'Perhaps,' said
mamma, 'he has seen your papa and brothers,' I thought so too; still, it
appeared strange that, in so short a time, he could acquire and remember
these words. However it might be, mamma was delighted to have him near
her, and taught him to pronounce the words _father, mother_, and _son_,
which did not seem strange to him, and he soon knew them. She pointed to
me and to herself, as she pronounced the words, and he readily
comprehended them, and said to us, with bursts of laughter, showing his
large ivory teeth, _Canda, mother; Minou-minou, son; Parabery, father;
white lady, mother_. Mamma thought he referred to her, but it was to
Madame Emily. He tried to pronounce this name and two others, but could
not succeed; at last, he said, _girls, girls_, and almost convinced us
he must know some Europeans, which was a great comfort to us.
"When I saw mamma more composed, I took out my flageolet to amuse her,
and played the air to Ernest's verses. This made her weep again very
much, and she begged me to desist; the savages, however, wished me to
continue, and I did not know whom to obey. I changed the air, playing
the merriest I knew. They were in ecstasies; they took me in their arms
one after the other, saying, _Bara-ourou, Bara-ourou_. I repeated the
word after them, and they were still more delighted.
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