CHAPTER XXI.
Indians’ remarks on the Zoological Gardens—Their pity for the poor buffalo and other animals imprisoned—Jim’s talk with a clergyman about Hell and the hyænas—Indians’ ideas of astronomy—Jim and the Doctor hear of the hells of London—Desire to go into them—Promised to go—Indians counting the gin-palaces (chickabobboo-ags)in a ride to Blackwall and back—The result—Exhibition in the Egyptian Hall—A sudden excitement—The War-chief recognises in the crowd his old friend “Bobasheela”—Their former lives on the Mississippi and Missouri—Bobasheela an Englishman—His travels in the “Far West” of America—Story of their first acquaintance—The doomed wedding-party—Lieut. Pike—Daniel Boone and Son—Indians visit a great brewery—Kind reception by the proprietors—Great surprise of the Indians—Immense quantities of chickabobboo—War-dance in an empty vat—Daniel commences Jim’s book of the statistics of England—Indians visit the Tunnel—Visit to the Tower—The Horse Armoury—The Royal Regalia—Indians’ ideas of the crowns and jewels—“Totems” (arms) on the fronts of noblemen’s houses—Royal arms over the shops—Strange notions of the Doctor—They see the “man with the big nose” again—And the “great white War-chief (the Duke of Wellington) on horseback, near his wig-wam.”
Three or four of my particular friends had joined us in our visit to the Zoological Gardens this morning, and amongst them a reverend gentleman, whose professional character was not made known to the Indians. He kept close to Jeffrey and the Indians all the way, and his ears were open to the translation of everything they said. He was not only highly amused at their remarks, but told me he heard enough to convince him that lessons of morality, of devotion, and religion, as well as of philosophy, might be learned from those poor people, although they were the savages of the wilderness, and often despised as such. Mr. Melody and I accompanied them to their rooms, and as we came in when their dinner was coming up, we sat down and partook of it with them. The Indian’s mode is to eat exclusively while he eats, and to talk afterwards. We adhered to their rule on this occasion, and after the dinner was over, and a pipe was lit, there were remarks and comments enough ready, upon the strange things they had just seen.
As usual, the first thing was, to have a laugh at the Doctor for having frightened the parrots; and then to reflect and to comment upon the cruelty of keeping all those poor and unoffending animals prisoners in such a place, merely to be looked at. They spoke of the doleful looks they all wore in their imprisoned cells, walking to and fro, and looking through the iron bars at every person who came along, as if they wished them to let them out. I was forcibly struck with the truth and fitness of their remarks, having never passed through a menagerie without coming out impressed, even to fatigue, with the sympathy I had felt for the distressed looks and actions of these poor creatures, imprisoned for life, for man’s amusement only.
Jim asked, “What have all those poor animals and birds done that they should be shut up to die? They never have murdered anybody—they have not been guilty of stealing, and they owe no money; why should they be kept so, and there to die?” He said it would afford him more pleasure to see one of them let loose and run away over the fields, than to see a hundred imprisoned as they were. The Doctor took up the gauntlet and reasoned the other way. He said they were altogether the happiest wild animals he ever saw; they were perfectly prevented from destroying each other, and had enough to eat as long as they lived, and plenty of white men to wait upon them. He did not see why they should not live as long there as anywhere else, and as happy. He admitted, however, that his heart was sad at the desolate look of the old buffalo bull, which he would like to have seen turned loose on the prairies.
The Roman-nose said he heard one of the parrots say “God dam.” “So he did,” said Jim; “and who could say otherwise, when the Doctor poked his ugly face so suddenly in amongst them? They know how to speak English, and I don’t wonder they say God dam.”[20]
I here diverted their attention from the jokes they were beginning upon the Doctor, by asking them how they liked the chickabobboo they got in the gardens, which they recollected with great pleasure, and which they pronounced to have been very good. Mr. Cross had invited the whole party to a private view, and after showing us, with great politeness, what he had curious, invited us into one of his delightful little refreshment rooms, and treated all to cold chickens, pork pies, pastries, and champagne, which the Indians called chickabobboo; and as he did not know the meaning of the word, I related the story of it, which pleased him very much.
The Doctor made some laugh, by saying that “he was going over there again in a few days, if he could find some strings long enough, to measure the elephant and the bones of the whale, as he had got the dimensions of the giant man.” Jim told him “he had not got the measure of the giant man—he had only measured the giant woman, and getting scared, he only half measured her; and he was so much afraid of women, that he didn’t believe he could ever take the measure of one of them correct, if a hundred should stand ever so still for him.” The Doctor smiled, and looked at me as if to know if I was going to ask some question again. He was fortunately relieved at that moment, however, by Mr. Melody’s question to Jim, “how he liked the looks of the hyenas, and whether he would like him to buy one to carry home with him?” Jim rolled over on to his back, and drew his knees up (the only position in which he could “think fast,” as he expressed it; evidently a peculiarity with him, and a position, ungraceful as it was, which it was absolutely necessary for him to assume, if he was going to tell a story well, or to make a speech); and after thinking much more profoundly than it required to answer so simple a question, replied, “Very well, very well,” and kept thinking on. The Little Wolf, who was lying by his side, asked him “what he was troubled about?—he seemed to be thinking very strong.” Jim replied to this, that “he was thinking a great way, and he had to think hard.” He said, that when he was looking at the hyenas, he said to Jeffrey that he thought they were the wickedest looking animals he ever saw, and that he believed they would go to hell; but that the gentleman who came to the garden with Mr. Melody[21] said to him, “No, my friend, none but the animals that laugh and cry can go to heaven or to hell.” He said that this gentleman then wanted to know how he had heard of hell, and what idea he had of it. He said, he told Jeffrey to say to him that some white men (black coats) had told amongst his people, that there was such a place as hell, very low under the earth, where the wicked would all go, and for ever be in the fire. He said, the gentleman asked him if he believed it? and that he told him he thought there might be such a place for white people—he couldn’t tell—but he didn’t think the Indians would go to it. He said, the gentleman then asked him why he thought those poor ignorant animals the hyenas would go there? And he replied to him that Chippehola[22] said “the hyenas live by digging up the bodies of people after they are buried;” and he therefore thought they were as wicked as the white people, who also dig up the Indians’ graves, and scatter their bones about, all along our country;[23] and he thought such white people would go to hell, and ought to go there. He said he also told the gentleman he had heard there were some hells under the city of London, and that he had been invited to go and see them: this, he said, made the gentleman laugh, and there was no more said: that he had begun to think that this gentleman was a black coat, but when he saw him laugh, he found out that he was not. “Just the time you were mistaken,” said Mr. Melody; “for that gentleman was a clergyman, and you have made a very great fool of yourself.” “I will risk all that,” said Jim; “I have wanted all the time to make a speech to some of them, but the chiefs wouldn’t let me.”
The pipe, during these conversations, was being handed around, and Jim’s prolific mind, while he was “thinking fast” (as he had called it), was now running upon the elephant, and he was anxious to know where it came from. I told him it was from the opposite side of the globe: he could not understand me, and to be more explicit, I told him that the ground we stood upon was part of the surface of the earth, which was round like a ball, and many thousands of miles around; and that these huge animals came from the side exactly opposite to us. I never could exactly believe that Jim, at the moment, doubted my word; but in the richness of his imagination (particularly in his thinking position) he so clearly saw elephants walking underside of the globe, with their backs downwards, without falling, that he broke out into such a flood of laughter, that he was obliged to shut out his thoughts, and roll over upon his hands and knees until the spasms went gradually off. The rest of the group were as incredulous as Jim, but laughed less vehemently; and as it was not a time to lecture further on astronomy, I thought it best to omit it until a better opportunity: merely waiting for Jim’s pencil sketch (and no doubt according to his first impression), which he was then drawing, with considerable tact; and with equal wit, proposed I should adopt as my “arms” or totem, the globe with an inverted elephant.