University of Virginia Library

9. CHAPTER IX.
Containing an account of the wonderful discoveries of the German
doctor.

I was not then mistaken! It was Feuerteufel
himself, only he had learned a little more English.
This was the first and only one of my original acquaintances
whom I had laid eyes on since my departure
from New-Jersey, nearly two years before.
I felt some interest, therefore, in the man, but it

was accompanied with a feeling of dislike, and even
apprehension. The truth is, I never liked the German
doctor, though why I never could tell. But
what was he doing—what could be his object going
about the country with petrified legs, arms, and
heads? I had scarce asked myself the question
before it was answered by the gentleman himself,
who had been speaking, though I know not what,
all the time I was talking with Tibbikens, and
while I was cogitating afterward.

He had worked himself into a fit of eloquence,
warming with enthusiasm as he dwelt upon the
grandeur and usefulness of his discovery. He
made antic gestures with hands, head, and shoulders;
he rolled and snapped his eyes in the most
extraordinary manner in the world; and as for his
mouth, there is no describing the grimaces and contortions
which it made over every particularly bright
idea or felicitous word.

“Zhentlemens!” said he, “I have discover de
great art to preserve de human poddie; I can
make him shtone, I can make him plaster-Paree,
I can make him shuse as he is, dat is flesh—put
flesh vat is never corrupt. Very well! vat shall I
do mit de great discoaver? Mit de first I shall
preserve de poddies of de great men—de kings,
and de shenerals, and de poets, and de oder great
men; and you shall see how mosh petter it is tan
de statues marple. How mosh petter to have de
great man as de great man look in de flesh, mit his
eyes shining, his skin and his colour all de pure

natural! How mosh petter dat dan de imitation!
Suppose you have de painter who take de looking-glass;
and when you look in him, glue down de reflection
dare for ever!—de natural colour, de natural
drawing, de light and de shade? How mosh
petter dat dan de picture in dirty oil and ochre! (I
tell you, py-the-py, zhentlemens, I do study dat
art, and I hopes some day to make de grand discoaver—to
put you reflection on de proper substance,
like de looking-glass, dat shall hold on to
de colours, and hold'em on for ever!) Vell, zhentlemens,
I do de same ting mit de statue; I take
de nature as I find him—de shape, de colour, de
lips, de eyes, de hair, de all—and I do, py my process,
make him indestructeeble, and not to alter for
ever. Here is de little poy's head dat I have done
in dat style. Dat is de art! dat is de art of making
de shtone mummee! It shall pe de most costly,
de most expense, and derefore only for de great,
great men—de shenerals of war, de preshidents,
and de mens in Congress vat makes de pig speech.
Vell! den I shall make de oder style—de process
to turn de poddie into plaster-Paree—vat I call de
plaster mummee. Dat is not so dear; dat is de
art for de great men vat is not so great as de oders
—for de leetle great men—de goavernors, de editors
of de paper, and de mens vat you give de grand
dinners to. Vell! den I shall make de oder style
—de style for de zhentlemens and leddees in zheneral,
vat vill not go to rot in de ground like de horse
and de dog—de style of de flesh unshange—vat I
call de flesh and plood mummee, shuse like dis
woman head mit de long hair. Dis is de sheep
plan; it vill cost no more dan de price of de funeral.
It vill be done in tree days. De poddie is
made incorruptible, proof against de water, vat you
call water-proof. It is de process for de peoples in
zheneral; and I do hopes to see de day ven it shall
pe in universal adopt by all, and no more poddies
put into de earth to rot, and to make de pad health
for de peoples dat live. It is de shtyle for de unwholesome
countrees. Zhentlemens, you have
know dat de Egyptians did make all dare friends
mummee. Why for dey do dat? Very good reason.
De land upon de Nile vas unwholesome, and
de purrying of de poddies made it vorse. There
vas no wood dere to purn de poddies. Vell den,
dey did soak dem in de petrolium, de naptha, and
oder substance antiseptique, and hide dem in de catacomb
and de pyramid. Dere vas no decay, no
corruption to poison de air; it vas vise plan!

“Now, zhentlemens, I have devise my plan for
de benefit of America, vich is de most unwholesome
land in de earth, full of de exhalation and de
miasm, de effluvium from de decay animal and vegetable.
You shall adopt my plan for embalm your
friends, and you no have no more pad air for de fevers,
de bilious, de agues, and de plack vomit.
Zhentlemens, I have shuse complete my great secret;
it vas de study of my whole life; I have
shuse succeed. I have de full and complete specimens
of de process for make de sheep mummee,

de mummee of flesh and plood, de plan for de men
in zheneral, vich do always love to pe sheep. I
have start carry dem to de great city New-Orleans;
and if de peoples do adopt him dere, dey shall have
no more complain of de great sickness vat kills de
peoples; for dere shall be no more rot of man's
flesh in de swampy ground. Here you see de ox-heart,
de catfish, de bullfrog, de six hands and feet,
all done into flesh and plood mummee. Here is
de woman's head. It has been done dis tree year.
But you shall see de grand specimen, de complete
figure, de grown man turn into de mummee, and
look more natural dan de life. Dat is de triumph
of mine art! It was my first grand specimen, done
dere is now two year almost, and it did cost me
mosh expense and money, and some leetle danger.
Now you shall say de specimen is perfect, or you
shall have my head; it is vat I value apove my life
—de complete! de grand! de peautiful!—But you
shall see!”