COURT-YARD OF THE ROYAL PALACE AT BANGKOK.
They had a slow journey up the river to the palace, as the tide was against them, and compelled the boat to hug close to the shore; but they were there a little before three o'clock, and had a short walk from the landing-place to the front of the palace. They were shown to a platform in the court-yard, and were received there by the interpreter and secretary of the king, who announced that his majesty would be ready for the audience in a few moments. The platform was under a wide-spreading tree, that furnished a most grateful shade; and there were many small trees and bushes growing in large pots that stood in irregular rows. Two or three groups of servants were crouched in the yard, which was paved with large blocks of stone, and a little way off a royal elephant was undergoing his daily exercise in charge of his keepers. Coffee was brought, and with it cigars and cigarettes; and a quarter of an hour passed away quite agreeably to all concerned. At the end of that time, a messenger came and said something to the secretary in Siamese; the secretary then turned to the gentlemen, and told them the king was waiting for them. He led the way towards a low gate-way, and the boys remained with the consular secretary.
They had a pleasant ramble in the palace-grounds, and saw the stables where the white elephants were kept, as well as the elephants themselves. The secretary told them the audience would occupy about half an hour, and they would have that time at their disposal before returning to the platform in the court-yard. In half an hour they came back, and waited for the Doctor and the consul. They were not there three minutes before the gentlemen returned, and were ready to go back to the hotel.
On their way homeward, the Doctor told the boys what he had seen and done, and the consul added here and there little bits of information to the Doctor's story. The Doctor was so pleased with the visit, that he spent the evening writing an account of the affair; and it was not till a late hour that he finished it. He readily consented to allow the boys to copy it, so that it could form part of the narrative of their journey in Siam. Here it is:
"After leaving the platform, where we had rested to await the pleasure of the king, we soon came to a gate-way that was guarded by a double file of soldiers, who presented arms as we approached. The gate-way led us close to the apartments of the women, and I managed to have glimpsesof the dusky occupants of the place as we walked along. Some of them were pretty; but their mouths were so disfigured by betel-chewing that the effect was not agreeable. Our glance was only a hurried one, as we were speedily at the door of the palace.
"We mounted a stairway to the king's apartments; then we passed through a hall ornamented with busts and portraits of European sovereigns, living or dead, and then we entered a large saloon, where we found ourselves in the presence of the king.
"His majesty approached as we entered—exactly as a private gentleman might do in his own house when a visitor calls—and, after shaking hands with the consul, he paused for the latter to introduce me. As soon as I was introduced, he shook hands with me after the Occidental fashion, and invited us to seats near a table in the centre of the room. The sofa where he sat was at right angles to the position of our chairs, so that, by partially turning, he faced us both. At his left stood the interpreter, who translated the king's Siamese words into English, but rarely translated our own words into Siamese, as the king understands our language perfectly, and speaks it with very few mistakes. Ceremonious presentations are always conducted with the aid of an interpreter, and the king appears to understand only his own language; but when he wishes to have a free and confidential conversation with a foreign consul or other personage, he dismisses his interpreter, and talks away in English with perfect ease.
CHULALONKORN I., SUPREME KING OF SIAM.
"His majesty's voice is full, clear, and resonant, and he pronounces every word with the utmost care. As he talks, his face brightens; he gesticulates gracefully, and to a sufficient extent to make his conversation quite un-Oriental in character. His complexion is the true Siamese bronze; his cheek-bones are high, and the outlines of his face are decidedly handsome. His thick black hair is parted gracefully in the middle, and not cropped after the Siamese style; he has a slender mustache, which evinces careful training, and gives promise of future greatness. He wore at the ceremonial the Siamese trousers, with white stockings, and he had on his feet shoes of patent-leather, if I observed them correctly. His upper garment was a sack of military cut, and made of white linen; it terminated with a sort of upright collar, and was closely buttoned. The only ornament I noticed upon it was a row of three stars on each side of the throat.
"Like all other kings, his majesty is well provided with uniforms, and every ceremonial has a dress peculiarly adapted to it. His military uniform, when he appears at the head of his troops, is quite European in style, but his court-dress for state ceremonials adheres strictly to theSiamese model. It is richly embroidered and studded with jewels; the crown rises in the form of an elongated pyramid, with an aigrette of jewels, and the sandals are so thickly set with precious stones that there is very little of the foundation-work to be seen.
"His majesty asked how long I had been in Siam, and how I liked the country; wished to know if I had visited the temples of Bangkok, and what I thought of them; and made other inquiries touching my movements. When these questions had been answered, he spoke of the visit of the United States ships of war several months before, and expressed the wish to see more of our ships and more of our countrymen in Siam. He asked when we would have American steamers runningbetween Bangkok and Hong-kong to connect with the Pacific Mail and Occidental and Oriental lines, and said he hoped for a rapid increase of commerce between Siam and the United States. Evidently he is sincerely desirous of intimate commercial relations with us, as he said there were many articles of American manufacture which they wished to be supplied with; while we, on the other hand, would doubtless be willing to purchase rice at a lower price than we were now paying.
"Tea and cigars were served while we were engaged on these topics, which occupied a period of ten or fifteen minutes. Then the conversation took a miscellaneous turn; and he dwelt upon the peculiarities of the different languages that are spoken in his dominions: it seems that his majesty is well versed in the various dialects and distinct languages, and he is like the Emperor of Austria, as he can converse with all his subjects in their own tongue. Then he talked with the consul about some matter that the latter had brought before him at a previous interview; and after that there was a convenient pause, in which we rose and made our adieux. The king followed us to the door of the room, and, before shaking hands in farewell, he invited the consul and myself to dine with him the following evening. Of course we accepted without a moment's hesitation, and then made our way out as we had entered. The whole affair from beginning to end was quite free from stiffness or severity, and proved the king to be, as he is represented, a most accomplished gentleman."
Sixty years ago a presentation to the King of Siam was a much more ceremonious affair than the one here recorded, and it required a great deal of study and rehearsal on the part of all concerned. Mr. Crawfurd, who came to Siam in 1822 at the head of an embassy from the Governor-general of India, gives the following account of his presentation:
"We left our dwelling at half-past eight in the morning for the palace. A twelve-oared barge, with the rowers dressed in scarlet uniforms, was furnished by the court for the conveyance of the gentlemen of the mission; another for our Indian attendants, about twenty in number; while the sepoys of the escort were conveyed in the ship's launch. It was made a particular request that our servants, especially the sepoys of the escort, should form part of the procession. About nine o'clock we landed under the walls of the palace, where we found an immense concourse of people waiting to view the spectacle. The accommodation for conveying us to the palace consisted of net hammocks suspended from poles, furnished with an embroidered carpet, and, according to the custom of the country, borne by two men only. The management of these vehicles was a matter of some difficulty, and our awkwardness became a subject of some amusement to the crowd. We passed through a street of Siamese military arranged in single file, and then came to a gate-way where we were compelled to leave our side-arms, as no person was permitted to come into the palace enclosure with arms about him. We were also compelled to dismount from our litters and leave our escort behind us.PRIME-MINISTER OF SIAM."We passed through another street of soldiers, and finally came to a large hall, eighty or ninety feet long by forty broad. We were conducted inside, and carpets were spread for us to sit on while waiting to be summoned to the royal presence. We waited about twenty minutes, and were then taken to the hall of audience, where we were requested to take off our shoes and leave behind us our Indian attendants. As soon as we entered the gate we found a band of music of about one hundred persons drawn up to form a street for our reception. The instruments consisted of drums, gongs, brass flutes, and flageolets."Opposite the door of the hall there was an immense screen, which concealed the interior from view. We passed the screen to the right side, and, as had been agreed upon, taking off our hats, made a respectful bow in the European manner. Every foot of the great hall was so crowded with prostrate courtiers that it was difficult to move without treading upon some officer of state. Precedence is decided upon such occasions by relative vicinity to the throne; the princes being near the foot of it, the principal officers of government next to them, and thus in succession down to the lowest officer who is admitted. We seated ourselves a little in front of the screen, and made three obeisances to the throne in unison with the courtiers. This obeisance consisted in raising the joined hands three times to the head, and each time touching the forehead. To have completed the Siamese obeisance it would have been necessary to bend the body to the ground, and touch the earth with the forehead at each prostration."The hall of audience was a well proportioned and spacious saloon, about eighty feet long, perhaps half this in breadth, and about thirty feet high. Two rows, each of ten handsome wooden pillars, formed an avenue from the door to the throne, which was situated at the upper end of the hall. The walls and ceiling were painted a bright vermilion, the cornices of the former being gilded, and the latter thickly spangled with stars in rich gilding. The throne and its appendages occupied the whole of the upper end of the hall. The throne was gilded all over, and about fifteen feet high, and it had much the appearance of a handsome pulpit. A pair of curtains of gold tissue upon a yellow ground concealed the whole of the upper part of the room except the throne, and they were intended to be drawn over this also except when used. The king, when seated on his throne, had more the appearance of a statue than of a living being. The general appearance of the hall of audience, the prostrate attitude of the courtiers, the situation of the king, and the silence which prevailed, presented a very imposing spectacle, and reminded us much more of a temple crowded with votaries engaged in the performance of some solemn rite of religion than the audience-chamber of a temporal monarch.THE KING OF SIAM IN HIS STATE ROBES."The words which his Siamese majesty condescended to address to us were delivered in a grave, measured, and oratorical manner. One of the first officers of state delivered them to a person of inferior rank, and this person to the interpreter who was behind us, and explained them in the Malay language, which we understood. After a few questions and answers relative to our mission, the king said,"'I am glad to see an envoy here from the Governor-general of India. Whatever you have to say, communicate with the minister of foreign affairs. What we chiefly want from you are fire-arms.'"His majesty had no sooner pronounced these words than we heard a loud stroke, as if given by a wand against a piece of wainscoting, and then the curtains on each side of the throne, moved by some invisible agency, closed upon it. This was followed by the same flourish of wind instruments as on our entrance, and the courtiers, falling on their faces to the ground, made six successive prostrations. We made three obeisances, sitting upright as agreed upon. The ceremony was over."During the audience a heavy shower had fallen, and it was still raining. His majesty took this opportunity of presenting each of us with a small umbrella, and sent a message to desire that we would view the curiosities of the palace at our leisure. When we reached the threshold of the audience-hall we perceived the court yard and the roads extremely wet and dirty from the rain, and naturally demanded our shoes, which we had left at the last gate. This was a favor which could not be yielded; and we were told that the princes of the blood could not wear shoes within the sacred enclosure where we now were. It would have been impolitic to evince ill-humor or remonstrance, and therefore we feigned a cheerful compliance with this inconvenient usage, and proceeded to gratify our curiosity."
"We left our dwelling at half-past eight in the morning for the palace. A twelve-oared barge, with the rowers dressed in scarlet uniforms, was furnished by the court for the conveyance of the gentlemen of the mission; another for our Indian attendants, about twenty in number; while the sepoys of the escort were conveyed in the ship's launch. It was made a particular request that our servants, especially the sepoys of the escort, should form part of the procession. About nine o'clock we landed under the walls of the palace, where we found an immense concourse of people waiting to view the spectacle. The accommodation for conveying us to the palace consisted of net hammocks suspended from poles, furnished with an embroidered carpet, and, according to the custom of the country, borne by two men only. The management of these vehicles was a matter of some difficulty, and our awkwardness became a subject of some amusement to the crowd. We passed through a street of Siamese military arranged in single file, and then came to a gate-way where we were compelled to leave our side-arms, as no person was permitted to come into the palace enclosure with arms about him. We were also compelled to dismount from our litters and leave our escort behind us.
PRIME-MINISTER OF SIAM.
"We passed through another street of soldiers, and finally came to a large hall, eighty or ninety feet long by forty broad. We were conducted inside, and carpets were spread for us to sit on while waiting to be summoned to the royal presence. We waited about twenty minutes, and were then taken to the hall of audience, where we were requested to take off our shoes and leave behind us our Indian attendants. As soon as we entered the gate we found a band of music of about one hundred persons drawn up to form a street for our reception. The instruments consisted of drums, gongs, brass flutes, and flageolets.
"Opposite the door of the hall there was an immense screen, which concealed the interior from view. We passed the screen to the right side, and, as had been agreed upon, taking off our hats, made a respectful bow in the European manner. Every foot of the great hall was so crowded with prostrate courtiers that it was difficult to move without treading upon some officer of state. Precedence is decided upon such occasions by relative vicinity to the throne; the princes being near the foot of it, the principal officers of government next to them, and thus in succession down to the lowest officer who is admitted. We seated ourselves a little in front of the screen, and made three obeisances to the throne in unison with the courtiers. This obeisance consisted in raising the joined hands three times to the head, and each time touching the forehead. To have completed the Siamese obeisance it would have been necessary to bend the body to the ground, and touch the earth with the forehead at each prostration.
"The hall of audience was a well proportioned and spacious saloon, about eighty feet long, perhaps half this in breadth, and about thirty feet high. Two rows, each of ten handsome wooden pillars, formed an avenue from the door to the throne, which was situated at the upper end of the hall. The walls and ceiling were painted a bright vermilion, the cornices of the former being gilded, and the latter thickly spangled with stars in rich gilding. The throne and its appendages occupied the whole of the upper end of the hall. The throne was gilded all over, and about fifteen feet high, and it had much the appearance of a handsome pulpit. A pair of curtains of gold tissue upon a yellow ground concealed the whole of the upper part of the room except the throne, and they were intended to be drawn over this also except when used. The king, when seated on his throne, had more the appearance of a statue than of a living being. The general appearance of the hall of audience, the prostrate attitude of the courtiers, the situation of the king, and the silence which prevailed, presented a very imposing spectacle, and reminded us much more of a temple crowded with votaries engaged in the performance of some solemn rite of religion than the audience-chamber of a temporal monarch.
THE KING OF SIAM IN HIS STATE ROBES.
"The words which his Siamese majesty condescended to address to us were delivered in a grave, measured, and oratorical manner. One of the first officers of state delivered them to a person of inferior rank, and this person to the interpreter who was behind us, and explained them in the Malay language, which we understood. After a few questions and answers relative to our mission, the king said,
"'I am glad to see an envoy here from the Governor-general of India. Whatever you have to say, communicate with the minister of foreign affairs. What we chiefly want from you are fire-arms.'
"His majesty had no sooner pronounced these words than we heard a loud stroke, as if given by a wand against a piece of wainscoting, and then the curtains on each side of the throne, moved by some invisible agency, closed upon it. This was followed by the same flourish of wind instruments as on our entrance, and the courtiers, falling on their faces to the ground, made six successive prostrations. We made three obeisances, sitting upright as agreed upon. The ceremony was over.
"During the audience a heavy shower had fallen, and it was still raining. His majesty took this opportunity of presenting each of us with a small umbrella, and sent a message to desire that we would view the curiosities of the palace at our leisure. When we reached the threshold of the audience-hall we perceived the court yard and the roads extremely wet and dirty from the rain, and naturally demanded our shoes, which we had left at the last gate. This was a favor which could not be yielded; and we were told that the princes of the blood could not wear shoes within the sacred enclosure where we now were. It would have been impolitic to evince ill-humor or remonstrance, and therefore we feigned a cheerful compliance with this inconvenient usage, and proceeded to gratify our curiosity."
A YOUNGER BROTHER OF THE KING.
Doctor Bronson had no such ceremony to pass through as did Mr. Crawfurd in 1822; he was not required to remove his shoes at the gate-way, and he did not pass along a hall full of kneeling courtiers. Thepresent king has ordained that persons of all ranks shall come before him erect, just as they would enter the presence of a king in Europe, and as far as possible he has made the usages of his court correspond to the European model.
Of the dinner to which the consul and Doctor Bronson were invited, the latter wrote as follows:
"The dinner was quite in the European style, and was prepared by a French cook who has been in his majesty's employ for several years. The party consisted of his majesty, six of his younger brothers, the king's private secretary, the consul, and myself. The conversation was general, and touched many topics; the king had many questions to ask about the United States, and particularly wished to know the difference between Siamese slavery of the present day and American slavery of the past. After dinner we sat on the balcony, listening to the music of the band, and breathing the soft evening air. During part of the dinner and all the rest of the evening the king threw off his reserve, dismissed his interpreter, and conversed freely in English, which he spoke easily, and with great correctness. It was half-past nine o'clock when we left the palace, and were escorted to our boat to return to the hotel."
The time that Doctor Bronson passed in the presence of the king was utilized by the boys in a visit to the stables of the famous white elephants of the royal palace of Bangkok.
When the Doctor was busy in the evening with his account of the presentation to the king, Frank occupied himself in putting on paper his experiences among the animals that are held in such reverence by the Siamese. Fred sat by his side and gave occasional hints about the story, and made sure that nothing they had seen was omitted.
A WHITE ELEPHANT WORSHIPPING THE SUN AND MOON.(From a Chinese Drawing.)
"Our friends," said he, "will want to know everything we can tell them about the white elephants."
"Of course they will," Frank replied; "they don't have white elephants in America—at any rate, our white elephants are not of the Siamese kind."
"I don't think I ever heard of one in our country," said Fred; "and if there ever was one there, it is news to me."
"Don't you remember," Frank responded, smiling, "that your uncle Charles was said to have bought a white elephant a year or two ago?"
"Yes, I remember it perfectly," was the reply. "It was not a white elephant that he bought, but only a large house. It was three times as big as he needed; and after losing a great deal of money in repairing it, and hiring a crowd of servants to keep it in order, he sold it for much less than he gave. Of course, I understand that when a man has boughtsomething he does not need, and which involves him in a ruinous expense, he is said to have bought a white elephant. I wonder where the expression came from."
Just then Doctor Bronson entered the room to look for something he needed, and the boys appealed the question to him. Both of them had heard the allusion to "buying a white elephant," and knew its meaning. What they now wished to find was where it originated.
The Doctor explained that it was said to be the custom in certain Eastern countries for the king to give a white elephant to any nobleman whom he wished to ruin. As the present came from the king, it could not be sold or given away: the expense of keeping the animal was enormous, as he required a great number of attendants, and consumed vast quantities of food. In a little while the nobleman would be a beggar, as his estate would be entirely consumed in maintaining the elephant; and so it came to be understood that when a man received such a present, it was a polite way of driving him into bankruptcy. "There is also a story," said the Doctor, "of a man who drew a white elephant in a lottery; he could not give his prize away, as nobody would accept it, and he could not kill him, as such an act was a crime of the highest character. It would not do to turn him loose, as he would then be responsible for all the damage caused by the elephant; and if he kept the beast it would soon eat him into poverty. Consequently, when a man has something in his possession difficult to get rid of and costly to keep, he is said to have drawn a white elephant."
The Doctor found what he wanted and retired, and the boys proceeded with their story. With Fred's assistance, Frank wrote as follows:
"The white elephant is not white by any means. He is only a sort of cream or flesh color; and anybody who expects him to rival the snow in the purity of his complexion will be disappointed. But, after all, he is not so dark as a good many men whom we call white, and so I suppose his name is quite proper. He is very scarce, and this is one reason why he is prized so highly.
"Siam is not the only country where the white elephant is regarded with special honor; the animal receives great attention, and is very much prized in Burmah and other Buddhist lands; and it is said that some of the wars between Burmah and Siam have arisen from disputes about the possession of white elephants. Money cannot buy them, and no king who possessed one would dare to sell it for any price, as his people would think he had defied the powers of Heaven, and would be sure to bring the severest calamities upon them. Sir John Bowring says that when hecame to Siam at the head of an embassy from the Queen of England in 1855, the king sent some presents for Her Majesty, and among them was a golden box locked with a golden key. It was said to be more precious than all the other presents; but it contained nothing beyond a few hairs from the tail of the white elephant.
"The Buddhists have great reverence for anything that is white; and when whiteness is combined with great rarity, and also with magnificence, it is easy to see why the white elephant is above all other animals. 'It is believed,' Sir John Bowring says, 'that Buddha, the divine emanation from the Deity, must necessarily, in his multitudinous metamorphoses or transmissions through all existences and through millions of æons, delight to abide for some time in that grand incarnation of purity which is represented by the white elephant. While the priests teach that there is no spot in the heavens above, nor in the earth below, or the waters under the earth, which is not visited in the peregrinations of the divinity, they hold that his tarrying may be longer in the white elephant than in any other abode, and that in the possession of the sacred creature they may possess the presence of Buddha himself.'
"The white elephant is considered of equal rank with the king, and is treated with all possible dignity; he has a stable to himself, and ten or twelve keepers to look after his wants. The first one we saw was standing on a platform which was being swept by a priest; and we were told that none but priests were allowed to serve the sacred animal. He was chained to a couple of posts, so that he could not step away from the platform; and the interpreter told us not to go near him, as he was not of a pleasant temper, and might hurt us. The keeper gave him a few bananas, which he appeared quite willing to take; the fact is, the elephant is very fond of bananas, and the wild ones in the forest will often run considerable risk to get them. After he had swallowed the bananas he reached for a truss of hay, but for some reason the keeper did not think proper to let him have it. He showed some temper, and the keeper brought him to a sense of his duty by pricking his foot with a sharp iron till drops of blood came from it. This seemed to us a funny way to treat a king, and we wondered how his majesty liked it.
WHITE MONKEY IN ELEPHANT STABLES.
"We saw two white elephants, and each had a stable to himself, or rather a palace. Their tusks were encircled with hoops or rings of pure gold, and there were golden or gilded canopies above them, and ornaments of great value in other parts of the stable. In one of the stables there was a white monkey, and the interpreter told us that the white monkey is an object of great veneration among the Siamese, and is keptin the elephant stables to prevent the presence of evil spirits. The one we saw was a very quiet and dignified monkey of a perfectly pure white; he was above the ordinary size, and had a long tail, and they told us that he was caught in the forests on the upper waters of the Menam River.
"When a white elephant is caught, there is great rejoicing throughout Siam. The king and court go out to meet him as he is brought towards the capital, and there is a grand procession with banners and music. Meantime a house has been prepared for him, and some of the members of the noble families of Siam are appointed to wait on him. He has everything he can possibly want except his liberty; and when he goes to the river to bathe he is escorted by other elephants, who are supposed to be highly honored by admission to his presence. But, in spite of all attentions, he sometimes takes sick and dies, and then the rejoicing is changed to mourning. The whole nation is wrapped in deep grief,and the funeral ceremonies are of an elaborate character. Fortunately for the Siamese, the elephant is an animal of long life, and so they are not often called upon to mourn the loss of one of these sacred beasts.
"After we had seen the white elephants, we went to the stables of the common ones. There were a dozen or more of them in a shed that was quite open to the weather on all its sides, and they had only the ground to lie upon. They were chained up by the forefeet, and when we went to the stable they had just been fed. Each of them had a bundle of freshly-cut grass; and we were told that a healthy elephant consumes every day not less than seven or eight hundred pounds of this food. These elephants are kept for working about the palace-grounds; and their occupation at present is in hauling timber from the bank of the river to the places where it is wanted in the construction of a new wing to the king's residence.
HOW AN ELEPHANT FEEDS.
"We were much interested in seeing the way the elephant eats.
"Everybody has seen the trunk of an elephant, either on the animal himself or in pictures. Did you ever know that there are more than forty thousand muscles in this wonderful structure, and that it is powerful enough to pull down a large tree, and at the same time sufficiently delicate to pick up a pin? That is what Cuvier says about it, and he is the best authority that we know of. Rennie, in his 'Natural History of the Elephant,' says the same thing; and when we consider the uses of the animal's trunk, and the many operations it will perform, the statement is not at all surprising. And when we saw the elephants at the royal palace taking their food, we could not help admiring the skill with which they twisted the wisps of grass and thrust them into their capacious mouths.
"One of the beasts was very good-natured, and allowed us to examine the termination of his proboscis, as long as we did not touch it. As the elephant's existence depends upon his trunk he is very sensitive about it, and is constantly afraid of injuring it. They say that this is the reason why he always elevates it in the air when there is any danger, and that his great fear of the tiger arises from the fact that the tiger always attempts to disable the elephant by springing on his trunk.
"The trunk that we looked at had a projection that might be called a finger, and directly opposite there was a sort of thumb. The finger was exceedingly flexible, while the thumb was not; but they fitted to each other so well that they could hold on to any thing even if it was very small. Here is a picture of it.
"And here are some more pictures, showing how the elephant pulls up the grass when he is feeding in the open air, and also how he grasps it before he thrusts it into his mouth. Then you can see how he takes hold of a carrot, or any other root, and how he seizes a branch of a tree that requires him to exercise a part of his great strength. In the latter case he twines his trunk around the branch, and if he is pulling it down from the tree he raises himself on his hind legs, and lets his weight hang by his trunk. In this way he can bring down a good-sized branch without much trouble; and as he feeds on the leaves and small limbs in the forest where he lives, his power is very useful to him.
ELEPHANTS DRINKING.
"When he has seized anything with his proboscis, his next effort is to carry it to his mouth. This he does by bending his trunk, just as a man bends his finger; and when he has it properly bent he thrusts the articlebetween his jaws, and has it all safe and secure. He drinks by drawing the trunk full of water, and then thrusting it to his mouth; it is sometimes thought that he draws water through the trunk directly into his stomach, but such is not the case. He breathes through the trunk, but he cannot take food or drink through it, as it only communicates with his lungs. Here is the way he supplies himself.
"There used to be a question among the boys at school, 'Why do white sheep eat more hay than black ones?' The answer was, 'Because there are more of them.' That may be all right for sheep; but if you apply the question to elephants, you are obliged to reverse it, as there are very few white elephants, and any number of black ones."
By the time the above account was finished it was after eleven o'clock. Labor was suspended, and the boys went to bed. In the morning they had a short time to spare before breakfast, and Fred thought he would write a description of his sleeping-room and its peculiarities, and send it along with the story of the visit to the palace. So he took pen and paper, and wrote as follows:
FRED'S TORMENTOR.
"The weather is so warm here that we don't need any bed-clothing, and consequently they don't give us any; we have hard beds with harder pillows, and they are much better than any soft beds and pillows could possibly be. A sheet to lie on is spread over the bed, and all the covering we need is the pajamas, or sleeping suits that everybody wears here. Mosquitoes are abundant, and of all sizes; and so they cover the beds with a netting of very fine mesh to keep out the smallest of these troublesome pests. The nets not only keep out the mosquitoes but they keep in the heat, and for this reason we suffer a great deal from the high temperature. I get up several times in the night, and go and sit on the balcony,just to get a little cool; every time I wake I am in a profuse perspiration, and it is largely caused by the closeness of the air under the mosquito netting.
"When we first came here we were disturbed frequently by thegecko, a lizard that climbs around the walls and partitions of the houses, and goes wherever he pleases. He is five or six inches long, and not pretty to look at, and he makes a noise like some one calling out 'Gecko!' It is from his call that he gets his name, and until we got used to it we were waked by it. It isn't pleasant to see these lizards climbing around your room; but everybody says they are perfectly harmless, and they eat up a great many insects. There is a smaller lizard that eats mosquitoes, or anything else he can manage, and it is very funny to see him at work. Frank and I watched one the other evening for half an hour, and saw him do a great deal of good. He is just the color of the boards where he clings, or very nearly so, and therefore he is not easilyseen. When a mosquito passed within half an inch of his nose he darted out his long flexible tongue with the rapidity of lightning, and caught his prize on the end of it. The mosquito disappeared like a flash, and then the lizard watched for another, and took him in the same way.
"When a mosquito or a fly lighted two or three inches away, the lizard would creep along like a cat, and hug close to the boards. He did it very slowly till he got within reach, and then out came the tongue as before, and he rarely missed his aim. One large fly was too much for him, and after getting him on the end of his tongue he had a sharp struggle to swallow him. The fly escaped, and after that the lizard was more cautious about the size of his game."
Breakfast was announced, and the story of the Siamese lizard was dropped for the present.
While they were at breakfast a messenger came from the consul to Doctor Bronson. He announced that the second king of Siam would receive them that afternoon, as they had been received the day before by the supreme king.
The boys had heard that Siam was ruled by two kings, and the Doctor took the opportunity to explain the relations between these rulers.
"The king at the grand palace, where we went yesterday," said Doctor Bronson, "is the first or supreme king of the country. The second king occupies a position that is difficult to understand clearly when we compare it with our own form of government. He is not like our Vice-president of the United States, as he does not inherit the throne on the death of the supreme king; nor does he resemble the ancient Mikado of Japan in being a spiritual ruler, while the first king is a temporal one. According to Sir John Bowring, his opinion and sanction are sought by the king in important matters, and his name is associated in treaties. He is supposed to have control of one-third of the revenues, and has a portion of the army under his command; in time of war he is expected to have direct control of the armies in the field, and to go with them in person, but this is not always the case. Occasionally the office of second king is abolished, and it seems to be largely in the power of the first king to do what he pleases concerning the rank and authority of his subordinate.
"The second king has a palace nearly as large as that of the first, and he has ministers corresponding to those that form the highest cabinet. The same respect is shown to him when he goes abroad as to the first king, and the latter is the only personage in the country to whom the second king must pay visits of ceremony. Siam is the only country in the world that has this arrangement for dividing the royal power, andwhen we come to examine it closely it will be found that there is not a very large division, after all. Not long ago, as I am told, there was a quarrel between the first and second kings of Siam, which resulted in the second king seeking the protection of the English consul. Since that time the power of the second king has been less than it was before, and the breach between the two great heads of the kingdom of Siam has not been entirely healed."
At the appointed time the consul called for the Doctor, and the two gentlemen proceeded on their excursion, leaving the boys at the hotel. The journey to the palace was not made in a boat, as on the day before, but in a carriage, for the reason that going in a boat would necessitate a long walk from the landing to the gates of the royal residence. On his return the Doctor gave the following account of his visit:
"We drove through a narrow gate-way where some soldiers were on guard, and soon found ourselves in an open court-yard of the palace. Here we left the carriage, and entered a large anteroom at the head of a flight of stairs, where we waited while a messenger went to inform the king of our arrival. He came back shortly, accompanied by a gentleman who spoke English and Siamese with equal fluency, as he is the son of an American missionary, and was born in Siam. Under his guidance we went to the reception-hall, which was in a large building just off the court-yard. It was entered directly from the open air, and not by passing through a series of halls, as in the palace of the first king. His majesty rose as we entered, and came forward a few steps to meet us; he first shook hands with the consul, and then with me after the consul had introduced me, and the interpreter had translated his remarks.
"The king asked us to be seated, and gave us the example by taking a chair for himself, and indicating the ones we were to occupy. He is a man of about fifty-five or sixty years old, and has a pleasant and intelligent face; he speaks English with considerable fluency, and has read a great deal about England and America. He is a great admirer of America, and is proud of the name of George Washington, which he bears."
"Are we to understand," Frank asked, "that the second king of Siam is named George Washington?"
"Hardly as much as that," was the Doctor's reply; "he was known among the foreign residents of Bangkok by the name of Prince George before he was proclaimed second king. He has at least half a dozen Siamese titles, and places the name of 'George Washington' before them. He assumed it himself, as I am informed, with the consent of the old King of Siam, because he admired the character of the man whom wehold in such great reverence in America. He has been, and continues to be, a pretty close student of science, politics, and other matters, and is a man of more than ordinary intelligence.
"Soon after we were seated, coffee and cigars were brought, and the king offered us some of the latter from his own box of massive gold. Conversation began immediately; the questions and answers being rather slow, as they were made through the interpreter. The king asked when I left America, and what I thought of Siam; and when I spoke in praise of his country he appeared greatly pleased. Then we talked about the scenery of the tropics in comparison with that of the temperate zone; and the king said he was sorry America was so far off, as it would give him great pleasure to visit it. Then we talked about the fruits and flowers of Siam, the many varieties of the palm-tree, and the great uses of the palm and bamboo to mankind. Then the king asked about some of the productions of America; and after that there came a pause, which gave us an opportunity to rise and make our adieux. The king shook hands with us at parting, and hoped I would like my stay in Siam so well that I would come here again. We found our carriage, and drove home again; but, before leaving the palace, we went to see an elephant which belongs to the second king, and is said to be over a hundred years old. It has been a long time in captivity, and is very large and powerful, and its temper is anything but amiable."
THE SECOND KING OF SIAM, IN STATE ROBES.
Fred asked if the king wore his state-dress as it was represented in the pictures he had seen of his majesty.
The Doctor answered that the king was plainly dressed, and the only indications of rank about his garments were some stars embroidered on the collar of his coat. The coat was short, and rather in form like a jacket; it hung loosely, and by no means concealed a vest of white linen that joined with trousers of Siamese pattern, to complete the clothing of royalty. On his feet he wore a pair of embroidered shoes that were cut low enough for slippers, and could be easily thrown off without the aid of a boot-jack. His attendants were in Siamese garb, and the general surroundings of the place were more Oriental in their character than those of the palace of the supreme king.
Frank and Fred listened with great interest to what the Doctor had to say of his visit to the second king of Siam. Through fear of forgetting some portion of it, they proceeded to put it upon paper at once; and, as the afternoon was far gone when they began, they had sufficient occupation for the rest of the day.
The time came for leaving Siam. Our friends had enjoyed their visit to the Land of the White Elephant, and had seen many things that were full of interest; they wished to remain longer, but they remembered there were other countries to be seen, and other people whose manners and customs they wished to learn from personal observation. So they prepared to continue their journey.
Their next place of destination was Singapore. Between that city and Bangkok there is a service of steamers each way about once a week; it is somewhat irregular, as the movements of the ships depend more or less upon the amount of freight offering and the facility of obtaining cargoes. The steamers are under the Siamese flag; some of them belong to the government, while the others are the property of Chinese or Siamese merchants established at Bangkok. All of them are small, to make sure of passing the bar at the mouth of the Menam, and their passenger accommodations are rather limited.
THE DOCTOR GETTING READY.
The distance from Bangkok to Singapore is about eight hundred miles; and, as the ships are not built for speed, the voyage usually takes from four to five days. Our friends engaged passage on theBang Yong Seng, and were told to be on board by seven o'clock in the morning of the day fixed for departure. The steamer was at her dock about a mile above the hotel, and consequently Doctor Bronson and the boys proposed to leave the hotel soon after six o'clock, in order to be in season. When they suggested their plan to Captain Salje, the proprietor of the establishment,the latter laughed, and said he would have breakfast ready for them at half-past six, and then they would have an abundance of time.
"How can that be?" the Doctor asked.
"Very easy to explain," the captain responded. "The river is so narrow that the steamer cannot turn around where she is. She backs down below here, and does it very slowly, and you need not go to the dock at all. You can have your baggage ready, and when we see her coming you can pull out with the boat and drop along-side. The gangway-ladder will be down, and you can get on board and have your baggage handed up without the least trouble."
This plan was quite to the taste of the party of travellers, and they adopted it at once. It was carried out to perfection; and the boys pronounced it much better than being obliged to breakfast at a disagreeably early hour, and then pulling up the stream. The consul came to see them off; and as the steamer passed the consulate, the flag of their country was dipped in farewell honor to Doctor Bronson and his young companions. The steamer turned a little below the consulate, and headed her prow for the sea; and she steamed steadily onward, till at length she left the Menam behind her and entered the waters of the Gulf of Siam.
The boys sat on the deck of the steamer, and watched the low coast as it slowly receded from view. Flocks of birds filled the air, or settled on the marshy shores, where the scattered palm-trees waved their tufted heads. There was a faint ripple of surf breaking on the beach, or forming in long lines where the waters were shallow. The sky was clear, and the sun filled the atmosphere with a flood of light; while it made the shelter of the awning indispensable to the comfort of the young travellers.
COAST OF SIAM, NEAR THE MOUTH OF THE RIVER.
Although the steamer was of light draught, she stirred the mud from the bottom as she crossed the bar at the mouth of the Menam; she left a long trail of discolored water behind her, but it disappeared as she steamed onward and left the shores of Siam fading in the distance. While the boys were busy with their contemplation of the scene, the Chinese steward of the steamer came to tell them dinner was ready. They went below, and were soon seated at the cabin table.
WATER-FOWL OF SIAM.
The passengers were not numerous. Besides the Doctor and his young friends, there were only two others in the cabin, and it did not take long for them to form an acquaintance. One of the twain was a German merchant living at Bangkok, and the other was a personage who reminded the boys a little of their old friend, "the Mystery." He was affable, and inclined to free conversation; and though they could not at first make him out, they found themselves attracted towards him.
When they went on deck after dinner, the stranger followed; and by invitation of Doctor Bronson, he drew his chair near them.
In the course of the rambling talk that ensued, Fred wondered if there were any pearls in the Gulf of Siam. Frank quickly responded that it was Ceylon, and not Siam, where the most of the pearls of commerce were to be found.
The remark about pearls led to a discussion of the mode of gathering them. Very naturally something was said about the methods of going beneath the waves of the sea.
The stranger joined in the conversation, and it was not long before he developed much more than a casual knowledge of the business under consideration.
"I may as well introduce myself," he remarked, "and then we will be able to talk freely. I am known as Captain Johnson, and have beenaround the Eastern seas for the past twenty years. I am an Englishman by birth, and have been captain of a ship trading between London and Singapore; but at present I am a wrecker."
Doctor Bronson replied to this introduction by handing his own card to Captain Johnson, and introducing the two youths by name.
The boys showed by the expression of their faces that they were not altogether familiar with the peculiarities of the stranger's occupation; evidently he perceived it, for he proceeded to explain what a wrecker was.
"Properly speaking," said he, "a wrecker is a man who lives on a dangerous coast, and makes a living by assisting wrecked vessels, and saving what can be saved from their cargoes. My occupation is something like his, but not exactly; he works above the waters, while I go below them."
"Go below the water to save a ship!" said Fred, in astonishment. "How can you save a ship in that way?"
The question led to an explanation that lasted through the entire afternoon and evening. We will endeavor to give the substance of it, as nearly as possible, in the words of Captain Johnson.
"Life beneath the ocean wave," said he, after he was comfortably balanced in his chair, "has many features of interest. In my profession of wrecking I have seen much that does not ordinarily happen to a man; I am sorry I cannot remember all that has come under my observation, but perhaps it is just as well, as I might remember too much, and so weary you."
Frank assured him it would take a longer period than they were likely to pass together on the ship for him to become weary of stories of the sea. Fred echoed the remark, and thus the captain was encouraged to proceed.
"Thanks to men of science and ingenuity," the captain continued,"we have made great progress in going beneath the water in the last twenty-five years. Formerly a man could only stay below as long as he could hold his breath, and of course this prevented his descending to any great depth. With the diving apparatus now in use he can go far below the surface, and remain there for hours."