Page 12 - Brokenclaw - John Gardner

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The Empress Hotel occupies an entire block between Government and

Douglas Streets, its furthest boundary being Belleville Road. On Belleville,
the next block is almost completely taken up by the beautifully spacious,
modern museum.
James Bond OO7 - printing disablednced around him, not appearing to be in any kind of hurry, as he James Bond OO7 - printing disabled
Bond gla
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walked the last few yards towards the museum. Away to his right the statue of
Queen Victoria stood, unamused, before the large domed Government building.
He paused by the pedestrian crossing, waiting for the lights to change,
looking at the large angular museum building, flanked by a modern carillon and

Thunderbird Park with its gaudy, tall totems. In his mind, Bond could hear his
old Scottish housekeeper, May, cluck-clucking, ‘The trouble with you, Mr
James, is that you’re always sticking your nose into things that don’t concern
you. Curiosity killed the cat, you know.’ But he was curious, fascinated and
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intrigued by this large man he had only seen for a few moments. For the first
time in months, James Bond was interested in something.
The Rolls was parked at the side of the large building, close to the museum
shop and entrance, its chauffeur leaning against the front passenger door. Bond

strolled past the shop, then ruffled his hair and went into the main entrance at a
jog. There was a line of a dozen people or so waiting to pass the ticket booth,
so he shouldered his way through them, beckoning to a uniformed attendant.
‘I’m late,’ he said, looking frantic. ‘Should be with Mr Lee.’

The porter took the bait, ‘Right, sir. They’re all up in the Art Gallery. Third
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floor.’ He held a couple of people back to allow Bond to move through.
He remembered the third floor from his previous visit – exhibits of the first
inhabitants of this land. Wonderful lifesize representations of American Indian

coastal chiefs and headmen; a magnificently detailed model of a Kootenai
village; another of a Sedan coastal village, together with artifacts from the old
Indian tribes who were the first organised humans to dwell in the area; tools,
artworks, canoes, masks and woven garments, the whole presenting the lives of

these ancient peoples set in harmony with the environment.
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He ran up the escalators to the third floor, making his way past the glass
cases and cunningly lit exhibits, turning right, slowing as he entered the large
reproduction of a Kwakiutl Indian Big House, made of great beams and

seasoned planks. Part of the roof was open to what appeared to be the sky;
there was the smell of woodsmoke which drifted from a realistic fire in the
centre, while two giant thunderbird totems towered above everything. Their

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