Dear Piglet, your basic technique was fine. I think what you linked to was thumbnails, not the actual photos...an easy mistake to make.
Try them again, and be sure you're linking to the actual full-sized photos, not the thumbnails. Click the thumbnails to get the full-sized pictures...then embed THOSE links in your posts.
Keep trying, babe. Once you work out the process, it's really pretty easy. And the ability to post photos on The Saloon makes the whole Saloon experience much richer...both for you and for the rest of us.