Page:Life with the Esquimaux - 1864 - Volume 1.djvu/185

164 much, and she was quite 'pretty.' He also said that Prince Albert was a 'very kind, good man, and he should never forget him.'"

The following conversation, as copied from my journal, written at the time, will show the sentiments of Tookoolito on civilized life:—

I asked her how she would like to live in England. She replied, "I would like very well, I thank you." "Would you like to go to America with me?" said I. "I would indeed, sir," was the ready reply. In reference to the Queen of England, she said,

"I visited her, and liked the appearance of Her Majesty, and everything about the palace. Fine place, I assure you, Sir. Tookoolito was suffering with a cold, and I noticed that whenever she coughed she threw her face on one side and held her hand before her lips, the same as any lady of good manners would. Her costume was that of civilization, being a dress with heavy flounces, an elegant toga made of young tuktoo fur deeply fringed, and a bonnet of the style invented on the principle "cover the head by a rosette on its back!" As Tookoolito continued speaking, I could not help admiring the exceeding gracefulness and modesty of her demeanour. Simple and gentle in her way, there was a degree of calm intellectual power about her that more and more astonished me. I felt delighted beyond measure, because of the opportunity it gave me for becoming better acquainted with these people through her means, and I hoped to improve it toward the furtherance of the great object I had in view. After a stay of some duration she went on shore, and the following day I visited her and her husband at their tent. She was then in native costume, and it seemed to me that this suited her even better than the other. Some short time after this, I made an excursion by myself to the island on which was situated the Esquimaux "North Star" village. The day became stormy after I had landed in one of the