham, called up
a fat old gentleman, who opened our door and very knowingly exclaimed,
"What the devil have you got here? some more of them damned grisly
bears, have you?" He was soon merged in the crowd that gathered
around us, and, with doors closed, the Indians sat out patiently the
interval, until we were under weigh again. Arrived at the Euston
station, in London, an omnibus conveyed them suddenly to apartments
in George-street, which had been prepared for them. They were highly
excited when they entered their rooms, talking about the Queen, whom
they believed had just passed in her carriage, from seeing two footmen
with gold-laced hats and red breeches and white stockings, standing up
and riding on a carriage behind, with large gold-headed canes in their
hands: it proved, however, to have been the carriage of Lady S----n,
familiarly known in that neighbourhood; and the poor fellows seemed
wofully disappointed at this information.
The good landlady, who took a glance of them as they came in, was
becoming alarmed at the bargain she had made for the rooms, and came
to Mr. Rankin, expressing her fears that the arrangement would never
answer for her, as "she did not expect such wild, black-looking savages
from the Indies." Mr. Rankin assured her that they were quite harmless,
and much more of gentlemen than many white men she might get in her
house, and he would be responsible for all damage that they would ever
do to her property, even if she left the whole of it unsecured by
lock and key. So she said she would venture to try them for a week,
and see how they behaved. They were now in the midst of the great city
of London, which they had been so anxious to see; and, upon putting
their heads out of the windows to take a first peep, the smoke was so
dense that they could see but a few rods, when they declared that the
"prairies must be on fire again."
Daniel was, at this time, remaining in Manchester to take down and
bring on my collection, which it was agreed should be re-opened in
London. I was busy effecting a new arrangement for the Egyptian Hall,
which I took for six months, and in a few days my collection was being
replaced upon its walls.
The first visitor who came to see the party, and to wish them success
in London, was my excellent friend the Hon. C. A. Murray, who was much
pleased with them, and learning their desire to gain an audience of
Her Majesty, he proposed, as the surest way to bring it about, that
his Royal Highness the Duke of Cambridge should have an interview with
them first, and then it would be easy to get Her Majesty to see them.
This plan was agreed to, and the next day Mr. Murray addressed me a
note, saying that the Duke would meet them the next morning in the
Queen's drawing-room, Hanover-square Concert-rooms. I immediately made
the arrangement with the proprietor of the rooms, and at the appointed
hour the next morning was there with them, and met His Royal Highness
the Duke of Cambridge, with the Hon. Mr. Murray and Baron Knesebeck, in
attendance. The Duke met them in the most familiar and cordial manner,
offering them his hand, and smoking the Indian pipe with them. He
conversed a great deal with them through their interpreter, Cadotte;
and, after closely examining their costumes, weapons, &c., took a
seat to see them dance. They amused him with the war-dance and the
_Wa-be-no_ dance, giving several songs and the war-whoop; after which
they seated themselves on the floor, and after a few minutes' rest,
having passed the pipe around, the old chief arose and said--
"Father, we are glad to see you and to take your hand; we know that
you are uncle to our _great mother_ the Queen, and we are happy to
see you. ('_How, how, how!_') We thank the Great Spirit for this; he
has kept us in good health and safe over the great salt lake, and
His eye is on us now, we know, or we should not see our great father
this day. We are poor, ignorant children, and yet we hope the Queen,
your niece, will be willing to see us, when our hearts will be happy.
('_How, how, how!_')
"Father, my years, you see, are nearly spent. I have carried my
weapons and hunted for your enemies many years, and my warriors here
have many wounds they received in fighting for the Sag-a-noshes.
('_How, how, how!_')
"I have no more words to say at present. ('_How, how, how!_')"
His Royal Highness graciously received the old Chief's speech, and then
examined the wounds pointed out on the body of the War Chief; after
which he replied to the old man--
"My friends, I meet you here to-day with great pleasure, and I
thank the Great Spirit also, that He has guarded you and kept you
safe over the ocean. I hope your visit to England may be pleasant
and profitable to you, and that you may all get back safe to your
children. ('_How, how, how!_')
"My friends, I will make known your wishes to the Queen, and I think
you will see her. ('_How, how, how!_')"
The Duke most kindly took leave of them, presenting to the old chief
ten sovereigns, which he divided equally among the number, and sent
them on the following day ten pounds of the choicest smoking tobacco.
On leaving the Rooms he also thanked me for the treat I had afforded
him, and said, "Oh, the good fellows! yes, the Queen will see them."
The announcement of the arrival of the Ojibbeways which had been made
in the public papers, and the notice also of their interview with the
Duke of Cambridge, were now gaining them a notoriety with the public;
and amongst my personal friends, was announcing that I had returned to
London, which altogether brought me a flood of applicants for private
interviews with them. We had resolved not to make any exhibition
of their modes to the public, until after they had seen the Queen,
and the month that we remained idle, and waiting for her Majesty's
command, was rendered tedious and troublesome from the above causes.
We were daily and hourly importuned for permissions to see them, which
were in part granted, until it became quite necessary that I should
absent myself from them, leaving instructions at the door that no
communication could be had with them at present. Mr. Rankin during this
time stayed constantly with them, and I occasionally spent an evening
of gossip and smoked a pipe with them. We made use of most of the time
in endeavouring to show them as much of the great city as possible,
driving them out in a bus during the day, and several times taking them
into the country to spend a day running over the fields for the benefit
of their health.
After one of their first drives about the City, when they had been
passed through Regent Street, the Strand, Cheapside, Oxford Street
and Holborn, I spent the evening in a talk with them in their rooms,
and was exceedingly amused with the shrewdness of their remarks upon
what they had seen. They had considered the "prairies still on fire,"
from the quantity of smoke they met; one of the women had undertaken
to count the number of carriages they passed, but was obliged to give
it up; "saw a great many fine houses, but nobody in the windows: saw
many men with a large board on the back, and another on the breast,
walking in the street--supposed it was some kind of punishment; saw men
carrying bags of coal, their hats on wrong side before; saw fine ladies
and gentlemen riding in the middle of the streets in carriages, but
a great many poor and ragged people on the sides of the roads; saw a
great many men and women drinking in shops where they saw great barrels
and hogsheads; saw several drunk in the streets. They had passed two
_Indians_ in the street with brooms, sweeping away the mud; they saw
them hold out their hands to people going by, as if they were begging
for money: they saw many other poor people begging, some with brooms
in their hands and others with little babies in their arms, who looked
as if they were hungry for food to eat." They had much to say about the
two Indians they had passed. "It could not be that white people would
dress and paint themselves like Indians in order to beg money, and
they could not see how Indians would consent to stand in the streets
and sweep the mud away in order to beg for money." They appealed to me
to know whether they were really Indians, and I said "Yes; they are
natives from the East Indies, called Lascars. They are naturally, most
probably like yourselves, too proud to work or to beg; but they have
been left by some cruel fate, to earn their living in the streets of
London, or to starve to death, and, poor fellows, they have preferred
begging to starvation." The Indians seemed much affected by the
degradation that these poor fellows were driven to, and resolved that
they would carry some money with them when they went out, to throw to
them.
I had about this time several communications from the Reverend Mr.
S----, who was desirous, if possible, to have an interview with the
Indians for the purpose of learning from them what notions they had of
religion, if any; and to endeavour to open their minds to a knowledge
of the Christian religion, which it was the wish of himself and many
others of his friends to teach to them for their eternal welfare. I
at once wrote to those reverend gentlemen and assured them that their
kind endeavours would be aided in every possible way by Mr. Rankin and
myself; and I appointed an hour at once, when they could converse with
the Indians on the subject. Their visit was made at the hour appointed,
and the conversation was held in my presence. The reverend gentlemen
most kindly and humanely greeted the Indians on their safe arrival
in this country, where they were glad to meet them as brothers. They
called upon them not in any way to interfere with their amusements
or objects for which they had come to England, but to wish them all
success, and at the same time to learn from them whether as poor
children of the forests they had been kept in the dark, and out of the
light of the true Christian religion, which it was their desire to make
known to their minds. The old chief had lit his pipe in the meantime,
and having taken a few moments to smoke it out, after the reverend
gentleman had stopped, said (without rising up to speak) that he was
much pleased to see them, and shake hands with them, for he knew their
views were good and friendly. He said that they had heard something
about the white man's religion in the wilderness where he lived, but
they had thought it too difficult for them to understand. He said he
was much obliged to them for offering to explain it at this time, but
that they would take a little time to think of it first; and as they
had not yet seen the Queen, they thought it best to do no more about it
at present.
Poor fellows, they were daily asking for reports from the Palace,
becoming impatient for the permission to see her Majesty. They had
waited so long that they were beginning to think that their application
had failed, and they were becoming dispirited and desponding.
I said to them one morning, "Now, my good fellows, don't despair--you
have not tried what you can do yourselves yet; in your own country,
if you wish it to rain, you have _Rain-makers_ who can make it rain;
if you wish it to stop raining, you have _Rain-stoppers_, who cook
up a grand medicine feast and cause it to stop raining. If buffalos
are scarce, your medicine-men can make them come: why not 'put on the
Big Kettle,' and see what you can do in the present dilemma?--You
have your _Medicine-man_ with you, and your _Medicine-drum_ and your
_Shi-she-quoi_ (mystery rattle); you are all prepared; go to work--you
will certainly do no harm, and I fully believe you will bring it about."
As I was leaving the room their interpreter overtook me, and said that
the medicine man wanted the money to buy five fat ducks--that they had
resolved on having a _medicine feast_ that afternoon, and that they
would expect me to be of the party to partake of it.
I came in at the hour appointed, and found them all with their
faces painted black on one side and red on the other (their mode of
ornamenting when they supplicate the Great or other Spirit for any gift
or favour), and prepared to take their seats at the feast, which was
then smoking, on the floor in the adjoining room. Buffalo robes were
spread upon the floor, on which we were seated, when the following
dialogue took place between their kind (and now no longer terrified)
landlady and the interpreter Cadotte:--"Why," said she (as she was
completing the last arrangement for our feast upon the floor), "you
have left no room for the women, poor things." "Women!" said Cadotte,
"why, do you suppose that women can eat at a _medicine feast_?" "Why
not?" said the landlady, "are they not as good as the men? They are
a nice set of women, and that little girl is a dear little creature.
I cooked the ducks as much for them as I did for you, and I think it
would be cruel not to invite them to eat with you; you are no better
now than you were this morning; they ate with you then. If I had known
this, I would have kept one of the ducks for them." "Devil a bit!" said
Cadotte, "do you know what _medicine_ is?" "No, I don't suppose I do;
but there are the three women all crying now in the other room, poor
creatures." "And there they are _obliged_ to cry while we are in a
_medicine feast_, or we have no luck." "Oh, dear me, what a strange set
of beings!" said the old lady, as she returned to the kitchen, "I won't
interfere with them; they must take their own way."
With closed doors we went through all the peculiar solemnities of this
feast; and, having devoured all the ducks, leaving "none for the poor
women," the medicine man took about a quarter of an hour to recite a
sort of prayer or thanks to the Great Spirit, which, from the extreme
rapidity with which he repeated it, I supposed to be some established
form peculiar to such occasions. After this, and while the last pipe
was passing around, my man Daniel (in pursuance of my previous
instructions) entered the room, and delivered to me a large letter,
which he said he thought was from Mr. Murray, as it had the household
stamp upon it. The most impatient excitement prevailed until I broke
the seal and read as follows:--
"Buckingham Palace, Thursday morning.
"Dear Sir,--I have great pleasure in informing you that Her Majesty
has expressed a desire to see the party of Ojibbeway Indians; and has
appointed Thursday next, at two o'clock, as the hour when she will
receive you with the party, in the Waterloo Gallery, Windsor Castle.
I pray that you will be punctual at the hour, and I will meet you at
the threshold, rendering all the facilities that may be in my power.
"Yours, sincerely,
"C. A. MURRAY,
"_Master of H. M. Household._
"_To Geo. Catlin, Esq._"
The reader can readily imagine what was the _pleasure_ of these poor
people when they heard this letter read; but it would be difficult to
know what were their feelings of _surprise_, that the efficacy of their
_medicine_ should have brought it in at that opportune moment. The
reader will also suppose, what their superstition prevented them from
ever imagining, that this letter was in my pocket several hours before
the ducks were bought, and therefore cost me about twenty shillings.
A pipe was here lit by the old chief, and passed around, and smoked to
the kind _Spirit_ they had successfully invoked, and with it all the
anxieties of this day passed away.