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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..b0a1096 --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #56028 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/56028) diff --git a/old/56028-0.txt b/old/56028-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index eb91312..0000000 --- a/old/56028-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,9561 +0,0 @@ -Project Gutenberg's The Romance of the Harem, by Anna Harriette Leonowens - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: The Romance of the Harem - -Author: Anna Harriette Leonowens - -Release Date: November 22, 2017 [EBook #56028] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE ROMANCE OF THE HAREM *** - - - - -Produced by MWS, Graeme Mackreth and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was -produced from images generously made available by The -Internet Archive/American Libraries.) - - - - - - - -[Illustration: THE IDOL OF BUDDHA] - - - - - THE - - ROMANCE OF THE HAREM. - - BY - - MRS. ANNA H. LEONOWENS, - - AUTHOR OF "THE ENGLISH GOVERNESS AT THE SIAMESE COURT." - - Illustrated. - - [Illustration: THE EMERALD IDOL.] - - BOSTON: - JAMES R. OSGOOD AND COMPANY, - - LATE TICKNOR & FIELDS, AND FIELDS, OSGOOD, & CO. - - 1873. - - - - - Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1872, - BY JAMES R. OSGOOD & CO., - in the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington. - -UNIVERSITY PRESS: WELCH, BIGELOW, & CO., CAMBRIDGE. - - - - -PREFACE. - - -"Truth is often stranger than fiction," but so strange will some of the -occurrences related in the following pages appear to Western readers, -that I deem it necessary to state that they are also true. Most of the -stories, incidents, and characters are known to me personally to be -real, while of such narratives as I received from others I can say that -"I tell the tale as it was told to me," and written down by me at the -time. In some cases I have substituted fictitious for real names, in -order to shield from what might be undesired publicity persons still -living. - -I gladly acknowledge my indebtedness to Mr. Francis George Shaw for -valuable advice and aid in the preparation of this work for the -press, and to Miss Sarah Bradley, daughter of the Rev. Dr. Bradley of -Bangkok, for her kindness in providing me with photographs, otherwise -unattainable, for some of the illustrations. - - NEW BRIGHTON, STATEN ISLAND, - September 13, 1872. - - - - -DEDICATION. - - -To the noble and devoted women whom I learned to know, to esteem, and -to love in the city of the Nang Harm, I dedicate the following pages, -containing a record of some of the events connected with their lives -and sufferings. - - - - -LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. - - I. The Idol of Buddha _Frontispiece._ - - II. The Emerald Idol _Vignette._ - - III. A Siamese Slave-Girl Page 32 - - IV. A Siamese Flower-Girl " 48 - - V. Guard of Amazons " 64 - - VI. Palm-Trees near the New Road, Bangkok " 80 - - VII. A Young Siamese Nobleman " 104 - - VIII. Smâyâtee " 120 - - IX. A Royal Actress " 128 - - X. Rungeah, the Cambodian Proselyte " 144 - - XI. Ladies of the Royal Harem at Dinner " 160 - - XII. A Laotian " 168 - - XIII. Crenellated Towers of the Inner City " 176 - - XIV. An Amazon of the Royal Body Guard " 184 - - XV. Queen of Siam " 240 - - XVI. King of Siam " 264 - - XVII. Temple and Ruins of Kampoot " 270 - - - - -CONTENTS. - - - CHAPTER PAGE - - I. "Muang Thai," or the Kingdom of the Free 1 - - II. Tuptim: A Tragedy of the Harem 14 - - III. Tuptim's Trial 25 - - IV. The King changes his Mind 35 - - V. Slavery in the Grand Royal Palace of the "Invincible - and Beautiful Archangel" 42 - - VI. Khoon Thow App, the Chief of the Female Judges 58 - - VII. The Rajpoot and his Daughter 65 - - VIII. Among the Hills of Orissa 72 - - IX. The Rebel Duke P'haya Si P'hifoor 77 - - X. The Grandson of Somdetch Ong Yai, and his Tutor - P'hra Chow Sâduman 84 - - XI. The Heroism of a Child 102 - - XII. The Interior of the Duke Chow P'haya Mândtree's - Harem 107 - - XIII. A Night of Mysteries 112 - - XIV. "Weeping may endure for a Night, but Joy cometh in - the Morning" 118 - - XV. The Favorite of the Harem 122 - - XVI. May-Peâh, the Laotian Slave-Girl 145 - - XVII. An Accidental Discovery of the Whereabouts of the - Princess Sunartha Vismita 151 - - XVIII. Lady Thieng, the Head Wife and Superintendent of - the Royal Cuisine 155 - - XIX. The Princess Sunartha Vismita 160 - - XX. Pak Laut, or the Mouth of the Ocean 165 - - XXI. Narrative of the Princess of Chiengmai 171 - - XXII. "Bijrepuree," or the Diamond City 175 - - XXIII. The Deaf and Dumb Changeling 180 - - XXIV. Witchcraft in Siam in Eighteen Hundred and Sixty-Six, - compared with Witchcraft in England in Seventeen - Hundred and Sixteen 184 - - XXV. Trial for Witchcraft 188 - - XXVI. The Christian Village of Tâmsèng, or of Thomas the - Saint 202 - - XXVII. Nang Rungeah, the Cambodian Proselyte 213 - - XXVIII. Ad ogni Uccello suo Nido è bello,--"To every Bird - its own Nest is charming" 221 - - XXIX. Stray Leaves from the Royal School-Room Table 237 - - XXX. The Siamese System of Slavery 257 - - XXXI. The Royal Proclamations 264 - - * * * * * - - A Legend of the Gold and Silver Mines of Siam 271 - -FOOTNOTES: - - - - -ROMANCE OF THE HAREM. - - - - -CHAPTER I. - - -"MUANG THAI," OR THE KINGDOM OF THE FREE. - -Siam is called by its people "Muang Thai" (the kingdom of the free). -The appellation which we employ is derived from a Malay word _sagûm_ -(the brown race), and is never used by the natives themselves; nor -is the country ever so named in the ancient or modern annals of the -kingdom. - -In the opinion of Pickering, the Siamese are of Malay origin. A -majority of intelligent Europeans, however, regard the population -as mainly Mongolian. But there is much more probability that they -belong to that powerful Indo-European race to which Europe owes its -civilization, and whose chief branches are the Hindoos, Persians, -Greeks, Latins, Kelts, and the Teutonic and Sclavonic tribes. The -original site of this race was in Bactria, and the earliest division -of the people could not have been later than three or four thousand -years before the Christian era. Comparative philology alone enables us -to trace the origin of nations of great antiquity. According to the -researches of the late king, who was a very studious and learned man, -of twelve thousand eight hundred Siamese words, more than five thousand -are found to be Sanskrit, or to have their roots in that language, and -the rest in the Indo-European tongues; to which have been superadded -a great number of Chinese and Cambodian terms. He says: "The names of -temples, cities, and villages in the kingdom of Siam are derived from -three sources, namely, Sanskrit, Siamese, and Cambodian. The names -which the common people generally use are spoken according to the idiom -of the Siamese language, are short and easily pronounced; but the names -used in the Court language and in the government documents, which -receive the government seals, are almost all of Sanskrit derivation, -apt to be long; and even though the Sanskrit names are given at full -length, the people are prone to speak them incorrectly. Some of our -cities and temples have two and even three names, being the ancient and -modern names, as they have been used in the Court language or that of -the people." - -As the words common to the Siamese and the Sanskrit languages must have -been in use by both peoples before their final separation, we have here -a clew to the origin and degree of civilization attained by the former -before they emigrated from the parent stock. - -Besides the true Siamese, a great variety of races inhabit the Siamese -territories. The Siamese themselves trace their genealogy up to the -first disciples of the Buddha, and commence their records at least -five centuries before the Christian era. First, a long succession of -dynasties, with varying seats of government, figure in their ancient -books, in which narrations of the miracles of the Buddhas, and of the -intervention of supernatural beings, are frequently introduced. Then -come accounts of matrimonial alliances between the princes of Siam -and the Imperial family of China; of embassies to, and wars with, the -neighboring countries, interspersed with such relations of prodigies -and such marvellous legends as to surpass all possible conception -of our less fertile Western imaginations. It is only after the -establishment of Ayudia as the capital of Siam, A.D. 1350, that history -assumes its rightful functions, and the course of events, with the -regular succession of sovereigns, is registered with tolerable accuracy. - -The name of Siam was first heard in Europe--that is, in Portugal--in -the year 1511, nine years after Alfonso d'Albuquerque, the great -Viceroy of the Indies, had landed on the coast of Malabar with -his soldiers, and conquered Goa, which he made the seat of the -Portugo-Indian government, and the centre of its Asiatic operations. -After establishing his power in Goa, D'Albuquerque subdued the whole -of the Malabar, the island of Ceylon, the Sunda Isles, the peninsula -of Malacca, and the beautiful island of Ormuz, at the entrance to the -Persian Gulf. - -It was here that D'Albuquerque is said to have received the ambassadors -of the Emperor of Persia, sent to collect the tribute formerly paid to -him by the sovereigns of the island, and, instead of the customary gold -and silver, to have laid before them iron bullets and a sword, with: -"This is the coin in which Portugal pays those who demand tribute from -her." Whether this incident really occurred or not, it is certain that -D'Albuquerque made the name of Portugal so feared and respected in the -East, that many of the potentates in that region, and among them the -kings of Siam and Pegu, sent embassies to him, and sought his alliance -and protection. The profitable relations anticipated from this opening -were interrupted, however, by the long and bitter war which shortly -broke out between Siam and Birmah, and the intercourse between the -Siamese and Portuguese was not renewed for a long time. As early as the -fifteenth century the celebrated German traveller, Mandelslohe, visited -Ayudia, the capital of Siam, and called it the Venice of the East,--a -title equally applicable to the modern capital, Bangkok. The Portuguese -explorer, Mendez Pinto, who was in Siam in the sixteenth century, gives -a very favorable account of the country, and, in my opinion, deserves -more credit for the truth of his statements than was accorded to -him by his contemporaries. In 1632 an English vessel is said to have -reached Ayudia, and to have found it in ruins, the country having been -laid waste by successive incursions of the Birmese. - -The great river Mèinam is the Nile of Siam. Rising among the southern -slopes of the snow-covered mountains of Yunan, it traverses the whole -length of the valley, receiving in its course the waters of many other -streams, the most important being the Mèikhong, which in its length -of nearly one thousand miles drains the eastern provinces of Laos and -Cambodia. Ancient annals relate that in the fifteenth and as late as -the seventeenth century, Chinese junks ascended the river as far as -Sangkalok, nearly one hundred and twenty leagues from its mouth; now, -owing to the increasing alluvial deposit, it is not navigable more than -fifteen leagues at most. - -In the month of June, the mountain snows begin to melt, the deluging -rains of the wet season set in, the strong southerly winds dam up the -waters of the Mèinam, and it begins to rise,--an event most eagerly -looked for by the people, and hailed by them as a blessing from Heaven. -In August the inundation is at its height, and the whole vast valley is -like one immense sea, in which towns and villages look like islands, -connected by drawbridges, and interspersed with groves and orchards, -the tops of which only are seen, while boats pass to and fro without -injury to the rice and other crops starting beneath them. The whole -valley is intersected by canals, some of great size and extent, in -order to distribute as far as possible the benefits of this grand -operation of nature; but the lands situated about the middle of the -great plain derive the greatest advantage therefrom. - -When the inundation is supposed to have reached its height, a -deputation of Talapoins, or priests, sent by the king, descend the -river in magnificent state barges, and with chants and incantations and -movements of magical wands command the waters to retire. Sometimes, -however, the calculations prove to have been incorrect, the river -continues to rise, and it is they who are compelled to retire, filled -with chagrin and disappointment. - -The popular river festival, which takes place after the waters begin to -subside, both in origin and character belongs to the Hindoos, rather -than to the Buddhists. It is an annual festival held at night, and -the scene which is exhibited during its celebration is exceedingly -beautiful. The banks of the Mèinam are brilliantly lighted up; -accompanied and announced by numerous flights of rockets, a number -of floating palaces, built on rafts, come sailing down the stream, -preceded by thousands of lamps and lanterns wreathed with chaplets of -flowers, which cover with their gay brilliancy the entire surface of -the flashing water. The rafts, which are formed of young plantain-trees -fastened together, are often of considerable extent, and the structures -which they bear are such as Titania herself might delight to inhabit. -Towers, gates, arches, and pagodas rise in fantastic array, bright with -a thousand colors, and shining in the light of numberless cressets,--so -the fairy-like spectacle moves on, while admiring crowds of men, women, -and children throng the banks of the river, not only to join the -brilliant pageant, but to watch their own frail little bark, freighted, -perchance, with a single lamp, yet full of life's brightest hopes, as -it floats unextinguished down the rapid stream, glimmering on with -ruddy flame amidst the shadows of night. - -The products of Siam, as may be supposed from its range of latitude, -its tropical heats, its variety of climate, and the fertility of the -valley, annually renewed by the inundation, are very diversified, -and almost unlimited in quantity. Its rice, of which there are forty -varieties, is excellent, and its sugar is esteemed the best in the -world. Among the other exports are cotton, tobacco, hemp, cutch, dried -fish and fruits, cocoanut-oil, beeswax, precious gums, spices, dye and -other woods, especially teak, ivory, and many articles too numerous to -mention. The mineral riches of the country are still almost entirely in -an undeveloped state. - -The search for sparkling gems has in all ages been eagerly engaged in; -diamonds and other precious stones are frequently offered for sale, -but the precise locality in which they are found is kept secret by the -natives. The thousand-fold more valuable seams of coal and iron have -remained unsought and most imperfectly worked as yet. A beginning has -at last been made by the present king, and the last and best, though -poetically maligned, age of iron is about to spread its blessings over -the Siamese Empire. - -The population of Siam cannot be ascertained with correctness, owing -to the custom of enumerating only the men. When I was in Bangkok, the -native registers gave the number of them as four million Siamese, one -million Laotians, one million Malays and Indians, one million five -hundred thousand Chinese, three hundred and fifty thousand Cambodians, -fifty thousand Peguans, and the same number of mountain tribes; in all, -nearly eight millions. If these figures are even approximately correct, -and the women and children bear the same proportion to the men as in -other countries, the total population of Siam far exceeds the numbers -which have hitherto been assigned to it. - -No people in the world exhibit so many exceptional developments of -human nature as the different races occupying the eastern peninsula -of India. The most impressible of races, ideas and views of life -take root among them such as would find no acceptance elsewhere. -Supple and pliant in their bodily frames, they are equally so in their -mental and moral constitution; and upon no other race has the force of -circumstance and the contagion of example so potent an influence in -determining them towards good or evil. Royalty, therefore, to them, -is not a mere name. It has taken such hold on their affections that -it usurps the place of a religious sentiment. The person of the king -is sacred. He is not only enthroned, he is enshrined. His rule may be -called despotic, but it is tempered by law and by not less revered -custom. He may name his successor by Will, but the Royal or Secret -Council will determine whether that Will shall be carried into effect. -A second king, selected, like the first or supreme king, from the royal -family, is also appointed by the Secret Council. Whatever may have -originally been the functions of this second king, his exercise of them -appears, from incidents of the late reign, to be dependent upon the -disposition of the supreme king, and his desire or disinclination to -concentrate in his own person all the powers of the throne. - -The whole empire is divided into forty-nine provinces, with their -respective Phayas, or governors; and these again are subdivided into -districts under inferior officers, respecting whose administration but -little that is good can be said. - -Every subject, even the most humble, has by law the right to complain -to the king in person against any official, however exalted; and the -king sits in public at the eastern gate of the palace to receive the -petitions of his people. - -Two or three centuries after Brahminism and caste had been -authoritatively established in the Hindoo code, there arose a new -religion which totally ignored the old one, and almost immediately -supplanted it as the state religion of India. This was Buddhism, -founded by Gotama, otherwise called Sakya Muni, a Kshatrya Prince -of Oude. A high-priest of the Abstract, and believing that the only -possible revelation from the Supreme is that which comes from within, -Gotama educed a new faith from the luminous depths of his own soul. -His object was not only a religious but a social revolution. A good -deal of what was venerated as religion he found to be merely social -usage, for which a Divine sanction was feigned. Gotama, without -hesitation, rejected all this, by denying the inspiration of the -Vedas, the existence of the popular gods, and the spiritual supremacy -of the Brahmins. His greatest blow to the old religion, however, was -in his explicit repudiation of caste. He offered his religion to all -men alike, Brahmin and Sudra, high and low, bond and free; whereas, -for a Sudra even to look on the Vedas, or to be taught their contents, -was strictly forbidden by the Brahminical system. Buddha boldly -expounded to the people that, according to their own books, all men -were equal; that Brahma himself, when asked to whom all the prayers of -the different nations and races of the earth were addressed, replied: -"I bear the burden of all those who labor in prayer. I, even I, am he -who prayeth for them through their own lips; and they, even they, who -involuntarily worship other gods believingly, worship even me."[1] - -He also did away with the endless formalism of the old faith, and -enjoined only a simple observance of the fundamental points of -morality; and it was only after he had aided in removing the social and -spiritual shackles that oppressed the people, that he directed their -attention to the simple and weightier matters of religion. - -Hence the popularity it attained, spreading among the low caste as well -as among the rich and great, until it has become the dominant faith -from the Himalayas to Ceylon, and thence to Siam, China, Japan, and -the neighboring isles. - -Buddhism, therefore, the religion of the Eastern world, as Christianity -is that of the Western, is the state religion of Siam and that of most -of its inhabitants, but all religions are tolerated and absolutely free -from interference. All the pagan sects who inhabit this part of India -agree excellently, and each frequently takes part in the festivals -of the other; and I also observed that not a few Buddhists, his late -Majesty included, wear on their foreheads the sectarial mark of Vishnu -and Siva united. - -The doctrine of Buddha inculcates a belief in one God, Adi Buddha.[2] -This I infer, not only from the universally avowed conviction of the -Buddhists with whom I have conversed, but from Buddha's own words, -where he says: "Without ceasing shall I run through a course of many -births, looking for the _maker_ of this tabernacle,[3] who is not -represented by any outward symbol, but in a series of Buddhas, who -have been sent with divine powers to teach the human race and lead -it to salvation." These are represented by images, often of colossal -size and great beauty, and to them the prayers of worshippers are -addressed. It inculcates, also, a belief in the law of retribution or -compensation, and of many births or stages of probations, through which -the human soul may finally attain beatitude. Buddhism has its priests -and nuns, separated from the world, and vowed to poverty, celibacy, -and the study of the Divine law. Unlike the silent and long-forsaken -temples of Egypt, Greece, and Italy, the architectural grandeur of the -Buddhist pagodas and temples is enhanced by the presence of thousands -of enthusiastic worshippers. The sound of a bell, or gong, or of the -sacred shell, indicates the hours of the priests' attendance at the -temples. At such times the priests are to be seen officiating at the -shrines, where, amid the noise of many instruments playing in concert, -the smoke of fragrant incense, and the perfumes of fresh flowers, they -are uttering sacred invocations or incantations, and presenting the -offerings of the worshippers. In the sermons preached daily in these -immense temples, thronged with men and women, the chief themes are -humanity, endurance, patience, submission. Among the practical precepts -are these: "Love your enemies. Sacrifice your life for truth. Be gentle -and tender. Abstain from war, even in self-defence. Govern yourselves -in thought, word, and deed. Avoid everything that may lead to vice. Be -obedient to your parents and superiors. Reverence old age. Provide food -and shelter for the poor, the aged, and the oppressed. Despise no man's -religion. Persecute no man." - -But alas! in Siam, as in all the rest of the world, the practice falls -far short of the precept. - -Nevertheless, I have found among the Siamese, also, men and women who -observe faithfully the precepts of their religion, whose lives are -devoted to charity and good works; and there were some--not one alone, -but many--who during the years I lived in Bangkok sacrificed their -lives for truth, and even under the torture and in death showed a -self-sacrificing devotion and a courage not to be excelled by the most -saintly of the Christian martyrs. - -Polygamy--or, properly speaking, concubinage--and slavery are the -curses of the country. But one wife is allowed by law; the king only -may have two, a right and a left hand wife, as these dual queens are -called, whose offspring alone are legitimate. The number of concubines -is limited only by the means of the man. As the king is the source of -all wealth and influence, dependent kings, princes, and nobles, and -all who would seek the royal favor, vie with each other in bringing -their most beautiful and accomplished daughters to the royal harem. - -Here it is that the courage, intrepidity, and heroism of these poor, -doomed women are gradually developed. I have known more than one -among them who accepted her fate with a repose of manner and a sweet -resignation that told how dead must be the heart under that still -exterior; and it is here, too, that I have witnessed a fortitude under -suffering of which history furnishes no parallel. And I have wondered -at the sight. Though the common people have but one wife, the fatal -facility of divorce, effected by the husband's simply taking the -priestly vows, which can be revoked at will, is often the cause of -great suffering to the women. The husband and father have unlimited -power, even of life and death, over the wife and children, but murders -are extremely rare. Woman is the slave of man; but when she becomes a -mother her position is changed, and she commands respect and reverence. -As a mother with grown children she has often more influence than her -husband. Hence maternity is the supreme good of the woman of Siam; to -be childless, the greatest of all misfortunes. - -As was ancient Ayudia, so is Bangkok, the present capital of Siam, the -Venice of the East. Imagine a city with a large network of water-roads -in the place of streets, and intersected with bridges so light and -fanciful that one might almost fancy them to have been blown together -by the breath of fairies. A large proportion of its inhabitants live -in floating houses, which line both banks of the Mèinam, and, tier -upon tier, extend for miles above and below the walls. The city itself -is surrounded by a battlemented and turreted wall, fifteen feet high -and twelve feet broad, which was erected in the early part of the -reign of Phaya Tak, about 1670. The grand palaces and royal harem -are situated on the right hand as you ascend the river, on a circular -plot of ground formed by a sudden bend of the river, enclosing it on -the west; while the eastern side is bounded by a large, deep canal. -This plot of ground is encompassed by two walls running parallel to -each other. Within the outer of these walls are the magazines, the -royal exchange, the mint, the supreme courts of justice, the prisons, -temples, and fantastic pleasure-grounds, dotted with a multitude of -elegant edifices, theatres, and aviaries, some of which are richly -gilt and ornamented. In the centre of a very handsome square rise the -majestic buildings of the Maha Phra Sâât, the roof of which is covered -with tiles, beautifully varnished, and surmounted by gilded spires, -while the walls are studded with sculptures, and the terraces decorated -with large incense vases of bronze, the dark color and graceful forms -of which stand in beautiful relief against the white marble background -of the palace. - -Not far from this is another semicircular space surrounded by a high -wall, which defends all entrance to the part enclosed by the inner -of the two parallel walls before mentioned; and here stands the city -of the Nang Harm, or Veiled Women. In this city live none but women -and children. Here the houses of the royal princesses, the wives, -concubines, and relatives of the king, with their numerous slaves and -personal attendants, form regular streets and avenues, with small -parks, artificial lakes, and groups of fine trees scattered over -miniature lawns and beautiful flower-gardens. These are the residences -of the princesses of Siam. On the east, high above the trees, may be -seen the many-towered and gilded roofs of the grand royal palace, -brilliant as sapphire in the sunlight, and next to this is the old -palace, to both of which is a private covered entrance for the women; -at the end of each of these passages is a bas-relief representing the -head of an enormous sphinx, with a sword through the mouth, and this -inscription: "Better that a sword be thrust through thy mouth than that -thou utter a word against him who ruleth on high." Not far from this -are the barracks of the Amazons, the women's hall of justice, and the -dungeons (where, as in the days of old, female judges daily administer -justice to the inhabitants of this woman's city), the beautiful temple, -with its long, dim gallery and antique style of architecture, in which -I taught the royal children, the gymnasium, and the theatre, where the -princesses and great ladies assemble every afternoon to gossip, play -games, or watch the exercises of the dancing-girls. - -In the southern part of this strange city, which is the most populous, -the mechanical slaves of the wives, concubines, and princesses live, -and ply their trades for the profit of their mistresses. This woman's -city is as self-supporting as any other in the world: it has its own -laws, its judges, police, guards, prisons, and executioners, its -markets, merchants, brokers, teachers, and mechanics of every kind -and degree; and every function of every nature is exercised by women, -and by them only. Into this inmost city no man is permitted to enter, -except only the king, and the priests, who are admitted every morning -under guard, in order that the inmates may perform the sacred duty -of giving alms. The slave women are allowed to go out to visit their -husbands, or on business of their mistresses; but the mistresses -themselves never leave it except by the covered passages to the -palaces, temples, and gardens, until they have by age and position -attained to a certain degree of freedom. The permanent population of -this city is estimated at nine thousand. Of the life passed therein, -volumes would not give an exact description; but what I am about to -relate in the pages that follow will give the general reader, perhaps, -some idea of many of the stirring incidents of that life. - -FOOTNOTES: - -[Footnote 1: See the Siamese work, "Phra thi Sang."] - -[Footnote 2: Supreme Intelligence.] - -[Footnote 3: See Siamese work, "Phra thi Sang," and Lecture on Buddhist -Nihilism, by F. Max Müller.] - - - - -CHAPTER II. - -TUPTIM: A TRAGEDY OF THE HAREM. - - -Those of my readers who may recur to my late work, "The English -Governess at the Siamese Court," will find on the 265th page mention of -"a young girl of fresh and striking beauty, and delightful piquancy of -ways and expression, who, with a clumsy club, was pounding fragments -of pottery--urns, vases, and goblets--for the foundation of the Watt -(or Temple) Rajah Bah ditt Sang. Very artless and happy she seemed, and -as free as she was lovely; but the instant she perceived that she had -attracted the notice of the king,--who presided at the laying of the -foundation of the temple, and flung gold and silver coins among the -workwomen,--she sank down and hid her face in the earth, forgetting or -disregarding the falling vessels that threatened to crush her; but the -king merely diverted himself with inquiring her name and parentage, and -some one answering for her, he turned away." This is all that is there -said of her. - -A week later I saw the girl again, as I was passing through the long -enclosed corridor within the palace on my way to my school-room in -the temple. She was lying prostrate on the marble pavement among the -offerings which were placed there for the king's acceptance, and which -he would inspect in his leisurely progress towards his breakfast-hall. - -I never went that way without seeing something lying there,--bales of -silk on silver trays, boxes of tea, calicoes, velvets, fans, priests' -robes, precious spices, silver, gold, and curiosities of all kinds, in -fact, almost anything and everything that money could purchase, or the -most abject sycophancy could imagine as likely to gratify the despot. -Every noble, prince, and merchant sought to obtain the royal favor by -gifts thus presented, it being fully understood between the giver and -receiver that whoever gave the most costly presents should receive the -largest share of royal patronage and support. But the most precious -things ever laid upon that pavement were the young hearts of women and -children. - -Two women were crouching on either side of the young girl, waiting for -the entrance of the king, in order to present her to him. I was hardly -surprised to see her there. I had grown accustomed to such sights. -But I was surprised at the unusual interest she appeared to excite in -the other women present, who were all whispering and talking together -about her, and expressing their admiration of her beauty in the most -extravagant language. - -She was certainly very beautiful by nature, and those who sent her -there had exhausted all the resources of art to complete, according -to their notions, what nature had begun, and to render her a fitter -offering for the king. Her lips were dyed a deep crimson by the use of -betel; her dark eyebrows were continued in indigo until they met on her -brow; her eyelashes were stained with kohl; the tips of her fingers and -her nails were made pink with henna; while enormous gold chains and -rings bedizened her person. Already too much saddened by the frequency -of such sights, I merely cast a passing glance upon her and went my -way; but now, as I see in memory that tiny figure lying there, and the -almost glorified form in which I beheld it for the last time, I cannot -keep the tears from my eyes, nor still the aching of my heart. - -About three months or so later we met again in the same place. I was -passing through to the school-room, when I saw her joyously exhibiting -to her companions a pomegranate which she held in her hand. It seemed -to be the largest and finest fruit of the kind I had ever seen, and I -stopped to get a closer view both of the girl and of the fruit, each -perfect in its kind. I found, however, that the fruit was not real, -only an imitation. It was a casket of pure gold, the lids of which -were inlaid with rubies, which looked exactly like the seeds of the -pomegranate when ripe. It was made to open and shut at the touch of -a small spring, and was most exquisitely moulded into the shape and -enamelled with the tints of the pomegranate. It was her betel-box. - -"Where did you get this box?" I inquired. - -She turned to me with a child's smile upon her face, pointed to the -lofty chamber of the king, and said, "My name, you know, is Tuptim" -(Pomegranate). I understood the gift. - -Afterwards I saw her frequently. On one occasion she was crying -bitterly, while the head wife, Thieng, was reproving her with unusual -warmth for some fault. I interrupted Thieng to ask for some paper and -ink for the school-room, but she paid no attention to my demands. -Instead of complying with them at once, as usual, she inquired of me, -"What shall I do with this Tuptim? She is very disobedient. Shall I -whip her, or starve her till she minds?" - -"Forgive her, and be good to her," I whispered in Thieng's ear. - -"What!" said the offended lady in an angry tone, "when she does wrong -all the time, and is so naughty and wilful? Why, when she is ordered -to remain up stairs, she runs away, and hides herself in Maprang's or -Simlah's rooms, and we are taken to task by his Majesty, who accuses us -of jealousy and unkind treatment towards her. Then we have to search -all the houses of the Choms (concubines) until we find her, either in -hiding or asleep, and bring her to him. The moment she comes into his -presence she goes down upon her knees, appearing so very bashful and -innocent that he is enraptured at the sight, and declares that she is -the most perfect, the most fascinating of women. But as soon as she -can get away, she does the same thing again, only finding some new -hiding-place, and so she makes an infinity of trouble. Now, she says -she is ill, and cannot wait upon the king, while the physicians declare -that there is nothing whatever the matter with her. I really don't know -what to do or what to say, for I don't dare to tell the truth to the -king, and I'm in constant fear that she will come to a bad end, if she -doesn't follow my advice and make up her mind to bear her life here -more patiently." - -I pitied the poor girl, who really looked either sick or unhappy. Child -as she was, there was a great deal of quiet dignity about her, as, with -eyes filled with tears, she protested that she was utterly sick at -heart, and could not go up stairs any more. I was sure that Thieng's -sweeping reproof did not indicate any malice or real anger towards -the girl, and, putting my arms around the elder lady, I succeeded in -soothing her indignation, and at length obtained permission for Tuptim -to be absent from duty for a few days. A grateful smile lit up the -girl's tearful face as she crept away. - -"That girl is too artless," said kind-hearted Thieng to me, as soon as -the child was out of sight; "and she will not even try to like her life -here. I pity her from my very heart, mam dear, but it would not do to -show it. She would take advantage of my kindness, and keep away from -the king altogether, as Marchand does; and in all such cases we head -wives have to bear the brunt of the king's displeasure, and are thought -to be jealous and intriguing, when the holy Buddh in heaven knows that -there is only kindness in our hearts." - -Not long after the above conversation, Tuptim began to come to -school. She wanted to learn to write her name in English, she said, -and she came to me once or twice a week until she had acquired that -accomplishment, which seemed to give her immense satisfaction. After -she had done this, she asked me if I would write the name "Khoon P'hra -Bâlât" for her in English. I wrote it for her at once, without asking -her why she wanted it or whose name it was. I did not even know if it -was the name of a man or a woman, as the Siamese have no masculine and -feminine terminations to their names and titles. She immediately began -to trace the letters for herself, and I could see a world of tenderness -in her large dreamy eyes as she copied and recopied the name in its -English characters. I cannot rightly remember how often or how long -she came to the school, for she was but one among many; but, whenever -she found me engaged with the princes and princesses, she would sit -for hours on the marble floor, and listen to our simple exercises -of translating English into Siamese or Siamese into English, with -increasing interest and delight expressed in her pure, guileless face. -I do remember that she was never alone, but always accompanied by two -or three young companions of about her own age, who were as listless -and idle as she was absorbed and interested. - -Perhaps this was the reason--with her extreme youth, for she was still -but a child, and seemed even younger than she really was--why I never -attempted to enter into conversation with her, or to learn anything -about her history and her feelings. If I had done this, I might have -succeeded in winning her confidence, and perhaps have been the means of -reconciling her to her life in the palace. That I did not, will ever be -a source of poignant regret to me. - -One afternoon, as I was about leaving the palace after school, she -came running up to me, took a scrap of paper from under her vest, and -held it silently before my eyes, while I read what was written upon -it. It was the name "Khoon P'hra Bâlât," carefully written in English -characters, and she seemed delighted with the praise I bestowed on the -writing. - -"Whose name is it, Tuptim?" I asked. - -She cast down her eyes and hesitated for a moment; then, raising them -to mine, she replied: "It is the name of the favorite disciple of the -high-priest, Chow Khoon Sah; he lives at the temple of Rajah Bah ditt -Sang, and sometimes preaches to us in the palace." - -The expression of deep reverence that animated her face as she spoke -revealed to me a new phase in her character, and I felt strongly -attracted towards her. I nevertheless left the palace without further -conversation, but, on my way home, formed a vague resolution that I -would endeavor to become better acquainted with her, and attempt to win -her confidence. - -My half-formed resolve was without result, however, since, for some -reason unknown to me, she never came to the school-room again; and, -as I did not chance to meet her on my visits to the palace, she soon -passed from my thoughts, and I forgot all about her. - -Some nine months, or perhaps a year, after my last encounter with -Tuptim, I became conscious of a change in the demeanor of my elder -pupils; they were abstracted, and appeared desirous to get away -from their studies as soon as possible. It seemed as if there were -some secret they had been ordered to conceal from my boy and me. My -imagination immediately took the alarm, and I became possessed with the -idea that some grave calamity was impending. - -One day, when breaking up school for the afternoon, I heard one of the -princes say to the others in Siamese: "Come, let's go and hunt for -Tuptim." - -"Why! where has she gone?" - -As soon as I asked the question, Princess Ying Yonwalacks angrily -seized him by the arm and hurried him away. I had no wish to inquire -further. What I had heard was enough to excite my imagination afresh, -and I hurried home full of anxiety about poor little Tuptim, thus -suddenly brought back to my remembrance. - -On the following evening, it being Sunday, one of my servants informed -me that a slave-girl from the palace wished to speak with me in -private. When she came in, her face seemed familiar, but I could not -remember where I had seen her or whose slave she was. She crawled -up close to my chair, and told me in a low voice that her mistress, -Khoon Chow Tuptim, had sent her to me. "You know," she added, "that my -mistress has been found." - -"Found!" I exclaimed; "what do you mean?" - -She repeated my question, and in great astonishment asked: "Why! did -you not know that my mistress had disappeared from the palace; that his -Majesty had offered a reward of twenty caties (about fifteen hundred -dollars) to any one who would bring any information about her; and -that no trace of her could be discovered, though everybody had been -searching for her far and near?" - -"No, I have never heard a word about it. But how could she have got out -of the palace, through the three rows of gates that are always bolted, -and not be seen by the Amazons on guard?" - -"Alas! my lady, she did get out," replied the girl, who looked very wan -and weary, whose eyes seemed to have been shedding tears for a long -time, and who was on the point of breaking down again. She then went on -to tell me that two priests had that morning discovered her mistress -in the monastery attached to the temple of Rajah Bah ditt Sang, and -had brought the information to the king, by whose order she had been -arrested and imprisoned in one of the palace dungeons. - -"But what good can I do, Phim?" I asked, sorrowfully. - -"O mam dear, if you don't help her, she's lost, she'll be killed!" -cried the girl, bursting into a passion of tears. "Oh! do, do go to the -king, and ask him to forgive her. He'll grant her life to you. I'm sure -he will. Oh! oh! what shall I do! I've nobody to go to but you, and -there's nobody but you can help her!" And her tears and sobs were truly -heart-rending. - -I tried to soothe her. "Tell me, Phim," I said, "why did your mistress -leave the palace, and who helped her to get away?" - -The girl would not answer my question, but kept repeating, "Oh! do come -and see her yourself! Do come and see her yourself! You can go to the -palace after dark, and the gate-keepers will let you in. Nobody need -know that you are going to see my dear mistress." - -As there was no other method of quieting the poor girl, I finally made -the promise, though I did not see what good my going could do, and -was fully convinced that Phim had abetted Tuptim in her wrong-doing, -whatever that might have been. - -After the slave-girl had left me, I sat by my window and watched the -stars as they came out, one by one, and shone with unusual splendor -in the cloudless sky. It was a lovely night, and I felt the soothing -influence of the Christian Sabbath even in that pagan land; but the -one idea that took possession of my mind was: "Poor little Tuptim, -in that dreadful dungeon underground." Still, and notwithstanding my -promise, I felt a strong reluctance to respond to the cry which had -reached me from her, and wished that I had never heard it. I was tired -of the palace, tired of witnessing wrongs I could not remedy, and -half afraid, too, to enter that weird, mysterious prison-world after -nightfall. So I sat still in dreamy uncertainty, till a warm hand was -laid upon mine, and I turned my eyes from the stars above to the poor -slave-girl's sad, tear-stained face at my feet. - -"The gates are open for the prime-minister, mam dear," said she, in a -low, pleading voice, "and you can get in now without any difficulty." - -I rose at once, resolutely cast my cowardly fears behind me, told my -boy where and why I was going, put twenty ticals in my purse, wrapped -my black cloak about me, and hurried towards the palace gate. Phim -had run back at once, for fear of being shut out for the night. The -women at the gates, who were all friendly to me, admitted me without -question, and, as I passed, I dropped two ticals into the hand of the -chief of the Amazons on guard, saying that I had been called into the -palace on important business, and begging her to keep the inner gates -open for my return. - -"You must be sure and come back before it strikes eleven," said she, -and I passed on. As soon as I entered the main street within the walls, -the slave-girl joined me, and led the way, crouching and running along -in the deep shadow of the houses, until we reached the gate of the -prison in which Tuptim was immured, when she immediately disappeared. - -The hall I entered was immense, with innumerable pillars, and a floor -which seemed to be entirely made up of huge trap-doors, double barred -and locked, while the lanterns by which it was dimly lighted were hung -so high that they looked like distant stars. There were about a dozen -Amazons on guard, some of whom were already stretched in sleep on their -mats and leather pillows, their weapons lying within reach. The eyes -of all the wakeful custodians of the prison were fixed upon me as I -entered. A courteous return was made to my polite salutation, and -Ma Ying Taphan--Great Mother of War--addressed me kindly, inquiring -what was my object in coming there at that time of night. I told her -that I had just heard of Tuptim's having got into trouble and being -imprisoned, and had come to ascertain if I could be of any assistance -to her. - -"The child is in trouble, indeed," replied Ma Ying Taphan; "and has not -only got herself into prison, but her two young friends, Maprang and -Simlah, who are confined with her." - -"Can I not help them in any way?" I asked. - -"No," said the Amazon, gently, "I fear you cannot. Her guilt is too -great, and she must take the consequences." - -"What has she been doing?" - -To this question I could get no answer; and after vainly attempting -to persuade Ma Ying Taphan to tell me, I tried to induce her to let -me go down and visit poor Tuptim. "Myde" (impossible), was the reply, -"without an express order from the king. When you bring us that, we -will let you in, but without it we cannot." And "myde" was the only -answer I could get to my repeated and urgent entreaties. I sat there, -hopelessly looking at the Amazons, who, in the dim light of the distant -lanterns overhead, seemed to me to be changed from tender-hearted -women, as they were, into fierce, vindictive executioners, and at -the huge trap-door at our feet, beneath which the three children, as -the Amazon had rightly called them, were imprisoned, but from which -no sound, no cry, no indication of life escaped, until, tired and -despairing, I rose and left the place. - -As soon as I was out of the building I saw Phim, the slave-girl, -crouching in the shadows on the opposite side of the street, and -keeping pace with me as I went towards the palace gate. When I turned -into another street she joined me, and I found that she had been hidden -under the portico of the prison, and had heard all my conversation -with the Amazons. Prostrating herself till her forehead touched my -feet, she implored me, in the name of the P'hra Chow in heaven, not to -forsake her dear mistress. "She is to be brought before the court in -the outside hall of justice to-morrow," she said. "Oh! do come early. -Perhaps you can persuade Koon Thow App to be merciful to her." And, -with a sickening sense of my utter powerlessness, I promised to be -present at the trial. - - - - -CHAPTER III. - -TUPTIM'S TRIAL. - - -About seven o'clock on the following morning I was in the Sala or San -Shuang, which is within the second enclosure of the palace, but outside -of the third or inner wall, which is that of the harem. This building -is of one story only, and totally unlike that occupied for similar -purposes in the interior of the grand palace. The main entrance was -through a long, low corridor, on both sides of which opened apartments -of different dimensions, so dilapidated as to be scarcely habitable, -looking out upon the barracks, the magazine, and the fantastic grounds -of the palace gardens. On entering the hall one was at once struck by -the incongruities that met the eye; the windows were large and lofty, -and might have served for the casements of a royal residence, while the -doors were very narrow and mean, and the floor merely a collection of -worm-eaten boards roughly nailed down. One interesting and picturesque -peculiarity was the monstrous size of the spiders, who must have had -undisturbed possession of the walls and ceiling for at least a century. -Altogether, it was very dark, dull, and dreary, even depressing and -sepulchral, when not illumined by the direct rays of the sun. - -Several of the men and women judges were already there, interchanging -greetings and offerings of the contents of their betel-boxes. -P'hayaprome Baree Rak, the chief of the men, and Khoon Thow App, chief -of the women judges, sat apart, the latter with her head bowed in an -attitude of reflection and sadness. Before them were low tables, on -which lay dark rolls of laws, Siamese paper, pens, and ink. Some lower -officials and clerks crouched around. They all eyed me with curiosity -as I entered and took a seat at the end of the hall, near the two -priests who were present as witnesses; but no one made any objection to -my stay. - -I had not been there long when a file of Amazons appeared, bringing -in Tuptim and the two other girls under guard. These were Maprang and -Simlah, Tuptim's most intimate friends, whom I had always seen with her -when she came to the school-room. - -But was that Tuptim? I sat stupefied at the transformation that had -been wrought in the Tuptim I had known. Her hair was cut close to her -head, and her eyebrows had been shaved off. Her cheeks were hollow and -sunken. Her eyes were cast down. Her hands were manacled, and her bare -little feet could hardly drag along the heavy chains that were fastened -to her ankles. Her scarf was tied tightly over her bosom, and under it -her close-fitting vest was buttoned up to the throat. Her whole form -was still childlike, but she held herself erect, and her manner was -self-possessed. When she spoke, her voice was clear and vibrating, her -accent firm and unflinching. - -The Amazons laid before the judges some priests' garments and a small -amulet attached to a piece of yellow cord. The vestments, such as -are worn by a nain (young priest), were those in which Tuptim had -been arrested, and in which she had probably escaped from the palace; -the amulet, in appearance like those worn by all the natives of the -country, had been taken from her neck. On opening the yellow silk which -formed the envelope of the latter, a piece of paper was found stitched -inside, with English letters written thereon. Khoon Thow App was -sufficiently versed in English to spell out and read aloud the name of -"Khoon P'hra Bâlât." - -Tuptim was then ordered to come forward. She dragged herself along as -well as she could, and took her place in the centre of the hall. She -made no obeisance, no humble, appealing prostration, but neither was -there any want of modesty in her demeanor. She sat down with the air of -one who suffered, but who was too proud to complain. I caught a glance -of her eyes; they were clear and bright, and an almost imperceptible -melancholy smile flitted across her face as she returned my greeting. I -was more astonished than before; the simple child was transfigured into -a proud, heroic woman, and, as she sat there, she seemed so calm and -pure, that one might think she had already crystallized into a lovely -statue. - -Simlah and Maprang were examined first, and, without apparent -reluctance, confessed all that poor Tuptim had ever confided to them, -and a great many other irrelevant matters. But when Simlah spoke of her -friend's escape from the palace as connected with Khoon P'hra Bâlât's -coming in for alms,[4] Tuptim interrupted her, telling her to stop, -and saying: "That's not true. You are wrong, Simlah, you know nothing -about it. You know you don't. And it was not at that time." Then, as if -recollecting herself, she added, proudly: "No matter. Go on. Never mind -me. Say all that you want to say"; and resumed her former position. - -"Well!" said P'hayaprome Baree Rak, the chief man judge; "if your -companions know nothing about it, perhaps you will tell us exactly how -it was." - -"If I tell you the whole truth, will you believe me and judge me -righteously?" asked the girl. - -"You shall have the bastinado applied to your bare back if you do not -confess all your guilt at once," replied the judge. - -Tuptim did not speak immediately; but by the expression of her eyes -and the alternate flushing and paling of her face it was evident -that she was debating in her own mind whether she should make a full -confession or not. Finally, with an air of fixed determination she -turned towards Khoon Thow App, and, addressing her exclusively, said: -"Khoon P'hra Bâlât has not sinned, my lady, nor is he in any way -guilty. All the guilt is mine. In the stillness of the nights, when -I prostrated myself in prayer before Somdetch P'hra Buddh, the Chow, -thoughts of escaping from the palace often and often would distract me -from my devotions and take possession of my thoughts. It seemed to me -as if it were the voice of the Lord, and that there was nothing for me -to do but to obey. So I dressed myself as a priest, shaved off my hair -and my eyebrows--" - -"Now," interrupted P'hayaprome Baree Rak, "that's just what we want to -hear. Tell us who it was got the priest's dress for you, and shaved off -your hair and your eyebrows. Speak up louder." - -"My lord, I am telling what I did myself, and not what any one else -did. Hear me, and I will speak the truth, so far as it relates to -myself; beyond that I cannot go," replied Tuptim, a sudden flush -covering her face, and making her look lovelier than ever. - -"Go on," said the dreadful man, with a scornful smile at the childish -form before him; "we shall find a way to make you speak." - -"Dèck nak" (she is very young), said Khoon Thow App, gently. - -Tuptim was silent for some moments. The sunlight, streaming across the -hall, fell just behind her, revealing the exquisite transparency of her -olive-colored skin, as, with a look more thoughtful and an expression -more serenely simple still, she continued:-- - -"At five o'clock in the morning, when the priests were admitted into -the palace, I crawled out of my room and joined the procession as it -passed on to receive the royal alms. No one saw me but Simlah, and even -she, as she has told me herself, did not recognize me, but wondered why -a priest came so near to my door." - -"That is true!" broke in Simlah; "I never even knew that Tuptim had run -away until Khoon Yai (one of the chief ladies of the harem) sent to -inquire why she was absent from duty so long, and then I began to think -that the young priest I had seen had something to do with it. But I was -afraid to say anything of this to the women who searched the houses, -lest we should be accused of having helped her to escape." - -When Simlah had done speaking, Tuptim continued:-- - -"I know not why, but, when I found myself outside of the palace walls, -I went straight to the temple of Rajah Bah ditt Sang, and sat down at -the gate. Towards evening the good priest, Chow Khoon Sah, came out, -and, on seeing me, asked me why I sat there. I did not know what else -to say, and so I begged him to let me be his disciple and live in his -monastery. 'Whose disciple art thou, my child?' he asked. At which -I began to cry, for I did not wish to deceive the holy man. Seeing -my distress, he turned to P'hra Bâlât, who was following him with -other priests, and bade him take me under his charge and instruct me -faithfully in all the doctrines of Buddha. Then P'hra Bâlât took me -to his cell; but he did not recognize in the young priest I seemed to -be the Tuptim he had known in his boyhood, and who had once been his -betrothed wife." - -At this part of Tuptim's recital, the women held up their hands -in profound astonishment, and the men judges grinned maliciously, -displaying their hateful gums, red with the juice of the betel-nut. - -The poor girl's pale lips quivered, and her whole face testified to -the immensity of her woe, as with simple, truthful earnestness she -asseverated: "P'hra Bâlât, whom you have condemned to torture and to -death, has not sinned. He is innocent. The sin is mine, and mine only. -I knew that I was a woman, but he did not. If I had known all that he -has taught me since I became his disciple, I could not have committed -the great sin of which I am accused. I would have tried, indeed and -truly, I would have tried to endure my life in the palace, and would -not have run away. O lady dear! believe that I am speaking the truth. -I grew quiet and happy because I was near him, and he taught me every -day, and I can say the whole of the Nava d'harma (Divine Law) by heart. -You can ask his other disciples who were with me, and they will tell -you that I was always modest and humble, and we all lay at his feet -by night. Indeed, dear lady, I did not so much want to be his wife -after he became a p'hra (priest), but only to be near him. On Sunday -morning, those men," pointing to the two priests who sat apart, "came -to the cell to see P'hra Bâlât, and it so happened that I had overslept -myself. I had just got up and was arranging my dress, thinking that -I was alone in the cell, when I heard a low chuckling laugh. In an -instant I turned and faced them, and felt that I was degraded forever. - -"Believe me, dear lady," continued Tuptim, growing more and more -eloquent as she became still more earnest in her recital. "I was -guilty, it is true, when I fled from my gracious master, the king, but -I never even contemplated the sin of which I am accused by those men. I -knew that I was innocent, and I begged them to let me leave the temple, -and hide myself anywhere, telling them that P'hra Bâlât did not know -who I was, or that I was a woman; but they only laughed and jeered at -me. I fell on my knees at their feet, and implored them, entreated -them in the name of all that is holy and sacred, to keep my secret and -let me go; but they only laughed and jeered at me the more; they would -not be merciful,"--here the poor girl gasped as if for breath, while -two large tears coursed down her cheeks,--"and then I defied them, and -I still defy them," she added, shaking her manacled hands at them. - -The two priests looked at the girl unmoved, chewing their betel all -the while; the judges listened in silence, with an air of amused -incredulity, as to a fairy-tale. She continued:-- - -"Just then P'hra Bâlât and his other disciples returned from their -morning ablutions. I crawled to his feet, and told him that I was -Tuptim. He started back and recoiled to the end of the cell, as if the -very earth had quaked beneath him, leaving me prostrate and overwhelmed -with horror at what I had done. In a moment afterwards he came back to -me, and, while weeping bitterly himself, begged me that I would cry -no more. But the sight of his tears, and the grief in my heart, made -me feel as if I were being swallowed up in a great black abyss, and I -could not help crying more and more. Then he tried to soothe me, and -said, 'Alas! Tuptim, thou hast committed a great sin. But fear not. We -are innocent; and for the sake of the great love thou hast shown to -me, I am ready to suffer even unto death for thee.' This is the whole -truth. Indeed, indeed, it is!" - -"Well, well!" said P'hayaprome Baree Rak, "you have told your story -beautifully, but nobody believes you. How will you tell us who shaved -off your hair and your eyebrows, and brought you that priest's dress -you had on yesterday?" - -The simple grandeur of that fragile child, as she folded her chained -hands across her bosom, as if to still its tumultuous heaving, and -replied, "I will not!" defies all description. - -I had drawn quite near to Tuptim when she began her simple narrative, -and was so much absorbed in attention to what she said, and in -admiration of the fearlessness as well as of the beauty and majesty of -that little figure, that I had remained rooted to the spot, standing -there mechanically, and hardly noting what was going on around me. But -the effect of that reply was startling; it brought me suddenly to my -senses and to a full appreciation of the scene before me. - -There was a child of barely sixteen years hurling defiance, at her -own risk and peril, at the judges who appeared as giants beside her. -To make such a reply to those executors of Siam's cruel laws was not -only to accept death, but all the agonies of merciless torture. As her -refusal fell like a thunderbolt upon my startled ears, she seemed a -very Titan among the giants. - -"Strip her, and give her thirty blows," shouted the infuriated -P'hayaprome Baree Rak, in a voice hoarse with passion; and Khoon Thow -App looked calmly on. - -Presently the crowd opened, and a litter borne by two men was brought -into the hall. On it lay the mutilated form of the priest Bâlât, who -had just undergone the torture, in order to make him confess his -guilt and that of his accomplice, Tuptim; but as the minutes of the -ecclesiastical court stated, "it had not been possible to elicit from -him even an indication that he had anything to confess." His priestly -robes had been taken from him, and he was dressed like any ordinary -layman, except that his hair and eyebrows were closely shaven. They -laid him down beside Tuptim, hoping that the sight of her under torture -would induce him to confess. - -[Illustration: A SIAMESE SLAVE-GIRL.] - -The next moment Tuptim was stripped of her vest and bound to a stake, -and the executioners proceeded to obey the orders of the judge. When -the first blow descended on the girl's bare and delicate shoulders, I -felt as if bound and lacerated myself, and losing all control over -my actions, forgetting that I was a stranger and a foreigner there, -and as powerless as the weakest of the oppressed around me, I sprang -forward, and heard my voice commanding the executioners to desist, as -they valued their lives. - -The Amazons at once dropped their uplifted bamboos, and "Why so?" asked -the judge. "At least till I can plead for Tuptim before his Majesty," -I replied. "So be it," said the wretch; "go your way; we will wait -your return."[5] Tuptim was unbound, and the moment she was released -she crouched down and concealed herself under the folds of the canvas -litter in which the priest lay motionless and silent. - -I forced my way through the curious crowd, who stood on tiptoe and -with necks outstretched, trying to get a sight of the guilty pair. -On leaving the hall, I met the slave-girl Phim, who followed me into -the palace, wringing her hands and sobbing bitterly. The king was -in his breakfast-hall, and the smell of food made me feel sick and -dizzy as I climbed the lofty staircase, for I had eaten nothing that -day. Nevertheless, I walked as rapidly as possible up to the chair in -which the king was seated, fearing that I might lose my courage if -I deliberated a moment. "Your Majesty," I began to say, in a voice -that seemed quite strange to me, "I beg, I entreat your pity on poor -Tuptim. I assure you that she is innocent. If you had known from the -beginning that she was betrothed to another man, you would never have -taken her to be your wife. She is not guilty; and the priest, too, is -innocent. Oh! do be gracious to them and forgive them both! I pray -your Majesty to give me a scrap of writing to say that she is forgiven, -and that the priest, too, is pardoned, through your goodness; only -let me--" My voice failed me, and I sank upon the floor by the king's -chair. "I beg your Majesty's pardon--" "You are mad," said the monarch; -and, fixing a cold stare upon me, he burst out laughing in my face. I -started to my feet as if I had received a blow. Staggering to a pillar, -and leaning against it, I stood looking at him. I saw that there was -something indescribably revolting about him, something fiendish in his -character which had never struck me before, and I was seized with an -inexpressible horror of the man. Stupefied and amazed quite as much at -finding myself there as at the new development I witnessed, thought and -speech alike failed me, and I turned to go away. - -"Madam," said that man to me, "come back. I have granted your petition, -and the woman will be condemned to work in the rice-mill. You need not -return to the court-house. You had better go to the school now." - -I could not thank him; the revulsion of feeling was too great. I -understood him perfectly, but I had no power to speak. I went away -without a word, and at the head of the stairs met one of the women -judges bringing some papers in her hand to the king. Instead of going -to the school I went home, utterly sick and prostrated. - -FOOTNOTES: - -[Footnote 4: "The English Governess at the Siamese Court," p. 95.] - -[Footnote 5: I cannot account for the regard paid to my words on this -and other occasions by the officers of the court, except from the fact -of the general belief that I had great influence with the king, and -the supposition entertained by many that I was a member of the Secret -Council, which is, in reality, the supreme power in Siam.] - - - - -CHAPTER IV. - -THE KING CHANGES HIS MIND. - - -About two o'clock that very afternoon I was startled to see two -scaffolds set up on the great common in front of my windows, opposite -the palace. A vast crowd of men, women, and children had already -collected from every quarter, in order to see the spectacle, whatever -it might happen to be. A number of workmen were driving stakes and -bringing up strange machines, under the hurried instructions of -several high Siamese officials. There was an appearance of great -and general excitement among the crowd on the green, and I became -sufficiently aroused to inquire of my maid what was the reason of -all this preparation and commotion. She informed me that a Bâdachit -(guilty priest) and a Nangharm (royal concubine) were to be exposed and -tortured for the improvement of the public morals that afternoon. It -was afternoon already. - -As I afterwards learned, I had no sooner left the king than the woman -judge I had met at the head of the staircase laid before him the -proceedings of both the trials, of Bâlât and Tuptim. On reading them -he repented of his promised mercy, flew into a violent rage against -Tuptim and me, and, not knowing how to punish me except by showing me -his absolute power of life and death over his subjects, ordered the -scaffolds to be set up before my windows, and swore vengeance against -any person who should again dare to oppose his royal will and pleasure. -To do justice to the king, I must here add that, having been educated -a priest, he had been taught to regard the crime of which Tuptim and -Bâlât were accused as the most deadly sin that could be committed by -man. - -The scaffolds or pillories on which the priest and Tuptim were to be -exposed were made of poles, and about five feet high; and to each -were attached two long levers, which were fastened to the neck of the -victim, and prevented his falling off, while they were so arranged as -to strangle him in case this was the sentence. - -All the windows of the long antechamber that filled the eastern -front of the palace were thrown open, and I could see the hurried -preparations making for the king, the princes and princesses, and all -the great ladies of the court, who from there were to witness the -exquisite torture that awaited the hapless Tuptim. - -Paralyzed by the knowledge that the only person who could have -done anything to mitigate the barbarous cruelty that was about to -be perpetrated--her Britannic Majesty's Consul, T.G. Knox, now -Consul-General--was then absent from Bangkok, I looked in helpless -despair at what was going on before me. I longed to escape into the -forest, or to take refuge with the missionaries, who lived several -miles down the river; but so dense was the crowd and so horrible the -idea of deserting poor Tuptim and leaving her to suffer alone, that I -felt obliged to stay and sympathize with her and pray for her, at the -least. I thus compelled myself to endure what was one of the severest -trials of my life. - -A little before three o'clock the instruments of torture were brought, -and placed beside the scaffolds. Soon a long, loud flourish of trumpets -announced the arrival of the royal party, and the king and all his -court were visible at the open windows; the Amazons, dressed in scarlet -and gold, took their post in the turrets to guard the favored fair ones -who were doomed to be present and to witness the sufferings of their -former companion. - -Suddenly the throng sent up a thrilling cry, whether of joy or sorrow -I could not comprehend, and, the moment after, the priest was hoisted -upon the scaffold to the right, while Tuptim tranquilly ascended that -to the left, nearest my windows. I thought I could see that the poor -priest turned his eyes, full of love and grief, towards her. - -I need not attempt to depict the feelings with which I saw the little -lady, with her hands, which were no longer chained, folded upon her -bosom, look calmly down upon the heartless and abandoned rabble who, -as usual, flocked around the scaffold to gloat upon the spectacle, and -who usually greet with ferocious howls the agonies of the poor tortured -victims. But, on this occasion, the rabble were awed into silence; -while some simple hearts, here and there, firm believers in Tuptim's -innocence, were so impressed by her calm self-possession, that they -even prostrated themselves in worship of that childish form. - -My windows were closed upon the scene; but that tiny figure, with her -scarlet scarf fluttering in the breeze, had so strong a fascination -for me, that I could not withdraw, but leaned against the shutters, -an unwilling witness of what took place, with feelings of pain, -indignation, pity, and conscious helplessness which can be imagined. - -Two trumpeters, one on the right and one on the left, blared forth -the nature of the crime of which the helpless pair were accused. Ten -thousand eyes were fixed upon them, but no sound, no cry, was heard. -Every one held his breath, and remained mute in fixed attention, in -order not to lose a single word of the sentence that was to follow. -Again the trumpets sounded, and the conviction of the accused, with the -judgment that had been passed upon them, was announced. Then the spell -was broken, and some of the throng, as if desirous to propitiate the -royal spectator at the window, made the air ring with their shouts; -while others, going still further, showered all manner of abuse upon -the poor girl, as she stood calmly awaiting her fate upon those shaking -wooden posts. - -Nothing could surpass the dignity of demeanor with which the little -lady sustained the storm of calumny from the more mercenary of the -rabble around her; but the rapidity with which the color came and went -in her cheeks, which were now of glowing crimson and now deadly pale, -and the astonishment and indignation which flashed from her eyes, -showed the agitation within. - -The shrill native trumpets sounded for the third time. The multitude -was again hushed into a profound silence, and the executioners mounted -a raised platform to apply the torture to Tuptim. For one moment it -seemed as if the intense agony exceeded her power of endurance. She -half turned her back upon the royal spectator at the window, her form -became convulsed, and she tried to hide her face in her hands. But she -immediately raised herself up as by a supreme effort, and her voice -rang out, like a clear, deep-toned silver bell: "Chân my di phit; -Khoon P'hra Bâlât ko my me phit; P'hra Buddh the Chow sap möt." She -had hardly done speaking when she uttered an agonized cry, wild and -piercing. It was peculiarly touching; the cry was that of a child, an -infant falling from its mother's arms, and she fell forward insensible -upon the two poles placed there to support her. - -The attendant physicians soon restored her to consciousness, and, -after a short interval, the torture was again applied. Once more her -voice rang out more musical still, for its quivering vibrations were -full of the tenderest devotion, the most sublime heroism: "I have not -sinned, nor has the priest my lord Bâlât sinned. The sacred Buddh[6] -in heaven knows all." Every torture that would agonize, but not -kill, was employed to wring a confession of guilt from the suffering -Tuptim; but every torture, every pang, every agony, failed, utterly and -completely failed, to bring forth anything but the childlike innocence -of that incomparable pagan woman. The honor of the priest Bâlât seemed -inexpressibly more precious to her than her own life, for the last -words I heard from her were: "All the guilt was mine. I knew that I was -a woman, but he did not." - -After this I neither heard nor saw anything more. I was completely -exhausted and worn out, and had no strength left to endure further -sight of this monstrous, this inhuman tragedy. Kind nature came to my -relief, and I fainted. - -When I again looked from my window the scaffolds were removed, the -crowd had departed, the sun had set. I strained my eyes, trying if I -could distinguish anything on the great common before the house. There -was a thick mist loaded with sepulchral vapors, a terrifying silence, -an absolute quiet that made me shudder, as if I were entombed alive. -At last I saw one solitary person coming towards my house through -the gathering darkness. It was the slave-girl, Phim, whose life had -been saved by the resolute bravery of her mistress; for it was she -who had bought the priest's dress and aided her mistress to escape -from the palace. She came to me in secret to tell me that the most -merciful and yet the most dreadful doom, death by fire,--which is the -punishment assigned by the laws of Siam to the crime of which they were -accused,--had been pronounced upon the priest and Tuptim by that most -irresponsible of human beings, the King of Siam; that they had suffered -publicly outside of the moat and wall which enclose the cemetery Watt -Sah Katè; and that some of the common people had been terribly affected -by the sight of the priest's invincible courage and of Tuptim's heroic -fortitude. With her low, massive brow, her wild, glistening eyes, -and her whole soul in her face, she spoke as if she still beheld that -fragile form in its last struggle with the flaming fire that wrapped -it round about, and still heard her beloved mistress's voice, as she -confronted the populace, holding up her mutilated hands, and saying: -"I am pure, and the priest, my lord Bâlât, is pure also. See, these -fingers have not made my lips to lie. The sacred Buddh in heaven judge -between me and my accusers!" - -The slave-girl's grief was as deep and lasting as her gratitude. Every -seventh day she offered fresh flowers and odoriferous tapers upon the -spot where her mistress and the priest had suffered, firmly believing -that their disembodied souls still hovered about the place at twilight, -bewailing their cruel fate. She assured me that she often heard voices -moaning plaintively through the mellow evening air, growing deeper and -gathering strength as she listened, and seeming to draw her very soul -away with them; now tenderly weeping, now fervently exulting, until -they became indistinct, and finally died away in the regions of the -blessed and the pure. - -I afterwards learned that the fickle populace, convinced of the -innocence of Bâlât and Tuptim, would have taken speedy vengeance on the -two priests, their accusers, had they not escaped from Bangkok to a -monastery at Paknâm; and that the twenty caties offered for the capture -of Tuptim had been expended in the purchase of yellow robes, earthen -pots, pillows, and mats for the use of the bonzes at Watt Rajah Bah -ditt Sang, no priest being allowed to touch silver or gold. - -The name Bâlât, which signifies "wonderful," had been given to the -priest by the high-priest, Chow Khoon Sah, because of his deep piety -and his intuitive perception of divine and holy truths. The name which -his mother bestowed upon him, and by which Tuptim had known him in her -earlier years, was Dang, because of his complexion, which was a golden -yellow. On being bereft of Tuptim, to whom he was tenderly attached, he -entered the monastery, and became a priest, in order that, by austere -devotion and the study of the Divine Law, he might wean his heart from -her and distract his mind from the contemplation of his irreparable -loss. - -For more than a month after Tuptim's sad death I did not see the -king. At last he summoned me to his presence, and never did I feel so -cold, so hard, and so unforgiving, as when I once more entered his -breakfast-hall. He took no notice of my manner, but, as soon as he saw -me, began with what was uppermost in his mind. "I have much sorrow for -Tuptim," he said; "I shall now believe she is innocent. I have had a -dream, and I had clear observation in my vision of Tuptim and Bâlât -floating together in a great wide space, and she has bent down and -touched me on the shoulder, and said to me, 'We are guiltless. We were -ever pure and guiltless on earth, and look, we are happy now.' After -discoursing thus, she has mounted on high and vanished from my further -observation. I have much sorrow, mam, much sorrow, and respect for your -judgment; but our laws are severe for such the crime. But now I shall -cause monument to be erected to the memory of Bâlât and Tuptim." - -Any one who may now pass by Watt Sah Katè will see two tall and slender -P'hra Chadees, or obelisks, erected by order of the king on the spot -where those lovely Buddhists suffered, each bearing this inscription: -"Suns may set and rise again, but the pure and brave Bâlât and Tuptim -will never more return to this earth." - -FOOTNOTES: - -[Footnote 6: The Siamese in their prayers and invocations abbreviate -the titles of the Buddha; the more educated using the word "Buddh," and -the common people "P'huth."] - - - - -CHAPTER V. - -SLAVERY IN THE GRAND ROYAL PALACE OF THE "INVINCIBLE AND BEAUTIFUL -ARCHANGEL."[7] - - -One morning in the early part of May, 1863, I went at the usual hour -to my temple school-room, and found that all my pupils had gone to the -Maha P'hra Sâât to attend a religious ceremony, at which I also was -requested to be present. - -Following the directions of one of the flower-girls, I turned into a -long, dark alley, through which I hurried, passing into another, and -keeping, as I thought, in the right direction. These alleys brought me -at last into one of those gloomy walled streets, into which no sunlight -ever penetrated, and which are to be found only in Bangkok, the farther -end of which seemed lost in mist and darkness. - -Stone benches, black with moss and fungi, lined it at intervals, and -a sort of pale night-grass covered the pathway. There was not a soul -to be seen throughout its whole length, which appeared very natural, -for it did not seem as if the street were made for any one to walk -in, but as if it were intended to be kept secluded from public use. -I walked on, however, looking for some opening out of it, and hoping -every moment to find an exit. But I suddenly came to the end. It was a -_cul-de-sac_, and a high brick wall barred my further progress. - -In the middle of this wall was set a door of polished brass. The -shadow of a tall and grotesque façade rested upon the wall and on the -narrow deserted street, like an immense black pall. The solitude of -the place was strangely calm. With that frightful din and roar of the -palace life so near, the silence seemed almost supernatural. It cast a -shadow of distrust over me. I almost felt as if that wall, that roof -with its towering front, were built of the deaf stones spoken of in -Scripture. All at once the wind rattled the dry grass on the top of the -wall, making a low, soft, mournful noise. I started from my revery, -hardly able to account for the feeling of dread that crept over me. -Half ashamed of my idle fears, I pushed at the door with all my might. -Slowly, noiselessly, the huge door swung back, and I stepped into a -paved court-yard, with a garden on one side and a building suggestive -of nocturnal mystery and gloom on the other. - -The façade of this building was still more gloomy than that on the -outside of the wall. All the windows were closed. On the upper story -the shutters were like those used in prisons. No other house could be -seen. The high wall ran all round and enclosed the garden. The walks -were bordered with diminutive Chinese trees, planted in straight rows; -grass covered half of them, and moss the rest. - -Nothing could be imagined more wild and more deserted than this house -and this garden. But the object that attracted my immediate attention -was a woman, the only animate being then visible to me in the apparent -solitude. She was seated beside a small pond of water, and I soon -discovered that she was not alone, but was nursing a naked child about -four years old. - -The moment the woman became conscious of my presence, she raised her -head with a quick, impetuous movement, clasped her bare arms around -the nude form at her breast, and stared at me with fixed and defiant -eyes. Her aspect was almost terrifying. She seemed as if hewn out of -stone and set there to intimidate intruders. She was large, well made, -and swarthy; her features were gaunt and fierce, but looked as if her -face might once have been attractive. I relaxed my hold of the door; -it swung back with a dull, ominous thud, and I stood half trembling -beside the dark, defiant woman, whose eyes only gave any indication -of vitality, hoping to prevail upon her to show me my way out of that -dismal solitude. - -The moment I approached her, however, I was seized with inexpressible -dismay; pity and astonishment, mingling with a sense of supreme -indignation, held me speechless for a time. She was naked to the waist, -and chained,--chained like a wild beast by one leg to a post driven -into the ground, and without the least shelter under that burning sky. - -The chain was of cast-iron, and heavy, consisting of seven long -double-links, attached to a ring, and fitted close to the right leg -just above the ankle; it was secured to the post by a rivet. Under her -lay a tattered fragment of matting, farther on a block of wood for a -pillow, and on the other side were several broken Chinese umbrellas. - -Growing more and more bewildered, I sat down and looked at the woman in -a sort of helpless despair. The whole scene was startlingly impressive; -the apathy, the deadness, and the barbarous cruelty of the palace life, -were never more strikingly brought before me face to face. Here there -was no doubting, no denying, no questioning the fact that this unhappy -creature was suffering under some cruel wrong, which no one cared to -redress. Naked to the waist, her long filthy hair bound in dense masses -around her brow, she sat calmly, uncomplainingly, under a burning -tropical sun, such as we children of a more temperate clime can hardly -imagine, fierce, lurid, and scorching, nursing at her breast a child -full of health and begrimed with dirt, with a tenderness that would -have graced the most high-born gentlewoman. - -I remained long and indignantly silent, before I could find voice for -the questions that rose to my lips. But at length I inquired her name. -"Pye-sia" (begone), was her fierce reply. - -"Why art thou thus chained? Wilt thou not tell me?" I pleaded. - -"Pye" (go), said the woman, snatching her breast impatiently from the -sucking child, and at the same time turning her back upon me. - -The child set up a tremendous scream, which was re-echoed through the -strange place. The woman turned and took him into her arms; and as if -there were an indwelling persuasiveness about them, he was quieted in -an instant. - -Rocking him to and fro, with her face resting against his unwashed -cheek, she was no longer repulsive, but glorious, clothed in the beauty -and strength of a noble human love. I rose respectfully from the low -wall of the pond, where I had seated myself, and took my place on the -heated pavement beside the woman and her child; then as gently and as -kindly as I could I asked his name and age. - -"He is four years old," she replied, curtly. - -"And his name?" - -"His name is Thook" (Sorrow), said the woman, turning away her face. - -"And why hast thou given him such a name?" - -"What is that to thee, woman?" was the sharp rejoinder. - -After this she relapsed into a grim silence, seeming to gaze intently -into the empty air. But at length there came a sob, and she passed -her bare arms slowly across her eyes. This served as a signal for the -little fellow to begin to scream again, which he did most lustily; the -woman, after quieting him, turned to me, and to my great surprise -began to talk of her own accord, with but few questions on my part. - -"Hast thou come here to seek me, lady? Has the Naikodah, my husband, -sent thee? Tell me, is he well? Hast thou come to buy me? Ah! lady! -will thou not buy me? Will thou not help me to get my pardon?" - -"Tell me why thou art chained. What is thy crime?" - -This seemed a terrible question for the poor woman. In vain she -attempted to speak; her lips moved, but uttered no sound, her features -quivered, and with one convulsive movement she threw up her arms and -burst into an agony of tears. She sobbed passionately for some time, -then, passing into a quieter mood, turned to me and said, bitterly: "Do -you want to know of what crime I am accused? It is the crime of loving -my husband and seeking to be with him." - -"But what induced you to become a slave?" - -"I was born a slave, lady. It was the will of Allah." - -"You are a Mohammedan then?" - -"My parents were Mohammedans, slaves to the father of my mistress, Chow -Chom Manda Ung. When we were yet young, my brother and I were sent as -slaves to her daughter, the Princess P'hra Ong Brittry." - -"If you can prove that your parents were Mohammedans, I can help you, I -think; because all the Mohammedans here are under British protection, -and no subject of Britain can be a slave." - -"But, lady, my parents sold themselves to my mistress's grandfather." - -"That was your father's debt, which your mother and father have paid -over and over again by a life of faithful servitude. You can insist -upon your mistress accepting your purchase-money." - -"Insist," said the woman, her large, dark eyes glowing with the -tears still glistening in them. "You do not know what you say. You do -not know that my mistress, Chow Chom Manda Ung, is mother-in-law to -the king, and that her daughter, Princess P'hra Ong Brittry, is his -favorite half-sister and queen. My only hope lies in a special pardon -from my mistress herself." - -"And your friends," said I, "do they know nothing of your cruel -captivity?" - -"Nothing, indeed. I have no opportunity to speak even to the -slave-woman whose duty it is to feed us daily. And her lot is too sad -already for her to be willing to run any great risk for me. The secrecy -and mystery of my sudden disappearance have been preserved so long -because I am chained here. No one comes here but my mistress, and she -only visits this place occasionally, with the most tried and trusted of -her slave-women." - -Eleven o'clock boomed like a death-knell through the solitude. The -woman laid herself down beside her sleeping boy to rest, apparently -worn out with a sense of her misery. I placed my small umbrella over -them; and this simple act of kindness so touched the poor thing, that -she started up suddenly, and, before I could prevent her, passionately -kissed my soiled and dusty shoes. - -I was so sorry for the unhappy creature that tears filled my eyes. "My -sister," said I, "tell me your whole story, and I will lay it before -the king." - -The woman started up and adjusted the umbrella over the sleeping child. -Her eyes beamed with a fire as if from above, while with wonderful -power, combined with sweetness and delicacy, she repeated her sad tale. - -"There is sorrow in my heart, lady, where once there was nothing but -passive endurance. In my soul I now hear whisperings of things that are -between heaven and earth, yea, and beyond the heaven of heavens, where -once there was nothing but blind obedience. Unconscious of the beauty -of life, my heart was as if frozen and inert until I met the Naikodah, -my husband. Lady, as I told you, I and my brother were born slaves; and -so faithful were we, that my brother obtained, as proof of the trust my -lady reposed in him, the charge of a rice plantation at Ayudia, while -I was promoted to be the chief attendant of the Princess P'hra Ong -Brittry. - -"One day my mistress intrusted to my care a bag of money, to purchase -some Bombay silk of the Naikodah Ibrahim. As it was the first time for -many years that I had been permitted to quit the gates of the gloomy -palace, I felt on that day as if I had come into the world anew, as if -my previous life had been nothing but a dream; and my recollections of -that day are always present to my mind, and saying to me, 'Remember how -happy you were once, be patient now.' - -"Oh! On that day the Mèinam splashed and rippled more enchantingly, -seemed broader and more beautiful, than ever! The green leaves and buds -seemed to have burst forth all of a sudden. How beautifully green the -grass was, and how clearly and joyously the birds on the bushes and -in the trees poured forth their song, as if purposely for me, while -from the distant plain across the river floated the aromatic breath of -new-blown flowers, filling me with inexpressible delight! I was silent -with a feeling of supreme happiness. On that day a new light had risen -in the east, a light which was to enlighten and to darken all my coming -life. - -"We moored our boat by the bank of the river, and made our way to the -shop of the Naikodah, which my companions entered, while I sat outside -on the steps until the bargain should be completed. My companions and -the merchant could come to no terms. I entered with the bag of money, -hoping by the sight of the silver to induce him to sell the silk -for the price offered; but on entering I seemed to be dazzled by -something, I know not what. The merchant's eyes flashed upon me, as it -were, with a look of recollection, and by their expression reminded -me of some face I had seen in my infancy, or, perhaps, in my dreams. -I drew my faded, tattered scarf more tightly around my chest, and sat -down silent and wondering, not daring to ask myself where I had seen -that face before, or why it produced such an effect upon me. - -[Illustration: A SIAMESE FLOWER-GIRL.] - -"After a great deal of talking and bargaining about the silk, we came -away without it, but the next day went again to the merchant and -purchased it at his own price. I was surprised, however, to find that, -when I paid him the money, he left five ticals in my hands. 'That is -our kumrie' (perquisite), said the women, snatching the ticals out of -my hand and pocketing them. Time after time we repeated our visits to -the merchant, who was constantly kind and respectful in his manner -towards me. He always left five ticals for us. My companions took the -money, but I persistently refused to share in this pitiful kind of -profit. - -"The merchant began to observe me more closely, and, as I thought, -to take an interest in me, and one day, after we had purchased some -boxes of fragrant candles and wax-tapers, and I had paid him the full -price for his goods, he left twenty ticals on the floor beside me. -My companions called my attention to the money; when the merchant, -observing my unwillingness to receive it, took up fifteen ticals, -leaving the usual kumrie of five upon the floor, which my companions -picked up and appropriated. - -"We returned, as was our custom, by the river, slowly paddling our -little canoe down the broad and beautiful stream, and enjoying every -moment of our permitted freedom. I was sorely unwilling to return to -the palace; I was even tempted to plunge into the water and make -good my escape; but the responsibility of the money intrusted to my -care made me hesitate, and the tranquil surface of the Mèinam, broken -only by its circling ripples, helped to dissipate my wicked thoughts. -Still I indulged, though almost unconsciously, the hope of obtaining -my freedom some day, without even forming a thought as to how it could -ever be accomplished. How or why I began to think of getting free I -know not. I seemed to inhale a longing for freedom with the fragrance -of flowers wafted to me on the fresh, invigorating air; every tree in -blossom, every wild flower clothed in its splendor of red and orange, -made me dream as naturally of liberty as it did of love; and I prayed -for freedom for the first time in my life, even as for the first time I -felt the strength of a supreme emotion overpowering me." - -Here the woman paused for a few moments, and I was surprised to find -that she expressed herself so well, until I remembered that the -princesses of Siam make it a special point to educate the slaves born -in their household, so that in most Oriental accomplishments they -generally surpass the common people who may have become slaves by -purchase. There was something very simple and attractive in the way she -spoke of herself, and throughout our whole interview she manifested -such gentleness and resignation that she completely won my affection -and pity. - -After a while she smiled sadly, and said softly: "Ah, lady! we all love -God, and we are all loved by him; yet he has seen fit to make some -masters and others slaves. Strange as the delusion may appear to you, -who are free and perfectly happy, while the slave is not happy, the -more impossible seemed the realization of my hope of freedom, the more -I thought of it and longed for it. - -"One day a slave-woman came to my mistress with some new goods from -the Naikodah, and on seeing me she begged for a drink of water and -some cere (betel-leaf). As I handed her the water, she said to me in -a low tone: 'Thou art a Moslem; free thyself from this bondage to an -unbelieving race. Take from my master the price of thy freedom; come -out of this Naiwang (palace) and be restored to the true people of God.' - -"I listened in amazement, fearing to break the enchanting spell of -her words, and hardly believing that I had heard aright. She quitted -me suddenly, fearful of exciting suspicion, and left me in such a -disturbed state of mind as I had never before experienced. My thoughts -flew hither and thither like birds overtaken by a sudden storm, -flapping their silent and despairing wings against the closed and -barred gates of my prison. I found comfort only in trusting to the -_Great Heart_ above, and with the instinct of all sufferers I turned at -once to him. - -"When I saw the woman a second time I embraced the opportunity to say -to her, 'Sister, tell me, how shall I obtain my purchase-money? Will -not thy master hold me as his slave?' - -"'He will give thee the money, and will never repent having freed a -Moslem and the daughter of a believer from slavery.' - -"'O thou angel of life!' said I, clasping her to my throbbing heart, 'I -am already his slave.' - -"She released my arms from around her neck, and, taking some silver -from her scarf, tied it firmly into mine without another word; and -I, fearing lest I should be discovered with so much money in my -possession, came here by night and hid it under this very pavement on -which we are seated. - -"Some weeks after we were sent again to the Naikodah to buy some -sandal-wood tapers and flowers for the cremation of the young Princess -P'hra Ong O'Dong. I never was so conscious of the shabbiness of my -dress as when I entered the presence of the good merchant. We made our -purchase, paid the money, and as I rose to depart, my friend D'hamni, -the slave-woman who had been employed by the Naikodah to speak to -me, beckoned me to come into an inner chamber. I was followed by her -master, who addressed himself to me, and said,--I remember the words -so well,--'L'ore! thou art of form so beauteous, and of spirit so -guileless, thou hast awakened all my love and pity. See, here is the -money thou hast just paid me; double the price of thy freedom, and -forget not thy deliverer.' - -"'May Allah prosper thee!' said D'hamni. - -"I was overwhelmed; my astonishment and my gratitude at his goodness -knew no bounds. I tried to speak; my tongue clave to the roof of my -mouth as if held back by an evil genius; I could not give utterance to -a single word in expression of my feelings. My heart heaved, my eyes -glowed, my cheeks burned, my blushes came and went, showing the depth -of my emotion, and I burst into tears. I returned to the palace, hid -the money, and waited my opportunity. - -"Thus I lived in bondage within and bondage without. Freedom within -my grasp and slavery in my heart. 'I am more a slave than ever,' said -I to myself; 'alas! the servitude of the heart, the sweet, feverish -servitude of love, who will ransom me from these? Who can buy me -freedom from these? Henceforth and forever I am the good merchant's -slave.' - -"I waited my time like a lover lying in wait for his mistress, like -a mother watching the return of an only child, and I waited long and -anxiously, praying to God, calling him Allah! calling him Buddha! -Father! Goodness! Compassion! praying for liberty only, praying only -for freedom. - -"One day my mistress, Chow Chom Manda Ung, was so kind and pleasant -to me that I believed my opportunity had come. I seized it, threw -myself at her feet, and said, 'Lady dear, be pitiful to thy child, hear -but her prayer. It is the only desire of her heart, the dream of thy -slave's life. As the thirsty traveller beholds afar off the everlasting -springs of water, as the dying man has foretastes of immortality, even -so thy slave L'ore has, through thy goodness, tasted of freedom, and -would more fully drink of the cup, if thou in thy bountiful goodness -would but let her go free. Here is the price of my freedom, dear lady; -be pitiful, and set me free.' - -"'Thou wert born my slave,' said my lady, 'I will take no money for -thee.' - -"'Take double, lady dear, but O, let me go!' - -"'If thou wishest to be married,' said my mistress, 'I will find thee -a good and able husband, and thou shalt bear me children, even as thy -mother did before thee; but I will not let thee go free.' - -"In my despair I prayed, I entreated, with tears blinding my eyes. I -promised that my children yet unborn should be her slaves, if she would -only let me go. - -"It was all in vain. I gathered up my silver and returned to my slave's -life, hopelessly defeated. I soon recovered from my disappointment, -however, because I was strengthened by the determination to escape at -the first opportunity that offered itself to me. This enabled me to -bear my captivity bravely. My mistress distrusted me for a long time; -my companions, seeing that I had fallen into disgrace, pitied me, but I -did my best to show myself willing, obedient, and cheerful, until, when -nearly two whole years had passed away, my mistress gradually took me -again into her confidence, and at last arranged a marriage for me with -Nai Tim, one of her favorite men-slaves. To all her plans I offered -not a word of objection. I pretended that I was really pleased at -the prospect of being free to spend six months of every year with my -husband. - -"The day before my marriage I was sent to see Nai Tim's mother, with -a small present from my mistress. Two strong women accompanied me. -Hidden in my p'ha nung (under-skirt) was my purchase-money. As soon as -we entered my future mother-in-law's house, I requested permission to -speak with her alone. Supposing that I had some private communication -to make to her from my mistress, she took me into the back part of -the house, and I seated myself on the edge of the bamboo raft, which -kept her little hut afloat on the Mèinam, rushing by so strong and -swift. Without giving her time to think, I told her my whole story -from beginning to end, put the money into her hands, and before the -startled woman could refuse or remonstrate I plunged with one sudden -bound into the bosom of the broad river. I heard a shriek above me -as I disappeared under the waters that received me into their cool, -refreshing depths. - -"How desperately I swam through the strong currents, coming up to the -surface from time to time to draw a long breath, then diving back into -its protecting shelter again! Finding my strength failing me, I made -for the opposite bank, climbed its steep sides, and dried my clothes -in the soft, delicious breezes that came upon me as if just let free -from the highest heavens. Filled with the inspiration of freedom and -of love, I had accomplished that which had been the beginning and the -ending of all my thoughts for so long a time. For one moment it seemed -to me an impossibility, but on the next my joy was so excessive that I -stooped down and kissed the earth, and then laughed outright. - -"From day to day my soul had been slowly withering away, now it -blossomed forth afresh as if it had never known a moment of sorrow. My -glad laughter came back to me, and in very truth, lady, I shall never -again rejoice and sing in the desert places of my heart, or in the -solitary places of my native land, as I did on that day. In my extreme -emotion I forgot that night was a possibility. I could do nothing but -rejoice. Suddenly the sun set. The night descended. Darkness covered -the earth as with a mantle; the wind began to blow in gusts; I heard -strange sounds,--sounds which seemed to come, not from the earth, but -from some frightful realm beyond. But I knew there were angels who -heard the cries of human distress. I prayed to them to come and hover -near me, and as I prayed a deep sleep came upon me. - -"When I woke the stars were in the sky, but the strange noises -disturbed me so that I fell on my knees and cried, 'O God! where art -thou? O, bring the day! come with thy swift chariot and bring the -light! come and help thy unworthy handmaiden!' 'To believe,' says the -prophet, 'is to have the world renewed every day.' So in answer to my -prayer came the angel Gibhrayeel and snatched away the dark mantle of -P'hra Khām (the god of night), and swift came P'hra Athiet (the god of -day), scattering the shadowy monsters of the world of night, and making -his glory fill my heart with praise, even as it filled my glad eyes -with light. - -"I had been dazzled with the idea of liberty, I had thought only of -getting free. But now came the questions, Where shall I go? Who will -employ me? And the answer was clear to me. There was no one in all this -vast city to whom I could turn but the merchant and his slave-woman -D'hamni, and to them I went. It was evening when I entered the hut of -the slave D'hamni, footsore, hungry, and weary. D'hamni was overjoyed -to see me; she gave me food and shelter and her best robe. - -"Some days after the good merchant came to visit me. I felt dimly that -the hardness of my heart would be complete if I resisted his kindness. -To his celestial tenderness I opposed no word of doubt, yet I could not -believe that the rich merchant would marry an outcast slave like me. - -"One morning I found robes of pure white in my humble shed, in which -D'hamni proceeded to array me. After which she brought me into the -presence of the Moolah (Mohammedan priest), the merchant, and a few -trusty friends. - -"The Moolah quietly put down his hookah (pipe), stood up, and, putting -his hands before his face, uttered a short prayer. After this he took -the end of my saree (scarf) and bound it securely to the end of the -merchant's angrakah (coat), gave us water in which had been dipped -the myrtle and jessamine flower, placed a ring of gold on my finger, -blessed us, and departed. That was our marriage ceremony. - -"During all the days that followed I moved about as one drunk with -strong wine; I enjoyed every moment; I thanked God for the sun, the -beautiful summer days, the radiant yellow sky, the fresh dawn, and -the dewy eve. Light, pure light, shone upon me, and filled my soul -with intense delight, and it blossomed out into the perfect flower of -happiness. - -"One day, about three or four months after my marriage, as I was seated -on the steps of my home, I thought I heard a voice whisper in my ear. -I had hardly time to turn when I was seized, gagged, bound hand and -foot, and brought back to this place. As soon as I was taken into her -presence, my mistress had me chained to this post, but caused me to be -released when my time of delivery approached. A month after his birth," -pointing to the sleeping boy, "I was chained here again, and my child -was brought to me to nurse; this was done until he could come to me -alone. But they are not unkind; when it is very wet the slave-woman -takes him to sleep under the shelter of her little shed. - -"I could free myself from these chains if I would promise never to quit -the palace. That I will never do." She said this in a feeble and almost -inarticulate voice. It was her last effort to speak. Her head drooped -upon her breast as if an invisible power overwhelmed her at a blow; she -fell exhausted upon the stones, her hands clasped, her face buried in -the dust. - -It was a strange sight, and possible only in Siam. Certainly great -misfortunes as well as great affections develop the intelligence, -else how had this slave-woman reached the elevation to which she had -evidently attained? - -But excess of sorrow had made her almost visionary. When I tried to -comfort her, she turned her haggard face with its worn-out, weary look -upon me, and asked if she had been dreaming. Her brain seemed to be in -such an abnormal yet frightfully calm condition, that she half believed -she was in a dream, and that her life was not a frightful reality. It -was out of my power to comfort her, but I left her with a hope that -grew brighter as I retraced my steps out of that weird place. - -After some tiresome wanderings I found my way out of the place at last. -When I reached the school-room it was twelve o'clock, and my pupils -were waiting. - -In the afternoon of the same day I went to the house of the Naikodah -Ibrahim, and told him that I had seen his wife and child. He was much -affected when he heard they were still alive, and was moved to tears -when I told him of their sad condition. - -That night a deputation of Mohammedans, headed by the Moolah Hâdjee -Bâbâ, waited upon me; we drew up a petition to the king, after which I -retired, thankful that I was not a Siamese subject. - -FOOTNOTES: - -[Footnote 7: This is the official title of the royal palace at Bangkok.] - - - - -CHAPTER VI. - -KHOON THOW APP, THE CHIEF OF THE FEMALE JUDGES. - - -Next morning, as if some invisible power were working to aid my plans, -I was summoned early to the palace. I carried my petition and a small -book entitled "Curiosities of Science" with me. - -The king was very gracious, and so pleased with the book that I took -the opportunity of handing in my petition. He read it carefully, and -then gave it back to me, saying, "Inquiry shall be made by me into this -case." - -On the day after I received the following little note from the king:-- - - LADY LEONOWENS:--I have liberty to do an inquiry for the matter - complained, to hear from the Princess P'hra Ong Brittry, the daughter - of the Chow Chom Manda Ung, who is now absent from hence. The princess - said that she knows nothing about the wife of Naikodah, but that - certain children were sent her from her grandfather maternal, that - they are offspring of his maid-servant, and that these children shall - be in her employment. So I ought to see the Chow Chom Manda Ung, and - inquire from herself. - - S.P.P. MAHA MONGKUT, RX. - -His Majesty was as good as his word, and when the Chow Chom Manda Ung -returned, he ordered the chief of the female judges of the palace, her -ladyship, Khoon Thow App, to investigate the matter. - -Khoon Thow App was a tall, stout, dark woman, with soft eyes, but -rather a heavy face, her only beauty being in her hands and arms, -which were remarkably well formed. She was religious and scrupulously -just, had a serious and concentrated bearing. Everything she said or -did was studied, not for effect, but from discretion. A certain air of -preoccupation was natural to her. She knew everything that took place -in the harem, and concealed everything within her own breast. By dint -of attention and penetration she had attained to her high office, and -she retained it by virtue of her supreme but unassuming fitness for -the position. She was like a deaf person whose sight is quickened, and -like one blind whose sense of hearing is intensified. That hideous -symbolical Sphinx, with a sword drawn through her mouth, babbled all -her secrets and sorrows in her ear. She inspired confidence, and she -never decided a case in private. She lived alone, in a small house at -the end of the street, with only four faithful female slaves. The rest -she had freed. It was before this woman that, by order of the king, I -brought my complaint in behalf of L'ore; she raised her eyes from her -book, or rather roll, and said, "Ah! it is you, mam. I wish to speak to -you." - -"And for my part," said I, with a boldness at which I was myself -astonished, "I have something to say to your ladyship." - -"O, I know that you have a communication to make, which has already -been laid before his Majesty. Your petition is granted." - -"How!" said I, "is L'ore really free to leave the palace?" - -"O no; but his Majesty's letter is of such a character that we have the -power to proceed in this matter against the Chow Chom Manda Ung. Though -we are said to have the right to compel any woman in the palace to come -before us, these great ladies will not appear personally, but send all -manner of frivolous excuses, unless summoned by a royal mandate such as -this." - -She then turned to one of the female sheriffs, and despatched her for -the Chow Chom Manda Ung, P'hra Ong Brittry, and the slave-woman L'ore. - -After a delay of nearly two hours, Chow Chom Manda Ung and her -daughter, the Princess P'hra Ong Brittry, made their appearance, -accompanied by an immense retinue of female slaves, bearing a host -of luxurious appendages for their royal mistresses' comfort during -the trial, with the sheriff bending low, and following this grand -procession at a respectful distance. - -The great ladies took their places on the velvet cushions placed for -them by their slaves, with an air of authority and rebellion combined, -as if to say, "Who is there here to constrain us?" - -The chief judge adjusted her spectacles, and as she looked fixedly at -the great ladies she asked, "Where is the slave-woman L'ore?" - -The old dowager cast a malicious glance at the judge; but there was -still the same silence, the same air of defiance of all authority. - -All round the open sala, or hall, was collected a ragged rabble of -slave women and children, crouching in all sorts of attitudes and -all sorts of costumes, but with eyes fixed on the chief judge in -startled astonishment and wonder at her calm, unmovable countenance. -Superciliousness and apparent contempt prevailed everywhere, yet in the -midst of all the consciousness of an austere and august presence was -evident; for not one of those slave-women, lowly, untaught, and half -clad as they were, but felt that in the heart of that dark, stern woman -before them there was as great a respect for the rights of the meanest -among them as for those of the queen dowager herself. - -The chief judge then read aloud in a clear voice the letter she had -received from the king, and, when it was finished, the dowager and -her daughter saluted the letter by prostrating themselves three times -before it. - -Then the judge inquired if the august ladies had aught to say why the -slave-woman L'ore should not have been emancipated when she offered to -pay the full price of her freedom. - -The attention of all was excited to the highest degree; every eye -concentrated itself on the queen dowager. - -She spoke with difficulty, and answered with some embarrassment, but -from head to foot her whole person defied the judge. - -"And what if every slave in my service should bring me the price of her -freedom?" - -All eyes turned again to the judge, seated so calmly there on her -little strip of matting; every ear was strained to catch her reply. - -"Then, lady, thou wouldst be bound to free every one of them." - -"And serve myself?" - -"Even so, my august mistress," said the judge, bowing low. - -The dowager turned very pale and trembled slightly as the judge -declared that L'ore was no longer the slave of the Chow Chom Manda Ung, -but the property of the Crue Yai (royal teacher). - -"Let her purchase-money be paid down," said the dowager, angrily, "and -she is freed forever from my service." - -The judge then turned to me, and said, "You are now the mistress of -L'ore. I will have the papers made out. Bring hither the money, forty -ticals, and all shall be settled." - -I thanked the judge, bowed to the great ladies, who simply ignored -my existence, and returned perfectly happy for once in my life to my -home in Bangkok. Next day, after school, I presented myself at the -court-house. Only three of the female judges were present, with some -of the p'ha khooms (sheriffs). Khoon Thow App handed me the dekah, or -free paper, and bade one of the p'ha khooms go with me to see the money -paid and L'ore liberated. - -Never did my feet move so swiftly as when I threaded once more the -narrow alley, and my heart beat quickly as I pushed open the ponderous -brass door. - -There was L'ore, chained as before. In the piazza sat the Princess -P'hra Ong Brittry and her mother, surrounded by their sympathizing -women. - -The p'ha khoom was so timid and hesitating, that I advanced and laid -the money before the great ladies. - -The queen dowager dashed the money away and sent it rolling hither and -thither on the pavement, but gave orders at the same time to release -L'ore and let her go. - -This was done by a female blacksmith, a dark, heavy, ponderous-looking -woman, who filed the rivet asunder. - -In the mean time a crowd had collected in this solitary place, chiefly -ladies of the harem, with some few slaves. - -So L'ore was free at last; but what was my amazement to find that -she refused to move; she persistently folded her hands and remained -prostrate before her royal persecutors as if rooted to the spot. I was -troubled. I turned to consult the p'ha khoom, but she did not dare -to advise me, when one of the ladies--a mother, with a babe in her -arms--whispered in my ear, "They have taken away the child." - -Alas! I had forgotten the child. - -The faces of the crowd were marked with sympathy and sadness; they -exchanged glances, and the same woman whispered to me, "Go back, go -back, and demand to buy the child." I turned away sorrowfully, hastened -to Khoon Thow App, and stated my case. She opened a box, drew out a -dark roll, and set out with me. - -The scene was just as I had left it. There sat the august ladies, -holding small jewelled hand-mirrors, and creaming their lips with the -most sublime air of indifference. L'ore still lay prostrate before -them, her face hidden on the pavement. The crowd of women pressed -anxiously in, and all eyes were strained towards the judge. She bowed -before the ladies, opened the dark roll, and read the law: "If any -woman have children during her bondage, they shall be slaves also, and -she is bound to pay for their freedom as well as her own. The price of -an infant in arms is one tical, and for every year of his or her life -shall be paid one tical." This declaration in terms so precise appeared -to produce a strong impression on the crowd, and none whatever on the -royal ladies. Ever so many betel-boxes were opened, and the price of -the child pressed upon me. - -I took four ticals and laid them down before the ladies. The judge, -seeing that nothing was done to bring the child to the prostrate -mother, despatched one of the p'ha khooms for the boy. In half an -hour he was in his mother's arms. She did not start with surprise or -joy, but turned up to heaven a face that was joy itself. Both mother -and child bowed before the great ladies. Then L'ore made strenuous -efforts to stand up and walk, and, failing, began to laugh at her -own awkwardness, as she limped and hobbled along, borne away by the -exulting crowd, headed by the judge. Even this did not diminish her -happiness. With her face pressed close to her boy's, she continued to -talk to herself and to him, "How happy we shall be! We, too, have a -little garden in thy father's house. My Thook will play in the garden; -he will chase the butterflies in the grass, and I will watch him all -the day long," etc. - -The keepers of the gates handed flowers to the boy, saying, "P'hoodh -thŏ dee chai nak nah, dee chai nak nah" (pitiful Buddha! we are very -glad at heart, very, very glad). - -The news had spread, and, before we reached the river, hosts of Malays, -Mohammedans, and Siamese, with some few Chinese, had loosened their -cumberbunds (scarfs) and converted them into flags. - -Thus, with the many-colored flags flying, the men, women, and children -running and shouting along the banks of the Mèinam, spectators crowding -into the fronts of their floating houses, L'ore and her boy sailed down -the river and reached their home. - -The next day her husband, Naikodah Ibrahim, refunded the money paid -for his wife and child, whose name was changed from Thook (Sorrow) to -Urbanâ (the Free). - -[Illustration: GUARD OF AMAZONS.] - - - - -CHAPTER VII. - -THE RAJPOOT AND HIS DAUGHTER. - - -Bangkok is full of people. Every day crowds of men and boys are pouring -into the great metropolis from all parts of the country to have their -names enrolled on the books of the lords and dukes to whom they belong. - -There are no railroads, no steamboats, so the vast companies of serfs -travel together,--the rich by means of their boats and gondolas, and -the poor on foot, following the course of the great river Mèinam. - -Sometimes caravans of whole tribes may be seen encamped during the -intense noonday heat by the banks of the stream, under the shade of -some neighboring trees. These weary marches are always commenced at -sunset, and continued till noon of the next day, when the overpowering -heat forces man and beast under shelter. - -There existed in Siam under the late king a mixed system of slavery, in -part resembling the old system of English feudal service, in part the -former serfdom of Russia, and again in part the peonage of Mexico. - -In the enrolment, called Sâk, an institution peculiar to the country, -every man is obliged to receive an indelible mark on his arm or side, -denoting the chief to whom he belongs. - -The process is exactly like tattooing. The name of the chief is pricked -into the skin with a long slender steel having a lancet-shaped point, -just deep enough to draw a little blood; after which the bile of -peacock mixed with Chinese ink is rubbed over the scarification. - -This leaves an indelible mark. - -All the male children of those so marked are obliged at the age of -fourteen to appear in person to have their names enrolled on their -master's books, and themselves branded on their arms. - -The king's men, that is, those who have to attend on royalty as -soldiers, guards, or in any other capacity, are marked on the side, a -little below the armpit, to distinguish them from the other serfs of -the princes, dukes, or lords of the realm. - -Among the vast crowds who were pouring through the many gates and -avenues into the city in July, 1862, was seen a stately old Rajpoot, -weary and travel-stained, leading a low-sized, shaggy pony on which was -seated a closely veiled figure of a young woman. A stranger could not -but observe the proud, forbidding look of the old man as he urged and -stimulated his weary beast through the crowd. - -Behind the veiled figure were two leathern bags which contained some -wearing apparel and a supply of provisions to serve them during their -stay in the capital. - -There are no such places as inns or caravansaries to lodge the -multitude who are thus forced into Bangkok every year. Those who have -boats live in them on the river and its numerous canals, others take -refuge in the Buddhist monasteries, while the poorer classes have the -bare earth, dry or wet as the weather may be, for their couch. - -It was not until they were quite exhausted, and could no longer -maintain the pace at which they had been making their way through -the crowded city, that the old man began to look around him for -some spot where they could encamp. The place at which they had -arrived was the southern gate of the citadel, called Patoo Song Khai -(Gate of Commerce). Here they came upon the haunts of commerce and -traffic,--market and tradeswomen were hurrying to and from the inner -city. All around was noise and confusion, and here, beneath the -shadow of a projecting porch and wall, the old man suddenly halted, -and, lifting the girl lightly to the ground, said in a low, deep, and -not unmusical voice, "Let us abide here, my child; and though we can -call nothing our own, we shall live like the bright gods, feeding on -happiness." - -There was something tender in the way he said this, but the girl -did not appear to heed him. Looking about her with a startled and -bewildered gaze, she seemed to be haunted by apprehensions of being led -captive to some gloomy place, where she would be chained and scourged, -and, worse than all, where she would never see her father but through -iron gratings and bars. Her terrors at length became so real that she -wrapped her faded "saree" more closely around her, and burst into tears. - -"Art thou afraid?" inquired the old man. "Why, thou hast less to fear -here by my side than if I had left thee behind in the mountains of -Prabat." - -He then proceeded to unpack his beast, while the girl timidly made -ready to cook their evening meal of boiled rice and fish. - -There was a certain sense of safety in the shadow of the grand -royal palace that seemed to restore the girl to a state of moderate -tranquillity, and the Amazons who loitered round the gate watched -the travellers with some degree of interest, which arose partly from -curiosity and partly from want of something better to do. The old man -seemed a sombre sort of being to them; but the girl was an object of -wonder and delight, as, though she replied to her father in a language -foreign to the listeners, she frequently intermingled her remarks -with the Siamese word "cha" (dear), which pleased the stout-hearted -guardians of the gate so much that they made no objections to the -travellers' resting there. - -In such a spot as this there was, indeed, more of danger than of -safety both for father and child, if they could but have known it; -but the poorer class of strangers clung to the name of the great king -Maha Mongkut as a babe clings to its mother's arms, and the old man -felt as safe as if lodged in an impregnable castle, surrounded by a -million of guardian angels; while the girl, gathering courage from the -satisfaction that settled on her father's face, began to take note of -what was passing around her, and her fears soon gave place to a variety -of happy thoughts. - -The freshness of the evening air, the song of the merry birds, the -beauty of the wild flowers that grew among the tangled bushes on the -banks of the river, and, above all, the constant stream of richly -gilded boats and gondolas that glided past on the limpid waters, -now glittering in the roseate hues of the setting sun, soothed and -gladdened, as with tender, loving words, the heart of the lonely -mountain girl. - -At sunset the Amazons shut the gates and disappeared. The old man -unrolled a small carpet, covered himself with a worn-out old cloth, -and, taking his daughter under his stalwart arm, he laid himself down -to rest beneath the canopy of the wide sky. The girl, from her place -near the corner made by the gate and the wall, could only see one star -overhead, and the shadow in which she slept seemed so dark that her -heart sunk within her, as she silently prayed to the angel of the sky -not to desert them. But, tired and weary, she soon slept as soundly as -her father. - -Meanwhile the city of the "Invincible and Beautiful Archangel" -slumbered, and "the great stars globed themselves in heaven," and -seemed to bridge the gulf that separates the infinite from the finite -with their tender, loving light. Who can say but that the fond spirit -of a dead wife and mother beamed in love and pity over the father and -child sleeping thus alone in the heart of a great city? for the girl -dreamed a dream which seemed a warning to her. Suddenly she started in -her sleep, and saw in the distance a company of men armed with swords -and spears, carrying lanterns in their hands, marching slowly towards -the spot where they lay. - -These were the night-guards patrolling outside the walls of the inner -city. - -While she looked they seemed to expand. They were now -colossal,--monsters that filled the earth, air, and sky. Full of -dismay, she clung closer to the side of her father. Their heavy tramp -came nearer, and she could hear them stop. How desperately her heart -beat under the covering! What if they should find her out! The captain -of the guards approached, passed his lantern slowly over the face of -the old man, and perceiving that he was one of the many strangers -called into the city at this time of the year, he and his company went -on their rounds. - -No sooner had the glimmer of their lanterns vanished in the distance, -than the girl sprang up, and, casting a cautious glance all round, drew -out in the darkness a small brass image of Indra, which she wore within -her vest, and placed it at her father's head; then, loosening a silk -cord from her neck, to which was attached a silver ring inscribed with -the mystic triform used by the Hindoo women, she proceeded to implore -the protection of the gods, and to describe several weird circles and -waves over herself and her father. - -This done she slept sweetly, feeling in the presence of that brass -image a sense of security that many a Christian might have envied. - -Just at this moment, one of the guards in passing on the other side -of the city remarked that they ought to have aroused the old khaik -(foreigner) and exacted a toll from him for taking up his quarters so -near the walls of the royal palace. - -"That very thought has just crossed my mind," said the captain, "and -mine, and mine," echoed a number of voices. "It is hardly midnight yet; -let us turn back and see what we can squeeze out of the old fellow." - -No sooner said than done. The chief led the way, and the whole company -rapidly retraced their steps to where the travellers slept. - -It would be difficult to reproduce the picture that must have presented -itself to the captain of the night-guards, who, after having stationed -his men at a little distance, advanced noiselessly, approached the old -man, and drew off lightly the covering that wrapped the sleeper, in -order to make some guess from his dress and appearance as to the amount -of money they might demand from him. - -The eye turns instinctively to the faintest glimmer of light. So the -light reflected from the calm face of the mysteriously beautiful -dreamer as she lay beside her father, her head resting on his arm, -and her face turned mutely up to the dark sky, staggered the captain, -who started back as if he had received a sudden blow, or as if some -unexpected event had forced him into the presence of a supernatural -being, while the brazen image of Indra gleamed with a lurid brightness -that reddened the pale atmosphere around, as if in the vicinity of some -conflagration. - -Buddhist as he was, he had a sort of ancestral reverence for the gods -of the Hindoos. He also believed in the ancient tradition that no one -could injure the innocent. The shadow of the shade grew darker, and -he thought the eyes of the god were fixed intently upon him. All his -unrighteous desires quelled, he stood transfixed reverently to the -spot. A serious smile, almost stern in its expression, passed over the -girl's face, as he stood contemplating her. That seemingly slumbering -statue was conscious of an intruder, and she quietly opened her eyes on -him. - -The captain's lantern lighted up his face, and, stout-hearted, fearless -man that he was, he trembled as he met that calm, inquiring look. But -before he could retire or bring himself to speak, the girl uttered a -sudden cry of terror, so pathetic and terrible that the old man sprang -to his feet, and the guards, who heard it in the distance, felt their -blood run cold with horror and dismay. - -There was a moment of hesitation as the old Rajpoot confronted the -guardsman face to face. The next instant the lantern was dashed from -his trembling hand, and he lay prostrate on the ground, while his enemy -grappled at his throat with the fury of a wild beast. The remainder -of the guards rushed to the scene of conflict, but even they stood -confounded for a second or two at the sight of the strange, terrified -girl. They soon recovered from their astonishment, however, and -proceeded to capture the old man, when Smâyâtee sprang to her feet at -once, like some spectre rising from the ground, and, pushing back the -soldiers with all her might, clasped her father round the neck. Thus -clinging to him, she turned a face of defiance on the guardsmen of the -king. The aspect of the girl, who thought to restrain by an electric -glance an armed force, excited such derision in the breasts of the -soldiers, that they rudely tore her from her father, bound her with the -silken bridle-reins that had served for her pony, and carried them both -off to separate cells, while a party of them remained behind to restore -their fallen chief. - - - - -CHAPTER VIII. - -AMONG THE HILLS OF ORISSA. - - -Before proceeding further, it will not be amiss to give the reader -some account of this Rajpoot and his daughter. And that he may -better understand the personal anecdotes of bravery, honest zeal, -and devotedness that distinguished him in life, I must turn to the -still broader and deeper historical incidents which are the marked -characteristics of the race to which he belonged. I do not undertake to -treat of this portion of India at large, but only to look at the small -corner of it in which Rama the Rajpoot was born. - -In the district of Orissa stands on a cluster of hills, in the midst of -an arid and undulating plateau, the city of Megara, composed for the -most part of houses of mean aspect, with only a few handsome mansions -and stately edifices to relieve their monotonous insignificance, -possessing few fine trees large enough to afford shade, with the -exception of the sacred groves dedicated to the earth-goddess Dâvee -and the sun-god Dhupyâ; and with water barely sufficient to quench -the excessive thirst of its parched inhabitants, alternately swept by -piercing blasts and scorched by intense heats, Megara would certainly -present but few attractions to the traveller but for the mysterious -reverence which has rested ever since the time of Alexander over the -illimitable plains of Hindostan. Tragic and terrible are the memories -that poetry has woven about this land of undefined distances and -nearly fabulous magnificence, where men adopt, from father to son, the -professions of murderers, highwaymen, robbers, soldiers, warriors, and -priests, where each man lives as if surrounded by internal and external -enemies, and expects from every circling point of the horizon a foeman -instead of a friend. - -From the remotest times there has been a ceaseless march of tribes into -this vast peninsula, from which there is no outlet. Pouring across -the Indus or straggling down through the passes of the Himalaya, each -wave of immigration pushed its predecessors farther into the country. -Thus the Aryan nations followed in their turn, at the same time -reacting powerfully on the creeds and usages of the primitive people. -But various remains of the earlier and rude aboriginal tribes are -still found here among the hilly regions and woody fastnesses of the -peninsula. Many of them are quite distinct from one another, evidently -belonging to different eras of an indefinitely remote and abysmal past. - -The Rajpoots are the most remarkable of these aboriginal tribes, and -they are described as a noble race, tall and athletic, with symmetric -features, half-way between the Roman and Jewish types, large eyed, and -with fine long hair falling in natural locks upon their shoulders; -high-bred, though with the decline of their country under British rule -the decline of their character has kept pace. Revolutions have done -their work upon them, if, indeed, the word "revolution" may be applied -to the insurrections and mutinies that have kept this portion of India -in a state of petty warfare for the last three hundred years. - -The comparatively treeless character of the hills where they dwell -appears to indicate that, in former times, large spaces had been laid -under cultivation, whereas at present they lead a savage life as -freebooters and robbers. - -Around these desolate hills and valleys cluster a variety of -tribes and races, of diverse tongues and customs, creeds and -religions,--worshippers of Mohammed and of the Buddha, followers of -Brahma and of Indra, of Vishnu and Siva, of the many-breasted and -teeming Dâvee, and the triple-headed and triple-bodied Dhupyâ. Over -all these different peoples the Rajpoot, or warrior caste, has held -for centuries an undisputed sway. Among all these tribes the "Meriâh" -sacrifice prevails, as the only means of propitiating the earth-goddess. - -The victims for these yearly sacrifices are furnished by a regular -class of procurers, who either supply them to order or raise them on -speculation. They are bought from their parents in hard famine times, -or they are kidnapped on the plains. Devoted often in their childhood -to the earth-goddess Dâvee, they are suffered to grow up as consecrated -privileged beings, to marry, to hold lands and flocks and herds and -other worldly goods, and are cherished and beloved by the community for -whom they are willing to be offered up to serve as mediator and friend -in the shadowy world beyond the grave for the short space of one year, -when the insatiable earth-goddess is said to demand a fresh victim. - -I ought not to omit to say here, as a faithful recorder of the -facts that have reached me, that in spite of the tremendous doom -that overshadows the victims consecrated to Dâvee's altar, they -lead resigned and even joyous lives up to the last moment of their -existence; and the saying is, that the soul of a god enters the martyr, -and transfigures him into a divine, ineffable being, incapable of -feeling any pain or regret at the moment of death. - -For unnumbered centuries the vast hilly province of Orissa verging on -Gondwana, and comprising all the eastern portion of the Vindhya chain, -has been the scene of this revolting and inhuman custom; and from time -immemorial thousands of men whom we in our enlightenment call "savage -hordes" have offered themselves up for the good of their fellow-men. -Surely an effluence from the Divine Soul must have passed over these -strange mystic mediators, as they stood trembling upon Dâvee's altar, -clutching the sharp knife in their uplifted hand, their faces turned -towards the darkening earth, singing the supreme song, and uttering the -supreme cry, "O Dâvee! do all thy acts to me. Spend all thy fury upon -me. Spare my race from the hungry grave (earth). Drink of my blood, and -be appeased." And as the echoes of this cry of triumph and of despair -die away in the distance, the self-sacrificing victim plunges the -bright steel into his own warm heart, bends forward to sprinkle with -his life's blood the insatiable earth, repeating his song in whispers -that grow fainter and fainter as he slowly draws out the fatal steel -and falls dead upon her bare bosom. - -The Rajpoots are still the chiefs. They levy a tax on the various -tribes who inhabit these hilly regions, and who are, in great measure, -dependent upon them, trained warriors from their childhood, for their -protection. They are not distinct from their neighbors, so far as the -ceremonials of religion are concerned. The number of marriages among -them is, however, contracted by the exclusion of all but their own -peculiar clan or caste. Marriage itself is an expensive thing, from -the costly usages with which it is attended among them, while at the -same time celibacy is disgraceful. An unmarried daughter is a reproach -to her parents and to herself; therefore it has been an established -custom with the Rajpoot to preserve the chastity of his daughter and -the honor of his house by doing away with his female children a few -hours after their birth. When a messenger from the Zennânâ announces to -him the birth of a daughter, the Rajpoot will coolly roll up between -his fingers a tiny ball of opium, to be conveyed to the mother, who -thereupon, with many a bitter tear, rubs on her nipple the sleep-giving -poison, and the babe drinks in death with its mother's milk. - -Here again we find a striking anomaly in the Hindoo character. The -parental instinct is as strong in the people of India as in any people -of the world; and even where no parental tie exists, the tenderness -with which strong, bearded men devote themselves to the care of young -children is as touching as it is remarkable. A childless woman, too, -is a miserable creature, a hissing and a reproach among men, and -barrenness is only accounted for as a punishment for some grievous -sin committed against the gods in a pre-existent state. Nevertheless, -among the high-caste Rajpoot tribes female infanticide is universally -practised; so that, in the district in which Rama was born, owing to -its decline from the prosperity of former years, a high-born girl was -rarely if ever heard of. - -On a high and projecting rock, whose scarped and rugged outlines bid -defiance to the pedestrian, stood the stately mansion of Dhotee Bhad, -the chieftain of Megara, and the father of Rama, recognizable by its -grand appearance, its balconies of fretted stone, and its long windows, -which commanded for miles the surrounding country. It is a wild and -solitary spot, and out of the direct road to any place; but it had two -advantages,--it was almost inaccessible, and it overlooked valleys -which were as luxuriant with verdure as the hills around were sterile -and barren. Two miles from this spot rises the Ghât Meriâh, crowned -with a grove of stately trees, whose profound brown shadows and lurid -gloom is said to be caused by the spirits of the victims offered up -yearly there, and whose grand proportions are dimly visible at points -here and there as you approach the grove. At the foot of this Ghât, in -a thick and all but impenetrable forest, are several magnificent ponds -from which the inhabitants draw their water. - -Such was the home and the birthplace of our hero Rama. - - - - -CHAPTER IX. - -THE REBEL DUKE P'HAYA SI P'HIFOOR. - - -In the year 1831 a revolutionary war broke out in the northern -provinces of Siam. The ringleader of this disaffected part of the -country was the Duke P'haya Si P'hifoor, a man who, from his high -position, great warlike talents, and immense wealth, possessed an -unbounded influence over the inhabitants of the northern provinces. It -is said that even from his infancy the demon Ambition had taken such -possession of him that he used to imagine himself a king, and that, -from that time to the fatal termination of his life, he dreamt of -nothing but the sceptre and the supreme sway. - -It was one of his first efforts, therefore, to gather from distant -lands all the disaffected and ambitious spirits he could muster -together,--men who would be brave and skilful enough to take the helm -in the storm that must follow his inexorable bidding. - -In 1821 he sent secret agents by an Indian merchant ship to Calcutta to -enlist for him a troop of hardy warriors of the Rajpoot tribe. Among -this troop hired in Calcutta and transshipped to Siam was our prisoner, -Rama Singalee,--Rama the lion. He, with the rest of his party, had been -implicated in some incipient rebellion against the British government, -and had fled for concealment to the densely populated city of Calcutta, -where, after several years of hard struggling to obtain some means of -livelihood not derogatory to their high caste, they were induced to -sell their services to the agent of the Duke P'haya Si P'hifoor. This -band of hired mercenaries landed secretly in the Gulf of Martaban, at -the mouth of the Irrawady, whence by night travel they arrived at P'hra -Batt. Here portions of land in the tenure of the duke were allotted to -them, and they were dispersed until a fitting opportunity should offer -for striking the final blow which was to place their master on the -throne of Siam, and themselves in offices of trust in the kingdom. - -So things went on for several years, when Rama fell in love with a -Loatian girl of singular beauty, but could not collect money enough to -satisfy the demands of her parents. - -It was the custom of the Duke P'haya Si P'hifoor to make an annual -visit to P'hra Batt, ostensibly with varied offerings to the footprint -of Buddha, from which the whole mountainous district is named, but in -reality to muster his retainers, give them presents, and exact fresh -promises of service, or to traverse the entire country gaining fresh -adherents to his cause. - -On one occasion a dreadful fever ravaged his party; many of them had -to be left at the different monasteries to be cared for, while Rama -and a few followers only accompanied him. Just as the sun was setting -behind the mountains, Rama, who acted as pioneer, heard the sound of -some animal in the thick underwood. He crept quickly back, motioned his -companions to halt, and advanced alone. A few yards from him he saw a -tiger, immovable, yet stealthily watching his opportunity to make a -spring. Night was fast approaching, and so was death; but Rama drew -near, his eyes fixed steadily and unfalteringly on those of the beast. -At last he took his position, and for a moment or two they glared one -upon the other. Then in the distance the rest of the party, breathless, -their hearts beating quickly, heard the dismal roar of a goaded and -infuriate animal, and the heavy blows of a battle-axe. Their terror was -only equalled by their joy when they saw the huge creature extended -before them in death. The duke came up, and instantly rewarded the -brave warrior with a hundred pieces of gold. - -Gold enough to buy Malee, the beautiful Loatian girl! - -Next morning he prostrated himself before the duke, and requested -permission to return at once to P'hra Batt, which was granted him. Thus -did the Rajpoot obtain to wife the woman he loved. - -Meanwhile the duke, still cherishing his darling ambition, consulted -all the astrologers in the country, who drew auguries from ants, -spiders, and bees, and predicted for him a brilliant career. This so -worked upon the already inflamed imagination of P'haya Si P'hifoor, -that he was led, in an unguarded moment, to throw down the gauntlet and -declare open war against the king of Siam, whom he branded with the -titles of fox and usurper. - -Through his secret emissaries he caused edicts to be proclaimed -everywhere, nominating himself in the name of the people and of heaven -as the lawful successor to the throne. - -The entire army of the priesthood and the people were on his side. -Hosts of men from all parts of the country flocked to his standard. The -duke, mounted on a white elephant, headed the rabble crowd. Before him, -on horseback, rode the hired Rajpoot band of warriors. - -Tidings of this alarming insurrection soon reached the enraged -monarch at Bangkok, who instantly summoned a council of war, and sent -trumpeters all over the land to blast forth a direful malediction, -in the name of all the hosts of heaven, upon the rebel duke and his -followers. - -The rebel duke and his frenzied legions made rapid progress, however. -They could be seen covering the entire face of the country, rushing on -with shouts and cries and furious bounding of elephants and horses, -with flourish of trumpets and of banners,--a terrible, undisciplined, -myriad-faced monster, being neither burnt up with the scorching rays of -Suriya, nor scattered by the thunder-bolts of Indra. The king, who had -stormed so loud and so lustily from behind the purdah-curtain of his -throne, now trembled and cowered in the midst of his fifteen hundred -wives, and let the duke ride triumphantly, almost to the very gates of -his palace at Ayudia. - -In this emergency the prime minister, Somdetch Ong Yai, the father of -the present premier, assumed the command of the army, transshipped all -the guns he could muster into small crafts,--the river at Ayudia being -too shallow for ships of great tonnage,--taking with them an ample -supply of ammunition, and with hardly twelve thousand men sailed up the -river, amid the shouts and prayers of the terrified inhabitants. - -On their arrival at Ayudia the guns were conveyed on trucks to the -point whence the attack was expected. Here Somdetch Ong Yai hastily -erected several batteries, and awaited the attack. - -Scarcely four hours had elapsed after the completion of these -preparations, when the whole neighborhood was aroused by the war-cry -of the rebel army, which appeared in sight, headed by the duke. The -Rajpoot cavalry, armed with long rifle-guns, bows and arrows, and -poisoned lances, prepared to storm the batteries. There was a moment -of fearful silence, followed by a flash and the thundering roar of -the artillery from the other side. The monster army of the rebel duke -reeled, scattered, and gave way, all but the Rajpoot cavalry, almost -every one of whom lay dead or dying on the field. The prime minister, -Somdetch Ong Yai, rushed forward and captured the rebel duke, wounding, -in the attempt, one gigantic, desperate soldier, who fought with a -recklessness of daring in behalf of his misguided leader that won the -admiration of friend and foe. - -[Illustration: PALM-TREES NEAR THE NEW ROAD, BANGKOK.] - -Where was the monster army now? - -Of the dead and dying there were a thousand or more, of living captives -only two,--the Duke P'haya Si P'hifoor, and one faithful soldier, Rama -Singalee. The rest had, at the first sound of the cannon, fled far -beyond its range. Like a wave of the ocean it had swept out of sight. -P'haya Si P'hifoor was carried to Bangkok, tried, and sentenced to -death. A general amnesty was proclaimed, and the generous premier, -Somdetch Ong Yai, took Rama into his own household, had him cared for -and promoted to a place of trust. As for the wretched duke, on his -arrival at Bangkok he was condemned first to have his eyes put out, -and then to be placed in an iron cage, which was suspended from a -scaffolding in the middle of the river, so that the unfortunate captive -could manage just barely to touch with the tips of his fingers the -waters as they rippled under it. - -Here he was left by that most inhuman of the kings of Siam, P'hendin -Klang, without food or raiment, exposed to the burning heat of the -noonday sun, to suffer from the acutest agonies of thirst, within -hearing and touch of the waters that flowed in perpetual eddies beneath -his feet. - -How ardently must that poor, unhappy man have prayed for death; and -that dark angel, at all times too ready to come unbidden to the good -and happy, stood aloof, and seemed to mock at his misery for many and -many a weary day and night, until at length it began to be whispered -among the people--many of whom would gladly have brought him food and -drink, but for the dreadful punishment threatened on all such as should -attempt in any way to mitigate his tortures--that the angels, pitying -his sufferings, brought him nightly portions of the "amreeta," on which -they feed so plentifully in heaven. - -But the truth was, that Rama Singalee was the stout-hearted angel who -battled nightly with the strong currents of the Mèinam, and brought, -at the risk and peril of his life, some boiled rice and water in the -hollow of a bamboo cane, which, as he floated beneath the iron cage, -he held up to his late master's mouth, who sucked therefrom the scanty -portion of food it contained. - -The last night of the unfortunate prisoner's life, Rama set out as -usual, ignoring the pain of his wounds, and, swimming manfully against -the strong tide that threatened to bear him away with it, he reached -the spot about three o'clock in the morning, stealthily approached the -cage, keeping his head under water, but his heart above the clouds, -with those heroic souls who follow in the path of the Son of Heaven. He -swam right under the cage, and looking up in the darkness towards it, -saw no shadow there. He held up the long bamboo, and rested it against -the iron bars, but no eager, trembling hand grasped it, as it was wont -to do. He called out in hoarse whispers, "P'hakha, p'hakha, soway thô" -(master, master, pray eat). No sound, no movement, reached his anxious -ears. - -Ah, happy man! the loving voice of his devoted follower reached his -ears, and penetrated far into his sinking heart, as he lay in his last -agonies, coiled up on the floor of his cage, and in the double darkness -of night and sightlessness, he saw the brave, strong face of this one -great soul that loved him in spite of all his sin and misery; and, even -as he caught the vision, a smile such as would have irradiated the -throne of God, passed over that blind, distorted face, and the soul -flitted away rejoicing, leaving behind it an expression of serenity -and peace, as if that proud, turbulent, and ambitious spirit had at -last been taught the meaning of a higher love, and through it had -breasted the waters, and gained the shore "Where the wicked cease from -troubling, and the weary are at rest." - -After some years of service in the army, the premier, Somdetch Ong -Yai, being dead, Rama, having been regularly branded as the vassal -of his eldest son, Chow P'haya Mândtree, obtained permission to -return home to his wife. Just eight years after these events, and -the very year after his return home, there was born to this brave -man a daughter, who, as it sometimes happens, by some singular freak -of nature, or, perhaps, by some higher law of development, was so -wondrously beautiful, that when Rama, faithful to the custom of his -ancestors, handed to his wife, a few hours after her delivery, a ball -of opium to be rubbed on her breasts, she turned up to him a scared -and wondering look, muttering, "She is,--she is the smile of God," the -deadly ball dropped from her pulseless hands, and her spirit passed -away; and he, broken hearted and baffled, rightly interpreted the -significance of her dying words, not only spared the child's life, but -named her Devo Smâyâtee (the God smiles). Thus a new life stole into -the heart and the arms of the old warrior of Orissa. - - - - -CHAPTER X. - -THE GRANDSON OF SOMDETCH ONG YAI, AND HIS TUTOR P'HRA CHOW SADUMAN. - - -When Rama and his daughter were carried off to prison, poor Smâyâtee -hardly realized what was going to happen. But when a couple of Amazons -forced her away from her father, and she understood the full meaning of -what had befallen them, she began to shout and scream aloud for help. -But none came. - -A child of the mountains and hills, she had as yet developed none -but the natural instincts of what civilization would call a savage. -Combined with her fine organization, she inherited a passionate -nature, and an intense love for the mountains and woods, the earth and -sky, which were to her so many beautiful gods. To some she had been -accustomed to offer flowers, to others fruit, oil, wine, honey, water. -She always set apart a portion of every meal for her favorite god -Dâvee, the earth-goddess. To such a nature only to live was worship. To -see, to hear, to gather thoughts and pictures, to feel the throbbing -pulses; to fill the eye with images of beauty, the heart with impulses -of love and joy; to place the mind face to face with the unwritten -mysteries which nature unfolds to it,--is, indeed, the highest sphere -of contemplation and worship, as well for the savage as the child of -civilization. - -The Amazons who guarded the cell chatted together in a low tone, while -Smâyâtee, exhausted by her cries and screams for help, had sunk into -a deep sleep. They remarked on the beauty of her skin, the roundness -of her limbs, the softness of her cheeks, and the superb lashes that -rested so lightly upon them, and wondered who she could be; for though -her dress bespoke her of the peasant class of the Loatians, her form -and face betokened high birth. - -"He must have stolen her," said one of the women; "she cannot be his -daughter, though she calls him father." - -"He has brought her here for sale, of course," added another; "else why -should he have chosen such a place as this, so near the royal palace, -for encampment." - -"Ah, well! whatever be her lot, poor child, let us not add to her -sufferings; she will have enough of them in this life," rejoined the -kind-hearted chief officer. - -The bell above the prison gate, with its brazen tongue, tolled out -twelve (i.e., five in the morning); the girl, aroused as it were by -the voice of an angel, started, rubbed her eyes, and looking around -seemed to recall the events of the last night. She then made several -profound salutations and invocations to a gleam of sunlight that came -straggling into her cell, wrapped her saree over her head and face, and -placed herself near the door, so as to be able to pass out the moment -it should be opened. - -"Take something to eat, child," said the chief of the Amazons on guard, -who was partaking of a breakfast of cold rice and fish, "and wait till -the sun is higher in the heavens, and I will go with you; it is not fit -that one so young and beautiful should go out alone and unprotected." - -She was too kind-hearted to tell her that she was a prisoner, and no -longer free to go in and out. - -Smâyâtee had hardly swallowed a few mouthfuls of rice, when the -guardsman of the previous night appeared, with orders to the Amazons to -take her to the Sala of the Grand Duke, Chow P'haya Mândtree; as they, -on discovering from the mark on the old man's arm that he was a vassal -of that nobleman, had resigned him to the custody of his officers. - -The Amazons led the way, and Smâyâtee followed with faltering steps. -Nobody noticed her. Everybody seemed excited and eager. Every one -hurried towards the same spot. - -In her uncertainty the girl could see nothing in the world but the -river running strong, yet running calmly on. After a little while she -began to trace the opposite bank; a little way to the left something -hanging midway in the sky, as she supposed, or rather in mid-distance; -there being as yet no sky, no heaven, no earth; nothing but the river. -This was a bridge; they cross the bridge. Where does it lead to? -Whither flows this mysterious stream, of which the coming and the going -are equally full of wonder and dread to her? What mysterious, enchanted -palaces and temples are those looming out yonder on the other side? To -her ignorance they are but infinitude and the unknown. Now they near -the duke's palace; the odors of orange-flowers and spice-groves reach -them, like airs that breathe from paradise. - -Having come to the great hall, the Amazons take their places on one of -the lowest steps, Smâyâtee seated between them; they are contented to -chew their betel and to wait. - -The hall is full of men. The work of branding and enrolling goes -briskly on under the orders of a young nobleman, called Nai Dhamaphat, -the grandson of Somdetch Ong Yai. Every now and then some persons are -brought forward to be admonished, fined, or whipped. Sometimes from -among this crowd a boy is dragged out forcibly, and branded. - -Through the masses of men, lighted up now by the full blaze of -sunlight, Smâyâtee sought one form and one figure only, and he was -nowhere to be seen. - -Suddenly the Grand Duke was announced; he entered the hall with -conscious swagger, followed by a long train of attendants and slaves. - -No words could express what there was in the face and figure of this -man, as he rolled rather than walked into the centre of the hall. - -Work instantly ceased; all around crouched and hid their faces. This -did not rouse his huge, drowsy nature into even a look of recognition; -he growled rather than spoke the orders for the workers to continue, -and turned to his son and said, "Dhamaphat, what is this about Rama -Singalee having attacked the captain of the royal guards?" - -"My Lord," replied the latter, "the captain, as far as I can learn, is -as much to blame as the old soldier, who says he only struck him in -defence of his daughter." - -"A daughter, eh! I did not know the old fellow had a daughter." - -At this point in the conversation Smâyâtee, who had been listening with -deep attention, leaned forward, and fearlessly addressed the duke, -said, "Do you want that I should tell you how it happened, my lord?" - -"Well, speak out!" said the duke, turning savagely upon the girl for -having dared to interrupt him unbidden. - -He checked himself, however, as his eye fell upon the graceful, veiled -figure, and said rather more gently, "Go on, how was it?" - -Smâyâtee threw back her covering, sat up, and repeated the story of -her long journey, her father's fears to leave her alone at home, their -encampment near the royal palace, her fearful alarm, and how it was to -save her that her father struck the captain of the king's guard. - -The girl never looked so beautiful, so fearless; there was in her look -the innocence and the ignorance of a babe. It was not the words she -uttered, but the face she presented, the look so sad and yet so full -of trust, which served to rouse the drowsy nature of the duke, and to -change his repulsiveness into something more hideous still. - -Dhamaphat listened, too, with intense interest; it seemed as if his -whole soul were concentrated into his eyes and ears. - -The duke was puzzled what to say. He turned to exchange a few words, in -an undertone, with his son, and then dismissed the Amazons, charging -them, on the peril of their lives, not to lose sight of the girl, and -promising the latter to have the matter investigated on the following -day. - -In Siamese life the lights and shadows are equally strong. At once -brilliant and gloomy, smiling and sombre, lighted as by the radiance of -dawn, and at the same time enveloped in the darkness of night. - -The branding and enrolling for the day was over. The crowds dispersed -to their various homes. - -When the young man, Nai Dhamaphat, went out, he had but one thought; it -was to follow that girl, and try, if possible, to see her face and hear -her voice again. - -There was something in that face that had changed the whole current of -his being, and had set him, charged with a new force, in the midst of -a little world all by itself, the horizon of which was bounded by her -possible smile. - -He turned his steps towards the grand palace, and gazed upon the place -where she was imprisoned; he was almost at the gate. He wavered in his -mind; custom and his natural reserve forbade him to speak to a strange -woman; with a bewildered air he retraced his steps and went home. - -That part of Bangkok in which Chow P'haya Mândtree lived was laid -out in small squares, each walled in by low ramparts, enclosing the -residence and harem of some great noble; but the duke's palaces were -surrounded by a wall only on three sides, from which ran, parallel to -the river-front, several streets, and among them the gold and silver -streets, so designated from their being inhabited by artists skilled in -the working of those metals. - -The sun had set when Dhamaphat reached his home, but it was already -night. Here there is no twilight,--that soft messenger that lingers, -unwilling, as it were, to usher in the darkness of night. - -Moonlight, with its silvery touches, rested on the palace roofs and -made even ugliness and decay beautiful. The tall cocoa and betel palms, -moved by the wood-nymphs, fluttered and waved their branches to and -fro, beckoning him nearer and nearer, and presenting a spectacle, -strange, yet lovely in the extreme. - -The bright moon was soon lost to view, except where it penetrated the -thick, overhanging foliage. On the gateway the pendent branches of the -bergamot gave forth a rich perfume. The shrill chirping of myriads of -grasshoppers, which seem never to sleep, with the sounds of distant -music, fell upon his ear, as his father's temples and palaces burst -upon his view, a mingled scene of fairy beauty, artificial elegance, -and savage grandeur,--domes, turrets, enormous trees, and flowers -such as are met with nowhere else beneath the sun. The oldest temples -in Siam stood here, containing strange and wonderful objects, with -stranger and more wonderful recollections attached to them. That one -on the right was once, in the reign of the usurper, P'haya Tak, the -principal stronghold of his ancestors, and where, even after long -years, they were still wont to repair, at a particular moon in every -year, to pray beside the golden pagoda that enshrined the charred -bones of his forefathers. That gray palace had witnessed many a gay -assemblage, held by the old duke, Somdetch Ong Yai, his grandfather. - -He entered the temple, beneath the portal of which were some deeply -graven rhymes from the Vedas, to him equally dark as the dark image of -Buddha that had slumbered for centuries at the base of the glittering -altar. Yet, wonderful as were the objects that met the eye of the -young man, he simply prostrated himself before the altar, and turned to -his father's palace. - -A low, open verandah faced the entrance. Choice birds were singing in -their cages, and soft lights of cocoanut-oil were gleaming down upon -them. A number of noblemen were lounging on cool mats, some playing -chess, others engaged in conversation. Slaves were passing round -tempting fruits, and refreshing drinks of spiced wines and cocoanut -nectar. - -Dhamaphat prostrated himself before his father, and took his place -on a low seat. He had no sooner done so, than he was startled by -the entrance of some armed men, who brought in the old Rajpoot, and -stationed him and themselves at the extreme end of the verandah. - -There was something particularly interesting about the prisoner. He was -a tall, slender, alert-looking man, about sixty, fair, with aquiline -features, and expressive and determined countenance. There were lines -on his face that told of hardship and suffering, though these seemed -in no degree to have depressed his spirits, or to have impaired his -youthful vigor and activity. He wore a blue cloak, and an ample turban -of blue silk. - -The duke at length addressed the prisoner, and said: "Rama, you have -committed a crime which, if you had not been my slave, would have -handed you over to the criminal's prison for life, or to instant death; -and now, since your daughter has told us with her own lips, that it -was in her defence you struck the captain of the royal guards, I am -going to pay him a heavy fine, and smother this affair. But only on one -condition, however,--" - -The duke paused for a reply, or some expression of thankfulness. - -None came. - -The old soldier turned his head, and looked at him in serious doubt. - -After waiting a little while he repeated, "Only on one condition; that -thou sell to us, for our service and pleasure, this daughter of thine, -and we will take better care of her than thou art able to do." - -It was fully half an hour before Rama seemed to comprehend the meaning -of his master's words. He had never thought of _his_ daughter occupying -such a position; he had hardly realized that she was no longer a child. -Now his feeling of caste and race rose up within him; his strong -nature was moved, as he saw her snatched away from him. All manner of -recollections and reveries full of tenderness came whispering at his -heart, and the words: "My lord, to this I can never consent," came -slowly, brokenly forth, as if out of a heart struggling for mastery -over some great emotion. - -The duke sprang to his feet, staggered--for he had been drinking -heavily--up to the chained prisoner, and, clenching his palsied, -trembling hand, he cried in a thundering voice: "You dare to refuse -me! By the gods, I will neither eat nor drink until I have seized and -given her to my lowest slave! and if you do not quickly repent of your -rash refusal, you shall be cast into prison for the rest of your life. -Do you forget what my father did for you, you ungrateful dog?" and his -dark face became purple with rage and fury. - -The old warrior trembled in every limb, not from fear, but from horror. -He knew what to expect from the eldest son of his late master. His -heart burned with indignation. But what could he do? How could he -defend her? He thought bitterly of the weakness that had placed the -honor of his house and race at the mercy of a stranger; that little -ball of opium would have saved her from all possible insult. He groaned -aloud, feeling that this was a just retribution for his innovation upon -the ancient custom of his house, and large tears rolled down his rugged -face. - -The drowning man, overtaken by the supreme agony, lives, in an instant, -through all his happy and unhappy past. In a single moment he sees the -whole drama of his life reacted before him. Thus it was with Rama; he -recalled with anguish the scenes of Smâyâtee's childhood, her youth -and growing womanhood, all her early gladness, all her bright hopes -and illusions, all her gifts of beauty and affection, which made one -picture with her present degradation, and served only to darken the -riddle of her life to him. - -The courage that had withstood a hungry tiger now gave way before the -picture of the deeper degradation that might, because of his refusal, -befall his child. He flung himself on the ground, and muttered: "She is -yours, my lord." - -"Sa-baye" (good), said the duke, clapping his hands; "I knew you -would give in; you are no fool, Rama. It is the women whom we find so -difficult to manage, when they take an idea into their heads. Take -him away to his cell now," said he, addressing the guards, "to-morrow -we will make it all right, and when the girl comes to the Sala, we -shall apprise her of the high honors in store for her. Here," said -he, throwing some money to the jailers, "go you and make merry till -morning, and be sure and give the prisoner as much as he can eat and -drink." - -The guards departed, leading away a fierce, revengeful-looking old man. - -When they were gone, the duke, addressing Nai Dhamaphat, said: "What -think you of our clemency to our slaves, my son? We would not take -possession of this beautiful girl without the old fellow's consent." - -He then began to laugh, and added: "Ah, she shall be my cup-bearer, and -my good friends here will have an opportunity of admiring her beauty!" - -The son simply bowed his head, in seeming acknowledgment of his -father's goodness, and after a while retired from the pavilion, passed -over the bridge, and out of the palace gates. - -There could not be a greater difference of character than that which -existed between the duke and his eldest son; the one gross, sensual, -cowardly, the other proud and domineering, yet withal brave, generous, -religious, and impulsive. - -Every year found them farther apart in education, thought, feelings, -hopes, and aspirations. The one standing, as it were, with his foot on -the first step of a ladder that was to lead him towards the highest -ideal of Christianity, the other sunk beyond all hope in the ignorance -of a savage barbarism. - -But now this last scene was too much for the former. It snapped asunder -the fragile cord that still bound him to his father, and placed him in -the position of an antagonist. - -Every nation has certain constitutional peculiarities which give rise -to practices and phases of thought very startling to others, who -are, in such points, differently constituted. The most remarkable -peculiarity of this kind is the reverence with which parents are -regarded in Siam. No matter how unjust, capricious, cruel, and -repulsive a parent may be, a child is bound to reverence his or her -slightest wish as a sacred obligation. - -For Dhamaphat, therefore, even to question his father's actions was, -he felt, a moral dereliction. He was full of remorse and regret, and -thought with despair of the fate that awaited him. - -He had gained a little wooden bridge, which, thrown across a canal, led -him into a lonely field; here he motioned back the slaves who attempted -to follow him, and strode rapidly out into the open country, where he -no longer heard the sounds of revelry, feasting, and licentious mirth. -Rambling through the many tangled forest-paths, he gradually emerged -into a low, wooded expanse. The air was full of delicious fragrance, -and alive with strange noises. He saw in the distance the calm, -majestic river, all aglow with its myriads of lights and lanterns, yet -it failed to call forth a single reflection; he could picture nothing -but the face of the strange girl, and that haunted him all the way. He -pressed on, tired, feverish, with sad and troubled thoughts; he reached -the wall that skirts the city; throwing some silver to the guards, who -knew him well, he passed out of the gate, and out of the city of the -"Invincible," to the visible archangel of nature. - -Here the solitude was startling; no more streets, no more lights, no -more houses. Even the quiet river seemed to hush on her white and -shining bosom the soft light of the moon, as if it were the face of a -beloved child, until she caught a reflection of its beauty, and was -transfigured down a hundred feet deep, as far as light could penetrate, -into a clear, translucent soul, in its first dreamless sleep. - -Moved by some secret purpose, he hurried on through a profusion of -flowering plants and trees; he passed unnoticed the slender betel and -cocoanut palms, and the numerous species of huge convolvuli "that -coiled around their stately stems, and ran e'en to the limit of the -land," the long lance-leaves of the wild plantains, the rich foliage of -the almonds, the gorgeous oleanders that broke through the green masses -in every variety of tint, from the richest crimson to the lightest -pink. Presently he dashed aside a huge night-blooming cereus, and stood -before a long, low building, a partly ruined monastery, adjoining an -ancient and dilapidated Buddhist temple. - -The monastery was a sort of long, low corridor or hall, lined on each -side with chambers, each about ten feet deep, and lighted by a small -aperture in the wall. - -It was a gloomy place, old and unhealthy. Poisonous plants, creepers, -and flowers reigned jubilant here, with ruin and desolation for -companions. - -Yet, dismantled, worm-eaten, and ruined as the building appeared, it -had been the school of young Dhamaphat for nearly ten years, and it -was the home of a solitary old man, who had spent forty years of his -lifetime forgetful of friends, affections, food, sleep, and almost -of existence in his contemplations of the mystery of things beyond, -and that still greater mystery called life; his friends and relations -had endeavored by every artifice, the allurements of beauty and every -other imaginable gratification, to divert him from the resolution he -had adopted. Every attempt to dissuade him had been in vain. And now -he had gained a fame as widespread as the most ambitious heart could -desire. Among the people he was known under the title of P'hra Chow -Sâduman, the sainted priest of heaven. Prodigious stories were afloat -about him. Born of noble parents, he had from his early youth practised -an asceticism so rigorous and severe that it had prepared him, it was -thought, for his supernatural mission. It was not only alleged, but -believed, that at the sound of his inspired voice the dead arose and -walked, the sick were healed; that diseases vanished at the touch of -his hand; sinners were converted by his simple admonition; wild beasts -and serpents were obedient to his word; and that in his moments of -ecstasy he floated in the air before the eyes of his disciples, passed -through stone walls and barred gates, and, in fact, could do whatsoever -he willed. - -The crumbling old door of the cell was partly open; no light was -visible; and, as Dhamaphat stood there hesitating whether he would -enter, a low, faint, tremulous sound came out of the darkness within, -and floated upward on the silence of night like the voice of some -celestial chorister. It was the Buddhist's evening hymn, or chant, and -the familiar words-- - - "Nama Buddsa phakava thouraha, - Sama Boodhsa thatsa Phutthang - Purisa thamma sârâthi - Sangkhang saranang ga cha mi," etc., - -freely translated, - - "O thou, who art thyself the light, - Boundless in knowledge, beautiful as day, - Irradiate my heart, my life, my night, - Nor let me ever from thy presence stray!"-- - -touched his better nature and melted his heart. He stooped forward, and -listened to it lovingly as it rose higher and higher, growing more and -more exultant till it caught his trembling spirit, and bore it away -beyond the confines of this world face to face with a Divine Ineffable -Presence full of harmony and beauty. - -His anger and his grief were forgotten. - -So Dhamaphat turned his face to the sky. One moment he stood erect in -an absolute halo of light, the next he was combatting darkly with the -blind shadows of love and hate, cause and effect, merit and demerit, -the endless evolutions of the "wheel" of an irresistible law into which -all things are cast. - -He felt something cold pass over his hand; he started, and became aware -that the good priest had finished his devotions. He tapped gently, and -was told to enter, which he did hesitatingly. - -In the middle of the cell sat the priest, who seemed, even in his old -age, full of the vigor of manhood; his legs were crossed, his arms -folded, and his eyes cast down; he did not even raise them at the -entrance of the young man; he was in that semi-stupor commonly called -contemplation. In one corner a narrow plank, quite bare, and a wooden -pillow served for his bed; beside it an old fan, a pot for water, an -earthen vessel for rice, some rude old instruments and books; beyond -these the cell was bare, damp, cold, slimy, and unhealthy. It was -without any light, save where the moonlight fell in ghastly lights and -shadows through the slits in the wall. - -"My father," said the young man, as he reverently prostrated himself -before the priest, who half opened his dull eyes, and said: "S'amana -phinong" (peace, brother). - -"Alas!" replied Dhamaphat; "in this life there is no peace, no rest, no -freedom from suffering; the endless revolutions of the wheel only crush -out life, to reproduce it again in another form." - -"Take the reins, and ride over it, then," said the priest, -meditatively. "What says the Dharma padam?"[8] - -"Stop the chariot valiantly; arrest the horses of desire. When thou -hast comprehended that which is made, thou wilt understand that which -is not made,--the uncreate. Some do not know that we must all come to -an end here; but some do know it, and with them all conflicts cease. He -who lives for pleasure only, his passions uncontrolled, immoderate in -his enjoyments, idle and weak, him will the tempter overcome, as the -wind overcomes a worm-eaten tree." - -"If we could live a thousand years, it would be worth our while to -struggle after the pleasures of this world. Death comes too soon. -There are many beginnings, but no ending to life. Let us practise the -four virtues, my brother; they alone are real, satisfactory, the true -illuminators of the mind; without this inward illumination, what is -life but darkness, storms, wild, unconscious tumult, the ceaseless -tumbling of the fierce tides of passion; and death, but exhaustion?" - -"Alas!" cried the young man, in a voice full of emotion; "is life -indeed such an empty void? Is there no compensation anywhere?" - -The priest opened wide his half-closed eyes, looked full into -Dhamaphat's face, and remarked: "Thou art strangely disturbed to-night, -my brother. Is it not well with thee?" - -Dhamaphat made no reply. - -There was sympathy, and a touch of tender feeling in the voice of the -priest, as he bent close to his young pupil, and said: "What is thy -suffering? Speak freely to me, and I will aid thee to the utmost of my -ability." Saying this, the priest arose, and passed his hand slowly -over the clefts in the wall. Instantly the moon withdrew her light. - -At this moment the night-owl suddenly gave a harsh and prolonged cry. - -"That bird answers to thy thoughts," said the priest. - -Dhamaphat shuddered; he believed that in the cry of the bird he heard -an echo of his own wild desire to frustrate his father's plans. - -Then in a few stirring words he told the priest of his love for the -Rajpoot's daughter, of her present situation, and of his desire to help -her and her father to escape. - -At the words, "Rajpoot's daughter," the old man started, and there -passed over his face, unseen, an expression of regret mingled with -desire, with which a thirsty man sees afar off, out of his possible -reach, a cup of cold water, for which he is dying, but which is not for -him. Then, as suddenly, he sat down, and resumed his calm exterior. - -A full hour passed in complete silence; the old man and the young man -sat in the darkness, with their faces turned to one another, each on -his side thinking over the same things, and feeling the same impulses. - -"This is very strange," said he, at length; "when I made my annual -pilgrimage to P'hra Batt, last year, a lovely girl, Rama the Rajpoot's -daughter, who called herself Devo Smâyâtee, brought me food every -morning, and washed my feet every evening. She was then hardly a -woman, but she filled my heart with a fragrance which is all-abiding. -But," added the priest, in an undertone, as if for himself, "death -carries off a man who is gathering flowers, as a flood sweeps away a -sleeping village. He in whom the desire for the Ineffable (Nirwana) -has sprung up, whose thoughts are not bewildered by love, he is the -'Ordhvamsrotas,' borne on the stream of immortality; he will stand face -to face with the Infinite." He spoke slowly and deliberately, repeating -each word as if they conveyed some peculiar meaning to his mind and -some subtle charm to his senses. - -"Nay, father," rejoined the young man, interrupting him, "you do not -tell me how I can help her." - -The good old priest--for good he was in spite of the strong natural -man within him--turned on Dhamaphat a look partly of sorrow and partly -of affection. Then, drawing towards him one of his mysterious books, -he placed it on his head; with his hands spread out to heaven, he -gradually moved his body to and fro, until his gyrations became rapid -and grotesque, uttering strange prayers and incantations. After a short -time he began to prophesy, and said, in fitful spasms: "Thy father's -days are numbered; the long night for him is at hand; fear not, this -mountain flower will blossom in spring-time on thy bosom." - -For more than an hour a cloud had darkened the sky; the moment the -priest had done prophesying, a ray of moonlight suddenly lighted up -his pale face, and was reflected from his smoothly shaven head like a -luminous circle. - -After gazing upon it for some ten minutes, Dhamaphat began to tremble, -and turned deadly pale; feeling that he was in the presence of a -supernatural being, he once more prostrated himself, and withdrew. Some -secret influence from the priest had for the moment benumbed into icy -coldness and even indifference his ardent love for Smâyâtee. - -It was almost dawn when he sought his couch for rest. - - -A DREAM OF THE NIGHT. - -Meanwhile the prisoner Rama had had a plentiful repast, and was -sleeping heavily, with fatigue and despair for a pillow, on the damp -floor of his cell. - -Towards morning a cold sweat broke out on his brow. He felt creeping -over him an indefinable horror, a sort of nightmare, which he struggled -in vain to shake off. He groaned, panted, and at length sat up with a -tremendous effort. - -In a niche in the wall he fancied he saw a pale, blue, misty outline -of a human figure, so indistinct that at first he could only distrust -his own vision, but gradually it began to take form; at length it was -as clear and palpable as a shape of life. It was the face and figure -of the priest P'hra Chow Sâduman, whom he had met a year ago in the -mountains of P'hra Batt. He was dressed in a loose robe of cloudy -yellow; his legs were crossed, his arms folded across his breast, his -eyes cast down; he seemed to be praying. The shadow of the shade in the -background grew darker, and the form grew lurid, as if surrounded by -fire. - -Rama stared, rubbed his eyes; plainer did the figure of the priest -appear, until it seemed to rise and swell and fill the whole cell. A -dark, heavy mist settled on the prisoner's face, but the apparition -grew brighter. He could bear it no longer; shuddering with horror, he -cried: "Speak, whoever thou art, and tell me thy commands; they shall -be obeyed." - -Suddenly he felt a violent shaking of the ground on which he was -seated; each moment he expected to be hurled into an abyss below; he -clung to the earth, and cried again: "Speak! For by the gods Dâvee and -Dhupiyâ I vow to fulfil thy behest, even if it be to offer thee a human -sacrifice." - -He then perceived a soft cloud filling the cell, and in the centre of -the cloud were luminous characters, which he read thus: "Sell not thy -daughter to the duke." - -The apparition vanished almost as soon as he had deciphered the words. -Rama fell back against the wall of his cell, and awoke. - -It was long before he could collect his scattered faculties, and what -were left to him seemed steeped in illusion; he could only wonder, and -bow in mystified adoration before the niche in his cell. - -FOOTNOTES: - -[Footnote 8: Dharma padam, the "Path of Virtue."--Buddhist Bible.] - - - - -CHAPTER XI. - -THE HEROISM OF A CHILD. - - -It was morning. All were assembled once more in the great hall, eager -for a termination of their work. - -Fresh troops of men to be enrolled and branded arrived every moment. - -Then came Nai Dhamaphat; the Kromathan, or overseer; and lastly the -Grand Duke, followed by an army of slaves, attendants, scribes, and -cup and punka bearers. As he looked about him he saw, with a gleam of -satisfaction, the veiled figure seated at her post, guarded by Amazons. - -After a few minutes of conversation with the scribe who sat at his -side, he ordered the prisoner Rama Singalee to be brought in. - -No one remembered when the old, white-headed stranger was ushered in. -But every one heard the wild cry of joy that seemed to die away on the -lips of the strange girl, as, throwing off her saree, she sprang across -the hall, and clasped the old man about the neck. After the first -paroxysm of joy was over, she realized that her father was a prisoner; -she looked still hopefully into his face, but, seeing no light there, -laid her head upon the fetters that bound his feet, as if the iron had -entered into her very soul. - -Dhamaphat started, as if struck, and gazed sadly at the girl and her -father. - -Never scene so touching had been presented in that hall before. It -arrested every eye, and filled every heart with sympathy; and it was -no wonder,--the girl was a creature such as that country had never -before produced. Her beauty was of the purest Indo-European type, rich -brown complexion, delicate almond-shaped eyes, finely arched eyebrows, -nose almost Greek in the purity of its outlines. Her feet, which had -never worn either sandals or shoes, were large and perfect in shape; -her arms, slender as those of a very young girl, were set off to great -advantage by the metallic and glass bangles she wore; her rich black -hair hung in long braids over a coarse blue bodice, which revealed a -form of faultless proportions; on her breast, suspended by a yellow -cord, was a flat silver ring, on which some mystic characters were -inscribed. - -The wondrous beauty of the prostrate girl filled the father and the son -first with pleasure, then with fascination, afterwards with rapture; -drawn on by irresistible steps, they both arrived, unknown to the -other, at that stage of passion which blinds the sensibilities to -everything else. - -But the desire of one was to possess, the other to rescue. - -The old soldier did not attempt to raise his daughter, but, taking off -his turban, buried his face in it. - -The duke was transported, stupefied; he paused, hesitated, then, -suddenly, without knowing what moved him, he said, in a gentle, tender -voice: "Why, girl? Raise up your head. See! your father is now going to -be set free." - -Smâyâtee lifted up her head, and looked at the speaker with an -expression of childlike gladness and trust that brought to the heart -of the wretch before her the long-lost sense of shame, and he could -not for the moment give utterance to the iniquity he was about to -perpetrate against her; he beckoned to an attendant, however, a sort -of treasurer, with a heavy box, who approached, crawling, and at his -instructions counted upon the floor forty pieces of gold,--sixteen -times the value of an ordinary slave-woman. - -Rama still covered his face with his turban, so that none could have -told what was passing within him. His daughter laid her hand upon his -arm, saying: "O, my father, the good duke gives us all this gold and -promises us freedom! take it, and thank him, that he may permit us to -return home." - -The unhappy Rajpoot turned a look full of mournful tenderness upon -his child. At the same moment the scribe, who had been industriously -writing, laid a paper before him, and said, in rather an authoritative -manner: "Tham Khai khat thedeo" (make the sale good, i.e., sign the -paper). - -Even now it did not occur to the girl what the paper and the forty -pieces of gold meant. - -To her mind they brought visions of freedom, as her heart yearned for -the hills and groves of her native land. She once more whispered to her -father to "take the money, and thank the duke, that he may let us go -back home." - -But the old man looked at her in silence, seemingly unable to utter -a single word; his breathing came quick and hard, and all at once he -gasped out: "The gods forbid me to sell my daughter to thee, my lord. -Indra, Agni, and the Maruts, at whose roaring every dweller upon earth -trembles, forbid me. O, pardon thy servant, my lord, and let us depart -hence in peace." - -The duke was doubly enraged, because of his last night's promise and -the forty pieces of gold with which he had hoped to bribe him into an -easy parting with his child. He turned to the bewildered Smâyâtee, and -said: "Come hither, girl." But as she only looked at him, and made no -attempt to go nearer, he added: "One thing is certain; this old fool, -thy father, is still drunk, and knows not his mind; he sold you to me -last night, and now he refuses, saying the gods forbid it." - -[Illustration: A YOUNG SIAMESE NOBLEMAN.] - -Smâyâtee turned from the duke to her father, her look changing from -incredulity to surprise, from surprise to anguish, while the duke -continued: "Now it is you who must decide for him; shall I hand him -over to the royal judges to be tried and executed for the crime he is -accused of, or will you consent to be my slave for life? I will make -you rich and happy, and I will give him this gold, and he shall return -in safety to his home." - -He uttered these sentences in a loud, harsh voice, very different from -that in which he had spoken to her a few minutes before. - -When he had finished, the crowd cheered the speech. - -The girl looked at them, and, not knowing why, began to cry. - -This exasperated the duke. - -He blew a small silver whistle; instantly a hand of armed men entered -the hall, and he gave orders that the prisoner should be conveyed to -the supreme court to be tried for attacking the chief officer of the -royal guard, with intent to murder him, while he was on duty. - -At this instant the girl seemed to take her resolution; she crawled -up to the savage duke's feet, laid her head down upon them and kissed -them, saying: "I consent to be thy slave, my lord. O, give not my -father up to the king's officers." - -The duke countermanded his orders. - -"Yes," said she, her face suddenly transfigured, beaming with the -twofold radiance of beauty and nobility of soul, "strike off his -chains, and let him go free, dear, good lord." - -There were no longer any arms being pricked with lancet-shaped needles. -There were no longer any scribes enrolling the people's names. There -were only fixed eyes, listening ears, and beatings of sympathetic -hearts. The crowd was dimly conscious of the sublimity of the act; -they were thrilled, awed, as much by her beauty as by the simplicity of -her heroic self-sacrifice. - -But Dhamaphat, who felt more deeply than the rest, noted how suddenly -she had overcome her horror, how readily she had sacrificed herself for -her father, and thought he saw in her face the effulgence of a heavenly -light. - -The order was given, and the Rajpoot was free. One final embrace, one -look of triumph and despair from the girl, and she was led away by some -female attendants. - -Rama disappeared in the crowd, regardless of the gold, and the paper -which his daughter had signed. - -The work of branding and enrolling went on again, and the red light of -the noonday sun shone upon the walls of the palace as if no young heart -had been broken within its halls that day. - -Dhamaphat left his work and went away, cursing the old priest, his -tutor, and himself, in the impotency of his rage and sorrow. - - - - -CHAPTER XII. - -THE INTERIOR OF THE DUKE CHOW P'HAYA MÂNDTREE'S HAREM. - - -Every harem is a little world in itself, composed entirely of -women,--some who rule, others who obey, and those who serve. Here -disinterestedness vanishes out of sight. Each one is for herself. -They are nearly all young women, but they have the appearance of -being slightly blighted. Nobody is too much in earnest, or too much -alive, or too happy. The general atmosphere is that of depression. -They are bound to have no thought for the world they have quitted, -however pleasant it may have been; to ignore all ties and affections; -to have no care but for one individual alone, and that the master. -But if you became acquainted with some of these very women under -favorable conditions,--very rare, however,--you might gather glimpses -of recollections of the outer world, of earlier life and strong -affections, of hearts scarred and disfigured and broken, of suppressed -sighs and unuttered sobs, that would dispose you to melancholy -reflections and sad forebodings, and, if you were by nature tender, -to shedding of tears. Their dress and manners often betray all sorts -of peculiarities, and yet all is harmonious outwardly. They are -unconscious of the terrible defacement they have undergone. Yet it -sometimes happens that this same little world has its greatness, and -always when a woman becomes a mother her life changes; she passes from -the ignoble to the noble; then she becomes pure, worthy, honorable. - -The wall that surrounded the duke's palaces and temples enclosed -also about five hundred houses, with gardens and artificial lakes and -fountains and aviaries. Most of the houses were built of solid masonry, -with here and there a theatre of carved wood; the streets were narrow, -and the covered bazaars in no way remarkable except for the shops of -female jewellers, gold and silversmiths. All the palaces and temples -faced the river. The oldest Hindoo temple stood here, beside a Buddhist -temple and monastery, from which the priests who officiated in the -duke's household were supplied. The most remarkable edifice, however, -was the duke's tower, or summer-house, of four lofty stories, opening -all round into arches, made entirely of carved wood, and richly gilt. -It commanded a magnificent view of the river, and overlooked more than -one half of the city of Bangkok. When you mount the highest chamber, -you open your eyes upon a scene too solemnly and mysteriously beautiful -to be adequately described. You seem to be midway in the air, looking -down upon a city of temples and palaces, gardens, lakes, minarets, -pagodas and p'hra-chai-dees; thousands of boats glide noiselessly over -the silver floor that winds on forever. The great height hushes out -even the joyous voices that are hushed nowhere else. In the gloom at -the upper end of the river many a boatman, perched on the prow of his -boat, seems like the Angel of Death guiding some helpless passenger to -the silent shore. And overhead the sky looks like some blue door, such -as must lead straight into heaven. - -In every ducal or royal harem there are a great many buildings designed -and built for the express purpose of training and educating the women, -and every girl has to go through certain forms and observances before -she is admitted among the favored ones. - -The female teachers, physicians, and judges, who are placed over them, -generally receive a careful professional education,--the best the -country can supply. Mere children are often taken into these places and -trained to be actresses, dancers, musicians, and singers. - -Every department has a superintendent, who is generally a lady of high -rank, and is responsible to the duke only. - -The mode of teaching in the schools is peculiar; no books are used by -the pupils, who are placed in rows, with female officers in attendance -to administer the rattan in all cases of inattention. The teacher -either reads or sings the first line of a poem, or plays the first bar -of an air; the head pupil repeats it after her, and so on to the last -girl in the class; then all together, until they have learned it by -heart. Dancing and gymnastics are taught in the same way. - -Often a hundred different airs and poems are committed to memory by -very young girls, who are thus converted into walking libraries. - -Smâyâtee was led into the adytum of the duke's palace, conducted to a -small chamber, and left there; while her guards betook themselves to -their dinner. Very soon, the rumor of her great beauty having spread, -nearly all the lovely girls in the harem rushed in to get a glimpse -of her; but finding her closely veiled, and that no persuasion could -prevail with her to uncover her face, they gradually departed, one -young woman only remaining behind, sitting apart in silent sympathy. - -After a while two female physicians came in, talking in low tones one -to the other. They then proceeded to question the girl, and to all of -their questions she returned modest replies; after they were satisfied -they bade her unrobe, which she did with some little hesitancy. When -she laid aside her veil, her eyes met those of her silent visitor; an -indescribable something beamed from every feature of the stranger, -and they became friends. The physicians then examined the girl, just -as if she were an animal; having finished their inventory of her -perfections and imperfections, they dropped a few pleasant words, and -departed. Smâyâtee had no sooner dressed herself and taken her place -close to her new friend, and they had in the brief moment exchanged -names, when another batch of women appeared, and told her to follow -them. She rose, and went out, holding her new friend's hand. After -passing through a dark and silent street, they brought her to a marble -building, with baths and fountains all round it. Here she was again -told to undress, and take her place on a marble couch. With her eyes -she pleadingly besought her friend to stay, who did so, seated, leaning -against a pillar. The bathers then anointed Smâyâtee's person with a -fragrant preparation; when she was completely besmeared they suspended -their labors, in order to let the stuff dry on the poor girl, who -knew no more what was going to be done to her than if she had been a -little kitten; and as she sat there, her skin glowing and her heart -palpitating, she heard herself discussed by the bathers, whose language -she only partially understood. But she heard enough to realize the life -in store for herself. After half an hour they seized her again, rubbed -off briskly the dried paste, and showered buckets of hot and cold water -upon her. Another set of women now took charge of the poor girl, and -dressed her in beautiful silk robes, like those worn by the Loatian -women of high rank. Her hair was combed, perfumed, and ornamented -with flowers, finally she was conducted to a pretty little house, -luxuriously fitted up, and left in the charge of a number of female -slaves. - -Smâyâtee now wore a new veil of Indian gauze, but she would rather have -kept the old one. She cowered down in a corner, and laid her tired head -in the lap of her new friend, who began patting and soothing her, -without uttering a single word. - -Most girls, as soon as they have overcome the horror which such a -life must naturally inspire in the young and enthusiastic, begin to -calculate on their chances of promotion to the highest place in the -harem. - -As for Smâyâtee, no thought but of escape presented itself to her mind; -her nature was too wild and untamed to be flattered by the luxuries -that now surrounded her; she looked upon them only as so many fetters. -All kinds of wild plans for running away took violent possession of -her brain; but the soothing influence of the bath, combined with the -exhaustion of the day, overcame her, and she was soon sound asleep. - - - - -CHAPTER XIII. - -A NIGHT OF MYSTERIES. - - -Mai Chandra, Smâyâtee's new friend, redoubled her tenderness and -sisterly love for the poor, forlorn girl when she found that she -was asleep. As midnight approached, she gently placed her head on a -cushion, and then went home to her supper, deeply in love with the -beautiful stranger. - -The Duke Chow P'haya Mândtree's pavilion was thronged, as usual, with -courtiers and nobles. All manner of attractions and diversions were -there. The duke himself, partly intoxicated, sat amidst them, boasting -of the rare purchase he had made that day: "She is so beautiful," said -he to one of his boon companions, "that she inspires me as this glass -of English brandy does." And he filled and refilled the jewelled goblet -out of which he drank. - -This man, in his whole person, was a type of many who may be seen any -day in Siam,--a human being sunk in the lowest depths of sensualism -and savage barbarity. From his hair, which was a dull gray, his -wrinkled brow, his livid lips and watery eyes, there breathed forth an -atmosphere which would have repelled even the mother who bore him. - -At one time it was his intention to have Smâyâtee brought into the -pavilion, that his friends might judge of her beauty; but, with his -faculties already greatly enfeebled by the immoderate use of English -brandy, he forgot his purpose. - -At length the distant sounds of trumpets, conch-shells, and the -ringing of multitudinous pagoda-bells proclaimed the last hour of -day,--i.e. midnight. The nobles, courtiers, and friends retired and -some elderly female attendants appeared; to them the duke gave orders -to have the new slave-girl conducted to the upper story of his summer -tower. - -The day had been hot and sultry; no clouds were to be seen, except low -on the eastern horizon, where they stretched in lengthened ridges of -gold and purple, like the border between earth and sky. - -As the women departed on their mission, a dark, heavy mass of clouds -rose in the black outline of the distant hills. A sudden gust of wind, -in fits and starts and snatches, came sweeping up the river, and tossed -its waters wildly against the banks; then flashed incessant lightnings, -and the winds rang and roared as though they heralded with joy the -coming thunder-storm. Suddenly the moon was blurred with clouds, -and the tempest raged outright. In the midst of the storm the poor -terrified girl was roused from her slumbers, led to the lofty chamber, -and left alone, while the attendants retired to one of the little -alcoves to be in waiting. - -Rama--who had that day made a circuit of the walls, and had promenaded -every nook and corner in the vain hope of finding some means of -getting, unseen, into the duke's palace, had hired a boat, and was -sailing wildly up and down the river in front of it, laying desperate -plans of finding his daughter and carrying her off at any risk and -peril--was at the same moment, by one mighty sweep of the water, dashed -on the banks that bounded on one side the gardens and temples of the -palace. He staggered to his feet, and raised his head to the dreadful -sky. A sudden flash of lightning revealed the gilded top of the lofty -summer tower and the tapering summits of the Buddhist and Hindoo -temples. - -With a dreadful purpose burning in his heart, he walked straight on -to the latter building, which was dimly lighted, and stood open as if -inviting him to take shelter under its sacred roof. He entered. Happy -memories, every sweet emotion he had known, came crowding upon him, as -he once more recognized, in the partial darkness, the faint outlines of -the images of his long-forgotten gods, Dâvee and Indra and Dhupiyâ. - -There is compensation in all things. He had lost his child, and found -his gods. Joy and sorrow are bound up in every event of life,--even -as opposite poles are inseparable in the magnet. The pity is that the -night of trouble is at times so dark that the interwoven gold with -which Providence relieves the woof of calamity remains undiscovered. - -Thus it was with Rama; there was joy and sorrow in his heart as he -bowed before the gods of his fathers, but there was hatred and revenge -there too, mingled with dark and bloody thoughts. - -"Life is now a useless gift, an insupportable burden," groaned Rama. - -In how many lives there lurks a hidden romance or a hidden terror. No -one was near to mark the secret workings of this terrible man's nature. -He recalled his home on the hills of Orissa, the yearly sacrifice that -his fathers had been wont to offer up on Dâvee's altar, and he suddenly -resolved that he would himself be the sacrifice to his long-forgotten -and neglected gods. - -Only one person could have saved him from his rash purpose, and she was -sitting up there alone, midway between earth and heaven. He slowly drew -out from his cumberbund a glittering knife, and his expression became -exultant as he felt its sharp edge. - -Not all the gods, not all the love-lit eyes, not all the hills of -Orissa, can move him from his purpose now. He laid the knife upon the -altar, and cried aloud to the insatiable Earth Goddess. - -"O Dâvee, thou hast been unworshipped for years; multitudes crowd thy -sister temples, but thine they pass unnoticed by. Behold my child now -in the grasp of the spoiler. Defend, preserve her, that her honor may -shine bright among men, and I will pour out to thee the life of my -heart. Drink of my blood, and be revenged on the defiler of my house -and my race." - -Then, snatching up the knife, he waved it thrice over his head, and -thrust it into his side. Leaning forward, he tried to picture his -child's face, but could not for the light that love threw around her, -and the mist that death wrapped round him; he drew nearer to his -childhood's God, and, drawing out the knife, fell down at its feet, -turning up his face to it, reverently, lovingly; and there was joy--joy -of conscious strength, of victory--mingling with the life-blood of the -heart that was fast flowing away forever. - -It is two o'clock. The night is changed. The storms and clouds and -darkness are all dispersed. The blue sky has thrown aside her veils, -and the moon rides serenely in limitless range, undimmed by a single -fleck of cloud. The very air breathes sweetness and perfume and peace. - -But of all the mysteries of the night there is one yet to be solved. - -Smâyâtee still sits on one of the sills of the arches in the topmost -chamber of the summer tower, nearest to where the women have retired -out of sight. She hears them whispering. She hears, too, some one -slowly mounting the stairs; the footsteps are heavy, and sound like -those of an aged man. She looks around to see if there is any way by -which she may escape. The tower has but a single spiral stairway. -She remains still and motionless. In a few minutes the sound of the -footsteps comes nearer; through the archway opposite, the tottering -figure of a dark, heavy man enters and approaches her. In the dim light -she looks up at him with a terror-stricken, pleading face, daring -neither to breathe nor speak; she shrinks away to the other side, where -the women are in waiting. The duke, rather admiring her coyness, laughs -a drunken laugh, and attempts to follow her. In crossing the threshold -he stumbles. In trying to recover his footing he is thrown back. His -head strikes violently against a massive gold spittoon. - -A wild cry, and Smâyâtee rushes from her hiding-place, springs across -the prostrate figure, down the flights of stairs, and through the -labyrinths of flowering shrubs and plants, to hide herself beside a low -tank of water. - -The attendants and slaves who were lying around heard wild cries for -help proceeding from the summer tower, and hurried to the spot with -lamps and lanterns. All the piazzas, streets, gardens, and avenues are -alive with anxious faces and inquiring looks. - -The duchess's fears are aroused. She too summons her maidens with their -lanterns, and sets out for the tower. - -Suddenly she stops. - -A few steps from her she sees an object dressed in bright colors, -crouching in a pool of rain-water by the tank. She stooped to -scrutinize the figure, and found it was that of a young and strange -girl. She bent over her again, and said, gently, "Why art thou hiding -here, my child?" - -"I am afraid of him, dear lady," replied the girl, pointing to the -lofty chamber. - -"Afraid! art thou, indeed?" said she, a little coldly, remembering the -news of the day; "didst thou not sell thyself to the duke in spite of -thy father's wishes?" - -"O yes, I did, dear lady," replied Smâyâtee; "but--" and she began to -cry bitterly, and could not say another word for her tears and sobs. - -The true woman triumphed in the "wife," for she put out her arms, -and raised the forlorn stranger to her bosom, and comforted her with -such words as women who have great and loving hearts only can. Then, -confiding her to the tender care of her own women, she went on her way -to find out the meaning of those dreadful cries. - -Nai Dhamaphat, who had been watching in sadness and despair the -marvellous expression of Nature's tears and smiles, was the first to -mount the spiral staircase, to find his father in the last agonies of -death. He takes him up gently, with the assistance of the women, and -places him on his luxurious couch. - -The duke is dead. - -Everything is forgotten. He sees the pale face of the duchess, his -mother, that silent woman, and, catching a glimpse of the bitter sorrow -of that patient soul, who was so worthy of his father's love in her -right of youth and beauty,--the foremost to love him, the last and only -woman of all those whom he had wronged to mourn him,--he bows his head -and weeps. The son and the mother are drawn closer than ever. They two -had suffered in silence apart. Now they sorrowed together. - - - - -CHAPTER XIV. - -"WEEPING MAY ENDURE FOR A NIGHT, BUT JOY COMETH IN THE MORNING." - - -A year has passed since the occurrence of the fearful events here -related. - -The river in front of the palace is thronged with a numerous procession -of gayly gilded boats and barges. - -It is the morning after the cremation of the Duke Chow P'haya Mândtree. - -The king, with sixty or more nobles and princes of the land, all armed -and in regal attire, presides in the grand hall of the late duke's -palace. - -The duchess and her two sons, and a fair sprinkling of Siamese ladies -and children, are here assembled. A vast number of serfs, soldiers, -pages, and women are in waiting. - -Around the deep embrasure formed by the windows in the massive wall, -there ran a low seat, the space thus occupied being raised as a kind of -dais above the general level of the floor. Here were seated on either -side of the wall the principal officers, male and female, of the duke's -household, headed by the priests of Brahma and of Buddha, who were to -play a part in the important drama of the day. - -The hall is hung with tapestry of the most original design, for the -birds and beasts and flowers which are pictured there had surely never -prototypes, unless in some lost geological formation, though patterns -very like them seemed to be unanimously adopted as models by all the -fair embroideresses of Siam. - -In the middle of the dais were two ducal chairs of state. On one was -seated a young girl, very closely veiled, on the other the young duke, -now Chow P'haya Dhamaphat; over them is spread a canopy of white -muslin, decorated with the sweetest white flowers. - -The girl, beneath her white veil, thinks it all perfection, and her -eyes light up, and her cheeks burn, and her heart beats in perplexing -fashion; and Dhamaphat believes that he alone holds the key to the -temple of Elysium. - -It is one of those rare occasions when the whole assembly is rapt in -the regions of fancy. - -The old priest, P'hra Chow Sâduman is there too, and he often raises -his eyes in admiration, and his heart in prophecy of a propitious -marriage. At length he begins the grand, old, harmonious nuptial chant, -and all the priests of Buddha and of Brahma join in sonorous concert, -and through the canopy over the happy couple the typical waters of -consecration, in which had been previously infused certain leaves and -shrubs emblematic of purity, sweetness, and usefulness, are gently -showered. - -And now Smâyâtee's earnest friend, Mai Chandra, with her tender -mother-in-law, the duchess, conduct her, all dripping, by a screened -passage, to a chamber magnificently appointed, where she is divested of -her former apparel, and arrayed in robes becoming her now lofty station. - -Then Chow P'haya Dhamaphat is ushered in. At the moment of his entrance -Smâyâtee rises to throw herself at his feet, according to the custom of -the country; but he prevents her, embraces her in the European manner, -and presents her, standing upright by his side, to his relatives, with -which the ceremony for the day terminates. - -There is a general move towards the gateway by which P'hra Chow Sâduman -is to pass. All, even the king, press to the front and fall on their -knees to ask his blessing. He blesses them in a broken voice; he is -strangely moved to-day. - -Yet another year, and in this same palace nowhere will you find a -trace of either Dhamaphat, Smâyâtee, or the gentle duchess. A younger -brother fills his place, and is lord over all, following closely in the -footsteps of his late father. - -Far away, near the suburbs of Bijree Puree, i.e. the Diamond City, -stands a lovely little cottage, where the ex-duke, his mother, and his -sweet wife reside. He has freely resigned all the splendor and state of -his position for the quiet and peace of a country life; and nothing is -wanting here. The grand old trees are dressed in tender green, and the -bright sun touches with its golden-yellow light every nook and corner -of the lovely scene around. - -The cottage within is furnished partly in the European and partly in -the Oriental style. There are here no slaves, but hired servants, who -have an air of freedom, loyalty, and comfort about them very delightful -to witness. - -In an inner chamber is Smâyâtee, rocking a little boy to sleep in a -rude Laotian crib, with a mystic Hindoo triform suspended over it,--she -cannot make up her mind to put him into the European cradle which -stands close by; she fears some secret evil influence may lurk about -its pretentious aspect,--and the boy, with his finger in his mouth, -looks at his mother as if he felt she was divinely beautiful, and could -not bring himself to shut his dreamy eyes for the light upon her face. - -[Illustration: SMÂYÂTEE.] - -Nai Dhamaphat has become a convert to the Roman Catholic faith, but his -pagan wife cannot be persuaded to forsake the gods who have brought her -so much happiness, to whom her father sacrificed his brave life, and -therefore she has raised an altar in her nursery to Dâvee and Dhupiyâ -and Indra. Her father's ashes, too, rest here in a golden pagoda; -but with the true, loving, tender veneration of her womanly nature, -she has exalted over them all, in a niche on either side of the altar, -an image of the Christ, and another of the Virgin Mary with her infant -Son in her arms. These, in their symmetry and beauty, are to her the -most beautiful of the gods upon her altar. In those porcelain images of -the Christ, and the Mother with her tiny Infant, she feels that there -is something higher, purer, loftier, than in the forms of her own dear -gods, and she bows in worship, and trembles at the height to which her -thoughts of that Mother and her Son elevate her soul. - -Her religion, you can see at a glance, is not a gloomy one like that -of her ancestors. There is a smile all over the chamber, and happiness -all over her sweet face. Loving everything in her purity, worshipping -everything in her humility, morning and evening she raises her eyes -and her heart from those sombre old gods of hers to the tender ones of -her husband; and this quiet pagan city has never before been lighted -up with such a gleam of heaven upon earth as when her evening prayer -bursts into song:-- - - "To Thee are all my acts, my days, - And all my lore, and all my praise, - My food, my gifts, my sacrifice, - And all my helplessness and cries. - Dâvee! leave my spirit free, - And thy pure soul bequeath to me - Unshackled. Let me in thine essence share, - Let me dwell in thee forever, - And thou, O Dâvee! dwell in me." - - - - -CHAPTER XV. - -THE FAVORITE OF THE HAREM. - - -The morning on which his Majesty set out on his annual visit to -Pitchaburee was one of those which occur in the climate of Siam at -almost any season of the year, but are seen in their perfection only in -October. The earth, air, and sky seemed to bask in a glory of sunlight -and beauty, and everything that had life gave signs of perfect and -tranquil enjoyment. Not a sound broke the stillness, and there seemed -nothing to do but to sit and watch the long shadows sleeping on the -distant hills, and on the warm golden fields of waving corn. - -Reluctantly quitting my window, I turned my steps toward the palace, -leaving all this beauty behind me in a kind of despair; not that my -temple school-room was not in itself a delicious retreat, but that it -always impressed me with a feeling I could never analyze; when there, -it seemed as if I were removed to some awful distance from the world I -had known, and were yet more remotely excluded from any participation -in its real life. - -Taking out my book, I sat down to await the coming of such of my pupils -as might not have accompanied the king on his visit. - -In the course of an hour, only one presented herself; she was a young -woman called Choy, a fair and very handsome girl of about twenty -summers, or perhaps not so many, with regular features,--a very rare -thing in a Siamese woman; but the great beauty of her face was in her -large lustrous eyes, which were very eloquent, even in their seeming -indifference. Her hair, which was so long that when unbound it -covered her whole person, even to her feet, was tied in a large knot -behind, and ornamented with the jessamine and Indian myrtle. She had a -careless, and I might almost say even a wicked, expression in her face, -which was slightly marked with the smallpox. - -Choy was the youngest sister of the head wife (or concubine) Thieng, -and had been my pupil for about six months. This morning she brought -me a flower; it was a common wild-flower, that grew up everywhere in -great profusion, making a lovely carpet, blossoming as it did in every -nook and crevice of the stone pavements within the palace. It was just -like her to snatch up the first thing that attracted her, and then to -give it away the very next moment. But I received it with pleasure, and -made a place for her at my side. She seemed to be out of humor, and, -jerking herself impatiently into the seat, said abruptly: "Why don't -you despise me, as all the rest of them do?" Then, without waiting for -an answer, she went on to say: "I can't be what you wish me to be; I'm -not coming to school any more! Here's my book! I don't want it, I hate -English!" - -"Why, Choy, what is the matter?" I inquired. - -"I am tired of trying to do so much; I am not going to learn English -any more," she replied. - -"Don't say so, Choy," I said, kindly; "you can't do everything at once; -you must learn by degrees, and little by little, you know. No one grows -good or clever at once." - -"But I won't learn any more, even to grow good and clever. There's no -use, no one will ever care for me or love me again. I wish they had let -me die that time," she continued. "Bah! I could kill that stupid old -consul who saved my life. It were better to be quartered, and cast to -the crows and vultures, than to live here. Every one orders me about -as if I were a slave, and treats me like a dog. I wish I could drown -myself and die." - -"But, Choy, you are here now, and you must try to bear it more bravely -than you do," I said, not fully understanding the passionate nature of -the woman. - -"Mam," she said, suddenly, laying her hand upon my arm, "what would you -do if you were in my place and like me?" - -"Like you, Choy? I don't quite understand you; you must explain -yourself before I can answer you." - -"Listen, then," she said, passionately, "and I will tell you." - -"When I was hardly ten years old,--O, it seems such a long, long time -ago!--my mother presented me, her favorite child, as a dancing-girl, to -his Majesty. I was immediately handed over to that vicious old woman, -Khoon Som Sak, who was at that time the chief teacher of the dramatic -art in the palace. She is very clever, and knows all the ancient epic -poems by heart, especially the Rāmāyānā, which his Majesty delighted to -see dramatized. - -"Under her tuition we were subjected to the most rigorous training, -mentally and physically; we were compelled to leap and jump, to twist -and contort our bodies, and bend our arms, fingers, and ankles in every -direction, till we became so supple that we were almost like young -canes of rattan, and could assume any posture the old hag pleased. -Then we had to learn long passages from all sorts of poets by heart, -with perfect correctness, for if we ever forgot even a single word, -or did not put it in its right place, we were severely beaten. What -with recitations, singing, dancing, playing, and beating time with our -feet, we had a hard life of it; and it was no play for our instructress -either, for there were seventy of us girls to be initiated into all -the mysteries of the Siamese drama. - -"At length, with some half-dozen of my companions, I was pronounced -perfect in the art, and was permitted to enter my name among the envied -few who played and danced and acted before the king. - -"I would not have you think that the tasks imposed upon me were always -irksome, or that I have always felt so depressed and unworthy as I do -now. The study of the poets, and above all of the Rāmāyānā, opened to -me a new world as it were; and it was a great gain to have even this, -with the half-smothered yearning for life in the outer world that it -inspired. It helped me to live in a world of my own creation, a world -of love, music, and song. Rama was my hero, and I imagined myself the -fair and beautiful Sita, his wife. I particularly delighted to act that -part of the poem describing Rama's expedition to Lanka[9] to rescue -Sita from the tyrant Râwânâ, and their delicious meeting in the garden, -where Rama greets her with those beautiful lines,-- - - 'O, what joy! abundant treasures - I have won again to-day, - O, what joy! Of Sita Yanee[10] - Now the hard-won prize is mine. - - O, what joy! again thou livest, within this breast. - So mighty, armed with love, and with the wealth of heaven beyond[11] - Soon shall Sita, Indara's fairest daughter, - Stand by my side, as stands her matchless mother, - Aspārā, in heaven refulgent by the great Indara.' - -"My face is slightly pock-marked I know; but when painted and dressed -in the court jewels I looked remarkably well as Sita, with my hair -floating away over my shoulders and down to my feet, bound only by an -exquisite crown of gold, such as Sita is supposed to have worn. On -the very first occasion of my performing before the king I had to take -part in this drama. As soon as we had got through the first scene, the -king inquired my name and age. This set my heart beating in great wild -throbs all through the rest of the play. But after this weeks passed -by, and I heard nothing more from his Majesty. He had forgotten me. - -"I grew tired of reciting, and keeping time, and singing my sweetest -songs for no one's amusement but that of the old hag, who made me work -like a slave for the benefit of the rest of her pupils. - -"I began to wish there would be some great _fête_ outside of the -palace, where all the court, nobles and princes, and the king, would -assemble, and where I could act Sita and sing like Narawèke,[12] and -dance like Thawadee.[13] - -"Then father and mother might see me too, and O, how pleased they would -be! I thought. You do not know how dull it is to be acting before -women, and with women only, dressed in robes of kings and princesses. -If it were only a real king, or a prince, or even a noble, it would not -be quite so bad; but all that mockery of love, bah! it is too stupid. -I was sick of my life. I wished mother had kept me at home, instead of -Chand. I could then have done just what I had a mind to, and have been -just as gay and idle as she was. - -"Well! the day came at last. I was all but sixteen when that great and -eventful day arrived. The _fête_ was in honor of the king's grandson's -hair-cutting. - -"Though I had performed several times at the court, his Majesty had -taken no further notice of me, and I was sorely discontented with -myself, piqued at the indifference of the king, and enraged against the -old ladies, who seized every opportunity to snub me, and take down my -pride, declaring that a pock-marked face was not a fit offering for the -king. - -"The longed-for day arrived at length. How elated I was! I had to -represent the character of the wondrously beautiful Queen Thèwâdee -in one of those ancient dramas of Maha Nagkhon Watt, whose beauty is -said to have entranced even the wild beasts of the forest, so that -they forgot to seize upon their prey as her shadow passed near them. -My dress was of magnificent silk and gold, covered with precious gems; -my crown was an antique and lovely coronet, one that had graced the -brows of the queens of Cambodia. It was richly studded with rubies -and diamonds. The first day of my rehearsal in this costume, all my -companions declared that I looked enchantingly beautiful, that my -fortune was made, and that, if I would only look and act thus, I -could not fail to captivate the king. The bare idea of being elevated -above my hateful old teacher, and above some of the proud women who -domineered over me, half intoxicated me. In this mood I began to -realize my future as already at hand, and, growing impatient with my -doubts and fears, I sought at nightfall a crafty old female astrologer -named Khoon Hate Nah. She took me into a dark and dismal cell -underground, and, putting her ear to my side, numbered the pulsation of -my heart for a whole hour; she then bound my eyes, and bade me select -one of the dark books that lay around me. This done, she expounded to -me my whole future, out of her mysterious book of fate, in which all -my romantic visions of greatness were as clearly predicted as if the -old fiend himself had revealed to her my secret and innermost thoughts. -I was troubled only at one part of the old woman's revelations, which -said, that, though I was destined to rise to the greatest honors in -the realm, a certain malignant star which would greatly influence my -destiny would be in ascendency during the month of Duenjee,[14], and -that if I neglected to pass the whole of that period in deep fasting, -prayer, and meditation, I should sink at once from the highest pinnacle -of my grandeur into the lowest and most terrible abyss. - -"I resolved that I would fast and pray for that entire month every year -of my life. How I wish now that I had never consulted the old hag, -because my confidence in her predictions made me proud and defiant to -the old duennas, who are now my bitterest enemies! - -"Alas! dear father and mother. It were better to have cast your -daughter Choy into the Mèinam than to have given her to amuse a king. - -"On the day of the _fête_, I awoke at five o'clock in the morning, and -began anointing my person with the perfumes and unguents provided for -us at the king's expense. I then spent the rest of the forenoon in -making my hair glossy and lustrous, which I did by rubbing it with the -oil of the doksarathe.[15] How I gloried and exulted to see it floating -away in long shining masses, waving over my shoulders and covering my -feet! The afternoon came, and with it the old hags bearing my dress and -the costly jewels I was to appear in. They opened the box and laid them -before me. I had never seen anything so beautiful. The boxes absolutely -sparkled like the stars of heaven in one blaze of light and beauty. - -"When I saw these jewels I was seized with a fit of temporary madness. -I could not help skipping and dancing in a sort of frenzy about my -chamber, saying all sorts of absurd things and foretelling my future -triumphs. My slave-women looked on amazed at the wildness of my -spirits; and as for the old women who had the care of robing me for the -evening, they were wrathful and silent. - -[Illustration: A ROYAL ACTRESS.] - -"We were all ready at last. A small gilt chariot of a tower-like form, -made of ivory and decorated with garlands and crowns of flowers, -drawn by a pair of milk-white ponies, and attended by Amazons dressed -superbly in green and gold, conveyed me, as the Queen Thèwâdee, to the -grand hall where we were to perform. My companions, similarly attended, -followed me on foot. His Majesty, the princes, and princesses, -surrounded by all the courtiers, were already there. The king and royal -family were seated on a raised dais under a tapering golden canopy. - -"The moment the king saw me approach, my ponies led gently forward -by Amazons, he rose and, before the whole court of lords and nobles -and princes assembled, inquired my name of one of the duennas. -This recalled me once more to his memory, for he said aloud, 'Ah! -we remember, she is the one who dances so beautifully.' O, what a -moment of triumph that was for me! I felt as if my heart in its wild, -ecstatic throbs would burst through its gorgeous fetters of silk and -gold. I rose up in my chariot and bowed low before him three times. -'But, how now!' he exclaimed angrily, looking around; 'where are the -nobles who are to lead the ponies? Let those Amazons fall back to -the right and left.' In an instant there emerged from the crowd two -most distinguished-looking noblemen, dressed in flowing white robes, -threaded with gold and sparkling with gems; they took their places -beside the ponies on either side of my chariot. One was P'haya[16] -Râtani, the other was a stranger to me. - -"They did homage to me, as if I were a real queen, and stationed -themselves at my ponies' heads. - -"At this moment I was saluted with a burst of music and the curtain -fell. P'haya Râtani bent his head close to mine and whispered, -'How beautiful thou art!' I turned a frowning look upon him for his -presumption, and replied, 'Have a care, my lord, a word from me may -be too much for thee'; but he immediately assumed so humble and -penitent an expression that I forgave him. I was both flattered and -piqued, however, at the other nobleman's conduct; for though he looked -admiringly at me, he said not a word. I would have given my eyes if it -had been he who said I was beautiful; for there was a majesty of youth, -strength, and manly beauty about him that made a blinding radiance -around my chariot, and excited an oblivious rapture in my heart. I -panted, I was athirst, for one word of recognition from him. At length -I became so vexed at his silence that I asked him what he was looking -at. He replied more cautiously than his companion, 'Lady, I thought -that I beheld an angel of light, but thy voice recalls me to the earth -again.' - -"I was so enraptured at this speech, that I could hardly contain -myself. A flood of delight swept over me, my breast heaved, my -eyes glowed, my lips parted, my color came and went through the -maize-colored cream that covered my face and concealed my only -deformity. - -"When the curtain rose, I, with this new life rushing through my veins, -looked triumphantly at the troop of my companions who did me homage. -This new existence made me so joyous that I must have been beautiful. -Thus inspired I acted my part so wondrously well that a deep murmur -of applause ran throughout the hall. His Majesty's eyes were riveted -upon me in startled astonishment and evident admiration. I acted my -part with a keen sense of its reality, and gave utterance to the -burning passion of my heart. As if I were really a queen, I commanded -my courtiers to drive away the suitors who wooed me, declaring that -anything beneath royalty would stain my queenly dignity and beauty. - -"But when the banished prince, my lover, appeared, I rose hastily from -my gilded and ivory chariot, and with my hair floating round my form -like a deep lustrous veil, through which the gems on my robe shone out -like glorious stars of a dark night, I laid myself, like the lotus-stem -uprooted, prostrate at his feet. I pronounced his name in the most -tender accents. I improvised verses even more passionate than those -contained in the drama:-- - - 'Instantly I knew my lord, as the heat betrays the fire, - When through the obscuring earth unclouded - Shining out thou didst appear - Worthy of all joy; my soul is wrung with rapture, - And it quivers in thy presence, as the lotus petals before a mighty wind.' - -"The courtiers raised me up from the floor, and led me back to the -chariot. The prince, who was no other than 'Murakote,' took his, or -more properly her, place beside me, and the curtain fell. The play was -over. With nothing but the memory of a look, I returned to my now still -more dismal rooms. I disrobed myself of all my glittering ornaments -with a sigh, bound up my long, shining hair, and sat down to enjoy -the only happiness left me,--my proud, swelling thoughts. I was just -losing myself in soft, delicious reveries, which illuminated as with a -celestial light the whole world within me, when I observed a couple of -old duennas, who came fawning upon me, caressing and praising me, while -telling me that his Majesty had ordered that I should be in attendance -in his supper-chamber that evening. - -"I listened in mute pain. The power of the new passion that now -filled my heart seemed to defy all authority, and the very thing for -which I had so long worked and longed had become valueless and as -nothing to me. But I dared not excuse myself, so I silently followed -my conductresses, and for the first time in my life ascended to his -Majesty's private supper-chamber. - -"How changed I was! that which had been my sole ambition ever since I -was ten years old came down upon me with a gush of woe that I could -hardly have believed myself capable of feeling. - -"I sat down to await the coming of the king; but I could have plucked -out the heart that had rushed so madly on, casting its young life -away at the feet of a man whose name even I did not know, whose face -I had not seen till that day, but the tones of whose voice were still -sounding through and through my quivering pulses. - -"Well, my forehead, if not my heart, I laid at his Majesty's feet. 'I -am your slave, my lord,' said my voice, the sound of which startled my -own ears, so hollow and deceptive did it seem. - -"'Do you know how fascinating you were this evening?' said the king. -'Older by forty years than my father,' thought I, as, dissembling -still, I replied, 'Your slave does not know.' 'But you were, and I am -sure you deserve to be a queen,' he added, trying to play the gallant. -'My lord is too gracious to his slave,' I murmured. - -"'Why, Thieng!' he said, speaking to my eldest sister; 'why have you -hidden this beauty away from me so long? Let her not be called Choy[17] -any longer, but Chorm.'[18] I would weary you if I tried to tell you -how he praised and flattered me, and how before a week was over I was -the proudest woman in the palace. - -"I became a stranger to my dismal rooms in the street, to my -slave-women as well as to my companions. I lived entirely in his -Majesty's apartments, and it was only when he was asleep or in the -council hall that I rushed down to plunge into the lotus-lake or to -ramble in the rose-garden. But I never stopped to think. I would not -give my heart a moment to reflect, not a moment to the past, not a -moment to the future. I was intoxicated with the present. Every day -gifts rare and costly were brought to me from the king; I affected to -despise them, but he never relaxed his endeavors to suit my taste, to -match my hair and my complexion. The late proud, insolent favorite, -who used to order us girls about as if we were dogs, knelt before me, -as half from _ennui_ and half from coquetry I feigned illness and -inability to rise from my master's couch. I cannot tell you how well I -acted my part; I was more daring than any favorite had yet been. - -"In the tumult and excess of the passion I felt for a stranger, I was -able to make the king believe that he was himself its object; and he -was so flattered at my seeming admiration and devotion, that he called -me by the tender name 'Look' (child), and indulged me in all my whims -and fancies. - -"But at length I grew tired of so much acting, and the intensity of my -manner began to flag. I complained of illness in order to escape to my -own room, where I flung myself down upon my leather pillow, and drove -my teeth through and through it in the after-agony that my falseness -brought upon me. I was worn with woe, more than wasted by want of food. -My sister observed my paleness, and said, half in earnest and half in -jest: 'Don't take it so much to heart, child; we have all had our day; -it is yours now, but it can't last forever. Remember, there are other -dancing-girls growing up, and some of them are handsomer than you are.' - -"'What do you mean?' I retorted, fiercely; 'do you suppose I am -sorrowing because of my grandfather? Bah! take him, if you want him.' -'Hush, child,' she replied, 'and don't forget that you are in a lion's -den.' - -"'Lion or tiger,' I said, laughing bitterly, 'I mean to play with his -fangs, even if they tear my heart, until I am rich as you at least.' -'Do you, indeed?' she rejoined. 'Be quick, then, and give him a p'hra -ong.'[19] With that she left me to my own wild, bitter, maddening, -condemning self. - -"Months of triumph, rage, agony, and despair wore away, and my day was -not over I was acknowledged by all to be the wilful favorite 'Chorm.' -In the mean time I had one ray of comfort. I found out the name of -the man I loved, from a new slave-woman who had just entered into my -service. It was P'haya P'hi Chitt. That very day I took a needleful of -golden thread and worked the name into a scrap of silk which I made -into an amulet and wore round my neck. This greatly solaced me for a -little while, after which I began to crave something more. - -"The new slave-woman who had entered my service, just because I was -the favorite, seemed so kind and attentive, and was such a comfort to -me, whenever I rushed to my rooms for a respite, that I determined to -employ her in obtaining information of the outside world for me. 'Just -to beguile me of my weary hours,' I said. She seconded the idea with -great alacrity. 'To whose house shall I go first?' she inquired. 'O, -anywhere,' I replied, carelessly; then, as if suddenly remembering -myself, I said, 'O Boon, go to P'haya P'hi Chitt, and find out how the -groom of the Queen Thèwâdee lives in his harem.' - -"When she returned, which was close upon nightfall, I was impatient -to hear all she had to tell me; but after she had told me all, I -became more impatient and restless still. Her face lighted up as she -expatiated on the manly beauty of P'haya P'hi Chitt, and her voice -trembled slightly--she did it on purpose, I thought--as she went on -to say that ever since the day he had met the lovely Thèwâdee he had -become so changed, and had grown so melancholy, that all his dearest -friends and relatives began to fear some secret distemper, or that -some evil spirit had entered into him. This was ample food for me for -months. It comforted me to think that he shared my misery. - -"Then I drooped and languished once more, and began to long for some -more tangible token of his love for me. I grew bolder and bolder, and -the tender-hearted slave-woman sympathized with my passion for him. At -last I sent her out with a message to him. It contained but two words, -Kit-thung,[20] and he returned but two more, Rak-mak.[21] - -"All this while I still visited the king, and was often alone with him; -he continued to indulge me, giving me costly rings, betel-boxes, and -diamond pins for my hair. Every petition I made to him was granted. -Every woman in the palace stood in awe of me, not knowing how I might -use my power, and I was proud and wilful. My father was created a duke -of the second rank in the kingdom, my brothers were appointed governors -over lucrative districts. I had nothing left to wish for but a child. -If I had had a child, I might have been saved. A child only could have -subdued my growing passion, and given to my life a fairer blossom and a -richer fruit than it now bears. At last, I don't know what put it into -my head, but I began to solace myself by writing to P'haya P'hi Chitt -every day, and destroying the letters as soon as they were written. - -"My next step was to send one of these letters to him by Boon. He was -very bold, and it makes my heart ache even now to think how brave and -fearless he was. He wrote to me at once, and implored me in a depth -of anguish and in words as if on fire to disguise myself in Boon's -clothes, to quit the palace, and go out to meet him. I burnt the letter -as soon as I had learned it by heart. My heart was set on fire; and I -pondered over and over the proposition of my lover, until it became too -fascinating for me to resist much longer. - -"So I took Boon into greater confidence than ever, put a bag heavy -with silver into her hands, and, moreover, promised her her freedom if -she would assist me to escape. 'Keep the silver till I ask you for it, -lady,' she replied, 'but trust me to help you. I will do it with all my -heart.' - -"Her devotion and attachment surprised me. It could not have been -greater had she been my own sister. Poot-tho![22] could I have seen the -end I would have stopped there. I saw nothing but the face that had -kindled a blinding fire in my heart. - -"The faithful Boon served me but too well. It was all arranged that I -should go out at the Patoo-din[23] the next evening at sunset, with my -hair cut off, and disguised as Boon. P'haya P'hi Chitt was to be there -with a boat ready to convey us to Ayudia, and Boon was to remain behind -until the whole thing should have blown over. This last was her own -proposition. I tried in vain to urge her to accompany us in our flight. -She said it would be safer for us both to have a friend in the palace, -who could give us information of whatever took place. - -"In the agitation in which I wrote these last instructions to my -lover, I made so many blunders that I had to write the letter all over -again. Boon implored me to put no name to it, for we still feared some -discovery. I gave it, sealed with my ring, to Boon, who carried it off -in great delight; and I laid myself down upon my couch to dream of -an overflowing happiness. In the blessedness of the great love that -absorbed every feeling of my heart, I loved even the king, whom I had -most injured and deceived, with the loving devotion of a child. - -"In the midst of my ecstatic dreams I fell asleep, and dreamed a dream, -O, so different! As plainly as one sees in broad daylight, I saw myself -bound in chains, and P'haya P'hi Chitt flung down a dreadful precipice. - -"My chamber door was thrown rudely open, I was seized by cold hands, -harsh voices bade me rise, and I opened my eyes upon that woman who is -called by us Mai Taie.[24] There was Boon, tied hand and foot, lying -before my door. It was all over with us. 'If I could only save him,' -was my only thought. - -"They were putting chains on my hands, and jostling me about; for -so benumbed and prostrated was I at the sight of Boon that I could -not rise. I did not dare to ask her a single question for fear of -implicating ourselves all the more, when my sister Thieng rushed into -my room screaming, flung herself upon my bed, and clasped me around the -neck. - -"'Hush! sister,' I said. 'Make these women wait a little, and tell me -how they came to find it out.' - -"'O Choy, Choy!' she kept repeating, wringing her hands and moaning -piteously. - -"'Sister Thieng, do you hear me? I don't care what they do to me. I -only want to know how much you know, how much _he_ knows.' - -"'A copy of a letter you wrote to some nobleman was picked up about -an hour ago, and taken to the chief judge. She has laid it before the -king.' - -"Then, if that is all, he does not know the name,' I said with a sigh -of deep relief. - -"'Ah! But he'll find it out, sister,' said Thieng. 'Throw yourself -upon his mercy and confess all, for he still loves you, Choy. He would -hardly believe you had written the letter.' - -"'Has Boon said anything?' I next inquired. - -"'No, not a word, she is as silent as death,' said my sister. 'But -where did you get her? Who is she? She was taken on her return, because -you had mentioned your slave Boon in your letter. Now I must leave you -and go back to the king,' said my sister. Then, weeping and abusing -poor Boon, she went away. - -"Boon and I were chained and dragged to the same cell you visited the -other day. - -"As soon as we were left alone, I asked Boon if she had confessed -anything. 'No, my lady,' she replied with great energy, 'nothing in -this world will make me confess aught against P'haya P'hi Chitt.' At -the instant it flashed upon me that this woman, whoever she was, also -loved him, and I looked at her in a new light. She was young still, and -well formed, with small hands and feet, that told of gentle nurture. - -"'Boon, cha,'[25] said I, in great distress, 'who are you? Pray, tell -me, it is of no use to conceal anything from me now. Why are you so -happy to suffer with me? Any one else would have left me to die alone.' - -"'O my lady!' she began, folding her hands together as well as she -could with the chains on them, and dragging herself close to me, -'forgive me, O, forgive me! I am P'haya P'hi Chitt's wife.' - -"I was silent in amazement. At length I said, 'Go on and tell me the -rest, Boon.' - -"'O, forgive me!' she replied, humbly. 'I cried bitterly the night he -returned from the grand fête because he told me how beautiful you were, -how passionately he loved you, and that he should never be happy again -until he obtained you for his wife. He refused to eat, to drink, or -to sleep, and I vowed to him by my love that you should be his. But -I found you were the favorite, and that it would be a more difficult -task than I had at first thought; so rather than break my promise to -my husband, nay, lady, rather than meet his cold, estranged look, I -sold myself to you as your slave. Every ray or gleam of sunshine, every -beautiful thought that fell from your lips, I treasured up in my heart -and bore them daily to him, that I might but console my noble husband. -You know the rest. If I deceived you, it was to serve both you and him, -while my heart wept to think that I was no longer beloved. Gifted with -unnumbered virtues is my husband, lady; and my heart, like his shadow, -still follows him everywhere, and will follow him forever.' - -"I was so sorry for Boon, I had not the heart to reproach her. I crept -closer to her, and, laying my head on her bosom, we mingled our tears -and prayers together. And I marvelled at the greatness of the woman -before me. - -"Next morning--for morning comes even to such wretches as my companion -and me--we were dragged to the hall of justice. The king did not -preside as we had expected. But cruel judges, male and female, headed -by his Lordship P'haya Promè P'hatt and her Ladyship Khoon Thow App. -Not knowing what charge to make, they read the copy of my letter over -and over again, hoping to guess the name of the gentleman to whom -it was sent. Failing to do this, they subjected Boon to a series of -cross-questionings, but succeeded only in eliciting the one uniform -reply, 'What can a poor slave know, my lords?' - -"Her feet were then bastinadoed till the soles were raw and bleeding. -She still said, 'My lords, be pitiful. What can a poor slave know?' - -"After a little while, Khoon Thow App begged Boon to confess all -and save herself from further suffering. Boon remained persistently -silent, and the lash was applied to her bare back till it was ribbed -in long gashes, but she confessed not a word. At last the torture was -applied to her thumbs until the cold sweat stood in great drops on her -contorted and agonized brow; but no word, no cry for mercy, no sound of -confession, escaped her lips. It was terrible to witness the power of -endurance that sustained this woman. The judges and executioners, both -male and female, exhausted their ingenuity in the vain attempt to make -her betray the name of the man to whom she had carried the letter; and -finally, when the lengthening shadows proclaimed the close of day, they -departed, leaving me with poor Boon bleeding and almost senseless, to -be carried back by the attending Amazons to our cell. - -"I tried to comfort poor Boon. She hardly needed comfort; her joy that -she had not betrayed her husband was even greater than her sufferings. - -"Another day dawned upon us. Boon was borne in a litter, and I crept -trembling by her side, to the same hall of justice. Boon was subjected -once more to the lash, the bastinado, and the thumb-screws, till she -fell all but lifeless on the ground. It was all in vain; that woman -possessed the heart of a lion; if they had torn her to pieces, she -would not by the faintest sound have betrayed the only man she had -loved in her sad life. - -"The physicians were sent for to restore her to life again. She was not -permitted the luxury of death. Then, when this was over, they bound up -her wounds with old rags, gave her something to revive her, and laid -her on a cool matting. My turn came, and her eyes fixed themselves upon -me with an intensity that fairly made me shiver. They seemed to cry -aloud to my inmost soul, saying as plainly as lips could speak, 'What -is suffering, pain, or death, compared to truth? Be true to yourself. -Be true to your love. If you love another, you love not yourself. -Flinch not. Bear bravely all they can inflict.' I shuddered as the -judges began to question me, but I shuddered more whenever I met Boon's -eyes, so fixed, so steadfast, so earnest, so appealing. I prevaricated. -I told the judges lies. 'That letter was written as a joke to frighten -my youngest sister. I was only playing. I know no man in the world but -my father and brothers and my gracious master the king.' - -"My sister was summoned. If I could have spoken with her, she might -have helped me in my strait; but the women who were sent to bring her -questioned her before she knew what they were about, and she plainly -exposed my lies to the judges. - -"A messenger was despatched to the king. The judges feared to proceed -to extreme measures with me, who had so lately been the plaything of -their sovereign. After half an hour's delay the instructions were -received, and I was ordered to bare my back. A feeling of shame -prevented me. I would not obey. I resisted with what strength I had. -'You may lash me with a million thongs,' I said to them, 'but you shall -not expose my person.' My silk vest was torn off, my scarf was flung -aside, my slippers were taken from my feet. My arms were stretched and -tied to a post, and thus I was lashed. Every stroke that descended on -my back maddened me into an obdurate silence. Boon's eyes searched -into my soul. I understood their meaning. My flesh was laid open in -fine thin stripes, but I do not remember flinching. My feet were then -bastinadoed, and I still preserved, I know not how, my secret. Then -there was a respite, and they gave me something to drink. - -"In fifteen minutes I was once more exhorted to confess. The -judges, finding me still unsubdued, ordered the thumb-screws to be -administered. Not all the agonies, not all the horrors I have ever -heard of, can compare with the pain of that torture. It was beyond -human endurance. 'O Boon, forgive me, forgive me!' I cried; 'it is -impossible to bear it.' With Boon's eyes burning into my soul, I gasped -out the beloved name. Boon threw up her arms, gave a wild shriek of -terror, and became insensible. - -"I was released from further punishment. Two of the pha-koons[26] -were despatched for P'haya P'hi Chitt. He was betrayed to the king's -officers for a heavy reward, and before noon was undergoing the same -process of the law. When Boon was once more brought to life, she saw -her husband in the hands of the executioners. She started upright, and, -supporting herself on her rigid arms and hands, cried out to the judges -and to Koon Thow App: 'O my lords! O my lady! listen to me. O, believe -me! It was all my doing. I am P'haya P'hi Chitt's wife. It was I who -deceived the Lady Choy. It was I who put it into his head. Did I not? -You can bear testimony to my guilt!' An ineffable smile beamed on her -pale lips and in her dim eyes as they turned towards her husband. - -"There was profound silence among the judges. P'haya P'hi Chitt, I, -and even the rabble crowd of slaves, listened to her with astonished -countenances. There was an incontestable grandeur about the woman. -Khoon Thow App, that stern and inflexible woman, had tears in her eyes, -and her voice trembled as she asked, 'What was thy motive, O Boon?' -There was no reply from Boon. There was no need to torture P'haya P'hi -Chitt. He was chained and conveyed to the criminals' prison, and we -were carried back to our cell. - -"The report of our trial and the confessions elicited were sent to -the king. That very night, at midnight, the sentence of death was -pronounced by the Secret Council upon us three; but the most dreadful -part of all was the nature of the sentence. Boon and I were to be -quartered; P'haya P'hi Chitt hewn to pieces; and our bodies not burned, -but cast to the dogs and vultures at Watt Sah Katè.[27] - -"My sister Thieng implored the king in vain to spare my life. My poor -mother and father were prostrated with grief. As for Boon, she never -uttered a single word, except, in answer to my inquiries if she were -suffering much, she said very gently, 'Chan cha lah pi thort' (Let me -say farewell, dear). Her pallor had become extreme, but her cheeks -still burned; all the beauty of her spirit trembled on her closed -eyelids. She appeared as one almost divine. - -"On Sunday morning at four o'clock the faithful and matchless Boon was -taken from our cell to undergo the sentence pronounced upon her and her -husband. The day appointed for my execution, which was to be private, -arrived, and I had no wish to live, now that P'haya P'hi Chitt and Boon -were gone; but the women who attended me said that no preparations were -as yet made for it. I wondered why I was permitted to live so long. - -"After two weeks of cruel waiting to join my beloved Boon, I was -removed to another cell, where my sister visited me, with the good -Princess Somawati, her daughter, at whose earnest request, as I was -told, the British Consul[28] had pleaded so effectually with the king -that my life had been granted to his petition. - -"Alas! it was Boon who deserved to live, and not I. I am not grateful -for a life that is little better than a curse to me. God sees that I -speak the truth. Woe still hovers over me. It is the doom of guilt -committed in some former lifetime. I am an outcast here, and in this -world I have no part, while every day only lengthens out my life of -sorrow." - -Here the poor girl broke off, laid her head on the table, and wept, as -I never saw a human being weep, great tears of agony and remorse. - -As soon as Choy left me, I hurried home and wrote down her narrative -word for word, as nearly as I could; but I encountered then, as always, -the almost insuperable difficulty of finding a fit clothing for the -fervid Eastern imagery in our colder and more precise English. - -[Illustration: RUNGEAH, THE CAMBODIAN PROSELYTE.] - -We became better friends. I maintained a constant oversight of her, -and persuaded her gradually out of her griefs. She learned in time to -take pleasure in her English studies, and found comfort in the love of -our Father in heaven. Without repining at her lot, hard as it was, or -boasting of her knowledge, but with a loving, humble heart, she read -and blessed the language that brought her nearer to a compassionate -Saviour. - -FOOTNOTES: - -[Footnote 9: The Sanskrit name of Ceylon.] - -[Footnote 10: Blessed.] - -[Footnote 11: Highest heaven.] - -[Footnote 12: A famous singer.] - -[Footnote 13: The goddess of motion.] - -[Footnote 14: December.] - -[Footnote 15: Flower of excellence.] - -[Footnote 16: Duke.] - -[Footnote 17: Surfeit.] - -[Footnote 18: Delight.] - -[Footnote 19: Sacred infant.] - -[Footnote 20: I remember.] - -[Footnote 21: I love much.] - -[Footnote 22: Pitiful Buddha.] - -[Footnote 23: Gate of earth.] - -[Footnote 24: Mother of death, or female executioner.] - -[Footnote 25: Dear.] - -[Footnote 26: Sheriffs.] - -[Footnote 27: The rite of burning the body after death is held in great -veneration by the Buddhists, as they believe that by this process its -material parts are restored to the higher elements. Whereas burial, or -the abandonment of the body to dogs and vultures, inspires a peculiar -horror; since, according to their belief, the body must then return -to the earth and pass through countless forms of the lower orders of -creation, before it can again be fitted for the occupation of a human -soul.] - -[Footnote 28: Choy's life was spared at the intercession of Sir Robert -J.H. Schombergk, her Britannic Majesty's Consul at Bangkok.] - - - - -CHAPTER XVI. - -MAY-PEÂH, THE LAOTIAN SLAVE-GIRL. - - -On the evening of the 10th of August, 1866, I found myself suddenly -and unexpectedly, and almost without being aware of it, involved in a -conflict with the king, who thenceforth regarded me with distrust and -suspicion, because I declined to affix my own signature to a certain -letter which he had required me to write for him. - -I began heartily to wish myself out of Siam, though still deeply -interested and absorbed in my work of educating the prince,--the -present King of Siam,--for I felt that, with regard to foreigners, -there existed no laws and customs to restrain and limit the capricious -temper and extravagant demands of the king, and I had everything, too, -to fear from the jealousy with which certain royal courtiers and judges -watched my previously growing influence at court. The heat of the day -had been intense, the atmosphere was sultry and oppressive, and every -now and then a low, rumbling sound of distant thunder reached my ears, -while the parched trees and leaves drooped and hung their heads as if -impatient of waiting for the promised rain. Nervous, and undecided what -to do, I returned home, where I remained prostrated with a sense of -approaching danger. From time to time I had had similar conflicts with -the king, which very greatly disturbed my already too much impaired -health. All manner of fears which the mind so prodigally produces on -such occasions came crowding upon me that evening, and I felt, as I had -never before, weighed down by the peculiar sadness and isolation of my -life in Siam. - -In this frame of mind I sat and pondered over and over again the -only course remaining open to me,--to withdraw from the court,--when -I was suddenly recalled to what was passing around me by what I at -first imagined must be an apparition or some delusion of my own mind. -I started up from the spot where for hours I had been seated like a -statue, and, looking more attentively, perceived a pair of bright black -eyes watching me with the fixedness of a basilisk, through the leaves -of some flowering shrubs that grew over my window. My first impulse was -to scream for help; but I was soon ashamed of my fears, and, summoning -all my courage, I demanded, "Who is there?" - -"It is only me, your ladyship," said a strange, low voice. "I have been -waiting here a long while, but your servants would not let me in; they -say you have forbidden them to let any Siamese person enter your house -after sunset." - -"It is true," said I; "I don't want to see any one this evening; I am -ill and tired. Now go away, and, if you have any business with me, come -to me in the morning." - -"P'hoodth thô!" said the woman, speaking still in the same low tones; -"I am not a Siamese, and you do not know that I have rowed thirty miles -against the tide to come and see you, or else you could not have the -heart to send me away." - -"I don't want to know anything," I said a little impatiently; "you must -go now, and you know it is not safe for you to be away from home at -this late hour in the day." - -"O lady! do let me in; I only want to say one word to you in private; -please do let me in," whispered the woman, more and more pleadingly. - -"Then say what you have to tell me at once, and from where you are," -I replied; "there is no one here to overhear you; for I cannot let you -in." - -"Alas!" said the voice, plaintively, as if speaking to herself, "I -would not have come all this long distance but that I heard she was a -good and brave woman,--some people indeed said she was not so,--still, -I thought I would try her, and now she says she cannot let me in, a -poor fugitive and desolate slave-girl like me! O dear! O dear!" - -"But I am afraid I cannot help you, whatever your trouble may be," I -said more gently, touched by the woman's despairing tones. "The king is -offended with me, and the judges know it, and I have no more influence -with them now." - -As I said this, the girl sprang through the window and came forward, -and exhibited not only her bright eyes but her full figure and somewhat -singular dress, for she was, as she had stated, not a Siamese, but -a Laotian. She held her head erect, though her hands were clasped -in the attitude of wild supplication. The symmetry of her form was -enhanced by a broad English strap or belt which was buckled round her -waist, and which had the effect of showing off her beautiful figure -to the best advantage. She was unusually tall, and altogether a most -pleasing-looking young woman. - -The moment she stood before me she commenced talking with a volubility -and an amount of action which it would be almost impossible to -describe. Her face became so animated, and her tears and sobs flowed -so spontaneously, that I stood bewildered, for, in truth, I had rarely -seen so interesting and so natural a woman in Siam. - -She watched my countenance during the whole time she was speaking, -with the quickness of the native character, and I began at length to -suspect that she prolonged her statements for the sole purpose of -forming an idea of her success, so that she might vary her line of -action according as circumstances revealed themselves; and even while -I had a glimmering perception of this, and also that perhaps she was -only acting, my interest in her increased so rapidly that she became -convinced in her own mind, I think, of having gained my entire sympathy. - -"Ah! I knew you had a kind heart," said the woman, as she came forward -with the graceful salutation of her country, and laid a thick Oriental -letter, enveloped in velvet and fastened with silken cords and sealed -with English sealing-wax, at my feet. - -She then dropped on her knees, and knelt before me in an attitude of -mute supplication. - -I was never more embarrassed in my life, with that mysterious letter, -enveloped in crimson velvet, and written on the outside in characters I -had never before seen, lying at my feet, and this woman kneeling there -with such strange, wild energy in her manner, such vehement pleading in -her dark, passionate eyes, imploring my aid in a secret, daring scheme -which I had neither the courage nor the ability to undertake, nor yet -the stoutness of heart to refuse point-blank. - -I therefore told the woman, with as much gentleness as I could summon, -that it was impossible for me to aid her, and almost as much as my life -was worth to become the bearer of her letter to any prisoner in the -palace. "It is not for my own personal safety I fear so much, but for -my son's, whose young life depends on mine." - -As I was speaking, the woman's face grew still and cold, her features -became rigid and fixed as stone, large, dewy drops of perspiration -broke out on her forehead, and there fell upon her face such an -expression of blankness and utter desolation that I thought she was -absolutely dying from the pain of her disappointment. - -This produced such a revulsion of feeling in me that I started from my -seat in terror, and, taking her chilled, moist hands in mine, said, -anxiously: "Does what I have said distress you so much? Why won't you -speak? If there is any way by which I can help or comfort you, tell me. -Please tell me, and I'll try to do my best for you." - -The effect of this promise was immediate, but it was some time before -the woman could recover her voice; then, laying her hand upon my arm, -she spoke hurriedly, but in the same soft, low tones and fervent manner. - -"You have not asked me my name and who I am," she said. "But I'll tell -you; I am sure you will not betray me, and it may be this is the last -opportunity I shall have of serving my dear foster-sister." - -As she uttered these words the hope and courage which had evidently -been revived by the sympathy she saw in my face now seemed to forsake -her; tears and sobs burst from her afresh, and she crouched at my feet -as if utterly overwhelmed with her grief. At last, by a strong effort, -she turned to me, and said: "My name is May-Peâh; my home is in the -city of Zienmai, i.e. Chiengmai; my father, Manetho, is one of the most -trusted councillors and friends, though a slave, of the Prince P'hra -Chow Soorwang. My mother was a household slave in the family of the -prince when my father obtained her for his wife, and I was only a month -old when she was asked to be the wet-nurse and mother of the little -infant daughter of the prince, whose wife had died in child-birth; -and thus it was that I became the life-long companion and friend and -foster-sister of the young Princess Sunartha Vismita. But alas! dear -lady, she is now, and has been ever since the death of her husband, the -second king, a prisoner in the palace of the supreme king, and neither -does her brother nor any one else know whether she is alive or dead. - -"This letter has nothing in it that will bring you into any trouble. -It is only one of greeting from her brother, my master, the Prince -O'Dong Karmatha. O, dear lady, don't say no! the gods will bless and -reward you, if, sooner or later, you will put it into her hands; but it -must be done with the greatest caution and secrecy, and it may be the -means of saving her life. O, think of that, of saving her life! for, if -alive, she must be dying of grief and pain to think that we have never -yet replied to a letter she sent us almost a year ago." - -"And where is the prince, your master?" - -"He is on a visit to the governor of Pak-lat." - -Saying this, she almost instantaneously sprang out of the window, and -fled towards the river, as if conscious of having delayed too long her -return home; as she did so, I noticed that she wore in the folds of her -skirt a small Laotian dagger attached to her English belt. - -The storm which had been gathering in strength for hours now burst -forth, and for full three hours the thunder and lightning and rain -were the only things that could be seen or heard; and I sat in the -same spot, lost in anxious fears for the safety of that solitary woman -battling with the tremendous currents of the Mother of Waters. - -It was an awful night. Sick at heart, and full of natural and unnatural -fears, I locked up the letter at last in my drawer, and tried to forget -in sleep the disturbing events of the day. - - - - -CHAPTER XVII. - -AN ACCIDENTAL DISCOVERY OF THE WHEREABOUTS OF THE PRINCESS SUNARTHA -VISMITA.[29] - - -FOR some time afterwards the mysterious letter remained locked up in my -drawer, as nobody whom I knew seemed to be aware even of the existence -of such a person as the Princess Sunartha Vismita, much less of her -imprisonment in the palace, and I was afraid to open my lips on the -subject before a stranger, lest I should inadvertently say something -that might still more imperil her health and safety. - -The king was once more reconciled to me, and had taken me into greater -confidence than ever. Just at this time he was laid up with an illness -which confined him to his topmost chamber, where I was summoned every -day to write notes, or translate, with the help of the native female -secretary, English documents into Siamese. - -On one occasion, as I was at work in a room adjoining the royal -bedchamber over a mass of perplexing manuscripts in the king's own -handwriting, to be arranged for publication in the "Bangkok Recorder," -the chief of the Amazons brought in the intelligence that the prisoner, -Princess Sunartha Vismita, was very ill; and, his Majesty being in -the best possible humor, having just finished the above-mentioned -manuscript, which completely refuted, as he fondly believed, Dr. -Bradley's theory of Original Depravity, gave orders that the princess -should take an airing in the palace gardens, and be removed to another -cell, and that the chief lady physician should attend her without delay. - -The Amazon made haste to carry out her instructions, and I quietly left -my desk to follow her. - -I shall not attempt to enter into a particular description of the -prison in the interior of this strange city. Indeed, it would be -impossible to describe with any degree of accuracy so irregular and -rambling an edifice. The principal features consisted of a great -hall and two courts or enclosures, one behind the other, in which -the prisoners were permitted to walk at stated times. Three vaulted -dungeons occupied three sides of the enclosures; immediately below -these were the cells already described in my former book.[30] - -The upper cells were used more or less for the reception of women -convicted of petty crimes, such as gambling, stealing, immodest -language, etc. Besides these, there were other dungeons under the floor -in various parts of the prison, some of them quite dark, and closed -by huge trap-doors, designed for those whom it might be expedient to -treat with peculiar severity. The prison was approached by two long -corridors, opening into the courts; here were several small secret -apartments, or cells, in which prisoners condemned to death, either by -the Supreme Court or by the still more supreme will of the king, passed -the last days of their existence. It was in one of these that the -princess was confined. - -The opening of the prison doors attracted, as usual, a crowd of idle -slave women and girls, who hailed the slightest event that broke the -monotony of their lives with demonstrations of the liveliest joy; -and as I stood there a guard of Amazons appeared, marching in file, -and in the centre was the Laotian princess, followed by two of her -countrywomen. She did not seem to notice the general sensation which -her appearance created, nor the eager curiosity with which she was -regarded, but walked on wearing the depressed and wearied look of one -who sought to meditate on her sorrows in silence and privacy. Her -features were remarkably stern, however, and she moved along with a -firm and steady step. - -I followed with the crowd, who kept at a respectful distance. - -When the procession arrived at one of the nearest gardens, laid out in -the Chinese style, the princess, with a proud intimation that she could -go no farther, took her seat on the edge of an artificial rock beside -a small pond of water in which gold and silver fish sported merrily -together. She hung down her head, as if the fresh air had no power to -remove the smallest portion of her sorrows and sufferings. - -A deep murmur of compassion now rose, not only from the idle crowd -of women and girls, who gazed awe-stricken into her face, but from -the "Amazonian Guard," those well-disciplined automatons of the royal -palace of Siam. - -I could see that she just raised her dark, sad eyes to us, and then -cast them down again; and that their expression, as well as that of her -whole attitude, was one of mute and touching appeal against this most -ungenerous usage. - -After the lapse of an hour the procession resumed its course, and -the crowd, who had by this time exchanged looks and whispers of -sympathy to their hearts' content,--while some poor half-palsied and -aged slave-women had lifted up their hands and prayed aloud for the -happiness of the ill-fated princess,--brought up the rear, till they -saw the same prison doors open and close once more on the noble lady -and her attendants, when they dispersed to their various abodes. - -When I returned home, the scene would constantly reproduce itself, and -my thoughts would unceasingly revert to those sad eyes of which I had -only caught a hasty glance; and that utter friendlessness, expressed in -a few brief, slight actions, dwelt in my memory like the impressions of -childhood, never to be wholly forgotten. - -I could not help picturing to myself how those eyes would brighten if I -could but put that letter into her hands, and tell her of one earnest -friend at least whose love and sympathy knew no bounds. - -This feeling at length urged me, now that with the restored favor of -the king there could be no real danger to myself and my boy, to find -some means of gaining access to the poor, sad prisoner. - -I immediately put the letter into my pocket, and pinned it carefully -there, and determined that after my school duties were over I would -advise with my good friend Lady Thieng, of whom mention has already -been made. Only one circumstance troubled my mind greatly, and it was -how to broach the subject to her in the presence of the number of women -who always attended her at all times and in all places. - -FOOTNOTES: - -[Footnote 29: See "The English Governess at the Siamese Court," p. 233.] - -[Footnote 30: See "The English Governess at the Siamese Court," p. 107.] - - - - -CHAPTER XVIII. - -LADY THIENG, THE HEAD WIFE AND SUPERINTENDENT OF THE ROYAL CUISINE. - - -Lady Thieng was a woman of about thirty, fair even to whiteness, with -jet black hair and eyes; by nature enthusiastic, clever, and kind, but -only partially educated when compared to many other of the cultivated -and intellectual women of the royal harem. - -She was the first mother,--having brought his Majesty four sons and -eight daughters,--for which reason she was regarded with peculiar -veneration and ranked as the head wife in the palace, the queen consort -being dead. All these considerations combined entitled her to the -lucrative and responsible position of superintendent of the royal -cuisine. - -She contrived to be always in favor with the king, simply because she -was the only woman among all that vast throng who really loved him; -though at no period of her life had she ever enjoyed the unenviable -distinction of being the "favorite." - -Her natural enthusiasm and kindliness of disposition made her generally -loved, however; while, despite her immense wealth and influence, no -woman's life had a truer and deeper purpose. She was always ready -to sympathize with and help her suffering sisters, whatever their -shortcomings might have been, or whatever the means she was obliged to -resort to in order to render them the smallest assistance. - -She reconciled all her little plots, intrigues, and deceptions -to herself by saying: "Surely it is better for him not to know -everything; he knows too much already, what with his Siamese and his -English and his Pali and his Sanscrit. I wonder he can ever get to -sleep at all with so many different tongues in his head." - -It was after school that I accompanied one of my most promising -pupils, the Princess Somawati, one of Thieng's daughters, to her -mother's house. Being the head of the royal cuisine, Thieng had two -houses. One was her home, where her children were born and brought -up,--a quaint, stately edifice with stuccoed fronts, situated in the -ladies' or fashionable part of the inner city, and in the midst of a -pleasant garden. In the other, adjoining the royal kitchen, she spent -the greater part of each day in selecting, overlooking, and sometimes -preparing with her own fair hands many of the costly dainties that were -destined to grace the royal table. - -Thieng received me with her usual bright, pleasant smile and hearty -embrace; to give me the latter, she put down her youngest baby, a boy -about two years old, to whom I had, during my repeated visits to her -house, taught a number of little English rhymes and sentences, and -who always accosted me with, "Mam, mam, how do do?" or "Mam, make a -bow, make a bow"; while he bobbed his own little head, and blinked -his bright eyes at me, to the infinite delight of his mother and her -handmaids. - -Little "Chai" settled himself in my lap, as usual, and the host of -women, like children eager to be amused, gathered around to listen to -our baby-talk; and great was the general uproar when Chai would mimic -me in singing scraps of baby-songs, or thrust an orange into my mouth, -or put on my hat and cloak to promenade the chamber, and say "How do -do?" like a veritable Englishman; then his fond mother, in ecstasies of -joy, would snatch him to her arms and cover him with kisses, and the -delighted spectators would whisper that that boy was as clever as his -father, and must surely come to the throne some day or other. - -In the midst of these fascinating employments one of the -lady-physicians was announced. - -Thieng retired at once with her into an inner chamber, carrying her -beloved Chai in her arms, and beckoning me to follow her. Here she -consigned Chai to me for further instruction in English, and laid -herself down to be shampooed. - -I felt that now was my opportunity; but I waited a little in order to -make sure whether the doctor was to be trusted. - -The ladies were silent for a little while; no word was spoken, with the -exception of a sigh that now and then escaped from poor Thieng, partly -to indicate the responsibilities of her position, and partly to show -that the particular member which was being manipulated was the one most -affected. Whatever might have been the question between the ladies, the -doctor waited for Thieng to give the word, and Thieng evidently waited -for the termination of my visit. But seeing that I made no attempt to -go, she at length turned to the doctor, and said: "My pen arai, phöt -thöe, yai kluâ" (Never mind, speak out, don't be afraid), all of which -I understood as perfectly as I did English. - -The doctor ceased her manipulations, and, after having cast a cautious -glance round the room and shaken her head sorrowfully, remarked: "I -don't think she'll live many weeks longer." - -Thieng sat bolt upright, and, clasping her hands together, said, -"Phoodth thô!"[31] - -"It is impossible," added the doctor, very earnestly. "It were better -to put her to death at once than to kill her by inches, as they are now -doing." - -"P'hra Buddh the Chow,[32] help us!" cried Thieng, still more agitated. -"What shall I do? What can I do to save her?" - -"Something must be done, and at once," replied the doctor, suggestively. - -"Well," said Thieng, "why don't you draw up a paper and give it to Mai -Ying Thaphan?" (the chief of the Amazons.) "And now mind that you say -she cannot live a day longer unless she is removed from that close cell -and allowed to take an airing every day." - -"Poor child! poor child!" repeated Thieng, tenderly, to herself. "With -such a noble heart to perish in such a way! I wish I could find some -means to help her to live a little longer, till things begin to look -more bright." - -"He has forgotten all about her by this time," rejoined the doctor. - -The physician then took her leave of Thieng, and I inquired if they had -been speaking of the Princess Sunartha Vismita. The good lady started -and looked at me as if she supposed me to be supernaturally endowed -with the art of unravelling mysteries. - -"Why! how do you know the name," said she, "when we never even -mentioned it?" - -I then told her of the visit I had had from May-Peâh, and begged of -her to help me to deliver the letter to the dying princess as soon as -possible. - -"We are all prisoners here, dear friend," said Thieng, "and we have -to be very careful what we do; but if you promise never to say a word -on this subject to any one, and in case of discovery to bear all the -blame, whatever that may be, yourself, I'll help you." - -I gave her the required promise gladly, and thanked her warmly at the -same time. - -"You must not think me weak and selfish, dear mam," said she, after a -little reflection. "You are a foreigner, he has not the same power over -you, and you can go away whenever you like; but we who are his subjects -must stay here and suffer his will and pleasure, whatever happens." - -With that she told me to come to her after sunset, and I bade her a -grateful adieu and returned home. - -FOOTNOTES: - -[Footnote 31: An ejaculation in frequent use among the Buddhists, and -which means, "dear Buddha," or "dear God."] - -[Footnote 32: One of the names of the Buddha.] - - - - -CHAPTER XIX. - -THE PRINCESS SUNARTHA VISMITA. - - -AN hour after dark I again sought the good and tender-hearted Thieng, -who not only hurried me off, telling me in a voice of great exultation -that the physician's report had in a great measure ameliorated the -rigorous confinement to which the royal prisoner had hitherto been -subjected, but bravely sent two of her women to tell the Amazons to -show me the apartment to which the sick princess had been removed. - -The small apartment into which I was ushered was dimly lighted by -a wick burning in an earthen vessel. The only window was thrown -wide open. Immediately beneath it, on a pair of wooden trucks which -supported a narrow plank, covered with a flowered mat and satin pillow, -lay the wasted form of the Princess Sunartha Vismita. Her dress was -that of a Laotian lady of high rank. It consisted of a scarlet silk -skirt falling in firm folds to her feet, a black, flowered silk vest, -and a long veil or scarf of Indian gauze thrown across her shoulders; -some rings of great value and beauty and a heavy gold chain were her -only ornaments. Her hair was combed smoothly back, bound in a massive -knot behind, and confined by a perfect tiara of diamond-headed pins. -She was not beautiful; but when you looked at her you never thought of -her features, for the defiant and heroic pride that flashed from her -large, dark, melancholy eyes fixed your attention. It was a face never -to be forgotten. At her feet were two other truckle-beds; on these -were seated the two young Laotian women who shared her captivity, -and who looked very wan and sad. - -[Illustration: LADIES OF THE ROYAL HAREM AT DINNER.] - -Advancing unannounced close to this mournful group, I sat down near -them, while the dark, depressing influence of the place stole upon my -spirits and filled me with the same dismal gloom. - -The princess, who had been gazing at the little bit of sky, of which -she could only get a glimpse through the iron bars of the open window, -turned upon me the same quiet, self-absorbed look, manifesting neither -surprise nor displeasure at seeing me enter her apartment. - -It was a look that spoke of utter hopelessness of ever being extricated -from that forlorn place, and a quiet conviction that she was very ill, -perhaps dying, yet without a trace of fear or anxiety. - -The air was heavy and difficult to breathe, and for a moment or two I -was silent, confounded by the unexpected bravery and fortitude evinced -by the prisoner. But, quickly recovering my self-possession, I inquired -about her health. - -"I am well," said the lady, with a proud and indifferent manner. "Pray, -why have you come here?" - -With a sense of infinite relief I told her that my visit was a private -one to herself. - -"Is that the truth?" she inquired, looking rather at her women for some -confirmation than at me for a reply. - -"It is indeed," I answered, unhesitatingly; "I have come to you as one -woman would come to another who is in trouble." - -"But how may that be?" she rejoined, haughtily. "You must know, madam, -that all women are not alike; some are born princesses, and some are -born slaves." She pronounced these words very slowly, and in the court -language of the Siamese. - -"Yes, we are not all alike, dear lady," I replied, gently; "I have not -come here out of mere idle curiosity, but because I could not refuse -your foster-sister May-Peâh's request to do you a service." - -"What did you say?" cried the lady, joyfully rising, and drawing me -towards her, putting her arms ever so lovingly round my neck, and -laying her burning cheek against mine. "Did you say May-Peâh, May-Peâh?" - -Without another word, for I could not speak, I was so much moved, I -drew out of my pocket the mysterious letter, and put it into her hands. - -I wish I could see again such a look of surprise and joy as that which -illuminated her proud face. So rapid was the change from despair to -gladness, that she seemed for the moment supremely beautiful. - -Her bps trembled, and tears filled her eyes, as with a nervous movement -she tore open the velvet covering and leaned towards the earthen lamp -to read her precious letter. - -I could not doubt that she had a tender heart, for there was a -beautiful flush on her wan face, which was every now and then faintly -perceptible in the flickering lamp-light. - -A smile half of triumph and half of sadness curved her fine lip as she -finished the letter and turned to communicate its contents to her eager -companions in a language unknown to me. - -After this the three women talked together long and anxiously, the two -attendants urging their mistress to do something to which apparently -she would not consent, for at last she threw the letter away angrily, -and covered her face with her hands, as if unable to resist their -arguments. - -The elder of the women quietly took up the letter and read it several -times aloud to her companion. She then opened a betel-box and drew out -of it an inkhorn, a small reed, and long roll of yellow paper, on -which she began a lengthy and labored epistle, now and then rubbing out -the words she had written with her finger, and commencing afresh with -renewed vigor. When the letter was finished, I never in my life saw a -more unsightly, blotted affair than it was, and I fell to wondering if -any mortal on earth would have skill and ingenuity enough to decipher -its meaning. But she folded it carefully, and put it into a lovely blue -silk cover which she took from that self-same box,--which might have -been Aladdin's wonderful lamp turned inside out, for aught I knew to -the contrary,--and, stitching up the bag or cover, she sewed on the -outside a bit of paper addressed in the same mysterious and unknown -letters, which bore a strong resemblance to the Birmese characters -turned upside down, and were altogether as weird and hieroglyphic as -the ancient characters found in the Pahlavi and Deri manuscript. When -all her labors were completed, she handed it to me with a hopeful smile -on her face. - -Meanwhile the princess, who seemed to have been plunged in a very -profound and serious meditation, turned and addressed me with an air of -mystery and doubt: "Did May-Peâh promise you any money?" - -On being answered in the negative, "Do you want any money?" she again -inquired. - -"No, thank you," I replied. "Only tell me to whom I am to carry this -letter, for I cannot read the address, and I'll endeavor to serve you -to the best of my ability." - -When I had done speaking she seemed surprised and pleased, for she -again put her arms round about my neck, and embraced me twice or thrice -in the most affectionate manner, entreating me to believe that she -would always be my grateful friend, and that she would always bless -me in her thoughts, and enjoining me to deliver the letter into no -other hands but those of May-Peâh, or her brother, the Prince O'Dong -Karmatha, who was concealed for the present, as she said, in the house -of the Governor of Pak Lat. - -I returned her warm embraces, and went home somewhat happier; but I -seemed to hear throughout the rest of the night the creaking of the -huge prison door which had turned so reluctantly on its rusty hinges. - - - - -CHAPTER XX. - -PAK LAUT, OR THE MOUTH OF THE OCEAN. - - -Pak Lat, or, more properly, Pak Laut, is situated a few miles above -Pak Nam, and is in itself a picturesque village containing from six -to seven thousand inhabitants. The most important portion of the -town faces a beautiful bend of the great river Mèinam, and is rather -irregularly built, and surrounded by a great many rude houses and -shops, some of them quite old, and others quite new. - -A magnificent new Buddhist temple is seen gradually raising its head -close by the side of an ancient one which has so far crumbled to decay -that the bright sun pours down unchecked a flood of golden light on -the tapering crown of a huge brass image of the Buddha, which sits -with its hands folded in undisturbed and profound contemplation on -its glittering altar. On the other side, as far as the eye can reach, -stretch unlimited groves of bananas and extensive plantations of -cocoanut and betel-nut palms. The mango, tamarind, banyan, and boh, -or bogara, trees here are of wonderful size and beauty, ponderous -and overshadowing, as if they had weathered a thousand summers and -winters, and would live unimpaired through a thousand more; and as -you wander through the deep cool shade which they afford, you find -that many of them must have served hundreds of years ago--before -Buddhism was introduced into Siam, and at a period when both the "Tree" -and "Serpent" worship prevailed here, as in other parts of the Old -World--as altars to a generation long gone by. - -Many of their huge old trunks have been hollowed out and carved in the -form of oriel chapels or windows, in the inmost recesses of which may -still be traced the faint remains of what was intended to represent -the cobra-de-capello, or hooded snake of India, now covered over with -tender leaves and brilliant flowers, and forming at once the cosiest -and most delicious of couches for the weary traveller to rest upon. - -Pak Laut, with all its ancient splendor and attractiveness, had one -drawback, and that was a very serious one. Among the village edifices -was an open sala, or hall, which had long been the favorite place of -rendezvous for all the rough and riotous seamen, English and American, -the crews of the merchant vessels trading to Bangkok; and it was in -consequence set down in the code of etiquette observed by the dozen or -so of the _élite_ of the English and American foreigners who resided at -Bangkok "as a dreadfully improper place for a lady to visit alone." - -Thus it was quite out of the question that I should go there without an -escort, and not be tabooed by those good people as one utterly outside -of the pale of their society. - -Luckily, at this time Monsieur M----, an _attaché_ to the French -consulate, had been sent by Dr. Campbell to Pak Laut for change of air, -and Monsieur L----, the commander of the king's guard, and his wife, -were going to see him. Being acquainted with the invalid, I obtained -their permission to make one of the party. - -Notwithstanding the perplexity of friends, who could not imagine my -motive for going there, and who made themselves quite merry at my -expense, I found myself in a boat, with the blue letter pinned in my -pocket, my boy at my side, and Monsieur and Madame L---- opposite me, -at five o'clock one morning, sailing down with the tide to Pak Laut. - -When I arrived there, I made a hasty breakfast with the sick man and -his friends, and leaving my boy at play in charge of the lady, I -hurried off in the direction of the governor's palace. - -P'haya Keean, the governor, was a Peguan prince by birth, and the -father of my dear friend, whose name, translated into English is -"Hidden Perfume." - -He received me so kindly and looked so benevolent that I felt -encouraged to tell him the object of my visit at once. - -Taking my hand in his, and keeping the smile of appreciation on his -honest face, he led me through several long halls and corridors, -which brought us at length to a very queer-looking old tower, covered -with moss and black with age, with narrow loopholes for windows, and -surrounded by a deep moat or ditch full of stagnant water. - -From the roof of this extraordinary building descended two flights -of steps built in the wall, and leading directly to two ruinous old -drawbridges that spanned the moat. The one communicated with the -governor's palace, while the other led to a low arched gateway which -opened immediately on a canal, and thus had access to the river. - -What the moat was intended for I could in no wise imagine, unless it -were especially designed to connect the tower, independent of the -bridges, with the river, and thus, in cases of necessity, afford the -inmates an opportunity of immediate flight by water. There were two -boats on the moat, ready for any such emergency. - -The governor left me standing outside of the low wall that skirted the -moat, crossed one of the crumbling old bridges, and entered the tower -through an arched doorway, solemn and ponderous as if it had withstood -the storms of many a dreadful siege. - -In a few minutes May-Peâh, the Laotian slave-girl, came running out, -crying, "O, I love you dearly! I love you dearly! I am so happy. Come -in, come in and see the prince!" So saying, she pulled me after her -into that singular, toppling-down-looking old edifice, which I must -confess inspired me with a dread that I could not overcome, nor could -I divest myself of the feeling that I was under the influence of some -wild, fantastic dream. - -The only floor of the old tower (for there was but one) consisted of -three rooms; one was rather large, and might have been in its best days -of a vermilion color, but was now utterly discolored by great patches -made by rain-water, which had changed it to a dull, yellowish, muddy -hue. It was an ancient and gloomy-looking apartment, with all manner -of rusty and antique Indian armor, shields, banners, spears, swords, -bows and arrows, and lances ranged along the wall, which seemed to have -been wielded by men of gigantic stature, and pointed to an epoch beyond -the memory of the present race. Passing through this hall, we entered -another and smaller room, the walls of which had also once been painted -with gigantic flowers, birds, and beasts, among which the figure of -the crocodile was most conspicuous. It contained a bed of state which -looked like Indian, i.e. Bombay, workmanship, lifting to the ceiling a -high, solemn canopy of that ponderous flowered silk called kinkaub. - -I cannot depict the scene: how the glimmering light within and the -changing lights without, reflected from the dark green waters, touched -upon and singled out for a momentary illumination one after another the -picturesque arms and the gigantic pictures on the walls, and diffused -an air of mystery over the whole. - -[Illustration: A LAOTIAN.] - -"Welcome, welcome, brave friend!" said one of the three dark young men -I found seated within, who rose and came to meet me with a singular -gesture of courtesy and respect, and whom I at once recognized, from -his strong likeness to the Princess Sunartha Vismita, to be the -Prince P'hra O'Dong Karmatha. The prince, for it was he, with an -excitement he could not quite control, inquired if I had seen his -sister. As I spoke, May-Peâh drew near and listened to what I said, -with intense interest and anxiety expressed in her fine face. But when -I handed the prince the letter, they were all inexpressibly delighted. -All the others waited anxiously, turning silent looks of sympathy and -affection on him, as he read it first to himself, and then aloud to the -party. - -"May-Peâh" were the only two words I understood of its contents; but -I saw two big drops like thunder-rain fall suddenly from the eyes of -P'hra O'Dong on the blotted yellow paper, and his voice died away in a -hoarse whisper as he concluded the strange epistle. - -After which the party were silent, saying nothing for nearly a whole -hour, as it appeared to me, and absorbed each with his own thoughts. - -Then P'hra O'Dong cast an upward glance as if in prayer, and May-Peâh -crept quietly to his side and looked at him with the calm, deep -determination of high and noble resolve depicted on her fine face. -The two faces presented the strongest contrast possible,--the one -dark, troubled, impetuous, and weak; the other resolute, passionate, -unchangeable, and brave. I wanted no further proof of the nature of -the friendship which May-Peâh bore to the young prince and his sister. -There are times when one almost knows what is passing in the mind of -another. Thus it was that I was able to form some glimmering conception -of the elevated character of the slave-woman before me. - -It was time for me to go. The prince begged me to take something from -him by way of compensation, but I declined, thanking him all the same, -and carrying away with me only loving words of comfort and hope to his -long-imprisoned sister and her companions. - -May-Peâh followed me out, and her fine face--for the oftener I saw it -the finer it looked--was never more expressive than when she thanked -me, and bade me tell her beloved mistress to keep a stout heart, -adding, in a whisper: "I do not know what I am going to do, but -something shall be done to save her, even if I die for it." - -It was in vain that I urged her to be patient, and not to do anything -so rash as to attempt the rescue of the princess; nothing that I could -say would move her from her purpose. - -The day, though it commenced brightly, now began to be overcast, and -the tide was turning for Bangkok, so I left her. As we parted, she was -standing in one of the long corridors, with her hands folded and raised -high above her head, and a flood of tender emotions brimming over into -her eyes. - - - - -CHAPTER XXI. - -NARRATIVE OF THE PRINCESS OF CHIENGMAI.[33] - - -My good friend Thieng arranged another interview for me with the -princess, who seemed wonderfully improved in health and spirits, and -who related to me, almost word for word, the following narrative. - -"The Prince P'hra O'Dong Karmatha and I are the only children of -the Prince P'hra Chow Soorwang, the brother of the present king of -Chiengmai. Chiengmai is now tributary to Siam. But there was a time -when my ancestors were the independent sovereigns of all the land lying -between Pegu and Birmah on the one hand, and Siam and the mountains of -Yunan on the other. - -"It was the Prince P'hra Chow O'Dong Karmatha, after whom my brother -was named, who founded the beautiful city of Chiengmai, and built those -stupendous works which bring water to its inhabitants. - -"My poor mother died at the time of my birth, and May-Peâh's mother -brought me up as if I were her own child; and thus May-Peâh and I -became sisters in the flesh, as we are indeed in spirit. - -"My brother, the Prince O'Dong, is just seven years my elder. He was -fond of pleasure, but he loved glory and honor and independence still -more, and it was ever a source of mortification to him that our house -should be obliged to pay the triennial tribute which the sovereign of -Siam exacts as our homage of fealty. - -"It was on one of these occasions, when my brother became the -representative of our uncle, and the hearer of the gold and silver -trees to the court of Siam, that he met with his Royal Highness P'hra -Somdetch Pawarendr Ramasr, the second king of Siam. Being both fond of -the chase, and experienced hunters, they formed a strong friendship the -one for the other. - -"God forbid that I should disparage the supreme king of Siam, but every -one who knows them will admit the superiority of the younger brother," -said the lady, proudly. - -"Soon after this the second king came on a visit to our home, and -accompanied my brother on many a hunting expedition. I cannot describe -to you my first meeting with the prince, whose praises had already -inflamed my imagination. If I could coin words of deeper meaning, or if -I could learn from the angels some new language wherein fitly to clothe -the higher and purer joy that fell upon me in his presence, I might -reveal to you something of the charm and the spell of that hour. - -"When he at length returned to Sarapure, I was as one who had lost the -key-note of her existence. - -"My brother, apprehending the cause of my grief, sent May-Peâh, unknown -to me, to Sarapure, to serve in any capacity whatever in the palace of -the prince, and to discover, if possible, the state of his affections. - -"May-Peâh and her mother set out for the palace of Ban Sitha. Having -arrived there, she contrived to get admission into the harem of the -prince, in order to visit some of her friends. While there, she drew -out of her vest a silver flute, and played it so exquisitely--for she -is the best musician in our country, and can perform on ten different -instruments--that she charmed her hearers, who at once introduced her -to the chief lady of the 'harem,' Khoon Klieb, who purchased her from -her mother, and presented her to the prince, her master. - -"She was then invited to perform before the prince; he too was -delighted with her wonderful skill and power, and being at the time -in ill health and feeble in body, he hardly ever left his palace, and -retained her almost always by his side. - -"On one occasion, seeing that she had soothed and charmed the unhappy -and suffering prince with her melodies, she begged permission to sing -him a song of her own composition, set to his favorite air of 'Sah -Mânee Chaitee' (The Lament of the Heart).[34] The prince smilingly -assented, not without, as he afterwards told me, surprise and wonder at -the singular hardihood and fearlessness of the young stranger. 'But,' -to use his own words, 'she sang her wonderful song with such power, -such a sweet mixture of the fragrance of the heart with the melody of -touch, that the memory of it lingers still with me as a dream of a day -in Suan Swarg (paradise). Then I snatched from her hand the lute, and -struck on it in wild and imperfect utterances the burden of my love for -thee, dear Sunartha Vismita.' - -"Just three months from the time of May-Peâh's departure, when I had -become weary and disconsolate because of her unaccountable absence, -she returned home, bearing letters and presents from the prince; and a -month afterwards I set out, a happy bride, for the beautiful palace of -Ban Sitha. - -"When we arrived at Sarapure, my brother went on before to announce my -arrival to the prince--" Here she ceased suddenly, and gave way to a -burst of passionate tears. - -After a little while she resumed her story, saying: "And so we were -privately married. The prince, however, had long been failing in -health, and after a few short months of unalloyed happiness he again -fell grievously sick, and exhorted me to return home to my father, -lest by his death I should fall into the power of his elder brother. -But I refused to leave him, and followed him to his palace at Bangkok, -where he sickened rapidly and died. His last words to me were: 'Fare -thee well, Sunartha! thy presence has been to me like the light of -the setting sun, illumining and dispersing the dark clouds which have -hitherto obscured my sad life. Fear not; I will keep the memory of -thy face bright and unclouded before my fading eyes, as I pass away -rejoicing in thy love.' - -"A short time after my husband's death I found myself a prisoner in -his palace, and as time passed on I was removed to this palace, where -a residence befitting a queen was appointed to me, and where I first -had the honor of receiving and entertaining the elder brother of my -husband, the great king Maha Mongkut, who, ignoring my deep sorrow and -deeper love for my late husband, offered me his royal hand in marriage. - -"Openly and proudly I rejected the cruel offer, for which reason I am -here again a prisoner, and perchance will remain forever." - -She ceased speaking, and the Amazon entered to say it was time to shut -the prison door. With her lips firmly pressed together, her nostrils -quivering, and her head bowed in her strong grief, she motioned me her -adieux. I saw her once or twice afterwards, sitting leisurely among -the palace gardens, under the watchful eyes of the Amazonian guard, as -self-absorbed, but, I thought, more hopeful than she used to be. - -FOOTNOTES: - -[Footnote 33: Chiengmai is the capital of Laos country.] - -[Footnote 34: The late second king was passionately fond of music, and -was himself a skilful performer on several of the Laos instruments.] - - - - -CHAPTER XXII. - -"BIJREPUREE," OR THE DIAMOND CITY. - - -Meanwhile his Majesty was better, and it was the last day of October. -So the court and I, with my boy, and all the most favored of the -royal family, set out for our annual visit to Bijrepuree,--leaving -the Invincible City and the disconsolate princess with her pale-faced -companions to the care of the high officials Mai Ying Thaphan within, -and the Kroma Than Song Wang without. - -Bijrepuree, or Petchabury, as it is commonly called, is the third city -in size, and second in importance, in Siam, and is situated nearly one -hundred and fifty miles in a south-westerly direction from Bangkok, on -a river of the same name, which waters a country a thousand-fold more -picturesque and beautiful than that around Bangkok. As you ascend the -river, a chain of mountains varying from seventeen to nineteen hundred -feet in height rises above the surrounding country, the loftiest of -which is called Khoa L'huang, or Royal Mountain. This is one of his -Majesty's most favored country residences. A splendid palace has been -built on its summit, on which five hundred laborers have been employed -daily for ten years, and it is still (1866) unfinished. A winding path -which leads up to it has been admirably contrived amid the volcanic -rocks which cover the surface of this mountain district. I climbed to -no such favored spot during my residence in Siam. - -On the hither side far away stretches from north to south a chain of -mountains called Khoa Dèng, and inhabited by many rude and independent -tribes of the primitive Kariengs. Beyond these again rises another -chain of lofty hills, the outlines of which appear like misty clouds in -the distant horizon. - -On the slopes and in the valleys are immense forests of magnificent -trees, hiding in their dark recesses myriads of unknown plants and -lesser forests of ferns, with palm-trees, rice-fields, tobacco and -sugar plantations looking intensely dark in the setting sun, and -dividing the lights and shades into numberless soft radiating shafts -which fall in a red haze of different degrees of strength on the -pellucid river that flows gently through them. - -Then to the south and east stretches another plain, and beyond this -lies the Gulf of Siam, on whose waters, fading away in the distant -horizon, were sometimes sparkingly revealed a few scattered sail, -outward and homeward bound. - -On the peaks of several mountains adjoining the royal residence rise -stately temples and p'hra-cha-dees. All over these mountains the -workmen are still toiling, laying out the grounds into gardens and -shrubberies. In the centre of many of them may be seen beautiful stone -vases of Egyptian form, cut out of the self-same rock, and filled -with gorgeous flowers. Attached to the palace is a school-house and a -residence for the teacher, with a private chapel for the ladies; but no -distinct "harem," or woman's city, as at Bangkok. Those of the women -who accompany the king on his annual visits have rooms allotted to them -in the western wing of the palace, which is only curtained off by a -wall and guarded by Amazons. - -[Illustration: CRENELLATED TOWERS OF THE INNER CITY.] - -We, that is the young Prince Somdetch Chow Fa, my boy, and I, made the -most of our visit to this delightful region, rambling over the hills -and forests, gathering wild flowers, and visiting the hot springs, -caves, and grottos, which form some of the more interesting features -of the neighborhood. In the foreground, near the school-house, stood a -clump of ferns full of pictures; a little farther on was a cave, over -the mouth of which trailed huge convolvuli; and immediately above it an -overhanging rock variegated with natural tints and colors, the effect -of which was most wonderful. - -From this spot there were tempting walks through groves of dark green -trees, opening upon wide terraces which commanded exquisite views of -the country, rich with cultivation or dotted with houses and gardens, -or the still more fertile valleys, winding amongst which might be -traced the silvery thread of the Diamond River. - -Not far from the Royal Mountain are several grottos, two of which are -of surprising extent and great beauty, an exact painting of which would -be looked upon with incredulity, or as an invention of fairy land. - -Whatever may have been the origin of these grottos, owing to the -moisture continually dropping through the damp soil of the rocks they -have been clothed with the richest and most harmonious colors, and -adorned with magnificent stalactites, which rise in innumerable slender -shafts and columns to support the roof and walls. The setting sun -reveals a gorgeous mass of coloring, ending in dark blue and purple -shadows in the distant chambers and hollows. - -I never witnessed such wonderfully illusive transformations as the -sunlight effected wherever it penetrated these subterranean halls. No -human hands have as yet touched their marvellous walls and roofs and -pillars. All that has been done by man is to cut a staircase in the -rock, to aid the descent into the grottos, and enable the visitor to -see them in all their regal beauty. - -The largest grotto has been converted into a Buddhist temple; all along -the richly tinted rock-walls are contemplative images of the Buddha, -and in the centre, just where is concentrated the richest depth of -coloring, lying on a horizontal bed of rock, is a large sleeping idol -of the same inevitable figure, with the same mysterious expression -about the closed eyelids, as if he were in the habit, even in sleep, of -penetrating distant worlds, in his longing to gaze upon the Infinite. - -Lower down the mountain lies a calm lake, with its smooth silvery -surface ever and anon broken by the leaping of a fish, as if to prove -that it is water and not glass, and beyond the lake are more mountains -rolling up into the sky in purple and green folds, with the faintest of -blue borders and crimson-tipped edges, for they are many miles off. - -It was evening, and we had just spent a delicious fortnight here, -teaching in the mornings and rambling in the evenings, and his Majesty -had assured me, to my great delight, that we should stay yet another -while among the mountains; my boy and I had retired to our little rocky -nest, around which there was an impression of savage grandeur and of -loneliness almost overpowering, and where I used to imagine the "Hill -Giants," of whom I had heard so much, lurking in secret in the caves -and hollows, as ready to tear the Royal Mountain from its base and cast -it into the gulf beyond, for the pitiless way in which the monarch -doomed those poor five hundred slaves to toil on and on, without any -prospect of ever coming to an end, in smoothing and shaping its rugged -sides. And it was here that I first realized and appreciated the belief -of the simple people about me in ghosts and spirits, pleasant and -unpleasant:-- - - "Genii in the air, - And spirits in the evening breeze, - And gentle ghosts with eyes as fair - As starbeams through the twilight trees." - -But in spite of them all we were sleeping soundly that night in the -third story of our little eyry, when, about three o'clock in the -morning, the sound of tocsins, gongs, and trumpets was flung out all -over the distant hills and mountains, and re-echoed tauntingly, like -the cry of so many demons full of mad sport, in the multitudinous -voices of the rocky solitudes. We were suddenly transported from deep -sleep to wide-awake realities, to find the royal palace all alive with -lights and sedans and horsemen, and torch-bearing, shadowy phantoms, -issuing from dark portals, gliding hither and thither among the rocks, -and coming towards us. - -What did it all mean? - -The whole thing looked so mysterious that I at first thought the king -was dead, or that the palace was besieged, or that the "favorite," -Peam, taking advantage of the mountain fastnesses, had run away. - -The torchlight phantoms proved to be veritable brawny Amazons, who came -to inform us that the court would return to Bangkok within an hour. -"What! not stay another fortnight?" I inquired, sadly. - -"No, not another hour. Get ready to follow," was the peremptory order. -And so, on the third day succeeding, we were all settled down in our -respective places at Bangkok. - - - - -CHAPTER XXIII. - -THE DEAF AND DUMB CHANGELING. - - -In the next morning's cheerful daylight I set out to resume once more -my school routine within the sombre walls of the "invincible" city. -But, as we proceeded on our way, we were surprised to see knots and -clusters of people reading with absorbing interest huge placards -written in Siamese, Pali, Cambodian, Birmese, Peguan, and every other -language spoken by the many distinct peoples who inhabit the mountains -and valleys watered by the great river Mèinam, and posted all along the -imperial walls. - -Here was another mystery. - -I could read printed Siamese and Pali tolerably well. But the written -characters, wherein every scholar invents an orthography of his own, -baffled all my linguistic efforts, and not a glimmering of light could -the numberless questions I put to many of the curious readers procure -for me; they were as afraid to speak of royalty as of the devil, lest -he should appear. So I went on to school to find the same mysterious -announcements, which had sprung up like mushrooms during the night, -running zigzag over all the walls, and playing hide and seek along the -dark, narrow lanes and streets, only to elude my strictest inquiries. - -Now, to tell the truth, as I was treasonably disposed against slavery -and polygamy and several other gross abuses that grew out of them, -and had stoutly set my face against them from the very first day of -my installation as teacher in the palace, I began to fear that these -placards might concern me and my teachings; so when school closed I -went to see my friend, Lady Thieng. But she was even more mysterious -than the unintelligible hieroglyphics on the walls, looking at me -curiously, and shaking her head in a solemn manner, and feeling me -all over in a pathetic way, so as to reassure herself that I was not -a spirit, but made of flesh and bones like herself, and could not -have been, as she had begun secretly to suspect, at Bijrepuree and at -Bangkok at the same time. - -She then gravely asked me if I had ever practised sorcery or -witchcraft. My lips trembled with irrepressible laughter as I assured -her I had not as yet enjoyed the good fortune of knowing a real witch; -but that nothing in the world would please me better than to be -introduced to one who would give me lessons in that art. She admonished -me sternly for my levity, and went on to say that there had really been -a very powerful sorceress in the palace during the king's absence at -Bijrepuree, who had, unseen by human eye, conjured away the beautiful -and disconsolate princess, and left in her place a rustic deaf and dumb -slave-girl. - -Amazed and altogether taken by surprise, I looked into my friend's -face in unspeakable sorrow. My heart whispered to me the last words of -May-Peâh, "I do not know what I am going to do, but something shall be -done to save her, even if I die for it." I could not bring myself to -ask another question, I was so afraid of confirming my worst fears. -I had learned to love that slave-woman better than her mistress, and -would have braved a thousand perils if I had thought I could save her -through them. - -"I wish," cried Thieng, at last, in a sudden burst, as if her thoughts -had been going on in this strain and only broke from her when she could -restrain herself no longer,--"I wish that this deaf and dumb slave-girl -could be exorcised and made to speak, and then we would know how it -happened, and how the old witch looked. - -"O dear! O dear! I am afraid for my life and the lives of my poor -children; and even the very stones out of which this dismal city is -built inspire me with dread and horror," said poor Thieng, ruefully; -"and do you know?" she added,--her eyes growing rounder and rounder -every moment, as the awfulness of the situation presented itself -to her mind,--"his Majesty has shut himself up in his topmost -chamber, and guards are set at all the doors and windows, lest any -suspicious-looking person should enter, and no one but only the old -lady-physician, Khoon Maw Prang, is allowed to see him to serve his -meals, and he won't come down till the palace and whole city has been -exorcised. And there will be no school to-morrow," she continued, -growing more and more communicative, "for he has ordered all the royal -children to be shut up in their homes until noon, when the old devil -shall have been driven out by the priests of Brahma; and the priests of -Buddha will then purify the city with burning incense and sprinkling -the houses, walls, and all its inhabitants with holy water." - -Up to the last moment a natural cause for the disappearance of the -Princess Sunartha Vismita never even presented itself to the mind of my -simple-hearted friend, and I was not a little comforted, for the sake -of the strange Laotian woman, to find that it was thought so absolutely -the work of some supernatural agent. For Thieng also told me that the -court astrologers and wizards were trying to unravel the mystery; that -large rewards had been promised to them if they could throw any light -on the subject; and, lastly, that the two Laotian captives, with the -deaf and dumb changeling, were to be exorcised and examined in the -ecclesiastical court on the following day by the "wise" men and women -in the country. - -After which the poor unhappy lady laid her head down upon her pillow, -utterly grieved and terrified by her fears. I tried in vain to comfort -her. But what between her dread of the supernatural and her misgivings -that to-morrow the chances were that certain accusations against -herself and me, as secret agents of some devilish sorceress, might be -brought forward with unanswerable logic, she was quite inconsolable and -greatly to be pitied. - -I believe she would have been content to give her life, ere day broke, -only to catch a glimpse of the poor unfortunate princess whom the demon -had thus maliciously kidnapped and carried off. - -The only thing I could say, that seemed in the slightest degree -to soothe her, was that I would endeavor to be present at the -ecclesiastical court at the time appointed for the exorcism, and obtain -such intelligence of its proceedings, and the facts elicited during -the trial, as my imperfect knowledge of the technical language and -formalities of the Siamese courts would enable me to gather for her. - - - - -CHAPTER XXIV. - -WITCHCRAFT IN SIAM IN EIGHTEEN HUNDRED AND SIXTY-SIX, COMPARED WITH -WITCHCRAFT IN ENGLAND IN SEVENTEEN HUNDRED AND SIXTEEN. - - -It might be difficult, at the present time, anywhere in any enlightened -Christian community, to find persons of the most ordinary intelligence -who entertain the smallest faith in witchcraft. - -But yet there are thousands upon thousands who implicitly believe in -spirit-rapping and in table-turning, in mesmerism and animal magnetism, -and in Mr. Joseph Smith and Brigham Young, his successor, who exhibits -such extraordinary powers in prophecy and sensualism at Utah; and in -fact it would seem that the doctrine of "Credo quia impossibile" never -had more earnest disciples than it now numbers. - -Yet we all alike, with one accord, profess our utter disbelief in -witchcraft. - -[Illustration: AN AMAZON OF THE ROYAL BODY GUARD.] - -This scepticism on our part, however, is of very modern date; for even -in the early part of this century the belief was not quite eradicated -in England, and we have only to step back a century more to find it -acknowledged without shame by a civilized and highly enlightened -people, and at a time, too, when the literary intellect of England -shone as brightly as ever in her history; when the memory of Dryden -was still fresh in the minds of many of his most cherished friends and -admirers; when Pope had risen, and Addison was painting his genial -portrait of Sir Roger de Coverly; when the bewitching "nightingale -at Twickenham" poured forth his sweetest songs, and kind-hearted -Steele and Swift, stern, incorrigible, and lonely, domineered over -the proudest of English peers and statesmen. Nothing can ever be more -touching than the sad record of those dark days when the fair Eleanor -Cobham, the wife of a duke, and the aunt of a king of "Great Britain," -did penance for her "witchcraft," and walked "hoodless save her -'kerchief" through all the crowded streets of London and Westminster, -taunted and hooted at by a ragged crowd, to offer a "consecrated taper" -at the high altar of St. Paul's, and thence to her cruel, life-long -imprisonment at Kenilworth, while her wretched accomplice, Bolingbroke, -expiated his crime on a gibbet at Tyburn. And there are those seemingly -darker days when Archbishop Cranmer, a high-priest of the tender -Jesus, directed his clergy at large to make "strict inquiry into all -witchcraft and such like craft invented by the devil"; and when that -very honorable personage, the Lord Chief Justice Coke, uttered these -memorable words: "It would be a great defect in government if so great -an abomination had passed with impunity." Then no one cast even the -shadow of a doubt on the existence of witchcraft, or even questioned -the extraordinary powers which were at the time imputed to a witch. And -one becomes sensible of the dark superstitions that must have pervaded -even the general atmosphere of the immortal poet Shakespeare, when he -makes Ford lay his cudgel across the shoulders of Falstaff, supposing -him to be the "wise woman of Brentford," and embodies the grander and -more terrible idea of witchcraft as no man has ever done before or -after him in the tragedy of "Macbeth." - -Almost every page of ecclesiastical history of ancient times is full -of monstrous relations of the powers of the devil, or of those who -had entered into copartnership with him; and, emerging thence into -the light of more recent times, we shall find the same superstition -in such men as Matthew Hopkins, the "witch-finder"; in Matthew Hale, -presiding at the trial of the Bury St. Edmunds witches; and in Sir -Thomas Browne, author of the "Religio Medici," and of the "Inquiry into -Vulgar Errors," giving the evidence on which so many wretched old and -young women were sent to the gallows. But, alas! what shall we say when -we hear such holy men as Baxter and Wesley asserting that the belief in -witchcraft was essentially connected with Christianity, and one of its -most important points; and, down almost to our own day, find Johnson -half doubting and half believing in the existence of witches and in -their supernatural powers? - -It was not until the close of 1763 that the statute which made -witchcraft a felony punishable by death was repealed; and so lately as -1716 the curious reader will find in Gough's Brit., Vol. I., p. 439, -an account of a substantial English farmer, named Hicks, who publicly -accused his wife and child--a girl of only nine years of age--of -witchcraft; and, what seems more incredible still, that they were -actually tried at the assizes at Huntingdon before a learned judge, and -visited by pious and God-fearing "divines" to whom the poor victims -confessed the belief--which was forced into their own convictions by -the strong current of public opinion, and still more by the unnatural -conduct of a father and a husband--"that they were witches"; for which -the unhappy wife and tender child were hanged at Huntingdon, on the -28th of July, 1716. - -Can any page in the history of Siam be more appalling than this? Let -the reader turn from England in her light and glory, her civilization, -refinement, and power, from her altars raised to the true God, -and centuries after her baptism in the matchless name of Christ, -to benighted Siam still bound in the iron fetters of paganism, -idolatry, and slavery, and he will find there in many respects just -such a picture as England presented in the seventeenth and eighteenth -centuries. - -Nothing can be more appalling than the incurable superstition of the -Eastern mind, and even while their belief in the supernatural inspires -them with perpetual horror, they cannot be brought to give it up. In -fact, it seems a part of their nature to cherish in their secret hearts -the belief that there are spirits, good and bad, who walk the earth -unseen, and delight either to bless or to cheat and abuse mankind; and -that there are witches and wizards in the country who have the power of -turning men into any shape they choose. - -Rational and reasonable on all other points as the Siamese are, the -moment you try to approach them through their religious senses they -appear like a world coming suddenly under an eclipse of the sun; slowly -and surely the disk of their mind is darkened, and the gloom and -perplexity increase, till it becomes completely obscured. - - - - -CHAPTER XXV. - -TRIAL FOR WITCHCRAFT. - - -No one who has had the good or bad fortune to alight in the -northeastern portion of the city of Bangkok can ever forget the temples -and monasteries of Brahmanee Wade. They are situated by themselves, -at the northeastern extremity of the city walls, where not a modern -building is to be seen, for even the few houses which were erected -as lately as yesterday have been fashioned after the ancient model -prescribed by the Hindoo architect; and in no part of the world is -there seen so perfect an historical picture of the ancient Brahminical -architecture as in this part of the city of Bangkok. The varied gables, -the quaint little windows, the fantastic towers and narrow doorways, -with the endless effects of color, make this spot a perpetual delight -to the curious traveller; and the Brahmins who occupy this part of the -city, allotted to them from time immemorial by the kings of Siam, still -preserve the ancient costume of their forefathers, which makes the -picture complete. - -On the morning of the 20th of November, 1866, three women, half -stupefied by the foul air of the damp cells in which they had been -immured, were conducted through the silent, sleeping streets of the -palace and city to a small room or "black hole" adjoining the great -court-hall of the temple of Brahmanee Wade, and locked up therein, -while the file of Amazons and the troop of soldiers in charge took -their places around it. - -While the Invincible City was being disenchanted by one set of Brahmins -to be purified by another set of Buddhist priests, I set off on -horseback, attended only by my Hindostanee syce, or groom, to the scene -of the trial. - -November here is the pleasantest month in the year; and the morning -sun shone brightly, but not too warmly, as we approached the walls of -the temples and monasteries of Brahmanee Wade,--so wild, so isolated, -so set in contrast by oddness of architectural effects to the general -order and appearance of the rest of the town, as to seem, indeed, to -belong to another age and another world. The dark walls and huge trees -were covered with parasitic plants. A deep, narrow valley, through -which a tiny streamlet runs, over a stony bed, betwixt sloping sides of -grass and furze-clad steeps, is crossed by a stone bridge, black with -time, which leads to the portals of Brahminism. The little mad stream -roared and fled darkly on, as it will perhaps forever. - -There was a dreadful loneliness about the place, and a sort of -darkness, too, whether in my mind or in the place I cannot say, but it -spoke of all kinds of magic and witchcraft, and even of devilcraft. - -Deep in the glen, sloping down to the stream, amid picturesque and -romantic surroundings, stood the old temple of Kalee Durga; and running -along, like a huge, jagged shadow, dark even in the brightest sunlight, -rose the roofs of the monastic dwellings of the Brahmin ascetics, from -which the place is named. - -I alighted, and told my syce to wait outside for me; but he, being a -pious Hindoo, bestrode the pony and rode off, to return in a quarter of -an hour with oil and fresh flowers and sweetmeats enough to propitiate -a great many dark goddesses. - -There was not a soul to be seen anywhere, whether of Brahmanic or -Buddhistic faith. So I followed my syce into the temple, and while he -prostrated himself at full length before each one of his gods, I took -out my note-book and occupied myself in making sketches and memoranda -of the strange scene before me. - -Vishnu, Siva, Krishna, and the goddess Kalee, were the chief deities of -the place, and figured as the heroes and heroines among the numerous -grotesque and monstrous myths sculptured on the walls. - -Here was Vishnu lying comfortably on the thousand-headed snake Shesha, -or sporting as a fish, or crawling as a tortoise, or showing his fangs -as a wild boar, or shaking his head in his last and fifth _avatar_ as -a dwarf, all admirably executed. Here too was Krishna, like another -Apollo, whipped out of heaven for playing tricks on the lovely -shepherdesses of Muttra, whose tender hearts he stole away, and whose -butter he found so tempting that he perpetually ran off with it in -secret, and whose jars of milk it was this madcap's pleasure roguishly -to upset. In another compartment, crumbling with age, he is seen again -in his last mad prank, perched on a stony tree with the milkmaids' -stony habiliments under his arm, and an unmistakable grin on his stony, -greasy[35] face, while the owners of the dresses are standing below in -various attitudes of bashfulness imploring their restoration. Before -them in different places stands the Lingam. Here was also a beautiful -sculpture of Siva and his wife Parvati, with the sacred bull Nandi -lying at their feet, and Kalee in combat with the monster Mahashasura; -and close by again she is seen caressing a Nylghau,[36] that is looking -up to her. - -The figures of the goddesses are wonderfully spirited, and of exquisite -symmetry, conveying the idea of perfect and beautiful womanhood. And -yet Kalee is represented elsewhere in the same temple as a black and -terrible being, covered with symbols of the most ferocious cruelty. - -Having finished my notes, I passed out by another entrance, and -tried to quiet my fears for May-Peâh by continuing my rambles and -explorations until breakfast-time. Instead of returning home for that -meal, I despatched the syce to buy from the small Hindoo village close -by an earthen lota of milk and a flat cake of Bâjree bread, of which I -made a pleasant repast, sitting under the deep shadows of the temples -and trees dedicated to Brahma, of whom there is rarely, if ever, any -representation. - -Very soon I was repaid for my patient waiting, for I heard the sound -of drums beating and martial music playing; and, rushing to the side -whence it proceeded, the queerest and most weird-looking procession -met my astonished eyes,--old women dressed in scarlet and yellow, and -old gray headed men in every variety of costume, combining all the -known and unknown fashions of the past, some on foot and others on -horseback, with embroidered flags of the same multiplicity of colors -flying before the wind; and in the centre of all, clad in black and -crimson vestments, riding on white mules, a band of about twenty men -and women, some quite young and others extremely old, advancing with -slow and solemn steps. These were the royal astrologers, wizards, and -witches who, incredible as it may seem, are supported by the supreme -king of Siam, and receive from the crown large and handsome salaries. -I observed that the whole procession was composed of persons of the -Hindoo religion. - -In the rear came some Chinese coolies hired for the occasion, carrying -two boxes and two long planks, which excited my curiosity. As they drew -near they were joined by large numbers of well-dressed Siamese and a -host of ragged slaves, which completed the motley scene. - -I stepped out of the solemn shade of the boh and peepul trees, and took -my seat on a broken stone pillar, still under shelter, and commanding a -view of the grand hall. The roof, which was fast crumbling away, was an -inferior imitation of that of the wondrous temple of Maha Nagkhon Watt, -and had scarcely been touched for centuries, for there still figured -the inevitable Siva and Kalee, and all the rest of the Hindoo gods and -goddesses, dismantled and broken, but still in sufficient preservation -to show the wild grotesqueness of the Hindoo imagination, which seems -to have grown riotous in the effort to embody all its imperfect -conceptions of the Divinity. - -When this strange and solemn procession entered the portal of Brahmanee -Wade they suddenly halted, threw up their arms and folded their hands -above their heads, and repeated one of the most magnificent utterances -of Krishna: "O thou who art the life in all things, the eternal seed of -nature, the understanding of the wise and the weakness of the foolish, -the glory of the proud and the strength of the strong, the sacrifice -and the worship, the incense and the fire, the victim and the slayer, -the father and the mother of the world, gird thy servants with power -and wisdom to-day to slay the slayer and to vanquish the deceiver,"[37] -etc. After which they marched to the sound of music into the temple, -and offered sacrifices of wine and oil, and wheaten cakes and fresh -flowers, and with their eyes lifted to the dark vaulted roof they again -prayed, calling upon Brahma the father, the comforter, the creator, -the tender mother, the holy way, the witness, the asylum, the friend -of man, to illumine with the light of his understanding their feeble -intellects to discern the devil and to vanquish him. - -At length the astrologers, wizards, and witches took their places -in the hall, with eager crowds all round them, standing in rows on -all the steps of the building. Then came two officers from the king -with a royal letter,--one was the chief judge of the Supreme Court, -and the other his secretary to report the trial. After this lordly -personage had taken his seat, the prisoners--the two handmaids of the -princess and my friend May-Peâh, who, as I feared, was the deaf and -dumb "changeling"--were brought in. She was deadly pale, and there -was a wild light as of madness or intense suffering in her eyes. They -were placed at the end of the hall, strongly guarded by as many as -fifty Amazons, while the soldiers scattered themselves all round about -the building. Not a word was spoken, and the strange assembly looked -into one another's faces, as if each knew his neighbor's thoughts. I -trembled for the unhappy prisoners; and the crowd, who seemed to look -upon poor May-Peâh as a veritable witch, were silent in breathless -expectation. - -It was a frightful spot, and a still more indescribably terrifying -scene, where one might indeed say with Hassan of Balsora, "Lo! this is -the abode of genii and of ghouls and of devils." I had half a mind to -slip down from my rocky perch and run away. But very soon my anxiety -for poor May-Peâh absorbed every other feeling. - -The three prisoners sat profoundly silent, waiting in sadness to hear -their doom. - -But why did they not begin the trial? There were the boxes and the -planks with little niches cut into them, deep enough to enable any -nimble person to climb with the tips of their toes, and scale any wall -against which they might be placed. I turned to a soldier who was -standing close by, and asked him why they still delayed the trial. - -"They are waiting," said he, as if he knew all about it, and had -witnessed many such scenes before, "for the 'sage,' or holy man of the -woods; it is for him that they have blown the conch-shells these three -times." There was, to me, nothing improbable in the soldier's story. -He told me that this holy man, or yogi,[38] lived in a cave, in the -rocks adjoining, all alone, and that he rarely issued from his unknown -retreat during the day, but that pious Hindoos, while performing their -ablutions in the stream after the close of their labors, could see -him moving in the moonlight, and hear him calling upon God. Feeding -on tamarinds and other wild fruits, he slept during the day like a -wild animal, and prayed aloud all night, oppressed by his longing and -yearning after the Invisible, as by some secret grief that knew no -balm. Even the cool evening air brought him no peace; for, - - "At night the passion came, - Like the fierce fiend of a distempered dream; - And shook him from his rest, and led him forth - Into the darkness, to pray and pray forevermore." - -By and by a man appeared on the opposite banks of the stream, plunged -into it, and emerged on the hither side; shook the wet from his hair -like a veritable beast, and made his way towards the hall, where he -sat himself shyly down near the prisoners. This strange mortal, who -lived the life of an "orang-outang," had a remarkably fine, sensitive -face, and a noble head, around which his long, matted, unkempt hair -fell like dark clouds. He was meagrely clad, and his wiry frame gave -evidence of great muscular power. There was, to my thinking, a gleam -of a better and higher humanity in his fine, dark face, that shot out -in irrepressible flashes, and convinced me, in spite of his filth and -nudity, of a noble and impressive nature. - -The soldier assured me, in a tone of the utmost reverence, "that -this man's eyes were opened, that he could see things which the paid -mercenaries of the court could not begin even to comprehend; and that -therefore they always made it a point to invite him to aid them in -their spiritual examinations." - -I somehow drew comfort from the yogi's shy and fascinating face. - -And now the trial commenced by the judge reading the king's letter, -which spoke of the mysterious and important nature of the accusation -made against some unknown person for the abduction of a state prisoner, -a lady of high rank and unflinching integrity, and called upon the -assembly to do their utmost to unravel the inexplicable affair. - -After the royal letter had received its customary salutations, and -at the command of the judge, the two Amazons who were on duty on the -night of the abduction of the princess testified to the following -facts: "That on the night of the 12th, on a sudden a strong wind arose -that extinguished their lanterns, leaving them in utter darkness, and -immediately afterwards they were sensible that a tall, dark figure -enveloped in a black veil entered the hall, and that as she approached -them they saw, somewhat indistinctly, that she held a short dagger -in one hand and a ponderous bunch of keys in the other; that never -before having known themselves liable to any illusion of the senses, -the horror which fell upon them at the moment deprived them of all -power of speech or action; that, as the strange being stood over them -brandishing her glittering knife, there flashed all round about her a -hideous light; that by this light they saw her proceed to the cell in -which the Princess Sunartha Vismita was confined, open it with one of -her mysterious keys, and lead the princess forth, pulling her forcibly -along by the hand, and as the flashes died away a double darkness fell -upon them; that after an interval of nearly two hours, as they were -still paralyzed and unable to move from the spot, the strange figure -reappeared, pallid, and more ghastly than before, but without the veil, -or the dagger, or the bunch of keys; that she passed quickly by them -into the cell, and drew the prison door so forcibly that it closed upon -her with a dismal cry of pain." - -Then the two Laotians stated "that on the night of the 12th they -were awakened by the slamming of the cell door, and, on looking in -the darkness towards the bed on which the princess slept, they saw a -figure sitting on it; on which they lit the lamp, and found it was not -their mistress, but a dumb slave-woman in her place, and that they -instinctively shrank away from her in fear and horror lest she should -metamorphose them also into some unnatural beings." - -As for the Amazons, it could readily be seen that their imaginations -had been so vividly impressed that they were prepared to swear solemnly -to their having seen a supernatural being twice the size and altogether -unlike the deaf and dumb creature before them. The unnatural light -of pain or madness or frenzy, or whatever it was, burned still more -brightly in May-Peâh's eyes. Her reddish-brown dress seemed to be -stained here and there with darker spots, as if of blood, and her face -grew more and more colorless every moment. But to all the numberless -questions put to her by every one of the crafty wizards and witches, -she returned no reply. Her lips were of an ashy whiteness, and they -really seemed to have been closed by a supernatural power. - -I recalled her volubility of speech when I first met her, and her -impassioned song, by which she won for her mistress the acknowledgment -of a deep and undying love; and I asked myself the question over and -over again, "Is it possible that she can be acting?" At a signal, an -alarm-gong was struck, and so suddenly and immediately behind her that -the whole assembly started, and May-Peâh, taken by surprise, turned to -see whence the sound came. "Now," shouted the wily judges, "it is plain -that you can speak, for you are not deaf." - -No sooner was this said than the feeling against the accused ran high, -on account of her obstinacy, and she was forthwith condemned to all -the tortures of the rack. But the humane yogi, on hearing this, raised -his bare arms on high, and uttered the wild cry of "Yah" (forbear) so -commandingly that it rang through the temple, and arrested the cruel -process. - -He then turned to the poor girl, and, placing his huge, bony hands upon -her shoulders, tenderly whispered in her ear something which seemed -to move the prisoner for she raised her burning eyes, now filled with -tears, to his face, and, shaking her head solemnly and sadly to and -fro, laid her finger on her mouth to indicate that she could not speak. - -A tender light kindled the dark face of the yogi, as he informed the -assembly that "the woman was not a witch, nor even obstinate, but -powerless to speak, because under the influence of witchcraft." - -The tide of feeling was again turned in the prisoner's favor. "Let -her be exorcised," said the chief judge of the Supreme Court, whose -secretary was making minutes of all that took place during the trial. - -On which the queerest-looking woman of the party, an old and toothless -dame, drew out a key from her girdle and opened the wooden boxes, -from which she took a small boat, a sort of coracle,[39]--such as are -still found in some parts of Wales, made by covering a wicker frame -with leather,--a long gray veil of singular texture, an earthen stove, -whereon to kindle a charcoal fire, and some charcoal; out of the second -box she produced some herbs, pieces of flint, cast skins of snakes, -feathers, the hair of various animals, with dead men's bones, short -brooms, and a host of other queer things. - -At any other time I should have been highly amused at the grotesqueness -of the figure, and the comically ludicrous manner in which she drew, -one after another, her mysterious ingredients out of her boxes; but now -I was too anxious, and too much pained by the situation of May-Peâh, -and by what seemed to me diabolical jugglery, to think of the comical -side of the scene. - -With the charcoal the old woman proceeded to light a fire in her -earthen stove; when it was red-hot she opened several jars of water, -and, muttering some strange incantations, threw into them portions of -her herbs, repeating over each a mystic spell, and waving a curious -wand which looked like a human bone, and might have been once the arm -of a stalwart man. This done, she seated the prisoner in the centre -of the motley group, covered her over with the veil of gray stuff, -and handing the short hand-brooms to a number of her set, she, to my -intense horror, began to pour the burning charcoal over the veiled -form of the prisoner, which the other women, dancing around, and -repeating with the wildest gestures the name of Brahma, as rapidly -swept off. This was done without even singeing the veil or burning a -hair of May-Peâh's head. After this they emptied the jars of water upon -her, still repeating the name of Brahma. She was then made to change -her clothes for an entirely new dress, of the Brahminical fashion. -Her dressing and undressing were effected with great skill, without -disclosing her person in the least. And once more the yogi laid his -hands upon her shoulders, and whispered again in her ears, first the -right, and then the left. But May-Peâh returned the same intimation, -shaking her head, and pointing to her sealed lips. - -Then the old wizard, Khoon P'hikhat,--literally, the lord who drives -out the devil,--prostrated himself before her, and prayed with a wild -energy of manner; and, rising suddenly, he peremptorily demanded, -looking full into the prisoner's face, "Where did you drop the bunch of -keys?" - -The glaring daylight illuminated with a pale lustre the fine face of -the Laotian slave, as for the third time she moved her head, in solemn -intimation that she could not or would not speak. - -To see her thus, no one would believe but that, if she willed, she -could speak at once. - -"Open her mouth, and pour some of the magic water into it," suggested -one of the "wise women." - -But they who opened her mouth fell back with horror, and cried, -"Brahma, Brahma! an evil fiend has torn out her tongue." And -immediately the unhappy woman passed from being an object of fear and -dread to one of tender commiseration, of pity, and even of adoration. - -So sudden was the transition from fear and hate to love and pity, that -many of the strong men and women wept outright at the thought of the -dreadful mutilation that the fiend had subjected her to. - -Now came the last and most important question, "Was the exorcism -effectual?" To prove which a small taper was lighted and put into -the witches' boat; and the whole company betook themselves to the -borders of the stream to see it launched. The boat swept gallantly -down the waters, and the feeble lamp burned brightly, without even a -flicker,--for it was a calm day,--till it was brought to a stand by -some stones that were strewn across the stream. - -Then the yogi raised a shout of wild delight, and all the company -re-echoed it with intense satisfaction and pleasure. And, in accordance -with the king's instructions, being fully acquitted of any complicity -with the devil in the abduction of the princess, the prisoners received -each a sum of money, and were set at liberty. - -The planks, which in any other court would have been one of the most -tangible evidences that some person had thereby scaled the palace -walls, were never even thought of during this singular trial. So -irrational and so superstitious is the native character, that they -preferred to believe in the supernatural rather than in any rational -cause for the disappearance of the princess; and for once in my life I -was led to rejoice in their ignorance. - -It was sunset before this inconceivably grotesque and self-deluded and -deluding set of maniacs dispersed. The yogi went back to the solitude -of his unknown cave to sleep by day and pray alone by night. And I sent -my syce home, and remained behind under a jamoon-tree, to which my pony -was tied, in the hope of getting an opportunity of speaking alone with -the women who still lingered with May-Peâh in the hall. - -When May-Peâh at length saw me, she rushed into my arms, and laid her -head upon my shoulder, uttering the most doleful and piteous of cries; -they were not cries of sorrow, but of the wildest joy! I embraced her -with something of the tenderness and sorrow with which a mother takes a -brave but reckless child to her heart. - -May-Peâh's friends then told me, what I had all along surmised, that -it was she who scaled the walls by means of the two planks, terrified -the Amazons, opened the prison doors with the keys she had provided, -and led her mistress forcibly out. After assisting her to climb the -walls on the inner side, she sat on the top of the outer wall until she -saw her safely on the other side. She then dropped the keys to her, to -be flung into the river. Here the prince and his two friends received -the princess, and led her to a small craft that was ready to convey -them to Maulmain. In vain they entreated May-Peâh to come down from -the wall and join their flight. She resolutely refused to leave the -companions of her beloved mistress in peril, and, full of dread lest, -by the dreadful torture which she knew awaited her, she might be forced -to betray those who were dearer to her than her own life, she with one -stroke of her sharp dagger deprived herself forever of the power of -uttering a single intelligible sound. - -"O, but why did you not all go off with the princess?" I inquired. - -"Because we were too many, and we should have only delayed and -perhaps imperilled the success of the enterprise," said the women; -"and May-Peâh had promised not to leave us to bear the penalty of her -doings." - -It was difficult to tear myself away from her. I was at once proud to -be loved by her, and heart-broken to think that she would never speak -again. - -But at length we parted, and she, raising her hands high above her -head, waved them to and fro, and smiled a joyful adieu, in spite of the -pain she still suffered from her cruel mutilation. - -They took the way to the river to hire a boat for Pak Laut, whence they -were to sail to Maulmain to join the fugitive prince and princess. - -Assuredly, so long as men and women shall hold dear human courage and -devotion in what they believe to be a just cause, so long will the -memory of this brave and self-sacrificing slave-girl be cherished. - -FOOTNOTES: - -[Footnote 35: The Hindoos besmear these sculptures with oil on festive -occasions.] - -[Footnote 36: A large short-horned antelope found in Northern India. -The males are of a beautiful slaty blue, and the females of a rusty -red.] - -[Footnote 37: A prayer from the "Hindoo Liturgy," embodying some of the -remarkable formulas of the Brahminical worship.] - -[Footnote 38: A Hindoo mystic.] - -[Footnote 39: Similar boats were used by the ancient Egyptians.] - - - - -CHAPTER XXVI. - -THE CHRISTIAN VILLAGE OF TÂMSÈNG, OR OF THOMAS THE SAINT. - - -It was on a bright Sunday morning in the month of May that a handsome -boat with four young women at the oars conveyed me and my boy to the -residence of Mrs. Rosa Hunter, situated in the village of Tâmsèng. - -My friend Mrs. Hunter was a native of Siam, but of Portuguese -parentage. Her husband, Robert Hunter, was private secretary to the -supreme king. She had two sons, who had been taken away from her in -their infancy by their Protestant father,--lest they should be brought -up in the Roman Catholic faith,--and shipped off secretly to Scotland, -in order that they might be educated under the influences of the Free -Church of Scotland, in which he had himself been brought up. This -occasioned a breach between the husband and wife which led to their -ultimate separation, and Rosa returned all but heart-broken to the home -of her childhood, where I visited her at short intervals to write the -long, loving letters which she dictated to me in Siamese, and which I -wrote in English to her absent boys. - -A day at her house was always a pleasant change. On one of these -visits, which I remember well, the table had been spread by the -window that looked up the river, and lost it amid high banks and the -projecting spires of the Roman Catholic and the Buddhist temples -adjoining. - -I had finished and sealed her loving messages to her absent children; -the moon was rising, and we needed no other light, as the conversation -between us, often shifting and often pausing, had gradually become -grave, and we fell into confiding talk of what we hoped and what we -feared, as we saw the future of our children stretched before us in -deep shadows. - -"There is so much power in faith," said Rosa, "even in relation to -earthly things, that I am surprised you are not a Roman Catholic. I -believe in my church; when I go to confession and receive the holy -communion, I am filled with peace and trust, and have no fears for the -future." - -"There is a great deal in what you say, Rosa," I replied; "but I am -afraid that I should not make a good Catholic, since I am disposed to -question everything that does not accord with my own perceptions of the -right and the true." - -"Well, I suppose," said Rosa, "that our natures differ; all my life -has its roots in the Roman Catholic Church. I never doubt, therefore I -never question. The Holy Virgin and her Son are sufficient for me, and -the good priest who absolves me from my sins. My only one sorrow is -that my children are cast out of the pale of salvation by the foolish -prejudices of their father." - -This was said in a voice of much feeling, and tears gathered to her -eyes. I moved to her side, and tried to comfort her by saying, "After -all, Rosa, you seem to let your fears for your children cloud your -faith in that Saviour who died for them as well as for you." - -While I was speaking, my eyes fell upon a long, narrow canoe, called by -the natives Rua Keng, in which was seated a tall, slender, and shapely -young girl, who was slowly, with the aid of two short paddles, making -her way towards us through the water, while her face was raised to the -moonlight that fell brightly upon her. It was nearly high tide; a fleet -of canoes, boats, and barges was moving in all directions over the -broad waters. - -We watched the girl as her paddles rose and fell softly and slowly, -silver-tipped by the moonlight, now dipping into the water, now rising -above it, like the white wings of some lazy bird. Nearer and nearer -came the long boat, and clearer shone the fair face that was still -uplifted, and reflected back the moonlight, till it almost looked as if -divinely inspired. It is impossible to do any kind of justice to this -beautiful moonlight picture. Gently the boat shot under our window, and -was lost to our sight. - -I bade my friend adieu, and hastened to the pier, where I met the girl -again. She had fastened her canoe to one of the posts that supported -the quay, and was crossing the street: in one hand she held a bunch of -lilies, and in the other a lotus-shaped vase full of flowers. - -Yielding to the impulse of the moment, instead of stepping into my boat -I took my boy's hand and followed her graceful figure. - -It was not yet seven o'clock. A number of people were in the squalid, -dirty streets of Tâmsèng. The twinkling evening lights were stealing -out one by one, and the girl drew over her face a veil or covering -which was attached to her hair by a large and beautiful pin. A dozen -or more steps, and we stood in the porch of the Roman Catholic chapel -dedicated to "Tomas the Saint." - -Lights were burning on the altar, over which were two figures of the -Christ: one suspended above it with a crown of thorns, bleeding, and -nailed to the cross; the other, of magnificent stature, was enveloped -in a costume as gorgeous as the coronation robes of an emperor, the -vestment being a sort of Indian brocade of woven gold arabesqued with -jewels and scented with spikenard; a diadem lavishly adorned with -emeralds and diamonds pressed its forehead, in some measure confining -the hair which streamed down in abundant tresses upon the shoulders, -and mingled with a beard no darker than the glossy hue of the chestnut. -On either side of the altar were two other figures, one of the Virgin -Mother, in the same regal attire, and crowned as the queen of heaven; -while the other was the patron saint, with a flowing beard and a -benevolent face. Suspended over the altar was a grand Japanese lamp. - -The priest, a dark, heavily built man, a native, but of Portuguese -parentage, was standing before it, with his cap on his head and his -back to the congregation. - -The moment the girl beheld the glory of the altar and the lights that -shot up and quivered and were reflected in a thousand beautiful tints -upon the magnificent figure of the Christ, she dropped on her knees and -held down her head in mute adoration. After a little while she rose, -and, advancing a few steps nearer, placed her golden lotus-shaped vase -of flowers on the bare floor, dropped on her knees again, and, holding -the white lilies between her folded hands, seemed absorbed in her -devotions. - -In her attitude and bearing there was a depth of feeling which, -harmonizing with her beautiful figure, arrested the eye of the -observer, and cast every other object in the shade. - -I withdrew reluctantly and returned to my boat, wondering who she could -be. On my way home I gathered from the women at the oars that she was -known by the name of Nang Rungeâh (Lady Rungeâh);[40] that her parents -were Buddhists and Cambodians, proprietors of a large plantation east -of Tâmsèng. Her father, Chow Suah P'hagunn, was a distinguished noble, -and her mother a Cambodian lady of high birth, who claimed to be -descended from the rulers of that ancient and almost unknown kingdom, -and that her only brother was a Buddhist priest. But the Nang Rungeâh -had become deeply impressed with the beauty of the Christian religion, -and was at this moment the only candidate who had offered herself, for -a number of years, for baptism into the Roman Catholic Church. - -"Tomas Saint," the founder of the beautiful church around which had -grown up this Christian village, was a Portuguese gentleman renowned -for his piety and his wealth. He had obtained the title of "saint," -even in his lifetime; but the good people, fearing to arouse the -jealousy of the Apostle of Christ, after whom he was named, placed the -title after, instead of before, his name, and out of it had grown the -name of "Tâmsèng." - -On the very next Saturday following, it being the first holiday that -offered itself to me, I set out with my boy very early in the morning -to explore the village of Tâmsèng. - -We chose for our head-quarters one of the most beautiful Buddhist -temples in the neighborhood, the grounds and monasteries bounded the -Catholic village on the northeast side of the river. - -This temple, called Adi Buddha Annando, i.e. The First Buddha, or -The Infinite, was embowered in a grove of trees of luxuriant growth, -affording a delicious shade. It must have been, in its best days, a -magnificent building; for even now, though much of its beauty was -obliterated, it was covered from its massive base to its tapering -summits with sculptures, and frescoed within and without with -marvellous effect, so that wherever you turned your eyes the impression -of a more subtle and a finer spirituality dawned upon you, as it was -meet it should, in a temple dedicated to One whom the pious Buddhists -will never even name, so great is their reverence for the First or -Supreme Intelligence. - -After a simple breakfast of fruit and milk, we strolled about the -village and its surroundings, making notes and sketches of all that -could be seen. - -It was surprising to me that it looked so well in the early sunshine. -The places that had struck me as foul and repulsive in the dim twilight -now wore a different aspect, as if bent on looking their brightest and -best in acknowledgment of the prodigal sunlight. - -But the farther we penetrated into the heart of the village the more we -were disappointed, and my first impressions were more than realized. We -soon came upon scenes of the most squalid misery and filth, poverty and -destitution, amid heaps of refuse and puddles of mud that caused us to -shrink aside with disgust. - -It is natural to demand that beautiful ideas should be clothed with -beautiful forms. It was therefore to me an outrage on the name of -Christianity to find that while all around lay scenes of luxuriant -beauty which brightened the eye and cheered the heart, the only -Christian village in the vicinity of Bangkok, which should have been -an embodiment of all that is pure and lovely, had been transformed -by the greed and oppression of the local officers to a pestilential -spot to fester and poison the pure air of heaven. Some few native -Christian women were about milking their goats, others were seated on -their doorsteps, unwashed and uncombed; they seemed even to have lost -the virtue of personal cleanliness, which with the Indian covers a -multitude of sins. Stray packs of pariah dogs and herds of swine were -barking and grunting in the ill-kept streets, and all kinds of poultry -were picking a scanty breakfast from the heaps of garbage. Every now -and then we were compelled to cross a stagnant pool or a muddy gutter -alive with insects. - -I never saw anything like the mud; it was a black liquid, sticky, -slimy, and yet hard, hurting like hail when it struck the flesh. - -And now we reached the quaint little chapel of "Tomas Saint." Its -glories were sadly obscured by wet and damp, and the painting and -gilding on the outside looked cold and dull. - -A colored priest, a descendant of the renowned Tomas, was officiating. -It was some saint's day. An assemblage of men, women, and children -was seated on the floor, some in groups and some on rude benches. The -priest bends over his missal, and pours forth in execrable Latin the -exquisite prayers of the Church of Rome; and all the congregation, in -their silks, and in their rags and wretchedness, are hushed and silent, -with bent heads and folded hands, while the sound of the prayers--which -they do not understand, beyond that it is the voice of prayer--fills -their unenlightened but reverent hearts with mysterious dread and -worship. - -On quitting the chapel, we were at once beset by a numerous horde of -beggars. It was not food or money that they craved, but, strange to -say, it was justice. They followed us all the way back to the temple, -importuning me to redress their wrongs and find a remedy for their -grievances. Some of the poor wretches were half-witted, and not a few -were crazed. An elderly lady, evidently once of superior rank, came -crawling up to me, and clasped my feet, making a painful noise in a -language that I could not understand, and piteously gesticulating -some incomprehensible request. The people of the place denied all -knowledge of her. At last she insisted on my giving her a leaf out of -my note-book full of writing, which she apparently considered as a -charm, for she attached it to a cord round her neck, and seemed to be -perfectly happy in its possession. God only knows what the poor thing -wanted to tell me, but likely enough her story was one of some great -wrong, of some cruel injustice. If the smallest details of what I heard -that day might be credited, the wrongs of these people were of the most -harrowing nature, and altogether without hope of remedy under the -twofold and inveterately vicious system of Siamese and Portugo-Siamese -administration that prevailed there. - -I was alarmed when I found that my visit was thought to be one secretly -intended "to spy out the land," in the service of the king of Siam, -and that I was expected to wipe away the tears from all eyes. In vain -I protested to the contrary; no one would listen to me, but the crowds -kept coming and going, and pleading and praying, and promising me -fabulous sums of money if I would only see their wrongs redressed. - -Many a heart-rending tale was told to me that day, with quivering lips -and streaming eyes, as I rested beneath the porch of the temple of -Adi Buddha Annando, by women who had been plundered of all they once -possessed, their children sold into slavery or tortured to death, their -habitations despoiled, merely because they happened to have property, -and presumed to live independently upon lands which their more powerful -neighbors coveted. - -The greater number of these depredators were Siamese of influence, -who had enrolled themselves as Christians under the French or the -Portuguese flags, and unless the sufferer could claim the protection of -either the one or the other, it seemed a cruel mockery to refer them -for redress to any existing local authority, so long as P'haya Visate, -a high but unprincipled Roman Catholic dignitary, was the governor of -this district; and the saddest part of it all was, that the sufferers -themselves felt there was no use in applying for justice to him. - -In talking with some Buddhist men and women who were land proprietors -in the vicinity, they told me that they were afraid of their Christian -brethren, and would not, if they could prevent it, permit them to lease -farms on their estates. - -"Why?" I asked. - -"Because, if they once get hold of a house or a farm, they manage in -time to turn us out." - -"But how?" - -"Well, they lease small bits of land, year after year, expend money on -it, and then, when they have a sufficiently large plantation to settle -upon, they refuse to pay rent, go to law, and bring false witnesses -to prove they have purchased the land of the owners, while the local -authorities either take the part of the wrong-doers or imprison both -parties until they have squeezed all they can out of them. The Buddhist -does not dare," said they, "to lay his hand upon the sacred tree[41] -and swear falsely, because the god who lives in it sees all, and he -dreads his vengeance. But the Christian may swear to as many lies as he -pleases, for the priests of the P'hra Jesu will give him absolution for -them. Where, then, is the harm to him?" - -I observed among the crowd a highly respectable looking and handsomely -dressed woman, who sat apart, taking no share in the conversation, but -listening with apparent interest to all that was said. Her eyes were -very dark and very fine, but filled with rather a sad expression. - -Towards evening she rose to go away, but, as if on second thought, she -turned to me and greeted me in a peculiarly sweet voice, that sounded -like music to my ears after all the voices of the crowd, inviting us to -go and take our evening meal at her house, to which she at once led the -way. - -A narrow, gravelled walk led to the house, situated in a lovely garden, -and separated by a wilderness of wild plants and prickly-pears from the -neighboring Christian village. A long veranda with stone steps led down -to the gravelled path. Just in front stood an old banyan-tree, lusty -and burly in the full strength of its gnarled trunk, and vigorous, long -boughs and branches forming arched and leafy bowers all round it. - -The pathway ran through a shrubbery luxuriant with oleanders, -jessamine, roses, laurel, and the Indian myrtle. Beneath these small -wild rabbits had formed a colony, and it was curious to see a leaf -moved upwards mysteriously, a head and ears protrude themselves, or -a tail and legs, and then disappear as suddenly. This road ran to a -great distance behind the house, and led through nearly three miles of -ground, laid out in sugar, rice, cocoanut, and tobacco plantations. A -small stream trickled through these, stagnating here and there into -deep, green pools. - -In passing near one of these pools I noticed that my hostess turned -away her face, and in answer to my questions, she told me that it was -once a large tank, but was now called Tâlataie, the Pool of Death. -On further inquiry, I learned that this name had been given it from -a tragic circumstance which had happened in her family; that shortly -after her eldest daughter's engagement to a young Siamese Christian, -the betrothed pair went out for a ramble along the banks of the -streamlet. Night descended, and the shadows deepened into midnight, -but her daughter and her lover did not return. At length her fears -were aroused, and the whole household set out with lanterns to search -the grounds; but nowhere could they find a trace of the absent couple -until morning dawned upon their fruitless search, when her daughter was -found lying on her face in the dark pool, stripped of all the beautiful -jewels in which she had arrayed herself on the previous evening; and -her Christian lover was never seen or heard of again. "But her spirit -still haunts the spot," said the sad mother to me, "and on moonlight -nights I see her pale form floating in the pool and crying to us for -help." - -The lady then wiped away her tears with her black p'ha hom, or -scarf, and led us into the house. Her husband, a much older and more -melancholy-looking person, now appeared, and the slaves brought us a -great many delicacies on silver trays. - -While we partook of them, our hostess asked me a number of questions -about my home, friends, children, and relatives. She then informed me -that her family now consisted of one son and a daughter, and that the -former was a Buddhist priest, serving in the very temple where she had -met me. - -"Where is your daughter now?" I inquired. - -She pointed to a window which opened into an inner chamber. I looked -in, and to my glad surprise saw seated on a low stool, holding an open -book in which she seemed wholly absorbed, the same girl who had so -attracted me on the Sunday evening previous. - -Her face was very fine and seemingly full of spiritual beauty, and -her figure surpassingly beautiful. While we stood gazing at her, some -sudden and apparently painful emotion flitted rapidly across her face -as she read in the book, like the shadow of a dark cloud over the quiet -water. - -The mother was silent, evidently making an effort to master the -feelings which this sight occasioned in her breast, so as to speak -calmly about it. - -I sat down again, and inquired the name of the book in which her -daughter was so absorbed. - -"It is a book called Beeble," said the woman. "What kind of a book is -it?" - -I assured her that it was a very good book, the Book above all others -ever printed; that her daughter did well to read it, and that it would -help to develop her into a lovely and beautiful character. - -I then left my kind hostess, satisfied and yet saddened by my trip to -Tâmsèng. - -FOOTNOTES: - -[Footnote 40: Rungeâh, a sort of magenta-colored lotus, found in the -pools and marshes of Siam.] - -[Footnote 41: Boh, or bogara-tree.] - - - - -CHAPTER XXVII. - -NANG RUNGEAH, THE CAMBODIAN PROSELYTE. - - -TÂMSÈNG presented a picture of the sea at the moment when the tide is -on the turn: there is always a lull, and sometimes a profound calm, -before the mighty currents shift and set in another direction. The -eager child who is piling up castles of sand one upon another on its -shores pauses in wonder and astonishment at the sight. That strong -angel, the tide, that he had watched in breathless delight advancing -resistlessly, ever onward, nearer and nearer, rushing on to kiss with -its foaming mouth his wayward feet, then rolling back, and "laughing -from its lips the audacious brine," is suddenly arrested. The dull, -surging roar that filled his ear, as if it were the voice of some -mysterious sea-god, is hushed; the great sea has become silent and -still, and the strong angel has expired. His last faint effort, and his -feeble dying moan, fall upon the child's attentive eye and listening -ear like a death-knell, for he has been told that this "tide" keeps -the salt sea fresh and its shores healthful. He sets up a shout of -despair, and prays the strong angel to return and trouble again the -still waters, to renew the life which has passed away, and prevent that -in-setting of stagnation that must bring with it mortal disease to the -earth. - -Religions have their tides as well as the ocean, and all life has -its grand cyclical currents, whether in the church, the state, the -individual, or the nation. Thus this little village of Tâmsèng seemed -long since to have arrived at the period of that reaction which -marks the disappearance of the tide from the sea, and the influx of -that sluggish insensibility which foretells the beginning of the -stagnation, which, if not removed, must inevitably end in mortification -and death. - -But now, after the torpor of nearly half a century, and through the -death-like stagnation of the decaying village, there is heard a voice -of general rejoicing. The main features of the place undergo a slight -change; a gentle flow of life stirs its corpse-like visage; a beautiful -and wealthy Cambodian heiress, the Lady Nang Rungeah is a candidate for -baptism in the Roman Catholic Church. - -On the 25th of June, it being the morning of her first confessional, -the bells are set in motion and ring all day till sunset, as is the -custom for a new convert, resounding in the glens and hollows and amid -the spires of the Buddhist and Roman Catholic temples. - -The chamber into which I had looked at a young girl reading with -her heart and eyes a copy of the New Testament--translated, not by -a Roman Catholic, but by an American Presbyterian missionary, the -Rev. Mr. Mattoon--is now the centre of a most animated scene. Khoon -P'hagunn and his wife Jethamas are seated in the little room in earnest -conversation. They are interrupted by their daughter Rungeah, who comes -quietly in, throws her arms around her mother, kneels before her and -lays her head in her lap. The mother folds her arms tenderly around her -child, and caresses her lovingly, smoothing her soft hair. - -"Ah! Rungeah, art thou dressed already? Thou dost not need much -adornment." And the old man's eyes brightened with pride and love as -they lighted on the pleasant beauty and the graceful proportions of his -daughter. - -Nang Rungeah, the bright lotus-flower, was indeed pleasant to look -upon. Hers was the half Indian and half Cambodian beauty so rare in -Siam,--the large, long, drooping eye, round, oval face, and clear -complexion, with a touch of healthful ruddiness in her cheeks, -purple-black hair, soft and rich, falling loosely in long curls over -her shoulders. The charms of her face and feature, however, were as -naught to the brightness and kindliness that played over them like a -sunny gleam. Her figure was remarkable, tall and lithe, yet perfectly -rounded, and swelling fairly beneath the graceful bodice and the full -skirt that fell in soft folds to her sandalled feet. The pin by which -her veil was fastened was set off with a number of brilliants; her -arms were ornamented with gold bangles, and on her neck she wore a new -chain, a gift from her sad and loving mother, a rosary of gold and -black coral beads, to which was attached a massive gold figure of the -Christ on the cross. - -"Alas! my child," said the mother at length, "I pray P'hra Buddh the -Chow that no harm will come to thee through this new religion." - -"I wonder to hear you speak thus, dear mother," replied the young girl, -lifting her eyes reproachfully to her mother's face. "O, I wish you -could be brought to see how much more beautiful this religion of P'hra -Jesu is than that of Buddha; and then think of the beautiful 'Marie,' -his Holy Mother, who is ever at his side, ready to whisper words of -tender love and pity in behalf of such poor sinners as we are. I feel -as if I should never go astray, or do any evil thing, now that I have -the good priest to pray for me, and the Holy Mother and her Son to be -my gods." - -"P'hra Buddha forbid that I should mistrust your gods, my child; but I -do mistrust the priests and my own heart," said the anxious mother. - -In spite of her love and her faith, Rungeah's cheek grew pale and her -eyes filled with tears as she reached the chapel of Tâmsèng. With a -palpitating heart she knelt at the confessional-box, waiting for the -priest to take his place within, and open the small window through -which he heard the confessions of the congregation. - -She hears a footstep on the other side. The priest enters, he shuts the -door upon himself and takes his place; he then pulls a cord which opens -the little window of the confessional-box, and shuts at the same time -the door which she had left ajar as she came into the chamber. - -The confessional window is open, and the priest coughs a slight cough; -but Rungeah kneels there with her heart beating and her hands folded, -gazing on that ideal and perfect manhood who has given up his life to -save hers. - -After a long interval of silence, the voice of the priest breaks upon -her ear, like the boom of a cannon amid a garden of flowers. - -"My daughter," said the voice, "confess your sins." - -"My father," replies Rungeah, her love and joy breathing from her heart -and struggling for utterance on her lips, "whenever I think of Him, -His goodness and His love, of which I never tire reading, I am filled -with gladness and praise; I am now never weary, never cast down, never -afflicted, nor does my heart or my pulse ever fail me in loving and -adoring Him." - -"My daughter," interrupted the priest, suddenly, "this is not -confession; you must tell me of your secret sins, the guilty thoughts, -words, and acts you have cherished, spoken, or committed, when you were -still a believer in the false and horrible doctrines of the Buddha." - -A deep flush of pride, which the girl herself does not quite -understand, overspreads her beautiful face, and her lips, still -quivering, remain parted in surprise. Her secret sins and guilty -thoughts! Why blame her for not remembering them? - -She was as pure as the snow-flake upon the mountain-top. - -She turned her thoughts upon herself, and tried to recall some sin; she -would have given the world to find some grave fault which she could -justly own as hers, to pour into the ears of the impatient priest. But -she could not recall a single one. - -"My memory is treacherous, good father," said she; "I cannot now -recall any one of my sins in particular, though I must have done many, -many wrong things, unless, indeed, it is the one I have committed in -forsaking my dear old god Buddha, whom I did truly love and reverence -until I heard and read of the beautiful P'hra Jesu?" - -"This is not satisfactory," said the priest, dryly; "you will have to -do penance for such thoughts as these; and where did you read of P'hra -Jesu?" - -"Ah!" said the girl, "I have a beautiful book which tells me all about -him." - -"But who gave it to you?" persisted the priest. - -"I found it in the temple of Adi Buddha Annando, where it was left for -my brother by an American priest." - -The priest of Tâmsèng turned uneasily in his seat, and coughed a low -cough preparatory to what he was going to say. - -"My daughter," said he at length, in a voice of grave reproof, "this -last is a dreadful sin. That book is dangerous, and those American -priests are our enemies. They lie in wait to deceive the children of -the true Church. They deny the divinity of the Holy Mother of God, and -they go about the country preaching their false doctrines and giving -away their books only to delude the simple-hearted natives. Be sure -that you never listen to them, and that you abstain from looking into -that book again. Bring the book to me, and you will be saved from this -great temptation." - -The girl listened, abashed, hanging down her head, and with tears of -repentance in her eyes. - -He then proceeded to state the penance she would have to perform. - -To repeat fifty _paternosters_, walk, on the following Sabbath morning, -barefooted, and dressed in her meanest garb, to the chapel of Tâmsèng, -and be admitted thus by baptism into the true Church. - -The priest again pulled the cord; the window was shut, the door stood -ajar, and the girl rose and passed out to join her attendants. Her -bright face was overcast, unbidden tears were in her eyes, and all -her love and joy in the beautiful Saviour she had found blighted like -autumn leaves before the wind. When she gained her boat, great black -clouds lowered in the sky, the winds rose into a squall, and the waves -tossed and tumbled and rolled high upon the banks. It was one of -those sudden hurricanes that are so common in Siam. The boat proved -unmanageable, and, in spite of all the combined efforts of the three -women, she was capsized in the middle of the angry, surging waters. -Long and desperately the women struggle for life, again and again they -try to swim towards the bank, but the stronger waters carry them away -in their irresistible grasp. - -The high-priest of the temple of Adi Buddha Annando has taken shelter -beneath the porch of his temple. He sees the empty boat and the -struggling women; he hesitates. His vows forbid him to touch a woman, -even his own mother, and still hold his office as a priest of Buddha. -He sees the women throw up their arms as if imploring his aid. He casts -aside his upper yellow robe, and plunges in to their rescue, regardless -of his vows, his office, of everything else. - -And now a sudden dizziness veils the eyes of the Nang Rungeah; while -her companions are safe on the bank, she relaxes her efforts; a -sickness like that of death overcomes her, and she sinks. But again the -strong man plunges and dives deeper and deeper, and at last holds her -firmly in his herculean arms. She hears, or she thinks she hears, the -voice of the priest reproving her, and the jubilant chimes of Tâmsèng -clang at her fainting heart as she is home out of the dark waters -and laid upon the flowery bank; but at length she opens her eyes on -Maha Sâp, the chief priest of the temple of Adi Buddha Annando, her -brother's tutor and guide. A slight shudder, and then a blush of shame -passes over her as she recognizes her early religious teacher. But he, -stooping, gathers a handful of flowers, hands them to her, and says: -"Sadly and heavily did my heart ache to see thee in the grasp of the -strong demons of the storm, and to save thee I have violated the vows -of my order. But if thou wilt return to me one of these flowers as a -token, I will neither regret the loss of my sanctity nor yet of my -priestly office, but rejoice in the fates that have blessed me with a -new life." - -To the sonorous rushing and wild dash of the waters is joined the deep -melodious voice of the priest, urging her to give him a token from -his flowers; and the chimes now seem to swell into joyful choruses of -jubilant anthems as she gives him the sweet token. - -After the fury of the storm had abated, the priest left them and set -off to confess himself to the Archbishop of the Ecclesiastical Court; -and the women returned home. - -The first thing Nang Rungeah did was to relate to her mother all that -had befallen her from the time she entered the chapel of Tâmsèng to -her return home. She then took the "dangerous book" from under her -pillow and laid it on a high shelf out of her reach, but put in its -place her crumpled flowers. Then she knelt down and repeated her fifty -_paternosters_ with lessening fervor, and tried to believe that she was -a better woman. But how was it that her thoughts would stray from the -morrow's bright vision, when she would publicly be baptized into the -Church of Christ, to the dark face of Maha Sâp and the tenderness she -had seen in his eyes. - -She shut herself up in her chamber to weep and pray in agonizing doubts -and fears, because of that something which has come between her and her -beautiful P'hra Jesu. - - - - -CHAPTER XXVIII. - -AD OGNI UCCELLO SUO NIDO È BELLO,--"TO EVERY BIRD ITS OWN NEST IS -CHARMING." - - -When Rungeah awoke on the following morning, it seemed to her that she -had just thrown off some wondrous and powerful spell that had somehow -girt its strong and mysterious illusions about her heart. A new soul -from within that inmost chamber had started into life. She faltered, -hesitated, and dropped on her knees and raised her eyes towards heaven, -and felt as she had never done before. - -In her visions--strange contradiction of human nature--and in her -holiest thoughts of the beloved Mother and her Son, the face of the -priest of Buddha would intrude. - -Her prayers finished, she put on her most faded and meanest robe, laid -aside all her customary adornments and jewels, save only her veil and -her rosary, and, attended by a host of fond relatives and slaves, and -among them the priest her brother, and Maha Sâp in a layman's dress, -went her way barefooted to the chapel, where she solemnly recanted the -errors of Buddhism, and was baptized into the church of Christ. - -Again the merry bells were rung, and on the dark face of the priest of -Tâmsèng might be seen - - "The slow wise smile, that round about - His dusty forehead dryly curled, - Seemed half within and half without, - And full of dealings with the world." - -A month after her baptism, Mariâ, as Rungeah was now named, was -selected, on account of her great piety and devotion, to be one of the -female wardens of the chapel. - -This distinction she enjoyed with six other girls, whose duty it was -to dust and sweep the chapel, clean the lamps and the gold and silver -candlesticks, and to dress the altar with fresh flowers.[42] - -Saturday was the day appointed to Mariâ to serve in the chapel, and -a lovely warden was the gentle Cambodian girl. She had given up the -dangerous book to her father confessor. But the handful of crumpled -flowers still nestled under her pillow, and her secret preference -for Maha-Sâp was deeply hidden in her heart; and yet it proved an -impenetrable barrier, as long as she lived, between her and her -confessor. - -It was touching to see this girl at her duties in the chapel. After the -floor had been swept, and the candlesticks polished and replenished -with fresh candles, and the flowers arranged in the vases in the -niches, and the garlands hung over the images of the gods and the -saints, she would kneel at the foot of the sad Christ, after having -touched with her lips the nailed and bleeding feet, praying to him to -make her as noble and as self-sacrificing as himself, and to the tender -Mother to intercede for her at the throne of grace. - -One Saturday evening, Mariâ, having spent a comfortless day within -herself, repaired to the chapel as usual, attended only by the -oars-women, to open it for the evening service. She opened wide the -doors, and sat herself down under the cross. There were rays of comfort -emanating from that figure nailed on it forever, that had now become -very precious to her. - -Long after the congregation had dispersed, she knelt on the floor of -the sanctuary. All the religion of the place and the hour came over -her, and a strange yearning sorrow, for which she could not account. -And as she knelt there she fancied that a shadow darkened the lights -that streamed down from the altar upon her, but only for a moment, -for the next found the shadow gone, and tears gathering in her eyes. -"Alas! what is it that steals my thoughts from Thee to Buddha, and -the temple in which I once loved to worship?" muttered the girl, -conscience-stricken at her own depravity. - -The chapel bell suddenly "flung out" the hour of five, i.e. ten -o'clock. She rose from her knees, put out the lights, and, locking the -doors, turned into the dark deserted street; but somehow a sudden fear -overcame her, and a feeling that somebody was watching her, perhaps -following her. She drew her veil over her face and ran breathlessly -towards the river, where she gained her boat and returned home for the -night. - -The Roman Catholic Missionary Society at Bangkok consisted of one -bishop and from fifteen to twenty priests, besides a number of -proselytes from the Siamese and the Chinese, who also were admitted -into the priesthood. Of the former, most of the priests were endowed -with every talent that a strict collegiate education could furnish; but -the latter were particularly useful, because, besides being professing -and, some of them, sincere Christians, they possessed the power of -expounding the doctrines of the Church to their native brethren in a -language natural to themselves from their birth. Nor was this all; they -were nearly all well skilled in medicine and surgery, which gave them -more power than the French priests in winning over the discontented -followers of the Buddha to lend a willing ear to the marvellous facts -of the Christian faith. And, moreover, as the teachings and ceremonies -of the Roman Catholic Church are in many respects almost identical -with the Buddhist teachings and ceremonies, the Roman Catholic priests -are more successful in making proselytes than their Protestant -colaborers in the same field. - -When a poor ignorant Buddhist goes into his temples he sees the images -of the Buddha, and he sees certain forms and prostrations practised, -the burning of incense, the bowing before the well-lit shrines, and -hears prayers uttered in an unknown tongue, and he knows also that -the most heinous sin that can be committed by the Buddhist priest is -the violation of his oath of celibacy. And if from idle curiosity he -should be induced to enter a Roman Catholic chapel or church, to his -surprise and delight he observes not only forms and ceremonies very -nearly approaching to those used in his own temple, but also images and -pictures far more beautiful and attractive than those of his own gods. -On inquiring he finds that the priests of this faith also do not marry, -that they have the marvellous power to absolve the transgressor from -the consequences of his deadly sins, and that the only thing necessary -to escape the irresistible "wheel of the law" is faith in Christ. So -the poor, timorous, trembling soul, that feels a certain consciousness -of a fearful retribution awaiting his sins, and yet knows not where -or to whom to fly, hails with joy the name of Christ, the all-atoning -sacrifice, as a rock on which to rest his weary wings, and fears no -more the inexorable "wheel" of the Divine vengeance. - -It is not to be wondered at, then, that the Siamese, Peguans, and -Cambodians readily give ear to the native Catholic priests, and -particularly when even the French and Portuguese priests adapt -themselves, in many instances, to the usages and customs of the natives -themselves, the most striking of which are in employing the children of -the rich as wardens and keepers of the churches, and of never wearing -any covering on their heads. - -On the morning following the night on which Mariâ had lingered so late -in the chapel, Khoon Jethamas had risen at daybreak; for ever since the -day of the eventful thunder-storm she had troubled dreams accompanied -with signs and omens that foretold approaching calamity; and now she -sat alone on the doorstep, meditating sadly on the future of her dear -child. - -It had been predicted by a wise old man, in the days of Rungeah's -infancy, that "she was born under the fatal star Sathimara, who would -assume the form of a fair and beautiful angel to lead her on to her own -destruction." - -The pagan mother could not discern between the heavenly and the earthly -church of Christ, nor between the true and the false ministers of the -gospel. And now the prophecy seemed in a way of being fulfilled, but, -like all prophecies, in the most unlooked-for manner. - -Suddenly the dark priest of Tâmsèng with a band of officers appeared -on the gravel walk. The lady gave a cry of alarm that brought nearly -the whole household to her side, and, as the priest with the officers -persisted in forcing an immediate entrance into the house, there ensued -a violent scuffle between the officers of the law and the slaves of -P'hagunn. - -"Very good," said the padre, doggedly; "it is certain, however, that -the chapel of Tâmsèng has been plundered by Mariâ and a vile pagan who -was seen lurking in its vicinity last night." - -On hearing this the blood rushed violently to the mother's temples, and -she fell back in a death-like swoon. - -P'hagunn and his numerous attendants were also stupefied by horror and -dismay at this dreadful accusation; and the officers, headed by the -padre, proceeded coolly to search the house for the missing jewels -and the gold and silver candlesticks, censers, and vases that had -ornamented the altar of the chapel of Tâmsèng. - -At last they reached Mariâ's chamber. She had just risen, and was now -on her knees before the open window. The door was burst open, and she -turned, still kneeling and holding her breath, her fixed and terrified -gaze upon the intruders. - -The chapel and the convent bells struck six. It was the hour when she -usually set out to perform her small round of sacred offices and to -open the church doors. But she had no power to move. She saw the padre -dash aside her pillow and then her mattress, and with it her crumpled -flowers. One of the men came towards her and demanded the key of the -chapel. But she could not open her lips to speak; she knelt there -petrified in the morning sunlight. - -"To think that _you_ should have connived at such an outrageous -sacrilege upon the altar of God!" said the padre; and he ordered the -men to handcuff her and carry her away to the prison at Tâmsèng. - -She made no resistance, but let them do whatever they wished with her; -she seemed even to have lost the power of comprehension. She sees the -trees, the thatched roofs, the plantations, the fields, the tapering -spires of the Temple of the Infinite, and a thousand small objects; she -hears voices and cries that would have escaped her at another time, as -she is dragged from the home of her parents to the prison cell of the -doomed, but she cannot speak, or cry, or even think where she put the -key. She knows that her mother is seated outside of the prison door, -wailing and crying, and protesting that her child is innocent of the -dreadful crime of which she is accused; and this is all that is clear -to the stricken girl. - -Twilight was falling just as I was coming out of the palace,--for I -had been detained there all day helping the secretary to despatch the -royal mail,--when Khoon Jethamas came running up to me, took both my -hands in hers, and told me the story of her daughter's imprisonment. - -What was to be done? The woman was frantic with grief, and I was almost -as much confounded as she. - -"You must come with me to-night, dear lady, this very evening. I cannot -rest till I get her out of that dreadful place." - -I at last persuaded her to come to my house and take a cup of tea, and -when I had soothed her so that she could make herself intelligible, I -thought the affair did not look quite so hopeless as she supposed, and -I tried to make her take a more cheerful view of the matter. The only -thing that seemed strange was that Mariâ could give no account of what -she had done with the key of the chapel door. - -Whoever robbed the chapel had got possession of the key. The locks on -the chapel were of European manufacture, and there were only two keys -that could open them, one in the possession of the padre Tomas, and the -other in the keeping of the young wardens, who transferred it to the -next person on duty after the morning service. - -In a short time Khoon Jethamas and I were rowing against the tide for -the village of Tâmsèng. On cross-questioning the lady, I discovered -that the late priest Maha-Sâp had been seen prowling about the chapel -when Rungeah, as the mother still called her, was at her devotions, and -that on the following morning he was going towards the same spot when -he was taken prisoner. - -I confess that now I began to feel anxious, for the value of the -jewels, etc., that were stolen was fixed at several laks or millions of -ticals, an incredible sum which no person could pay. I hardly knew what -to think. - -Amid hopes and fears, and innumerable plans, which were abandoned as -soon as formed for new ones that seemed equally impracticable, we -reached the prison of Tâmsèng. - -What a dreadful spot it was in the night-time! And the very darkness -was aggravated by the people around, who looked more savage and fiercer -than wild beasts. Before and behind and on all sides there were rags -and filth and wretchedness crowding upon us with the double darkness of -night and misery. Some hideous women were jailers; for a few ticals and -a promise not to tell upon them, they allowed us to go in and see the -girl. - -Rungeah sat as one entranced, with her eyes fixed upon the ground, as -if she expected Jesus or the Mother to rise up out of it to vindicate -her cause. We could not get her to say a word, to utter a cry or even a -moan. We were almost as much overwhelmed at her grief as she was by the -padre's accusation. - -What was to be done? - -Leaving Rungeah, we set off for the convent of Tâmsèng. - -The clock had long before struck eight, when we came to the convent -gate, and we were full of hope. But no light was to be seen, and a -high wooden fence ran all round the house. Groping our way, we came to -a gate at last, but it was locked. We began to knock, and we knocked -loudly for a quarter of an hour, and then we waited to see if any one -would come to open it. No one came. We were uncertain what to do, -the night came on full of clouds, clothing with darkness even the -star-filled depths. The convent clock struck nine, and the thought of -poor Rungeah struggling with her anguish came with redoubled force -upon the mother's heart, and again we both knocked together more and -more loudly. At length lights appeared amid the gloom, and three women -with lanterns approached and demanded who we were and what we wanted. -On hearing that I was a Christian woman, they opened the gate, and -after surveying us carefully, passing their lanterns up and down our -persons from head to foot, they led the way to the apartments of the -Lady Abbess. When we entered, we found a morose-looking old lady of -Portuguese descent seated on a tall high-backed chair, with nine or -ten young women, mostly Siamese, sewing scapulars. All round the room -were dreadful pictures of the Christ and the Mother in all kinds of -agonizing attitudes. - -We proceeded to make our business known, which was only to go bail -for Rungeah until the trial should come off, and to ask the Abbess's -influence with the padre Tomas in urging our request. - -The old lady coolly replied that it was her duty to wait upon the -Lord Jesus, and not to rush about the country, as some folks did, -intermeddling with other people's business. - -We left her with clouded hearts, and set out for the house of the -padre. As we were women, which we in our distress of mind had quite -forgotten, the servants or slaves of this holy individual drove us from -the doorstep with scorn and contemptuous language for our indelicacy in -going there at all. - -We then, but less hopefully, turned our almost fainting steps to the -house of the Governor P'haya Visate. Khoon Jethamas was afraid to -enter, but I was not going away without seeing him. I climbed the steps -and entered the veranda; two slaves went before to report our arrival. -I saw the great man seated on a cushion in a room adjoining, with -women and men crouching in all sorts of abject attitudes before him. -I walked in, ready, at the mother's request, to double and treble the -bail if necessary. As soon as he saw me approaching, the governor rose, -retired to his bedchamber, and shut the door violently in my face. - -I came away completely cast down and defeated; as for the poor mother, -she wrung her hands and wept piteously. It was now nearly eleven -o'clock, and we went back to the prison. The unhappy Khoon Jethamas -took up her abode near the only window of the cell where her daughter -was immured. I left her sitting on a strip of matting, with her hands -over her face, shutting out the outer darkness, in order to realize the -utter darkness that had fallen upon her life and upon the light of her -home. - -Nights and days succeeded each other in regular succession, and day -after day I went to the prison to find the patient, loving mother -living under the shadow of its roof, so as to be ever near her child, -and once a day she was admitted to see her loved one visibly wasting -away. The only change that had taken place in the prisoner, that was -hopeful, was, that now it was she who comforted her mother every day, -by relating to her her bright visions, and assuring her that she felt -the time was not far distant when the Mother and her Son would come -down from heaven to proclaim her innocence; that the holy angels -descended at night to bless and comfort her with loving promises of -speedy justice, and that now the prison-house had been transformed by -them into a paradise. - -There are mysteries in all religions, which the uninitiated cannot -penetrate, and we stood abashed and silent on the other side of the -veil that was lifted for the spiritual consolation of this strange girl. - -The burning July sun shone daily on the tiled roof of the prison of -Tâmsèng. The ground on one side was full of muddy pools, and the river -on the other was the cesspool of the village,--a liquid mass of poison -from which rose the pestilence and the cholera that brooded with their -death-like wings over the inhabitants of Tâmsèng. The evening air was -either heavy with noxious vapors or it came in fitful burning gusts -across the river, and brought no balm to the suffering prisoners within. - -Rungeah languished day after day, for the case was to be tried before -the International Court of Siam, and the days and the weeks and the -months passed away like - - "A stream whose waters scarcely seem to stray, - And yet they glide like happiness away." - -With them poor Rungeah's bright faith began to grow dim, and her -nightly prayers to the Mother and her holy Son were less and less -hopeful, but yet she still strove with each returning day to revive her -drooping spirits, and with sweet self-deceit "to paint elysium" upon -the darkness of her prison-walls. - -The mother bribed the jailers to take to her daughter some little -delicacies every day, for the coarse prison food disgusted the girl, -and she was gradually being starved to death; and now a low cough and a -hectic fever had set in. - -The judicial courts of Siam, one and all included, were neither better -nor worse than that of other Oriental and despotic kingdoms; and the -judges of the outer city, with the exception, as far as I know, of -only one man, his Highness Mom Kratai Rajoday, were very far from -being model judges. They aimed no higher than the traditional policy -of the empire, "the good old rule" that "might makes right," which had -guided the rulers of Siam ever since Siam began to exist as a kingdom -and a nation; so that everybody preyed upon his weaker neighbor, and -everybody was obliged to suffer, without hope of redress, the wrongs -which one stronger than himself could inflict. - -Meanwhile the mother grew more and more impatient for her daughter's -trial, which seemed to her as if purposely delayed, and in an unguarded -moment she accused the padre Tomas of having secreted the jewels -and ornaments of the altar of Tâmsèng, and of having made a false -accusation against her daughter for the sole purpose of laying claim to -her estate. The padre became exasperated and brought a charge of libel -against the mother; and poor Rungeah was more and more hopelessly a -prisoner. - -The timid P'hagunn shut himself up in his house, and left it to his -brave wife to threaten the Christian officials, and to haunt the courts -with her complaints, expending large sums of money, but without result. - -At length, as Rungeah was really very ill, and I feared she would die, -I accompanied Khoon Jethamas on a private visit to his Highness Mom -Kratai Rajoday, the chief judge of the International Court, taking with -me a private letter from the king, which simply stated that I wished to -be made personally acquainted with him. - -The judge received us very cordially indeed, and the unhappy Jethamas -threw herself at his feet, and with tears and sobs implored of him to -hasten the trial of her child, which he most kindly promised to do. - -It was now December, and three days after our visit to the chief judge -the trial came on. - -I could not attend on the two first days, but on Saturday, the 10th of -December, 1864, I accompanied Khoon Jethamas and the feeble and wasted -Rungeah to the court, where I was rejoiced to see his Highness Mom -Kratai Rajoday presiding in person. All the preliminaries had been gone -through with on the two previous days. The court-house was crammed with -native Christians, Buddhists, and Cambodians, so that there was not -even standing room to be had anywhere. - -After going through a great many forms and ceremonies, such as laying -the right hand on a branch of the boh-tree, and thence on his left -side, and taking the Buddhist's oath, Maha-Sâp's innocence was clearly -proved. He confessed, however, that he was in the habit of repairing to -the chapel morning and evening, but that his sole motive was to be near -by to protect Rungeah from any danger that might threaten her. - -The judge then turned and asked Rungeah to relate again all that she -had done on the night of the robbery. - -All her natural grace of feature, all her excellences of mind and soul, -shone out as she calmly repeated her story; the only thing she could -not account for was where she had dropped the key. "But," said she, "my -soul and my conscience acquit me of this sin. How then shall I plead -guilty to that which I have not done? Will it not be accounted a sin -against myself by P'hra Jesu and his Holy Mother in heaven?" - -The beating hearts of the crowd were suspended in breathless -expectation; some being interested for and some against the prisoners. -The next moment the judge declared that Rungeah and Maha-Sâp had been -imprisoned on insufficient grounds; that their innocence was quite -apparent, even without or rather before the trial, and that the case -was dismissed. - -Scarcely were these words articulated, when a shout like that of a -great hurricane broke from the excited masses of the people; the -boarded floor seemed to thrill and ripple as with the throes of an -earthquake, and the crowd staggered to and fro as if inebriated with -the sudden paroxysm of joy. It was to them not so much the cause of -a young and beautiful Cambodian lady of high rank, as the cause of -Buddhism against Roman Catholicism. - -I was stunned with their deafening roar. But poor Rungeah was too -feeble to bear the sudden and overwhelming joy of her acquittal; an -exclamation of the wildest delight broke from her pale lips, and she -fell back insensible. - -The excited crowd unable to master their now as sudden agony at the -sight of the apparently lifeless girl, were hushed, and a lull as -profound as death succeeded. They bore her to the boat and laid her -down in it, and her mother implored me to go home with them. In the -fresh air, as we rowed slowly along, the girl soon revived, and, -putting out her arms, drew her mother down to her, and held her firmly -to her breast. - -Maha-Sâp, her brother, both noble-looking men, and a crowd of people, -followed in another boat. - -As we approached the temple of Adi Buddha Annando, Rungeah whispered to -her mother to take her in there to rest; that she was weary, and that -it would comfort her to enter its sacred precincts once more. - -The sun is near his setting, and broad lights and shadows are lying -upon and veiling the grand proportions of the temple of the "Infinite." - -Now the boats are fastened to the pier, and a little group follows the -women who are bearing the form of Rungeah into the temple. - -It is the hour of the Buddhists' evening prayer. They bring a small -mat, and she is laid in the middle of the temple, while the bonzes are -seated on either side, waiting for the high-priest to open the vesper -service. - -During the service the girl lies there with her eyes closed. - -Sunshine is reflected in wonderful glory from the head of the great -silver image of the Adi Buddh. Sunshine is flooding the temple, -glorifying the stolid idols that are standing around, and streaming on -the floor and over the quiet figure of the girl. Her face assumes an -ashy hue, and she again puts out her arms and draws her mother down to -her. - -"O mother, pray to the Virgin Mother for me," says the girl, "to tell -P'hra Jesu that I am innocent." - -The pagan mother makes no reply, but bends an agonized look on her -dear child's face, and the girl's face becomes grayer in the floods of -sunlight. Her fingers twitch and quiver around her mother's neck. - -The priests are hushed, and the temple is more and more flooded with -light; and the faint, sweet, pleading voice of the girl is again -heard: "Mother, dear mother, pray to P'hra Jesu that he shut not the -heavenly gates upon me"; and the strong love of the mother conquers her -religious scruples, and, lying there with her head cushioned on the -bosom of her dying child, she raises her voice and prays:-- - -"O thou who art called P'hra Jesu, free my child from sin. O forgive -her, sacred One. She has loved thee to the last. She believes in none -but thee. Be thou her God, and shut not, O shut not thy heavenly gates -upon her, even though they shut her out forever from my sorrowing heart -and eyes." - -At the utterance of those strange syllables falling from the lips of -a Buddhist mother in the most solemn of the temples of the Buddha, a -marvellous change passed over the face of the dying girl; the gray -pallor of death gave place to a heavenly light, and a faint but -lovely smile irradiated her pale lips. She opened her eyes and gazed -enraptured upon some vision that seemed to float before her. "O mother, -mother," cried the exulting voice of the girl, "I see P'hra Jesu and -P'hra Buddha; P'hra Jesu is above and P'hra Buddha is below, and the -two mothers, Marie and Maia[43] are sitting side by side, and they are -all smiling and calling me upward, upward." And Rungeah stretched out -her arms and closed her eyes, the gray pallor returned; her spirit -fluttered for a moment, and then was gone forever. But the smile never -left her lips. - -She was buried with the rites of the Roman Catholic Church, with her -rosary and the golden image of Christ on her bosom, by a French priest -from the other side of the village of Tâmsèng. - -Two years after, a man was taken in the act of plundering the jewels of -a princess of Siam, as she was travelling in her boat to Ayudia, and -on his trial he confessed that he was a Christian, that he had been -betrothed to Rungeah's sister, whom he had murdered for the sake of her -jewels, and then fled to Ayudia, whence having gambled away all the -proceeds of his spoils, he once more returned to Bangkok and robbed the -chapel of Tâmsèng. He offered to deliver up the jewels, etc., if his -life should be spared. His request was granted, but he was condemned to -life-long imprisonment, while the crown and the diadem are once more to -be seen on the brows of the figure of the Christ and the Virgin Mary, -and the gold and silver candlesticks again light up the altar of the -little chapel of Tâmsèng. - -FOOTNOTES: - -[Footnote 42: This is one of the Buddhist customs adopted by the -Catholics for the purpose of securing the daughters of rich natives as -servants of the Church.] - -[Footnote 43: One of the names of the mother of the Buddha.] - - - - -CHAPTER XXIX. - -STRAY LEAVES FROM THE ROYAL SCHOOL-ROOM TABLE. - - -The three temples around which the city of the Nang Harm had taken -root and gradually grown to its present dimensions were especially -remarkable. The one in which I taught, Watt Khoon Chom Manda -Thai,--Temple of the Mothers of the Free,--was formerly dedicated to -the mother of the Buddha, as its ancient name Manda Maia Goudamana -clearly shows; and the other was dedicated to the "Buddha Thapinya," -Buddha the Omniscient, and the third and most beautiful to the "Buddha -Annando,"[44] Buddha the Infinite,--all names from the Pali. The -general effect of each of these buildings is that of some great church -in the southern part of Europe. The basement story is a square mass -of about two hundred feet on each side, with double rows of windows -flanked by pilasters and crowned with a curious flamboyant spiral -canopy, in what may be called the French-Gothic style. These pilasters -and this canopy are the two most marked and universal features in the -Buddhist architecture; at the middle of each side of the basement rises -a lofty porch or ante-hall, terminating in an immense gabled façade, -pilastered and canopied like the windows. These halls or vestibules -convert the temple into a vast Greek cross. Over the basement rise a -number of diminishing terraces with small pagodas at the angles, the -whole culminating in a pyramidal steeple like the Hindoo shivala; and -lastly the steeple itself is crowned with a chayatree, or tapering -umbrella of gilt iron-work, rising to nearly two hundred feet from the -ground. - -The interior consists of two great concentric corridors with large -recesses for the images. Most of the images are standing figures; -the Buddha alone is either seated or reclining, in various attitudes -of benediction, or preaching on elevated lotus-shaped pedestals. The -vaulted cells in which the Buddha is seated reach up to the second and -sometimes to the third terrace, and from a small window in the roof -there streams a flood of sunlight downwards on the head and shoulders -of the colossus, with wonderful effect. - -There is great uncertainty about the dates and builders of these -three temples, and I know nothing more interesting and beautiful than -the legend which is attached to the spot on which they stand. In the -Siamese annals, however, it is stated that these temples have stood -here for nearly twelve hundred years, embedded in what was once a -sacred grove of olive, palm, and boh trees, before Bangkok was ever -settled, and in the palmy days of the ancient and beautiful city of -Ayodhya or Ayudia; that they then attracted pilgrims from all parts of -the world, particularly women, who came to perform vows or to offer -votive sacrifices at their shrines. - -It was P'hra P'huthi Chow L'huang, a usurper, who, in order to -establish more securely his throne, selected the vicinity of these -triad temples as the seat of government, removed his palace from the -west to the east bank of the Mèinam, founded a city, surrounded it with -triple walls, and called it the abode of the beautiful and invincible -archangel. - -As often as I sat in the porches of these temples, the chanted prayers -of the worshippers boomed through the aisles and inspired me with -feelings of the deepest devotion; and whenever I passed along the dim, -silent corridors, and came unexpectedly in front of one of the great -golden images with its folded arms and drooping eyelids, looking down -upon me in monitory sadness, with the wisdom of ages stamped upon its -brow, amid the gloom of a never-ending twilight, while the head and -shoulders were illuminated by a halo of light from the unseen source -above, the effect was strangely mystical, solemn, and profound. - -The character of these buildings I do not exaggerate in calling them -sublime; they prove unmistakably that the architect, whoever he was, - - "Wrought in a sad sincerity; - Himself from God he could not free; - He builded better than he knew: - The conscious stone to beauty grew." - -This impression was deepened every time I visited them, and, though I -knew every inch of the temples and their surroundings, the meanings -of some of the symbols remained mysterious and incomprehensible. If -I succeeded in unravelling one portion, the remainder was lost in -inextricable perplexity and doubt. - -My pupils in that wonderful city numbered from twenty to twenty-five -boys and girls, the loveliest and most remarkable of whom were -the heir-apparent, the Prince Somdetch P'hra Paramendr Maha -Chulalonkorn, his younger sister, the little fairy-like creature Fa -Ying,[45] the Princesses Wanee, Ying-You Wahlacks, Somawati, the -Prince Kreta-Bhinniharn, the only son of Hidden-Perfume, P'hra Ong -Dwithwallabh, and Kabkranockratin, the sons of the child-wife; and in -addition to these were several gentlewomen of the harem. - -We always began school immediately after the Buddhists' morning -service, which I was obliged to attend, so as to muster my pupils -together in good order, and which was held precisely at nine o'clock -in the temple of the Chom Manda Thai. The long inlaid and richly gilt -table on which we pursued our studies day after day was the same on -which had been laid every morning for hundreds of years offerings to -the priests of Buddha, and whereon stood the bronze censers and the -golden vases from which ascended clouds of fragrant incense amid the -perfume of still more fragrant flowers, while the brilliant colors -of the silks, satins, diamonds, and jewels that adorned the regal -worshippers relieved the gloom. - -The studies that took the most absolute possession of the fervid -Eastern imaginations of my pupils were geography and astronomy. But -each had his or her own idea about the form of the earth, and it needed -no small amount of patient repetition to convince them that it was -neither flat nor square, but round. - -The only map--and a very ancient one it was--which they had ever seen -was one drawn and painted about a century before, by a Siamese who was -thought to possess great scientific and literary attainments. - -[Illustration: QUEEN OF SIAM.] - -This map was five feet long by three wide; in the centre was a great -patch of red, and above it a small patch of green. On the part painted -red--which was intended to represent Siam--was pasted a comical-looking -human figure, cut out of silver paper, with a huge pitchfork in one -hand and an orange in the other. There was a crown on the head and -spurs on the heels, and the sun was shining over all. The legs, -which were of miserably thin dimensions, met sympathetically at the -knees. And this cadaverous-looking creature was meant for the king -of Siam,--indicating that so vast were his strength and power they -extended from one end of his dominions to the other. In the little -patch of green, intended to represent Birmah, was a small Indian-ink -figure, consisting of a little dot for the body, another smaller one -for the head, and four scratches of the pen for the legs and arms; this -was meant for the king of Birmah. A legion of little imps, in many -grotesque attitudes, were seen dancing about his dominions; and these -almost unintelligible hieroglyphics were to show to the uninitiated in -what a disturbed state the Birman Empire was, and what an insignificant -personage in his own dominions was the king of that country. On the -north side of the green patch was painted a huge Englishman, sporting -a cocked hat with red feathers, clasping in his arms what was meant -for a vast tract of land. This was marked as British Birmah, and the -Englishman was Lord Clive, holding on to it. The rest of the map was -all blue, and all around the Siamese territories richly painted and -heavily freighted ships were sailing to and fro. But the poor Birmese -monarch had not a boat to display. My simple pupils knew just so much -as this map taught them, and no more. Birmah on the north, and Siam on -the south, and the sea all around,--this was the world to them. - -But of their celestial geography they could tell me a host of -interesting particulars, all of which they would relate with the -accuracy and picturesque vividness of a fairy tale; and whenever a -dispute arose as to the height of some of the mountains or the depth or -breadth of the oceans in the celestial worlds, they would at once refer -to a Siamese book, called "Tri Loke Winit Chai,"--a book which settles -all questions about the three worlds, of angels, of demons, and of -gods,--and find therein a satisfactory solution of their difficulties. -In their celestial chronology they were all equally well grounded. A -little fellow of nine years old, when speaking of "time," stood upright -in his chair and informed me that he was "time." His name signified -a period of time appointed for the creation or the destruction of a -world. He then proceeded to tell me with wonderful clearness for one -so young, "that the first time, or Kâp, is reckoned by the Siamese -from the appearance of a certain cloud called god-thirst, which was -the harbinger of a creative rain, and which brought into existence the -worlds and their attendant suns and moons; that the second Kâp, or -time, is the period between the creation of these worlds and the coming -of another great cloud denominated the dissolving cloud, and which is -the third Kâp and the forerunner of the dissolution of the worlds; and -the fourth Kâp is the period when matter remains in a chaotic mass, -waiting for the generative cloud,--god-thirst,--which again pours forth -the creative rain, and life once more springs into being. These four -periods added together make a Maha-Kâp." - -When I pressed him to state the number of years contained in a -Maha-Kâp, he became indignant, and replied, "that as the length of -a single Kâp could not be computed by the gods themselves, it was -unreasonable for me to suppose that he could give me any correct -estimate of their actual duration." - -I soon found that my pupils were in some respects much wiser than I, -and thenceforth we exchanged thoughts and ideas. I gave them sound -realities in return for their poetic illusions and chimeras, which had -for me a certain charm and a great deal of odd reasonableness, for it -was their way of explaining the incomprehensible. - -When a large English map and globes of the celestial and terrestrial -spheres arrived, they created quite a sensation in the ancient temple -of the "Mothers of the Free." His Majesty caused the map to be set in -a massive gold frame, and placed it with the globes on ponderously -gilt supporters in the very middle of the temple, and for nine days -crowds of women came to be instructed in the sciences of geography and -astronomy, so that I found my hands quite full. It was hard for them to -see Siam reduced to a mere speck on the great globe, but there was some -consolation in the fact that England occupied even a smaller space. -After the first excitement had worn off, my pupils began to enjoy their -lessons; they would cluster round the globes, delighted with the novel -idea of a world revolving in space, and some of them were as keen as -any Arctic explorer for the discovery of the North Pole, where they -could some day sit astride, as they thought, with perfect ease and -security, and satisfy their doubts about the form and the revolution of -the earth. - -I found them always full of eager inquiry, unlike most Western -children, about the sun and moon and stars; but they preferred to have -them peopled with demons, ghosts, and hobgoblins, rather than to have -them uninhabited. - -On one occasion, when I informed them that the moon was supposed to -be uninhabited, all the little eager faces were clouded, and their -interest flagged, and little Wanee declared, "that for her part she was -convinced that the moon was the beautiful daughter of a great king of -Ayudia, who lived many thousands of years ago, and the head wife of the -sun, and not a great stupid ball of earth and rock rolling about in the -sky to no purpose but for the sun to shine upon." - -One day the steamer "Chow P'haya" brought his Majesty a box of ice from -Singapore, and I obtained some for an object-lesson. The women and -children found no difficulty in believing that it was water frozen; but -when I went to tell them about snow, the whole school became indignant -at what they considered an evident stretch of my imagination, and my -dear simple friend, Hidden-Perfume, laid her hand gently upon my arm, -and said, "Please do not say that again. I believe you like my own -heart in everything you have taught to me, but this sounds like the -story of a little child who wishes to say something more wonderful than -anything that was ever said before." So my lesson of the snow proved -a stumbling-block to me for several days; my pupils' imaginations had -taken alarm, and they could not be brought to believe the simplest -statements. - -I informed his Majesty of my dilemma; he came to my aid, and assured -the royal children that it was just possible that there was such a -thing as snow, for English books of travel spoke frequently of some -phenomenon which they designated as "snow." - -On another occasion, as we were all busily engaged in tracing the -river Nile on an ancient map of Egypt, there fell suddenly from the -vaulted roof above our heads, and upon the very centre of our chart on -the table, a coil of something that looked at first like a beautiful -thick silk cord neatly rolled up; in another instant, however, the coil -unrolled itself, and began to move slowly away. I screamed, and fled -to the extreme end of the temple. But what was my surprise to see all -my pupils sitting calmly in their seats, with their hands folded in -veneration and their eyes fixed in glowing admiration on the serpent -as it moved in tortuous curves along the entire length of the table. -With a blush of shame and a sense of inferiority I returned to my -seat and watched with them the beautiful creature; a certain feeling -of fascination dawned upon me as I looked into its clear, bright, -penetrating eyes; the upper part was of a fine violet color, its sides -covered with large scales of crimson edged with black; the abdominal -parts were of a pale rose-color edged likewise with black; while the -tail terminated in tints of a bluish ash of singular delicacy and -beauty. As the snake slowly dragged itself to the end of the table -I held my breath in terror, for it dropped on the arm of the chair -on which the Prince Somdetch Choufa Chulalonkorn was seated, whence -it fell on the floor, trailed itself along through the dim corridor -and down the steps, and finally passed out of sight under the stone -basement of the temple. - -On the moment of its disappearance my pupils jumped up from their seats -and clustered around me in the wildest joy, caressing me, and declaring -that the gods loved me dearly, else they would not have sent me such an -auspicious token in favor of my teaching. I was told that the gliding -of the snake all over the table was full of happy omens, and that its -dropping on the arm of the Prince's chair was an unmistakable sign -that he would one day become famous in wisdom and knowledge. All the -old and young women congratulated me, as did even the king himself, -who, when he heard of the singular visitor we had had, caused the -circumstance to be made known to the wise men and women of the court, -and they all united in pronouncing it to be a wonderful and inspiring -recognition of favor from on high. From this time I was treated with -great consideration and respect by the simple-hearted women and mothers -of the harem, but I nevertheless felt not a little uncomfortable for -days after the sudden descent of the snake, and secretly hoped I might -never again be so signally favored by the gods. - -I afterwards learned that this snake has three names. In Sanskrit it -is celebrated as the Sarpa Rakta, the red snake, who brings secret -omens from the gods; in Pali, as the Naghalalvana, the crimson snake -of the woods, who carries on his person in glowing letters the name of -his great master; and in Siamese, Gnuthongdang, the crimson-bellied -snake, who brings with its appearance all that is good and great to the -beholder. - -I leave it with my readers to decide which is the better, our inherited -dread of and desire to destroy the serpent race, or the Siamese custom -of idealizing, though with a certain superstitious reverence, the -meanest of the works of nature. - -Among the ladies of the harem, I knew one woman who more than all the -rest helped to enrich my life and to render fairer and more beautiful -every lovely woman I have since chanced to meet. Her name translated -itself--and no other name could ever have been so appropriate--into -"Hidden Perfume." Her clear, dark eyes were clearer and calmer, her -full lips had a stronger expression of tenderness about them, and her -brow, which was at times smooth and open, and at others contracted -with pain, grew nobler and more beautiful as the purposes of her life, -strengthened by new elements, grew deeper and broader each day. - -She had been deprived of her opportunity of loving as a wife and a -woman, and the sorrow that had broken up the fountains of her nature -now caused them to flow into deeper channels, for she had become an -earnest and devoted mother. - -Our daily lessons and talks had become a part of her happiest moments. -They gave her entrance into a new world, without requiring that she -should abandon any part of the old world she had known, or that she -should accept any new religious feelings or dogmas. Her aim was to find -out all things that are pure, noble, brave, and good, and to adopt -them, whether Pagan or Christian in their origin, and to leave dogmas, -creeds, and doctrines to those who were inclined to them by temperament. - -One day, it being the Siamese Sâbâto (Sabbath), I called at her house -on my way home. In passing into the little room that she had fitted -up to receive me, and which we had dignified with the title of "the -study," I saw that my friend, in the room adjoining, was at prayer, -kneeling before her altar, on which was a gilt image of the Buddha, -while on either side hung pictures of the king and her little son. The -room in which she knelt was a gay one, covered with Birmese paper, on -which were seen huge trees, some standing, and others uprooted and -carried away by the inundation of a mighty tropical river, here and -there drifting along passive and lifeless, and anon covered with gay -flowers. Thousands of miles distant the sun left open his golden gates, -that his waves of light might rest in benediction and with protecting -fondness on her dark, upturned face and colored brow. There was a -mysterious joy in her worship, which transfigured by its soft inner -light her otherwise not beautiful face, and she seemed as if she were -holding direct communion in her inner soul with the Infinite Spirit. I -stepped into the study and waited until her prayer was offered up. In -a little time after I heard her clear voice calling me, and in another -moment I was seated beside her at the foot of her pretty little altar. -She then asked me to look at her paper, which I did, telling her that I -thought it was a very gay one indeed for her little oratory. - -"I see you do not understand the meaning of it." And she proceeded to -explain the allegory to me in her quaint and broken English. - -"That big green tree there," said she, "is like unto me when I was -young and ignorant, rejoicing in earthly distinctions and affections; -and then I am brought as a gift to a great king, and only think how -grand and how rich I may become; and there you see that I am drooping -and my leaves are all withering and begin to fall; here I am shattered -and uprooted by a sense of sorrow and humiliation, drifting along -an impetuous river, but by and by a little flower stops my downward -course. That little flower is my child; he springs out of the very -waters which threatened my destruction; and now he grows into a garden -of flowers, to hide away from me that which would make me sad and -sorrowful again; and now I am always glad." - -After a little while, desirous of knowing what the glittering image of -Buddha really was to her, I said kindly: "Sonn Klean, you were praying -to that idol?" - -She did not reply at once, but at length, laying her hand gently upon -my arm, said: "Shall I say of you, dear friend, that you worship the -ideal or image which you have of your God in your own mind, and not the -God? Even so say not of me that I worship the golden image up there, -but the Great One who sent me my teacher Buddha, that he might be the -guide and the light of my life." - -On another occasion when she read and translated the Sermon on the -Mount, she suddenly exclaimed with great emotion: "O, your sacred P'hra -Jesus is very beautiful! Let us promise one another that whenever you -pray to P'hra Jesus you will call him Buddha, the Enlightened One; and -I, when I pray to my Buddha, I will call him P'hra Jesu Karuna, the -tender and sacred Jesus, for surely these are only different names for -the one and the same God." - -Her favorite book, however, was "Uncle Tom's Cabin," and she would read -it over and over again, though she knew all the characters by heart, -and spoke of them as if she had known them all her life. - -On the 3d of January, 1867, she invited me to dinner, and she sent -to me, in the course of the day, so many messages, telling me to be -sure to come, that I began to suspect it was going to be a very grand -entertainment. So I put on my best dress, and made myself as fine as I -could. - -My friend was looking down the street, with her head and shoulders out -of her window, as we appeared, and the moment she saw us she rushed -to greet us in her own sweet, cordial manner. Dinner was served in -the study, for it boasted of one table and five chairs; but our party -numbered six in all, so my boy and the Prince Kreta B'hiniharn were -obliged to squeeze themselves into one chair, and then there was one -apiece for the rest of us. We were served by Peguan slave-girls in -the Peguan fashion, on little silver plates, the slave-girls kneeling -around us. Fish, rice, jelly, and a variety of sweetmeats, came first, -then different kinds of vegetables; after them a course of meat, -venison, and birds of all kinds, and we finished with sweet drinks, -preserves, and fruit. - -When dinner was over, my friend, in concert with her sisters and -slave-girls, performed on several musical instruments with wonderful -effect. At last all Sonn Klean's slave-women with their children -appeared in a group, one hundred and thirty-two in all, in nice new -dresses, all looking particularly happy. - -"I am wishful to be good like Harriet Beecher Stowe,"--or Stowâ, as my -friend persisted in pronouncing that name,--"and never to buy human -bodies again, but only to let go free once more, and so I have now no -more slaves, but hired servants. I have given freedom to all of my -slaves to go or to stay with me as they wish. If they go away to their -homes, I am glad; if they stay with me, I am still more glad; and I -will give them each four ticals every month after this day, with their -food and clothes." - -Thenceforth, to express her entire sympathy and affection for the -author of "Uncle Tom's Cabin," she always signed herself Harriet -Beecher Stowe; and her sweet voice trembled with love and music -whenever she spoke of the lovely American lady who had taught her, -"even as Buddha had once taught kings," to respect the rights of her -fellow-creatures. - -During a severe illness which confined me a month or more to my room, -I used to receive the most affectionate letters from this dear lady, -signed Harriet Beecher Stowe; and when I once more returned to the -palace, she took all the credit of my recovery from an illness so fatal -as cholera as due to her intercessions and prayers. In one temple she -had vowed that she would save seven thousand lives if mine were granted -to her prayers. - -I was perplexed and curious to know how she would perform the -conditions of such a vow, but she assured me there would be no -difficulty about it, and forthwith despatched her servant-women to the -market to purchase seven baskets, containing each a thousand live fish, -which, with great pomp and ceremony, were set free again in the river, -and the seven thousand lives were thus actually saved. - -One day, when I was sitting with my friend in her little study, she -learned that I had recently lost a very dear relative, and she related -to me, in a voice full of the tenderest sympathy and affection, the -following Buddhist legend, which I give here as nearly as possible in -her own words. - -"In the village of Sârvâthi there lived a young wife named Keesah, who -at the age of fourteen gave birth to a son; and she loved him with -all the love and joy of the possessor of a newly found treasure, for -his face was like a golden cloud, his eyes fair and tender as a blue -lotus, and his smile bright and beaming like the morning light upon the -dewy flowers. But when the boy was able to walk, and could run about -the house, there came a day when he suddenly fell sick and died. And -Keesah, not understanding what had happened to her fair lotus-eyed boy, -clasped him to her bosom, and went about the village from house to -house, praying and weeping, and beseeching the good people to give her -some medicine to cure her baby. - -"But the villagers and neighbors, on seeing her, said: 'Is the girl -mad, that she still bears about on her breast the dead body of her -child?' - -"At length a holy man, pitying the girl's sorrow, said to himself: -'Alas! this Keesah does not understand the law of death; I will try to -comfort her.' And he answered her, and said: 'My good girl, I cannot -myself give you any medicine to cure your boy, but I know a holy and -wise physician who can.' - -"'O,' said the young mother, 'do tell me who it is, that I may go at -once to him!' - -"And the holy man replied, 'He is called the Buddha; he alone can cure -thy child.' - -"Then Keesah, on hearing this, was comforted, and set out to find the -Buddha, still clasping to her heart the lifeless body of her child. And -when she found him she bowed down before him, and said: 'O my lord and -master, do you know of any medicine that will cure my baby?' - -"And the Buddha replied and said: 'Yes, I know of one, but you must get -it for me.' - -"And she asked: 'What medicine do you want? Tell me, that I may hasten -in search of it.' - -"And the Buddha said: 'I want only a few grains of mustard-seed. Leave -here the boy, and go you and bring them to me.' - -"The girl refused to part with her baby, but promised to get the seed -for him. - -"As she was about to set out, the pitiful Buddha, recalling her, said: -'My sister, the mustard-seed that I require must be taken from a house -where no child, parent, husband, wife, relative, or slave has ever -died.' - -"The young mother replied, 'Very good, my lord'; and went her way, -taking her boy with her, and setting him astride on her hip, with his -lifeless head resting on her bosom. - -"Thus she went from house to house, from palace to hut, begging for -some grains of mustard-seed. - -"The people said to her: 'Here are the seeds; take them, and go thy -way.' - -"But she first asked: 'In this, my friend's house, has there ever died -a child, a husband, a parent, or a slave?' - -"And they one and all replied: 'Lady, what is this that thou hast said? -Knowest thou not that the living are few, but that the dead are many? -There is no such house as thou seekest.' - -"Then she went to other houses and begged the grains of mustard-seed, -which they gladly gave her, but to her questionings one said, 'I have -lost a son'; another, 'I have lost a parent'; and yet another, 'I have -lost a slave'; and every one and all of them made some such reply. - -"At last, not being able to discover a single house free from the -dead, whence she could obtain the mustard-seed, and feeling utterly -faint and weary, she sat herself down upon a stone, with her baby in -her lap, and thinking sadly said to herself: 'Alas! this is a heavy -task I have undertaken. I am not the only one who has lost her baby. -Everywhere children are dying, parents are dying, loved ones are dying, -and everywhere they tell me that the dead are more numerous than the -living. Shall I then think only of my own sorrow?' - -"Thinking thus, she suddenly summoned courage to put away her sorrow -for her dead baby, and she carried him to the forest and laid him down -to rest under a tree; and having covered him over with tender leaves, -and taking her last look of his loved face, she betook herself once -more to the Buddha and bowed before him. - -"And he said to her: 'Sister, hast thou found the mustard-seed?' - -"'I have not, my lord, she replied, 'for the people in the village tell -me there is no house in which some one has not died; for the living are -few, but the dead are many.' - -"'And where is your baby?' - -"'I have laid him under a tree in the forest, my lord,' said Keesah, -gently. - -"Then said the Buddha to her: 'You have found the grains of -mustard-seed; you thought that you alone had lost a son, but now you -have learned that the law of death and of suffering is among all living -creatures, and that here there is no permanence.' - -"On hearing this Keesah was comforted, and established in the path of -virtue, and was thenceforth called Keesah Godami, the disciple of the -Buddha."[46] - -The pleasantest of the days that I spent in the city of the "Nang -Harm" were those that fell on the first full moons in the months of -May, which days are always held as the anniversary of the birth, -inspiration, and death of the Buddha. On the morning of the 21st of -May, 1864, I was conducted by a number of well-dressed slave-women to -the residence of my pupil, the "child wife." Her house was a brick -building with a low wall running round it, which took in some few acres -of ground devoted to gardens and to residences for her numerous slaves -and attendants. I was the first, that morning, to pass between the two -brick and mortar lions which guarded the entrance, and after a kindly -greeting I took my place at the inner end of the hall or antechamber -which gave access to the residence. - -The "child wife," a remarkably pretty little woman, dressed in pure -white silk, stood in the hall beside a small marble fountain, with -her two sons on either side of her. All round the fountain were huge -China vases containing plants, covered with flowers, and between them -were immense silver water-jars, each large enough to hold a couple of -men, and each containing a huge silver ladle. Thirty or more young -slave-women were engaged in filling them with cool fresh water drawn -from a well in the garden. - -The hall was freshly furnished with striped floor-matting, and with -cushioned seats for a hundred guests. In the garden opposite the doors -of the hall was a circular thatched roof supported on one great mast, -like a single-poled tent, and this was the theatre erected for the -occasion. In one part was an elevated stage for the marionettes, and -the whole was very gracefully and prettily ornamented, showing, as did -everything around, a desire to please and to entertain. Some fifty -women-porters came from an inner court, hearing on their heads massive -silver dishes of sweetmeats and choice viands, and placed them along -the hall; then came some maidens dressed in pure white, and arranged -flowers in small gold vases beside each of the seats designed for the -expected guests; and when this was done they took their places behind -their mistress. - -It was early morning, just seven o'clock. But this entire woman's -city had been up for hours engaged in the important work of rightly -celebrating the great day. The grounds around the house were all in -a glow with roses, and the pure silver of the water-jars glistened -resplendently in the morning sunlight. - -The gate was thrown wide open, and into this fairy-like scene, amid -flowers and sunshine and fragrance, and the dew still trembling on the -leaves, were ushered in the guests, one by one,--a hundred decrepit, -filthy, unsightly looking beggar-women covered with dirt and rags and -the vilest uncleanliness. - -And the "child wife," who might have numbered twenty-five summers, but -who looked as if she were only sixteen, blushing with a delicacy and -beauty of her own, advances and greets her strange guests with all -the more respect and tenderness because of their rags and poverty, -leads them gently and seats them on low stools around her sparkling -fountain, removes their disgusting apparel, and proceeds with the aid -of her maidens to wash them clean with fragrant soap and great draughts -of cool water ladled out of the silver jars. What a transformation, -when the matted hair was washed and combed and parted and dressed with -flowers, and the rags were replaced by new robes of purest white! Then -she led them towards the hall, and seated them on the silk cushions -before the silver trays, and bowed on her knees before them and served -to them the delicacies prepared for them, as if they each one and all -deserved from her some special token of her love and veneration. After -breakfast the music struck up and the actors and puppets appeared on -the stage. The music was particularly good. The royal female bands were -assembled for the occasion, and relieved each other in succession; the -acting was occasionally interspersed with the plaintive notes of female -voices; the priestesses of this beautiful scene, who seemed sometimes -deeply moved, collected from within themselves all the charms and joys -of love to pour them forth with the inspiration of music at the feet of -their lowly listeners.[47] - -And at length, as the curtain of the last act dropped, and the -prolonged cadence of the voices and the instruments died away, a loud -buzz of delight and pleasure broke from the listening crowd of old, -decrepit women, who received each a sum of money from their kind -hostess, and went on their lonely way rejoicing. - -"This," said my friend to me, "I do every year, to show my love and -obedience to my dear teacher, the Buddha." And to my unaccustomed heart -and eyes it seemed the sight in all the world the most worth gazing -upon. - -FOOTNOTES: - -[Footnote 44: I would here remark that all intelligent Buddhists make a -very marked distinction between the Buddha and the Buddh. Buddh, or as -he is sometimes called, Adi Buddha, is the Supreme Intelligence, from -whom Buddha is only an emanation, has existed from all eternity.] - -[Footnote 45: See "English Governess at the Siamese Court," Chap. XIII. -p. 116.] - -[Footnote 46: Professor F. Max Müller mentions this parable, in his -lecture on "Buddhist Nihilism," as translated from the Birmese by -Captain H.T. Rogers; but the Birmese text is slightly different from -that of the Siamese.] - -[Footnote 47: The Siamese are naturally very fond of music, and even -persons of high rank think it no disparagement to acquire a proficiency -in the art. Whence their great skill in music and in architecture it -would be difficult to explain, more especially as their music exhibits -great poetical genius and has a remarkably pleasing measure. It might -naturally be supposed that they had derived their music from the -same source that they have their religion; the softness, the playful -sweetness and simplicity of the former, seeming to harmonize in great -measure with the humane tenets, the pure morality, and the beauty of -the latter. - -The music of the Siamese Peguans and of Laos differs from that of -most Indian nations in being played upon different keys, a feature -which characterizes the pathetic music of certain European, and in -particular the Scottish and Welsh nations. There is certainly no harsh -or disagreeable sound, no abrupt transition, no grating sharpness; all -is soft, lively, sweet, and harmonious to a degree which seemed to me -quite surprising. They have certainly arrived far beyond the point of -being merely pleased with sound. They have far a higher aim, that of -interesting the feelings, of awakening thought or emotion. - -Their pieces of music are very numerous; some of the women who perform -before the king know by heart a hundred and fifty tunes; their memory -and their performance are equally remarkable and surprising.] - - - - -CHAPTER XXX. - -THE SIAMESE SYSTEM OF SLAVERY.[48] - - -Under the late king, his Majesty Somdetch P'hra Paramendr Maha Mongkut, -there existed in Siam a mixed system of slavery, in part resembling the -old system of English feudal service, in part the former serfdom of -Russia, and again in part the peonage of Mexico. - -Three fourths of the population of Siam are in this condition of -modified slavery, branded with the mark of their owners, or held by -their creditors in a form of qualified servitude to work out a debt. -The royal family, princes, and chief rulers and magistrates of the -country, are the only exceptions to this rule. But even they are -obliged to serve the king in times of war, or to provide a fitting -substitute. - -"Slaves," in the minute subdivisions of the law, are classed under -seven different heads: first, prisoners of war; second, slaves by -purchase; third, slaves by birth; fourth, by gifts and legacies; fifth, -those who become slaves from gratitude; sixth, voluntary slaves in -times of famine; seventh, debtors and their children. - -But these may all be embraced in three general classes, called Prie, -Baw, and Bâtt, that of slaves by birth and attached to the land, of -slaves by purchase, and of slaves captured in war. - -The prisoners of war and their descendants are composed of the -following nations and numbers: Malays, fifty thousand; Cochin-Chinese, -seventy-five thousand; Peguans, one million; Laotians, twenty-five -thousand; and Birmese, fifty thousand. All these, with few exceptions, -belong to the kings of Siam. Some few are given to the principal nobles -and chiefs who have distinguished themselves in the state; but even -these, with their descendants, are held as Baw Chow Chewitt,--the -king's slaves. The Cochin-Chinese captured in war, and all their -numerous descendants, belong exclusively to the second king,--the first -or supreme king having a positive antipathy to that people. They are -formed into an army under the command of the second king, to guard his -person, palaces, harem, etc. - -The Malays and Peguans are employed as sailors and soldiers in company -with the native Siamese. These are all branded on the left side a -little below the armpit, and they are bound to serve three months in -every year; the remaining time they may employ in their own private -interests. - -The slaves by purchase are divided into two classes, "redeemable" and -"irredeemable." The first class must furnish security that they will -fulfil the legal requirements of their masters. These can always free -themselves by refunding the purchase-money, or can change their masters -on procuring payment of the sum due to the old masters. - -The second class are chiefly young girls sold by their parents, -relatives, or owners; with these no security is either given or taken, -because they generally become the wives or concubines of the buyer. -As a natural consequence more than four fifths abscond whenever they -get an opportunity, and the owner has no redress. Women-slaves are not -branded or enrolled as the men-slaves are. - -Husbands may sell their wives, parents their children, and masters -their slaves and debtors; but no one can sell an adult man-slave after -he is sixteen, or a woman-slave after she has attained puberty, without -his or her consent. - -Prices of slaves vary according to the appearance, color, strength, -physical proportions, and parentage of the person sold, from one -hundred and twenty ticals for men, and sixty to a hundred ticals[49] -for women. But if the woman be fair and pleasing in form and feature, -she will bring as much as a thousand ticals for the harem of a great -noble. - -The method of selling one's self is very simple. Every man, on becoming -a slave, signs an agreement, of which I give a copy below. This paper -his master retains, but is obliged to surrender whenever the slave -produces the amount mentioned in it. - -"Wednesday, the seventh day of the waning moon of the year 1227 of the -little era Choola Sakarat,[50] I, Khow, sell myself to Nai Dang for -ticals one hundred and twenty, to be refunded by me, Khow, at the time -and hour of being set free." - -Such is the bill of sale. But as it generally happens that the parents -have also sold themselves, some other security is required, which is -given in another paper. The value of anything that the slave may break -or destroy is added to the original account. - -The masters are bound to furnish their slaves with rice and fish daily, -but not with clothes. - -The position of the slaves by birth differs in no respect from that of -slaves by purchase, with the exception that while the prices of the -latter vary, the price of the former is fixed by law for every age, -size, and sex, and the owners cannot demand more for them than that -which is determined by the law. - -The severest punishment for slaves is being made to work in chains. If -no improvement takes place from this punishment, the slave is handed -over to the king's judges, and is, provided the crime or misdemeanor is -proven, incarcerated in the Siamese convict prison,--a punishment to -which death itself is preferable. - -The principal hardship that the slave suffers is being obliged to marry -at the will of his or her owner, and this with a people who are highly -susceptible of conjugal affection is often the cause of great suffering -to the women. - -Then comes the difficulty of lodging a complaint against their masters -for an insufficiency of food, and sometimes for an absolute want -of clothes, for which latter even the law does not hold the master -responsible. - -There are four conditions under which a slave is freed from the -obligations of servitude,--slaves voluntarily manumitted by their -masters; slaves admitted to the priesthood; those who are given to -serve the priests; and when the master himself takes the vows of a -priest, he is obliged to free all his slaves, as the ecclesiastical -court will not otherwise receive him into the priesthood, and he can -at no time reclaim them for actual service, unless on quitting the -priesthood he repurchases them. - -Debtors may be made slaves when they do not pay the interest for money -borrowed, and will not work to make good the failure of payment; and in -case of death the nearest relative becomes a slave till the original -amount, with the interest added, is refunded. The rate of interest -in Siam is about thirty per cent, and the poor are unable, unless by -labor, to pay such an exorbitant rate. - -If the bought or rather the redeemable slave should die in his master's -service,--even after a lifetime of labor,--the security must refund the -original sum or become a slave in his stead. If a slave be sick, and is -attended to during his illness in his master's house, the security is -liable for the interest of the slave's purchase-money during the period -of illness. When children are sold under the full value, they must not -be beaten till they bleed. - -When a slave volunteers out of affection for his master or mistress to -take his or her place in prison or in torture, one half of his or her -purchase-money must be refunded to the security. But if the slave is -irredeemable, no part is to be refunded. - -If a man sell a slave, and after receiving the money refuse to give him -or her up to the purchaser, he shall pay double the sum,--three fourths -to the buyer and one fourth into the government or state treasury. - -If a buyer disapprove of a slave before three months have elapsed, he -may recover his money. - -If a master strike his slave so that he die, no claim can be made upon -the security, and the master shall be punished according to the law. - -Anything that a slave may break can be added, at the will of the owner, -to the purchase-money. - -If in herding cattle he be negligent, and they be lost, he shall pay -for them; if more be given into his charge than he can attend to, he -shall pay only half; but if robbers bind him and steal the cattle, he -cannot be held responsible. - -Any claim against a slave must be made by the owner before he is sold -to another party. - -If a master or mistress force a female slave to marry one man -when she has openly professed a preference for another, half her -redemption-money must be remitted. - -If a slave go to war instead of his master, and fight bravely, he -must be set free at the termination of the battle. If he fight only -ordinarily well, half his purchase-money shall be remitted. - -If a master repurchase a slave, and he die in his service, he can -demand only half the original amount from his security. - -If a slave begin to plant rice, he cannot, even if able, purchase his -freedom until the harvest is over. - -If, when rice is dear, a man sell himself to slavery below the standard -value, when rice gets cheap the price must be raised, and the balance -paid over by the purchaser. - -If a slave injure himself while at his master's work, compensation must -be made according to the nature of the injury. - -If a slave die in the stead or in the defence of his master, nothing -can be demanded from the security. - -In all cases of an epidemic, nothing can be claimed from the security. - -If a man have several wives, and the lesser sell themselves to the -higher wives, or the poorer to the richer, no interest can be claimed -on the purchase-money, as they are considered sisters in the sight of -the law. - -If the slave demand a change of masters, and the master cannot dispose -of him, he must take him to the judges to sell; and if they find no -purchaser within three days, he must return to his master and be -thenceforward Khai-Khat, irredeemable. - -If a slave run away, the money expended in apprehending him or her must -be added to his original account. - -Slaves having children, the children become slaves, and must be paid -for according to age. - -If a master compel a slave to bear a child against her will, both she -and the child are free in the sight of the law, even if irredeemable at -first. - -If a slave complain against his master, the judges will not file the -complaint unless he has first paid his purchase-money, except in cases -of murder and treason. - -If a slave accuse his master falsely of capital crimes, his tongue and -lips shall be cut off. But if the charge be true, he shall receive his -freedom, even if Khai-Khat irredeemables. - -If a slave make money on his or her own private account, at his or her -death it will become the property of the master. But if the money be -left to him, it shall go to the nearest relative. - -In all cases of doubt between the slave-woman and her master, the law -shall protect the mother, and the children must be given to her if she -bring the price, under penalty of forfeiting both mother and child. - -Two slaves, husband and wife, brother and sister, having their names on -the same bill of sale, if one run away, the other shall be charged with -the entire debt. - -FOOTNOTES: - -[Footnote 48: For the following statements I am indebted to the late -king, who very kindly furnished me with a copy of the Siamese "Slave -Laws," from which these pages are translated, as if the system still -existed.] - -[Footnote 49: A tical may be valued at from fifty to sixty cents of the -Spanish dollar.] - -[Footnote 50: The Siamese months are lunar months; each is divided -into two parts, i.e. Khang Khun and Khang Ram, waxing and waning moon. -Six of the months have thirty, and six twenty-nine days. To compensate -for the deficiency of the eleven days which are required to make a -full solar year, they have an intercalary month of thirty days once -in three years, and there being still a loss of about three days in -nineteen years, this is supplied by an arbitrary addition of a day -to the seventh month of such years as may be selected by the Brahmin -astrologers, whose business it is to observe the sun's path in the -heavens, and to announce all variations in the calendar. At the very -moment of the sun's crossing the equator, they make proclamation of the -advent of each new year, accompanied by a burst of music and by the -firing of great guns, both from the palace and the city walls. - -The Siamese have two cycles, one within the other; the greater is -twelve, and the lesser ten years in duration. Every year in each cycle -has its own peculiar name. Their sacred era is reckoned from the time -of the death of the Buddha (2415). It is denominated Buddha Sakarat. -Their civil era is called Choola Sakarat, and is reckoned from the time -of its establishment (1233) by P'hra Rooang, a Siamese king of great -celebrity.] - - - - -CHAPTER XXXI. - -THE ROYAL PROCLAMATIONS. - - -In the beginning of the reign of P'rabat Somdetch P'hra Paramendr Maha -Chulalonkorn, a new era dawned upon the kingdom of the white elephant. - -On the 11th of October, 1868, a royal proclamation of the new -and auspicious reign was made in all parts of the vast kingdom -and provinces of Siam, and a national holiday was appointed. The -multitudinous pagoda bells rang all day, while louder still boomed -the cannon, up went the rockets, and aloft streamed the red and white -banners of the white elephant. Still higher rose the glad hearts of the -princes and chiefs of the people, and low in reverential attitudes, -even in the very dust, were bowed the heads of the millions of the -enslaved subjects. - -Classed with the sod, and of as little account as the earth out of -which they obtain so scanty a subsistence, branded as cattle with the -mark of their owner, what have they to do with the glad shouts and the -loud rejoicings that resound on every side? - -To them it means only a change of owners, and royalty is the name fixed -to the other end of the enslaving rod of power: "The right divine of -kings to govern wrong." - -There can be no auspicious reign or any happy future for the slave. - -[Illustration: KING OF SIAM.] - -The royal messages of peace and good-will may find an echo in the -freedman's heart and in his home, but they must ever come with a -darkening power and as a saddening cloud to the home and the heart of -the slave. An irredeemable beast of burden, what has he to hope from -an auspicious reign, or the enthronement of a promising sovereign? - -Yet that these millions of enslaved men and women are not brutes or -wild beasts, or even devoid of noble and generous emotions, is proved -by the most astonishing acts of devotion and self-sacrifice performed -by slaves for the masters and mistresses whom they have learned to love. - -Any one who from curiosity or with a higher motive may visit the -prisons in the city of Bangkok will find, to his great surprise, that -nearly one half of the inmates are slaves voluntarily expiating the -crimes and wrong-doings of their masters and mistresses, or, as is -often the case, mothers, daughters, wives, or sisters enduring all the -hardships of a Siamese prison--and words would fail me adequately to -describe the amount of suffering which those two words imply--in the -place and for the sake of sons, husbands, or unworthy relatives. The -strength that is in these slaves to suffer is the strength of love. -Love combined with despair gives them the awful and wonderful power of -utter self-sacrifice. - -The rights which every man should enjoy in his wife, his children, -and his own labor, and which should be the most sacred and inviolable -rights, are here placed at the mercy of a master, and are oft-times to -the slave the very fetters of his galling servitude. - -But, since that ever-to-be-remembered 11th of October, 1868, a new -empire has arisen out of the ashes of the old. The traditions and -customs of centuries are as naught. A fresh start has been made, a -young king full of generous impulses and noble purposes reigns; and how -he intends to govern may be gathered from his second royal proclamation -to his people on the subject of religion:-- - -"In regard to the concern of seeking and holding a religion that will -be a refuge to you in this life: it is a good and noble concern, and -it is exceedingly appropriate and suitable that you, as a nation, and -each man individually, should investigate for himself, and according -to his own wisdom, which is the right and which the wrong; and if you -see any religion whatever, or any body of men professing any religion -whatsoever who seem likely to be an advantage to you,--a true religion -in accordance with your own wisdom,--hold to that religion with all -your heart; hold to it not with a shallow mind, or after slight -investigation, or even because of its tradition, saying this is the -custom held from time immemorial, but from your own deep faith in its -excellence; and do not profess a religion for the truth of which you -have not good evidence, or one which frightens men through their fears -and flatters them through their hopes. - -"Do not be either frightened or flattered into doing what is right and -just, and do not follow after fictitious signs and wonders. - -"But, when you shall have obtained a firm conviction in any religious -faith that it is true, beautiful, and good, hold to it with great joy, -follow its teachings alone, and it will be a source of happiness to -each one of you. - -"It is our will that our subjects of whatever race, nation, or creed, -live freely and happily in our kingdom, no man despising or molesting -another on account of religious difference, or any other difference of -opinions, customs, or manners." - -This is the second important message from the young king, who has just -ascended the throne of his fathers, to his subjects, both bond and free. - -The great old dukes and princes and nobles of the realm feel in their -hardened hearts that it is barely gracious, and certainly not at all -graceful, in one so young, to ignore all that magnificent past. But -the young monarch is true to his early promise, and his next step is -quietly to abolish the customary prostrations before a superior, and to -inaugurate a new costume for his people, which will enable the wearer, -whoever he may be, prince, ruler, chieftain, or slave, to stand face to -face with his fellow-men and erect in the presence of his sovereign. - -And now let us mark the next step made in the path of progress and -freedom by this noble young Buddhist monarch. - -Years ago, in the little study in his beautiful palace called the -"Rose-Planting House," when a mere boy, on hearing of the death of -President Lincoln, he had declared "that if he ever lived to reign -over Siam, he would reign over a free and not an enslaved nation; that -it would be his pride and joy to restore to his kingdom the original -constitution under which it was first planted by a small colony of -hardy and brave Buddhists, who fled from their native country, Magadah, -to escape the religious persecutions of the Brahminical priests, who -had arrived at Ayudia and there established themselves under one of -their leaders, who was at once priest and king. They called the spot -they occupied "Muang Thai,"--the kingdom of the free,--and this kingdom -now extends from the northern slopes of the mountains of Yuman in China -to the Gulf of Siam." - -Nobly has he striven to keep this aspiration of his early boyhood; -and as he went, day after day, to take his place at the head of his -government, and to the nightly sittings of the Secret Council of the -state, he endeavored to hold unflinchingly to his one great purpose. - -On the first opportunity that offered he urged the abolition of slavery -upon the Prince Regent, his uncle, and the Prime Minister; then again -he brought it before the mighty Secret Council, sitting at midnight in -the hall of his ancestors. "I see," says the brave young king, "no -hope for our country until she is freed from the dark blot of slavery." - -The Prince Regent and the Prime Minister, though almost persuaded by -the vehement pleading of the young and fearless king, replied: "It is -impossible to free a nation of slaves without incurring much risk and -danger to the state and to the slaveholders. Under the existing laws, -Siam could not abolish her system of slavery without undermining at the -same time her whole constitution." - -"Well," said the young king, "let it be so; but my slaves, my soldiers, -and my debtors are my own, and I will free them at least, whatever my -ministers may see fit to do; for my part, no human being shall ever -again be branded in my name and with my mark." - -What strange words from one so young! - -The Secret Council meet again and again to discuss the matter, and at -length they decide--for they too have the good of their country at -heart--to let the young king have his own way. - -Then the royal boy king sends another message summoning the heads of -all his people, from every department of his vast kingdom, to appear -together in his audience hall, and to receive the royal message. - -Standing on the lowest step of his glittering throne, he greets the -chief rulers and governors and judges of his people, and utters -these remarkable words: "Let this our royal message to our people be -proclaimed, and not as if we were doing a great and lordly thing, but -our simple duty to our fellow-men and subjects, that from the first -day of January, 1872, slavery shall cease to be an institution in -our country, and every man, woman, and child shall hold themselves -free-born citizens; and further let it be made known, that a tax, -according to the circumstances of each and every man, shall be levied -on the nation to remunerate the slaveholders for the loss of their -slaves." - -The effect of this speech upon the listeners can hardly be imagined. -It was like the winged words of an angel from heaven, and the young -monarch descended from the last step of his throne, having firmly laid -the corner-stone on which the greatness of his reign and his nation -will forever rest unshaken. But seeing that his astonished hearers -remained rooted to the spot, still doubting whether they had heard -aright, he added: "We bind ourselves to fulfil our word to our subjects -at large, no matter what the cost to ourselves. Go you and proclaim our -royal will." - -When the wonderful tidings were actually proclaimed, the people -listened as though they heard not; at best they distrusted the good -report, and received the wondrous words as if they were merely the -sounding of brass and the tinkling of cymbals in their ears. - -Confidence is a plant of slow growth; but how slow must its revival -have been in the place whence it has once been torn up by the roots! -So the people turned a deaf ear to the loving messages of their young -king, and went on their sad way not a whit happier. - -But when the 1st of January, 1872, had actually arrived, and they -absolutely found themselves "free" men and women, their patient, loving -hearts well-nigh burst asunder with joy. - -The glad cries of the ransomed millions penetrated the heart of the -universe, and the "Despair" of the nation flapped her dark wings and -fell down dead at the golden feet of the royal ransomer. - -The prison doors are open, and all the prisoners by proxy and those -who were slaves by reason of their great poverty or their greater love -find, to their amazement, that the sun of freedom has risen for them, -and who shall fathom the depth of their joy? But the land is full -of flower shows, and unfurled standards, and cool fountain displays, -fireworks, illuminations, and theatrical exhibitions. The music of -thousands of choristers and the glad huzzas of congregated myriads -rend the air. Let them dance and laugh and sing; they have had enough -of slavery and too little of freedom, and the great hymn of the nation -ascends to the Ruler of kings for the "Ransomed One," "Glory to God in -the highest, and on earth peace and good-will towards men." - - -THE END OF THE ROMANCE. - -[Illustration: TEMPLE AND RUINS OF KAMPOOT.] - - - - -A LEGEND OF THE GOLD AND SILVER MINES OF SIAM. - - -Vela Chow, or the Beautiful Dawn, was the only daughter of a very -powerful king of Ayudia. She was so wondrously beautiful that the old -Brahmins and astrologers who foretold her birth named her, even before -she was born, the Beautiful Dawn, as the only appropriate name for her. - -Now it happened that, at the time of Vela Chow's birth, there was no -moon to illuminate the fair earth, but the golden sun and the green -earth enjoyed a much closer and more intimate friendship than they now -do, and old age, sickness, and death were unknown to the blessed and -undying people of Ayudia. - -But as the mighty king Somdetch P'hra Batt, the duke of the golden -foot, had reigned nearly three thousand five hundred years without -ceasing, he became weary of the cares of state, and thereupon abdicated -in favor of his young son, P'hra Batt Bandethâno, a vigorous youth -of not more than five hundred years of age, who was even from his -childhood an especial favorite of the ruby-faced and warm-hearted -monarch P'hra Athiett, i.e. the Sun. - -In the course of time, the friendship between these two, Bandethâno -and P'hra Athiett, sovereigns of the earth and sky, ripened to such -a degree of perfection that the latter was loath to withdraw his -bright beaming face from his young friend's kingdom, even to seek his -couch for a little rest at night, as had been his custom from time -immemorial; thus he beamed forth both night and day in saffron hues -on the fair mountains and lovely valleys of the invincible city of -Ayudia, and the land flourished in luxuriance and beauty, the fruits -and flowers rivalled those that grew and blossomed in Indra's own -garden, and countless birds of marvellous plumage winged their flight -from distant worlds to build their nests and warble their exquisite -melodies among the proud forests of this favored land. As for the men -of this region, they were tall and stately and of golden mien, like -the laughter-loving Gandharwas of Indra's paradise, and the women were -gloriously beautiful, fair as silvery clouds, with eyes of wondrous -hue; so that no mortal man could look upon one of them and not yield -his spirit to the sweet frenzy of inextinguishable love. - -Away flew the golden days and nights, and round and round rushed the -radiant chariot-wheels of P'hra Athiett, and thousands and thousands of -years sped away, but he never relaxed the speed of his swift coursers, -nor drew in his rainbow-tinted reins, nor turned away even for an -instant his glowing eyes from this favored kingdom. - -Now, things having gone on in this way for several thousands of years, -yet no sweet slumber had ever closed the godlike eyes of P'hra Athiett, -and all the lovely Dowâstrâs, i.e. the stars, finding themselves -totally eclipsed, their brilliancy and beauty marred by this unceasing -sleeplessness on the part of their sovereign, formed the wicked and -cruel design of revolting against him, and of taking possession, by -some means or other, of his golden car. - -Accordingly, instead of going to sleep, as had hitherto been their -practice during the day, they all plotted together to hide themselves -behind the many-tinted curtain of their monarch's chariot, and to -watch his movements, in order to discover the cause of the singular -attraction that drew him forever towards the earth, while he left his -own vaulted and ethereal hemisphere to the tender mercies of stray suns -or wandering comets. - -Having ratified with many an oath and many a vow their wicked compact, -the treacherous Dowâstrâs, instead of going to bed like the dutiful -children of a kind and beneficent ruler, only pretended to sleep, but -all the while kept opening and shutting and blinking their bright, -inquisitive little eyes, winking at one another and peering behind the -golden curtains of the royal chariot at their unconscious master, who, -fully believing that all his subjects were sound asleep, grew brighter -and brighter, while over his round, genial face there beamed forth a -smile of ineffable radiance as he approached the earth. At this very -moment the rebellious Dowâstrâs, wondering at the blissful face of -their monarch, peered out from behind the rainbow-hued drapery of the -celestial chariot and turned their penetrating eyes towards the earth, -where, to their astonishment, they beheld the matchless form and the -divinely beautiful face of Vela Chow, who was lulling her wearied -father to rest with the music of her sweet voice. - -"Ah! ah!" laughed the wicked Dowâstrâs, "now we have found out the -secret." - -As soon as she had soothed her father to sleep, the lovely Vela Chow, -all unconscious of what was happening around her, sauntered forth among -the unfrequented woods and dells, making the voiceless hills and rocks -re-echo her merry notes in melodious sounds; now culling rare wild -flowers to wreathe round her lovely brow, now bathing her little feet -in the cool crystal waters of a purling brook that murmured gently -through the mountain caves and caverns, and anon raising her glad heart -in thanksgiving and praise to the great, beneficent, and glorious P'hra -Athiett. - -At length she sat herself down in the deep solitude to rest; and as -she listened to the gentle zephyrs that fanned her yellow tresses or -rustled amidst the topmost boughs of the "green-haired" forest trees, -the birds plucked for her the ripest and the sweetest fruits, and some -dropped them at her side, and others, less timid, hovered around her, -holding them in their tender bills, each fluttering against the other -and striving to be the favored one to whom she would open her sweet -mouth to be fed; and while the many-hued birds were thus rivalling each -other in their delicate attentions to the lovely maiden, it chanced -that a gorgeous butterfly, more glorious than any she had ever before -seen, alighted on a neighboring flower. Up sprang Vela Chow, and away -she flew after it, from flower to flower, from shrub to tree, until at -last the tantalizing butterfly flew so high in the air that the eager -damsel could do no more than raise her fair face and sparkling eyes -to follow its airy flight through the bright sky. Just at this moment -P'hra Athiett's golden chariot was coming over the hill, and he smiled -a smile of such ineffable delight when he caught sight of her, that he -dazzled the eyes of the poor little maiden; and as she could no longer -see the beautiful butterfly, she was obliged to relinquish all idea -of capturing it. So she retraced her disconsolate steps to her lonely -mountain stream, and plunged into its waters, in the hope of finding -therein refreshment and forgetfulness of her cruel disappointment. - -But P'hra Athiett was not to be thus baffled; so he noiselessly climbed -higher and higher, and approached nearer and nearer, and smiled so much -more warmly than ever, that he once more quite overpowered the weary -maiden, who suddenly vanished from his sight, sought refuge in her -favorite mountain cavern, and there fell sound asleep. - -For a moment poor P'hra Athiett was disconcerted, and a great pain, -like a dark heavy cloud, shot up from his heart and overspread his -bright, happy face, and he knew not what to do; but the next, he broke -forth into a more joyous smile than ever, for he was just as foolish as -he was old, and had been on the lookout all these thousands of years, -night and day, hoping to catch a glimpse of this incomparable maiden; -the moment he did so, he fell desperately in love with her, and he -could not make up his mind to perform his journey without one more -look at her sweet, pure face; therefore, instead of going on his way -through the sky, he changed his course, and drove at a furious rate -down the mountain-side towards the cavern, alighted from his chariot, -and crept softly into the cave where the lovely Vela Chow slumbered, -and smiled upon her with such rapturous tenderness that the sleeping -maiden's heart was penetrated and completely captivated. She opened -her beautiful eyes with a joyful sense of a new and delicious emotion -upon P'hra Athiett, who beamed upon her so lovingly and with such -irresistible pleadings in his godlike eyes, that she could not refuse -to return his affection, and they there and then exchanged vows of -eternal friendship and love. - -But alas! while the all-unconscious and happy lovers were thus fondly -conversing together, and P'hra Athiett was painting in glowing words -the beauty of his heavenly dwelling-place, the wicked Dowâstrâs in all -haste rushed to the mountain-side, drove off the golden chariot, and -unharnessed the swift-winged coursers. Having thus cut off his retreat, -they raised a shout of triumph, deposed their infatuated monarch, and -established a republic among themselves, permitting neither stray suns -nor wandering comets to have anything to do with their government. - -Poor P'hra Athiett, who was now about to conduct his sweet happy bride -to his celestial kingdom, found, to his consternation and grief, that -his golden chariot had vanished. He bowed his head, and his great -joyous face became suddenly overcast; all its light and glory departed, -while large tears like mountain torrents rolled from his godlike eyes, -and streamed upon the earth, and were there and then transformed into -nuggets of the purest gold. - -Then the mountains, pitying his sufferings, opened their hearts, and -revealed to him a secret passage by which he might regain his heavenly -abode. - -P'hra Athiett bade a sad adieu to the lovely Vela Chow, and, with -promise of speedy return, set out, shedding golden tears all along the -way, in search of his missing chariot. And as for the unhappy Vela -Chow, the moment she lost sight of her beloved P'hra Athiett, she -drooped her fair head in unspeakable sorrow, and followed him with -aching heart and faltering step all the way, searching for the lost -chariot, and shedding abundantly her bright beautiful tears, which, as -they fell upon the rocky sides of the mountains, changed their flinty -arteries into veins of the purest and most precious silver. - -Thus the grief of these two godlike hearts served to enrich the country -with endless wealth. - -At the end of twelve hours, however, the wicked stars repented of their -cruel conduct, and a fresh compact was made between the republican -Dowâstrâs and the godlike lover P'hra Athiett, wherein it was expressly -agreed that for a fortnight in every month he should pick up his -beautiful bride at the mouth of the cavern and take her with him to his -celestial home; but that for the rest of the month she should unveil -her matchless face, and reveal her exquisite beauty to the Dowâstrâs, -and rule over them in the sky,--for they all, it seems, had also fallen -desperately in love with her,--and it was distinctly stipulated that -P'hra Athiett should never attempt to approach her while she reigned as -their queen and mistress in the heavens; and to distinguish her in her -new regal character, the Dowâstrâs changed her name from "Vela Chow" -to "Rupea Chandra,"--the Silver Moon. - -To all this P'hra Athiett readily assented; for he was impatient to -regain his chariot, and to hear away his lovely bride. - -But it is said that even to this day, while Vela Chow is presiding in -queenlike splendor over the jealous Dowâstrâs, P'hra Athiett is foolish -enough at times (for now and then he cannot restrain his affection) to -attempt to kiss her. When all the Siamese, fearing lest he should again -be dethroned, turn out _en masse_, and shout, and fire cannons, and -beat drums, to warn him of the impropriety of his proceedings; which -in the space of two or three hours--this being the time, it is said, -that sound takes to travel to the sun and moon--generally produces the -desired effect of recalling the monarch to himself. - -Thus are the gold and silver mines, and the lunar and solar eclipses, -accounted for in the Siamese legends; and annual pilgrimages are still -made to the cavern where the lovely Vela Chow plighted her troth to -P'hra Athiett. - - -Cambridge: Electrotyped and Printed by Welch, Bigelow, & Co. - -[Transcribers Note: Original spelling, including possible -inconsistencies, has been retained.] - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Romance of the Harem, by -Anna Harriette Leonowens - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE ROMANCE OF THE HAREM *** - -***** This file should be named 56028-0.txt or 56028-0.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/6/0/2/56028/ - -Produced by MWS, Graeme Mackreth and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was -produced from images generously made available by The -Internet Archive/American Libraries.) - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: The Romance of the Harem - -Author: Anna Harriette Leonowens - -Release Date: November 22, 2017 [EBook #56028] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE ROMANCE OF THE HAREM *** - - - - -Produced by MWS, Graeme Mackreth and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was -produced from images generously made available by The -Internet Archive/American Libraries.) - - - - - - -</pre> - -<div class="hidehand"> -<p class="center" style="margin-bottom:10em;"> -<img src="images/cover.jpg" alt="cover" /> -</p></div> - - -<hr class="chap" /> - - - -<p class="center"> -<img src="images/illus01.jpg" alt="cover" /> -<a id="illus01" name="illus01"></a> -</p> - - - - -<p class="caption">THE IDOL OF BUDDHA</p> - - - - -<p class="ph4"> -THE</p> - -<p class="ph1">ROMANCE OF THE HAREM.</p> - -<p class="ph5">BY</p> - -<p class="ph3">MRS. ANNA H. LEONOWENS,</p> - -<p class="ph5">AUTHOR OF "THE ENGLISH GOVERNESS AT THE SIAMESE COURT."</p> - -<p class="ph3">Illustrated.</p> -<p class="center"> -<img src="images/illus02.jpg" alt="idol" /> -<a id="illus02" name="illus02"></a> -</p> -<p class="caption"> THE EMERALD IDOL.</p> - -<p class="ph4">BOSTON:</p> -<p class="ph4">JAMES R. OSGOOD AND COMPANY,</p> - -<p class="ph5"><span class="smcap">Late Ticknor & Fields, and Fields, Osgood, & Co.</span></p> - -<p class="ph4">1873.</p> - - - - - -<p style="margin-top: 10em;" class="center"><small> -Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1872,<br /> -BY JAMES R. OSGOOD & CO.,<br /> -in the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington.</small> -</p> - - - -<p style="margin-top: 5em;" class="center"><small><span class="smcap">University Press: Welch, Bigelow, & Co., Cambridge.</span></small></p> - - - - -<p class="ph3" style="margin-top: 5em;"><a name="PREFACE" id="PREFACE">PREFACE.</a></p> - - -<p>"Truth is often stranger than fiction," but so strange will some of the -occurrences related in the following pages appear to Western readers, -that I deem it necessary to state that they are also true. Most of the -stories, incidents, and characters are known to me personally to be -real, while of such narratives as I received from others I can say that -"I tell the tale as it was told to me," and written down by me at the -time. In some cases I have substituted fictitious for real names, in -order to shield from what might be undesired publicity persons still -living.</p> - -<p>I gladly acknowledge my indebtedness to Mr. Francis George Shaw for -valuable advice and aid in the preparation of this work for the -press, and to Miss Sarah Bradley, daughter of the Rev. Dr. Bradley of -Bangkok, for her kindness in providing me with photographs, otherwise -unattainable, for some of the illustrations.</p> - -<p > -<span style="margin-left: 5%;"><span class="smcap">New Brighton</span>, <span class="smcap">Staten Island</span>,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 10%;">September 13, 1872.</span><br /> -</p> - - - - -<p class="ph3" style="margin-top: 5em;"><a name="DEDICATION" id="DEDICATION">DEDICATION.</a></p> - - -<p>To the noble and devoted women whom I learned to know, to esteem, and -to love in the city of the Nang Harm, I dedicate the following pages, -containing a record of some of the events connected with their lives -and sufferings.</p> - - - - -<p class="ph2">LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.</p> - -<ol class="index" style="margin-left: 20%;"> - <li><span class="smcap"><a href="#illus01"> The Idol of Buddha</a></span> <i>Frontispiece.</i></li> - <li><span class="smcap"><a href="#illus02"> The Emerald Idol</a></span> <i>Vignette.</i></li> - <li><span class="smcap"><a href="#illus03"> A Siamese Slave-Girl</a></span></li> - <li><span class="smcap"><a href="#illus04"> A Siamese Flower-Girl</a></span></li> -<li><span class="smcap"><a href="#illus05"> Guard of Amazons</a></span></li> -<li><span class="smcap"><a href="#illus06"> Palm-Trees near the New Road, Bangkok</a></span></li> - <li><span class="smcap"><a href="#illus07"> A Young Siamese Nobleman</a></span></li> - <li><span class="smcap"><a href="#illus08"> Smâyâtee</a></span></li> - <li><span class="smcap"><a href="#illus09"> A Royal Actress</a></span></li> - <li><span class="smcap"><a href="#illus10"> Rungeah, the Cambodian Proselyte</a></span></li> -<li><span class="smcap"><a href="#illus11"> Ladies of the Royal Harem at Dinner</a></span></li> -<li><span class="smcap"><a href="#illus12"> A Laotian</a></span> </li> - <li><span class="smcap"><a href="#illus13"> Crenellated Towers of the Inner City</a></span></li> - <li><span class="smcap"><a href="#illus14"> An Amazon of the Royal Body Guard</a></span></li> - <li><span class="smcap"><a href="#illus15"> Queen of Siam</a></span></li> - <li><span class="smcap"><a href="#illus16"> King of Siam</a></span></li> -<li><span class="smcap"><a href="#illus17"> Temple and Ruins of Kampoot</a></span></li> -</ol> - - - - -<p class="ph2">CONTENTS.</p> - -<table summary="toc" width="60%"> -<tr> -<td align="right"><span class="smcap">Chapter</span> -</td> -<td> -</td> -<td align="right"><span class="smcap">Page</span> -</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td align="right">I. -</td> -<td><a href="#CHAPTER_I"><span class="smcap">"Muang Thai," or the Kingdom of the Free</span></a> -</td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_1">1</a> -</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td align="right">II. -</td> -<td><a href="#CHAPTER_II"><span class="smcap">Tuptim: A Tragedy of the Harem</span></a> -</td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_14">14</a> -</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td align="right">III. -</td> -<td><a href="#CHAPTER_III"><span class="smcap">Tuptim's Trial</span></a> -</td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_25">25</a> -</td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td align="right"> -IV. -</td> - <td> -<a href="#CHAPTER_IV"><span class="smcap">The King changes his Mind</span></a> -</td> -<td class="tdr"> -<a href="#Page_35">35</a> -</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdt" > -V. -</td> -<td > -<a href="#CHAPTER_V"><span class="smcap">Slavery in the Grand Royal Palace of the "Invincible -and Beautiful Archangel"</span></a> -</td> -<td class="tdr"> -<a href="#Page_42">42</a> -</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdt"> -VI. -</td> -<td > -<a href="#CHAPTER_VI"><span class="smcap">Khoon Thow App, the Chief of the Female Judges</span></a> -</td> -<td class="tdr"> -<a href="#Page_58">58</a> -</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdt"> -VII. -</td> -<td > -<a href="#CHAPTER_VII"><span class="smcap">The Rajpoot and his Daughter</span></a> -</td> -<td class="tdr"> -<a href="#Page_65">65</a> -</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdt"> -VIII. -</td> -<td > -<a href="#CHAPTER_VIII"><span class="smcap">Among the Hills of Orissa</span></a> -</td> -<td class="tdr"> -<a href="#Page_72">72</a> -</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdt"> -IX. -</td> -<td > -<a href="#CHAPTER_IX"><span class="smcap">The Rebel Duke P'haya Si P'hifoor</span></a> -</td> -<td class="tdr"> -<a href="#Page_77">77</a> -</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdt"> -X. -</td> -<td > -<a href="#CHAPTER_X"><span class="smcap">The Grandson of Somdetch Ong Yai, and his Tutor -P'hra Chow Sâduman</span></a> -</td> -<td class="tdr"> -<a href="#Page_84">84</a> -</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdt">XI.</td> -<td ><a href="#CHAPTER_XI"><span class="smcap">The Heroism of a Child</span></a></td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_102">102</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdt">XII.</td> -<td ><a href="#CHAPTER_XII"><span class="smcap">The Interior of the Duke Chow P'haya Mândtree's -Harem</span></a></td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_107">107</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdt">XIII.</td> - -<td ><a href="#CHAPTER_XIII"><span class="smcap">A Night of Mysteries</span></a></td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_112">112</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdt">XIV.</td> -<td ><a href="#CHAPTER_XIV"><span class="smcap">Weeping may endure for a Night, but Joy cometh in -the Morning</span></a></td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_118">118</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdt">XV.</td> -<td><a href="#CHAPTER_XV"><span class="smcap">The Favorite of the Harem</span></a></td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_122">122</a></td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="tdt">XVI.</td> - <td ><a href="#CHAPTER_XVI"><span class="smcap">May-Peâh, the Laotian Slave-Girl</span></a></td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_145">145</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdt">XVII.</td> - <td ><a href="#CHAPTER_XVII"><span class="smcap">An Accidental Discovery of the Whereabouts of the -Princess Sunartha Vismita</span></a></td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_151">151</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdt">XVIII.</td> -<td ><a href="#CHAPTER_XVIII"><span class="smcap">Lady Thieng, the Head Wife and Superintendent of -the Royal Cuisine</span></a></td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_155">155</a></td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="tdt">XIX.</td> -<td ><a href="#CHAPTER_XIX"><span class="smcap">The Princess Sunartha Vismita</span></a></td> -<td class="tdr"> <a href="#Page_160">160</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdt">XX. </td> -<td ><a href="#CHAPTER_XX"><span class="smcap">Pak Laut, or the Mouth of the Ocean</span></a></td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_165">165</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdt">XXI.</td> - <td ><a href="#CHAPTER_XXI"><span class="smcap">Narrative of the Princess of Chiengmai</span></a></td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_171">171</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdt">XXII. </td> -<td ><a href="#CHAPTER_XXII"><span class="smcap">Bijrepuree," or the Diamond City</span></a></td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_175">175</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdt">XXIII.</td> -<td ><a href="#CHAPTER_XXIII"><span class="smcap">The Deaf and Dumb Changeling</span></a></td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_180">180</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdt">XXIV. </td> -<td ><a href="#CHAPTER_XXIV"><span class="smcap">Witchcraft in Siam in Eighteen Hundred and Sixty-Six, -compared with Witchcraft in England in Seventeen -Hundred and Sixteen</span></a></td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_184">184</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdt">XXV.</td> - <td ><a href="#CHAPTER_XXV"><span class="smcap">Trial for Witchcraft</span></a></td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_188">188</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdt">XXVI.</td> - <td ><a href="#CHAPTER_XXVI"><span class="smcap">The Christian Village of Tâmsèng, or of Thomas the -Saint</span></a></td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_202">202</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdt">XXVII.</td> -<td ><a href="#CHAPTER_XXVII"><span class="smcap">Nang Rungeah, the Cambodian Proselyte</span></a></td> -<td class="tdr"> <a href="#Page_213">213</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdt">XXVIII.</td> - <td ><a href="#CHAPTER_XXVIII"><span class="smcap">Ad ogni Uccello suo Nido è bello,—"To every Bird -its own Nest is charming</span></a></td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_221">221</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdt">XXIX.</td> - <td ><a href="#CHAPTER_XXIX"><span class="smcap">Stray Leaves from the Royal School-Room Table</span></a></td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_237">237</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdt">XXX.</td> - <td ><a href="#CHAPTER_XXX"><span class="smcap">The Siamese System of Slavery</span></a></td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_257">257</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdt">XXXI.</td> -<td ><a href="#CHAPTER_XXXI"><span class="smcap">The Royal Proclamations</span></a></td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_264">264</a></td> -</tr> - - -<tr> -<td> -</td> -<td ><a href="#A_LEGEND_OF_THE_GOLD_AND_SILVER_MINES_OF_SIAM"><span class="smcap">A Legend of the Gold and Silver Mines of Siam</span></a></td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_271">271</a></td> -</tr> -</table> - - -<hr class="chap" /> - - - - - - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_1" id="Page_1">[Pg 1]</a></span></p> - -<p class="ph2">ROMANCE OF THE HAREM.</p> - - - - -<p class="ph2"><a name="CHAPTER_I" id="CHAPTER_I">CHAPTER I.</a></p> - - -<p class="center">"MUANG THAI," OR THE KINGDOM OF THE FREE.</p> - -<p>Siam is called by its people "Muang Thai" (the kingdom of the free). -The appellation which we employ is derived from a Malay word <i>sagûm</i> -(the brown race), and is never used by the natives themselves; nor -is the country ever so named in the ancient or modern annals of the -kingdom.</p> - -<p>In the opinion of Pickering, the Siamese are of Malay origin. A -majority of intelligent Europeans, however, regard the population -as mainly Mongolian. But there is much more probability that they -belong to that powerful Indo-European race to which Europe owes its -civilization, and whose chief branches are the Hindoos, Persians, -Greeks, Latins, Kelts, and the Teutonic and Sclavonic tribes. The -original site of this race was in Bactria, and the earliest division -of the people could not have been later than three or four thousand -years before the Christian era. Comparative philology alone enables us -to trace the origin of nations of great antiquity. According to the -researches of the late king, who was a very studious and learned man, -of twelve thousand eight hundred Siamese words, more than five thousand -are found to be Sanskrit, or to have their roots in that language, and -the rest in the Indo-European tongues; to which have been superadded -a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2" id="Page_2">[Pg 2]</a></span> great number of Chinese and Cambodian terms. He says: "The names of -temples, cities, and villages in the kingdom of Siam are derived from -three sources, namely, Sanskrit, Siamese, and Cambodian. The names -which the common people generally use are spoken according to the idiom -of the Siamese language, are short and easily pronounced; but the names -used in the Court language and in the government documents, which -receive the government seals, are almost all of Sanskrit derivation, -apt to be long; and even though the Sanskrit names are given at full -length, the people are prone to speak them incorrectly. Some of our -cities and temples have two and even three names, being the ancient and -modern names, as they have been used in the Court language or that of -the people."</p> - -<p>As the words common to the Siamese and the Sanskrit languages must have -been in use by both peoples before their final separation, we have here -a clew to the origin and degree of civilization attained by the former -before they emigrated from the parent stock.</p> - -<p>Besides the true Siamese, a great variety of races inhabit the Siamese -territories. The Siamese themselves trace their genealogy up to the -first disciples of the Buddha, and commence their records at least -five centuries before the Christian era. First, a long succession of -dynasties, with varying seats of government, figure in their ancient -books, in which narrations of the miracles of the Buddhas, and of the -intervention of supernatural beings, are frequently introduced. Then -come accounts of matrimonial alliances between the princes of Siam -and the Imperial family of China; of embassies to, and wars with, the -neighboring countries, interspersed with such relations of prodigies -and such marvellous legends as to surpass all possible conception -of our less fertile Western imaginations. It is only after the -establishment of Ayudia as the capital of Siam, A.D. 1350, that history -assumes its rightful<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_3" id="Page_3">[Pg 3]</a></span> functions, and the course of events, with the -regular succession of sovereigns, is registered with tolerable accuracy.</p> - -<p>The name of Siam was first heard in Europe—that is, in Portugal—in -the year 1511, nine years after Alfonso d'Albuquerque, the great -Viceroy of the Indies, had landed on the coast of Malabar with -his soldiers, and conquered Goa, which he made the seat of the -Portugo-Indian government, and the centre of its Asiatic operations. -After establishing his power in Goa, D'Albuquerque subdued the whole -of the Malabar, the island of Ceylon, the Sunda Isles, the peninsula -of Malacca, and the beautiful island of Ormuz, at the entrance to the -Persian Gulf.</p> - -<p>It was here that D'Albuquerque is said to have received the ambassadors -of the Emperor of Persia, sent to collect the tribute formerly paid to -him by the sovereigns of the island, and, instead of the customary gold -and silver, to have laid before them iron bullets and a sword, with: -"This is the coin in which Portugal pays those who demand tribute from -her." Whether this incident really occurred or not, it is certain that -D'Albuquerque made the name of Portugal so feared and respected in the -East, that many of the potentates in that region, and among them the -kings of Siam and Pegu, sent embassies to him, and sought his alliance -and protection. The profitable relations anticipated from this opening -were interrupted, however, by the long and bitter war which shortly -broke out between Siam and Birmah, and the intercourse between the -Siamese and Portuguese was not renewed for a long time. As early as the -fifteenth century the celebrated German traveller, Mandelslohe, visited -Ayudia, the capital of Siam, and called it the Venice of the East,—a -title equally applicable to the modern capital, Bangkok. The Portuguese -explorer, Mendez Pinto, who was in Siam in the sixteenth century, gives -a very favorable account of the country, and, in my opinion, deserves -more credit for the truth of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_4" id="Page_4">[Pg 4]</a></span> his statements than was accorded to -him by his contemporaries. In 1632 an English vessel is said to have -reached Ayudia, and to have found it in ruins, the country having been -laid waste by successive incursions of the Birmese.</p> - -<p>The great river Mèinam is the Nile of Siam. Rising among the southern -slopes of the snow-covered mountains of Yunan, it traverses the whole -length of the valley, receiving in its course the waters of many other -streams, the most important being the Mèikhong, which in its length -of nearly one thousand miles drains the eastern provinces of Laos and -Cambodia. Ancient annals relate that in the fifteenth and as late as -the seventeenth century, Chinese junks ascended the river as far as -Sangkalok, nearly one hundred and twenty leagues from its mouth; now, -owing to the increasing alluvial deposit, it is not navigable more than -fifteen leagues at most.</p> - -<p>In the month of June, the mountain snows begin to melt, the deluging -rains of the wet season set in, the strong southerly winds dam up the -waters of the Mèinam, and it begins to rise,—an event most eagerly -looked for by the people, and hailed by them as a blessing from Heaven. -In August the inundation is at its height, and the whole vast valley is -like one immense sea, in which towns and villages look like islands, -connected by drawbridges, and interspersed with groves and orchards, -the tops of which only are seen, while boats pass to and fro without -injury to the rice and other crops starting beneath them. The whole -valley is intersected by canals, some of great size and extent, in -order to distribute as far as possible the benefits of this grand -operation of nature; but the lands situated about the middle of the -great plain derive the greatest advantage therefrom.</p> - -<p>When the inundation is supposed to have reached its<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_5" id="Page_5">[Pg 5]</a></span> height, a -deputation of Talapoins, or priests, sent by the king, descend the -river in magnificent state barges, and with chants and incantations and -movements of magical wands command the waters to retire. Sometimes, -however, the calculations prove to have been incorrect, the river -continues to rise, and it is they who are compelled to retire, filled -with chagrin and disappointment.</p> - -<p>The popular river festival, which takes place after the waters begin to -subside, both in origin and character belongs to the Hindoos, rather -than to the Buddhists. It is an annual festival held at night, and -the scene which is exhibited during its celebration is exceedingly -beautiful. The banks of the Mèinam are brilliantly lighted up; -accompanied and announced by numerous flights of rockets, a number -of floating palaces, built on rafts, come sailing down the stream, -preceded by thousands of lamps and lanterns wreathed with chaplets of -flowers, which cover with their gay brilliancy the entire surface of -the flashing water. The rafts, which are formed of young plantain-trees -fastened together, are often of considerable extent, and the structures -which they bear are such as Titania herself might delight to inhabit. -Towers, gates, arches, and pagodas rise in fantastic array, bright with -a thousand colors, and shining in the light of numberless cressets,—so -the fairy-like spectacle moves on, while admiring crowds of men, women, -and children throng the banks of the river, not only to join the -brilliant pageant, but to watch their own frail little bark, freighted, -perchance, with a single lamp, yet full of life's brightest hopes, as -it floats unextinguished down the rapid stream, glimmering on with -ruddy flame amidst the shadows of night.</p> - -<p>The products of Siam, as may be supposed from its range of latitude, -its tropical heats, its variety of climate, and the fertility of the -valley, annually renewed by the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_6" id="Page_6">[Pg 6]</a></span> inundation, are very diversified, -and almost unlimited in quantity. Its rice, of which there are forty -varieties, is excellent, and its sugar is esteemed the best in the -world. Among the other exports are cotton, tobacco, hemp, cutch, dried -fish and fruits, cocoanut-oil, beeswax, precious gums, spices, dye and -other woods, especially teak, ivory, and many articles too numerous to -mention. The mineral riches of the country are still almost entirely in -an undeveloped state.</p> - -<p>The search for sparkling gems has in all ages been eagerly engaged in; -diamonds and other precious stones are frequently offered for sale, -but the precise locality in which they are found is kept secret by the -natives. The thousand-fold more valuable seams of coal and iron have -remained unsought and most imperfectly worked as yet. A beginning has -at last been made by the present king, and the last and best, though -poetically maligned, age of iron is about to spread its blessings over -the Siamese Empire.</p> - -<p>The population of Siam cannot be ascertained with correctness, owing -to the custom of enumerating only the men. When I was in Bangkok, the -native registers gave the number of them as four million Siamese, one -million Laotians, one million Malays and Indians, one million five -hundred thousand Chinese, three hundred and fifty thousand Cambodians, -fifty thousand Peguans, and the same number of mountain tribes; in all, -nearly eight millions. If these figures are even approximately correct, -and the women and children bear the same proportion to the men as in -other countries, the total population of Siam far exceeds the numbers -which have hitherto been assigned to it.</p> - -<p>No people in the world exhibit so many exceptional developments of -human nature as the different races occupying the eastern peninsula -of India. The most impres<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_7" id="Page_7">[Pg 7]</a></span>sible of races, ideas and views of life -take root among them such as would find no acceptance elsewhere. -Supple and pliant in their bodily frames, they are equally so in their -mental and moral constitution; and upon no other race has the force of -circumstance and the contagion of example so potent an influence in -determining them towards good or evil. Royalty, therefore, to them, -is not a mere name. It has taken such hold on their affections that -it usurps the place of a religious sentiment. The person of the king -is sacred. He is not only enthroned, he is enshrined. His rule may be -called despotic, but it is tempered by law and by not less revered -custom. He may name his successor by Will, but the Royal or Secret -Council will determine whether that Will shall be carried into effect. -A second king, selected, like the first or supreme king, from the royal -family, is also appointed by the Secret Council. Whatever may have -originally been the functions of this second king, his exercise of them -appears, from incidents of the late reign, to be dependent upon the -disposition of the supreme king, and his desire or disinclination to -concentrate in his own person all the powers of the throne.</p> - -<p>The whole empire is divided into forty-nine provinces, with their -respective Phayas, or governors; and these again are subdivided into -districts under inferior officers, respecting whose administration but -little that is good can be said.</p> - -<p>Every subject, even the most humble, has by law the right to complain -to the king in person against any official, however exalted; and the -king sits in public at the eastern gate of the palace to receive the -petitions of his people.</p> - -<p>Two or three centuries after Brahminism and caste had been -authoritatively established in the Hindoo code, there arose a new -religion which totally ignored the old one, and almost immediately -supplanted it as the state religion<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_8" id="Page_8">[Pg 8]</a></span> of India. This was Buddhism, -founded by Gotama, otherwise called Sakya Muni, a Kshatrya Prince -of Oude. A high-priest of the Abstract, and believing that the only -possible revelation from the Supreme is that which comes from within, -Gotama educed a new faith from the luminous depths of his own soul. -His object was not only a religious but a social revolution. A good -deal of what was venerated as religion he found to be merely social -usage, for which a Divine sanction was feigned. Gotama, without -hesitation, rejected all this, by denying the inspiration of the -Vedas, the existence of the popular gods, and the spiritual supremacy -of the Brahmins. His greatest blow to the old religion, however, was -in his explicit repudiation of caste. He offered his religion to all -men alike, Brahmin and Sudra, high and low, bond and free; whereas, -for a Sudra even to look on the Vedas, or to be taught their contents, -was strictly forbidden by the Brahminical system. Buddha boldly -expounded to the people that, according to their own books, all men -were equal; that Brahma himself, when asked to whom all the prayers of -the different nations and races of the earth were addressed, replied: -"I bear the burden of all those who labor in prayer. I, even I, am he -who prayeth for them through their own lips; and they, even they, who -involuntarily worship other gods believingly, worship even me."<a name="FNanchor_1_1" id="FNanchor_1_1"></a><a href="#Footnote_1_1" class="fnanchor">[1]</a></p> - -<p>He also did away with the endless formalism of the old faith, and -enjoined only a simple observance of the fundamental points of -morality; and it was only after he had aided in removing the social and -spiritual shackles that oppressed the people, that he directed their -attention to the simple and weightier matters of religion.</p> - -<p>Hence the popularity it attained, spreading among the low caste as well -as among the rich and great, until it has become the dominant faith -from the Himalayas to Ceylon,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_9" id="Page_9">[Pg 9]</a></span> and thence to Siam, China, Japan, and -the neighboring isles.</p> - -<p>Buddhism, therefore, the religion of the Eastern world, as Christianity -is that of the Western, is the state religion of Siam and that of most -of its inhabitants, but all religions are tolerated and absolutely free -from interference. All the pagan sects who inhabit this part of India -agree excellently, and each frequently takes part in the festivals -of the other; and I also observed that not a few Buddhists, his late -Majesty included, wear on their foreheads the sectarial mark of Vishnu -and Siva united.</p> - -<p>The doctrine of Buddha inculcates a belief in one God, Adi Buddha.<a name="FNanchor_2_2" id="FNanchor_2_2"></a><a href="#Footnote_2_2" class="fnanchor">[2]</a> -This I infer, not only from the universally avowed conviction of the -Buddhists with whom I have conversed, but from Buddha's own words, -where he says: "Without ceasing shall I run through a course of many -births, looking for the <i>maker</i> of this tabernacle,<a name="FNanchor_3_3" id="FNanchor_3_3"></a><a href="#Footnote_3_3" class="fnanchor">[3]</a> who is not -represented by any outward symbol, but in a series of Buddhas, who -have been sent with divine powers to teach the human race and lead -it to salvation." These are represented by images, often of colossal -size and great beauty, and to them the prayers of worshippers are -addressed. It inculcates, also, a belief in the law of retribution or -compensation, and of many births or stages of probations, through which -the human soul may finally attain beatitude. Buddhism has its priests -and nuns, separated from the world, and vowed to poverty, celibacy, -and the study of the Divine law. Unlike the silent and long-forsaken -temples of Egypt, Greece, and Italy, the architectural grandeur of the -Buddhist pagodas and temples is enhanced by the presence of thousands -of enthusiastic worshippers. The sound of a bell, or gong, or<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_10" id="Page_10">[Pg 10]</a></span> of the -sacred shell, indicates the hours of the priests' attendance at the -temples. At such times the priests are to be seen officiating at the -shrines, where, amid the noise of many instruments playing in concert, -the smoke of fragrant incense, and the perfumes of fresh flowers, they -are uttering sacred invocations or incantations, and presenting the -offerings of the worshippers. In the sermons preached daily in these -immense temples, thronged with men and women, the chief themes are -humanity, endurance, patience, submission. Among the practical precepts -are these: "Love your enemies. Sacrifice your life for truth. Be gentle -and tender. Abstain from war, even in self-defence. Govern yourselves -in thought, word, and deed. Avoid everything that may lead to vice. Be -obedient to your parents and superiors. Reverence old age. Provide food -and shelter for the poor, the aged, and the oppressed. Despise no man's -religion. Persecute no man."</p> - -<p>But alas! in Siam, as in all the rest of the world, the practice falls -far short of the precept.</p> - -<p>Nevertheless, I have found among the Siamese, also, men and women who -observe faithfully the precepts of their religion, whose lives are -devoted to charity and good works; and there were some—not one alone, -but many—who during the years I lived in Bangkok sacrificed their -lives for truth, and even under the torture and in death showed a -self-sacrificing devotion and a courage not to be excelled by the most -saintly of the Christian martyrs.</p> - -<p>Polygamy—or, properly speaking, concubinage—and slavery are the -curses of the country. But one wife is allowed by law; the king only -may have two, a right and a left hand wife, as these dual queens are -called, whose offspring alone are legitimate. The number of concubines -is limited only by the means of the man. As the king is the source of -all wealth and influence, dependent<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_11" id="Page_11">[Pg 11]</a></span> kings, princes, and nobles, and -all who would seek the royal favor, vie with each other in bringing -their most beautiful and accomplished daughters to the royal harem.</p> - -<p>Here it is that the courage, intrepidity, and heroism of these poor, -doomed women are gradually developed. I have known more than one -among them who accepted her fate with a repose of manner and a sweet -resignation that told how dead must be the heart under that still -exterior; and it is here, too, that I have witnessed a fortitude under -suffering of which history furnishes no parallel. And I have wondered -at the sight. Though the common people have but one wife, the fatal -facility of divorce, effected by the husband's simply taking the -priestly vows, which can be revoked at will, is often the cause of -great suffering to the women. The husband and father have unlimited -power, even of life and death, over the wife and children, but murders -are extremely rare. Woman is the slave of man; but when she becomes a -mother her position is changed, and she commands respect and reverence. -As a mother with grown children she has often more influence than her -husband. Hence maternity is the supreme good of the woman of Siam; to -be childless, the greatest of all misfortunes.</p> - -<p>As was ancient Ayudia, so is Bangkok, the present capital of Siam, the -Venice of the East. Imagine a city with a large network of water-roads -in the place of streets, and intersected with bridges so light and -fanciful that one might almost fancy them to have been blown together -by the breath of fairies. A large proportion of its inhabitants live -in floating houses, which line both banks of the Mèinam, and, tier -upon tier, extend for miles above and below the walls. The city itself -is surrounded by a battlemented and turreted wall, fifteen feet high -and twelve feet broad, which was erected in the early part of the -reign of Phaya Tak, about 1670. The grand palaces<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_12" id="Page_12">[Pg 12]</a></span> and royal harem -are situated on the right hand as you ascend the river, on a circular -plot of ground formed by a sudden bend of the river, enclosing it on -the west; while the eastern side is bounded by a large, deep canal. -This plot of ground is encompassed by two walls running parallel to -each other. Within the outer of these walls are the magazines, the -royal exchange, the mint, the supreme courts of justice, the prisons, -temples, and fantastic pleasure-grounds, dotted with a multitude of -elegant edifices, theatres, and aviaries, some of which are richly -gilt and ornamented. In the centre of a very handsome square rise the -majestic buildings of the Maha Phra Sâât, the roof of which is covered -with tiles, beautifully varnished, and surmounted by gilded spires, -while the walls are studded with sculptures, and the terraces decorated -with large incense vases of bronze, the dark color and graceful forms -of which stand in beautiful relief against the white marble background -of the palace.</p> - -<p>Not far from this is another semicircular space surrounded by a high -wall, which defends all entrance to the part enclosed by the inner -of the two parallel walls before mentioned; and here stands the city -of the Nang Harm, or Veiled Women. In this city live none but women -and children. Here the houses of the royal princesses, the wives, -concubines, and relatives of the king, with their numerous slaves and -personal attendants, form regular streets and avenues, with small -parks, artificial lakes, and groups of fine trees scattered over -miniature lawns and beautiful flower-gardens. These are the residences -of the princesses of Siam. On the east, high above the trees, may be -seen the many-towered and gilded roofs of the grand royal palace, -brilliant as sapphire in the sunlight, and next to this is the old -palace, to both of which is a private covered entrance for the women; -at the end of each of these passages is a bas-relief representing the -head<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_13" id="Page_13">[Pg 13]</a></span> of an enormous sphinx, with a sword through the mouth, and this -inscription: "Better that a sword be thrust through thy mouth than that -thou utter a word against him who ruleth on high." Not far from this -are the barracks of the Amazons, the women's hall of justice, and the -dungeons (where, as in the days of old, female judges daily administer -justice to the inhabitants of this woman's city), the beautiful temple, -with its long, dim gallery and antique style of architecture, in which -I taught the royal children, the gymnasium, and the theatre, where the -princesses and great ladies assemble every afternoon to gossip, play -games, or watch the exercises of the dancing-girls.</p> - -<p>In the southern part of this strange city, which is the most populous, -the mechanical slaves of the wives, concubines, and princesses live, -and ply their trades for the profit of their mistresses. This woman's -city is as self-supporting as any other in the world: it has its own -laws, its judges, police, guards, prisons, and executioners, its -markets, merchants, brokers, teachers, and mechanics of every kind -and degree; and every function of every nature is exercised by women, -and by them only. Into this inmost city no man is permitted to enter, -except only the king, and the priests, who are admitted every morning -under guard, in order that the inmates may perform the sacred duty -of giving alms. The slave women are allowed to go out to visit their -husbands, or on business of their mistresses; but the mistresses -themselves never leave it except by the covered passages to the -palaces, temples, and gardens, until they have by age and position -attained to a certain degree of freedom. The permanent population of -this city is estimated at nine thousand. Of the life passed therein, -volumes would not give an exact description; but what I am about to -relate in the pages that follow will give the general reader, perhaps, -some idea of many of the stirring incidents of that life.</p> - - - -<div class="footnotes"> -<p class="center">FOOTNOTES:</p> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_1_1" id="Footnote_1_1"></a><a href="#FNanchor_1_1"><span class="label">[1]</span></a> See the Siamese work, "Phra thi Sang."</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_2_2" id="Footnote_2_2"></a><a href="#FNanchor_2_2"><span class="label">[2]</span></a> Supreme Intelligence.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_3_3" id="Footnote_3_3"></a><a href="#FNanchor_3_3"><span class="label">[3]</span></a> See Siamese work, "Phra thi Sang," and Lecture on Buddhist -Nihilism, by F. Max Müller.</p></div> -</div> - - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_14" id="Page_14">[Pg 14]</a></span></p> -<p class="ph2"><a name="CHAPTER_II" id="CHAPTER_II">CHAPTER II.</a></p> - -<p class="center">TUPTIM: A TRAGEDY OF THE HAREM.</p> - - -<p>Those of my readers who may recur to my late work, "The English -Governess at the Siamese Court," will find on the 265th page mention of -"a young girl of fresh and striking beauty, and delightful piquancy of -ways and expression, who, with a clumsy club, was pounding fragments -of pottery—urns, vases, and goblets—for the foundation of the Watt -(or Temple) Rajah Bah ditt Sang. Very artless and happy she seemed, and -as free as she was lovely; but the instant she perceived that she had -attracted the notice of the king,—who presided at the laying of the -foundation of the temple, and flung gold and silver coins among the -workwomen,—she sank down and hid her face in the earth, forgetting or -disregarding the falling vessels that threatened to crush her; but the -king merely diverted himself with inquiring her name and parentage, and -some one answering for her, he turned away." This is all that is there -said of her.</p> - -<p>A week later I saw the girl again, as I was passing through the long -enclosed corridor within the palace on my way to my school-room in -the temple. She was lying prostrate on the marble pavement among the -offerings which were placed there for the king's acceptance, and which -he would inspect in his leisurely progress towards his breakfast-hall.</p> - -<p>I never went that way without seeing something lying there,—bales of -silk on silver trays, boxes of tea, calicoes, velvets, fans, priests' -robes, precious spices, silver, gold, and curiosities of all kinds, in -fact, almost anything<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_15" id="Page_15">[Pg 15]</a></span> and everything that money could purchase, or the -most abject sycophancy could imagine as likely to gratify the despot. -Every noble, prince, and merchant sought to obtain the royal favor by -gifts thus presented, it being fully understood between the giver and -receiver that whoever gave the most costly presents should receive the -largest share of royal patronage and support. But the most precious -things ever laid upon that pavement were the young hearts of women and -children.</p> - -<p>Two women were crouching on either side of the young girl, waiting for -the entrance of the king, in order to present her to him. I was hardly -surprised to see her there. I had grown accustomed to such sights. -But I was surprised at the unusual interest she appeared to excite in -the other women present, who were all whispering and talking together -about her, and expressing their admiration of her beauty in the most -extravagant language.</p> - -<p>She was certainly very beautiful by nature, and those who sent her -there had exhausted all the resources of art to complete, according -to their notions, what nature had begun, and to render her a fitter -offering for the king. Her lips were dyed a deep crimson by the use of -betel; her dark eyebrows were continued in indigo until they met on her -brow; her eyelashes were stained with kohl; the tips of her fingers and -her nails were made pink with henna; while enormous gold chains and -rings bedizened her person. Already too much saddened by the frequency -of such sights, I merely cast a passing glance upon her and went my -way; but now, as I see in memory that tiny figure lying there, and the -almost glorified form in which I beheld it for the last time, I cannot -keep the tears from my eyes, nor still the aching of my heart.</p> - -<p>About three months or so later we met again in the same place. I was -passing through to the school-room, when I saw her joyously exhibiting -to her companions a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_16" id="Page_16">[Pg 16]</a></span> pomegranate which she held in her hand. It seemed -to be the largest and finest fruit of the kind I had ever seen, and I -stopped to get a closer view both of the girl and of the fruit, each -perfect in its kind. I found, however, that the fruit was not real, -only an imitation. It was a casket of pure gold, the lids of which -were inlaid with rubies, which looked exactly like the seeds of the -pomegranate when ripe. It was made to open and shut at the touch of -a small spring, and was most exquisitely moulded into the shape and -enamelled with the tints of the pomegranate. It was her betel-box.</p> - -<p>"Where did you get this box?" I inquired.</p> - -<p>She turned to me with a child's smile upon her face, pointed to the -lofty chamber of the king, and said, "My name, you know, is Tuptim" -(Pomegranate). I understood the gift.</p> - -<p>Afterwards I saw her frequently. On one occasion she was crying -bitterly, while the head wife, Thieng, was reproving her with unusual -warmth for some fault. I interrupted Thieng to ask for some paper and -ink for the school-room, but she paid no attention to my demands. -Instead of complying with them at once, as usual, she inquired of me, -"What shall I do with this Tuptim? She is very disobedient. Shall I -whip her, or starve her till she minds?"</p> - -<p>"Forgive her, and be good to her," I whispered in Thieng's ear.</p> - -<p>"What!" said the offended lady in an angry tone, "when she does wrong -all the time, and is so naughty and wilful? Why, when she is ordered -to remain up stairs, she runs away, and hides herself in Maprang's or -Simlah's rooms, and we are taken to task by his Majesty, who accuses us -of jealousy and unkind treatment towards her. Then we have to search -all the houses of the Choms (concubines) until we find her, either in -hiding or asleep,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_17" id="Page_17">[Pg 17]</a></span> and bring her to him. The moment she comes into his -presence she goes down upon her knees, appearing so very bashful and -innocent that he is enraptured at the sight, and declares that she is -the most perfect, the most fascinating of women. But as soon as she -can get away, she does the same thing again, only finding some new -hiding-place, and so she makes an infinity of trouble. Now, she says -she is ill, and cannot wait upon the king, while the physicians declare -that there is nothing whatever the matter with her. I really don't know -what to do or what to say, for I don't dare to tell the truth to the -king, and I'm in constant fear that she will come to a bad end, if she -doesn't follow my advice and make up her mind to bear her life here -more patiently."</p> - -<p>I pitied the poor girl, who really looked either sick or unhappy. Child -as she was, there was a great deal of quiet dignity about her, as, with -eyes filled with tears, she protested that she was utterly sick at -heart, and could not go up stairs any more. I was sure that Thieng's -sweeping reproof did not indicate any malice or real anger towards -the girl, and, putting my arms around the elder lady, I succeeded in -soothing her indignation, and at length obtained permission for Tuptim -to be absent from duty for a few days. A grateful smile lit up the -girl's tearful face as she crept away.</p> - -<p>"That girl is too artless," said kind-hearted Thieng to me, as soon as -the child was out of sight; "and she will not even try to like her life -here. I pity her from my very heart, mam dear, but it would not do to -show it. She would take advantage of my kindness, and keep away from -the king altogether, as Marchand does; and in all such cases we head -wives have to bear the brunt of the king's displeasure, and are thought -to be jealous and intriguing, when the holy Buddh in heaven knows that -there is only kindness in our hearts."</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_18" id="Page_18">[Pg 18]</a></span></p> - -<p>Not long after the above conversation, Tuptim began to come to -school. She wanted to learn to write her name in English, she said, -and she came to me once or twice a week until she had acquired that -accomplishment, which seemed to give her immense satisfaction. After -she had done this, she asked me if I would write the name "Khoon P'hra -Bâlât" for her in English. I wrote it for her at once, without asking -her why she wanted it or whose name it was. I did not even know if it -was the name of a man or a woman, as the Siamese have no masculine and -feminine terminations to their names and titles. She immediately began -to trace the letters for herself, and I could see a world of tenderness -in her large dreamy eyes as she copied and recopied the name in its -English characters. I cannot rightly remember how often or how long -she came to the school, for she was but one among many; but, whenever -she found me engaged with the princes and princesses, she would sit -for hours on the marble floor, and listen to our simple exercises -of translating English into Siamese or Siamese into English, with -increasing interest and delight expressed in her pure, guileless face. -I do remember that she was never alone, but always accompanied by two -or three young companions of about her own age, who were as listless -and idle as she was absorbed and interested.</p> - -<p>Perhaps this was the reason—with her extreme youth, for she was still -but a child, and seemed even younger than she really was—why I never -attempted to enter into conversation with her, or to learn anything -about her history and her feelings. If I had done this, I might have -succeeded in winning her confidence, and perhaps have been the means of -reconciling her to her life in the palace. That I did not, will ever be -a source of poignant regret to me.</p> - -<p>One afternoon, as I was about leaving the palace after<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_19" id="Page_19">[Pg 19]</a></span> school, she -came running up to me, took a scrap of paper from under her vest, and -held it silently before my eyes, while I read what was written upon -it. It was the name "Khoon P'hra Bâlât," carefully written in English -characters, and she seemed delighted with the praise I bestowed on the -writing.</p> - -<p>"Whose name is it, Tuptim?" I asked.</p> - -<p>She cast down her eyes and hesitated for a moment; then, raising them -to mine, she replied: "It is the name of the favorite disciple of the -high-priest, Chow Khoon Sah; he lives at the temple of Rajah Bah ditt -Sang, and sometimes preaches to us in the palace."</p> - -<p>The expression of deep reverence that animated her face as she spoke -revealed to me a new phase in her character, and I felt strongly -attracted towards her. I nevertheless left the palace without further -conversation, but, on my way home, formed a vague resolution that I -would endeavor to become better acquainted with her, and attempt to win -her confidence.</p> - -<p>My half-formed resolve was without result, however, since, for some -reason unknown to me, she never came to the school-room again; and, -as I did not chance to meet her on my visits to the palace, she soon -passed from my thoughts, and I forgot all about her.</p> - -<p>Some nine months, or perhaps a year, after my last encounter with -Tuptim, I became conscious of a change in the demeanor of my elder -pupils; they were abstracted, and appeared desirous to get away -from their studies as soon as possible. It seemed as if there were -some secret they had been ordered to conceal from my boy and me. My -imagination immediately took the alarm, and I became possessed with the -idea that some grave calamity was impending.</p> - -<p>One day, when breaking up school for the afternoon, I heard one of the -princes say to the others in Siamese: "Come, let's go and hunt for -Tuptim."</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_20" id="Page_20">[Pg 20]</a></span></p> - -<p>"Why! where has she gone?"</p> - -<p>As soon as I asked the question, Princess Ying Yonwalacks angrily -seized him by the arm and hurried him away. I had no wish to inquire -further. What I had heard was enough to excite my imagination afresh, -and I hurried home full of anxiety about poor little Tuptim, thus -suddenly brought back to my remembrance.</p> - -<p>On the following evening, it being Sunday, one of my servants informed -me that a slave-girl from the palace wished to speak with me in -private. When she came in, her face seemed familiar, but I could not -remember where I had seen her or whose slave she was. She crawled -up close to my chair, and told me in a low voice that her mistress, -Khoon Chow Tuptim, had sent her to me. "You know," she added, "that my -mistress has been found."</p> - -<p>"Found!" I exclaimed; "what do you mean?"</p> - -<p>She repeated my question, and in great astonishment asked: "Why! did -you not know that my mistress had disappeared from the palace; that his -Majesty had offered a reward of twenty caties (about fifteen hundred -dollars) to any one who would bring any information about her; and -that no trace of her could be discovered, though everybody had been -searching for her far and near?"</p> - -<p>"No, I have never heard a word about it. But how could she have got out -of the palace, through the three rows of gates that are always bolted, -and not be seen by the Amazons on guard?"</p> - -<p>"Alas! my lady, she did get out," replied the girl, who looked very wan -and weary, whose eyes seemed to have been shedding tears for a long -time, and who was on the point of breaking down again. She then went on -to tell me that two priests had that morning discovered her mistress -in the monastery attached to the temple of Rajah Bah ditt Sang, and -had brought the information to the king, by<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_21" id="Page_21">[Pg 21]</a></span> whose order she had been -arrested and imprisoned in one of the palace dungeons.</p> - -<p>"But what good can I do, Phim?" I asked, sorrowfully.</p> - -<p>"O mam dear, if you don't help her, she's lost, she'll be killed!" -cried the girl, bursting into a passion of tears. "Oh! do, do go to the -king, and ask him to forgive her. He'll grant her life to you. I'm sure -he will. Oh! oh! what shall I do! I've nobody to go to but you, and -there's nobody but you can help her!" And her tears and sobs were truly -heart-rending.</p> - -<p>I tried to soothe her. "Tell me, Phim," I said, "why did your mistress -leave the palace, and who helped her to get away?"</p> - -<p>The girl would not answer my question, but kept repeating, "Oh! do come -and see her yourself! Do come and see her yourself! You can go to the -palace after dark, and the gate-keepers will let you in. Nobody need -know that you are going to see my dear mistress."</p> - -<p>As there was no other method of quieting the poor girl, I finally made -the promise, though I did not see what good my going could do, and -was fully convinced that Phim had abetted Tuptim in her wrong-doing, -whatever that might have been.</p> - -<p>After the slave-girl had left me, I sat by my window and watched the -stars as they came out, one by one, and shone with unusual splendor -in the cloudless sky. It was a lovely night, and I felt the soothing -influence of the Christian Sabbath even in that pagan land; but the -one idea that took possession of my mind was: "Poor little Tuptim, -in that dreadful dungeon underground." Still, and notwithstanding my -promise, I felt a strong reluctance to respond to the cry which had -reached me from her, and wished that I had never heard it. I was tired -of the palace, tired of witnessing wrongs I could not remedy, and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_22" id="Page_22">[Pg 22]</a></span> -half afraid, too, to enter that weird, mysterious prison-world after -nightfall. So I sat still in dreamy uncertainty, till a warm hand was -laid upon mine, and I turned my eyes from the stars above to the poor -slave-girl's sad, tear-stained face at my feet.</p> - -<p>"The gates are open for the prime-minister, mam dear," said she, in a -low, pleading voice, "and you can get in now without any difficulty."</p> - -<p>I rose at once, resolutely cast my cowardly fears behind me, told my -boy where and why I was going, put twenty ticals in my purse, wrapped -my black cloak about me, and hurried towards the palace gate. Phim -had run back at once, for fear of being shut out for the night. The -women at the gates, who were all friendly to me, admitted me without -question, and, as I passed, I dropped two ticals into the hand of the -chief of the Amazons on guard, saying that I had been called into the -palace on important business, and begging her to keep the inner gates -open for my return.</p> - -<p>"You must be sure and come back before it strikes eleven," said she, -and I passed on. As soon as I entered the main street within the walls, -the slave-girl joined me, and led the way, crouching and running along -in the deep shadow of the houses, until we reached the gate of the -prison in which Tuptim was immured, when she immediately disappeared.</p> - -<p>The hall I entered was immense, with innumerable pillars, and a floor -which seemed to be entirely made up of huge trap-doors, double barred -and locked, while the lanterns by which it was dimly lighted were hung -so high that they looked like distant stars. There were about a dozen -Amazons on guard, some of whom were already stretched in sleep on their -mats and leather pillows, their weapons lying within reach. The eyes -of all the wakeful custodians of the prison were fixed upon me as I -entered.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_23" id="Page_23">[Pg 23]</a></span> A courteous return was made to my polite salutation, and -Ma Ying Taphan—Great Mother of War—addressed me kindly, inquiring -what was my object in coming there at that time of night. I told her -that I had just heard of Tuptim's having got into trouble and being -imprisoned, and had come to ascertain if I could be of any assistance -to her.</p> - -<p>"The child is in trouble, indeed," replied Ma Ying Taphan; "and has not -only got herself into prison, but her two young friends, Maprang and -Simlah, who are confined with her."</p> - -<p>"Can I not help them in any way?" I asked.</p> - -<p>"No," said the Amazon, gently, "I fear you cannot. Her guilt is too -great, and she must take the consequences."</p> - -<p>"What has she been doing?"</p> - -<p>To this question I could get no answer; and after vainly attempting -to persuade Ma Ying Taphan to tell me, I tried to induce her to let -me go down and visit poor Tuptim. "Myde" (impossible), was the reply, -"without an express order from the king. When you bring us that, we -will let you in, but without it we cannot." And "myde" was the only -answer I could get to my repeated and urgent entreaties. I sat there, -hopelessly looking at the Amazons, who, in the dim light of the distant -lanterns overhead, seemed to me to be changed from tender-hearted -women, as they were, into fierce, vindictive executioners, and at -the huge trap-door at our feet, beneath which the three children, as -the Amazon had rightly called them, were imprisoned, but from which -no sound, no cry, no indication of life escaped, until, tired and -despairing, I rose and left the place.</p> - -<p>As soon as I was out of the building I saw Phim, the slave-girl, -crouching in the shadows on the opposite side of the street, and -keeping pace with me as I went towards<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_24" id="Page_24">[Pg 24]</a></span> the palace gate. When I turned -into another street she joined me, and I found that she had been hidden -under the portico of the prison, and had heard all my conversation -with the Amazons. Prostrating herself till her forehead touched my -feet, she implored me, in the name of the P'hra Chow in heaven, not to -forsake her dear mistress. "She is to be brought before the court in -the outside hall of justice to-morrow," she said. "Oh! do come early. -Perhaps you can persuade Koon Thow App to be merciful to her." And, -with a sickening sense of my utter powerlessness, I promised to be -present at the trial.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_25" id="Page_25">[Pg 25]</a></span></p> - - - - -<p class="ph2"><a name="CHAPTER_III" id="CHAPTER_III">CHAPTER III.</a></p> - -<p class="center">TUPTIM'S TRIAL.</p> - - -<p>About seven o'clock on the following morning I was in the Sala or San -Shuang, which is within the second enclosure of the palace, but outside -of the third or inner wall, which is that of the harem. This building -is of one story only, and totally unlike that occupied for similar -purposes in the interior of the grand palace. The main entrance was -through a long, low corridor, on both sides of which opened apartments -of different dimensions, so dilapidated as to be scarcely habitable, -looking out upon the barracks, the magazine, and the fantastic grounds -of the palace gardens. On entering the hall one was at once struck by -the incongruities that met the eye; the windows were large and lofty, -and might have served for the casements of a royal residence, while the -doors were very narrow and mean, and the floor merely a collection of -worm-eaten boards roughly nailed down. One interesting and picturesque -peculiarity was the monstrous size of the spiders, who must have had -undisturbed possession of the walls and ceiling for at least a century. -Altogether, it was very dark, dull, and dreary, even depressing and -sepulchral, when not illumined by the direct rays of the sun.</p> - -<p>Several of the men and women judges were already there, interchanging -greetings and offerings of the contents of their betel-boxes. -P'hayaprome Baree Rak, the chief of the men, and Khoon Thow App, chief -of the women judges, sat apart, the latter with her head bowed in an -attitude of reflection and sadness. Before them were low tables, on -which lay dark rolls of laws, Siamese<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_26" id="Page_26">[Pg 26]</a></span> paper, pens, and ink. Some lower -officials and clerks crouched around. They all eyed me with curiosity -as I entered and took a seat at the end of the hall, near the two -priests who were present as witnesses; but no one made any objection to -my stay.</p> - -<p>I had not been there long when a file of Amazons appeared, bringing -in Tuptim and the two other girls under guard. These were Maprang and -Simlah, Tuptim's most intimate friends, whom I had always seen with her -when she came to the school-room.</p> - -<p>But was that Tuptim? I sat stupefied at the transformation that had -been wrought in the Tuptim I had known. Her hair was cut close to her -head, and her eyebrows had been shaved off. Her cheeks were hollow and -sunken. Her eyes were cast down. Her hands were manacled, and her bare -little feet could hardly drag along the heavy chains that were fastened -to her ankles. Her scarf was tied tightly over her bosom, and under it -her close-fitting vest was buttoned up to the throat. Her whole form -was still childlike, but she held herself erect, and her manner was -self-possessed. When she spoke, her voice was clear and vibrating, her -accent firm and unflinching.</p> - -<p>The Amazons laid before the judges some priests' garments and a small -amulet attached to a piece of yellow cord. The vestments, such as -are worn by a nain (young priest), were those in which Tuptim had -been arrested, and in which she had probably escaped from the palace; -the amulet, in appearance like those worn by all the natives of the -country, had been taken from her neck. On opening the yellow silk which -formed the envelope of the latter, a piece of paper was found stitched -inside, with English letters written thereon. Khoon Thow App was -sufficiently versed in English to spell out and read aloud the name of -"Khoon P'hra Bâlât."</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_27" id="Page_27">[Pg 27]</a></span></p> - -<p>Tuptim was then ordered to come forward. She dragged herself along as -well as she could, and took her place in the centre of the hall. She -made no obeisance, no humble, appealing prostration, but neither was -there any want of modesty in her demeanor. She sat down with the air of -one who suffered, but who was too proud to complain. I caught a glance -of her eyes; they were clear and bright, and an almost imperceptible -melancholy smile flitted across her face as she returned my greeting. I -was more astonished than before; the simple child was transfigured into -a proud, heroic woman, and, as she sat there, she seemed so calm and -pure, that one might think she had already crystallized into a lovely -statue.</p> - -<p>Simlah and Maprang were examined first, and, without apparent -reluctance, confessed all that poor Tuptim had ever confided to them, -and a great many other irrelevant matters. But when Simlah spoke of her -friend's escape from the palace as connected with Khoon P'hra Bâlât's -coming in for alms,<a name="FNanchor_4_4" id="FNanchor_4_4"></a><a href="#Footnote_4_4" class="fnanchor">[4]</a> Tuptim interrupted her, telling her to stop, -and saying: "That's not true. You are wrong, Simlah, you know nothing -about it. You know you don't. And it was not at that time." Then, as if -recollecting herself, she added, proudly: "No matter. Go on. Never mind -me. Say all that you want to say"; and resumed her former position.</p> - -<p>"Well!" said P'hayaprome Baree Rak, the chief man judge; "if your -companions know nothing about it, perhaps you will tell us exactly how -it was."</p> - -<p>"If I tell you the whole truth, will you believe me and judge me -righteously?" asked the girl.</p> - -<p>"You shall have the bastinado applied to your bare back if you do not -confess all your guilt at once," replied the judge.</p> - -<p>Tuptim did not speak immediately; but by the expres<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_28" id="Page_28">[Pg 28]</a></span>sion of her eyes -and the alternate flushing and paling of her face it was evident -that she was debating in her own mind whether she should make a full -confession or not. Finally, with an air of fixed determination she -turned towards Khoon Thow App, and, addressing her exclusively, said: -"Khoon P'hra Bâlât has not sinned, my lady, nor is he in any way -guilty. All the guilt is mine. In the stillness of the nights, when -I prostrated myself in prayer before Somdetch P'hra Buddh, the Chow, -thoughts of escaping from the palace often and often would distract me -from my devotions and take possession of my thoughts. It seemed to me -as if it were the voice of the Lord, and that there was nothing for me -to do but to obey. So I dressed myself as a priest, shaved off my hair -and my eyebrows—"</p> - -<p>"Now," interrupted P'hayaprome Baree Rak, "that's just what we want to -hear. Tell us who it was got the priest's dress for you, and shaved off -your hair and your eyebrows. Speak up louder."</p> - -<p>"My lord, I am telling what I did myself, and not what any one else -did. Hear me, and I will speak the truth, so far as it relates to -myself; beyond that I cannot go," replied Tuptim, a sudden flush -covering her face, and making her look lovelier than ever.</p> - -<p>"Go on," said the dreadful man, with a scornful smile at the childish -form before him; "we shall find a way to make you speak."</p> - -<p>"Dèck nak" (she is very young), said Khoon Thow App, gently.</p> - -<p>Tuptim was silent for some moments. The sunlight, streaming across the -hall, fell just behind her, revealing the exquisite transparency of her -olive-colored skin, as, with a look more thoughtful and an expression -more serenely simple still, she continued:—</p> - -<p>"At five o'clock in the morning, when the priests were<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_29" id="Page_29">[Pg 29]</a></span> admitted into -the palace, I crawled out of my room and joined the procession as it -passed on to receive the royal alms. No one saw me but Simlah, and even -she, as she has told me herself, did not recognize me, but wondered why -a priest came so near to my door."</p> - -<p>"That is true!" broke in Simlah; "I never even knew that Tuptim had run -away until Khoon Yai (one of the chief ladies of the harem) sent to -inquire why she was absent from duty so long, and then I began to think -that the young priest I had seen had something to do with it. But I was -afraid to say anything of this to the women who searched the houses, -lest we should be accused of having helped her to escape."</p> - -<p>When Simlah had done speaking, Tuptim continued:—</p> - -<p>"I know not why, but, when I found myself outside of the palace walls, -I went straight to the temple of Rajah Bah ditt Sang, and sat down at -the gate. Towards evening the good priest, Chow Khoon Sah, came out, -and, on seeing me, asked me why I sat there. I did not know what else -to say, and so I begged him to let me be his disciple and live in his -monastery. 'Whose disciple art thou, my child?' he asked. At which -I began to cry, for I did not wish to deceive the holy man. Seeing -my distress, he turned to P'hra Bâlât, who was following him with -other priests, and bade him take me under his charge and instruct me -faithfully in all the doctrines of Buddha. Then P'hra Bâlât took me -to his cell; but he did not recognize in the young priest I seemed to -be the Tuptim he had known in his boyhood, and who had once been his -betrothed wife."</p> - -<p>At this part of Tuptim's recital, the women held up their hands -in profound astonishment, and the men judges grinned maliciously, -displaying their hateful gums, red with the juice of the betel-nut.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_30" id="Page_30">[Pg 30]</a></span></p> - -<p>The poor girl's pale lips quivered, and her whole face testified to -the immensity of her woe, as with simple, truthful earnestness she -asseverated: "P'hra Bâlât, whom you have condemned to torture and to -death, has not sinned. He is innocent. The sin is mine, and mine only. -I knew that I was a woman, but he did not. If I had known all that he -has taught me since I became his disciple, I could not have committed -the great sin of which I am accused. I would have tried, indeed and -truly, I would have tried to endure my life in the palace, and would -not have run away. O lady dear! believe that I am speaking the truth. -I grew quiet and happy because I was near him, and he taught me every -day, and I can say the whole of the Nava d'harma (Divine Law) by heart. -You can ask his other disciples who were with me, and they will tell -you that I was always modest and humble, and we all lay at his feet -by night. Indeed, dear lady, I did not so much want to be his wife -after he became a p'hra (priest), but only to be near him. On Sunday -morning, those men," pointing to the two priests who sat apart, "came -to the cell to see P'hra Bâlât, and it so happened that I had overslept -myself. I had just got up and was arranging my dress, thinking that -I was alone in the cell, when I heard a low chuckling laugh. In an -instant I turned and faced them, and felt that I was degraded forever.</p> - -<p>"Believe me, dear lady," continued Tuptim, growing more and more -eloquent as she became still more earnest in her recital. "I was -guilty, it is true, when I fled from my gracious master, the king, but -I never even contemplated the sin of which I am accused by those men. I -knew that I was innocent, and I begged them to let me leave the temple, -and hide myself anywhere, telling them that P'hra Bâlât did not know -who I was, or that I was a woman; but they only laughed and jeered at -me. I fell<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_31" id="Page_31">[Pg 31]</a></span> on my knees at their feet, and implored them, entreated -them in the name of all that is holy and sacred, to keep my secret and -let me go; but they only laughed and jeered at me the more; they would -not be merciful,"—here the poor girl gasped as if for breath, while -two large tears coursed down her cheeks,—"and then I defied them, and -I still defy them," she added, shaking her manacled hands at them.</p> - -<p>The two priests looked at the girl unmoved, chewing their betel all -the while; the judges listened in silence, with an air of amused -incredulity, as to a fairy-tale. She continued:—</p> - -<p>"Just then P'hra Bâlât and his other disciples returned from their -morning ablutions. I crawled to his feet, and told him that I was -Tuptim. He started back and recoiled to the end of the cell, as if the -very earth had quaked beneath him, leaving me prostrate and overwhelmed -with horror at what I had done. In a moment afterwards he came back to -me, and, while weeping bitterly himself, begged me that I would cry -no more. But the sight of his tears, and the grief in my heart, made -me feel as if I were being swallowed up in a great black abyss, and I -could not help crying more and more. Then he tried to soothe me, and -said, 'Alas! Tuptim, thou hast committed a great sin. But fear not. We -are innocent; and for the sake of the great love thou hast shown to -me, I am ready to suffer even unto death for thee.' This is the whole -truth. Indeed, indeed, it is!"</p> - -<p>"Well, well!" said P'hayaprome Baree Rak, "you have told your story -beautifully, but nobody believes you. How will you tell us who shaved -off your hair and your eyebrows, and brought you that priest's dress -you had on yesterday?"</p> - -<p>The simple grandeur of that fragile child, as she folded her chained -hands across her bosom, as if to still its tumultuous heaving, and -replied, "I will not!" defies all description.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_32" id="Page_32">[Pg 32]</a></span></p> - -<p>I had drawn quite near to Tuptim when she began her simple narrative, -and was so much absorbed in attention to what she said, and in -admiration of the fearlessness as well as of the beauty and majesty of -that little figure, that I had remained rooted to the spot, standing -there mechanically, and hardly noting what was going on around me. But -the effect of that reply was startling; it brought me suddenly to my -senses and to a full appreciation of the scene before me.</p> - -<p>There was a child of barely sixteen years hurling defiance, at her -own risk and peril, at the judges who appeared as giants beside her. -To make such a reply to those executors of Siam's cruel laws was not -only to accept death, but all the agonies of merciless torture. As her -refusal fell like a thunderbolt upon my startled ears, she seemed a -very Titan among the giants.</p> - -<p>"Strip her, and give her thirty blows," shouted the infuriated -P'hayaprome Baree Rak, in a voice hoarse with passion; and Khoon Thow -App looked calmly on.</p> - -<p>Presently the crowd opened, and a litter borne by two men was brought -into the hall. On it lay the mutilated form of the priest Bâlât, who -had just undergone the torture, in order to make him confess his -guilt and that of his accomplice, Tuptim; but as the minutes of the -ecclesiastical court stated, "it had not been possible to elicit from -him even an indication that he had anything to confess." His priestly -robes had been taken from him, and he was dressed like any ordinary -layman, except that his hair and eyebrows were closely shaven. They -laid him down beside Tuptim, hoping that the sight of her under torture -would induce him to confess.</p> - -<p class="center"> -<img src="images/illus03.jpg" alt="girl" /> -<a id="illus03" name="illus03"></a> -</p> -<p class="caption"> A SIAMESE SLAVE-GIRL.</p> - -<p>The next moment Tuptim was stripped of her vest and bound to a stake, -and the executioners proceeded to obey the orders of the judge. When -the first blow descended on the girl's bare and delicate shoulders, I -felt as if bound<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_33" id="Page_33">[Pg 33]</a></span> and lacerated myself, and losing all control over -my actions, forgetting that I was a stranger and a foreigner there, -and as powerless as the weakest of the oppressed around me, I sprang -forward, and heard my voice commanding the executioners to desist, as -they valued their lives.</p> - -<p>The Amazons at once dropped their uplifted bamboos, and "Why so?" asked -the judge. "At least till I can plead for Tuptim before his Majesty," -I replied. "So be it," said the wretch; "go your way; we will wait -your return."<a name="FNanchor_5_5" id="FNanchor_5_5"></a><a href="#Footnote_5_5" class="fnanchor">[5]</a> Tuptim was unbound, and the moment she was released -she crouched down and concealed herself under the folds of the canvas -litter in which the priest lay motionless and silent.</p> - -<p>I forced my way through the curious crowd, who stood on tiptoe and -with necks outstretched, trying to get a sight of the guilty pair. -On leaving the hall, I met the slave-girl Phim, who followed me into -the palace, wringing her hands and sobbing bitterly. The king was -in his breakfast-hall, and the smell of food made me feel sick and -dizzy as I climbed the lofty staircase, for I had eaten nothing that -day. Nevertheless, I walked as rapidly as possible up to the chair in -which the king was seated, fearing that I might lose my courage if -I deliberated a moment. "Your Majesty," I began to say, in a voice -that seemed quite strange to me, "I beg, I entreat your pity on poor -Tuptim. I assure you that she is innocent. If you had known from the -beginning that she was betrothed to another man, you would never have -taken her to be your wife. She is not guilty; and the priest, too, is -innocent. Oh! do be gracious to them and forgive<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_34" id="Page_34">[Pg 34]</a></span> them both! I pray -your Majesty to give me a scrap of writing to say that she is forgiven, -and that the priest, too, is pardoned, through your goodness; only -let me—" My voice failed me, and I sank upon the floor by the king's -chair. "I beg your Majesty's pardon—" "You are mad," said the monarch; -and, fixing a cold stare upon me, he burst out laughing in my face. I -started to my feet as if I had received a blow. Staggering to a pillar, -and leaning against it, I stood looking at him. I saw that there was -something indescribably revolting about him, something fiendish in his -character which had never struck me before, and I was seized with an -inexpressible horror of the man. Stupefied and amazed quite as much at -finding myself there as at the new development I witnessed, thought and -speech alike failed me, and I turned to go away.</p> - -<p>"Madam," said that man to me, "come back. I have granted your petition, -and the woman will be condemned to work in the rice-mill. You need not -return to the court-house. You had better go to the school now."</p> - -<p>I could not thank him; the revulsion of feeling was too great. I -understood him perfectly, but I had no power to speak. I went away -without a word, and at the head of the stairs met one of the women -judges bringing some papers in her hand to the king. Instead of going -to the school I went home, utterly sick and prostrated.</p> - - -<div class="footnotes"> -<p class="center">FOOTNOTES:</p> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_4_4" id="Footnote_4_4"></a><a href="#FNanchor_4_4"><span class="label">[4]</span></a> "The English Governess at the Siamese Court," p. 95.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_5_5" id="Footnote_5_5"></a><a href="#FNanchor_5_5"><span class="label">[5]</span></a> I cannot account for the regard paid to my words on this -and other occasions by the officers of the court, except from the fact -of the general belief that I had great influence with the king, and -the supposition entertained by many that I was a member of the Secret -Council, which is, in reality, the supreme power in Siam.</p></div> -</div> -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_35" id="Page_35">[Pg 35]</a></span></p> - - -<p class="ph2"><a name="CHAPTER_IV" id="CHAPTER_IV">CHAPTER IV.</a></p> - -<p class="center">THE KING CHANGES HIS MIND.</p> - - -<p>About two o'clock that very afternoon I was startled to see two -scaffolds set up on the great common in front of my windows, opposite -the palace. A vast crowd of men, women, and children had already -collected from every quarter, in order to see the spectacle, whatever -it might happen to be. A number of workmen were driving stakes and -bringing up strange machines, under the hurried instructions of -several high Siamese officials. There was an appearance of great -and general excitement among the crowd on the green, and I became -sufficiently aroused to inquire of my maid what was the reason of -all this preparation and commotion. She informed me that a Bâdachit -(guilty priest) and a Nangharm (royal concubine) were to be exposed and -tortured for the improvement of the public morals that afternoon. It -was afternoon already.</p> - -<p>As I afterwards learned, I had no sooner left the king than the woman -judge I had met at the head of the staircase laid before him the -proceedings of both the trials, of Bâlât and Tuptim. On reading them -he repented of his promised mercy, flew into a violent rage against -Tuptim and me, and, not knowing how to punish me except by showing me -his absolute power of life and death over his subjects, ordered the -scaffolds to be set up before my windows, and swore vengeance against -any person who should again dare to oppose his royal will and pleasure. -To do justice to the king, I must here add that, having been educated -a priest, he had been taught to re<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_36" id="Page_36">[Pg 36]</a></span>gard the crime of which Tuptim and -Bâlât were accused as the most deadly sin that could be committed by -man.</p> - -<p>The scaffolds or pillories on which the priest and Tuptim were to be -exposed were made of poles, and about five feet high; and to each -were attached two long levers, which were fastened to the neck of the -victim, and prevented his falling off, while they were so arranged as -to strangle him in case this was the sentence.</p> - -<p>All the windows of the long antechamber that filled the eastern -front of the palace were thrown open, and I could see the hurried -preparations making for the king, the princes and princesses, and all -the great ladies of the court, who from there were to witness the -exquisite torture that awaited the hapless Tuptim.</p> - -<p>Paralyzed by the knowledge that the only person who could have -done anything to mitigate the barbarous cruelty that was about to -be perpetrated—her Britannic Majesty's Consul, T.G. Knox, now -Consul-General—was then absent from Bangkok, I looked in helpless -despair at what was going on before me. I longed to escape into the -forest, or to take refuge with the missionaries, who lived several -miles down the river; but so dense was the crowd and so horrible the -idea of deserting poor Tuptim and leaving her to suffer alone, that I -felt obliged to stay and sympathize with her and pray for her, at the -least. I thus compelled myself to endure what was one of the severest -trials of my life.</p> - -<p>A little before three o'clock the instruments of torture were brought, -and placed beside the scaffolds. Soon a long, loud flourish of trumpets -announced the arrival of the royal party, and the king and all his -court were visible at the open windows; the Amazons, dressed in scarlet -and gold, took their post in the turrets to guard the favored fair ones -who were doomed to be present and to witness the sufferings of their -former companion.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_37" id="Page_37">[Pg 37]</a></span></p> - -<p>Suddenly the throng sent up a thrilling cry, whether of joy or sorrow -I could not comprehend, and, the moment after, the priest was hoisted -upon the scaffold to the right, while Tuptim tranquilly ascended that -to the left, nearest my windows. I thought I could see that the poor -priest turned his eyes, full of love and grief, towards her.</p> - -<p>I need not attempt to depict the feelings with which I saw the little -lady, with her hands, which were no longer chained, folded upon her -bosom, look calmly down upon the heartless and abandoned rabble who, -as usual, flocked around the scaffold to gloat upon the spectacle, and -who usually greet with ferocious howls the agonies of the poor tortured -victims. But, on this occasion, the rabble were awed into silence; -while some simple hearts, here and there, firm believers in Tuptim's -innocence, were so impressed by her calm self-possession, that they -even prostrated themselves in worship of that childish form.</p> - -<p>My windows were closed upon the scene; but that tiny figure, with her -scarlet scarf fluttering in the breeze, had so strong a fascination -for me, that I could not withdraw, but leaned against the shutters, -an unwilling witness of what took place, with feelings of pain, -indignation, pity, and conscious helplessness which can be imagined.</p> - -<p>Two trumpeters, one on the right and one on the left, blared forth -the nature of the crime of which the helpless pair were accused. Ten -thousand eyes were fixed upon them, but no sound, no cry, was heard. -Every one held his breath, and remained mute in fixed attention, in -order not to lose a single word of the sentence that was to follow. -Again the trumpets sounded, and the conviction of the accused, with the -judgment that had been passed upon them, was announced. Then the spell -was broken, and some of the throng, as if desirous to propitiate the -royal spectator at the window, made the air ring with their shouts; -while others, going still further, showered all<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_38" id="Page_38">[Pg 38]</a></span> manner of abuse upon -the poor girl, as she stood calmly awaiting her fate upon those shaking -wooden posts.</p> - -<p>Nothing could surpass the dignity of demeanor with which the little -lady sustained the storm of calumny from the more mercenary of the -rabble around her; but the rapidity with which the color came and went -in her cheeks, which were now of glowing crimson and now deadly pale, -and the astonishment and indignation which flashed from her eyes, -showed the agitation within.</p> - -<p>The shrill native trumpets sounded for the third time. The multitude -was again hushed into a profound silence, and the executioners mounted -a raised platform to apply the torture to Tuptim. For one moment it -seemed as if the intense agony exceeded her power of endurance. She -half turned her back upon the royal spectator at the window, her form -became convulsed, and she tried to hide her face in her hands. But she -immediately raised herself up as by a supreme effort, and her voice -rang out, like a clear, deep-toned silver bell: "Chân my di phit; -Khoon P'hra Bâlât ko my me phit; P'hra Buddh the Chow sap möt." She -had hardly done speaking when she uttered an agonized cry, wild and -piercing. It was peculiarly touching; the cry was that of a child, an -infant falling from its mother's arms, and she fell forward insensible -upon the two poles placed there to support her.</p> - -<p>The attendant physicians soon restored her to consciousness, and, -after a short interval, the torture was again applied. Once more her -voice rang out more musical still, for its quivering vibrations were -full of the tenderest devotion, the most sublime heroism: "I have not -sinned, nor has the priest my lord Bâlât sinned. The sacred Buddh<a name="FNanchor_6_6" id="FNanchor_6_6"></a><a href="#Footnote_6_6" class="fnanchor">[6]</a> -in heaven knows all." Every torture that<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_39" id="Page_39">[Pg 39]</a></span> would agonize, but not -kill, was employed to wring a confession of guilt from the suffering -Tuptim; but every torture, every pang, every agony, failed, utterly and -completely failed, to bring forth anything but the childlike innocence -of that incomparable pagan woman. The honor of the priest Bâlât seemed -inexpressibly more precious to her than her own life, for the last -words I heard from her were: "All the guilt was mine. I knew that I was -a woman, but he did not."</p> - -<p>After this I neither heard nor saw anything more. I was completely -exhausted and worn out, and had no strength left to endure further -sight of this monstrous, this inhuman tragedy. Kind nature came to my -relief, and I fainted.</p> - -<p>When I again looked from my window the scaffolds were removed, the -crowd had departed, the sun had set. I strained my eyes, trying if I -could distinguish anything on the great common before the house. There -was a thick mist loaded with sepulchral vapors, a terrifying silence, -an absolute quiet that made me shudder, as if I were entombed alive. -At last I saw one solitary person coming towards my house through -the gathering darkness. It was the slave-girl, Phim, whose life had -been saved by the resolute bravery of her mistress; for it was she -who had bought the priest's dress and aided her mistress to escape -from the palace. She came to me in secret to tell me that the most -merciful and yet the most dreadful doom, death by fire,—which is the -punishment assigned by the laws of Siam to the crime of which they were -accused,—had been pronounced upon the priest and Tuptim by that most -irresponsible of human beings, the King of Siam; that they had suffered -publicly outside of the moat and wall which enclose the cemetery Watt -Sah Katè; and that some of the common people had been terribly affected -by the sight of the priest's invincible courage and of Tuptim's heroic -fortitude. With her low,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_40" id="Page_40">[Pg 40]</a></span> massive brow, her wild, glistening eyes, -and her whole soul in her face, she spoke as if she still beheld that -fragile form in its last struggle with the flaming fire that wrapped -it round about, and still heard her beloved mistress's voice, as she -confronted the populace, holding up her mutilated hands, and saying: -"I am pure, and the priest, my lord Bâlât, is pure also. See, these -fingers have not made my lips to lie. The sacred Buddh in heaven judge -between me and my accusers!"</p> - -<p>The slave-girl's grief was as deep and lasting as her gratitude. Every -seventh day she offered fresh flowers and odoriferous tapers upon the -spot where her mistress and the priest had suffered, firmly believing -that their disembodied souls still hovered about the place at twilight, -bewailing their cruel fate. She assured me that she often heard voices -moaning plaintively through the mellow evening air, growing deeper and -gathering strength as she listened, and seeming to draw her very soul -away with them; now tenderly weeping, now fervently exulting, until -they became indistinct, and finally died away in the regions of the -blessed and the pure.</p> - -<p>I afterwards learned that the fickle populace, convinced of the -innocence of Bâlât and Tuptim, would have taken speedy vengeance on the -two priests, their accusers, had they not escaped from Bangkok to a -monastery at Paknâm; and that the twenty caties offered for the capture -of Tuptim had been expended in the purchase of yellow robes, earthen -pots, pillows, and mats for the use of the bonzes at Watt Rajah Bah -ditt Sang, no priest being allowed to touch silver or gold.</p> - -<p>The name Bâlât, which signifies "wonderful," had been given to the -priest by the high-priest, Chow Khoon Sah, because of his deep piety -and his intuitive perception of divine and holy truths. The name which -his mother bestowed upon him, and by which Tuptim had known him<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_41" id="Page_41">[Pg 41]</a></span> in her -earlier years, was Dang, because of his complexion, which was a golden -yellow. On being bereft of Tuptim, to whom he was tenderly attached, he -entered the monastery, and became a priest, in order that, by austere -devotion and the study of the Divine Law, he might wean his heart from -her and distract his mind from the contemplation of his irreparable -loss.</p> - -<p>For more than a month after Tuptim's sad death I did not see the -king. At last he summoned me to his presence, and never did I feel so -cold, so hard, and so unforgiving, as when I once more entered his -breakfast-hall. He took no notice of my manner, but, as soon as he saw -me, began with what was uppermost in his mind. "I have much sorrow for -Tuptim," he said; "I shall now believe she is innocent. I have had a -dream, and I had clear observation in my vision of Tuptim and Bâlât -floating together in a great wide space, and she has bent down and -touched me on the shoulder, and said to me, 'We are guiltless. We were -ever pure and guiltless on earth, and look, we are happy now.' After -discoursing thus, she has mounted on high and vanished from my further -observation. I have much sorrow, mam, much sorrow, and respect for your -judgment; but our laws are severe for such the crime. But now I shall -cause monument to be erected to the memory of Bâlât and Tuptim."</p> - -<p>Any one who may now pass by Watt Sah Katè will see two tall and slender -P'hra Chadees, or obelisks, erected by order of the king on the spot -where those lovely Buddhists suffered, each bearing this inscription: -"Suns may set and rise again, but the pure and brave Bâlât and Tuptim -will never more return to this earth."</p> - - -<div class="footnotes"> -<p class="center">FOOTNOTES:</p> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_6_6" id="Footnote_6_6"></a><a href="#FNanchor_6_6"><span class="label">[6]</span></a> The Siamese in their prayers and invocations abbreviate -the titles of the Buddha; the more educated using the word "Buddh," and -the common people "P'huth."</p></div> -</div> -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_42" id="Page_42">[Pg 42]</a></span></p> - -<p class="ph2"><a name="CHAPTER_V" id="CHAPTER_V">CHAPTER V.</a></p> - -<p class="center">SLAVERY IN THE GRAND ROYAL PALACE OF THE "INVINCIBLE AND BEAUTIFUL -ARCHANGEL."<a name="FNanchor_7_7" id="FNanchor_7_7"></a><a href="#Footnote_7_7" class="fnanchor">[7]</a></p> - - -<p>One morning in the early part of May, 1863, I went at the usual hour -to my temple school-room, and found that all my pupils had gone to the -Maha P'hra Sâât to attend a religious ceremony, at which I also was -requested to be present.</p> - -<p>Following the directions of one of the flower-girls, I turned into a -long, dark alley, through which I hurried, passing into another, and -keeping, as I thought, in the right direction. These alleys brought me -at last into one of those gloomy walled streets, into which no sunlight -ever penetrated, and which are to be found only in Bangkok, the farther -end of which seemed lost in mist and darkness.</p> - -<p>Stone benches, black with moss and fungi, lined it at intervals, and -a sort of pale night-grass covered the pathway. There was not a soul -to be seen throughout its whole length, which appeared very natural, -for it did not seem as if the street were made for any one to walk -in, but as if it were intended to be kept secluded from public use. -I walked on, however, looking for some opening out of it, and hoping -every moment to find an exit. But I suddenly came to the end. It was a -<i>cul-de-sac</i>, and a high brick wall barred my further progress.</p> - -<p>In the middle of this wall was set a door of polished brass. The -shadow of a tall and grotesque façade rested upon the wall and on the -narrow deserted street, like an<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_43" id="Page_43">[Pg 43]</a></span> immense black pall. The solitude of -the place was strangely calm. With that frightful din and roar of the -palace life so near, the silence seemed almost supernatural. It cast a -shadow of distrust over me. I almost felt as if that wall, that roof -with its towering front, were built of the deaf stones spoken of in -Scripture. All at once the wind rattled the dry grass on the top of the -wall, making a low, soft, mournful noise. I started from my revery, -hardly able to account for the feeling of dread that crept over me. -Half ashamed of my idle fears, I pushed at the door with all my might. -Slowly, noiselessly, the huge door swung back, and I stepped into a -paved court-yard, with a garden on one side and a building suggestive -of nocturnal mystery and gloom on the other.</p> - -<p>The façade of this building was still more gloomy than that on the -outside of the wall. All the windows were closed. On the upper story -the shutters were like those used in prisons. No other house could be -seen. The high wall ran all round and enclosed the garden. The walks -were bordered with diminutive Chinese trees, planted in straight rows; -grass covered half of them, and moss the rest.</p> - -<p>Nothing could be imagined more wild and more deserted than this house -and this garden. But the object that attracted my immediate attention -was a woman, the only animate being then visible to me in the apparent -solitude. She was seated beside a small pond of water, and I soon -discovered that she was not alone, but was nursing a naked child about -four years old.</p> - -<p>The moment the woman became conscious of my presence, she raised her -head with a quick, impetuous movement, clasped her bare arms around -the nude form at her breast, and stared at me with fixed and defiant -eyes. Her aspect was almost terrifying. She seemed as if hewn out of -stone and set there to intimidate intruders. She was<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_44" id="Page_44">[Pg 44]</a></span> large, well made, -and swarthy; her features were gaunt and fierce, but looked as if her -face might once have been attractive. I relaxed my hold of the door; -it swung back with a dull, ominous thud, and I stood half trembling -beside the dark, defiant woman, whose eyes only gave any indication -of vitality, hoping to prevail upon her to show me my way out of that -dismal solitude.</p> - -<p>The moment I approached her, however, I was seized with inexpressible -dismay; pity and astonishment, mingling with a sense of supreme -indignation, held me speechless for a time. She was naked to the waist, -and chained,—chained like a wild beast by one leg to a post driven -into the ground, and without the least shelter under that burning sky.</p> - -<p>The chain was of cast-iron, and heavy, consisting of seven long -double-links, attached to a ring, and fitted close to the right leg -just above the ankle; it was secured to the post by a rivet. Under her -lay a tattered fragment of matting, farther on a block of wood for a -pillow, and on the other side were several broken Chinese umbrellas.</p> - -<p>Growing more and more bewildered, I sat down and looked at the woman in -a sort of helpless despair. The whole scene was startlingly impressive; -the apathy, the deadness, and the barbarous cruelty of the palace life, -were never more strikingly brought before me face to face. Here there -was no doubting, no denying, no questioning the fact that this unhappy -creature was suffering under some cruel wrong, which no one cared to -redress. Naked to the waist, her long filthy hair bound in dense masses -around her brow, she sat calmly, uncomplainingly, under a burning -tropical sun, such as we children of a more temperate clime can hardly -imagine, fierce, lurid, and scorching, nursing at her breast a child -full of health and begrimed with dirt, with a tenderness that would -have graced the most high-born gentlewoman.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_45" id="Page_45">[Pg 45]</a></span></p> - -<p>I remained long and indignantly silent, before I could find voice for -the questions that rose to my lips. But at length I inquired her name. -"Pye-sia" (begone), was her fierce reply.</p> - -<p>"Why art thou thus chained? Wilt thou not tell me?" I pleaded.</p> - -<p>"Pye" (go), said the woman, snatching her breast impatiently from the -sucking child, and at the same time turning her back upon me.</p> - -<p>The child set up a tremendous scream, which was re-echoed through the -strange place. The woman turned and took him into her arms; and as if -there were an indwelling persuasiveness about them, he was quieted in -an instant.</p> - -<p>Rocking him to and fro, with her face resting against his unwashed -cheek, she was no longer repulsive, but glorious, clothed in the beauty -and strength of a noble human love. I rose respectfully from the low -wall of the pond, where I had seated myself, and took my place on the -heated pavement beside the woman and her child; then as gently and as -kindly as I could I asked his name and age.</p> - -<p>"He is four years old," she replied, curtly.</p> - -<p>"And his name?"</p> - -<p>"His name is Thook" (Sorrow), said the woman, turning away her face.</p> - -<p>"And why hast thou given him such a name?"</p> - -<p>"What is that to thee, woman?" was the sharp rejoinder.</p> - -<p>After this she relapsed into a grim silence, seeming to gaze intently -into the empty air. But at length there came a sob, and she passed -her bare arms slowly across her eyes. This served as a signal for the -little fellow to begin to scream again, which he did most lustily; the -woman, after quieting him, turned to me, and to my great<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_46" id="Page_46">[Pg 46]</a></span> surprise -began to talk of her own accord, with but few questions on my part.</p> - -<p>"Hast thou come here to seek me, lady? Has the Naikodah, my husband, -sent thee? Tell me, is he well? Hast thou come to buy me? Ah! lady! -will thou not buy me? Will thou not help me to get my pardon?"</p> - -<p>"Tell me why thou art chained. What is thy crime?"</p> - -<p>This seemed a terrible question for the poor woman. In vain she -attempted to speak; her lips moved, but uttered no sound, her features -quivered, and with one convulsive movement she threw up her arms and -burst into an agony of tears. She sobbed passionately for some time, -then, passing into a quieter mood, turned to me and said, bitterly: "Do -you want to know of what crime I am accused? It is the crime of loving -my husband and seeking to be with him."</p> - -<p>"But what induced you to become a slave?"</p> - -<p>"I was born a slave, lady. It was the will of Allah."</p> - -<p>"You are a Mohammedan then?"</p> - -<p>"My parents were Mohammedans, slaves to the father of my mistress, Chow -Chom Manda Ung. When we were yet young, my brother and I were sent as -slaves to her daughter, the Princess P'hra Ong Brittry."</p> - -<p>"If you can prove that your parents were Mohammedans, I can help you, I -think; because all the Mohammedans here are under British protection, -and no subject of Britain can be a slave."</p> - -<p>"But, lady, my parents sold themselves to my mistress's grandfather."</p> - -<p>"That was your father's debt, which your mother and father have paid -over and over again by a life of faithful servitude. You can insist -upon your mistress accepting your purchase-money."</p> - -<p>"Insist," said the woman, her large, dark eyes glowing<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_47" id="Page_47">[Pg 47]</a></span> with the -tears still glistening in them. "You do not know what you say. You do -not know that my mistress, Chow Chom Manda Ung, is mother-in-law to -the king, and that her daughter, Princess P'hra Ong Brittry, is his -favorite half-sister and queen. My only hope lies in a special pardon -from my mistress herself."</p> - -<p>"And your friends," said I, "do they know nothing of your cruel -captivity?"</p> - -<p>"Nothing, indeed. I have no opportunity to speak even to the -slave-woman whose duty it is to feed us daily. And her lot is too sad -already for her to be willing to run any great risk for me. The secrecy -and mystery of my sudden disappearance have been preserved so long -because I am chained here. No one comes here but my mistress, and she -only visits this place occasionally, with the most tried and trusted of -her slave-women."</p> - -<p>Eleven o'clock boomed like a death-knell through the solitude. The -woman laid herself down beside her sleeping boy to rest, apparently -worn out with a sense of her misery. I placed my small umbrella over -them; and this simple act of kindness so touched the poor thing, that -she started up suddenly, and, before I could prevent her, passionately -kissed my soiled and dusty shoes.</p> - -<p>I was so sorry for the unhappy creature that tears filled my eyes. "My -sister," said I, "tell me your whole story, and I will lay it before -the king."</p> - -<p>The woman started up and adjusted the umbrella over the sleeping child. -Her eyes beamed with a fire as if from above, while with wonderful -power, combined with sweetness and delicacy, she repeated her sad tale.</p> - -<p>"There is sorrow in my heart, lady, where once there was nothing but -passive endurance. In my soul I now hear whisperings of things that are -between heaven and earth, yea, and beyond the heaven of heavens, where -once there was nothing but blind obedience. Unconscious of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_48" id="Page_48">[Pg 48]</a></span> the beauty -of life, my heart was as if frozen and inert until I met the Naikodah, -my husband. Lady, as I told you, I and my brother were born slaves; and -so faithful were we, that my brother obtained, as proof of the trust my -lady reposed in him, the charge of a rice plantation at Ayudia, while -I was promoted to be the chief attendant of the Princess P'hra Ong -Brittry.</p> - -<p>"One day my mistress intrusted to my care a bag of money, to purchase -some Bombay silk of the Naikodah Ibrahim. As it was the first time for -many years that I had been permitted to quit the gates of the gloomy -palace, I felt on that day as if I had come into the world anew, as if -my previous life had been nothing but a dream; and my recollections of -that day are always present to my mind, and saying to me, 'Remember how -happy you were once, be patient now.'</p> - -<p>"Oh! On that day the Mèinam splashed and rippled more enchantingly, -seemed broader and more beautiful, than ever! The green leaves and buds -seemed to have burst forth all of a sudden. How beautifully green the -grass was, and how clearly and joyously the birds on the bushes and -in the trees poured forth their song, as if purposely for me, while -from the distant plain across the river floated the aromatic breath of -new-blown flowers, filling me with inexpressible delight! I was silent -with a feeling of supreme happiness. On that day a new light had risen -in the east, a light which was to enlighten and to darken all my coming -life.</p> - -<p>"We moored our boat by the bank of the river, and made our way to the -shop of the Naikodah, which my companions entered, while I sat outside -on the steps until the bargain should be completed. My companions and -the merchant could come to no terms. I entered with the bag of money, -hoping by the sight of the silver to induce him to sell the silk -for the price offered; but on<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_49" id="Page_49">[Pg 49]</a></span> entering I seemed to be dazzled by -something, I know not what. The merchant's eyes flashed upon me, as it -were, with a look of recollection, and by their expression reminded -me of some face I had seen in my infancy, or, perhaps, in my dreams. -I drew my faded, tattered scarf more tightly around my chest, and sat -down silent and wondering, not daring to ask myself where I had seen -that face before, or why it produced such an effect upon me.</p> - -<p class="center"> -<img src="images/illus04.jpg" alt="girl" /> -<a id="illus04" name="illus04"></a> -</p> -<p class="caption">A SIAMESE FLOWER-GIRL.</p> - -<p>"After a great deal of talking and bargaining about the silk, we came -away without it, but the next day went again to the merchant and -purchased it at his own price. I was surprised, however, to find that, -when I paid him the money, he left five ticals in my hands. 'That is -our kumrie' (perquisite), said the women, snatching the ticals out of -my hand and pocketing them. Time after time we repeated our visits to -the merchant, who was constantly kind and respectful in his manner -towards me. He always left five ticals for us. My companions took the -money, but I persistently refused to share in this pitiful kind of -profit.</p> - -<p>"The merchant began to observe me more closely, and, as I thought, -to take an interest in me, and one day, after we had purchased some -boxes of fragrant candles and wax-tapers, and I had paid him the full -price for his goods, he left twenty ticals on the floor beside me. -My companions called my attention to the money; when the merchant, -observing my unwillingness to receive it, took up fifteen ticals, -leaving the usual kumrie of five upon the floor, which my companions -picked up and appropriated.</p> - -<p>"We returned, as was our custom, by the river, slowly paddling our -little canoe down the broad and beautiful stream, and enjoying every -moment of our permitted freedom. I was sorely unwilling to return to -the palace;<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_50" id="Page_50">[Pg 50]</a></span> I was even tempted to plunge into the water and make -good my escape; but the responsibility of the money intrusted to my -care made me hesitate, and the tranquil surface of the Mèinam, broken -only by its circling ripples, helped to dissipate my wicked thoughts. -Still I indulged, though almost unconsciously, the hope of obtaining -my freedom some day, without even forming a thought as to how it could -ever be accomplished. How or why I began to think of getting free I -know not. I seemed to inhale a longing for freedom with the fragrance -of flowers wafted to me on the fresh, invigorating air; every tree in -blossom, every wild flower clothed in its splendor of red and orange, -made me dream as naturally of liberty as it did of love; and I prayed -for freedom for the first time in my life, even as for the first time I -felt the strength of a supreme emotion overpowering me."</p> - -<p>Here the woman paused for a few moments, and I was surprised to find -that she expressed herself so well, until I remembered that the -princesses of Siam make it a special point to educate the slaves born -in their household, so that in most Oriental accomplishments they -generally surpass the common people who may have become slaves by -purchase. There was something very simple and attractive in the way she -spoke of herself, and throughout our whole interview she manifested -such gentleness and resignation that she completely won my affection -and pity.</p> - -<p>After a while she smiled sadly, and said softly: "Ah, lady! we all love -God, and we are all loved by him; yet he has seen fit to make some -masters and others slaves. Strange as the delusion may appear to you, -who are free and perfectly happy, while the slave is not happy, the -more impossible seemed the realization of my hope of freedom, the more -I thought of it and longed for it.</p> - -<p>"One day a slave-woman came to my mistress with<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_51" id="Page_51">[Pg 51]</a></span> some new goods from -the Naikodah, and on seeing me she begged for a drink of water and -some cere (betel-leaf). As I handed her the water, she said to me in -a low tone: 'Thou art a Moslem; free thyself from this bondage to an -unbelieving race. Take from my master the price of thy freedom; come -out of this Naiwang (palace) and be restored to the true people of God.'</p> - -<p>"I listened in amazement, fearing to break the enchanting spell of -her words, and hardly believing that I had heard aright. She quitted -me suddenly, fearful of exciting suspicion, and left me in such a -disturbed state of mind as I had never before experienced. My thoughts -flew hither and thither like birds overtaken by a sudden storm, -flapping their silent and despairing wings against the closed and -barred gates of my prison. I found comfort only in trusting to the -<i>Great Heart</i> above, and with the instinct of all sufferers I turned at -once to him.</p> - -<p>"When I saw the woman a second time I embraced the opportunity to say -to her, 'Sister, tell me, how shall I obtain my purchase-money? Will -not thy master hold me as his slave?'</p> - -<p>"'He will give thee the money, and will never repent having freed a -Moslem and the daughter of a believer from slavery.'</p> - -<p>"'O thou angel of life!' said I, clasping her to my throbbing heart, 'I -am already his slave.'</p> - -<p>"She released my arms from around her neck, and, taking some silver -from her scarf, tied it firmly into mine without another word; and -I, fearing lest I should be discovered with so much money in my -possession, came here by night and hid it under this very pavement on -which we are seated.</p> - -<p>"Some weeks after we were sent again to the Naikodah to buy some -sandal-wood tapers and flowers for the cremation of the young Princess -P'hra Ong O'Dong. I<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_52" id="Page_52">[Pg 52]</a></span> never was so conscious of the shabbiness of my -dress as when I entered the presence of the good merchant. We made our -purchase, paid the money, and as I rose to depart, my friend D'hamni, -the slave-woman who had been employed by the Naikodah to speak to -me, beckoned me to come into an inner chamber. I was followed by her -master, who addressed himself to me, and said,—I remember the words -so well,—'L'ore! thou art of form so beauteous, and of spirit so -guileless, thou hast awakened all my love and pity. See, here is the -money thou hast just paid me; double the price of thy freedom, and -forget not thy deliverer.'</p> - -<p>"'May Allah prosper thee!' said D'hamni.</p> - -<p>"I was overwhelmed; my astonishment and my gratitude at his goodness -knew no bounds. I tried to speak; my tongue clave to the roof of my -mouth as if held back by an evil genius; I could not give utterance to -a single word in expression of my feelings. My heart heaved, my eyes -glowed, my cheeks burned, my blushes came and went, showing the depth -of my emotion, and I burst into tears. I returned to the palace, hid -the money, and waited my opportunity.</p> - -<p>"Thus I lived in bondage within and bondage without. Freedom within -my grasp and slavery in my heart. 'I am more a slave than ever,' said -I to myself; 'alas! the servitude of the heart, the sweet, feverish -servitude of love, who will ransom me from these? Who can buy me -freedom from these? Henceforth and forever I am the good merchant's -slave.'</p> - -<p>"I waited my time like a lover lying in wait for his mistress, like -a mother watching the return of an only child, and I waited long and -anxiously, praying to God, calling him Allah! calling him Buddha! -Father! Goodness! Compassion! praying for liberty only, praying only -for freedom.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_53" id="Page_53">[Pg 53]</a></span></p> - -<p>"One day my mistress, Chow Chom Manda Ung, was so kind and pleasant -to me that I believed my opportunity had come. I seized it, threw -myself at her feet, and said, 'Lady dear, be pitiful to thy child, hear -but her prayer. It is the only desire of her heart, the dream of thy -slave's life. As the thirsty traveller beholds afar off the everlasting -springs of water, as the dying man has foretastes of immortality, even -so thy slave L'ore has, through thy goodness, tasted of freedom, and -would more fully drink of the cup, if thou in thy bountiful goodness -would but let her go free. Here is the price of my freedom, dear lady; -be pitiful, and set me free.'</p> - -<p>"'Thou wert born my slave,' said my lady, 'I will take no money for -thee.'</p> - -<p>"'Take double, lady dear, but O, let me go!'</p> - -<p>"'If thou wishest to be married,' said my mistress, 'I will find thee -a good and able husband, and thou shalt bear me children, even as thy -mother did before thee; but I will not let thee go free.'</p> - -<p>"In my despair I prayed, I entreated, with tears blinding my eyes. I -promised that my children yet unborn should be her slaves, if she would -only let me go.</p> - -<p>"It was all in vain. I gathered up my silver and returned to my slave's -life, hopelessly defeated. I soon recovered from my disappointment, -however, because I was strengthened by the determination to escape at -the first opportunity that offered itself to me. This enabled me to -bear my captivity bravely. My mistress distrusted me for a long time; -my companions, seeing that I had fallen into disgrace, pitied me, but I -did my best to show myself willing, obedient, and cheerful, until, when -nearly two whole years had passed away, my mistress gradually took me -again into her confidence, and at last arranged a marriage for me with -Nai Tim, one of her favorite men-slaves. To all her plans I offered -not a word of objection.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_54" id="Page_54">[Pg 54]</a></span> I pretended that I was really pleased at -the prospect of being free to spend six months of every year with my -husband.</p> - -<p>"The day before my marriage I was sent to see Nai Tim's mother, with -a small present from my mistress. Two strong women accompanied me. -Hidden in my p'ha nung (under-skirt) was my purchase-money. As soon as -we entered my future mother-in-law's house, I requested permission to -speak with her alone. Supposing that I had some private communication -to make to her from my mistress, she took me into the back part of -the house, and I seated myself on the edge of the bamboo raft, which -kept her little hut afloat on the Mèinam, rushing by so strong and -swift. Without giving her time to think, I told her my whole story -from beginning to end, put the money into her hands, and before the -startled woman could refuse or remonstrate I plunged with one sudden -bound into the bosom of the broad river. I heard a shriek above me -as I disappeared under the waters that received me into their cool, -refreshing depths.</p> - -<p>"How desperately I swam through the strong currents, coming up to the -surface from time to time to draw a long breath, then diving back into -its protecting shelter again! Finding my strength failing me, I made -for the opposite bank, climbed its steep sides, and dried my clothes -in the soft, delicious breezes that came upon me as if just let free -from the highest heavens. Filled with the inspiration of freedom and -of love, I had accomplished that which had been the beginning and the -ending of all my thoughts for so long a time. For one moment it seemed -to me an impossibility, but on the next my joy was so excessive that I -stooped down and kissed the earth, and then laughed outright.</p> - -<p>"From day to day my soul had been slowly withering away, now it -blossomed forth afresh as if it had never<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_55" id="Page_55">[Pg 55]</a></span> known a moment of sorrow. My -glad laughter came back to me, and in very truth, lady, I shall never -again rejoice and sing in the desert places of my heart, or in the -solitary places of my native land, as I did on that day. In my extreme -emotion I forgot that night was a possibility. I could do nothing but -rejoice. Suddenly the sun set. The night descended. Darkness covered -the earth as with a mantle; the wind began to blow in gusts; I heard -strange sounds,—sounds which seemed to come, not from the earth, but -from some frightful realm beyond. But I knew there were angels who -heard the cries of human distress. I prayed to them to come and hover -near me, and as I prayed a deep sleep came upon me.</p> - -<p>"When I woke the stars were in the sky, but the strange noises -disturbed me so that I fell on my knees and cried, 'O God! where art -thou? O, bring the day! come with thy swift chariot and bring the -light! come and help thy unworthy handmaiden!' 'To believe,' says the -prophet, 'is to have the world renewed every day.' So in answer to my -prayer came the angel Gibhrayeel and snatched away the dark mantle of -P'hra Khām (the god of night), and swift came P'hra Athiet (the god of -day), scattering the shadowy monsters of the world of night, and making -his glory fill my heart with praise, even as it filled my glad eyes -with light.</p> - -<p>"I had been dazzled with the idea of liberty, I had thought only of -getting free. But now came the questions, Where shall I go? Who will -employ me? And the answer was clear to me. There was no one in all this -vast city to whom I could turn but the merchant and his slave-woman -D'hamni, and to them I went. It was evening when I entered the hut of -the slave D'hamni, footsore, hungry, and weary. D'hamni was overjoyed -to see me; she gave me food and shelter and her best robe.</p> - -<p>"Some days after the good merchant came to visit me.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_56" id="Page_56">[Pg 56]</a></span> I felt dimly that -the hardness of my heart would be complete if I resisted his kindness. -To his celestial tenderness I opposed no word of doubt, yet I could not -believe that the rich merchant would marry an outcast slave like me.</p> - -<p>"One morning I found robes of pure white in my humble shed, in which -D'hamni proceeded to array me. After which she brought me into the -presence of the Moolah (Mohammedan priest), the merchant, and a few -trusty friends.</p> - -<p>"The Moolah quietly put down his hookah (pipe), stood up, and, putting -his hands before his face, uttered a short prayer. After this he took -the end of my saree (scarf) and bound it securely to the end of the -merchant's angrakah (coat), gave us water in which had been dipped -the myrtle and jessamine flower, placed a ring of gold on my finger, -blessed us, and departed. That was our marriage ceremony.</p> - -<p>"During all the days that followed I moved about as one drunk with -strong wine; I enjoyed every moment; I thanked God for the sun, the -beautiful summer days, the radiant yellow sky, the fresh dawn, and -the dewy eve. Light, pure light, shone upon me, and filled my soul -with intense delight, and it blossomed out into the perfect flower of -happiness.</p> - -<p>"One day, about three or four months after my marriage, as I was seated -on the steps of my home, I thought I heard a voice whisper in my ear. -I had hardly time to turn when I was seized, gagged, bound hand and -foot, and brought back to this place. As soon as I was taken into her -presence, my mistress had me chained to this post, but caused me to be -released when my time of delivery approached. A month after his birth," -pointing to the sleeping boy, "I was chained here again, and my child -was brought to me to nurse; this was done until he could<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_57" id="Page_57">[Pg 57]</a></span> come to me -alone. But they are not unkind; when it is very wet the slave-woman -takes him to sleep under the shelter of her little shed.</p> - -<p>"I could free myself from these chains if I would promise never to quit -the palace. That I will never do." She said this in a feeble and almost -inarticulate voice. It was her last effort to speak. Her head drooped -upon her breast as if an invisible power overwhelmed her at a blow; she -fell exhausted upon the stones, her hands clasped, her face buried in -the dust.</p> - -<p>It was a strange sight, and possible only in Siam. Certainly great -misfortunes as well as great affections develop the intelligence, -else how had this slave-woman reached the elevation to which she had -evidently attained?</p> - -<p>But excess of sorrow had made her almost visionary. When I tried to -comfort her, she turned her haggard face with its worn-out, weary look -upon me, and asked if she had been dreaming. Her brain seemed to be in -such an abnormal yet frightfully calm condition, that she half believed -she was in a dream, and that her life was not a frightful reality. It -was out of my power to comfort her, but I left her with a hope that -grew brighter as I retraced my steps out of that weird place.</p> - -<p>After some tiresome wanderings I found my way out of the place at last. -When I reached the school-room it was twelve o'clock, and my pupils -were waiting.</p> - -<p>In the afternoon of the same day I went to the house of the Naikodah -Ibrahim, and told him that I had seen his wife and child. He was much -affected when he heard they were still alive, and was moved to tears -when I told him of their sad condition.</p> - -<p>That night a deputation of Mohammedans, headed by the Moolah Hâdjee -Bâbâ, waited upon me; we drew up a petition to the king, after which I -retired, thankful that I was not a Siamese subject.</p> - - -<div class="footnotes"> -<p class="center">FOOTNOTES:</p> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_7_7" id="Footnote_7_7"></a><a href="#FNanchor_7_7"><span class="label">[7]</span></a> This is the official title of the royal palace at Bangkok.</p></div> -</div> -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_58" id="Page_58">[Pg 58]</a></span></p> - - -<p class="ph2"><a name="CHAPTER_VI" id="CHAPTER_VI">CHAPTER VI.</a></p> - -<p class="center">KHOON THOW APP, THE CHIEF OF THE FEMALE JUDGES.</p> - - -<p>Next morning, as if some invisible power were working to aid my plans, -I was summoned early to the palace. I carried my petition and a small -book entitled "Curiosities of Science" with me.</p> - -<p>The king was very gracious, and so pleased with the book that I took -the opportunity of handing in my petition. He read it carefully, and -then gave it back to me, saying, "Inquiry shall be made by me into this -case."</p> - -<p>On the day after I received the following little note from the king:—</p> - -<blockquote> - -<p><span class="smcap">Lady Leonowens</span>:—I have liberty to do an inquiry for the -matter complained, to hear from the Princess P'hra Ong Brittry, the -daughter of the Chow Chom Manda Ung, who is now absent from hence. The -princess said that she knows nothing about the wife of Naikodah, but -that certain children were sent her from her grandfather maternal, -that they are offspring of his maid-servant, and that these children -shall be in her employment. So I ought to see the Chow Chom Manda Ung, -and inquire from herself.</p> - -<p style="margin-left: 20%;"> -<span class="smcap">S.P.P. Maha Mongkut, Rx.</span><br /> -</p></blockquote> - -<p>His Majesty was as good as his word, and when the Chow Chom Manda Ung -returned, he ordered the chief of the female judges of the palace, her -ladyship, Khoon Thow App, to investigate the matter.</p> - -<p>Khoon Thow App was a tall, stout, dark woman, with<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_59" id="Page_59">[Pg 59]</a></span> soft eyes, but -rather a heavy face, her only beauty being in her hands and arms, -which were remarkably well formed. She was religious and scrupulously -just, had a serious and concentrated bearing. Everything she said or -did was studied, not for effect, but from discretion. A certain air of -preoccupation was natural to her. She knew everything that took place -in the harem, and concealed everything within her own breast. By dint -of attention and penetration she had attained to her high office, and -she retained it by virtue of her supreme but unassuming fitness for -the position. She was like a deaf person whose sight is quickened, and -like one blind whose sense of hearing is intensified. That hideous -symbolical Sphinx, with a sword drawn through her mouth, babbled all -her secrets and sorrows in her ear. She inspired confidence, and she -never decided a case in private. She lived alone, in a small house at -the end of the street, with only four faithful female slaves. The rest -she had freed. It was before this woman that, by order of the king, I -brought my complaint in behalf of L'ore; she raised her eyes from her -book, or rather roll, and said, "Ah! it is you, mam. I wish to speak to -you."</p> - -<p>"And for my part," said I, with a boldness at which I was myself -astonished, "I have something to say to your ladyship."</p> - -<p>"O, I know that you have a communication to make, which has already -been laid before his Majesty. Your petition is granted."</p> - -<p>"How!" said I, "is L'ore really free to leave the palace?"</p> - -<p>"O no; but his Majesty's letter is of such a character that we have the -power to proceed in this matter against the Chow Chom Manda Ung. Though -we are said to have the right to compel any woman in the palace to come -before us, these great ladies will not appear per<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_60" id="Page_60">[Pg 60]</a></span>sonally, but send all -manner of frivolous excuses, unless summoned by a royal mandate such as -this."</p> - -<p>She then turned to one of the female sheriffs, and despatched her for -the Chow Chom Manda Ung, P'hra Ong Brittry, and the slave-woman L'ore.</p> - -<p>After a delay of nearly two hours, Chow Chom Manda Ung and her -daughter, the Princess P'hra Ong Brittry, made their appearance, -accompanied by an immense retinue of female slaves, bearing a host -of luxurious appendages for their royal mistresses' comfort during -the trial, with the sheriff bending low, and following this grand -procession at a respectful distance.</p> - -<p>The great ladies took their places on the velvet cushions placed for -them by their slaves, with an air of authority and rebellion combined, -as if to say, "Who is there here to constrain us?"</p> - -<p>The chief judge adjusted her spectacles, and as she looked fixedly at -the great ladies she asked, "Where is the slave-woman L'ore?"</p> - -<p>The old dowager cast a malicious glance at the judge; but there was -still the same silence, the same air of defiance of all authority.</p> - -<p>All round the open sala, or hall, was collected a ragged rabble of -slave women and children, crouching in all sorts of attitudes and -all sorts of costumes, but with eyes fixed on the chief judge in -startled astonishment and wonder at her calm, unmovable countenance. -Superciliousness and apparent contempt prevailed everywhere, yet in the -midst of all the consciousness of an austere and august presence was -evident; for not one of those slave-women, lowly, untaught, and half -clad as they were, but felt that in the heart of that dark, stern woman -before them there was as great a respect for the rights of the meanest -among them as for those of the queen dowager herself.</p> - -<p>The chief judge then read aloud in a clear voice the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_61" id="Page_61">[Pg 61]</a></span> letter she had -received from the king, and, when it was finished, the dowager and -her daughter saluted the letter by prostrating themselves three times -before it.</p> - -<p>Then the judge inquired if the august ladies had aught to say why the -slave-woman L'ore should not have been emancipated when she offered to -pay the full price of her freedom.</p> - -<p>The attention of all was excited to the highest degree; every eye -concentrated itself on the queen dowager.</p> - -<p>She spoke with difficulty, and answered with some embarrassment, but -from head to foot her whole person defied the judge.</p> - -<p>"And what if every slave in my service should bring me the price of her -freedom?"</p> - -<p>All eyes turned again to the judge, seated so calmly there on her -little strip of matting; every ear was strained to catch her reply.</p> - -<p>"Then, lady, thou wouldst be bound to free every one of them."</p> - -<p>"And serve myself?"</p> - -<p>"Even so, my august mistress," said the judge, bowing low.</p> - -<p>The dowager turned very pale and trembled slightly as the judge -declared that L'ore was no longer the slave of the Chow Chom Manda Ung, -but the property of the Crue Yai (royal teacher).</p> - -<p>"Let her purchase-money be paid down," said the dowager, angrily, "and -she is freed forever from my service."</p> - -<p>The judge then turned to me, and said, "You are now the mistress of -L'ore. I will have the papers made out. Bring hither the money, forty -ticals, and all shall be settled."</p> - -<p>I thanked the judge, bowed to the great ladies, who simply ignored -my existence, and returned perfectly happy for once in my life to my -home in Bangkok. Next day, after school, I presented myself at the -court-house.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_62" id="Page_62">[Pg 62]</a></span> Only three of the female judges were present, with some -of the p'ha khooms (sheriffs). Khoon Thow App handed me the dekah, or -free paper, and bade one of the p'ha khooms go with me to see the money -paid and L'ore liberated.</p> - -<p>Never did my feet move so swiftly as when I threaded once more the -narrow alley, and my heart beat quickly as I pushed open the ponderous -brass door.</p> - -<p>There was L'ore, chained as before. In the piazza sat the Princess -P'hra Ong Brittry and her mother, surrounded by their sympathizing -women.</p> - -<p>The p'ha khoom was so timid and hesitating, that I advanced and laid -the money before the great ladies.</p> - -<p>The queen dowager dashed the money away and sent it rolling hither and -thither on the pavement, but gave orders at the same time to release -L'ore and let her go.</p> - -<p>This was done by a female blacksmith, a dark, heavy, ponderous-looking -woman, who filed the rivet asunder.</p> - -<p>In the mean time a crowd had collected in this solitary place, chiefly -ladies of the harem, with some few slaves.</p> - -<p>So L'ore was free at last; but what was my amazement to find that -she refused to move; she persistently folded her hands and remained -prostrate before her royal persecutors as if rooted to the spot. I was -troubled. I turned to consult the p'ha khoom, but she did not dare -to advise me, when one of the ladies—a mother, with a babe in her -arms—whispered in my ear, "They have taken away the child."</p> - -<p>Alas! I had forgotten the child.</p> - -<p>The faces of the crowd were marked with sympathy and sadness; they -exchanged glances, and the same woman whispered to me, "Go back, go -back, and demand to buy the child." I turned away sorrowfully, hastened -to Khoon Thow App, and stated my case. She opened a box, drew out a -dark roll, and set out with me.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_63" id="Page_63">[Pg 63]</a></span></p> - -<p>The scene was just as I had left it. There sat the august ladies, -holding small jewelled hand-mirrors, and creaming their lips with the -most sublime air of indifference. L'ore still lay prostrate before -them, her face hidden on the pavement. The crowd of women pressed -anxiously in, and all eyes were strained towards the judge. She bowed -before the ladies, opened the dark roll, and read the law: "If any -woman have children during her bondage, they shall be slaves also, and -she is bound to pay for their freedom as well as her own. The price of -an infant in arms is one tical, and for every year of his or her life -shall be paid one tical." This declaration in terms so precise appeared -to produce a strong impression on the crowd, and none whatever on the -royal ladies. Ever so many betel-boxes were opened, and the price of -the child pressed upon me.</p> - -<p>I took four ticals and laid them down before the ladies. The judge, -seeing that nothing was done to bring the child to the prostrate -mother, despatched one of the p'ha khooms for the boy. In half an -hour he was in his mother's arms. She did not start with surprise or -joy, but turned up to heaven a face that was joy itself. Both mother -and child bowed before the great ladies. Then L'ore made strenuous -efforts to stand up and walk, and, failing, began to laugh at her -own awkwardness, as she limped and hobbled along, borne away by the -exulting crowd, headed by the judge. Even this did not diminish her -happiness. With her face pressed close to her boy's, she continued to -talk to herself and to him, "How happy we shall be! We, too, have a -little garden in thy father's house. My Thook will play in the garden; -he will chase the butterflies in the grass, and I will watch him all -the day long," etc.</p> - -<p>The keepers of the gates handed flowers to the boy, saying, "P'hoodh -thŏ dee chai nak nah, dee chai nak<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_64" id="Page_64">[Pg 64]</a></span> nah" (pitiful Buddha! we are very -glad at heart, very, very glad).</p> - -<p>The news had spread, and, before we reached the river, hosts of Malays, -Mohammedans, and Siamese, with some few Chinese, had loosened their -cumberbunds (scarfs) and converted them into flags.</p> - -<p>Thus, with the many-colored flags flying, the men, women, and children -running and shouting along the banks of the Mèinam, spectators crowding -into the fronts of their floating houses, L'ore and her boy sailed down -the river and reached their home.</p> - -<p>The next day her husband, Naikodah Ibrahim, refunded the money paid -for his wife and child, whose name was changed from Thook (Sorrow) to -Urbanâ (the Free).</p> - -<p class="center"> -<img src="images/illus05.jpg" alt="guard" /> -<a id="illus05" name="illus05"></a> -</p> -<p class="caption"> GUARD OF AMAZONS.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_65" id="Page_65">[Pg 65]</a></span></p> - - - - -<p class="ph2"><a name="CHAPTER_VII" id="CHAPTER_VII">CHAPTER VII.</a></p> - -<p class="center">THE RAJPOOT AND HIS DAUGHTER.</p> - - -<p>Bangkok is full of people. Every day crowds of men and boys are pouring -into the great metropolis from all parts of the country to have their -names enrolled on the books of the lords and dukes to whom they belong.</p> - -<p>There are no railroads, no steamboats, so the vast companies of serfs -travel together,—the rich by means of their boats and gondolas, and -the poor on foot, following the course of the great river Mèinam.</p> - -<p>Sometimes caravans of whole tribes may be seen encamped during the -intense noonday heat by the banks of the stream, under the shade of -some neighboring trees. These weary marches are always commenced at -sunset, and continued till noon of the next day, when the overpowering -heat forces man and beast under shelter.</p> - -<p>There existed in Siam under the late king a mixed system of slavery, in -part resembling the old system of English feudal service, in part the -former serfdom of Russia, and again in part the peonage of Mexico.</p> - -<p>In the enrolment, called Sâk, an institution peculiar to the country, -every man is obliged to receive an indelible mark on his arm or side, -denoting the chief to whom he belongs.</p> - -<p>The process is exactly like tattooing. The name of the chief is pricked -into the skin with a long slender steel having a lancet-shaped point, -just deep enough to draw a little blood; after which the bile of -peacock mixed with Chinese ink is rubbed over the scarification.</p> - -<p>This leaves an indelible mark.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_66" id="Page_66">[Pg 66]</a></span></p> - -<p>All the male children of those so marked are obliged at the age of -fourteen to appear in person to have their names enrolled on their -master's books, and themselves branded on their arms.</p> - -<p>The king's men, that is, those who have to attend on royalty as -soldiers, guards, or in any other capacity, are marked on the side, a -little below the armpit, to distinguish them from the other serfs of -the princes, dukes, or lords of the realm.</p> - -<p>Among the vast crowds who were pouring through the many gates and -avenues into the city in July, 1862, was seen a stately old Rajpoot, -weary and travel-stained, leading a low-sized, shaggy pony on which was -seated a closely veiled figure of a young woman. A stranger could not -but observe the proud, forbidding look of the old man as he urged and -stimulated his weary beast through the crowd.</p> - -<p>Behind the veiled figure were two leathern bags which contained some -wearing apparel and a supply of provisions to serve them during their -stay in the capital.</p> - -<p>There are no such places as inns or caravansaries to lodge the -multitude who are thus forced into Bangkok every year. Those who have -boats live in them on the river and its numerous canals, others take -refuge in the Buddhist monasteries, while the poorer classes have the -bare earth, dry or wet as the weather may be, for their couch.</p> - -<p>It was not until they were quite exhausted, and could no longer -maintain the pace at which they had been making their way through -the crowded city, that the old man began to look around him for -some spot where they could encamp. The place at which they had -arrived was the southern gate of the citadel, called Patoo Song Khai -(Gate of Commerce). Here they came upon the haunts of commerce and -traffic,—market and tradeswomen were hurrying to and from the inner -city. All<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_67" id="Page_67">[Pg 67]</a></span> around was noise and confusion, and here, beneath the -shadow of a projecting porch and wall, the old man suddenly halted, -and, lifting the girl lightly to the ground, said in a low, deep, and -not unmusical voice, "Let us abide here, my child; and though we can -call nothing our own, we shall live like the bright gods, feeding on -happiness."</p> - -<p>There was something tender in the way he said this, but the girl -did not appear to heed him. Looking about her with a startled and -bewildered gaze, she seemed to be haunted by apprehensions of being led -captive to some gloomy place, where she would be chained and scourged, -and, worse than all, where she would never see her father but through -iron gratings and bars. Her terrors at length became so real that she -wrapped her faded "saree" more closely around her, and burst into tears.</p> - -<p>"Art thou afraid?" inquired the old man. "Why, thou hast less to fear -here by my side than if I had left thee behind in the mountains of -Prabat."</p> - -<p>He then proceeded to unpack his beast, while the girl timidly made -ready to cook their evening meal of boiled rice and fish.</p> - -<p>There was a certain sense of safety in the shadow of the grand -royal palace that seemed to restore the girl to a state of moderate -tranquillity, and the Amazons who loitered round the gate watched -the travellers with some degree of interest, which arose partly from -curiosity and partly from want of something better to do. The old man -seemed a sombre sort of being to them; but the girl was an object of -wonder and delight, as, though she replied to her father in a language -foreign to the listeners, she frequently intermingled her remarks -with the Siamese word "cha" (dear), which pleased the stout-hearted -guardians of the gate so much that they made no objections to the -travellers' resting there.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_68" id="Page_68">[Pg 68]</a></span></p> - -<p>In such a spot as this there was, indeed, more of danger than of -safety both for father and child, if they could but have known it; -but the poorer class of strangers clung to the name of the great king -Maha Mongkut as a babe clings to its mother's arms, and the old man -felt as safe as if lodged in an impregnable castle, surrounded by a -million of guardian angels; while the girl, gathering courage from the -satisfaction that settled on her father's face, began to take note of -what was passing around her, and her fears soon gave place to a variety -of happy thoughts.</p> - -<p>The freshness of the evening air, the song of the merry birds, the -beauty of the wild flowers that grew among the tangled bushes on the -banks of the river, and, above all, the constant stream of richly -gilded boats and gondolas that glided past on the limpid waters, -now glittering in the roseate hues of the setting sun, soothed and -gladdened, as with tender, loving words, the heart of the lonely -mountain girl.</p> - -<p>At sunset the Amazons shut the gates and disappeared. The old man -unrolled a small carpet, covered himself with a worn-out old cloth, -and, taking his daughter under his stalwart arm, he laid himself down -to rest beneath the canopy of the wide sky. The girl, from her place -near the corner made by the gate and the wall, could only see one star -overhead, and the shadow in which she slept seemed so dark that her -heart sunk within her, as she silently prayed to the angel of the sky -not to desert them. But, tired and weary, she soon slept as soundly as -her father.</p> - -<p>Meanwhile the city of the "Invincible and Beautiful Archangel" -slumbered, and "the great stars globed themselves in heaven," and -seemed to bridge the gulf that separates the infinite from the finite -with their tender, loving light. Who can say but that the fond spirit -of a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_69" id="Page_69">[Pg 69]</a></span> dead wife and mother beamed in love and pity over the father and -child sleeping thus alone in the heart of a great city? for the girl -dreamed a dream which seemed a warning to her. Suddenly she started in -her sleep, and saw in the distance a company of men armed with swords -and spears, carrying lanterns in their hands, marching slowly towards -the spot where they lay.</p> - -<p>These were the night-guards patrolling outside the walls of the inner -city.</p> - -<p>While she looked they seemed to expand. They were now -colossal,—monsters that filled the earth, air, and sky. Full of -dismay, she clung closer to the side of her father. Their heavy tramp -came nearer, and she could hear them stop. How desperately her heart -beat under the covering! What if they should find her out! The captain -of the guards approached, passed his lantern slowly over the face of -the old man, and perceiving that he was one of the many strangers -called into the city at this time of the year, he and his company went -on their rounds.</p> - -<p>No sooner had the glimmer of their lanterns vanished in the distance, -than the girl sprang up, and, casting a cautious glance all round, drew -out in the darkness a small brass image of Indra, which she wore within -her vest, and placed it at her father's head; then, loosening a silk -cord from her neck, to which was attached a silver ring inscribed with -the mystic triform used by the Hindoo women, she proceeded to implore -the protection of the gods, and to describe several weird circles and -waves over herself and her father.</p> - -<p>This done she slept sweetly, feeling in the presence of that brass -image a sense of security that many a Christian might have envied.</p> - -<p>Just at this moment, one of the guards in passing on the other side -of the city remarked that they ought to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_70" id="Page_70">[Pg 70]</a></span> have aroused the old khaik -(foreigner) and exacted a toll from him for taking up his quarters so -near the walls of the royal palace.</p> - -<p>"That very thought has just crossed my mind," said the captain, "and -mine, and mine," echoed a number of voices. "It is hardly midnight yet; -let us turn back and see what we can squeeze out of the old fellow."</p> - -<p>No sooner said than done. The chief led the way, and the whole company -rapidly retraced their steps to where the travellers slept.</p> - -<p>It would be difficult to reproduce the picture that must have presented -itself to the captain of the night-guards, who, after having stationed -his men at a little distance, advanced noiselessly, approached the old -man, and drew off lightly the covering that wrapped the sleeper, in -order to make some guess from his dress and appearance as to the amount -of money they might demand from him.</p> - -<p>The eye turns instinctively to the faintest glimmer of light. So the -light reflected from the calm face of the mysteriously beautiful -dreamer as she lay beside her father, her head resting on his arm, -and her face turned mutely up to the dark sky, staggered the captain, -who started back as if he had received a sudden blow, or as if some -unexpected event had forced him into the presence of a supernatural -being, while the brazen image of Indra gleamed with a lurid brightness -that reddened the pale atmosphere around, as if in the vicinity of some -conflagration.</p> - -<p>Buddhist as he was, he had a sort of ancestral reverence for the gods -of the Hindoos. He also believed in the ancient tradition that no one -could injure the innocent. The shadow of the shade grew darker, and -he thought the eyes of the god were fixed intently upon him. All his -unrighteous desires quelled, he stood transfixed reverently to the -spot. A serious smile, almost<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_71" id="Page_71">[Pg 71]</a></span> stern in its expression, passed over the -girl's face, as he stood contemplating her. That seemingly slumbering -statue was conscious of an intruder, and she quietly opened her eyes on -him.</p> - -<p>The captain's lantern lighted up his face, and, stout-hearted, fearless -man that he was, he trembled as he met that calm, inquiring look. But -before he could retire or bring himself to speak, the girl uttered a -sudden cry of terror, so pathetic and terrible that the old man sprang -to his feet, and the guards, who heard it in the distance, felt their -blood run cold with horror and dismay.</p> - -<p>There was a moment of hesitation as the old Rajpoot confronted the -guardsman face to face. The next instant the lantern was dashed from -his trembling hand, and he lay prostrate on the ground, while his enemy -grappled at his throat with the fury of a wild beast. The remainder -of the guards rushed to the scene of conflict, but even they stood -confounded for a second or two at the sight of the strange, terrified -girl. They soon recovered from their astonishment, however, and -proceeded to capture the old man, when Smâyâtee sprang to her feet at -once, like some spectre rising from the ground, and, pushing back the -soldiers with all her might, clasped her father round the neck. Thus -clinging to him, she turned a face of defiance on the guardsmen of the -king. The aspect of the girl, who thought to restrain by an electric -glance an armed force, excited such derision in the breasts of the -soldiers, that they rudely tore her from her father, bound her with the -silken bridle-reins that had served for her pony, and carried them both -off to separate cells, while a party of them remained behind to restore -their fallen chief.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_72" id="Page_72">[Pg 72]</a></span></p> - - - - -<p class="ph2"><a name="CHAPTER_VIII" id="CHAPTER_VIII">CHAPTER VIII.</a></p> - -<p class="center">AMONG THE HILLS OF ORISSA.</p> - - -<p>Before proceeding further, it will not be amiss to give the reader -some account of this Rajpoot and his daughter. And that he may -better understand the personal anecdotes of bravery, honest zeal, -and devotedness that distinguished him in life, I must turn to the -still broader and deeper historical incidents which are the marked -characteristics of the race to which he belonged. I do not undertake to -treat of this portion of India at large, but only to look at the small -corner of it in which Rama the Rajpoot was born.</p> - -<p>In the district of Orissa stands on a cluster of hills, in the midst of -an arid and undulating plateau, the city of Megara, composed for the -most part of houses of mean aspect, with only a few handsome mansions -and stately edifices to relieve their monotonous insignificance, -possessing few fine trees large enough to afford shade, with the -exception of the sacred groves dedicated to the earth-goddess Dâvee -and the sun-god Dhupyâ; and with water barely sufficient to quench -the excessive thirst of its parched inhabitants, alternately swept by -piercing blasts and scorched by intense heats, Megara would certainly -present but few attractions to the traveller but for the mysterious -reverence which has rested ever since the time of Alexander over the -illimitable plains of Hindostan. Tragic and terrible are the memories -that poetry has woven about this land of undefined distances and -nearly fabulous magnificence, where men adopt, from father to son, the -professions of murderers, highwaymen, robbers,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_73" id="Page_73">[Pg 73]</a></span> soldiers, warriors, and -priests, where each man lives as if surrounded by internal and external -enemies, and expects from every circling point of the horizon a foeman -instead of a friend.</p> - -<p>From the remotest times there has been a ceaseless march of tribes into -this vast peninsula, from which there is no outlet. Pouring across -the Indus or straggling down through the passes of the Himalaya, each -wave of immigration pushed its predecessors farther into the country. -Thus the Aryan nations followed in their turn, at the same time -reacting powerfully on the creeds and usages of the primitive people. -But various remains of the earlier and rude aboriginal tribes are -still found here among the hilly regions and woody fastnesses of the -peninsula. Many of them are quite distinct from one another, evidently -belonging to different eras of an indefinitely remote and abysmal past.</p> - -<p>The Rajpoots are the most remarkable of these aboriginal tribes, and -they are described as a noble race, tall and athletic, with symmetric -features, half-way between the Roman and Jewish types, large eyed, and -with fine long hair falling in natural locks upon their shoulders; -high-bred, though with the decline of their country under British rule -the decline of their character has kept pace. Revolutions have done -their work upon them, if, indeed, the word "revolution" may be applied -to the insurrections and mutinies that have kept this portion of India -in a state of petty warfare for the last three hundred years.</p> - -<p>The comparatively treeless character of the hills where they dwell -appears to indicate that, in former times, large spaces had been laid -under cultivation, whereas at present they lead a savage life as -freebooters and robbers.</p> - -<p>Around these desolate hills and valleys cluster a variety of -tribes and races, of diverse tongues and customs, creeds and -religions,—worshippers of Mohammed and of the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_74" id="Page_74">[Pg 74]</a></span> Buddha, followers of -Brahma and of Indra, of Vishnu and Siva, of the many-breasted and -teeming Dâvee, and the triple-headed and triple-bodied Dhupyâ. Over -all these different peoples the Rajpoot, or warrior caste, has held -for centuries an undisputed sway. Among all these tribes the "Meriâh" -sacrifice prevails, as the only means of propitiating the earth-goddess.</p> - -<p>The victims for these yearly sacrifices are furnished by a regular -class of procurers, who either supply them to order or raise them on -speculation. They are bought from their parents in hard famine times, -or they are kidnapped on the plains. Devoted often in their childhood -to the earth-goddess Dâvee, they are suffered to grow up as consecrated -privileged beings, to marry, to hold lands and flocks and herds and -other worldly goods, and are cherished and beloved by the community for -whom they are willing to be offered up to serve as mediator and friend -in the shadowy world beyond the grave for the short space of one year, -when the insatiable earth-goddess is said to demand a fresh victim.</p> - -<p>I ought not to omit to say here, as a faithful recorder of the -facts that have reached me, that in spite of the tremendous doom -that overshadows the victims consecrated to Dâvee's altar, they -lead resigned and even joyous lives up to the last moment of their -existence; and the saying is, that the soul of a god enters the martyr, -and transfigures him into a divine, ineffable being, incapable of -feeling any pain or regret at the moment of death.</p> - -<p>For unnumbered centuries the vast hilly province of Orissa verging on -Gondwana, and comprising all the eastern portion of the Vindhya chain, -has been the scene of this revolting and inhuman custom; and from time -immemorial thousands of men whom we in our enlightenment call "savage -hordes" have offered themselves up for the good of their fellow-men. -Surely an effluence from the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_75" id="Page_75">[Pg 75]</a></span> Divine Soul must have passed over these -strange mystic mediators, as they stood trembling upon Dâvee's altar, -clutching the sharp knife in their uplifted hand, their faces turned -towards the darkening earth, singing the supreme song, and uttering the -supreme cry, "O Dâvee! do all thy acts to me. Spend all thy fury upon -me. Spare my race from the hungry grave (earth). Drink of my blood, and -be appeased." And as the echoes of this cry of triumph and of despair -die away in the distance, the self-sacrificing victim plunges the -bright steel into his own warm heart, bends forward to sprinkle with -his life's blood the insatiable earth, repeating his song in whispers -that grow fainter and fainter as he slowly draws out the fatal steel -and falls dead upon her bare bosom.</p> - -<p>The Rajpoots are still the chiefs. They levy a tax on the various -tribes who inhabit these hilly regions, and who are, in great measure, -dependent upon them, trained warriors from their childhood, for their -protection. They are not distinct from their neighbors, so far as the -ceremonials of religion are concerned. The number of marriages among -them is, however, contracted by the exclusion of all but their own -peculiar clan or caste. Marriage itself is an expensive thing, from -the costly usages with which it is attended among them, while at the -same time celibacy is disgraceful. An unmarried daughter is a reproach -to her parents and to herself; therefore it has been an established -custom with the Rajpoot to preserve the chastity of his daughter and -the honor of his house by doing away with his female children a few -hours after their birth. When a messenger from the Zennânâ announces to -him the birth of a daughter, the Rajpoot will coolly roll up between -his fingers a tiny ball of opium, to be conveyed to the mother, who -thereupon, with many a bitter tear, rubs on her nipple the sleep-giving -poison, and the babe drinks in death with its mother's milk.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_76" id="Page_76">[Pg 76]</a></span></p> - -<p>Here again we find a striking anomaly in the Hindoo character. The -parental instinct is as strong in the people of India as in any people -of the world; and even where no parental tie exists, the tenderness -with which strong, bearded men devote themselves to the care of young -children is as touching as it is remarkable. A childless woman, too, -is a miserable creature, a hissing and a reproach among men, and -barrenness is only accounted for as a punishment for some grievous -sin committed against the gods in a pre-existent state. Nevertheless, -among the high-caste Rajpoot tribes female infanticide is universally -practised; so that, in the district in which Rama was born, owing to -its decline from the prosperity of former years, a high-born girl was -rarely if ever heard of.</p> - -<p>On a high and projecting rock, whose scarped and rugged outlines bid -defiance to the pedestrian, stood the stately mansion of Dhotee Bhad, -the chieftain of Megara, and the father of Rama, recognizable by its -grand appearance, its balconies of fretted stone, and its long windows, -which commanded for miles the surrounding country. It is a wild and -solitary spot, and out of the direct road to any place; but it had two -advantages,—it was almost inaccessible, and it overlooked valleys -which were as luxuriant with verdure as the hills around were sterile -and barren. Two miles from this spot rises the Ghât Meriâh, crowned -with a grove of stately trees, whose profound brown shadows and lurid -gloom is said to be caused by the spirits of the victims offered up -yearly there, and whose grand proportions are dimly visible at points -here and there as you approach the grove. At the foot of this Ghât, in -a thick and all but impenetrable forest, are several magnificent ponds -from which the inhabitants draw their water.</p> - -<p>Such was the home and the birthplace of our hero Rama.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_77" id="Page_77">[Pg 77]</a></span></p> - - - - -<p class="ph2"><a name="CHAPTER_IX" id="CHAPTER_IX">CHAPTER IX.</a></p> - -<p class="center">THE REBEL DUKE P'HAYA SI P'HIFOOR.</p> - - -<p>In the year 1831 a revolutionary war broke out in the northern -provinces of Siam. The ringleader of this disaffected part of the -country was the Duke P'haya Si P'hifoor, a man who, from his high -position, great warlike talents, and immense wealth, possessed an -unbounded influence over the inhabitants of the northern provinces. It -is said that even from his infancy the demon Ambition had taken such -possession of him that he used to imagine himself a king, and that, -from that time to the fatal termination of his life, he dreamt of -nothing but the sceptre and the supreme sway.</p> - -<p>It was one of his first efforts, therefore, to gather from distant -lands all the disaffected and ambitious spirits he could muster -together,—men who would be brave and skilful enough to take the helm -in the storm that must follow his inexorable bidding.</p> - -<p>In 1821 he sent secret agents by an Indian merchant ship to Calcutta to -enlist for him a troop of hardy warriors of the Rajpoot tribe. Among -this troop hired in Calcutta and transshipped to Siam was our prisoner, -Rama Singalee,—Rama the lion. He, with the rest of his party, had been -implicated in some incipient rebellion against the British government, -and had fled for concealment to the densely populated city of Calcutta, -where, after several years of hard struggling to obtain some means of -livelihood not derogatory to their high caste, they were induced to -sell their services to the agent of the Duke P'haya Si P'hifoor. This -band of hired mercenaries landed<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_78" id="Page_78">[Pg 78]</a></span> secretly in the Gulf of Martaban, at -the mouth of the Irrawady, whence by night travel they arrived at P'hra -Batt. Here portions of land in the tenure of the duke were allotted to -them, and they were dispersed until a fitting opportunity should offer -for striking the final blow which was to place their master on the -throne of Siam, and themselves in offices of trust in the kingdom.</p> - -<p>So things went on for several years, when Rama fell in love with a -Loatian girl of singular beauty, but could not collect money enough to -satisfy the demands of her parents.</p> - -<p>It was the custom of the Duke P'haya Si P'hifoor to make an annual -visit to P'hra Batt, ostensibly with varied offerings to the footprint -of Buddha, from which the whole mountainous district is named, but in -reality to muster his retainers, give them presents, and exact fresh -promises of service, or to traverse the entire country gaining fresh -adherents to his cause.</p> - -<p>On one occasion a dreadful fever ravaged his party; many of them had -to be left at the different monasteries to be cared for, while Rama -and a few followers only accompanied him. Just as the sun was setting -behind the mountains, Rama, who acted as pioneer, heard the sound of -some animal in the thick underwood. He crept quickly back, motioned his -companions to halt, and advanced alone. A few yards from him he saw a -tiger, immovable, yet stealthily watching his opportunity to make a -spring. Night was fast approaching, and so was death; but Rama drew -near, his eyes fixed steadily and unfalteringly on those of the beast. -At last he took his position, and for a moment or two they glared one -upon the other. Then in the distance the rest of the party, breathless, -their hearts beating quickly, heard the dismal roar of a goaded and -infuriate animal, and the heavy blows of a battle-axe. Their terror was -only equalled by their joy when they<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_79" id="Page_79">[Pg 79]</a></span> saw the huge creature extended -before them in death. The duke came up, and instantly rewarded the -brave warrior with a hundred pieces of gold.</p> - -<p>Gold enough to buy Malee, the beautiful Loatian girl!</p> - -<p>Next morning he prostrated himself before the duke, and requested -permission to return at once to P'hra Batt, which was granted him. Thus -did the Rajpoot obtain to wife the woman he loved.</p> - -<p>Meanwhile the duke, still cherishing his darling ambition, consulted -all the astrologers in the country, who drew auguries from ants, -spiders, and bees, and predicted for him a brilliant career. This so -worked upon the already inflamed imagination of P'haya Si P'hifoor, -that he was led, in an unguarded moment, to throw down the gauntlet and -declare open war against the king of Siam, whom he branded with the -titles of fox and usurper.</p> - -<p>Through his secret emissaries he caused edicts to be proclaimed -everywhere, nominating himself in the name of the people and of heaven -as the lawful successor to the throne.</p> - -<p>The entire army of the priesthood and the people were on his side. -Hosts of men from all parts of the country flocked to his standard. The -duke, mounted on a white elephant, headed the rabble crowd. Before him, -on horseback, rode the hired Rajpoot band of warriors.</p> - -<p>Tidings of this alarming insurrection soon reached the enraged -monarch at Bangkok, who instantly summoned a council of war, and sent -trumpeters all over the land to blast forth a direful malediction, -in the name of all the hosts of heaven, upon the rebel duke and his -followers.</p> - -<p>The rebel duke and his frenzied legions made rapid progress, however. -They could be seen covering the entire face of the country, rushing on -with shouts and cries and furious bounding of elephants and horses, -with flourish of trumpets and of banners,—a terrible, undisci<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_80" id="Page_80">[Pg 80]</a></span>plined, -myriad-faced monster, being neither burnt up with the scorching rays of -Suriya, nor scattered by the thunder-bolts of Indra. The king, who had -stormed so loud and so lustily from behind the purdah-curtain of his -throne, now trembled and cowered in the midst of his fifteen hundred -wives, and let the duke ride triumphantly, almost to the very gates of -his palace at Ayudia.</p> - -<p>In this emergency the prime minister, Somdetch Ong Yai, the father of -the present premier, assumed the command of the army, transshipped all -the guns he could muster into small crafts,—the river at Ayudia being -too shallow for ships of great tonnage,—taking with them an ample -supply of ammunition, and with hardly twelve thousand men sailed up the -river, amid the shouts and prayers of the terrified inhabitants.</p> - -<p>On their arrival at Ayudia the guns were conveyed on trucks to the -point whence the attack was expected. Here Somdetch Ong Yai hastily -erected several batteries, and awaited the attack.</p> - -<p>Scarcely four hours had elapsed after the completion of these -preparations, when the whole neighborhood was aroused by the war-cry -of the rebel army, which appeared in sight, headed by the duke. The -Rajpoot cavalry, armed with long rifle-guns, bows and arrows, and -poisoned lances, prepared to storm the batteries. There was a moment -of fearful silence, followed by a flash and the thundering roar of -the artillery from the other side. The monster army of the rebel duke -reeled, scattered, and gave way, all but the Rajpoot cavalry, almost -every one of whom lay dead or dying on the field. The prime minister, -Somdetch Ong Yai, rushed forward and captured the rebel duke, wounding, -in the attempt, one gigantic, desperate soldier, who fought with a -recklessness of daring in behalf of his misguided leader that won the -admiration of friend and foe.</p> - -<p class="center"> -<img src="images/illus06.jpg" alt="road" /> -<a id="illus06" name="illus06"></a> -</p> -<p class="caption"> PALM-TREES NEAR THE NEW ROAD, BANGKOK.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_81" id="Page_81">[Pg 81]</a></span></p> - -<p>Where was the monster army now?</p> - -<p>Of the dead and dying there were a thousand or more, of living captives -only two,—the Duke P'haya Si P'hifoor, and one faithful soldier, Rama -Singalee. The rest had, at the first sound of the cannon, fled far -beyond its range. Like a wave of the ocean it had swept out of sight. -P'haya Si P'hifoor was carried to Bangkok, tried, and sentenced to -death. A general amnesty was proclaimed, and the generous premier, -Somdetch Ong Yai, took Rama into his own household, had him cared for -and promoted to a place of trust. As for the wretched duke, on his -arrival at Bangkok he was condemned first to have his eyes put out, -and then to be placed in an iron cage, which was suspended from a -scaffolding in the middle of the river, so that the unfortunate captive -could manage just barely to touch with the tips of his fingers the -waters as they rippled under it.</p> - -<p>Here he was left by that most inhuman of the kings of Siam, P'hendin -Klang, without food or raiment, exposed to the burning heat of the -noonday sun, to suffer from the acutest agonies of thirst, within -hearing and touch of the waters that flowed in perpetual eddies beneath -his feet.</p> - -<p>How ardently must that poor, unhappy man have prayed for death; and -that dark angel, at all times too ready to come unbidden to the good -and happy, stood aloof, and seemed to mock at his misery for many and -many a weary day and night, until at length it began to be whispered -among the people—many of whom would gladly have brought him food and -drink, but for the dreadful punishment threatened on all such as should -attempt in any way to mitigate his tortures—that the angels, pitying -his sufferings, brought him nightly portions of the "amreeta," on which -they feed so plentifully in heaven.</p> - -<p>But the truth was, that Rama Singalee was the stout-<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_82" id="Page_82">[Pg 82]</a></span>hearted angel who -battled nightly with the strong currents of the Mèinam, and brought, -at the risk and peril of his life, some boiled rice and water in the -hollow of a bamboo cane, which, as he floated beneath the iron cage, -he held up to his late master's mouth, who sucked therefrom the scanty -portion of food it contained.</p> - -<p>The last night of the unfortunate prisoner's life, Rama set out as -usual, ignoring the pain of his wounds, and, swimming manfully against -the strong tide that threatened to bear him away with it, he reached -the spot about three o'clock in the morning, stealthily approached the -cage, keeping his head under water, but his heart above the clouds, -with those heroic souls who follow in the path of the Son of Heaven. He -swam right under the cage, and looking up in the darkness towards it, -saw no shadow there. He held up the long bamboo, and rested it against -the iron bars, but no eager, trembling hand grasped it, as it was wont -to do. He called out in hoarse whispers, "P'hakha, p'hakha, soway thô" -(master, master, pray eat). No sound, no movement, reached his anxious -ears.</p> - -<p>Ah, happy man! the loving voice of his devoted follower reached his -ears, and penetrated far into his sinking heart, as he lay in his last -agonies, coiled up on the floor of his cage, and in the double darkness -of night and sightlessness, he saw the brave, strong face of this one -great soul that loved him in spite of all his sin and misery; and, even -as he caught the vision, a smile such as would have irradiated the -throne of God, passed over that blind, distorted face, and the soul -flitted away rejoicing, leaving behind it an expression of serenity -and peace, as if that proud, turbulent, and ambitious spirit had at -last been taught the meaning of a higher love, and through it had -breasted the waters, and gained the shore "Where the wicked cease from -troubling, and the weary are at rest."</p> - -<p>After some years of service in the army, the premier,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_83" id="Page_83">[Pg 83]</a></span> Somdetch Ong -Yai, being dead, Rama, having been regularly branded as the vassal -of his eldest son, Chow P'haya Mândtree, obtained permission to -return home to his wife. Just eight years after these events, and -the very year after his return home, there was born to this brave -man a daughter, who, as it sometimes happens, by some singular freak -of nature, or, perhaps, by some higher law of development, was so -wondrously beautiful, that when Rama, faithful to the custom of his -ancestors, handed to his wife, a few hours after her delivery, a ball -of opium to be rubbed on her breasts, she turned up to him a scared -and wondering look, muttering, "She is,—she is the smile of God," the -deadly ball dropped from her pulseless hands, and her spirit passed -away; and he, broken hearted and baffled, rightly interpreted the -significance of her dying words, not only spared the child's life, but -named her Devo Smâyâtee (the God smiles). Thus a new life stole into -the heart and the arms of the old warrior of Orissa.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_84" id="Page_84">[Pg 84]</a></span></p> - - - - -<p class="ph2"><a name="CHAPTER_X" id="CHAPTER_X">CHAPTER X.</a></p> - -<p class="center">THE GRANDSON OF SOMDETCH ONG YAI, AND HIS TUTOR P'HRA CHOW SADUMAN.</p> - - -<p>When Rama and his daughter were carried off to prison, poor Smâyâtee -hardly realized what was going to happen. But when a couple of Amazons -forced her away from her father, and she understood the full meaning of -what had befallen them, she began to shout and scream aloud for help. -But none came.</p> - -<p>A child of the mountains and hills, she had as yet developed none -but the natural instincts of what civilization would call a savage. -Combined with her fine organization, she inherited a passionate -nature, and an intense love for the mountains and woods, the earth and -sky, which were to her so many beautiful gods. To some she had been -accustomed to offer flowers, to others fruit, oil, wine, honey, water. -She always set apart a portion of every meal for her favorite god -Dâvee, the earth-goddess. To such a nature only to live was worship. To -see, to hear, to gather thoughts and pictures, to feel the throbbing -pulses; to fill the eye with images of beauty, the heart with impulses -of love and joy; to place the mind face to face with the unwritten -mysteries which nature unfolds to it,—is, indeed, the highest sphere -of contemplation and worship, as well for the savage as the child of -civilization.</p> - -<p>The Amazons who guarded the cell chatted together in a low tone, while -Smâyâtee, exhausted by her cries and screams for help, had sunk into -a deep sleep. They remarked on the beauty of her skin, the roundness -of her limbs, the softness of her cheeks, and the superb lashes<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_85" id="Page_85">[Pg 85]</a></span> that -rested so lightly upon them, and wondered who she could be; for though -her dress bespoke her of the peasant class of the Loatians, her form -and face betokened high birth.</p> - -<p>"He must have stolen her," said one of the women; "she cannot be his -daughter, though she calls him father."</p> - -<p>"He has brought her here for sale, of course," added another; "else why -should he have chosen such a place as this, so near the royal palace, -for encampment."</p> - -<p>"Ah, well! whatever be her lot, poor child, let us not add to her -sufferings; she will have enough of them in this life," rejoined the -kind-hearted chief officer.</p> - -<p>The bell above the prison gate, with its brazen tongue, tolled out -twelve (i.e., five in the morning); the girl, aroused as it were by -the voice of an angel, started, rubbed her eyes, and looking around -seemed to recall the events of the last night. She then made several -profound salutations and invocations to a gleam of sunlight that came -straggling into her cell, wrapped her saree over her head and face, and -placed herself near the door, so as to be able to pass out the moment -it should be opened.</p> - -<p>"Take something to eat, child," said the chief of the Amazons on guard, -who was partaking of a breakfast of cold rice and fish, "and wait till -the sun is higher in the heavens, and I will go with you; it is not fit -that one so young and beautiful should go out alone and unprotected."</p> - -<p>She was too kind-hearted to tell her that she was a prisoner, and no -longer free to go in and out.</p> - -<p>Smâyâtee had hardly swallowed a few mouthfuls of rice, when the -guardsman of the previous night appeared, with orders to the Amazons to -take her to the Sala of the Grand Duke, Chow P'haya Mândtree; as they, -on discovering from the mark on the old man's arm that he was a vassal -of that nobleman, had resigned him to the custody of his officers.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_86" id="Page_86">[Pg 86]</a></span></p> - -<p>The Amazons led the way, and Smâyâtee followed with faltering steps. -Nobody noticed her. Everybody seemed excited and eager. Every one -hurried towards the same spot.</p> - -<p>In her uncertainty the girl could see nothing in the world but the -river running strong, yet running calmly on. After a little while she -began to trace the opposite bank; a little way to the left something -hanging midway in the sky, as she supposed, or rather in mid-distance; -there being as yet no sky, no heaven, no earth; nothing but the river. -This was a bridge; they cross the bridge. Where does it lead to? -Whither flows this mysterious stream, of which the coming and the going -are equally full of wonder and dread to her? What mysterious, enchanted -palaces and temples are those looming out yonder on the other side? To -her ignorance they are but infinitude and the unknown. Now they near -the duke's palace; the odors of orange-flowers and spice-groves reach -them, like airs that breathe from paradise.</p> - -<p>Having come to the great hall, the Amazons take their places on one of -the lowest steps, Smâyâtee seated between them; they are contented to -chew their betel and to wait.</p> - -<p>The hall is full of men. The work of branding and enrolling goes -briskly on under the orders of a young nobleman, called Nai Dhamaphat, -the grandson of Somdetch Ong Yai. Every now and then some persons are -brought forward to be admonished, fined, or whipped. Sometimes from -among this crowd a boy is dragged out forcibly, and branded.</p> - -<p>Through the masses of men, lighted up now by the full blaze of -sunlight, Smâyâtee sought one form and one figure only, and he was -nowhere to be seen.</p> - -<p>Suddenly the Grand Duke was announced; he entered the hall with -conscious swagger, followed by a long train of attendants and slaves.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_87" id="Page_87">[Pg 87]</a></span></p> - -<p>No words could express what there was in the face and figure of this -man, as he rolled rather than walked into the centre of the hall.</p> - -<p>Work instantly ceased; all around crouched and hid their faces. This -did not rouse his huge, drowsy nature into even a look of recognition; -he growled rather than spoke the orders for the workers to continue, -and turned to his son and said, "Dhamaphat, what is this about Rama -Singalee having attacked the captain of the royal guards?"</p> - -<p>"My Lord," replied the latter, "the captain, as far as I can learn, is -as much to blame as the old soldier, who says he only struck him in -defence of his daughter."</p> - -<p>"A daughter, eh! I did not know the old fellow had a daughter."</p> - -<p>At this point in the conversation Smâyâtee, who had been listening with -deep attention, leaned forward, and fearlessly addressed the duke, -said, "Do you want that I should tell you how it happened, my lord?"</p> - -<p>"Well, speak out!" said the duke, turning savagely upon the girl for -having dared to interrupt him unbidden.</p> - -<p>He checked himself, however, as his eye fell upon the graceful, veiled -figure, and said rather more gently, "Go on, how was it?"</p> - -<p>Smâyâtee threw back her covering, sat up, and repeated the story of -her long journey, her father's fears to leave her alone at home, their -encampment near the royal palace, her fearful alarm, and how it was to -save her that her father struck the captain of the king's guard.</p> - -<p>The girl never looked so beautiful, so fearless; there was in her look -the innocence and the ignorance of a babe. It was not the words she -uttered, but the face she presented, the look so sad and yet so full -of trust, which served to rouse the drowsy nature of the duke, and to -change his repulsiveness into something more hideous still.</p> - -<p>Dhamaphat listened, too, with intense interest; it<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_88" id="Page_88">[Pg 88]</a></span> seemed as if his -whole soul were concentrated into his eyes and ears.</p> - -<p>The duke was puzzled what to say. He turned to exchange a few words, in -an undertone, with his son, and then dismissed the Amazons, charging -them, on the peril of their lives, not to lose sight of the girl, and -promising the latter to have the matter investigated on the following -day.</p> - -<p>In Siamese life the lights and shadows are equally strong. At once -brilliant and gloomy, smiling and sombre, lighted as by the radiance of -dawn, and at the same time enveloped in the darkness of night.</p> - -<p>The branding and enrolling for the day was over. The crowds dispersed -to their various homes.</p> - -<p>When the young man, Nai Dhamaphat, went out, he had but one thought; it -was to follow that girl, and try, if possible, to see her face and hear -her voice again.</p> - -<p>There was something in that face that had changed the whole current of -his being, and had set him, charged with a new force, in the midst of -a little world all by itself, the horizon of which was bounded by her -possible smile.</p> - -<p>He turned his steps towards the grand palace, and gazed upon the place -where she was imprisoned; he was almost at the gate. He wavered in his -mind; custom and his natural reserve forbade him to speak to a strange -woman; with a bewildered air he retraced his steps and went home.</p> - -<p>That part of Bangkok in which Chow P'haya Mândtree lived was laid -out in small squares, each walled in by low ramparts, enclosing the -residence and harem of some great noble; but the duke's palaces were -surrounded by a wall only on three sides, from which ran, parallel to -the river-front, several streets, and among them the gold and silver -streets, so designated from their being inhabited by artists skilled in -the working of those metals.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_89" id="Page_89">[Pg 89]</a></span></p> - -<p>The sun had set when Dhamaphat reached his home, but it was already -night. Here there is no twilight,—that soft messenger that lingers, -unwilling, as it were, to usher in the darkness of night.</p> - -<p>Moonlight, with its silvery touches, rested on the palace roofs and -made even ugliness and decay beautiful. The tall cocoa and betel palms, -moved by the wood-nymphs, fluttered and waved their branches to and -fro, beckoning him nearer and nearer, and presenting a spectacle, -strange, yet lovely in the extreme.</p> - -<p>The bright moon was soon lost to view, except where it penetrated the -thick, overhanging foliage. On the gateway the pendent branches of the -bergamot gave forth a rich perfume. The shrill chirping of myriads of -grasshoppers, which seem never to sleep, with the sounds of distant -music, fell upon his ear, as his father's temples and palaces burst -upon his view, a mingled scene of fairy beauty, artificial elegance, -and savage grandeur,—domes, turrets, enormous trees, and flowers -such as are met with nowhere else beneath the sun. The oldest temples -in Siam stood here, containing strange and wonderful objects, with -stranger and more wonderful recollections attached to them. That one -on the right was once, in the reign of the usurper, P'haya Tak, the -principal stronghold of his ancestors, and where, even after long -years, they were still wont to repair, at a particular moon in every -year, to pray beside the golden pagoda that enshrined the charred -bones of his forefathers. That gray palace had witnessed many a gay -assemblage, held by the old duke, Somdetch Ong Yai, his grandfather.</p> - -<p>He entered the temple, beneath the portal of which were some deeply -graven rhymes from the Vedas, to him equally dark as the dark image of -Buddha that had slumbered for centuries at the base of the glittering -altar. Yet, wonderful as were the objects that met the eye of the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_90" id="Page_90">[Pg 90]</a></span> -young man, he simply prostrated himself before the altar, and turned to -his father's palace.</p> - -<p>A low, open verandah faced the entrance. Choice birds were singing in -their cages, and soft lights of cocoanut-oil were gleaming down upon -them. A number of noblemen were lounging on cool mats, some playing -chess, others engaged in conversation. Slaves were passing round -tempting fruits, and refreshing drinks of spiced wines and cocoanut -nectar.</p> - -<p>Dhamaphat prostrated himself before his father, and took his place -on a low seat. He had no sooner done so, than he was startled by -the entrance of some armed men, who brought in the old Rajpoot, and -stationed him and themselves at the extreme end of the verandah.</p> - -<p>There was something particularly interesting about the prisoner. He was -a tall, slender, alert-looking man, about sixty, fair, with aquiline -features, and expressive and determined countenance. There were lines -on his face that told of hardship and suffering, though these seemed -in no degree to have depressed his spirits, or to have impaired his -youthful vigor and activity. He wore a blue cloak, and an ample turban -of blue silk.</p> - -<p>The duke at length addressed the prisoner, and said: "Rama, you have -committed a crime which, if you had not been my slave, would have -handed you over to the criminal's prison for life, or to instant death; -and now, since your daughter has told us with her own lips, that it -was in her defence you struck the captain of the royal guards, I am -going to pay him a heavy fine, and smother this affair. But only on one -condition, however,—"</p> - -<p>The duke paused for a reply, or some expression of thankfulness.</p> - -<p>None came.</p> - -<p>The old soldier turned his head, and looked at him in serious doubt.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_91" id="Page_91">[Pg 91]</a></span></p> - -<p>After waiting a little while he repeated, "Only on one condition; that -thou sell to us, for our service and pleasure, this daughter of thine, -and we will take better care of her than thou art able to do."</p> - -<p>It was fully half an hour before Rama seemed to comprehend the meaning -of his master's words. He had never thought of <i>his</i> daughter occupying -such a position; he had hardly realized that she was no longer a child. -Now his feeling of caste and race rose up within him; his strong -nature was moved, as he saw her snatched away from him. All manner of -recollections and reveries full of tenderness came whispering at his -heart, and the words: "My lord, to this I can never consent," came -slowly, brokenly forth, as if out of a heart struggling for mastery -over some great emotion.</p> - -<p>The duke sprang to his feet, staggered—for he had been drinking -heavily—up to the chained prisoner, and, clenching his palsied, -trembling hand, he cried in a thundering voice: "You dare to refuse -me! By the gods, I will neither eat nor drink until I have seized and -given her to my lowest slave! and if you do not quickly repent of your -rash refusal, you shall be cast into prison for the rest of your life. -Do you forget what my father did for you, you ungrateful dog?" and his -dark face became purple with rage and fury.</p> - -<p>The old warrior trembled in every limb, not from fear, but from horror. -He knew what to expect from the eldest son of his late master. His -heart burned with indignation. But what could he do? How could he -defend her? He thought bitterly of the weakness that had placed the -honor of his house and race at the mercy of a stranger; that little -ball of opium would have saved her from all possible insult. He groaned -aloud, feeling that this was a just retribution for his innovation upon -the ancient custom of his house, and large tears rolled down his rugged -face.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_92" id="Page_92">[Pg 92]</a></span></p> - -<p>The drowning man, overtaken by the supreme agony, lives, in an instant, -through all his happy and unhappy past. In a single moment he sees the -whole drama of his life reacted before him. Thus it was with Rama; he -recalled with anguish the scenes of Smâyâtee's childhood, her youth -and growing womanhood, all her early gladness, all her bright hopes -and illusions, all her gifts of beauty and affection, which made one -picture with her present degradation, and served only to darken the -riddle of her life to him.</p> - -<p>The courage that had withstood a hungry tiger now gave way before the -picture of the deeper degradation that might, because of his refusal, -befall his child. He flung himself on the ground, and muttered: "She is -yours, my lord."</p> - -<p>"Sa-baye" (good), said the duke, clapping his hands; "I knew you -would give in; you are no fool, Rama. It is the women whom we find so -difficult to manage, when they take an idea into their heads. Take -him away to his cell now," said he, addressing the guards, "to-morrow -we will make it all right, and when the girl comes to the Sala, we -shall apprise her of the high honors in store for her. Here," said -he, throwing some money to the jailers, "go you and make merry till -morning, and be sure and give the prisoner as much as he can eat and -drink."</p> - -<p>The guards departed, leading away a fierce, revengeful-looking old man.</p> - -<p>When they were gone, the duke, addressing Nai Dhamaphat, said: "What -think you of our clemency to our slaves, my son? We would not take -possession of this beautiful girl without the old fellow's consent."</p> - -<p>He then began to laugh, and added: "Ah, she shall be my cup-bearer, and -my good friends here will have an opportunity of admiring her beauty!"</p> - -<p>The son simply bowed his head, in seeming acknowl<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_93" id="Page_93">[Pg 93]</a></span>edgment of his -father's goodness, and after a while retired from the pavilion, passed -over the bridge, and out of the palace gates.</p> - -<p>There could not be a greater difference of character than that which -existed between the duke and his eldest son; the one gross, sensual, -cowardly, the other proud and domineering, yet withal brave, generous, -religious, and impulsive.</p> - -<p>Every year found them farther apart in education, thought, feelings, -hopes, and aspirations. The one standing, as it were, with his foot on -the first step of a ladder that was to lead him towards the highest -ideal of Christianity, the other sunk beyond all hope in the ignorance -of a savage barbarism.</p> - -<p>But now this last scene was too much for the former. It snapped asunder -the fragile cord that still bound him to his father, and placed him in -the position of an antagonist.</p> - -<p>Every nation has certain constitutional peculiarities which give rise -to practices and phases of thought very startling to others, who -are, in such points, differently constituted. The most remarkable -peculiarity of this kind is the reverence with which parents are -regarded in Siam. No matter how unjust, capricious, cruel, and -repulsive a parent may be, a child is bound to reverence his or her -slightest wish as a sacred obligation.</p> - -<p>For Dhamaphat, therefore, even to question his father's actions was, -he felt, a moral dereliction. He was full of remorse and regret, and -thought with despair of the fate that awaited him.</p> - -<p>He had gained a little wooden bridge, which, thrown across a canal, led -him into a lonely field; here he motioned back the slaves who attempted -to follow him, and strode rapidly out into the open country, where he -no longer heard the sounds of revelry, feasting, and licen<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_94" id="Page_94">[Pg 94]</a></span>tious mirth. -Rambling through the many tangled forest-paths, he gradually emerged -into a low, wooded expanse. The air was full of delicious fragrance, -and alive with strange noises. He saw in the distance the calm, -majestic river, all aglow with its myriads of lights and lanterns, yet -it failed to call forth a single reflection; he could picture nothing -but the face of the strange girl, and that haunted him all the way. He -pressed on, tired, feverish, with sad and troubled thoughts; he reached -the wall that skirts the city; throwing some silver to the guards, who -knew him well, he passed out of the gate, and out of the city of the -"Invincible," to the visible archangel of nature.</p> - -<p>Here the solitude was startling; no more streets, no more lights, no -more houses. Even the quiet river seemed to hush on her white and -shining bosom the soft light of the moon, as if it were the face of a -beloved child, until she caught a reflection of its beauty, and was -transfigured down a hundred feet deep, as far as light could penetrate, -into a clear, translucent soul, in its first dreamless sleep.</p> - -<p>Moved by some secret purpose, he hurried on through a profusion of -flowering plants and trees; he passed unnoticed the slender betel and -cocoanut palms, and the numerous species of huge convolvuli "that -coiled around their stately stems, and ran e'en to the limit of the -land," the long lance-leaves of the wild plantains, the rich foliage of -the almonds, the gorgeous oleanders that broke through the green masses -in every variety of tint, from the richest crimson to the lightest -pink. Presently he dashed aside a huge night-blooming cereus, and stood -before a long, low building, a partly ruined monastery, adjoining an -ancient and dilapidated Buddhist temple.</p> - -<p>The monastery was a sort of long, low corridor or hall, lined on each -side with chambers, each about ten feet deep, and lighted by a small -aperture in the wall.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_95" id="Page_95">[Pg 95]</a></span></p> - -<p>It was a gloomy place, old and unhealthy. Poisonous plants, creepers, -and flowers reigned jubilant here, with ruin and desolation for -companions.</p> - -<p>Yet, dismantled, worm-eaten, and ruined as the building appeared, it -had been the school of young Dhamaphat for nearly ten years, and it -was the home of a solitary old man, who had spent forty years of his -lifetime forgetful of friends, affections, food, sleep, and almost -of existence in his contemplations of the mystery of things beyond, -and that still greater mystery called life; his friends and relations -had endeavored by every artifice, the allurements of beauty and every -other imaginable gratification, to divert him from the resolution he -had adopted. Every attempt to dissuade him had been in vain. And now -he had gained a fame as widespread as the most ambitious heart could -desire. Among the people he was known under the title of P'hra Chow -Sâduman, the sainted priest of heaven. Prodigious stories were afloat -about him. Born of noble parents, he had from his early youth practised -an asceticism so rigorous and severe that it had prepared him, it was -thought, for his supernatural mission. It was not only alleged, but -believed, that at the sound of his inspired voice the dead arose and -walked, the sick were healed; that diseases vanished at the touch of -his hand; sinners were converted by his simple admonition; wild beasts -and serpents were obedient to his word; and that in his moments of -ecstasy he floated in the air before the eyes of his disciples, passed -through stone walls and barred gates, and, in fact, could do whatsoever -he willed.</p> - -<p>The crumbling old door of the cell was partly open; no light was -visible; and, as Dhamaphat stood there hesitating whether he would -enter, a low, faint, tremulous sound came out of the darkness within, -and floated upward on the silence of night like the voice of some -celestial chorister.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_96" id="Page_96">[Pg 96]</a></span> It was the Buddhist's evening hymn, or chant, and -the familiar words—</p> - -<p style="margin-left: 20%;"> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">"Nama Buddsa phakava thouraha,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Sama Boodhsa thatsa Phutthang</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Purisa thamma sârâthi</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Sangkhang saranang ga cha mi," etc.,</span><br /> -</p> - -<p>freely translated,</p> - -<p style="margin-left: 20%;"> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">"O thou, who art thyself the light,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Boundless in knowledge, beautiful as day,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Irradiate my heart, my life, my night,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Nor let me ever from thy presence stray!"—</span><br /> -</p> - -<p>touched his better nature and melted his heart. He stooped forward, and -listened to it lovingly as it rose higher and higher, growing more and -more exultant till it caught his trembling spirit, and bore it away -beyond the confines of this world face to face with a Divine Ineffable -Presence full of harmony and beauty.</p> - -<p>His anger and his grief were forgotten.</p> - -<p>So Dhamaphat turned his face to the sky. One moment he stood erect in -an absolute halo of light, the next he was combatting darkly with the -blind shadows of love and hate, cause and effect, merit and demerit, -the endless evolutions of the "wheel" of an irresistible law into which -all things are cast.</p> - -<p>He felt something cold pass over his hand; he started, and became aware -that the good priest had finished his devotions. He tapped gently, and -was told to enter, which he did hesitatingly.</p> - -<p>In the middle of the cell sat the priest, who seemed, even in his old -age, full of the vigor of manhood; his legs were crossed, his arms -folded, and his eyes cast down; he did not even raise them at the -entrance of the young man; he was in that semi-stupor commonly called -contemplation. In one corner a narrow plank, quite bare, and a wooden -pillow served for his bed; beside it an old fan, a pot for water, an -earthen vessel for rice, some rude old<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_97" id="Page_97">[Pg 97]</a></span> instruments and books; beyond -these the cell was bare, damp, cold, slimy, and unhealthy. It was -without any light, save where the moonlight fell in ghastly lights and -shadows through the slits in the wall.</p> - -<p>"My father," said the young man, as he reverently prostrated himself -before the priest, who half opened his dull eyes, and said: "S'amana -phinong" (peace, brother).</p> - -<p>"Alas!" replied Dhamaphat; "in this life there is no peace, no rest, no -freedom from suffering; the endless revolutions of the wheel only crush -out life, to reproduce it again in another form."</p> - -<p>"Take the reins, and ride over it, then," said the priest, -meditatively. "What says the Dharma padam?"<a name="FNanchor_8_8" id="FNanchor_8_8"></a><a href="#Footnote_8_8" class="fnanchor">[8]</a></p> - -<p>"Stop the chariot valiantly; arrest the horses of desire. When thou -hast comprehended that which is made, thou wilt understand that which -is not made,—the uncreate. Some do not know that we must all come to -an end here; but some do know it, and with them all conflicts cease. He -who lives for pleasure only, his passions uncontrolled, immoderate in -his enjoyments, idle and weak, him will the tempter overcome, as the -wind overcomes a worm-eaten tree."</p> - -<p>"If we could live a thousand years, it would be worth our while to -struggle after the pleasures of this world. Death comes too soon. -There are many beginnings, but no ending to life. Let us practise the -four virtues, my brother; they alone are real, satisfactory, the true -illuminators of the mind; without this inward illumination, what is -life but darkness, storms, wild, unconscious tumult, the ceaseless -tumbling of the fierce tides of passion; and death, but exhaustion?"</p> - -<p>"Alas!" cried the young man, in a voice full of emotion; "is life -indeed such an empty void? Is there no compensation anywhere?"</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_98" id="Page_98">[Pg 98]</a></span></p> - -<p>The priest opened wide his half-closed eyes, looked full into -Dhamaphat's face, and remarked: "Thou art strangely disturbed to-night, -my brother. Is it not well with thee?"</p> - -<p>Dhamaphat made no reply.</p> - -<p>There was sympathy, and a touch of tender feeling in the voice of the -priest, as he bent close to his young pupil, and said: "What is thy -suffering? Speak freely to me, and I will aid thee to the utmost of my -ability." Saying this, the priest arose, and passed his hand slowly -over the clefts in the wall. Instantly the moon withdrew her light.</p> - -<p>At this moment the night-owl suddenly gave a harsh and prolonged cry.</p> - -<p>"That bird answers to thy thoughts," said the priest.</p> - -<p>Dhamaphat shuddered; he believed that in the cry of the bird he heard -an echo of his own wild desire to frustrate his father's plans.</p> - -<p>Then in a few stirring words he told the priest of his love for the -Rajpoot's daughter, of her present situation, and of his desire to help -her and her father to escape.</p> - -<p>At the words, "Rajpoot's daughter," the old man started, and there -passed over his face, unseen, an expression of regret mingled with -desire, with which a thirsty man sees afar off, out of his possible -reach, a cup of cold water, for which he is dying, but which is not for -him. Then, as suddenly, he sat down, and resumed his calm exterior.</p> - -<p>A full hour passed in complete silence; the old man and the young man -sat in the darkness, with their faces turned to one another, each on -his side thinking over the same things, and feeling the same impulses.</p> - -<p>"This is very strange," said he, at length; "when I made my annual -pilgrimage to P'hra Batt, last year, a lovely girl, Rama the Rajpoot's -daughter, who called herself Devo Smâyâtee, brought me food every -morning, and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_99" id="Page_99">[Pg 99]</a></span> washed my feet every evening. She was then hardly a -woman, but she filled my heart with a fragrance which is all-abiding. -But," added the priest, in an undertone, as if for himself, "death -carries off a man who is gathering flowers, as a flood sweeps away a -sleeping village. He in whom the desire for the Ineffable (Nirwana) -has sprung up, whose thoughts are not bewildered by love, he is the -'Ordhvamsrotas,' borne on the stream of immortality; he will stand face -to face with the Infinite." He spoke slowly and deliberately, repeating -each word as if they conveyed some peculiar meaning to his mind and -some subtle charm to his senses.</p> - -<p>"Nay, father," rejoined the young man, interrupting him, "you do not -tell me how I can help her."</p> - -<p>The good old priest—for good he was in spite of the strong natural -man within him—turned on Dhamaphat a look partly of sorrow and partly -of affection. Then, drawing towards him one of his mysterious books, -he placed it on his head; with his hands spread out to heaven, he -gradually moved his body to and fro, until his gyrations became rapid -and grotesque, uttering strange prayers and incantations. After a short -time he began to prophesy, and said, in fitful spasms: "Thy father's -days are numbered; the long night for him is at hand; fear not, this -mountain flower will blossom in spring-time on thy bosom."</p> - -<p>For more than an hour a cloud had darkened the sky; the moment the -priest had done prophesying, a ray of moonlight suddenly lighted up -his pale face, and was reflected from his smoothly shaven head like a -luminous circle.</p> - -<p>After gazing upon it for some ten minutes, Dhamaphat began to tremble, -and turned deadly pale; feeling that he was in the presence of a -supernatural being, he once more prostrated himself, and withdrew. Some -secret influence<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_100" id="Page_100">[Pg 100]</a></span> from the priest had for the moment benumbed into icy -coldness and even indifference his ardent love for Smâyâtee.</p> - -<p>It was almost dawn when he sought his couch for rest.</p> - - -<p class="center">A DREAM OF THE NIGHT.</p> - -<p>Meanwhile the prisoner Rama had had a plentiful repast, and was -sleeping heavily, with fatigue and despair for a pillow, on the damp -floor of his cell.</p> - -<p>Towards morning a cold sweat broke out on his brow. He felt creeping -over him an indefinable horror, a sort of nightmare, which he struggled -in vain to shake off. He groaned, panted, and at length sat up with a -tremendous effort.</p> - -<p>In a niche in the wall he fancied he saw a pale, blue, misty outline -of a human figure, so indistinct that at first he could only distrust -his own vision, but gradually it began to take form; at length it was -as clear and palpable as a shape of life. It was the face and figure -of the priest P'hra Chow Sâduman, whom he had met a year ago in the -mountains of P'hra Batt. He was dressed in a loose robe of cloudy -yellow; his legs were crossed, his arms folded across his breast, his -eyes cast down; he seemed to be praying. The shadow of the shade in the -background grew darker, and the form grew lurid, as if surrounded by -fire.</p> - -<p>Rama stared, rubbed his eyes; plainer did the figure of the priest -appear, until it seemed to rise and swell and fill the whole cell. A -dark, heavy mist settled on the prisoner's face, but the apparition -grew brighter. He could bear it no longer; shuddering with horror, he -cried: "Speak, whoever thou art, and tell me thy commands; they shall -be obeyed."</p> - -<p>Suddenly he felt a violent shaking of the ground on which he was -seated; each moment he expected to be<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_101" id="Page_101">[Pg 101]</a></span> hurled into an abyss below; he -clung to the earth, and cried again: "Speak! For by the gods Dâvee and -Dhupiyâ I vow to fulfil thy behest, even if it be to offer thee a human -sacrifice."</p> - -<p>He then perceived a soft cloud filling the cell, and in the centre of -the cloud were luminous characters, which he read thus: "Sell not thy -daughter to the duke."</p> - -<p>The apparition vanished almost as soon as he had deciphered the words. -Rama fell back against the wall of his cell, and awoke.</p> - -<p>It was long before he could collect his scattered faculties, and what -were left to him seemed steeped in illusion; he could only wonder, and -bow in mystified adoration before the niche in his cell.</p> - - -<div class="footnotes"> -<p class="center">FOOTNOTES:</p> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_8_8" id="Footnote_8_8"></a><a href="#FNanchor_8_8"><span class="label">[8]</span></a> Dharma padam, the "Path of Virtue."—Buddhist Bible.</p></div> - -</div> -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_102" id="Page_102">[Pg 102]</a></span></p> - -<p class="ph2"><a name="CHAPTER_XI" id="CHAPTER_XI">CHAPTER XI.</a></p> - -<p class="center">THE HEROISM OF A CHILD.</p> - - -<p>It was morning. All were assembled once more in the great hall, eager -for a termination of their work.</p> - -<p>Fresh troops of men to be enrolled and branded arrived every moment.</p> - -<p>Then came Nai Dhamaphat; the Kromathan, or overseer; and lastly the -Grand Duke, followed by an army of slaves, attendants, scribes, and -cup and punka bearers. As he looked about him he saw, with a gleam of -satisfaction, the veiled figure seated at her post, guarded by Amazons.</p> - -<p>After a few minutes of conversation with the scribe who sat at his -side, he ordered the prisoner Rama Singalee to be brought in.</p> - -<p>No one remembered when the old, white-headed stranger was ushered in. -But every one heard the wild cry of joy that seemed to die away on the -lips of the strange girl, as, throwing off her saree, she sprang across -the hall, and clasped the old man about the neck. After the first -paroxysm of joy was over, she realized that her father was a prisoner; -she looked still hopefully into his face, but, seeing no light there, -laid her head upon the fetters that bound his feet, as if the iron had -entered into her very soul.</p> - -<p>Dhamaphat started, as if struck, and gazed sadly at the girl and her -father.</p> - -<p>Never scene so touching had been presented in that hall before. It -arrested every eye, and filled every heart with sympathy; and it was -no wonder,—the girl was a creature such as that country had never -before produced.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_103" id="Page_103">[Pg 103]</a></span> Her beauty was of the purest Indo-European type, rich -brown complexion, delicate almond-shaped eyes, finely arched eyebrows, -nose almost Greek in the purity of its outlines. Her feet, which had -never worn either sandals or shoes, were large and perfect in shape; -her arms, slender as those of a very young girl, were set off to great -advantage by the metallic and glass bangles she wore; her rich black -hair hung in long braids over a coarse blue bodice, which revealed a -form of faultless proportions; on her breast, suspended by a yellow -cord, was a flat silver ring, on which some mystic characters were -inscribed.</p> - -<p>The wondrous beauty of the prostrate girl filled the father and the son -first with pleasure, then with fascination, afterwards with rapture; -drawn on by irresistible steps, they both arrived, unknown to the -other, at that stage of passion which blinds the sensibilities to -everything else.</p> - -<p>But the desire of one was to possess, the other to rescue.</p> - -<p>The old soldier did not attempt to raise his daughter, but, taking off -his turban, buried his face in it.</p> - -<p>The duke was transported, stupefied; he paused, hesitated, then, -suddenly, without knowing what moved him, he said, in a gentle, tender -voice: "Why, girl? Raise up your head. See! your father is now going to -be set free."</p> - -<p>Smâyâtee lifted up her head, and looked at the speaker with an -expression of childlike gladness and trust that brought to the heart -of the wretch before her the long-lost sense of shame, and he could -not for the moment give utterance to the iniquity he was about to -perpetrate against her; he beckoned to an attendant, however, a sort -of treasurer, with a heavy box, who approached, crawling, and at his -instructions counted upon the floor forty pieces of gold,—sixteen -times the value of an ordinary slave-woman.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_104" id="Page_104">[Pg 104]</a></span></p> - -<p>Rama still covered his face with his turban, so that none could have -told what was passing within him. His daughter laid her hand upon his -arm, saying: "O, my father, the good duke gives us all this gold and -promises us freedom! take it, and thank him, that he may permit us to -return home."</p> - -<p>The unhappy Rajpoot turned a look full of mournful tenderness upon -his child. At the same moment the scribe, who had been industriously -writing, laid a paper before him, and said, in rather an authoritative -manner: "Tham Khai khat thedeo" (make the sale good, i.e., sign the -paper).</p> - -<p>Even now it did not occur to the girl what the paper and the forty -pieces of gold meant.</p> - -<p>To her mind they brought visions of freedom, as her heart yearned for -the hills and groves of her native land. She once more whispered to her -father to "take the money, and thank the duke, that he may let us go -back home."</p> - -<p>But the old man looked at her in silence, seemingly unable to utter -a single word; his breathing came quick and hard, and all at once he -gasped out: "The gods forbid me to sell my daughter to thee, my lord. -Indra, Agni, and the Maruts, at whose roaring every dweller upon earth -trembles, forbid me. O, pardon thy servant, my lord, and let us depart -hence in peace."</p> - -<p>The duke was doubly enraged, because of his last night's promise and -the forty pieces of gold with which he had hoped to bribe him into an -easy parting with his child. He turned to the bewildered Smâyâtee, and -said: "Come hither, girl." But as she only looked at him, and made no -attempt to go nearer, he added: "One thing is certain; this old fool, -thy father, is still drunk, and knows not his mind; he sold you to me -last night, and now he refuses, saying the gods forbid it."</p> - -<p class="center"> -<img src="images/illus07.jpg" alt="nobleman" /> -<a id="illus07" name="illus07"></a> -</p> -<p class="caption"> A YOUNG SIAMESE NOBLEMAN.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_105" id="Page_105">[Pg 105]</a></span></p> - -<p>Smâyâtee turned from the duke to her father, her look changing from -incredulity to surprise, from surprise to anguish, while the duke -continued: "Now it is you who must decide for him; shall I hand him -over to the royal judges to be tried and executed for the crime he is -accused of, or will you consent to be my slave for life? I will make -you rich and happy, and I will give him this gold, and he shall return -in safety to his home."</p> - -<p>He uttered these sentences in a loud, harsh voice, very different from -that in which he had spoken to her a few minutes before.</p> - -<p>When he had finished, the crowd cheered the speech.</p> - -<p>The girl looked at them, and, not knowing why, began to cry.</p> - -<p>This exasperated the duke.</p> - -<p>He blew a small silver whistle; instantly a hand of armed men entered -the hall, and he gave orders that the prisoner should be conveyed to -the supreme court to be tried for attacking the chief officer of the -royal guard, with intent to murder him, while he was on duty.</p> - -<p>At this instant the girl seemed to take her resolution; she crawled -up to the savage duke's feet, laid her head down upon them and kissed -them, saying: "I consent to be thy slave, my lord. O, give not my -father up to the king's officers."</p> - -<p>The duke countermanded his orders.</p> - -<p>"Yes," said she, her face suddenly transfigured, beaming with the -twofold radiance of beauty and nobility of soul, "strike off his -chains, and let him go free, dear, good lord."</p> - -<p>There were no longer any arms being pricked with lancet-shaped needles. -There were no longer any scribes enrolling the people's names. There -were only fixed eyes, listening ears, and beatings of sympathetic -hearts. The crowd was dimly conscious of the sublimity of the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_106" id="Page_106">[Pg 106]</a></span> act; -they were thrilled, awed, as much by her beauty as by the simplicity of -her heroic self-sacrifice.</p> - -<p>But Dhamaphat, who felt more deeply than the rest, noted how suddenly -she had overcome her horror, how readily she had sacrificed herself for -her father, and thought he saw in her face the effulgence of a heavenly -light.</p> - -<p>The order was given, and the Rajpoot was free. One final embrace, one -look of triumph and despair from the girl, and she was led away by some -female attendants.</p> - -<p>Rama disappeared in the crowd, regardless of the gold, and the paper -which his daughter had signed.</p> - -<p>The work of branding and enrolling went on again, and the red light of -the noonday sun shone upon the walls of the palace as if no young heart -had been broken within its halls that day.</p> - -<p>Dhamaphat left his work and went away, cursing the old priest, his -tutor, and himself, in the impotency of his rage and sorrow.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_107" id="Page_107">[Pg 107]</a></span></p> - - - - -<p class="ph2"><a name="CHAPTER_XII" id="CHAPTER_XII">CHAPTER XII.</a></p> - -<p class="center">THE INTERIOR OF THE DUKE CHOW P'HAYA MÂNDTREE'S HAREM.</p> - - -<p>Every harem is a little world in itself, composed entirely of -women,—some who rule, others who obey, and those who serve. Here -disinterestedness vanishes out of sight. Each one is for herself. -They are nearly all young women, but they have the appearance of -being slightly blighted. Nobody is too much in earnest, or too much -alive, or too happy. The general atmosphere is that of depression. -They are bound to have no thought for the world they have quitted, -however pleasant it may have been; to ignore all ties and affections; -to have no care but for one individual alone, and that the master. -But if you became acquainted with some of these very women under -favorable conditions,—very rare, however,—you might gather glimpses -of recollections of the outer world, of earlier life and strong -affections, of hearts scarred and disfigured and broken, of suppressed -sighs and unuttered sobs, that would dispose you to melancholy -reflections and sad forebodings, and, if you were by nature tender, -to shedding of tears. Their dress and manners often betray all sorts -of peculiarities, and yet all is harmonious outwardly. They are -unconscious of the terrible defacement they have undergone. Yet it -sometimes happens that this same little world has its greatness, and -always when a woman becomes a mother her life changes; she passes from -the ignoble to the noble; then she becomes pure, worthy, honorable.</p> - -<p>The wall that surrounded the duke's palaces and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_108" id="Page_108">[Pg 108]</a></span> temples enclosed -also about five hundred houses, with gardens and artificial lakes and -fountains and aviaries. Most of the houses were built of solid masonry, -with here and there a theatre of carved wood; the streets were narrow, -and the covered bazaars in no way remarkable except for the shops of -female jewellers, gold and silversmiths. All the palaces and temples -faced the river. The oldest Hindoo temple stood here, beside a Buddhist -temple and monastery, from which the priests who officiated in the -duke's household were supplied. The most remarkable edifice, however, -was the duke's tower, or summer-house, of four lofty stories, opening -all round into arches, made entirely of carved wood, and richly gilt. -It commanded a magnificent view of the river, and overlooked more than -one half of the city of Bangkok. When you mount the highest chamber, -you open your eyes upon a scene too solemnly and mysteriously beautiful -to be adequately described. You seem to be midway in the air, looking -down upon a city of temples and palaces, gardens, lakes, minarets, -pagodas and p'hra-chai-dees; thousands of boats glide noiselessly over -the silver floor that winds on forever. The great height hushes out -even the joyous voices that are hushed nowhere else. In the gloom at -the upper end of the river many a boatman, perched on the prow of his -boat, seems like the Angel of Death guiding some helpless passenger to -the silent shore. And overhead the sky looks like some blue door, such -as must lead straight into heaven.</p> - -<p>In every ducal or royal harem there are a great many buildings designed -and built for the express purpose of training and educating the women, -and every girl has to go through certain forms and observances before -she is admitted among the favored ones.</p> - -<p>The female teachers, physicians, and judges, who are placed over them, -generally receive a careful professional<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_109" id="Page_109">[Pg 109]</a></span> education,—the best the -country can supply. Mere children are often taken into these places and -trained to be actresses, dancers, musicians, and singers.</p> - -<p>Every department has a superintendent, who is generally a lady of high -rank, and is responsible to the duke only.</p> - -<p>The mode of teaching in the schools is peculiar; no books are used by -the pupils, who are placed in rows, with female officers in attendance -to administer the rattan in all cases of inattention. The teacher -either reads or sings the first line of a poem, or plays the first bar -of an air; the head pupil repeats it after her, and so on to the last -girl in the class; then all together, until they have learned it by -heart. Dancing and gymnastics are taught in the same way.</p> - -<p>Often a hundred different airs and poems are committed to memory by -very young girls, who are thus converted into walking libraries.</p> - -<p>Smâyâtee was led into the adytum of the duke's palace, conducted to a -small chamber, and left there; while her guards betook themselves to -their dinner. Very soon, the rumor of her great beauty having spread, -nearly all the lovely girls in the harem rushed in to get a glimpse -of her; but finding her closely veiled, and that no persuasion could -prevail with her to uncover her face, they gradually departed, one -young woman only remaining behind, sitting apart in silent sympathy.</p> - -<p>After a while two female physicians came in, talking in low tones one -to the other. They then proceeded to question the girl, and to all of -their questions she returned modest replies; after they were satisfied -they bade her unrobe, which she did with some little hesitancy. When -she laid aside her veil, her eyes met those of her silent visitor; an -indescribable something beamed from every feature of the stranger, -and they became friends.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_110" id="Page_110">[Pg 110]</a></span> The physicians then examined the girl, just -as if she were an animal; having finished their inventory of her -perfections and imperfections, they dropped a few pleasant words, and -departed. Smâyâtee had no sooner dressed herself and taken her place -close to her new friend, and they had in the brief moment exchanged -names, when another batch of women appeared, and told her to follow -them. She rose, and went out, holding her new friend's hand. After -passing through a dark and silent street, they brought her to a marble -building, with baths and fountains all round it. Here she was again -told to undress, and take her place on a marble couch. With her eyes -she pleadingly besought her friend to stay, who did so, seated, leaning -against a pillar. The bathers then anointed Smâyâtee's person with a -fragrant preparation; when she was completely besmeared they suspended -their labors, in order to let the stuff dry on the poor girl, who -knew no more what was going to be done to her than if she had been a -little kitten; and as she sat there, her skin glowing and her heart -palpitating, she heard herself discussed by the bathers, whose language -she only partially understood. But she heard enough to realize the life -in store for herself. After half an hour they seized her again, rubbed -off briskly the dried paste, and showered buckets of hot and cold water -upon her. Another set of women now took charge of the poor girl, and -dressed her in beautiful silk robes, like those worn by the Loatian -women of high rank. Her hair was combed, perfumed, and ornamented -with flowers, finally she was conducted to a pretty little house, -luxuriously fitted up, and left in the charge of a number of female -slaves.</p> - -<p>Smâyâtee now wore a new veil of Indian gauze, but she would rather have -kept the old one. She cowered down in a corner, and laid her tired head -in the lap of her new<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_111" id="Page_111">[Pg 111]</a></span> friend, who began patting and soothing her, -without uttering a single word.</p> - -<p>Most girls, as soon as they have overcome the horror which such a -life must naturally inspire in the young and enthusiastic, begin to -calculate on their chances of promotion to the highest place in the -harem.</p> - -<p>As for Smâyâtee, no thought but of escape presented itself to her mind; -her nature was too wild and untamed to be flattered by the luxuries -that now surrounded her; she looked upon them only as so many fetters. -All kinds of wild plans for running away took violent possession of -her brain; but the soothing influence of the bath, combined with the -exhaustion of the day, overcame her, and she was soon sound asleep.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_112" id="Page_112">[Pg 112]</a></span></p> - - - - -<p class="ph2"><a name="CHAPTER_XIII" id="CHAPTER_XIII">CHAPTER XIII.</a></p> - -<p class="center">A NIGHT OF MYSTERIES.</p> - - -<p>Mai Chandra, Smâyâtee's new friend, redoubled her tenderness and -sisterly love for the poor, forlorn girl when she found that she -was asleep. As midnight approached, she gently placed her head on a -cushion, and then went home to her supper, deeply in love with the -beautiful stranger.</p> - -<p>The Duke Chow P'haya Mândtree's pavilion was thronged, as usual, with -courtiers and nobles. All manner of attractions and diversions were -there. The duke himself, partly intoxicated, sat amidst them, boasting -of the rare purchase he had made that day: "She is so beautiful," said -he to one of his boon companions, "that she inspires me as this glass -of English brandy does." And he filled and refilled the jewelled goblet -out of which he drank.</p> - -<p>This man, in his whole person, was a type of many who may be seen any -day in Siam,—a human being sunk in the lowest depths of sensualism -and savage barbarity. From his hair, which was a dull gray, his -wrinkled brow, his livid lips and watery eyes, there breathed forth an -atmosphere which would have repelled even the mother who bore him.</p> - -<p>At one time it was his intention to have Smâyâtee brought into the -pavilion, that his friends might judge of her beauty; but, with his -faculties already greatly enfeebled by the immoderate use of English -brandy, he forgot his purpose.</p> - -<p>At length the distant sounds of trumpets, conch-shells,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_113" id="Page_113">[Pg 113]</a></span> and the -ringing of multitudinous pagoda-bells proclaimed the last hour of -day,—i.e. midnight. The nobles, courtiers, and friends retired and -some elderly female attendants appeared; to them the duke gave orders -to have the new slave-girl conducted to the upper story of his summer -tower.</p> - -<p>The day had been hot and sultry; no clouds were to be seen, except low -on the eastern horizon, where they stretched in lengthened ridges of -gold and purple, like the border between earth and sky.</p> - -<p>As the women departed on their mission, a dark, heavy mass of clouds -rose in the black outline of the distant hills. A sudden gust of wind, -in fits and starts and snatches, came sweeping up the river, and tossed -its waters wildly against the banks; then flashed incessant lightnings, -and the winds rang and roared as though they heralded with joy the -coming thunder-storm. Suddenly the moon was blurred with clouds, -and the tempest raged outright. In the midst of the storm the poor -terrified girl was roused from her slumbers, led to the lofty chamber, -and left alone, while the attendants retired to one of the little -alcoves to be in waiting.</p> - -<p>Rama—who had that day made a circuit of the walls, and had promenaded -every nook and corner in the vain hope of finding some means of -getting, unseen, into the duke's palace, had hired a boat, and was -sailing wildly up and down the river in front of it, laying desperate -plans of finding his daughter and carrying her off at any risk and -peril—was at the same moment, by one mighty sweep of the water, dashed -on the banks that bounded on one side the gardens and temples of the -palace. He staggered to his feet, and raised his head to the dreadful -sky. A sudden flash of lightning revealed the gilded top of the lofty -summer tower and the tapering summits of the Buddhist and Hindoo -temples.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_114" id="Page_114">[Pg 114]</a></span></p> - -<p>With a dreadful purpose burning in his heart, he walked straight on -to the latter building, which was dimly lighted, and stood open as if -inviting him to take shelter under its sacred roof. He entered. Happy -memories, every sweet emotion he had known, came crowding upon him, as -he once more recognized, in the partial darkness, the faint outlines of -the images of his long-forgotten gods, Dâvee and Indra and Dhupiyâ.</p> - -<p>There is compensation in all things. He had lost his child, and found -his gods. Joy and sorrow are bound up in every event of life,—even -as opposite poles are inseparable in the magnet. The pity is that the -night of trouble is at times so dark that the interwoven gold with -which Providence relieves the woof of calamity remains undiscovered.</p> - -<p>Thus it was with Rama; there was joy and sorrow in his heart as he -bowed before the gods of his fathers, but there was hatred and revenge -there too, mingled with dark and bloody thoughts.</p> - -<p>"Life is now a useless gift, an insupportable burden," groaned Rama.</p> - -<p>In how many lives there lurks a hidden romance or a hidden terror. No -one was near to mark the secret workings of this terrible man's nature. -He recalled his home on the hills of Orissa, the yearly sacrifice that -his fathers had been wont to offer up on Dâvee's altar, and he suddenly -resolved that he would himself be the sacrifice to his long-forgotten -and neglected gods.</p> - -<p>Only one person could have saved him from his rash purpose, and she was -sitting up there alone, midway between earth and heaven. He slowly drew -out from his cumberbund a glittering knife, and his expression became -exultant as he felt its sharp edge.</p> - -<p>Not all the gods, not all the love-lit eyes, not all the hills of -Orissa, can move him from his purpose now. He<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_115" id="Page_115">[Pg 115]</a></span> laid the knife upon the -altar, and cried aloud to the insatiable Earth Goddess.</p> - -<p>"O Dâvee, thou hast been unworshipped for years; multitudes crowd thy -sister temples, but thine they pass unnoticed by. Behold my child now -in the grasp of the spoiler. Defend, preserve her, that her honor may -shine bright among men, and I will pour out to thee the life of my -heart. Drink of my blood, and be revenged on the defiler of my house -and my race."</p> - -<p>Then, snatching up the knife, he waved it thrice over his head, and -thrust it into his side. Leaning forward, he tried to picture his -child's face, but could not for the light that love threw around her, -and the mist that death wrapped round him; he drew nearer to his -childhood's God, and, drawing out the knife, fell down at its feet, -turning up his face to it, reverently, lovingly; and there was joy—joy -of conscious strength, of victory—mingling with the life-blood of the -heart that was fast flowing away forever.</p> - -<p>It is two o'clock. The night is changed. The storms and clouds and -darkness are all dispersed. The blue sky has thrown aside her veils, -and the moon rides serenely in limitless range, undimmed by a single -fleck of cloud. The very air breathes sweetness and perfume and peace.</p> - -<p>But of all the mysteries of the night there is one yet to be solved.</p> - -<p>Smâyâtee still sits on one of the sills of the arches in the topmost -chamber of the summer tower, nearest to where the women have retired -out of sight. She hears them whispering. She hears, too, some one -slowly mounting the stairs; the footsteps are heavy, and sound like -those of an aged man. She looks around to see if there is any way by -which she may escape. The tower has but a single spiral stairway. -She remains still and motionless. In a few minutes the sound of the -footsteps<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_116" id="Page_116">[Pg 116]</a></span> comes nearer; through the archway opposite, the tottering -figure of a dark, heavy man enters and approaches her. In the dim light -she looks up at him with a terror-stricken, pleading face, daring -neither to breathe nor speak; she shrinks away to the other side, where -the women are in waiting. The duke, rather admiring her coyness, laughs -a drunken laugh, and attempts to follow her. In crossing the threshold -he stumbles. In trying to recover his footing he is thrown back. His -head strikes violently against a massive gold spittoon.</p> - -<p>A wild cry, and Smâyâtee rushes from her hiding-place, springs across -the prostrate figure, down the flights of stairs, and through the -labyrinths of flowering shrubs and plants, to hide herself beside a low -tank of water.</p> - -<p>The attendants and slaves who were lying around heard wild cries for -help proceeding from the summer tower, and hurried to the spot with -lamps and lanterns. All the piazzas, streets, gardens, and avenues are -alive with anxious faces and inquiring looks.</p> - -<p>The duchess's fears are aroused. She too summons her maidens with their -lanterns, and sets out for the tower.</p> - -<p>Suddenly she stops.</p> - -<p>A few steps from her she sees an object dressed in bright colors, -crouching in a pool of rain-water by the tank. She stooped to -scrutinize the figure, and found it was that of a young and strange -girl. She bent over her again, and said, gently, "Why art thou hiding -here, my child?"</p> - -<p>"I am afraid of him, dear lady," replied the girl, pointing to the -lofty chamber.</p> - -<p>"Afraid! art thou, indeed?" said she, a little coldly, remembering the -news of the day; "didst thou not sell thyself to the duke in spite of -thy father's wishes?"</p> - -<p>"O yes, I did, dear lady," replied Smâyâtee; "but—" and she began to -cry bitterly, and could not say another word for her tears and sobs.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_117" id="Page_117">[Pg 117]</a></span></p> - -<p>The true woman triumphed in the "wife," for she put out her arms, -and raised the forlorn stranger to her bosom, and comforted her with -such words as women who have great and loving hearts only can. Then, -confiding her to the tender care of her own women, she went on her way -to find out the meaning of those dreadful cries.</p> - -<p>Nai Dhamaphat, who had been watching in sadness and despair the -marvellous expression of Nature's tears and smiles, was the first to -mount the spiral staircase, to find his father in the last agonies of -death. He takes him up gently, with the assistance of the women, and -places him on his luxurious couch.</p> - -<p>The duke is dead.</p> - -<p>Everything is forgotten. He sees the pale face of the duchess, his -mother, that silent woman, and, catching a glimpse of the bitter sorrow -of that patient soul, who was so worthy of his father's love in her -right of youth and beauty,—the foremost to love him, the last and only -woman of all those whom he had wronged to mourn him,—he bows his head -and weeps. The son and the mother are drawn closer than ever. They two -had suffered in silence apart. Now they sorrowed together.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_118" id="Page_118">[Pg 118]</a></span></p> - - - - -<p class="ph2"><a name="CHAPTER_XIV" id="CHAPTER_XIV">CHAPTER XIV.</a></p> - -<p class="center">"WEEPING MAY ENDURE FOR A NIGHT, BUT JOY COMETH IN THE MORNING."</p> - - -<p>A year has passed since the occurrence of the fearful events here -related.</p> - -<p>The river in front of the palace is thronged with a numerous procession -of gayly gilded boats and barges.</p> - -<p>It is the morning after the cremation of the Duke Chow P'haya Mândtree.</p> - -<p>The king, with sixty or more nobles and princes of the land, all armed -and in regal attire, presides in the grand hall of the late duke's -palace.</p> - -<p>The duchess and her two sons, and a fair sprinkling of Siamese ladies -and children, are here assembled. A vast number of serfs, soldiers, -pages, and women are in waiting.</p> - -<p>Around the deep embrasure formed by the windows in the massive wall, -there ran a low seat, the space thus occupied being raised as a kind of -dais above the general level of the floor. Here were seated on either -side of the wall the principal officers, male and female, of the duke's -household, headed by the priests of Brahma and of Buddha, who were to -play a part in the important drama of the day.</p> - -<p>The hall is hung with tapestry of the most original design, for the -birds and beasts and flowers which are pictured there had surely never -prototypes, unless in some lost geological formation, though patterns -very like them seemed to be unanimously adopted as models by all the -fair embroideresses of Siam.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_119" id="Page_119">[Pg 119]</a></span></p> - -<p>In the middle of the dais were two ducal chairs of state. On one was -seated a young girl, very closely veiled, on the other the young duke, -now Chow P'haya Dhamaphat; over them is spread a canopy of white -muslin, decorated with the sweetest white flowers.</p> - -<p>The girl, beneath her white veil, thinks it all perfection, and her -eyes light up, and her cheeks burn, and her heart beats in perplexing -fashion; and Dhamaphat believes that he alone holds the key to the -temple of Elysium.</p> - -<p>It is one of those rare occasions when the whole assembly is rapt in -the regions of fancy.</p> - -<p>The old priest, P'hra Chow Sâduman is there too, and he often raises -his eyes in admiration, and his heart in prophecy of a propitious -marriage. At length he begins the grand, old, harmonious nuptial chant, -and all the priests of Buddha and of Brahma join in sonorous concert, -and through the canopy over the happy couple the typical waters of -consecration, in which had been previously infused certain leaves and -shrubs emblematic of purity, sweetness, and usefulness, are gently -showered.</p> - -<p>And now Smâyâtee's earnest friend, Mai Chandra, with her tender -mother-in-law, the duchess, conduct her, all dripping, by a screened -passage, to a chamber magnificently appointed, where she is divested of -her former apparel, and arrayed in robes becoming her now lofty station.</p> - -<p>Then Chow P'haya Dhamaphat is ushered in. At the moment of his entrance -Smâyâtee rises to throw herself at his feet, according to the custom of -the country; but he prevents her, embraces her in the European manner, -and presents her, standing upright by his side, to his relatives, with -which the ceremony for the day terminates.</p> - -<p>There is a general move towards the gateway by which P'hra Chow Sâduman -is to pass. All, even the king, press to the front and fall on their -knees to ask his<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_120" id="Page_120">[Pg 120]</a></span> blessing. He blesses them in a broken voice; he is -strangely moved to-day.</p> - -<p>Yet another year, and in this same palace nowhere will you find a -trace of either Dhamaphat, Smâyâtee, or the gentle duchess. A younger -brother fills his place, and is lord over all, following closely in the -footsteps of his late father.</p> - -<p>Far away, near the suburbs of Bijree Puree, i.e. the Diamond City, -stands a lovely little cottage, where the ex-duke, his mother, and his -sweet wife reside. He has freely resigned all the splendor and state of -his position for the quiet and peace of a country life; and nothing is -wanting here. The grand old trees are dressed in tender green, and the -bright sun touches with its golden-yellow light every nook and corner -of the lovely scene around.</p> - -<p>The cottage within is furnished partly in the European and partly in -the Oriental style. There are here no slaves, but hired servants, who -have an air of freedom, loyalty, and comfort about them very delightful -to witness.</p> - -<p>In an inner chamber is Smâyâtee, rocking a little boy to sleep in a -rude Laotian crib, with a mystic Hindoo triform suspended over it,—she -cannot make up her mind to put him into the European cradle which -stands close by; she fears some secret evil influence may lurk about -its pretentious aspect,—and the boy, with his finger in his mouth, -looks at his mother as if he felt she was divinely beautiful, and could -not bring himself to shut his dreamy eyes for the light upon her face.</p> - -<p class="center"> -<img src="images/illus08.jpg" alt="girl" /> -<a id="illus08" name="illus08"></a> -</p> -<p class="caption"> SMÂYÂTEE.</p> - -<p>Nai Dhamaphat has become a convert to the Roman Catholic faith, but his -pagan wife cannot be persuaded to forsake the gods who have brought her -so much happiness, to whom her father sacrificed his brave life, and -therefore she has raised an altar in her nursery to Dâvee and Dhupiyâ -and Indra. Her father's ashes, too,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_121" id="Page_121">[Pg 121]</a></span> rest here in a golden pagoda; -but with the true, loving, tender veneration of her womanly nature, -she has exalted over them all, in a niche on either side of the altar, -an image of the Christ, and another of the Virgin Mary with her infant -Son in her arms. These, in their symmetry and beauty, are to her the -most beautiful of the gods upon her altar. In those porcelain images of -the Christ, and the Mother with her tiny Infant, she feels that there -is something higher, purer, loftier, than in the forms of her own dear -gods, and she bows in worship, and trembles at the height to which her -thoughts of that Mother and her Son elevate her soul.</p> - -<p>Her religion, you can see at a glance, is not a gloomy one like that -of her ancestors. There is a smile all over the chamber, and happiness -all over her sweet face. Loving everything in her purity, worshipping -everything in her humility, morning and evening she raises her eyes -and her heart from those sombre old gods of hers to the tender ones of -her husband; and this quiet pagan city has never before been lighted -up with such a gleam of heaven upon earth as when her evening prayer -bursts into song:—</p> - -<p style="margin-left: 20%;"> -<span style="margin-left: 2em;">"To Thee are all my acts, my days,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 2em;">And all my lore, and all my praise,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 2em;">My food, my gifts, my sacrifice,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 2em;">And all my helplessness and cries.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 3em;">Dâvee! leave my spirit free,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 2em;">And thy pure soul bequeath to me</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Unshackled. Let me in thine essence share,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 3em;">Let me dwell in thee forever,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">And thou, O Dâvee! dwell in me."</span><br /> -</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_122" id="Page_122">[Pg 122]</a></span></p> - - - - -<p class="ph2"><a name="CHAPTER_XV" id="CHAPTER_XV">CHAPTER XV.</a></p> - -<p class="center">THE FAVORITE OF THE HAREM.</p> - - -<p>The morning on which his Majesty set out on his annual visit to -Pitchaburee was one of those which occur in the climate of Siam at -almost any season of the year, but are seen in their perfection only in -October. The earth, air, and sky seemed to bask in a glory of sunlight -and beauty, and everything that had life gave signs of perfect and -tranquil enjoyment. Not a sound broke the stillness, and there seemed -nothing to do but to sit and watch the long shadows sleeping on the -distant hills, and on the warm golden fields of waving corn.</p> - -<p>Reluctantly quitting my window, I turned my steps toward the palace, -leaving all this beauty behind me in a kind of despair; not that my -temple school-room was not in itself a delicious retreat, but that it -always impressed me with a feeling I could never analyze; when there, -it seemed as if I were removed to some awful distance from the world I -had known, and were yet more remotely excluded from any participation -in its real life.</p> - -<p>Taking out my book, I sat down to await the coming of such of my pupils -as might not have accompanied the king on his visit.</p> - -<p>In the course of an hour, only one presented herself; she was a young -woman called Choy, a fair and very handsome girl of about twenty -summers, or perhaps not so many, with regular features,—a very rare -thing in a Siamese woman; but the great beauty of her face was in her -large lustrous eyes, which were very eloquent, even in their seeming -indifference. Her hair, which was so long<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_123" id="Page_123">[Pg 123]</a></span> that when unbound it -covered her whole person, even to her feet, was tied in a large knot -behind, and ornamented with the jessamine and Indian myrtle. She had a -careless, and I might almost say even a wicked, expression in her face, -which was slightly marked with the smallpox.</p> - -<p>Choy was the youngest sister of the head wife (or concubine) Thieng, -and had been my pupil for about six months. This morning she brought -me a flower; it was a common wild-flower, that grew up everywhere in -great profusion, making a lovely carpet, blossoming as it did in every -nook and crevice of the stone pavements within the palace. It was just -like her to snatch up the first thing that attracted her, and then to -give it away the very next moment. But I received it with pleasure, and -made a place for her at my side. She seemed to be out of humor, and, -jerking herself impatiently into the seat, said abruptly: "Why don't -you despise me, as all the rest of them do?" Then, without waiting for -an answer, she went on to say: "I can't be what you wish me to be; I'm -not coming to school any more! Here's my book! I don't want it, I hate -English!"</p> - -<p>"Why, Choy, what is the matter?" I inquired.</p> - -<p>"I am tired of trying to do so much; I am not going to learn English -any more," she replied.</p> - -<p>"Don't say so, Choy," I said, kindly; "you can't do everything at once; -you must learn by degrees, and little by little, you know. No one grows -good or clever at once."</p> - -<p>"But I won't learn any more, even to grow good and clever. There's no -use, no one will ever care for me or love me again. I wish they had let -me die that time," she continued. "Bah! I could kill that stupid old -consul who saved my life. It were better to be quartered, and cast to -the crows and vultures, than to live here.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_124" id="Page_124">[Pg 124]</a></span> Every one orders me about -as if I were a slave, and treats me like a dog. I wish I could drown -myself and die."</p> - -<p>"But, Choy, you are here now, and you must try to bear it more bravely -than you do," I said, not fully understanding the passionate nature of -the woman.</p> - -<p>"Mam," she said, suddenly, laying her hand upon my arm, "what would you -do if you were in my place and like me?"</p> - -<p>"Like you, Choy? I don't quite understand you; you must explain -yourself before I can answer you."</p> - -<p>"Listen, then," she said, passionately, "and I will tell you."</p> - -<p>"When I was hardly ten years old,—O, it seems such a long, long time -ago!—my mother presented me, her favorite child, as a dancing-girl, to -his Majesty. I was immediately handed over to that vicious old woman, -Khoon Som Sak, who was at that time the chief teacher of the dramatic -art in the palace. She is very clever, and knows all the ancient epic -poems by heart, especially the Rāmāyānā, which his Majesty delighted to -see dramatized.</p> - -<p>"Under her tuition we were subjected to the most rigorous training, -mentally and physically; we were compelled to leap and jump, to twist -and contort our bodies, and bend our arms, fingers, and ankles in every -direction, till we became so supple that we were almost like young -canes of rattan, and could assume any posture the old hag pleased. -Then we had to learn long passages from all sorts of poets by heart, -with perfect correctness, for if we ever forgot even a single word, -or did not put it in its right place, we were severely beaten. What -with recitations, singing, dancing, playing, and beating time with our -feet, we had a hard life of it; and it was no play for our instructress -either, for there were seventy of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_125" id="Page_125">[Pg 125]</a></span> us girls to be initiated into all -the mysteries of the Siamese drama.</p> - -<p>"At length, with some half-dozen of my companions, I was pronounced -perfect in the art, and was permitted to enter my name among the envied -few who played and danced and acted before the king.</p> - -<p>"I would not have you think that the tasks imposed upon me were always -irksome, or that I have always felt so depressed and unworthy as I do -now. The study of the poets, and above all of the Rāmāyānā, opened to -me a new world as it were; and it was a great gain to have even this, -with the half-smothered yearning for life in the outer world that it -inspired. It helped me to live in a world of my own creation, a world -of love, music, and song. Rama was my hero, and I imagined myself the -fair and beautiful Sita, his wife. I particularly delighted to act that -part of the poem describing Rama's expedition to Lanka<a name="FNanchor_9_9" id="FNanchor_9_9"></a><a href="#Footnote_9_9" class="fnanchor">[9]</a> to rescue -Sita from the tyrant Râwânâ, and their delicious meeting in the garden, -where Rama greets her with those beautiful lines,—</p> - -<p style="margin-left: 20%;"> -<span style="margin-left: 3em;">'O, what joy! abundant treasures</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 3em;">I have won again to-day,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 3em;">O, what joy! Of Sita Yanee<a name="FNanchor_10_10" id="FNanchor_10_10"></a><a href="#Footnote_10_10" class="fnanchor">[10]</a></span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 3em;">Now the hard-won prize is mine.</span></p> -<p> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">O, what joy! again thou livest, within this breast.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">So mighty, armed with love, and with the wealth of heaven beyond<a name="FNanchor_11_11" id="FNanchor_11_11"></a><a href="#Footnote_11_11" class="fnanchor">[11]</a></span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Soon shall Sita, Indara's fairest daughter,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Stand by my side, as stands her matchless mother,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Aspārā, in heaven refulgent by the great Indara.'</span><br /> -</p> - -<p>"My face is slightly pock-marked I know; but when painted and dressed -in the court jewels I looked remarkably well as Sita, with my hair -floating away over my shoulders and down to my feet, bound only by an -exquisite crown of gold, such as Sita is supposed to have<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_126" id="Page_126">[Pg 126]</a></span> worn. On -the very first occasion of my performing before the king I had to take -part in this drama. As soon as we had got through the first scene, the -king inquired my name and age. This set my heart beating in great wild -throbs all through the rest of the play. But after this weeks passed -by, and I heard nothing more from his Majesty. He had forgotten me.</p> - -<p>"I grew tired of reciting, and keeping time, and singing my sweetest -songs for no one's amusement but that of the old hag, who made me work -like a slave for the benefit of the rest of her pupils.</p> - -<p>"I began to wish there would be some great <i>fête</i> outside of the -palace, where all the court, nobles and princes, and the king, would -assemble, and where I could act Sita and sing like Narawèke,<a name="FNanchor_12_12" id="FNanchor_12_12"></a><a href="#Footnote_12_12" class="fnanchor">[12]</a> and -dance like Thawadee.<a name="FNanchor_13_13" id="FNanchor_13_13"></a><a href="#Footnote_13_13" class="fnanchor">[13]</a></p> - -<p>"Then father and mother might see me too, and O, how pleased they would -be! I thought. You do not know how dull it is to be acting before -women, and with women only, dressed in robes of kings and princesses. -If it were only a real king, or a prince, or even a noble, it would not -be quite so bad; but all that mockery of love, bah! it is too stupid. -I was sick of my life. I wished mother had kept me at home, instead of -Chand. I could then have done just what I had a mind to, and have been -just as gay and idle as she was.</p> - -<p>"Well! the day came at last. I was all but sixteen when that great and -eventful day arrived. The <i>fête</i> was in honor of the king's grandson's -hair-cutting.</p> - -<p>"Though I had performed several times at the court, his Majesty had -taken no further notice of me, and I was sorely discontented with -myself, piqued at the indifference of the king, and enraged against the -old ladies, who seized every opportunity to snub me, and take down my<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_127" id="Page_127">[Pg 127]</a></span> -pride, declaring that a pock-marked face was not a fit offering for the -king.</p> - -<p>"The longed-for day arrived at length. How elated I was! I had to -represent the character of the wondrously beautiful Queen Thèwâdee -in one of those ancient dramas of Maha Nagkhon Watt, whose beauty is -said to have entranced even the wild beasts of the forest, so that -they forgot to seize upon their prey as her shadow passed near them. -My dress was of magnificent silk and gold, covered with precious gems; -my crown was an antique and lovely coronet, one that had graced the -brows of the queens of Cambodia. It was richly studded with rubies -and diamonds. The first day of my rehearsal in this costume, all my -companions declared that I looked enchantingly beautiful, that my -fortune was made, and that, if I would only look and act thus, I -could not fail to captivate the king. The bare idea of being elevated -above my hateful old teacher, and above some of the proud women who -domineered over me, half intoxicated me. In this mood I began to -realize my future as already at hand, and, growing impatient with my -doubts and fears, I sought at nightfall a crafty old female astrologer -named Khoon Hate Nah. She took me into a dark and dismal cell -underground, and, putting her ear to my side, numbered the pulsation of -my heart for a whole hour; she then bound my eyes, and bade me select -one of the dark books that lay around me. This done, she expounded to -me my whole future, out of her mysterious book of fate, in which all -my romantic visions of greatness were as clearly predicted as if the -old fiend himself had revealed to her my secret and innermost thoughts. -I was troubled only at one part of the old woman's revelations, which -said, that, though I was destined to rise to the greatest honors in -the realm, a certain malignant star which would greatly influence my -destiny would be in ascen<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_128" id="Page_128">[Pg 128]</a></span>dency during the month of Duenjee,<a name="FNanchor_14_14" id="FNanchor_14_14"></a><a href="#Footnote_14_14" class="fnanchor">[14]</a>, and -that if I neglected to pass the whole of that period in deep fasting, -prayer, and meditation, I should sink at once from the highest pinnacle -of my grandeur into the lowest and most terrible abyss.</p> - -<p>"I resolved that I would fast and pray for that entire month every year -of my life. How I wish now that I had never consulted the old hag, -because my confidence in her predictions made me proud and defiant to -the old duennas, who are now my bitterest enemies!</p> - -<p>"Alas! dear father and mother. It were better to have cast your -daughter Choy into the Mèinam than to have given her to amuse a king.</p> - -<p>"On the day of the <i>fête</i>, I awoke at five o'clock in the morning, and -began anointing my person with the perfumes and unguents provided for -us at the king's expense. I then spent the rest of the forenoon in -making my hair glossy and lustrous, which I did by rubbing it with the -oil of the doksarathe.<a name="FNanchor_15_15" id="FNanchor_15_15"></a><a href="#Footnote_15_15" class="fnanchor">[15]</a> How I gloried and exulted to see it floating -away in long shining masses, waving over my shoulders and covering my -feet! The afternoon came, and with it the old hags bearing my dress and -the costly jewels I was to appear in. They opened the box and laid them -before me. I had never seen anything so beautiful. The boxes absolutely -sparkled like the stars of heaven in one blaze of light and beauty.</p> - -<p>"When I saw these jewels I was seized with a fit of temporary madness. -I could not help skipping and dancing in a sort of frenzy about my -chamber, saying all sorts of absurd things and foretelling my future -triumphs. My slave-women looked on amazed at the wildness of my -spirits; and as for the old women who had the care of robing me for the -evening, they were wrathful and silent.</p> - -<p class="center"> -<img src="images/illus09.jpg" alt="actress" /> -<a id="illus09" name="illus09"></a> -</p> -<p class="caption"> A ROYAL ACTRESS.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_129" id="Page_129">[Pg 129]</a></span></p> - -<p>"We were all ready at last. A small gilt chariot of a tower-like form, -made of ivory and decorated with garlands and crowns of flowers, -drawn by a pair of milk-white ponies, and attended by Amazons dressed -superbly in green and gold, conveyed me, as the Queen Thèwâdee, to the -grand hall where we were to perform. My companions, similarly attended, -followed me on foot. His Majesty, the princes, and princesses, -surrounded by all the courtiers, were already there. The king and royal -family were seated on a raised dais under a tapering golden canopy.</p> - -<p>"The moment the king saw me approach, my ponies led gently forward -by Amazons, he rose and, before the whole court of lords and nobles -and princes assembled, inquired my name of one of the duennas. -This recalled me once more to his memory, for he said aloud, 'Ah! -we remember, she is the one who dances so beautifully.' O, what a -moment of triumph that was for me! I felt as if my heart in its wild, -ecstatic throbs would burst through its gorgeous fetters of silk and -gold. I rose up in my chariot and bowed low before him three times. -'But, how now!' he exclaimed angrily, looking around; 'where are the -nobles who are to lead the ponies? Let those Amazons fall back to -the right and left.' In an instant there emerged from the crowd two -most distinguished-looking noblemen, dressed in flowing white robes, -threaded with gold and sparkling with gems; they took their places -beside the ponies on either side of my chariot. One was P'haya<a name="FNanchor_16_16" id="FNanchor_16_16"></a><a href="#Footnote_16_16" class="fnanchor">[16]</a> -Râtani, the other was a stranger to me.</p> - -<p>"They did homage to me, as if I were a real queen, and stationed -themselves at my ponies' heads.</p> - -<p>"At this moment I was saluted with a burst of music and the curtain -fell. P'haya Râtani bent his head close<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_130" id="Page_130">[Pg 130]</a></span> to mine and whispered, -'How beautiful thou art!' I turned a frowning look upon him for his -presumption, and replied, 'Have a care, my lord, a word from me may -be too much for thee'; but he immediately assumed so humble and -penitent an expression that I forgave him. I was both flattered and -piqued, however, at the other nobleman's conduct; for though he looked -admiringly at me, he said not a word. I would have given my eyes if it -had been he who said I was beautiful; for there was a majesty of youth, -strength, and manly beauty about him that made a blinding radiance -around my chariot, and excited an oblivious rapture in my heart. I -panted, I was athirst, for one word of recognition from him. At length -I became so vexed at his silence that I asked him what he was looking -at. He replied more cautiously than his companion, 'Lady, I thought -that I beheld an angel of light, but thy voice recalls me to the earth -again.'</p> - -<p>"I was so enraptured at this speech, that I could hardly contain -myself. A flood of delight swept over me, my breast heaved, my -eyes glowed, my lips parted, my color came and went through the -maize-colored cream that covered my face and concealed my only -deformity.</p> - -<p>"When the curtain rose, I, with this new life rushing through my veins, -looked triumphantly at the troop of my companions who did me homage. -This new existence made me so joyous that I must have been beautiful. -Thus inspired I acted my part so wondrously well that a deep murmur -of applause ran throughout the hall. His Majesty's eyes were riveted -upon me in startled astonishment and evident admiration. I acted my -part with a keen sense of its reality, and gave utterance to the -burning passion of my heart. As if I were really a queen, I commanded -my courtiers to drive away the suitors who wooed me, declaring that -anything beneath royalty would stain my queenly dignity and beauty.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_131" id="Page_131">[Pg 131]</a></span></p> - -<p>"But when the banished prince, my lover, appeared, I rose hastily from -my gilded and ivory chariot, and with my hair floating round my form -like a deep lustrous veil, through which the gems on my robe shone out -like glorious stars of a dark night, I laid myself, like the lotus-stem -uprooted, prostrate at his feet. I pronounced his name in the most -tender accents. I improvised verses even more passionate than those -contained in the drama:—</p> - -<p> -<span style="margin-left: 0.5em;">'Instantly I knew my lord, as the heat betrays the fire,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 0.5em;">When through the obscuring earth unclouded</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 0.5em;">Shining out thou didst appear</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 0.5em;">Worthy of all joy; my soul is wrung with rapture,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 0.5em;">And it quivers in thy presence, as the lotus petals before a mighty wind.'</span><br /> -</p> - -<p>"The courtiers raised me up from the floor, and led me back to the -chariot. The prince, who was no other than 'Murakote,' took his, or -more properly her, place beside me, and the curtain fell. The play was -over. With nothing but the memory of a look, I returned to my now still -more dismal rooms. I disrobed myself of all my glittering ornaments -with a sigh, bound up my long, shining hair, and sat down to enjoy -the only happiness left me,—my proud, swelling thoughts. I was just -losing myself in soft, delicious reveries, which illuminated as with a -celestial light the whole world within me, when I observed a couple of -old duennas, who came fawning upon me, caressing and praising me, while -telling me that his Majesty had ordered that I should be in attendance -in his supper-chamber that evening.</p> - -<p>"I listened in mute pain. The power of the new passion that now -filled my heart seemed to defy all authority, and the very thing for -which I had so long worked and longed had become valueless and as -nothing to me. But I dared not excuse myself, so I silently followed -my conductresses, and for the first time in my life ascended to his -Majesty's private supper-chamber.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_132" id="Page_132">[Pg 132]</a></span></p> - -<p>"How changed I was! that which had been my sole ambition ever since I -was ten years old came down upon me with a gush of woe that I could -hardly have believed myself capable of feeling.</p> - -<p>"I sat down to await the coming of the king; but I could have plucked -out the heart that had rushed so madly on, casting its young life -away at the feet of a man whose name even I did not know, whose face -I had not seen till that day, but the tones of whose voice were still -sounding through and through my quivering pulses.</p> - -<p>"Well, my forehead, if not my heart, I laid at his Majesty's feet. 'I -am your slave, my lord,' said my voice, the sound of which startled my -own ears, so hollow and deceptive did it seem.</p> - -<p>"'Do you know how fascinating you were this evening?' said the king. -'Older by forty years than my father,' thought I, as, dissembling -still, I replied, 'Your slave does not know.' 'But you were, and I am -sure you deserve to be a queen,' he added, trying to play the gallant. -'My lord is too gracious to his slave,' I murmured.</p> - -<p>"'Why, Thieng!' he said, speaking to my eldest sister; 'why have you -hidden this beauty away from me so long? Let her not be called Choy<a name="FNanchor_17_17" id="FNanchor_17_17"></a><a href="#Footnote_17_17" class="fnanchor">[17]</a> -any longer, but Chorm.'<a name="FNanchor_18_18" id="FNanchor_18_18"></a><a href="#Footnote_18_18" class="fnanchor">[18]</a> I would weary you if I tried to tell you -how he praised and flattered me, and how before a week was over I was -the proudest woman in the palace.</p> - -<p>"I became a stranger to my dismal rooms in the street, to my -slave-women as well as to my companions. I lived entirely in his -Majesty's apartments, and it was only when he was asleep or in the -council hall that I rushed down to plunge into the lotus-lake or to -ramble in the rose-garden. But I never stopped to think. I would not -give my heart a moment to reflect, not a moment to the past, not a -moment to the future. I was intoxicated with<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_133" id="Page_133">[Pg 133]</a></span> the present. Every day -gifts rare and costly were brought to me from the king; I affected to -despise them, but he never relaxed his endeavors to suit my taste, to -match my hair and my complexion. The late proud, insolent favorite, -who used to order us girls about as if we were dogs, knelt before me, -as half from <i>ennui</i> and half from coquetry I feigned illness and -inability to rise from my master's couch. I cannot tell you how well I -acted my part; I was more daring than any favorite had yet been.</p> - -<p>"In the tumult and excess of the passion I felt for a stranger, I was -able to make the king believe that he was himself its object; and he -was so flattered at my seeming admiration and devotion, that he called -me by the tender name 'Look' (child), and indulged me in all my whims -and fancies.</p> - -<p>"But at length I grew tired of so much acting, and the intensity of my -manner began to flag. I complained of illness in order to escape to my -own room, where I flung myself down upon my leather pillow, and drove -my teeth through and through it in the after-agony that my falseness -brought upon me. I was worn with woe, more than wasted by want of food. -My sister observed my paleness, and said, half in earnest and half in -jest: 'Don't take it so much to heart, child; we have all had our day; -it is yours now, but it can't last forever. Remember, there are other -dancing-girls growing up, and some of them are handsomer than you are.'</p> - -<p>"'What do you mean?' I retorted, fiercely; 'do you suppose I am -sorrowing because of my grandfather? Bah! take him, if you want him.' -'Hush, child,' she replied, 'and don't forget that you are in a lion's -den.'</p> - -<p>"'Lion or tiger,' I said, laughing bitterly, 'I mean to play with his -fangs, even if they tear my heart, until I am rich as you at least.' -'Do you, indeed?' she rejoined. 'Be quick, then, and give him a p'hra -ong.'<a name="FNanchor_19_19" id="FNanchor_19_19"></a><a href="#Footnote_19_19" class="fnanchor">[19]</a> With that<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_134" id="Page_134">[Pg 134]</a></span> she left me to my own wild, bitter, maddening, -condemning self.</p> - -<p>"Months of triumph, rage, agony, and despair wore away, and my day was -not over I was acknowledged by all to be the wilful favorite 'Chorm.' -In the mean time I had one ray of comfort. I found out the name of -the man I loved, from a new slave-woman who had just entered into my -service. It was P'haya P'hi Chitt. That very day I took a needleful of -golden thread and worked the name into a scrap of silk which I made -into an amulet and wore round my neck. This greatly solaced me for a -little while, after which I began to crave something more.</p> - -<p>"The new slave-woman who had entered my service, just because I was -the favorite, seemed so kind and attentive, and was such a comfort to -me, whenever I rushed to my rooms for a respite, that I determined to -employ her in obtaining information of the outside world for me. 'Just -to beguile me of my weary hours,' I said. She seconded the idea with -great alacrity. 'To whose house shall I go first?' she inquired. 'O, -anywhere,' I replied, carelessly; then, as if suddenly remembering -myself, I said, 'O Boon, go to P'haya P'hi Chitt, and find out how the -groom of the Queen Thèwâdee lives in his harem.'</p> - -<p>"When she returned, which was close upon nightfall, I was impatient -to hear all she had to tell me; but after she had told me all, I -became more impatient and restless still. Her face lighted up as she -expatiated on the manly beauty of P'haya P'hi Chitt, and her voice -trembled slightly—she did it on purpose, I thought—as she went on -to say that ever since the day he had met the lovely Thèwâdee he had -become so changed, and had grown so melancholy, that all his dearest -friends and relatives began to fear some secret distemper, or that -some evil spirit had entered into him. This was ample food for me for -months. It comforted me to think that he shared my misery.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_135" id="Page_135">[Pg 135]</a></span></p> - -<p>"Then I drooped and languished once more, and began to long for some -more tangible token of his love for me. I grew bolder and bolder, and -the tender-hearted slave-woman sympathized with my passion for him. At -last I sent her out with a message to him. It contained but two words, -Kit-thung,<a name="FNanchor_20_20" id="FNanchor_20_20"></a><a href="#Footnote_20_20" class="fnanchor">[20]</a> and he returned but two more, Rak-mak.<a name="FNanchor_21_21" id="FNanchor_21_21"></a><a href="#Footnote_21_21" class="fnanchor">[21]</a></p> - -<p>"All this while I still visited the king, and was often alone with him; -he continued to indulge me, giving me costly rings, betel-boxes, and -diamond pins for my hair. Every petition I made to him was granted. -Every woman in the palace stood in awe of me, not knowing how I might -use my power, and I was proud and wilful. My father was created a duke -of the second rank in the kingdom, my brothers were appointed governors -over lucrative districts. I had nothing left to wish for but a child. -If I had had a child, I might have been saved. A child only could have -subdued my growing passion, and given to my life a fairer blossom and a -richer fruit than it now bears. At last, I don't know what put it into -my head, but I began to solace myself by writing to P'haya P'hi Chitt -every day, and destroying the letters as soon as they were written.</p> - -<p>"My next step was to send one of these letters to him by Boon. He was -very bold, and it makes my heart ache even now to think how brave and -fearless he was. He wrote to me at once, and implored me in a depth -of anguish and in words as if on fire to disguise myself in Boon's -clothes, to quit the palace, and go out to meet him. I burnt the letter -as soon as I had learned it by heart. My heart was set on fire; and I -pondered over and over the proposition of my lover, until it became too -fascinating for me to resist much longer.</p> - -<p>"So I took Boon into greater confidence than ever, put<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_136" id="Page_136">[Pg 136]</a></span> a bag heavy -with silver into her hands, and, moreover, promised her her freedom if -she would assist me to escape. 'Keep the silver till I ask you for it, -lady,' she replied, 'but trust me to help you. I will do it with all my -heart.'</p> - -<p>"Her devotion and attachment surprised me. It could not have been -greater had she been my own sister. Poot-tho!<a name="FNanchor_22_22" id="FNanchor_22_22"></a><a href="#Footnote_22_22" class="fnanchor">[22]</a> could I have seen the -end I would have stopped there. I saw nothing but the face that had -kindled a blinding fire in my heart.</p> - -<p>"The faithful Boon served me but too well. It was all arranged that I -should go out at the Patoo-din<a name="FNanchor_23_23" id="FNanchor_23_23"></a><a href="#Footnote_23_23" class="fnanchor">[23]</a> the next evening at sunset, with my -hair cut off, and disguised as Boon. P'haya P'hi Chitt was to be there -with a boat ready to convey us to Ayudia, and Boon was to remain behind -until the whole thing should have blown over. This last was her own -proposition. I tried in vain to urge her to accompany us in our flight. -She said it would be safer for us both to have a friend in the palace, -who could give us information of whatever took place.</p> - -<p>"In the agitation in which I wrote these last instructions to my -lover, I made so many blunders that I had to write the letter all over -again. Boon implored me to put no name to it, for we still feared some -discovery. I gave it, sealed with my ring, to Boon, who carried it off -in great delight; and I laid myself down upon my couch to dream of -an overflowing happiness. In the blessedness of the great love that -absorbed every feeling of my heart, I loved even the king, whom I had -most injured and deceived, with the loving devotion of a child.</p> - -<p>"In the midst of my ecstatic dreams I fell asleep, and dreamed a dream, -O, so different! As plainly as one sees in broad daylight, I saw myself -bound in chains, and P'haya P'hi Chitt flung down a dreadful precipice.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_137" id="Page_137">[Pg 137]</a></span></p> - -<p>"My chamber door was thrown rudely open, I was seized by cold hands, -harsh voices bade me rise, and I opened my eyes upon that woman who is -called by us Mai Taie.<a name="FNanchor_24_24" id="FNanchor_24_24"></a><a href="#Footnote_24_24" class="fnanchor">[24]</a> There was Boon, tied hand and foot, lying -before my door. It was all over with us. 'If I could only save him,' -was my only thought.</p> - -<p>"They were putting chains on my hands, and jostling me about; for -so benumbed and prostrated was I at the sight of Boon that I could -not rise. I did not dare to ask her a single question for fear of -implicating ourselves all the more, when my sister Thieng rushed into -my room screaming, flung herself upon my bed, and clasped me around the -neck.</p> - -<p>"'Hush! sister,' I said. 'Make these women wait a little, and tell me -how they came to find it out.'</p> - -<p>"'O Choy, Choy!' she kept repeating, wringing her hands and moaning -piteously.</p> - -<p>"'Sister Thieng, do you hear me? I don't care what they do to me. I -only want to know how much you know, how much <i>he</i> knows.'</p> - -<p>"'A copy of a letter you wrote to some nobleman was picked up about -an hour ago, and taken to the chief judge. She has laid it before the -king.'</p> - -<p>"Then, if that is all, he does not know the name,' I said with a sigh -of deep relief.</p> - -<p>"'Ah! But he'll find it out, sister,' said Thieng. 'Throw yourself -upon his mercy and confess all, for he still loves you, Choy. He would -hardly believe you had written the letter.'</p> - -<p>"'Has Boon said anything?' I next inquired.</p> - -<p>"'No, not a word, she is as silent as death,' said my sister. 'But -where did you get her? Who is she? She was taken on her return, because -you had mentioned your slave Boon in your letter. Now I must leave you<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_138" id="Page_138">[Pg 138]</a></span> -and go back to the king,' said my sister. Then, weeping and abusing -poor Boon, she went away.</p> - -<p>"Boon and I were chained and dragged to the same cell you visited the -other day.</p> - -<p>"As soon as we were left alone, I asked Boon if she had confessed -anything. 'No, my lady,' she replied with great energy, 'nothing in -this world will make me confess aught against P'haya P'hi Chitt.' At -the instant it flashed upon me that this woman, whoever she was, also -loved him, and I looked at her in a new light. She was young still, and -well formed, with small hands and feet, that told of gentle nurture.</p> - -<p>"'Boon, cha,'<a name="FNanchor_25_25" id="FNanchor_25_25"></a><a href="#Footnote_25_25" class="fnanchor">[25]</a> said I, in great distress, 'who are you? Pray, tell -me, it is of no use to conceal anything from me now. Why are you so -happy to suffer with me? Any one else would have left me to die alone.'</p> - -<p>"'O my lady!' she began, folding her hands together as well as she -could with the chains on them, and dragging herself close to me, -'forgive me, O, forgive me! I am P'haya P'hi Chitt's wife.'</p> - -<p>"I was silent in amazement. At length I said, 'Go on and tell me the -rest, Boon.'</p> - -<p>"'O, forgive me!' she replied, humbly. 'I cried bitterly the night he -returned from the grand fête because he told me how beautiful you were, -how passionately he loved you, and that he should never be happy again -until he obtained you for his wife. He refused to eat, to drink, or -to sleep, and I vowed to him by my love that you should be his. But -I found you were the favorite, and that it would be a more difficult -task than I had at first thought; so rather than break my promise to -my husband, nay, lady, rather than meet his cold, estranged look, I -sold myself to you as your slave. Every ray or gleam of sunshine, every -beautiful thought that fell from your lips, I treas<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_139" id="Page_139">[Pg 139]</a></span>ured up in my heart -and bore them daily to him, that I might but console my noble husband. -You know the rest. If I deceived you, it was to serve both you and him, -while my heart wept to think that I was no longer beloved. Gifted with -unnumbered virtues is my husband, lady; and my heart, like his shadow, -still follows him everywhere, and will follow him forever.'</p> - -<p>"I was so sorry for Boon, I had not the heart to reproach her. I crept -closer to her, and, laying my head on her bosom, we mingled our tears -and prayers together. And I marvelled at the greatness of the woman -before me.</p> - -<p>"Next morning—for morning comes even to such wretches as my companion -and me—we were dragged to the hall of justice. The king did not -preside as we had expected. But cruel judges, male and female, headed -by his Lordship P'haya Promè P'hatt and her Ladyship Khoon Thow App. -Not knowing what charge to make, they read the copy of my letter over -and over again, hoping to guess the name of the gentleman to whom -it was sent. Failing to do this, they subjected Boon to a series of -cross-questionings, but succeeded only in eliciting the one uniform -reply, 'What can a poor slave know, my lords?'</p> - -<p>"Her feet were then bastinadoed till the soles were raw and bleeding. -She still said, 'My lords, be pitiful. What can a poor slave know?'</p> - -<p>"After a little while, Khoon Thow App begged Boon to confess all -and save herself from further suffering. Boon remained persistently -silent, and the lash was applied to her bare back till it was ribbed -in long gashes, but she confessed not a word. At last the torture was -applied to her thumbs until the cold sweat stood in great drops on her -contorted and agonized brow; but no word, no cry for mercy, no sound of -confession, escaped her lips. It was terrible to witness the power of -endurance<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_140" id="Page_140">[Pg 140]</a></span> that sustained this woman. The judges and executioners, both -male and female, exhausted their ingenuity in the vain attempt to make -her betray the name of the man to whom she had carried the letter; and -finally, when the lengthening shadows proclaimed the close of day, they -departed, leaving me with poor Boon bleeding and almost senseless, to -be carried back by the attending Amazons to our cell.</p> - -<p>"I tried to comfort poor Boon. She hardly needed comfort; her joy that -she had not betrayed her husband was even greater than her sufferings.</p> - -<p>"Another day dawned upon us. Boon was borne in a litter, and I crept -trembling by her side, to the same hall of justice. Boon was subjected -once more to the lash, the bastinado, and the thumb-screws, till she -fell all but lifeless on the ground. It was all in vain; that woman -possessed the heart of a lion; if they had torn her to pieces, she -would not by the faintest sound have betrayed the only man she had -loved in her sad life.</p> - -<p>"The physicians were sent for to restore her to life again. She was not -permitted the luxury of death. Then, when this was over, they bound up -her wounds with old rags, gave her something to revive her, and laid -her on a cool matting. My turn came, and her eyes fixed themselves upon -me with an intensity that fairly made me shiver. They seemed to cry -aloud to my inmost soul, saying as plainly as lips could speak, 'What -is suffering, pain, or death, compared to truth? Be true to yourself. -Be true to your love. If you love another, you love not yourself. -Flinch not. Bear bravely all they can inflict.' I shuddered as the -judges began to question me, but I shuddered more whenever I met Boon's -eyes, so fixed, so steadfast, so earnest, so appealing. I prevaricated. -I told the judges lies. 'That letter was written as a joke to frighten -my youngest sister.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_141" id="Page_141">[Pg 141]</a></span> I was only playing. I know no man in the world but -my father and brothers and my gracious master the king.'</p> - -<p>"My sister was summoned. If I could have spoken with her, she might -have helped me in my strait; but the women who were sent to bring her -questioned her before she knew what they were about, and she plainly -exposed my lies to the judges.</p> - -<p>"A messenger was despatched to the king. The judges feared to proceed -to extreme measures with me, who had so lately been the plaything of -their sovereign. After half an hour's delay the instructions were -received, and I was ordered to bare my back. A feeling of shame -prevented me. I would not obey. I resisted with what strength I had. -'You may lash me with a million thongs,' I said to them, 'but you shall -not expose my person.' My silk vest was torn off, my scarf was flung -aside, my slippers were taken from my feet. My arms were stretched and -tied to a post, and thus I was lashed. Every stroke that descended on -my back maddened me into an obdurate silence. Boon's eyes searched -into my soul. I understood their meaning. My flesh was laid open in -fine thin stripes, but I do not remember flinching. My feet were then -bastinadoed, and I still preserved, I know not how, my secret. Then -there was a respite, and they gave me something to drink.</p> - -<p>"In fifteen minutes I was once more exhorted to confess. The -judges, finding me still unsubdued, ordered the thumb-screws to be -administered. Not all the agonies, not all the horrors I have ever -heard of, can compare with the pain of that torture. It was beyond -human endurance. 'O Boon, forgive me, forgive me!' I cried; 'it is -impossible to bear it.' With Boon's eyes burning into my soul, I gasped -out the beloved name. Boon threw up her arms, gave a wild shriek of -terror, and became insensible.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_142" id="Page_142">[Pg 142]</a></span></p> - -<p>"I was released from further punishment. Two of the pha-koons<a name="FNanchor_26_26" id="FNanchor_26_26"></a><a href="#Footnote_26_26" class="fnanchor">[26]</a> -were despatched for P'haya P'hi Chitt. He was betrayed to the king's -officers for a heavy reward, and before noon was undergoing the same -process of the law. When Boon was once more brought to life, she saw -her husband in the hands of the executioners. She started upright, and, -supporting herself on her rigid arms and hands, cried out to the judges -and to Koon Thow App: 'O my lords! O my lady! listen to me. O, believe -me! It was all my doing. I am P'haya P'hi Chitt's wife. It was I who -deceived the Lady Choy. It was I who put it into his head. Did I not? -You can bear testimony to my guilt!' An ineffable smile beamed on her -pale lips and in her dim eyes as they turned towards her husband.</p> - -<p>"There was profound silence among the judges. P'haya P'hi Chitt, I, -and even the rabble crowd of slaves, listened to her with astonished -countenances. There was an incontestable grandeur about the woman. -Khoon Thow App, that stern and inflexible woman, had tears in her eyes, -and her voice trembled as she asked, 'What was thy motive, O Boon?' -There was no reply from Boon. There was no need to torture P'haya P'hi -Chitt. He was chained and conveyed to the criminals' prison, and we -were carried back to our cell.</p> - -<p>"The report of our trial and the confessions elicited were sent to -the king. That very night, at midnight, the sentence of death was -pronounced by the Secret Council upon us three; but the most dreadful -part of all was the nature of the sentence. Boon and I were to be -quartered; P'haya P'hi Chitt hewn to pieces; and our bodies not burned, -but cast to the dogs and vultures at Watt Sah Katè.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_143" id="Page_143">[Pg 143]</a></span><a name="FNanchor_27_27" id="FNanchor_27_27"></a><a href="#Footnote_27_27" class="fnanchor">[27]</a></p> - -<p>"My sister Thieng implored the king in vain to spare my life. My poor -mother and father were prostrated with grief. As for Boon, she never -uttered a single word, except, in answer to my inquiries if she were -suffering much, she said very gently, 'Chan cha lah pi thort' (Let me -say farewell, dear). Her pallor had become extreme, but her cheeks -still burned; all the beauty of her spirit trembled on her closed -eyelids. She appeared as one almost divine.</p> - -<p>"On Sunday morning at four o'clock the faithful and matchless Boon was -taken from our cell to undergo the sentence pronounced upon her and her -husband. The day appointed for my execution, which was to be private, -arrived, and I had no wish to live, now that P'haya P'hi Chitt and Boon -were gone; but the women who attended me said that no preparations were -as yet made for it. I wondered why I was permitted to live so long.</p> - -<p>"After two weeks of cruel waiting to join my beloved Boon, I was -removed to another cell, where my sister visited me, with the good -Princess Somawati, her daughter, at whose earnest request, as I was -told, the British Consul<a name="FNanchor_28_28" id="FNanchor_28_28"></a><a href="#Footnote_28_28" class="fnanchor">[28]</a> had pleaded so effectually with the king -that my life had been granted to his petition.</p> - -<p>"Alas! it was Boon who deserved to live, and not I. I am not grateful -for a life that is little better than a curse to me. God sees that I -speak the truth. Woe still hovers over me. It is the doom of guilt -committed in some former lifetime. I am an outcast here, and in this -world I have no part, while every day only lengthens out my life of -sorrow."</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_144" id="Page_144">[Pg 144]</a></span></p> - -<p>Here the poor girl broke off, laid her head on the table, and wept, as -I never saw a human being weep, great tears of agony and remorse.</p> - -<p>As soon as Choy left me, I hurried home and wrote down her narrative -word for word, as nearly as I could; but I encountered then, as always, -the almost insuperable difficulty of finding a fit clothing for the -fervid Eastern imagery in our colder and more precise English.</p> - -<p class="center"> -<img src="images/illus10.jpg" alt="girl" /> -<a id="illus10" name="illus10"></a> -</p> -<p class="caption"> RUNGEAH, THE CAMBODIAN PROSELYTE.</p> - -<p>We became better friends. I maintained a constant oversight of her, -and persuaded her gradually out of her griefs. She learned in time to -take pleasure in her English studies, and found comfort in the love of -our Father in heaven. Without repining at her lot, hard as it was, or -boasting of her knowledge, but with a loving, humble heart, she read -and blessed the language that brought her nearer to a compassionate -Saviour.</p> - -<div class="footnotes"> - -<p class="center">FOOTNOTES:</p> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_9_9" id="Footnote_9_9"></a><a href="#FNanchor_9_9"><span class="label">[9]</span></a> The Sanskrit name of Ceylon.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_10_10" id="Footnote_10_10"></a><a href="#FNanchor_10_10"><span class="label">[10]</span></a> Blessed.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_11_11" id="Footnote_11_11"></a><a href="#FNanchor_11_11"><span class="label">[11]</span></a> Highest heaven.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_12_12" id="Footnote_12_12"></a><a href="#FNanchor_12_12"><span class="label">[12]</span></a> A famous singer.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_13_13" id="Footnote_13_13"></a><a href="#FNanchor_13_13"><span class="label">[13]</span></a> The goddess of motion.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_14_14" id="Footnote_14_14"></a><a href="#FNanchor_14_14"><span class="label">[14]</span></a> December.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_15_15" id="Footnote_15_15"></a><a href="#FNanchor_15_15"><span class="label">[15]</span></a> Flower of excellence.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_16_16" id="Footnote_16_16"></a><a href="#FNanchor_16_16"><span class="label">[16]</span></a> Duke.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_17_17" id="Footnote_17_17"></a><a href="#FNanchor_17_17"><span class="label">[17]</span></a> Surfeit.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_18_18" id="Footnote_18_18"></a><a href="#FNanchor_18_18"><span class="label">[18]</span></a> Delight.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_19_19" id="Footnote_19_19"></a><a href="#FNanchor_19_19"><span class="label">[19]</span></a> Sacred infant.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_20_20" id="Footnote_20_20"></a><a href="#FNanchor_20_20"><span class="label">[20]</span></a> I remember.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_21_21" id="Footnote_21_21"></a><a href="#FNanchor_21_21"><span class="label">[21]</span></a> I love much.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_22_22" id="Footnote_22_22"></a><a href="#FNanchor_22_22"><span class="label">[22]</span></a> Pitiful Buddha.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_23_23" id="Footnote_23_23"></a><a href="#FNanchor_23_23"><span class="label">[23]</span></a> Gate of earth.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_24_24" id="Footnote_24_24"></a><a href="#FNanchor_24_24"><span class="label">[24]</span></a> Mother of death, or female executioner.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_25_25" id="Footnote_25_25"></a><a href="#FNanchor_25_25"><span class="label">[25]</span></a> Dear.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_26_26" id="Footnote_26_26"></a><a href="#FNanchor_26_26"><span class="label">[26]</span></a> Sheriffs.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_27_27" id="Footnote_27_27"></a><a href="#FNanchor_27_27"><span class="label">[27]</span></a> The rite of burning the body after death is held in great -veneration by the Buddhists, as they believe that by this process its -material parts are restored to the higher elements. Whereas burial, or -the abandonment of the body to dogs and vultures, inspires a peculiar -horror; since, according to their belief, the body must then return -to the earth and pass through countless forms of the lower orders of -creation, before it can again be fitted for the occupation of a human -soul.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_28_28" id="Footnote_28_28"></a><a href="#FNanchor_28_28"><span class="label">[28]</span></a> Choy's life was spared at the intercession of Sir Robert -J.H. Schombergk, her Britannic Majesty's Consul at Bangkok.</p></div> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_145" id="Page_145">[Pg 145]</a></span></p> - -<p class="ph2"><a name="CHAPTER_XVI" id="CHAPTER_XVI">CHAPTER XVI.</a></p> - -<p class="center">MAY-PEÂH, THE LAOTIAN SLAVE-GIRL.</p> - - -<p>On the evening of the 10th of August, 1866, I found myself suddenly -and unexpectedly, and almost without being aware of it, involved in a -conflict with the king, who thenceforth regarded me with distrust and -suspicion, because I declined to affix my own signature to a certain -letter which he had required me to write for him.</p> - -<p>I began heartily to wish myself out of Siam, though still deeply -interested and absorbed in my work of educating the prince,—the -present King of Siam,—for I felt that, with regard to foreigners, -there existed no laws and customs to restrain and limit the capricious -temper and extravagant demands of the king, and I had everything, too, -to fear from the jealousy with which certain royal courtiers and judges -watched my previously growing influence at court. The heat of the day -had been intense, the atmosphere was sultry and oppressive, and every -now and then a low, rumbling sound of distant thunder reached my ears, -while the parched trees and leaves drooped and hung their heads as if -impatient of waiting for the promised rain. Nervous, and undecided what -to do, I returned home, where I remained prostrated with a sense of -approaching danger. From time to time I had had similar conflicts with -the king, which very greatly disturbed my already too much impaired -health. All manner of fears which the mind so prodigally produces on -such occasions came crowding upon me that evening, and I felt, as I had -never before, weighed down by the peculiar sadness and isolation of my -life in Siam.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_146" id="Page_146">[Pg 146]</a></span></p> - -<p>In this frame of mind I sat and pondered over and over again the -only course remaining open to me,—to withdraw from the court,—when -I was suddenly recalled to what was passing around me by what I at -first imagined must be an apparition or some delusion of my own mind. -I started up from the spot where for hours I had been seated like a -statue, and, looking more attentively, perceived a pair of bright black -eyes watching me with the fixedness of a basilisk, through the leaves -of some flowering shrubs that grew over my window. My first impulse was -to scream for help; but I was soon ashamed of my fears, and, summoning -all my courage, I demanded, "Who is there?"</p> - -<p>"It is only me, your ladyship," said a strange, low voice. "I have been -waiting here a long while, but your servants would not let me in; they -say you have forbidden them to let any Siamese person enter your house -after sunset."</p> - -<p>"It is true," said I; "I don't want to see any one this evening; I am -ill and tired. Now go away, and, if you have any business with me, come -to me in the morning."</p> - -<p>"P'hoodth thô!" said the woman, speaking still in the same low tones; -"I am not a Siamese, and you do not know that I have rowed thirty miles -against the tide to come and see you, or else you could not have the -heart to send me away."</p> - -<p>"I don't want to know anything," I said a little impatiently; "you must -go now, and you know it is not safe for you to be away from home at -this late hour in the day."</p> - -<p>"O lady! do let me in; I only want to say one word to you in private; -please do let me in," whispered the woman, more and more pleadingly.</p> - -<p>"Then say what you have to tell me at once, and from<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_147" id="Page_147">[Pg 147]</a></span> where you are," -I replied; "there is no one here to overhear you; for I cannot let you -in."</p> - -<p>"Alas!" said the voice, plaintively, as if speaking to herself, "I -would not have come all this long distance but that I heard she was a -good and brave woman,—some people indeed said she was not so,—still, -I thought I would try her, and now she says she cannot let me in, a -poor fugitive and desolate slave-girl like me! O dear! O dear!"</p> - -<p>"But I am afraid I cannot help you, whatever your trouble may be," I -said more gently, touched by the woman's despairing tones. "The king is -offended with me, and the judges know it, and I have no more influence -with them now."</p> - -<p>As I said this, the girl sprang through the window and came forward, -and exhibited not only her bright eyes but her full figure and somewhat -singular dress, for she was, as she had stated, not a Siamese, but -a Laotian. She held her head erect, though her hands were clasped -in the attitude of wild supplication. The symmetry of her form was -enhanced by a broad English strap or belt which was buckled round her -waist, and which had the effect of showing off her beautiful figure -to the best advantage. She was unusually tall, and altogether a most -pleasing-looking young woman.</p> - -<p>The moment she stood before me she commenced talking with a volubility -and an amount of action which it would be almost impossible to -describe. Her face became so animated, and her tears and sobs flowed -so spontaneously, that I stood bewildered, for, in truth, I had rarely -seen so interesting and so natural a woman in Siam.</p> - -<p>She watched my countenance during the whole time she was speaking, -with the quickness of the native character, and I began at length to -suspect that she prolonged<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_148" id="Page_148">[Pg 148]</a></span> her statements for the sole purpose of -forming an idea of her success, so that she might vary her line of -action according as circumstances revealed themselves; and even while -I had a glimmering perception of this, and also that perhaps she was -only acting, my interest in her increased so rapidly that she became -convinced in her own mind, I think, of having gained my entire sympathy.</p> - -<p>"Ah! I knew you had a kind heart," said the woman, as she came forward -with the graceful salutation of her country, and laid a thick Oriental -letter, enveloped in velvet and fastened with silken cords and sealed -with English sealing-wax, at my feet.</p> - -<p>She then dropped on her knees, and knelt before me in an attitude of -mute supplication.</p> - -<p>I was never more embarrassed in my life, with that mysterious letter, -enveloped in crimson velvet, and written on the outside in characters I -had never before seen, lying at my feet, and this woman kneeling there -with such strange, wild energy in her manner, such vehement pleading in -her dark, passionate eyes, imploring my aid in a secret, daring scheme -which I had neither the courage nor the ability to undertake, nor yet -the stoutness of heart to refuse point-blank.</p> - -<p>I therefore told the woman, with as much gentleness as I could summon, -that it was impossible for me to aid her, and almost as much as my life -was worth to become the bearer of her letter to any prisoner in the -palace. "It is not for my own personal safety I fear so much, but for -my son's, whose young life depends on mine."</p> - -<p>As I was speaking, the woman's face grew still and cold, her features -became rigid and fixed as stone, large, dewy drops of perspiration -broke out on her forehead, and there fell upon her face such an -expression of blankness and utter desolation that I thought she was -absolutely dying from the pain of her disappointment.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_149" id="Page_149">[Pg 149]</a></span></p> - -<p>This produced such a revulsion of feeling in me that I started from my -seat in terror, and, taking her chilled, moist hands in mine, said, -anxiously: "Does what I have said distress you so much? Why won't you -speak? If there is any way by which I can help or comfort you, tell me. -Please tell me, and I'll try to do my best for you."</p> - -<p>The effect of this promise was immediate, but it was some time before -the woman could recover her voice; then, laying her hand upon my arm, -she spoke hurriedly, but in the same soft, low tones and fervent manner.</p> - -<p>"You have not asked me my name and who I am," she said. "But I'll tell -you; I am sure you will not betray me, and it may be this is the last -opportunity I shall have of serving my dear foster-sister."</p> - -<p>As she uttered these words the hope and courage which had evidently -been revived by the sympathy she saw in my face now seemed to forsake -her; tears and sobs burst from her afresh, and she crouched at my feet -as if utterly overwhelmed with her grief. At last, by a strong effort, -she turned to me, and said: "My name is May-Peâh; my home is in the -city of Zienmai, i.e. Chiengmai; my father, Manetho, is one of the most -trusted councillors and friends, though a slave, of the Prince P'hra -Chow Soorwang. My mother was a household slave in the family of the -prince when my father obtained her for his wife, and I was only a month -old when she was asked to be the wet-nurse and mother of the little -infant daughter of the prince, whose wife had died in child-birth; -and thus it was that I became the life-long companion and friend and -foster-sister of the young Princess Sunartha Vismita. But alas! dear -lady, she is now, and has been ever since the death of her husband, the -second king, a prisoner in the palace of the supreme king, and neither -does her brother nor any one else know whether she is alive or dead.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_150" id="Page_150">[Pg 150]</a></span></p> - -<p>"This letter has nothing in it that will bring you into any trouble. -It is only one of greeting from her brother, my master, the Prince -O'Dong Karmatha. O, dear lady, don't say no! the gods will bless and -reward you, if, sooner or later, you will put it into her hands; but it -must be done with the greatest caution and secrecy, and it may be the -means of saving her life. O, think of that, of saving her life! for, if -alive, she must be dying of grief and pain to think that we have never -yet replied to a letter she sent us almost a year ago."</p> - -<p>"And where is the prince, your master?"</p> - -<p>"He is on a visit to the governor of Pak-lat."</p> - -<p>Saying this, she almost instantaneously sprang out of the window, and -fled towards the river, as if conscious of having delayed too long her -return home; as she did so, I noticed that she wore in the folds of her -skirt a small Laotian dagger attached to her English belt.</p> - -<p>The storm which had been gathering in strength for hours now burst -forth, and for full three hours the thunder and lightning and rain -were the only things that could be seen or heard; and I sat in the -same spot, lost in anxious fears for the safety of that solitary woman -battling with the tremendous currents of the Mother of Waters.</p> - -<p>It was an awful night. Sick at heart, and full of natural and unnatural -fears, I locked up the letter at last in my drawer, and tried to forget -in sleep the disturbing events of the day.</p> - - - - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_151" id="Page_151">[Pg 151]</a></span></p> - -<p class="ph2"><a name="CHAPTER_XVII" id="CHAPTER_XVII">CHAPTER XVII.</a></p> - -<p class="center">AN ACCIDENTAL DISCOVERY OF THE WHEREABOUTS OF THE PRINCESS SUNARTHA -VISMITA.<a name="FNanchor_29_29" id="FNanchor_29_29"></a><a href="#Footnote_29_29" class="fnanchor">[29]</a></p> - - -<p>FOR some time afterwards the mysterious letter remained locked up in my -drawer, as nobody whom I knew seemed to be aware even of the existence -of such a person as the Princess Sunartha Vismita, much less of her -imprisonment in the palace, and I was afraid to open my lips on the -subject before a stranger, lest I should inadvertently say something -that might still more imperil her health and safety.</p> - -<p>The king was once more reconciled to me, and had taken me into greater -confidence than ever. Just at this time he was laid up with an illness -which confined him to his topmost chamber, where I was summoned every -day to write notes, or translate, with the help of the native female -secretary, English documents into Siamese.</p> - -<p>On one occasion, as I was at work in a room adjoining the royal -bedchamber over a mass of perplexing manuscripts in the king's own -handwriting, to be arranged for publication in the "Bangkok Recorder," -the chief of the Amazons brought in the intelligence that the prisoner, -Princess Sunartha Vismita, was very ill; and, his Majesty being in -the best possible humor, having just finished the above-mentioned -manuscript, which completely refuted, as he fondly believed, Dr. -Bradley's theory of Original Depravity, gave orders that the princess -should take an airing in the palace gardens, and be removed to another<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_152" id="Page_152">[Pg 152]</a></span> -cell, and that the chief lady physician should attend her without delay.</p> - -<p>The Amazon made haste to carry out her instructions, and I quietly left -my desk to follow her.</p> - -<p>I shall not attempt to enter into a particular description of the -prison in the interior of this strange city. Indeed, it would be -impossible to describe with any degree of accuracy so irregular and -rambling an edifice. The principal features consisted of a great -hall and two courts or enclosures, one behind the other, in which -the prisoners were permitted to walk at stated times. Three vaulted -dungeons occupied three sides of the enclosures; immediately below -these were the cells already described in my former book.<a name="FNanchor_30_30" id="FNanchor_30_30"></a><a href="#Footnote_30_30" class="fnanchor">[30]</a></p> - -<p>The upper cells were used more or less for the reception of women -convicted of petty crimes, such as gambling, stealing, immodest -language, etc. Besides these, there were other dungeons under the floor -in various parts of the prison, some of them quite dark, and closed -by huge trap-doors, designed for those whom it might be expedient to -treat with peculiar severity. The prison was approached by two long -corridors, opening into the courts; here were several small secret -apartments, or cells, in which prisoners condemned to death, either by -the Supreme Court or by the still more supreme will of the king, passed -the last days of their existence. It was in one of these that the -princess was confined.</p> - -<p>The opening of the prison doors attracted, as usual, a crowd of idle -slave women and girls, who hailed the slightest event that broke the -monotony of their lives with demonstrations of the liveliest joy; -and as I stood there a guard of Amazons appeared, marching in file, -and in the centre was the Laotian princess, followed by two of her -countrywomen. She did not seem to notice the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_153" id="Page_153">[Pg 153]</a></span> general sensation which -her appearance created, nor the eager curiosity with which she was -regarded, but walked on wearing the depressed and wearied look of one -who sought to meditate on her sorrows in silence and privacy. Her -features were remarkably stern, however, and she moved along with a -firm and steady step.</p> - -<p>I followed with the crowd, who kept at a respectful distance.</p> - -<p>When the procession arrived at one of the nearest gardens, laid out in -the Chinese style, the princess, with a proud intimation that she could -go no farther, took her seat on the edge of an artificial rock beside -a small pond of water in which gold and silver fish sported merrily -together. She hung down her head, as if the fresh air had no power to -remove the smallest portion of her sorrows and sufferings.</p> - -<p>A deep murmur of compassion now rose, not only from the idle crowd -of women and girls, who gazed awe-stricken into her face, but from -the "Amazonian Guard," those well-disciplined automatons of the royal -palace of Siam.</p> - -<p>I could see that she just raised her dark, sad eyes to us, and then -cast them down again; and that their expression, as well as that of her -whole attitude, was one of mute and touching appeal against this most -ungenerous usage.</p> - -<p>After the lapse of an hour the procession resumed its course, and -the crowd, who had by this time exchanged looks and whispers of -sympathy to their hearts' content,—while some poor half-palsied and -aged slave-women had lifted up their hands and prayed aloud for the -happiness of the ill-fated princess,—brought up the rear, till they -saw the same prison doors open and close once more on the noble lady -and her attendants, when they dispersed to their various abodes.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_154" id="Page_154">[Pg 154]</a></span></p> - -<p>When I returned home, the scene would constantly reproduce itself, and -my thoughts would unceasingly revert to those sad eyes of which I had -only caught a hasty glance; and that utter friendlessness, expressed in -a few brief, slight actions, dwelt in my memory like the impressions of -childhood, never to be wholly forgotten.</p> - -<p>I could not help picturing to myself how those eyes would brighten if I -could but put that letter into her hands, and tell her of one earnest -friend at least whose love and sympathy knew no bounds.</p> - -<p>This feeling at length urged me, now that with the restored favor of -the king there could be no real danger to myself and my boy, to find -some means of gaining access to the poor, sad prisoner.</p> - -<p>I immediately put the letter into my pocket, and pinned it carefully -there, and determined that after my school duties were over I would -advise with my good friend Lady Thieng, of whom mention has already -been made. Only one circumstance troubled my mind greatly, and it was -how to broach the subject to her in the presence of the number of women -who always attended her at all times and in all places.</p> - - -<div class="footnotes"> -<p class="center">FOOTNOTES:</p> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_29_29" id="Footnote_29_29"></a><a href="#FNanchor_29_29"><span class="label">[29]</span></a> See "The English Governess at the Siamese Court," p. 233.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_30_30" id="Footnote_30_30"></a><a href="#FNanchor_30_30"><span class="label">[30]</span></a> See "The English Governess at the Siamese Court," p. 107.</p></div> - -</div> -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_155" id="Page_155">[Pg 155]</a></span></p> - -<p class="ph2"><a name="CHAPTER_XVIII" id="CHAPTER_XVIII">CHAPTER XVIII.</a></p> - -<p class="center">LADY THIENG, THE HEAD WIFE AND SUPERINTENDENT OF THE ROYAL CUISINE.</p> - - -<p>Lady Thieng was a woman of about thirty, fair even to whiteness, with -jet black hair and eyes; by nature enthusiastic, clever, and kind, but -only partially educated when compared to many other of the cultivated -and intellectual women of the royal harem.</p> - -<p>She was the first mother,—having brought his Majesty four sons and -eight daughters,—for which reason she was regarded with peculiar -veneration and ranked as the head wife in the palace, the queen consort -being dead. All these considerations combined entitled her to the -lucrative and responsible position of superintendent of the royal -cuisine.</p> - -<p>She contrived to be always in favor with the king, simply because she -was the only woman among all that vast throng who really loved him; -though at no period of her life had she ever enjoyed the unenviable -distinction of being the "favorite."</p> - -<p>Her natural enthusiasm and kindliness of disposition made her generally -loved, however; while, despite her immense wealth and influence, no -woman's life had a truer and deeper purpose. She was always ready -to sympathize with and help her suffering sisters, whatever their -shortcomings might have been, or whatever the means she was obliged to -resort to in order to render them the smallest assistance.</p> - -<p>She reconciled all her little plots, intrigues, and deceptions -to herself by saying: "Surely it is better for him<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_156" id="Page_156">[Pg 156]</a></span> not to know -everything; he knows too much already, what with his Siamese and his -English and his Pali and his Sanscrit. I wonder he can ever get to -sleep at all with so many different tongues in his head."</p> - -<p>It was after school that I accompanied one of my most promising -pupils, the Princess Somawati, one of Thieng's daughters, to her -mother's house. Being the head of the royal cuisine, Thieng had two -houses. One was her home, where her children were born and brought -up,—a quaint, stately edifice with stuccoed fronts, situated in the -ladies' or fashionable part of the inner city, and in the midst of a -pleasant garden. In the other, adjoining the royal kitchen, she spent -the greater part of each day in selecting, overlooking, and sometimes -preparing with her own fair hands many of the costly dainties that were -destined to grace the royal table.</p> - -<p>Thieng received me with her usual bright, pleasant smile and hearty -embrace; to give me the latter, she put down her youngest baby, a boy -about two years old, to whom I had, during my repeated visits to her -house, taught a number of little English rhymes and sentences, and -who always accosted me with, "Mam, mam, how do do?" or "Mam, make a -bow, make a bow"; while he bobbed his own little head, and blinked -his bright eyes at me, to the infinite delight of his mother and her -handmaids.</p> - -<p>Little "Chai" settled himself in my lap, as usual, and the host of -women, like children eager to be amused, gathered around to listen to -our baby-talk; and great was the general uproar when Chai would mimic -me in singing scraps of baby-songs, or thrust an orange into my mouth, -or put on my hat and cloak to promenade the chamber, and say "How do -do?" like a veritable Englishman; then his fond mother, in ecstasies of -joy, would snatch him to her arms and cover him with kisses, and the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_157" id="Page_157">[Pg 157]</a></span> -delighted spectators would whisper that that boy was as clever as his -father, and must surely come to the throne some day or other.</p> - -<p>In the midst of these fascinating employments one of the -lady-physicians was announced.</p> - -<p>Thieng retired at once with her into an inner chamber, carrying her -beloved Chai in her arms, and beckoning me to follow her. Here she -consigned Chai to me for further instruction in English, and laid -herself down to be shampooed.</p> - -<p>I felt that now was my opportunity; but I waited a little in order to -make sure whether the doctor was to be trusted.</p> - -<p>The ladies were silent for a little while; no word was spoken, with the -exception of a sigh that now and then escaped from poor Thieng, partly -to indicate the responsibilities of her position, and partly to show -that the particular member which was being manipulated was the one most -affected. Whatever might have been the question between the ladies, the -doctor waited for Thieng to give the word, and Thieng evidently waited -for the termination of my visit. But seeing that I made no attempt to -go, she at length turned to the doctor, and said: "My pen arai, phöt -thöe, yai kluâ" (Never mind, speak out, don't be afraid), all of which -I understood as perfectly as I did English.</p> - -<p>The doctor ceased her manipulations, and, after having cast a cautious -glance round the room and shaken her head sorrowfully, remarked: "I -don't think she'll live many weeks longer."</p> - -<p>Thieng sat bolt upright, and, clasping her hands together, said, -"Phoodth thô!"<a name="FNanchor_31_31" id="FNanchor_31_31"></a><a href="#Footnote_31_31" class="fnanchor">[31]</a></p> - -<p>"It is impossible," added the doctor, very earnestly.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_158" id="Page_158">[Pg 158]</a></span> "It were better -to put her to death at once than to kill her by inches, as they are now -doing."</p> - -<p>"P'hra Buddh the Chow,<a name="FNanchor_32_32" id="FNanchor_32_32"></a><a href="#Footnote_32_32" class="fnanchor">[32]</a> help us!" cried Thieng, still more agitated. -"What shall I do? What can I do to save her?"</p> - -<p>"Something must be done, and at once," replied the doctor, suggestively.</p> - -<p>"Well," said Thieng, "why don't you draw up a paper and give it to Mai -Ying Thaphan?" (the chief of the Amazons.) "And now mind that you say -she cannot live a day longer unless she is removed from that close cell -and allowed to take an airing every day."</p> - -<p>"Poor child! poor child!" repeated Thieng, tenderly, to herself. "With -such a noble heart to perish in such a way! I wish I could find some -means to help her to live a little longer, till things begin to look -more bright."</p> - -<p>"He has forgotten all about her by this time," rejoined the doctor.</p> - -<p>The physician then took her leave of Thieng, and I inquired if they had -been speaking of the Princess Sunartha Vismita. The good lady started -and looked at me as if she supposed me to be supernaturally endowed -with the art of unravelling mysteries.</p> - -<p>"Why! how do you know the name," said she, "when we never even -mentioned it?"</p> - -<p>I then told her of the visit I had had from May-Peâh, and begged of -her to help me to deliver the letter to the dying princess as soon as -possible.</p> - -<p>"We are all prisoners here, dear friend," said Thieng, "and we have -to be very careful what we do; but if you promise never to say a word -on this subject to any one, and in case of discovery to bear all the -blame, whatever that may be, yourself, I'll help you."</p> - -<p>I gave her the required promise gladly, and thanked her warmly at the -same time.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_159" id="Page_159">[Pg 159]</a></span></p> - -<p>"You must not think me weak and selfish, dear mam," said she, after a -little reflection. "You are a foreigner, he has not the same power over -you, and you can go away whenever you like; but we who are his subjects -must stay here and suffer his will and pleasure, whatever happens."</p> - -<p>With that she told me to come to her after sunset, and I bade her a -grateful adieu and returned home.</p> - - -<div class="footnotes"> -<p class="center">FOOTNOTES:</p> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_31_31" id="Footnote_31_31"></a><a href="#FNanchor_31_31"><span class="label">[31]</span></a> An ejaculation in frequent use among the Buddhists, and -which means, "dear Buddha," or "dear God."</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_32_32" id="Footnote_32_32"></a><a href="#FNanchor_32_32"><span class="label">[32]</span></a> One of the names of the Buddha.</p></div> -</div> -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_160" id="Page_160">[Pg 160]</a></span></p> - - -<p class="ph2"><a name="CHAPTER_XIX" id="CHAPTER_XIX">CHAPTER XIX.</a></p> - -<p class="center">THE PRINCESS SUNARTHA VISMITA.</p> - - -<p>AN hour after dark I again sought the good and tender-hearted Thieng, -who not only hurried me off, telling me in a voice of great exultation -that the physician's report had in a great measure ameliorated the -rigorous confinement to which the royal prisoner had hitherto been -subjected, but bravely sent two of her women to tell the Amazons to -show me the apartment to which the sick princess had been removed.</p> - -<p>The small apartment into which I was ushered was dimly lighted by -a wick burning in an earthen vessel. The only window was thrown -wide open. Immediately beneath it, on a pair of wooden trucks which -supported a narrow plank, covered with a flowered mat and satin pillow, -lay the wasted form of the Princess Sunartha Vismita. Her dress was -that of a Laotian lady of high rank. It consisted of a scarlet silk -skirt falling in firm folds to her feet, a black, flowered silk vest, -and a long veil or scarf of Indian gauze thrown across her shoulders; -some rings of great value and beauty and a heavy gold chain were her -only ornaments. Her hair was combed smoothly back, bound in a massive -knot behind, and confined by a perfect tiara of diamond-headed pins. -She was not beautiful; but when you looked at her you never thought of -her features, for the defiant and heroic pride that flashed from her -large, dark, melancholy eyes fixed your attention. It was a face never -to be forgotten. At her feet were two other truckle-beds; on these -were<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_161" id="Page_161">[Pg 161]</a></span> seated the two young Laotian women who shared her captivity, -and who looked very wan and sad.</p> - -<p class="center"> -<img src="images/illus11.jpg" alt="ladies" /> -<a id="illus11" name="illus11"></a> -</p> -<p class="caption"> LADIES OF THE ROYAL HAREM AT DINNER.</p> - -<p>Advancing unannounced close to this mournful group, I sat down near -them, while the dark, depressing influence of the place stole upon my -spirits and filled me with the same dismal gloom.</p> - -<p>The princess, who had been gazing at the little bit of sky, of which -she could only get a glimpse through the iron bars of the open window, -turned upon me the same quiet, self-absorbed look, manifesting neither -surprise nor displeasure at seeing me enter her apartment.</p> - -<p>It was a look that spoke of utter hopelessness of ever being extricated -from that forlorn place, and a quiet conviction that she was very ill, -perhaps dying, yet without a trace of fear or anxiety.</p> - -<p>The air was heavy and difficult to breathe, and for a moment or two I -was silent, confounded by the unexpected bravery and fortitude evinced -by the prisoner. But, quickly recovering my self-possession, I inquired -about her health.</p> - -<p>"I am well," said the lady, with a proud and indifferent manner. "Pray, -why have you come here?"</p> - -<p>With a sense of infinite relief I told her that my visit was a private -one to herself.</p> - -<p>"Is that the truth?" she inquired, looking rather at her women for some -confirmation than at me for a reply.</p> - -<p>"It is indeed," I answered, unhesitatingly; "I have come to you as one -woman would come to another who is in trouble."</p> - -<p>"But how may that be?" she rejoined, haughtily. "You must know, madam, -that all women are not alike; some are born princesses, and some are -born slaves." She pronounced these words very slowly, and in the court -language of the Siamese.</p> - -<p>"Yes, we are not all alike, dear lady," I replied, gently;<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_162" id="Page_162">[Pg 162]</a></span> "I have not -come here out of mere idle curiosity, but because I could not refuse -your foster-sister May-Peâh's request to do you a service."</p> - -<p>"What did you say?" cried the lady, joyfully rising, and drawing me -towards her, putting her arms ever so lovingly round my neck, and -laying her burning cheek against mine. "Did you say May-Peâh, May-Peâh?"</p> - -<p>Without another word, for I could not speak, I was so much moved, I -drew out of my pocket the mysterious letter, and put it into her hands.</p> - -<p>I wish I could see again such a look of surprise and joy as that which -illuminated her proud face. So rapid was the change from despair to -gladness, that she seemed for the moment supremely beautiful.</p> - -<p>Her bps trembled, and tears filled her eyes, as with a nervous movement -she tore open the velvet covering and leaned towards the earthen lamp -to read her precious letter.</p> - -<p>I could not doubt that she had a tender heart, for there was a -beautiful flush on her wan face, which was every now and then faintly -perceptible in the flickering lamp-light.</p> - -<p>A smile half of triumph and half of sadness curved her fine lip as she -finished the letter and turned to communicate its contents to her eager -companions in a language unknown to me.</p> - -<p>After this the three women talked together long and anxiously, the two -attendants urging their mistress to do something to which apparently -she would not consent, for at last she threw the letter away angrily, -and covered her face with her hands, as if unable to resist their -arguments.</p> - -<p>The elder of the women quietly took up the letter and read it several -times aloud to her companion. She then opened a betel-box and drew out -of it an inkhorn, a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_163" id="Page_163">[Pg 163]</a></span> small reed, and long roll of yellow paper, on -which she began a lengthy and labored epistle, now and then rubbing out -the words she had written with her finger, and commencing afresh with -renewed vigor. When the letter was finished, I never in my life saw a -more unsightly, blotted affair than it was, and I fell to wondering if -any mortal on earth would have skill and ingenuity enough to decipher -its meaning. But she folded it carefully, and put it into a lovely blue -silk cover which she took from that self-same box,—which might have -been Aladdin's wonderful lamp turned inside out, for aught I knew to -the contrary,—and, stitching up the bag or cover, she sewed on the -outside a bit of paper addressed in the same mysterious and unknown -letters, which bore a strong resemblance to the Birmese characters -turned upside down, and were altogether as weird and hieroglyphic as -the ancient characters found in the Pahlavi and Deri manuscript. When -all her labors were completed, she handed it to me with a hopeful smile -on her face.</p> - -<p>Meanwhile the princess, who seemed to have been plunged in a very -profound and serious meditation, turned and addressed me with an air of -mystery and doubt: "Did May-Peâh promise you any money?"</p> - -<p>On being answered in the negative, "Do you want any money?" she again -inquired.</p> - -<p>"No, thank you," I replied. "Only tell me to whom I am to carry this -letter, for I cannot read the address, and I'll endeavor to serve you -to the best of my ability."</p> - -<p>When I had done speaking she seemed surprised and pleased, for she -again put her arms round about my neck, and embraced me twice or thrice -in the most affectionate manner, entreating me to believe that she -would always be my grateful friend, and that she would always bless -me in her thoughts, and enjoining me to deliver the letter into no -other hands but those of May-Peâh, or her<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_164" id="Page_164">[Pg 164]</a></span> brother, the Prince O'Dong -Karmatha, who was concealed for the present, as she said, in the house -of the Governor of Pak Lat.</p> - -<p>I returned her warm embraces, and went home somewhat happier; but I -seemed to hear throughout the rest of the night the creaking of the -huge prison door which had turned so reluctantly on its rusty hinges.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_165" id="Page_165">[Pg 165]</a></span></p> - - - - -<p class="ph2"><a name="CHAPTER_XX" id="CHAPTER_XX">CHAPTER XX.</a></p> - -<p class="center">PAK LAUT, OR THE MOUTH OF THE OCEAN.</p> - - -<p>Pak Lat, or, more properly, Pak Laut, is situated a few miles above -Pak Nam, and is in itself a picturesque village containing from six -to seven thousand inhabitants. The most important portion of the -town faces a beautiful bend of the great river Mèinam, and is rather -irregularly built, and surrounded by a great many rude houses and -shops, some of them quite old, and others quite new.</p> - -<p>A magnificent new Buddhist temple is seen gradually raising its head -close by the side of an ancient one which has so far crumbled to decay -that the bright sun pours down unchecked a flood of golden light on -the tapering crown of a huge brass image of the Buddha, which sits -with its hands folded in undisturbed and profound contemplation on -its glittering altar. On the other side, as far as the eye can reach, -stretch unlimited groves of bananas and extensive plantations of -cocoanut and betel-nut palms. The mango, tamarind, banyan, and boh, -or bogara, trees here are of wonderful size and beauty, ponderous -and overshadowing, as if they had weathered a thousand summers and -winters, and would live unimpaired through a thousand more; and as -you wander through the deep cool shade which they afford, you find -that many of them must have served hundreds of years ago—before -Buddhism was introduced into Siam, and at a period when both the "Tree" -and "Serpent" worship prevailed here, as in other parts of the Old -World—as altars to a generation long gone by.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_166" id="Page_166">[Pg 166]</a></span></p> - -<p>Many of their huge old trunks have been hollowed out and carved in the -form of oriel chapels or windows, in the inmost recesses of which may -still be traced the faint remains of what was intended to represent -the cobra-de-capello, or hooded snake of India, now covered over with -tender leaves and brilliant flowers, and forming at once the cosiest -and most delicious of couches for the weary traveller to rest upon.</p> - -<p>Pak Laut, with all its ancient splendor and attractiveness, had one -drawback, and that was a very serious one. Among the village edifices -was an open sala, or hall, which had long been the favorite place of -rendezvous for all the rough and riotous seamen, English and American, -the crews of the merchant vessels trading to Bangkok; and it was in -consequence set down in the code of etiquette observed by the dozen or -so of the <i>élite</i> of the English and American foreigners who resided at -Bangkok "as a dreadfully improper place for a lady to visit alone."</p> - -<p>Thus it was quite out of the question that I should go there without an -escort, and not be tabooed by those good people as one utterly outside -of the pale of their society.</p> - -<p>Luckily, at this time Monsieur M——, an <i>attaché</i> to the French -consulate, had been sent by Dr. Campbell to Pak Laut for change of air, -and Monsieur L——, the commander of the king's guard, and his wife, -were going to see him. Being acquainted with the invalid, I obtained -their permission to make one of the party.</p> - -<p>Notwithstanding the perplexity of friends, who could not imagine my -motive for going there, and who made themselves quite merry at my -expense, I found myself in a boat, with the blue letter pinned in my -pocket, my boy at my side, and Monsieur and Madame L—— opposite me, -at five o'clock one morning, sailing down with the tide to Pak Laut.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_167" id="Page_167">[Pg 167]</a></span></p> - -<p>When I arrived there, I made a hasty breakfast with the sick man and -his friends, and leaving my boy at play in charge of the lady, I -hurried off in the direction of the governor's palace.</p> - -<p>P'haya Keean, the governor, was a Peguan prince by birth, and the -father of my dear friend, whose name, translated into English is -"Hidden Perfume."</p> - -<p>He received me so kindly and looked so benevolent that I felt -encouraged to tell him the object of my visit at once.</p> - -<p>Taking my hand in his, and keeping the smile of appreciation on his -honest face, he led me through several long halls and corridors, -which brought us at length to a very queer-looking old tower, covered -with moss and black with age, with narrow loopholes for windows, and -surrounded by a deep moat or ditch full of stagnant water.</p> - -<p>From the roof of this extraordinary building descended two flights -of steps built in the wall, and leading directly to two ruinous old -drawbridges that spanned the moat. The one communicated with the -governor's palace, while the other led to a low arched gateway which -opened immediately on a canal, and thus had access to the river.</p> - -<p>What the moat was intended for I could in no wise imagine, unless it -were especially designed to connect the tower, independent of the -bridges, with the river, and thus, in cases of necessity, afford the -inmates an opportunity of immediate flight by water. There were two -boats on the moat, ready for any such emergency.</p> - -<p>The governor left me standing outside of the low wall that skirted the -moat, crossed one of the crumbling old bridges, and entered the tower -through an arched doorway, solemn and ponderous as if it had withstood -the storms of many a dreadful siege.</p> - -<p>In a few minutes May-Peâh, the Laotian slave-girl, came<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_168" id="Page_168">[Pg 168]</a></span> running out, -crying, "O, I love you dearly! I love you dearly! I am so happy. Come -in, come in and see the prince!" So saying, she pulled me after her -into that singular, toppling-down-looking old edifice, which I must -confess inspired me with a dread that I could not overcome, nor could -I divest myself of the feeling that I was under the influence of some -wild, fantastic dream.</p> - -<p>The only floor of the old tower (for there was but one) consisted of -three rooms; one was rather large, and might have been in its best days -of a vermilion color, but was now utterly discolored by great patches -made by rain-water, which had changed it to a dull, yellowish, muddy -hue. It was an ancient and gloomy-looking apartment, with all manner -of rusty and antique Indian armor, shields, banners, spears, swords, -bows and arrows, and lances ranged along the wall, which seemed to have -been wielded by men of gigantic stature, and pointed to an epoch beyond -the memory of the present race. Passing through this hall, we entered -another and smaller room, the walls of which had also once been painted -with gigantic flowers, birds, and beasts, among which the figure of -the crocodile was most conspicuous. It contained a bed of state which -looked like Indian, i.e. Bombay, workmanship, lifting to the ceiling a -high, solemn canopy of that ponderous flowered silk called kinkaub.</p> - -<p>I cannot depict the scene: how the glimmering light within and the -changing lights without, reflected from the dark green waters, touched -upon and singled out for a momentary illumination one after another the -picturesque arms and the gigantic pictures on the walls, and diffused -an air of mystery over the whole.</p> - -<p class="center"> -<img src="images/illus12.jpg" alt="laotian" /> -<a id="illus12" name="illus12"></a> -</p> -<p class="caption"> A LAOTIAN.</p> - -<p>"Welcome, welcome, brave friend!" said one of the three dark young men -I found seated within, who rose and came to meet me with a singular -gesture of courtesy and respect, and whom I at once recognized, from -his<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_169" id="Page_169">[Pg 169]</a></span> strong likeness to the Princess Sunartha Vismita, to be the -Prince P'hra O'Dong Karmatha. The prince, for it was he, with an -excitement he could not quite control, inquired if I had seen his -sister. As I spoke, May-Peâh drew near and listened to what I said, -with intense interest and anxiety expressed in her fine face. But when -I handed the prince the letter, they were all inexpressibly delighted. -All the others waited anxiously, turning silent looks of sympathy and -affection on him, as he read it first to himself, and then aloud to the -party.</p> - -<p>"May-Peâh" were the only two words I understood of its contents; but -I saw two big drops like thunder-rain fall suddenly from the eyes of -P'hra O'Dong on the blotted yellow paper, and his voice died away in a -hoarse whisper as he concluded the strange epistle.</p> - -<p>After which the party were silent, saying nothing for nearly a whole -hour, as it appeared to me, and absorbed each with his own thoughts.</p> - -<p>Then P'hra O'Dong cast an upward glance as if in prayer, and May-Peâh -crept quietly to his side and looked at him with the calm, deep -determination of high and noble resolve depicted on her fine face. -The two faces presented the strongest contrast possible,—the one -dark, troubled, impetuous, and weak; the other resolute, passionate, -unchangeable, and brave. I wanted no further proof of the nature of -the friendship which May-Peâh bore to the young prince and his sister. -There are times when one almost knows what is passing in the mind of -another. Thus it was that I was able to form some glimmering conception -of the elevated character of the slave-woman before me.</p> - -<p>It was time for me to go. The prince begged me to take something from -him by way of compensation, but I declined, thanking him all the same, -and carrying away with me only loving words of comfort and hope to his -long-imprisoned sister and her companions.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_170" id="Page_170">[Pg 170]</a></span></p> - -<p>May-Peâh followed me out, and her fine face—for the oftener I saw it -the finer it looked—was never more expressive than when she thanked -me, and bade me tell her beloved mistress to keep a stout heart, -adding, in a whisper: "I do not know what I am going to do, but -something shall be done to save her, even if I die for it."</p> - -<p>It was in vain that I urged her to be patient, and not to do anything -so rash as to attempt the rescue of the princess; nothing that I could -say would move her from her purpose.</p> - -<p>The day, though it commenced brightly, now began to be overcast, and -the tide was turning for Bangkok, so I left her. As we parted, she was -standing in one of the long corridors, with her hands folded and raised -high above her head, and a flood of tender emotions brimming over into -her eyes.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_171" id="Page_171">[Pg 171]</a></span></p> - - - - -<p class="ph2"><a name="CHAPTER_XXI" id="CHAPTER_XXI">CHAPTER XXI.</a></p> - -<p class="center">NARRATIVE OF THE PRINCESS OF CHIENGMAI.<a name="FNanchor_33_33" id="FNanchor_33_33"></a><a href="#Footnote_33_33" class="fnanchor">[33]</a></p> - - -<p>My good friend Thieng arranged another interview for me with the -princess, who seemed wonderfully improved in health and spirits, and -who related to me, almost word for word, the following narrative.</p> - -<p>"The Prince P'hra O'Dong Karmatha and I are the only children of -the Prince P'hra Chow Soorwang, the brother of the present king of -Chiengmai. Chiengmai is now tributary to Siam. But there was a time -when my ancestors were the independent sovereigns of all the land lying -between Pegu and Birmah on the one hand, and Siam and the mountains of -Yunan on the other.</p> - -<p>"It was the Prince P'hra Chow O'Dong Karmatha, after whom my brother -was named, who founded the beautiful city of Chiengmai, and built those -stupendous works which bring water to its inhabitants.</p> - -<p>"My poor mother died at the time of my birth, and May-Peâh's mother -brought me up as if I were her own child; and thus May-Peâh and I -became sisters in the flesh, as we are indeed in spirit.</p> - -<p>"My brother, the Prince O'Dong, is just seven years my elder. He was -fond of pleasure, but he loved glory and honor and independence still -more, and it was ever a source of mortification to him that our house -should be obliged to pay the triennial tribute which the sovereign of -Siam exacts as our homage of fealty.</p> - -<p>"It was on one of these occasions, when my brother became the -representative of our uncle, and the hearer of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_172" id="Page_172">[Pg 172]</a></span> the gold and silver -trees to the court of Siam, that he met with his Royal Highness P'hra -Somdetch Pawarendr Ramasr, the second king of Siam. Being both fond of -the chase, and experienced hunters, they formed a strong friendship the -one for the other.</p> - -<p>"God forbid that I should disparage the supreme king of Siam, but every -one who knows them will admit the superiority of the younger brother," -said the lady, proudly.</p> - -<p>"Soon after this the second king came on a visit to our home, and -accompanied my brother on many a hunting expedition. I cannot describe -to you my first meeting with the prince, whose praises had already -inflamed my imagination. If I could coin words of deeper meaning, or if -I could learn from the angels some new language wherein fitly to clothe -the higher and purer joy that fell upon me in his presence, I might -reveal to you something of the charm and the spell of that hour.</p> - -<p>"When he at length returned to Sarapure, I was as one who had lost the -key-note of her existence.</p> - -<p>"My brother, apprehending the cause of my grief, sent May-Peâh, unknown -to me, to Sarapure, to serve in any capacity whatever in the palace of -the prince, and to discover, if possible, the state of his affections.</p> - -<p>"May-Peâh and her mother set out for the palace of Ban Sitha. Having -arrived there, she contrived to get admission into the harem of the -prince, in order to visit some of her friends. While there, she drew -out of her vest a silver flute, and played it so exquisitely—for she -is the best musician in our country, and can perform on ten different -instruments—that she charmed her hearers, who at once introduced her -to the chief lady of the 'harem,' Khoon Klieb, who purchased her from -her mother, and presented her to the prince, her master.</p> - -<p>"She was then invited to perform before the prince; he too was -delighted with her wonderful skill and power,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_173" id="Page_173">[Pg 173]</a></span> and being at the time -in ill health and feeble in body, he hardly ever left his palace, and -retained her almost always by his side.</p> - -<p>"On one occasion, seeing that she had soothed and charmed the unhappy -and suffering prince with her melodies, she begged permission to sing -him a song of her own composition, set to his favorite air of 'Sah -Mânee Chaitee' (The Lament of the Heart).<a name="FNanchor_34_34" id="FNanchor_34_34"></a><a href="#Footnote_34_34" class="fnanchor">[34]</a> The prince smilingly -assented, not without, as he afterwards told me, surprise and wonder at -the singular hardihood and fearlessness of the young stranger. 'But,' -to use his own words, 'she sang her wonderful song with such power, -such a sweet mixture of the fragrance of the heart with the melody of -touch, that the memory of it lingers still with me as a dream of a day -in Suan Swarg (paradise). Then I snatched from her hand the lute, and -struck on it in wild and imperfect utterances the burden of my love for -thee, dear Sunartha Vismita.'</p> - -<p>"Just three months from the time of May-Peâh's departure, when I had -become weary and disconsolate because of her unaccountable absence, -she returned home, bearing letters and presents from the prince; and a -month afterwards I set out, a happy bride, for the beautiful palace of -Ban Sitha.</p> - -<p>"When we arrived at Sarapure, my brother went on before to announce my -arrival to the prince—" Here she ceased suddenly, and gave way to a -burst of passionate tears.</p> - -<p>After a little while she resumed her story, saying: "And so we were -privately married. The prince, however, had long been failing in -health, and after a few short months of unalloyed happiness he again -fell grievously sick, and exhorted me to return home to my father,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_174" id="Page_174">[Pg 174]</a></span> -lest by his death I should fall into the power of his elder brother. -But I refused to leave him, and followed him to his palace at Bangkok, -where he sickened rapidly and died. His last words to me were: 'Fare -thee well, Sunartha! thy presence has been to me like the light of -the setting sun, illumining and dispersing the dark clouds which have -hitherto obscured my sad life. Fear not; I will keep the memory of -thy face bright and unclouded before my fading eyes, as I pass away -rejoicing in thy love.'</p> - -<p>"A short time after my husband's death I found myself a prisoner in -his palace, and as time passed on I was removed to this palace, where -a residence befitting a queen was appointed to me, and where I first -had the honor of receiving and entertaining the elder brother of my -husband, the great king Maha Mongkut, who, ignoring my deep sorrow and -deeper love for my late husband, offered me his royal hand in marriage.</p> - -<p>"Openly and proudly I rejected the cruel offer, for which reason I am -here again a prisoner, and perchance will remain forever."</p> - -<p>She ceased speaking, and the Amazon entered to say it was time to shut -the prison door. With her lips firmly pressed together, her nostrils -quivering, and her head bowed in her strong grief, she motioned me her -adieux. I saw her once or twice afterwards, sitting leisurely among -the palace gardens, under the watchful eyes of the Amazonian guard, as -self-absorbed, but, I thought, more hopeful than she used to be.</p> - - -<div class="footnotes"> -<p class="center">FOOTNOTES:</p> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_33_33" id="Footnote_33_33"></a><a href="#FNanchor_33_33"><span class="label">[33]</span></a> Chiengmai is the capital of Laos country.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_34_34" id="Footnote_34_34"></a><a href="#FNanchor_34_34"><span class="label">[34]</span></a> The late second king was passionately fond of music, and -was himself a skilful performer on several of the Laos instruments.</p></div> -</div> - - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_175" id="Page_175">[Pg 175]</a></span></p> -<p class="ph2"><a name="CHAPTER_XXII" id="CHAPTER_XXII">CHAPTER XXII.</a></p> - -<p class="center">"BIJREPUREE," OR THE DIAMOND CITY.</p> - - -<p>Meanwhile his Majesty was better, and it was the last day of October. -So the court and I, with my boy, and all the most favored of the -royal family, set out for our annual visit to Bijrepuree,—leaving -the Invincible City and the disconsolate princess with her pale-faced -companions to the care of the high officials Mai Ying Thaphan within, -and the Kroma Than Song Wang without.</p> - -<p>Bijrepuree, or Petchabury, as it is commonly called, is the third city -in size, and second in importance, in Siam, and is situated nearly one -hundred and fifty miles in a south-westerly direction from Bangkok, on -a river of the same name, which waters a country a thousand-fold more -picturesque and beautiful than that around Bangkok. As you ascend the -river, a chain of mountains varying from seventeen to nineteen hundred -feet in height rises above the surrounding country, the loftiest of -which is called Khoa L'huang, or Royal Mountain. This is one of his -Majesty's most favored country residences. A splendid palace has been -built on its summit, on which five hundred laborers have been employed -daily for ten years, and it is still (1866) unfinished. A winding path -which leads up to it has been admirably contrived amid the volcanic -rocks which cover the surface of this mountain district. I climbed to -no such favored spot during my residence in Siam.</p> - -<p>On the hither side far away stretches from north to south a chain of -mountains called Khoa Dèng, and in<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_176" id="Page_176">[Pg 176]</a></span>habited by many rude and independent -tribes of the primitive Kariengs. Beyond these again rises another -chain of lofty hills, the outlines of which appear like misty clouds in -the distant horizon.</p> - -<p>On the slopes and in the valleys are immense forests of magnificent -trees, hiding in their dark recesses myriads of unknown plants and -lesser forests of ferns, with palm-trees, rice-fields, tobacco and -sugar plantations looking intensely dark in the setting sun, and -dividing the lights and shades into numberless soft radiating shafts -which fall in a red haze of different degrees of strength on the -pellucid river that flows gently through them.</p> - -<p>Then to the south and east stretches another plain, and beyond this -lies the Gulf of Siam, on whose waters, fading away in the distant -horizon, were sometimes sparkingly revealed a few scattered sail, -outward and homeward bound.</p> - -<p>On the peaks of several mountains adjoining the royal residence rise -stately temples and p'hra-cha-dees. All over these mountains the -workmen are still toiling, laying out the grounds into gardens and -shrubberies. In the centre of many of them may be seen beautiful stone -vases of Egyptian form, cut out of the self-same rock, and filled -with gorgeous flowers. Attached to the palace is a school-house and a -residence for the teacher, with a private chapel for the ladies; but no -distinct "harem," or woman's city, as at Bangkok. Those of the women -who accompany the king on his annual visits have rooms allotted to them -in the western wing of the palace, which is only curtained off by a -wall and guarded by Amazons.</p> - -<p class="center"> -<img src="images/illus13.jpg" alt="towers" /> -<a id="illus13" name="illus13"></a> -</p> -<p class="caption"> CRENELLATED TOWERS OF THE INNER CITY.</p> - -<p>We, that is the young Prince Somdetch Chow Fa, my boy, and I, made the -most of our visit to this delightful region, rambling over the hills -and forests, gathering wild flowers, and visiting the hot springs, -caves, and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_177" id="Page_177">[Pg 177]</a></span> grottos, which form some of the more interesting features -of the neighborhood. In the foreground, near the school-house, stood a -clump of ferns full of pictures; a little farther on was a cave, over -the mouth of which trailed huge convolvuli; and immediately above it an -overhanging rock variegated with natural tints and colors, the effect -of which was most wonderful.</p> - -<p>From this spot there were tempting walks through groves of dark green -trees, opening upon wide terraces which commanded exquisite views of -the country, rich with cultivation or dotted with houses and gardens, -or the still more fertile valleys, winding amongst which might be -traced the silvery thread of the Diamond River.</p> - -<p>Not far from the Royal Mountain are several grottos, two of which are -of surprising extent and great beauty, an exact painting of which would -be looked upon with incredulity, or as an invention of fairy land.</p> - -<p>Whatever may have been the origin of these grottos, owing to the -moisture continually dropping through the damp soil of the rocks they -have been clothed with the richest and most harmonious colors, and -adorned with magnificent stalactites, which rise in innumerable slender -shafts and columns to support the roof and walls. The setting sun -reveals a gorgeous mass of coloring, ending in dark blue and purple -shadows in the distant chambers and hollows.</p> - -<p>I never witnessed such wonderfully illusive transformations as the -sunlight effected wherever it penetrated these subterranean halls. No -human hands have as yet touched their marvellous walls and roofs and -pillars. All that has been done by man is to cut a staircase in the -rock, to aid the descent into the grottos, and enable the visitor to -see them in all their regal beauty.</p> - -<p>The largest grotto has been converted into a Buddhist temple; all along -the richly tinted rock-walls are con<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_178" id="Page_178">[Pg 178]</a></span>templative images of the Buddha, -and in the centre, just where is concentrated the richest depth of -coloring, lying on a horizontal bed of rock, is a large sleeping idol -of the same inevitable figure, with the same mysterious expression -about the closed eyelids, as if he were in the habit, even in sleep, of -penetrating distant worlds, in his longing to gaze upon the Infinite.</p> - -<p>Lower down the mountain lies a calm lake, with its smooth silvery -surface ever and anon broken by the leaping of a fish, as if to prove -that it is water and not glass, and beyond the lake are more mountains -rolling up into the sky in purple and green folds, with the faintest of -blue borders and crimson-tipped edges, for they are many miles off.</p> - -<p>It was evening, and we had just spent a delicious fortnight here, -teaching in the mornings and rambling in the evenings, and his Majesty -had assured me, to my great delight, that we should stay yet another -while among the mountains; my boy and I had retired to our little rocky -nest, around which there was an impression of savage grandeur and of -loneliness almost overpowering, and where I used to imagine the "Hill -Giants," of whom I had heard so much, lurking in secret in the caves -and hollows, as ready to tear the Royal Mountain from its base and cast -it into the gulf beyond, for the pitiless way in which the monarch -doomed those poor five hundred slaves to toil on and on, without any -prospect of ever coming to an end, in smoothing and shaping its rugged -sides. And it was here that I first realized and appreciated the belief -of the simple people about me in ghosts and spirits, pleasant and -unpleasant:—</p> - -<p style="margin-left: 20%;"> -<span style="margin-left: 10em;">"Genii in the air,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">And spirits in the evening breeze,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">And gentle ghosts with eyes as fair</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">As starbeams through the twilight trees."</span><br /> -</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_179" id="Page_179">[Pg 179]</a></span></p> - -<p>But in spite of them all we were sleeping soundly that night in the -third story of our little eyry, when, about three o'clock in the -morning, the sound of tocsins, gongs, and trumpets was flung out all -over the distant hills and mountains, and re-echoed tauntingly, like -the cry of so many demons full of mad sport, in the multitudinous -voices of the rocky solitudes. We were suddenly transported from deep -sleep to wide-awake realities, to find the royal palace all alive with -lights and sedans and horsemen, and torch-bearing, shadowy phantoms, -issuing from dark portals, gliding hither and thither among the rocks, -and coming towards us.</p> - -<p>What did it all mean?</p> - -<p>The whole thing looked so mysterious that I at first thought the king -was dead, or that the palace was besieged, or that the "favorite," -Peam, taking advantage of the mountain fastnesses, had run away.</p> - -<p>The torchlight phantoms proved to be veritable brawny Amazons, who came -to inform us that the court would return to Bangkok within an hour. -"What! not stay another fortnight?" I inquired, sadly.</p> - -<p>"No, not another hour. Get ready to follow," was the peremptory order. -And so, on the third day succeeding, we were all settled down in our -respective places at Bangkok.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_180" id="Page_180">[Pg 180]</a></span></p> - - - - -<p class="ph2"><a name="CHAPTER_XXIII" id="CHAPTER_XXIII">CHAPTER XXIII.</a></p> - -<p class="center">THE DEAF AND DUMB CHANGELING.</p> - - -<p>In the next morning's cheerful daylight I set out to resume once more -my school routine within the sombre walls of the "invincible" city. -But, as we proceeded on our way, we were surprised to see knots and -clusters of people reading with absorbing interest huge placards -written in Siamese, Pali, Cambodian, Birmese, Peguan, and every other -language spoken by the many distinct peoples who inhabit the mountains -and valleys watered by the great river Mèinam, and posted all along the -imperial walls.</p> - -<p>Here was another mystery.</p> - -<p>I could read printed Siamese and Pali tolerably well. But the written -characters, wherein every scholar invents an orthography of his own, -baffled all my linguistic efforts, and not a glimmering of light could -the numberless questions I put to many of the curious readers procure -for me; they were as afraid to speak of royalty as of the devil, lest -he should appear. So I went on to school to find the same mysterious -announcements, which had sprung up like mushrooms during the night, -running zigzag over all the walls, and playing hide and seek along the -dark, narrow lanes and streets, only to elude my strictest inquiries.</p> - -<p>Now, to tell the truth, as I was treasonably disposed against slavery -and polygamy and several other gross abuses that grew out of them, -and had stoutly set my face against them from the very first day of -my installation as teacher in the palace, I began to fear that these -placards might concern me and my teachings; so when<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_181" id="Page_181">[Pg 181]</a></span> school closed I -went to see my friend, Lady Thieng. But she was even more mysterious -than the unintelligible hieroglyphics on the walls, looking at me -curiously, and shaking her head in a solemn manner, and feeling me -all over in a pathetic way, so as to reassure herself that I was not -a spirit, but made of flesh and bones like herself, and could not -have been, as she had begun secretly to suspect, at Bijrepuree and at -Bangkok at the same time.</p> - -<p>She then gravely asked me if I had ever practised sorcery or -witchcraft. My lips trembled with irrepressible laughter as I assured -her I had not as yet enjoyed the good fortune of knowing a real witch; -but that nothing in the world would please me better than to be -introduced to one who would give me lessons in that art. She admonished -me sternly for my levity, and went on to say that there had really been -a very powerful sorceress in the palace during the king's absence at -Bijrepuree, who had, unseen by human eye, conjured away the beautiful -and disconsolate princess, and left in her place a rustic deaf and dumb -slave-girl.</p> - -<p>Amazed and altogether taken by surprise, I looked into my friend's -face in unspeakable sorrow. My heart whispered to me the last words of -May-Peâh, "I do not know what I am going to do, but something shall be -done to save her, even if I die for it." I could not bring myself to -ask another question, I was so afraid of confirming my worst fears. -I had learned to love that slave-woman better than her mistress, and -would have braved a thousand perils if I had thought I could save her -through them.</p> - -<p>"I wish," cried Thieng, at last, in a sudden burst, as if her thoughts -had been going on in this strain and only broke from her when she could -restrain herself no longer,—"I wish that this deaf and dumb slave-girl -could be exorcised and made to speak, and then we would know how it -happened, and how the old witch looked.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_182" id="Page_182">[Pg 182]</a></span></p> - -<p>"O dear! O dear! I am afraid for my life and the lives of my poor -children; and even the very stones out of which this dismal city is -built inspire me with dread and horror," said poor Thieng, ruefully; -"and do you know?" she added,—her eyes growing rounder and rounder -every moment, as the awfulness of the situation presented itself -to her mind,—"his Majesty has shut himself up in his topmost -chamber, and guards are set at all the doors and windows, lest any -suspicious-looking person should enter, and no one but only the old -lady-physician, Khoon Maw Prang, is allowed to see him to serve his -meals, and he won't come down till the palace and whole city has been -exorcised. And there will be no school to-morrow," she continued, -growing more and more communicative, "for he has ordered all the royal -children to be shut up in their homes until noon, when the old devil -shall have been driven out by the priests of Brahma; and the priests of -Buddha will then purify the city with burning incense and sprinkling -the houses, walls, and all its inhabitants with holy water."</p> - -<p>Up to the last moment a natural cause for the disappearance of the -Princess Sunartha Vismita never even presented itself to the mind of my -simple-hearted friend, and I was not a little comforted, for the sake -of the strange Laotian woman, to find that it was thought so absolutely -the work of some supernatural agent. For Thieng also told me that the -court astrologers and wizards were trying to unravel the mystery; that -large rewards had been promised to them if they could throw any light -on the subject; and, lastly, that the two Laotian captives, with the -deaf and dumb changeling, were to be exorcised and examined in the -ecclesiastical court on the following day by the "wise" men and women -in the country.</p> - -<p>After which the poor unhappy lady laid her head down<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_183" id="Page_183">[Pg 183]</a></span> upon her pillow, -utterly grieved and terrified by her fears. I tried in vain to comfort -her. But what between her dread of the supernatural and her misgivings -that to-morrow the chances were that certain accusations against -herself and me, as secret agents of some devilish sorceress, might be -brought forward with unanswerable logic, she was quite inconsolable and -greatly to be pitied.</p> - -<p>I believe she would have been content to give her life, ere day broke, -only to catch a glimpse of the poor unfortunate princess whom the demon -had thus maliciously kidnapped and carried off.</p> - -<p>The only thing I could say, that seemed in the slightest degree -to soothe her, was that I would endeavor to be present at the -ecclesiastical court at the time appointed for the exorcism, and obtain -such intelligence of its proceedings, and the facts elicited during -the trial, as my imperfect knowledge of the technical language and -formalities of the Siamese courts would enable me to gather for her.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_184" id="Page_184">[Pg 184]</a></span></p> - - - - -<p class="ph2"><a name="CHAPTER_XXIV" id="CHAPTER_XXIV">CHAPTER XXIV.</a></p> - -<p class="center">WITCHCRAFT IN SIAM IN EIGHTEEN HUNDRED AND SIXTY-SIX, COMPARED WITH -WITCHCRAFT IN ENGLAND IN SEVENTEEN HUNDRED AND SIXTEEN.</p> - - -<p>It might be difficult, at the present time, anywhere in any enlightened -Christian community, to find persons of the most ordinary intelligence -who entertain the smallest faith in witchcraft.</p> - -<p>But yet there are thousands upon thousands who implicitly believe in -spirit-rapping and in table-turning, in mesmerism and animal magnetism, -and in Mr. Joseph Smith and Brigham Young, his successor, who exhibits -such extraordinary powers in prophecy and sensualism at Utah; and in -fact it would seem that the doctrine of "Credo quia impossibile" never -had more earnest disciples than it now numbers.</p> - -<p>Yet we all alike, with one accord, profess our utter disbelief in -witchcraft.</p> - -<p class="center"> -<img src="images/illus14.jpg" alt="guard" /> -<a id="illus14" name="illus14"></a> -</p> -<p class="caption"> AN AMAZON OF THE ROYAL BODY GUARD.</p> - -<p>This scepticism on our part, however, is of very modern date; for even -in the early part of this century the belief was not quite eradicated -in England, and we have only to step back a century more to find it -acknowledged without shame by a civilized and highly enlightened -people, and at a time, too, when the literary intellect of England -shone as brightly as ever in her history; when the memory of Dryden -was still fresh in the minds of many of his most cherished friends and -admirers; when Pope had risen, and Addison was painting his genial -portrait of Sir Roger de Coverly; when the bewitching "nightingale -at Twickenham" poured forth his sweetest<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_185" id="Page_185">[Pg 185]</a></span> songs, and kind-hearted -Steele and Swift, stern, incorrigible, and lonely, domineered over -the proudest of English peers and statesmen. Nothing can ever be more -touching than the sad record of those dark days when the fair Eleanor -Cobham, the wife of a duke, and the aunt of a king of "Great Britain," -did penance for her "witchcraft," and walked "hoodless save her -'kerchief" through all the crowded streets of London and Westminster, -taunted and hooted at by a ragged crowd, to offer a "consecrated taper" -at the high altar of St. Paul's, and thence to her cruel, life-long -imprisonment at Kenilworth, while her wretched accomplice, Bolingbroke, -expiated his crime on a gibbet at Tyburn. And there are those seemingly -darker days when Archbishop Cranmer, a high-priest of the tender -Jesus, directed his clergy at large to make "strict inquiry into all -witchcraft and such like craft invented by the devil"; and when that -very honorable personage, the Lord Chief Justice Coke, uttered these -memorable words: "It would be a great defect in government if so great -an abomination had passed with impunity." Then no one cast even the -shadow of a doubt on the existence of witchcraft, or even questioned -the extraordinary powers which were at the time imputed to a witch. And -one becomes sensible of the dark superstitions that must have pervaded -even the general atmosphere of the immortal poet Shakespeare, when he -makes Ford lay his cudgel across the shoulders of Falstaff, supposing -him to be the "wise woman of Brentford," and embodies the grander and -more terrible idea of witchcraft as no man has ever done before or -after him in the tragedy of "Macbeth."</p> - -<p>Almost every page of ecclesiastical history of ancient times is full -of monstrous relations of the powers of the devil, or of those who -had entered into copartnership with him; and, emerging thence into -the light of more<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_186" id="Page_186">[Pg 186]</a></span> recent times, we shall find the same superstition -in such men as Matthew Hopkins, the "witch-finder"; in Matthew Hale, -presiding at the trial of the Bury St. Edmunds witches; and in Sir -Thomas Browne, author of the "Religio Medici," and of the "Inquiry into -Vulgar Errors," giving the evidence on which so many wretched old and -young women were sent to the gallows. But, alas! what shall we say when -we hear such holy men as Baxter and Wesley asserting that the belief in -witchcraft was essentially connected with Christianity, and one of its -most important points; and, down almost to our own day, find Johnson -half doubting and half believing in the existence of witches and in -their supernatural powers?</p> - -<p>It was not until the close of 1763 that the statute which made -witchcraft a felony punishable by death was repealed; and so lately as -1716 the curious reader will find in Gough's Brit., Vol. I., p. 439, -an account of a substantial English farmer, named Hicks, who publicly -accused his wife and child—a girl of only nine years of age—of -witchcraft; and, what seems more incredible still, that they were -actually tried at the assizes at Huntingdon before a learned judge, and -visited by pious and God-fearing "divines" to whom the poor victims -confessed the belief—which was forced into their own convictions by -the strong current of public opinion, and still more by the unnatural -conduct of a father and a husband—"that they were witches"; for which -the unhappy wife and tender child were hanged at Huntingdon, on the -28th of July, 1716.</p> - -<p>Can any page in the history of Siam be more appalling than this? Let -the reader turn from England in her light and glory, her civilization, -refinement, and power, from her altars raised to the true God, -and centuries after her baptism in the matchless name of Christ, -to benighted Siam still bound in the iron fetters of paganism,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_187" id="Page_187">[Pg 187]</a></span> -idolatry, and slavery, and he will find there in many respects just -such a picture as England presented in the seventeenth and eighteenth -centuries.</p> - -<p>Nothing can be more appalling than the incurable superstition of the -Eastern mind, and even while their belief in the supernatural inspires -them with perpetual horror, they cannot be brought to give it up. In -fact, it seems a part of their nature to cherish in their secret hearts -the belief that there are spirits, good and bad, who walk the earth -unseen, and delight either to bless or to cheat and abuse mankind; and -that there are witches and wizards in the country who have the power of -turning men into any shape they choose.</p> - -<p>Rational and reasonable on all other points as the Siamese are, the -moment you try to approach them through their religious senses they -appear like a world coming suddenly under an eclipse of the sun; slowly -and surely the disk of their mind is darkened, and the gloom and -perplexity increase, till it becomes completely obscured.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_188" id="Page_188">[Pg 188]</a></span></p> - - - - -<p class="ph2"><a name="CHAPTER_XXV" id="CHAPTER_XXV">CHAPTER XXV.</a></p> - -<p class="center">TRIAL FOR WITCHCRAFT.</p> - - -<p>No one who has had the good or bad fortune to alight in the -northeastern portion of the city of Bangkok can ever forget the temples -and monasteries of Brahmanee Wade. They are situated by themselves, -at the northeastern extremity of the city walls, where not a modern -building is to be seen, for even the few houses which were erected -as lately as yesterday have been fashioned after the ancient model -prescribed by the Hindoo architect; and in no part of the world is -there seen so perfect an historical picture of the ancient Brahminical -architecture as in this part of the city of Bangkok. The varied gables, -the quaint little windows, the fantastic towers and narrow doorways, -with the endless effects of color, make this spot a perpetual delight -to the curious traveller; and the Brahmins who occupy this part of the -city, allotted to them from time immemorial by the kings of Siam, still -preserve the ancient costume of their forefathers, which makes the -picture complete.</p> - -<p>On the morning of the 20th of November, 1866, three women, half -stupefied by the foul air of the damp cells in which they had been -immured, were conducted through the silent, sleeping streets of the -palace and city to a small room or "black hole" adjoining the great -court-hall of the temple of Brahmanee Wade, and locked up therein, -while the file of Amazons and the troop of soldiers in charge took -their places around it.</p> - -<p>While the Invincible City was being disenchanted by one set of Brahmins -to be purified by another set of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_189" id="Page_189">[Pg 189]</a></span> Buddhist priests, I set off on -horseback, attended only by my Hindostanee syce, or groom, to the scene -of the trial.</p> - -<p>November here is the pleasantest month in the year; and the morning -sun shone brightly, but not too warmly, as we approached the walls of -the temples and monasteries of Brahmanee Wade,—so wild, so isolated, -so set in contrast by oddness of architectural effects to the general -order and appearance of the rest of the town, as to seem, indeed, to -belong to another age and another world. The dark walls and huge trees -were covered with parasitic plants. A deep, narrow valley, through -which a tiny streamlet runs, over a stony bed, betwixt sloping sides of -grass and furze-clad steeps, is crossed by a stone bridge, black with -time, which leads to the portals of Brahminism. The little mad stream -roared and fled darkly on, as it will perhaps forever.</p> - -<p>There was a dreadful loneliness about the place, and a sort of -darkness, too, whether in my mind or in the place I cannot say, but it -spoke of all kinds of magic and witchcraft, and even of devilcraft.</p> - -<p>Deep in the glen, sloping down to the stream, amid picturesque and -romantic surroundings, stood the old temple of Kalee Durga; and running -along, like a huge, jagged shadow, dark even in the brightest sunlight, -rose the roofs of the monastic dwellings of the Brahmin ascetics, from -which the place is named.</p> - -<p>I alighted, and told my syce to wait outside for me; but he, being a -pious Hindoo, bestrode the pony and rode off, to return in a quarter of -an hour with oil and fresh flowers and sweetmeats enough to propitiate -a great many dark goddesses.</p> - -<p>There was not a soul to be seen anywhere, whether of Brahmanic or -Buddhistic faith. So I followed my syce into the temple, and while he -prostrated himself at full length before each one of his gods, I took -out my note-<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_190" id="Page_190">[Pg 190]</a></span>book and occupied myself in making sketches and memoranda -of the strange scene before me.</p> - -<p>Vishnu, Siva, Krishna, and the goddess Kalee, were the chief deities of -the place, and figured as the heroes and heroines among the numerous -grotesque and monstrous myths sculptured on the walls.</p> - -<p>Here was Vishnu lying comfortably on the thousand-headed snake Shesha, -or sporting as a fish, or crawling as a tortoise, or showing his fangs -as a wild boar, or shaking his head in his last and fifth <i>avatar</i> as -a dwarf, all admirably executed. Here too was Krishna, like another -Apollo, whipped out of heaven for playing tricks on the lovely -shepherdesses of Muttra, whose tender hearts he stole away, and whose -butter he found so tempting that he perpetually ran off with it in -secret, and whose jars of milk it was this madcap's pleasure roguishly -to upset. In another compartment, crumbling with age, he is seen again -in his last mad prank, perched on a stony tree with the milkmaids' -stony habiliments under his arm, and an unmistakable grin on his stony, -greasy<a name="FNanchor_35_35" id="FNanchor_35_35"></a><a href="#Footnote_35_35" class="fnanchor">[35]</a> face, while the owners of the dresses are standing below in -various attitudes of bashfulness imploring their restoration. Before -them in different places stands the Lingam. Here was also a beautiful -sculpture of Siva and his wife Parvati, with the sacred bull Nandi -lying at their feet, and Kalee in combat with the monster Mahashasura; -and close by again she is seen caressing a Nylghau,<a name="FNanchor_36_36" id="FNanchor_36_36"></a><a href="#Footnote_36_36" class="fnanchor">[36]</a> that is looking -up to her.</p> - -<p>The figures of the goddesses are wonderfully spirited, and of exquisite -symmetry, conveying the idea of perfect and beautiful womanhood. And -yet Kalee is represented elsewhere in the same temple as a black and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_191" id="Page_191">[Pg 191]</a></span> -terrible being, covered with symbols of the most ferocious cruelty.</p> - -<p>Having finished my notes, I passed out by another entrance, and -tried to quiet my fears for May-Peâh by continuing my rambles and -explorations until breakfast-time. Instead of returning home for that -meal, I despatched the syce to buy from the small Hindoo village close -by an earthen lota of milk and a flat cake of Bâjree bread, of which I -made a pleasant repast, sitting under the deep shadows of the temples -and trees dedicated to Brahma, of whom there is rarely, if ever, any -representation.</p> - -<p>Very soon I was repaid for my patient waiting, for I heard the sound -of drums beating and martial music playing; and, rushing to the side -whence it proceeded, the queerest and most weird-looking procession -met my astonished eyes,—old women dressed in scarlet and yellow, and -old gray headed men in every variety of costume, combining all the -known and unknown fashions of the past, some on foot and others on -horseback, with embroidered flags of the same multiplicity of colors -flying before the wind; and in the centre of all, clad in black and -crimson vestments, riding on white mules, a band of about twenty men -and women, some quite young and others extremely old, advancing with -slow and solemn steps. These were the royal astrologers, wizards, and -witches who, incredible as it may seem, are supported by the supreme -king of Siam, and receive from the crown large and handsome salaries. -I observed that the whole procession was composed of persons of the -Hindoo religion.</p> - -<p>In the rear came some Chinese coolies hired for the occasion, carrying -two boxes and two long planks, which excited my curiosity. As they drew -near they were joined by large numbers of well-dressed Siamese and a -host of ragged slaves, which completed the motley scene.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_192" id="Page_192">[Pg 192]</a></span></p> - -<p>I stepped out of the solemn shade of the boh and peepul trees, and took -my seat on a broken stone pillar, still under shelter, and commanding a -view of the grand hall. The roof, which was fast crumbling away, was an -inferior imitation of that of the wondrous temple of Maha Nagkhon Watt, -and had scarcely been touched for centuries, for there still figured -the inevitable Siva and Kalee, and all the rest of the Hindoo gods and -goddesses, dismantled and broken, but still in sufficient preservation -to show the wild grotesqueness of the Hindoo imagination, which seems -to have grown riotous in the effort to embody all its imperfect -conceptions of the Divinity.</p> - -<p>When this strange and solemn procession entered the portal of Brahmanee -Wade they suddenly halted, threw up their arms and folded their hands -above their heads, and repeated one of the most magnificent utterances -of Krishna: "O thou who art the life in all things, the eternal seed of -nature, the understanding of the wise and the weakness of the foolish, -the glory of the proud and the strength of the strong, the sacrifice -and the worship, the incense and the fire, the victim and the slayer, -the father and the mother of the world, gird thy servants with power -and wisdom to-day to slay the slayer and to vanquish the deceiver,"<a name="FNanchor_37_37" id="FNanchor_37_37"></a><a href="#Footnote_37_37" class="fnanchor">[37]</a> -etc. After which they marched to the sound of music into the temple, -and offered sacrifices of wine and oil, and wheaten cakes and fresh -flowers, and with their eyes lifted to the dark vaulted roof they again -prayed, calling upon Brahma the father, the comforter, the creator, -the tender mother, the holy way, the witness, the asylum, the friend -of man, to illumine with the light of his understanding their feeble -intellects to discern the devil and to vanquish him.</p> - -<p>At length the astrologers, wizards, and witches took<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_193" id="Page_193">[Pg 193]</a></span> their places -in the hall, with eager crowds all round them, standing in rows on -all the steps of the building. Then came two officers from the king -with a royal letter,—one was the chief judge of the Supreme Court, -and the other his secretary to report the trial. After this lordly -personage had taken his seat, the prisoners—the two handmaids of the -princess and my friend May-Peâh, who, as I feared, was the deaf and -dumb "changeling"—were brought in. She was deadly pale, and there -was a wild light as of madness or intense suffering in her eyes. They -were placed at the end of the hall, strongly guarded by as many as -fifty Amazons, while the soldiers scattered themselves all round about -the building. Not a word was spoken, and the strange assembly looked -into one another's faces, as if each knew his neighbor's thoughts. I -trembled for the unhappy prisoners; and the crowd, who seemed to look -upon poor May-Peâh as a veritable witch, were silent in breathless -expectation.</p> - -<p>It was a frightful spot, and a still more indescribably terrifying -scene, where one might indeed say with Hassan of Balsora, "Lo! this is -the abode of genii and of ghouls and of devils." I had half a mind to -slip down from my rocky perch and run away. But very soon my anxiety -for poor May-Peâh absorbed every other feeling.</p> - -<p>The three prisoners sat profoundly silent, waiting in sadness to hear -their doom.</p> - -<p>But why did they not begin the trial? There were the boxes and the -planks with little niches cut into them, deep enough to enable any -nimble person to climb with the tips of their toes, and scale any wall -against which they might be placed. I turned to a soldier who was -standing close by, and asked him why they still delayed the trial.</p> - -<p>"They are waiting," said he, as if he knew all about it,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_194" id="Page_194">[Pg 194]</a></span> and had -witnessed many such scenes before, "for the 'sage,' or holy man of the -woods; it is for him that they have blown the conch-shells these three -times." There was, to me, nothing improbable in the soldier's story. -He told me that this holy man, or yogi,<a name="FNanchor_38_38" id="FNanchor_38_38"></a><a href="#Footnote_38_38" class="fnanchor">[38]</a> lived in a cave, in the -rocks adjoining, all alone, and that he rarely issued from his unknown -retreat during the day, but that pious Hindoos, while performing their -ablutions in the stream after the close of their labors, could see -him moving in the moonlight, and hear him calling upon God. Feeding -on tamarinds and other wild fruits, he slept during the day like a -wild animal, and prayed aloud all night, oppressed by his longing and -yearning after the Invisible, as by some secret grief that knew no -balm. Even the cool evening air brought him no peace; for,</p> - -<p style="margin-left: 20%;"> -<span style="margin-left: 7em;">"At night the passion came,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Like the fierce fiend of a distempered dream;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">And shook him from his rest, and led him forth</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Into the darkness, to pray and pray forevermore."</span><br /> -</p> - -<p>By and by a man appeared on the opposite banks of the stream, plunged -into it, and emerged on the hither side; shook the wet from his hair -like a veritable beast, and made his way towards the hall, where he -sat himself shyly down near the prisoners. This strange mortal, who -lived the life of an "orang-outang," had a remarkably fine, sensitive -face, and a noble head, around which his long, matted, unkempt hair -fell like dark clouds. He was meagrely clad, and his wiry frame gave -evidence of great muscular power. There was, to my thinking, a gleam -of a better and higher humanity in his fine, dark face, that shot out -in irrepressible flashes, and convinced me, in spite of his filth and -nudity, of a noble and impressive nature.</p> - -<p>The soldier assured me, in a tone of the utmost rever<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_195" id="Page_195">[Pg 195]</a></span>ence, "that -this man's eyes were opened, that he could see things which the paid -mercenaries of the court could not begin even to comprehend; and that -therefore they always made it a point to invite him to aid them in -their spiritual examinations."</p> - -<p>I somehow drew comfort from the yogi's shy and fascinating face.</p> - -<p>And now the trial commenced by the judge reading the king's letter, -which spoke of the mysterious and important nature of the accusation -made against some unknown person for the abduction of a state prisoner, -a lady of high rank and unflinching integrity, and called upon the -assembly to do their utmost to unravel the inexplicable affair.</p> - -<p>After the royal letter had received its customary salutations, and -at the command of the judge, the two Amazons who were on duty on the -night of the abduction of the princess testified to the following -facts: "That on the night of the 12th, on a sudden a strong wind arose -that extinguished their lanterns, leaving them in utter darkness, and -immediately afterwards they were sensible that a tall, dark figure -enveloped in a black veil entered the hall, and that as she approached -them they saw, somewhat indistinctly, that she held a short dagger -in one hand and a ponderous bunch of keys in the other; that never -before having known themselves liable to any illusion of the senses, -the horror which fell upon them at the moment deprived them of all -power of speech or action; that, as the strange being stood over them -brandishing her glittering knife, there flashed all round about her a -hideous light; that by this light they saw her proceed to the cell in -which the Princess Sunartha Vismita was confined, open it with one of -her mysterious keys, and lead the princess forth, pulling her forcibly -along by the hand, and as the flashes died away a double darkness fell -upon them; that after<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_196" id="Page_196">[Pg 196]</a></span> an interval of nearly two hours, as they were -still paralyzed and unable to move from the spot, the strange figure -reappeared, pallid, and more ghastly than before, but without the veil, -or the dagger, or the bunch of keys; that she passed quickly by them -into the cell, and drew the prison door so forcibly that it closed upon -her with a dismal cry of pain."</p> - -<p>Then the two Laotians stated "that on the night of the 12th they -were awakened by the slamming of the cell door, and, on looking in -the darkness towards the bed on which the princess slept, they saw a -figure sitting on it; on which they lit the lamp, and found it was not -their mistress, but a dumb slave-woman in her place, and that they -instinctively shrank away from her in fear and horror lest she should -metamorphose them also into some unnatural beings."</p> - -<p>As for the Amazons, it could readily be seen that their imaginations -had been so vividly impressed that they were prepared to swear solemnly -to their having seen a supernatural being twice the size and altogether -unlike the deaf and dumb creature before them. The unnatural light -of pain or madness or frenzy, or whatever it was, burned still more -brightly in May-Peâh's eyes. Her reddish-brown dress seemed to be -stained here and there with darker spots, as if of blood, and her face -grew more and more colorless every moment. But to all the numberless -questions put to her by every one of the crafty wizards and witches, -she returned no reply. Her lips were of an ashy whiteness, and they -really seemed to have been closed by a supernatural power.</p> - -<p>I recalled her volubility of speech when I first met her, and her -impassioned song, by which she won for her mistress the acknowledgment -of a deep and undying love; and I asked myself the question over and -over again, "Is it possible that she can be acting?" At a signal, an<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_197" id="Page_197">[Pg 197]</a></span> -alarm-gong was struck, and so suddenly and immediately behind her that -the whole assembly started, and May-Peâh, taken by surprise, turned to -see whence the sound came. "Now," shouted the wily judges, "it is plain -that you can speak, for you are not deaf."</p> - -<p>No sooner was this said than the feeling against the accused ran high, -on account of her obstinacy, and she was forthwith condemned to all -the tortures of the rack. But the humane yogi, on hearing this, raised -his bare arms on high, and uttered the wild cry of "Yah" (forbear) so -commandingly that it rang through the temple, and arrested the cruel -process.</p> - -<p>He then turned to the poor girl, and, placing his huge, bony hands upon -her shoulders, tenderly whispered in her ear something which seemed -to move the prisoner for she raised her burning eyes, now filled with -tears, to his face, and, shaking her head solemnly and sadly to and -fro, laid her finger on her mouth to indicate that she could not speak.</p> - -<p>A tender light kindled the dark face of the yogi, as he informed the -assembly that "the woman was not a witch, nor even obstinate, but -powerless to speak, because under the influence of witchcraft."</p> - -<p>The tide of feeling was again turned in the prisoner's favor. "Let -her be exorcised," said the chief judge of the Supreme Court, whose -secretary was making minutes of all that took place during the trial.</p> - -<p>On which the queerest-looking woman of the party, an old and toothless -dame, drew out a key from her girdle and opened the wooden boxes, -from which she took a small boat, a sort of coracle,<a name="FNanchor_39_39" id="FNanchor_39_39"></a><a href="#Footnote_39_39" class="fnanchor">[39]</a>—such as are -still found in some parts of Wales, made by covering a wicker frame -with leather,—a long gray veil of singular texture, an earthen stove, -whereon to kindle a charcoal fire, and some charcoal; out of the second -box she produced some<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_198" id="Page_198">[Pg 198]</a></span> herbs, pieces of flint, cast skins of snakes, -feathers, the hair of various animals, with dead men's bones, short -brooms, and a host of other queer things.</p> - -<p>At any other time I should have been highly amused at the grotesqueness -of the figure, and the comically ludicrous manner in which she drew, -one after another, her mysterious ingredients out of her boxes; but now -I was too anxious, and too much pained by the situation of May-Peâh, -and by what seemed to me diabolical jugglery, to think of the comical -side of the scene.</p> - -<p>With the charcoal the old woman proceeded to light a fire in her -earthen stove; when it was red-hot she opened several jars of water, -and, muttering some strange incantations, threw into them portions of -her herbs, repeating over each a mystic spell, and waving a curious -wand which looked like a human bone, and might have been once the arm -of a stalwart man. This done, she seated the prisoner in the centre -of the motley group, covered her over with the veil of gray stuff, -and handing the short hand-brooms to a number of her set, she, to my -intense horror, began to pour the burning charcoal over the veiled -form of the prisoner, which the other women, dancing around, and -repeating with the wildest gestures the name of Brahma, as rapidly -swept off. This was done without even singeing the veil or burning a -hair of May-Peâh's head. After this they emptied the jars of water upon -her, still repeating the name of Brahma. She was then made to change -her clothes for an entirely new dress, of the Brahminical fashion. -Her dressing and undressing were effected with great skill, without -disclosing her person in the least. And once more the yogi laid his -hands upon her shoulders, and whispered again in her ears, first the -right, and then the left. But May-Peâh returned the same intimation, -shaking her head, and pointing to her sealed lips.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_199" id="Page_199">[Pg 199]</a></span></p> - -<p>Then the old wizard, Khoon P'hikhat,—literally, the lord who drives -out the devil,—prostrated himself before her, and prayed with a wild -energy of manner; and, rising suddenly, he peremptorily demanded, -looking full into the prisoner's face, "Where did you drop the bunch of -keys?"</p> - -<p>The glaring daylight illuminated with a pale lustre the fine face of -the Laotian slave, as for the third time she moved her head, in solemn -intimation that she could not or would not speak.</p> - -<p>To see her thus, no one would believe but that, if she willed, she -could speak at once.</p> - -<p>"Open her mouth, and pour some of the magic water into it," suggested -one of the "wise women."</p> - -<p>But they who opened her mouth fell back with horror, and cried, -"Brahma, Brahma! an evil fiend has torn out her tongue." And -immediately the unhappy woman passed from being an object of fear and -dread to one of tender commiseration, of pity, and even of adoration.</p> - -<p>So sudden was the transition from fear and hate to love and pity, that -many of the strong men and women wept outright at the thought of the -dreadful mutilation that the fiend had subjected her to.</p> - -<p>Now came the last and most important question, "Was the exorcism -effectual?" To prove which a small taper was lighted and put into -the witches' boat; and the whole company betook themselves to the -borders of the stream to see it launched. The boat swept gallantly -down the waters, and the feeble lamp burned brightly, without even a -flicker,—for it was a calm day,—till it was brought to a stand by -some stones that were strewn across the stream.</p> - -<p>Then the yogi raised a shout of wild delight, and all the company -re-echoed it with intense satisfaction and pleasure. And, in accordance -with the king's instructions,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_200" id="Page_200">[Pg 200]</a></span> being fully acquitted of any complicity -with the devil in the abduction of the princess, the prisoners received -each a sum of money, and were set at liberty.</p> - -<p>The planks, which in any other court would have been one of the most -tangible evidences that some person had thereby scaled the palace -walls, were never even thought of during this singular trial. So -irrational and so superstitious is the native character, that they -preferred to believe in the supernatural rather than in any rational -cause for the disappearance of the princess; and for once in my life I -was led to rejoice in their ignorance.</p> - -<p>It was sunset before this inconceivably grotesque and self-deluded and -deluding set of maniacs dispersed. The yogi went back to the solitude -of his unknown cave to sleep by day and pray alone by night. And I sent -my syce home, and remained behind under a jamoon-tree, to which my pony -was tied, in the hope of getting an opportunity of speaking alone with -the women who still lingered with May-Peâh in the hall.</p> - -<p>When May-Peâh at length saw me, she rushed into my arms, and laid her -head upon my shoulder, uttering the most doleful and piteous of cries; -they were not cries of sorrow, but of the wildest joy! I embraced her -with something of the tenderness and sorrow with which a mother takes a -brave but reckless child to her heart.</p> - -<p>May-Peâh's friends then told me, what I had all along surmised, that -it was she who scaled the walls by means of the two planks, terrified -the Amazons, opened the prison doors with the keys she had provided, -and led her mistress forcibly out. After assisting her to climb the -walls on the inner side, she sat on the top of the outer wall until she -saw her safely on the other side. She then dropped the keys to her, to -be flung into the river. Here the prince and his two friends received -the princess, and led her to a small craft that was ready to convey -them to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_201" id="Page_201">[Pg 201]</a></span> Maulmain. In vain they entreated May-Peâh to come down from -the wall and join their flight. She resolutely refused to leave the -companions of her beloved mistress in peril, and, full of dread lest, -by the dreadful torture which she knew awaited her, she might be forced -to betray those who were dearer to her than her own life, she with one -stroke of her sharp dagger deprived herself forever of the power of -uttering a single intelligible sound.</p> - -<p>"O, but why did you not all go off with the princess?" I inquired.</p> - -<p>"Because we were too many, and we should have only delayed and -perhaps imperilled the success of the enterprise," said the women; -"and May-Peâh had promised not to leave us to bear the penalty of her -doings."</p> - -<p>It was difficult to tear myself away from her. I was at once proud to -be loved by her, and heart-broken to think that she would never speak -again.</p> - -<p>But at length we parted, and she, raising her hands high above her -head, waved them to and fro, and smiled a joyful adieu, in spite of the -pain she still suffered from her cruel mutilation.</p> - -<p>They took the way to the river to hire a boat for Pak Laut, whence they -were to sail to Maulmain to join the fugitive prince and princess.</p> - -<p>Assuredly, so long as men and women shall hold dear human courage and -devotion in what they believe to be a just cause, so long will the -memory of this brave and self-sacrificing slave-girl be cherished.</p> - - -<div class="footnotes"> -<p class="center">FOOTNOTES:</p> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_35_35" id="Footnote_35_35"></a><a href="#FNanchor_35_35"><span class="label">[35]</span></a> The Hindoos besmear these sculptures with oil on festive -occasions.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_36_36" id="Footnote_36_36"></a><a href="#FNanchor_36_36"><span class="label">[36]</span></a> A large short-horned antelope found in Northern India. -The males are of a beautiful slaty blue, and the females of a rusty -red.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_37_37" id="Footnote_37_37"></a><a href="#FNanchor_37_37"><span class="label">[37]</span></a> A prayer from the "Hindoo Liturgy," embodying some of the -remarkable formulas of the Brahminical worship.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_38_38" id="Footnote_38_38"></a><a href="#FNanchor_38_38"><span class="label">[38]</span></a> A Hindoo mystic.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_39_39" id="Footnote_39_39"></a><a href="#FNanchor_39_39"><span class="label">[39]</span></a> Similar boats were used by the ancient Egyptians.</p></div> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_202" id="Page_202">[Pg 202]</a></span></p> - -<p class="ph2"><a name="CHAPTER_XXVI" id="CHAPTER_XXVI">CHAPTER XXVI.</a></p> - -<p class="center">THE CHRISTIAN VILLAGE OF TÂMSÈNG, OR OF THOMAS THE SAINT.</p> - - -<p>It was on a bright Sunday morning in the month of May that a handsome -boat with four young women at the oars conveyed me and my boy to the -residence of Mrs. Rosa Hunter, situated in the village of Tâmsèng.</p> - -<p>My friend Mrs. Hunter was a native of Siam, but of Portuguese -parentage. Her husband, Robert Hunter, was private secretary to the -supreme king. She had two sons, who had been taken away from her in -their infancy by their Protestant father,—lest they should be brought -up in the Roman Catholic faith,—and shipped off secretly to Scotland, -in order that they might be educated under the influences of the Free -Church of Scotland, in which he had himself been brought up. This -occasioned a breach between the husband and wife which led to their -ultimate separation, and Rosa returned all but heart-broken to the home -of her childhood, where I visited her at short intervals to write the -long, loving letters which she dictated to me in Siamese, and which I -wrote in English to her absent boys.</p> - -<p>A day at her house was always a pleasant change. On one of these -visits, which I remember well, the table had been spread by the -window that looked up the river, and lost it amid high banks and the -projecting spires of the Roman Catholic and the Buddhist temples -adjoining.</p> - -<p>I had finished and sealed her loving messages to her absent children; -the moon was rising, and we needed no other light, as the conversation -between us, often shifting<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_203" id="Page_203">[Pg 203]</a></span> and often pausing, had gradually become -grave, and we fell into confiding talk of what we hoped and what we -feared, as we saw the future of our children stretched before us in -deep shadows.</p> - -<p>"There is so much power in faith," said Rosa, "even in relation to -earthly things, that I am surprised you are not a Roman Catholic. I -believe in my church; when I go to confession and receive the holy -communion, I am filled with peace and trust, and have no fears for the -future."</p> - -<p>"There is a great deal in what you say, Rosa," I replied; "but I am -afraid that I should not make a good Catholic, since I am disposed to -question everything that does not accord with my own perceptions of the -right and the true."</p> - -<p>"Well, I suppose," said Rosa, "that our natures differ; all my life -has its roots in the Roman Catholic Church. I never doubt, therefore I -never question. The Holy Virgin and her Son are sufficient for me, and -the good priest who absolves me from my sins. My only one sorrow is -that my children are cast out of the pale of salvation by the foolish -prejudices of their father."</p> - -<p>This was said in a voice of much feeling, and tears gathered to her -eyes. I moved to her side, and tried to comfort her by saying, "After -all, Rosa, you seem to let your fears for your children cloud your -faith in that Saviour who died for them as well as for you."</p> - -<p>While I was speaking, my eyes fell upon a long, narrow canoe, called by -the natives Rua Keng, in which was seated a tall, slender, and shapely -young girl, who was slowly, with the aid of two short paddles, making -her way towards us through the water, while her face was raised to the -moonlight that fell brightly upon her. It was nearly high tide; a fleet -of canoes, boats, and barges was moving in all directions over the -broad waters.</p> - -<p>We watched the girl as her paddles rose and fell softly and slowly, -silver-tipped by the moonlight, now dipping<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_204" id="Page_204">[Pg 204]</a></span> into the water, now rising -above it, like the white wings of some lazy bird. Nearer and nearer -came the long boat, and clearer shone the fair face that was still -uplifted, and reflected back the moonlight, till it almost looked as if -divinely inspired. It is impossible to do any kind of justice to this -beautiful moonlight picture. Gently the boat shot under our window, and -was lost to our sight.</p> - -<p>I bade my friend adieu, and hastened to the pier, where I met the girl -again. She had fastened her canoe to one of the posts that supported -the quay, and was crossing the street: in one hand she held a bunch of -lilies, and in the other a lotus-shaped vase full of flowers.</p> - -<p>Yielding to the impulse of the moment, instead of stepping into my boat -I took my boy's hand and followed her graceful figure.</p> - -<p>It was not yet seven o'clock. A number of people were in the squalid, -dirty streets of Tâmsèng. The twinkling evening lights were stealing -out one by one, and the girl drew over her face a veil or covering -which was attached to her hair by a large and beautiful pin. A dozen -or more steps, and we stood in the porch of the Roman Catholic chapel -dedicated to "Tomas the Saint."</p> - -<p>Lights were burning on the altar, over which were two figures of the -Christ: one suspended above it with a crown of thorns, bleeding, and -nailed to the cross; the other, of magnificent stature, was enveloped -in a costume as gorgeous as the coronation robes of an emperor, the -vestment being a sort of Indian brocade of woven gold arabesqued with -jewels and scented with spikenard; a diadem lavishly adorned with -emeralds and diamonds pressed its forehead, in some measure confining -the hair which streamed down in abundant tresses upon the shoulders, -and mingled with a beard no darker than the glossy hue of the chestnut. -On either side of the altar were<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_205" id="Page_205">[Pg 205]</a></span> two other figures, one of the Virgin -Mother, in the same regal attire, and crowned as the queen of heaven; -while the other was the patron saint, with a flowing beard and a -benevolent face. Suspended over the altar was a grand Japanese lamp.</p> - -<p>The priest, a dark, heavily built man, a native, but of Portuguese -parentage, was standing before it, with his cap on his head and his -back to the congregation.</p> - -<p>The moment the girl beheld the glory of the altar and the lights that -shot up and quivered and were reflected in a thousand beautiful tints -upon the magnificent figure of the Christ, she dropped on her knees and -held down her head in mute adoration. After a little while she rose, -and, advancing a few steps nearer, placed her golden lotus-shaped vase -of flowers on the bare floor, dropped on her knees again, and, holding -the white lilies between her folded hands, seemed absorbed in her -devotions.</p> - -<p>In her attitude and bearing there was a depth of feeling which, -harmonizing with her beautiful figure, arrested the eye of the -observer, and cast every other object in the shade.</p> - -<p>I withdrew reluctantly and returned to my boat, wondering who she could -be. On my way home I gathered from the women at the oars that she was -known by the name of Nang Rungeâh (Lady Rungeâh);<a name="FNanchor_40_40" id="FNanchor_40_40"></a><a href="#Footnote_40_40" class="fnanchor">[40]</a> that her parents -were Buddhists and Cambodians, proprietors of a large plantation east -of Tâmsèng. Her father, Chow Suah P'hagunn, was a distinguished noble, -and her mother a Cambodian lady of high birth, who claimed to be -descended from the rulers of that ancient and almost unknown kingdom, -and that her only brother was a Buddhist priest. But the Nang Rungeâh -had become deeply impressed with the beauty of the Christian re<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_206" id="Page_206">[Pg 206]</a></span>ligion, -and was at this moment the only candidate who had offered herself, for -a number of years, for baptism into the Roman Catholic Church.</p> - -<p>"Tomas Saint," the founder of the beautiful church around which had -grown up this Christian village, was a Portuguese gentleman renowned -for his piety and his wealth. He had obtained the title of "saint," -even in his lifetime; but the good people, fearing to arouse the -jealousy of the Apostle of Christ, after whom he was named, placed the -title after, instead of before, his name, and out of it had grown the -name of "Tâmsèng."</p> - -<p>On the very next Saturday following, it being the first holiday that -offered itself to me, I set out with my boy very early in the morning -to explore the village of Tâmsèng.</p> - -<p>We chose for our head-quarters one of the most beautiful Buddhist -temples in the neighborhood, the grounds and monasteries bounded the -Catholic village on the northeast side of the river.</p> - -<p>This temple, called Adi Buddha Annando, i.e. The First Buddha, or -The Infinite, was embowered in a grove of trees of luxuriant growth, -affording a delicious shade. It must have been, in its best days, a -magnificent building; for even now, though much of its beauty was -obliterated, it was covered from its massive base to its tapering -summits with sculptures, and frescoed within and without with -marvellous effect, so that wherever you turned your eyes the impression -of a more subtle and a finer spirituality dawned upon you, as it was -meet it should, in a temple dedicated to One whom the pious Buddhists -will never even name, so great is their reverence for the First or -Supreme Intelligence.</p> - -<p>After a simple breakfast of fruit and milk, we strolled about the -village and its surroundings, making notes and sketches of all that -could be seen.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_207" id="Page_207">[Pg 207]</a></span></p> - -<p>It was surprising to me that it looked so well in the early sunshine. -The places that had struck me as foul and repulsive in the dim twilight -now wore a different aspect, as if bent on looking their brightest and -best in acknowledgment of the prodigal sunlight.</p> - -<p>But the farther we penetrated into the heart of the village the more we -were disappointed, and my first impressions were more than realized. We -soon came upon scenes of the most squalid misery and filth, poverty and -destitution, amid heaps of refuse and puddles of mud that caused us to -shrink aside with disgust.</p> - -<p>It is natural to demand that beautiful ideas should be clothed with -beautiful forms. It was therefore to me an outrage on the name of -Christianity to find that while all around lay scenes of luxuriant -beauty which brightened the eye and cheered the heart, the only -Christian village in the vicinity of Bangkok, which should have been -an embodiment of all that is pure and lovely, had been transformed -by the greed and oppression of the local officers to a pestilential -spot to fester and poison the pure air of heaven. Some few native -Christian women were about milking their goats, others were seated on -their doorsteps, unwashed and uncombed; they seemed even to have lost -the virtue of personal cleanliness, which with the Indian covers a -multitude of sins. Stray packs of pariah dogs and herds of swine were -barking and grunting in the ill-kept streets, and all kinds of poultry -were picking a scanty breakfast from the heaps of garbage. Every now -and then we were compelled to cross a stagnant pool or a muddy gutter -alive with insects.</p> - -<p>I never saw anything like the mud; it was a black liquid, sticky, -slimy, and yet hard, hurting like hail when it struck the flesh.</p> - -<p>And now we reached the quaint little chapel of "Tomas Saint." Its -glories were sadly obscured by wet and damp,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_208" id="Page_208">[Pg 208]</a></span> and the painting and -gilding on the outside looked cold and dull.</p> - -<p>A colored priest, a descendant of the renowned Tomas, was officiating. -It was some saint's day. An assemblage of men, women, and children -was seated on the floor, some in groups and some on rude benches. The -priest bends over his missal, and pours forth in execrable Latin the -exquisite prayers of the Church of Rome; and all the congregation, in -their silks, and in their rags and wretchedness, are hushed and silent, -with bent heads and folded hands, while the sound of the prayers—which -they do not understand, beyond that it is the voice of prayer—fills -their unenlightened but reverent hearts with mysterious dread and -worship.</p> - -<p>On quitting the chapel, we were at once beset by a numerous horde of -beggars. It was not food or money that they craved, but, strange to -say, it was justice. They followed us all the way back to the temple, -importuning me to redress their wrongs and find a remedy for their -grievances. Some of the poor wretches were half-witted, and not a few -were crazed. An elderly lady, evidently once of superior rank, came -crawling up to me, and clasped my feet, making a painful noise in a -language that I could not understand, and piteously gesticulating -some incomprehensible request. The people of the place denied all -knowledge of her. At last she insisted on my giving her a leaf out of -my note-book full of writing, which she apparently considered as a -charm, for she attached it to a cord round her neck, and seemed to be -perfectly happy in its possession. God only knows what the poor thing -wanted to tell me, but likely enough her story was one of some great -wrong, of some cruel injustice. If the smallest details of what I heard -that day might be credited, the wrongs of these people were of the most -harrowing nature, and altogether without hope of remedy under<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_209" id="Page_209">[Pg 209]</a></span> the -twofold and inveterately vicious system of Siamese and Portugo-Siamese -administration that prevailed there.</p> - -<p>I was alarmed when I found that my visit was thought to be one secretly -intended "to spy out the land," in the service of the king of Siam, -and that I was expected to wipe away the tears from all eyes. In vain -I protested to the contrary; no one would listen to me, but the crowds -kept coming and going, and pleading and praying, and promising me -fabulous sums of money if I would only see their wrongs redressed.</p> - -<p>Many a heart-rending tale was told to me that day, with quivering lips -and streaming eyes, as I rested beneath the porch of the temple of -Adi Buddha Annando, by women who had been plundered of all they once -possessed, their children sold into slavery or tortured to death, their -habitations despoiled, merely because they happened to have property, -and presumed to live independently upon lands which their more powerful -neighbors coveted.</p> - -<p>The greater number of these depredators were Siamese of influence, -who had enrolled themselves as Christians under the French or the -Portuguese flags, and unless the sufferer could claim the protection of -either the one or the other, it seemed a cruel mockery to refer them -for redress to any existing local authority, so long as P'haya Visate, -a high but unprincipled Roman Catholic dignitary, was the governor of -this district; and the saddest part of it all was, that the sufferers -themselves felt there was no use in applying for justice to him.</p> - -<p>In talking with some Buddhist men and women who were land proprietors -in the vicinity, they told me that they were afraid of their Christian -brethren, and would not, if they could prevent it, permit them to lease -farms on their estates.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_210" id="Page_210">[Pg 210]</a></span></p> - -<p>"Why?" I asked.</p> - -<p>"Because, if they once get hold of a house or a farm, they manage in -time to turn us out."</p> - -<p>"But how?"</p> - -<p>"Well, they lease small bits of land, year after year, expend money on -it, and then, when they have a sufficiently large plantation to settle -upon, they refuse to pay rent, go to law, and bring false witnesses -to prove they have purchased the land of the owners, while the local -authorities either take the part of the wrong-doers or imprison both -parties until they have squeezed all they can out of them. The Buddhist -does not dare," said they, "to lay his hand upon the sacred tree<a name="FNanchor_41_41" id="FNanchor_41_41"></a><a href="#Footnote_41_41" class="fnanchor">[41]</a> -and swear falsely, because the god who lives in it sees all, and he -dreads his vengeance. But the Christian may swear to as many lies as he -pleases, for the priests of the P'hra Jesu will give him absolution for -them. Where, then, is the harm to him?"</p> - -<p>I observed among the crowd a highly respectable looking and handsomely -dressed woman, who sat apart, taking no share in the conversation, but -listening with apparent interest to all that was said. Her eyes were -very dark and very fine, but filled with rather a sad expression.</p> - -<p>Towards evening she rose to go away, but, as if on second thought, she -turned to me and greeted me in a peculiarly sweet voice, that sounded -like music to my ears after all the voices of the crowd, inviting us to -go and take our evening meal at her house, to which she at once led the -way.</p> - -<p>A narrow, gravelled walk led to the house, situated in a lovely garden, -and separated by a wilderness of wild plants and prickly-pears from the -neighboring Christian village. A long veranda with stone steps led down -to the gravelled path. Just in front stood an old banyan-tree,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_211" id="Page_211">[Pg 211]</a></span> lusty -and burly in the full strength of its gnarled trunk, and vigorous, long -boughs and branches forming arched and leafy bowers all round it.</p> - -<p>The pathway ran through a shrubbery luxuriant with oleanders, -jessamine, roses, laurel, and the Indian myrtle. Beneath these small -wild rabbits had formed a colony, and it was curious to see a leaf -moved upwards mysteriously, a head and ears protrude themselves, or -a tail and legs, and then disappear as suddenly. This road ran to a -great distance behind the house, and led through nearly three miles of -ground, laid out in sugar, rice, cocoanut, and tobacco plantations. A -small stream trickled through these, stagnating here and there into -deep, green pools.</p> - -<p>In passing near one of these pools I noticed that my hostess turned -away her face, and in answer to my questions, she told me that it was -once a large tank, but was now called Tâlataie, the Pool of Death. -On further inquiry, I learned that this name had been given it from -a tragic circumstance which had happened in her family; that shortly -after her eldest daughter's engagement to a young Siamese Christian, -the betrothed pair went out for a ramble along the banks of the -streamlet. Night descended, and the shadows deepened into midnight, -but her daughter and her lover did not return. At length her fears -were aroused, and the whole household set out with lanterns to search -the grounds; but nowhere could they find a trace of the absent couple -until morning dawned upon their fruitless search, when her daughter was -found lying on her face in the dark pool, stripped of all the beautiful -jewels in which she had arrayed herself on the previous evening; and -her Christian lover was never seen or heard of again. "But her spirit -still haunts the spot," said the sad mother to me, "and on moonlight -nights I see her pale form floating in the pool and crying to us for -help."</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_212" id="Page_212">[Pg 212]</a></span></p> - -<p>The lady then wiped away her tears with her black p'ha hom, or -scarf, and led us into the house. Her husband, a much older and more -melancholy-looking person, now appeared, and the slaves brought us a -great many delicacies on silver trays.</p> - -<p>While we partook of them, our hostess asked me a number of questions -about my home, friends, children, and relatives. She then informed me -that her family now consisted of one son and a daughter, and that the -former was a Buddhist priest, serving in the very temple where she had -met me.</p> - -<p>"Where is your daughter now?" I inquired.</p> - -<p>She pointed to a window which opened into an inner chamber. I looked -in, and to my glad surprise saw seated on a low stool, holding an open -book in which she seemed wholly absorbed, the same girl who had so -attracted me on the Sunday evening previous.</p> - -<p>Her face was very fine and seemingly full of spiritual beauty, and -her figure surpassingly beautiful. While we stood gazing at her, some -sudden and apparently painful emotion flitted rapidly across her face -as she read in the book, like the shadow of a dark cloud over the quiet -water.</p> - -<p>The mother was silent, evidently making an effort to master the -feelings which this sight occasioned in her breast, so as to speak -calmly about it.</p> - -<p>I sat down again, and inquired the name of the book in which her -daughter was so absorbed.</p> - -<p>"It is a book called Beeble," said the woman. "What kind of a book is -it?"</p> - -<p>I assured her that it was a very good book, the Book above all others -ever printed; that her daughter did well to read it, and that it would -help to develop her into a lovely and beautiful character.</p> - -<p>I then left my kind hostess, satisfied and yet saddened by my trip to -Tâmsèng.</p> - - -<div class="footnotes"> -<p class="center">FOOTNOTES:</p> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_40_40" id="Footnote_40_40"></a><a href="#FNanchor_40_40"><span class="label">[40]</span></a> Rungeâh, a sort of magenta-colored lotus, found in the -pools and marshes of Siam.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_41_41" id="Footnote_41_41"></a><a href="#FNanchor_41_41"><span class="label">[41]</span></a> Boh, or bogara-tree.</p></div> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_213" id="Page_213">[Pg 213]</a></span></p> - -<p class="ph2"><a name="CHAPTER_XXVII" id="CHAPTER_XXVII">CHAPTER XXVII.</a></p> - -<p class="center">NANG RUNGEAH, THE CAMBODIAN PROSELYTE.</p> - - -<p>TÂMSÈNG presented a picture of the sea at the moment when the tide is -on the turn: there is always a lull, and sometimes a profound calm, -before the mighty currents shift and set in another direction. The -eager child who is piling up castles of sand one upon another on its -shores pauses in wonder and astonishment at the sight. That strong -angel, the tide, that he had watched in breathless delight advancing -resistlessly, ever onward, nearer and nearer, rushing on to kiss with -its foaming mouth his wayward feet, then rolling back, and "laughing -from its lips the audacious brine," is suddenly arrested. The dull, -surging roar that filled his ear, as if it were the voice of some -mysterious sea-god, is hushed; the great sea has become silent and -still, and the strong angel has expired. His last faint effort, and his -feeble dying moan, fall upon the child's attentive eye and listening -ear like a death-knell, for he has been told that this "tide" keeps -the salt sea fresh and its shores healthful. He sets up a shout of -despair, and prays the strong angel to return and trouble again the -still waters, to renew the life which has passed away, and prevent that -in-setting of stagnation that must bring with it mortal disease to the -earth.</p> - -<p>Religions have their tides as well as the ocean, and all life has -its grand cyclical currents, whether in the church, the state, the -individual, or the nation. Thus this little village of Tâmsèng seemed -long since to have arrived at the period of that reaction which -marks the disappearance of the tide from the sea, and the influx of -that sluggish in<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_214" id="Page_214">[Pg 214]</a></span>sensibility which foretells the beginning of the -stagnation, which, if not removed, must inevitably end in mortification -and death.</p> - -<p>But now, after the torpor of nearly half a century, and through the -death-like stagnation of the decaying village, there is heard a voice -of general rejoicing. The main features of the place undergo a slight -change; a gentle flow of life stirs its corpse-like visage; a beautiful -and wealthy Cambodian heiress, the Lady Nang Rungeah is a candidate for -baptism in the Roman Catholic Church.</p> - -<p>On the 25th of June, it being the morning of her first confessional, -the bells are set in motion and ring all day till sunset, as is the -custom for a new convert, resounding in the glens and hollows and amid -the spires of the Buddhist and Roman Catholic temples.</p> - -<p>The chamber into which I had looked at a young girl reading with -her heart and eyes a copy of the New Testament—translated, not by -a Roman Catholic, but by an American Presbyterian missionary, the -Rev. Mr. Mattoon—is now the centre of a most animated scene. Khoon -P'hagunn and his wife Jethamas are seated in the little room in earnest -conversation. They are interrupted by their daughter Rungeah, who comes -quietly in, throws her arms around her mother, kneels before her and -lays her head in her lap. The mother folds her arms tenderly around her -child, and caresses her lovingly, smoothing her soft hair.</p> - -<p>"Ah! Rungeah, art thou dressed already? Thou dost not need much -adornment." And the old man's eyes brightened with pride and love as -they lighted on the pleasant beauty and the graceful proportions of his -daughter.</p> - -<p>Nang Rungeah, the bright lotus-flower, was indeed pleasant to look -upon. Hers was the half Indian and half Cambodian beauty so rare in -Siam,—the large, long,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_215" id="Page_215">[Pg 215]</a></span> drooping eye, round, oval face, and clear -complexion, with a touch of healthful ruddiness in her cheeks, -purple-black hair, soft and rich, falling loosely in long curls over -her shoulders. The charms of her face and feature, however, were as -naught to the brightness and kindliness that played over them like a -sunny gleam. Her figure was remarkable, tall and lithe, yet perfectly -rounded, and swelling fairly beneath the graceful bodice and the full -skirt that fell in soft folds to her sandalled feet. The pin by which -her veil was fastened was set off with a number of brilliants; her -arms were ornamented with gold bangles, and on her neck she wore a new -chain, a gift from her sad and loving mother, a rosary of gold and -black coral beads, to which was attached a massive gold figure of the -Christ on the cross.</p> - -<p>"Alas! my child," said the mother at length, "I pray P'hra Buddh the -Chow that no harm will come to thee through this new religion."</p> - -<p>"I wonder to hear you speak thus, dear mother," replied the young girl, -lifting her eyes reproachfully to her mother's face. "O, I wish you -could be brought to see how much more beautiful this religion of P'hra -Jesu is than that of Buddha; and then think of the beautiful 'Marie,' -his Holy Mother, who is ever at his side, ready to whisper words of -tender love and pity in behalf of such poor sinners as we are. I feel -as if I should never go astray, or do any evil thing, now that I have -the good priest to pray for me, and the Holy Mother and her Son to be -my gods."</p> - -<p>"P'hra Buddha forbid that I should mistrust your gods, my child; but I -do mistrust the priests and my own heart," said the anxious mother.</p> - -<p>In spite of her love and her faith, Rungeah's cheek grew pale and her -eyes filled with tears as she reached the chapel of Tâmsèng. With a -palpitating heart she<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_216" id="Page_216">[Pg 216]</a></span> knelt at the confessional-box, waiting for the -priest to take his place within, and open the small window through -which he heard the confessions of the congregation.</p> - -<p>She hears a footstep on the other side. The priest enters, he shuts the -door upon himself and takes his place; he then pulls a cord which opens -the little window of the confessional-box, and shuts at the same time -the door which she had left ajar as she came into the chamber.</p> - -<p>The confessional window is open, and the priest coughs a slight cough; -but Rungeah kneels there with her heart beating and her hands folded, -gazing on that ideal and perfect manhood who has given up his life to -save hers.</p> - -<p>After a long interval of silence, the voice of the priest breaks upon -her ear, like the boom of a cannon amid a garden of flowers.</p> - -<p>"My daughter," said the voice, "confess your sins."</p> - -<p>"My father," replies Rungeah, her love and joy breathing from her heart -and struggling for utterance on her lips, "whenever I think of Him, -His goodness and His love, of which I never tire reading, I am filled -with gladness and praise; I am now never weary, never cast down, never -afflicted, nor does my heart or my pulse ever fail me in loving and -adoring Him."</p> - -<p>"My daughter," interrupted the priest, suddenly, "this is not -confession; you must tell me of your secret sins, the guilty thoughts, -words, and acts you have cherished, spoken, or committed, when you were -still a believer in the false and horrible doctrines of the Buddha."</p> - -<p>A deep flush of pride, which the girl herself does not quite -understand, overspreads her beautiful face, and her lips, still -quivering, remain parted in surprise. Her secret sins and guilty -thoughts! Why blame her for not remembering them?</p> - -<p>She was as pure as the snow-flake upon the mountain-top.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_217" id="Page_217">[Pg 217]</a></span></p> - -<p>She turned her thoughts upon herself, and tried to recall some sin; she -would have given the world to find some grave fault which she could -justly own as hers, to pour into the ears of the impatient priest. But -she could not recall a single one.</p> - -<p>"My memory is treacherous, good father," said she; "I cannot now -recall any one of my sins in particular, though I must have done many, -many wrong things, unless, indeed, it is the one I have committed in -forsaking my dear old god Buddha, whom I did truly love and reverence -until I heard and read of the beautiful P'hra Jesu?"</p> - -<p>"This is not satisfactory," said the priest, dryly; "you will have to -do penance for such thoughts as these; and where did you read of P'hra -Jesu?"</p> - -<p>"Ah!" said the girl, "I have a beautiful book which tells me all about -him."</p> - -<p>"But who gave it to you?" persisted the priest.</p> - -<p>"I found it in the temple of Adi Buddha Annando, where it was left for -my brother by an American priest."</p> - -<p>The priest of Tâmsèng turned uneasily in his seat, and coughed a low -cough preparatory to what he was going to say.</p> - -<p>"My daughter," said he at length, in a voice of grave reproof, "this -last is a dreadful sin. That book is dangerous, and those American -priests are our enemies. They lie in wait to deceive the children of -the true Church. They deny the divinity of the Holy Mother of God, and -they go about the country preaching their false doctrines and giving -away their books only to delude the simple-hearted natives. Be sure -that you never listen to them, and that you abstain from looking into -that book again. Bring the book to me, and you will be saved from this -great temptation."</p> - -<p>The girl listened, abashed, hanging down her head, and with tears of -repentance in her eyes.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_218" id="Page_218">[Pg 218]</a></span></p> - -<p>He then proceeded to state the penance she would have to perform.</p> - -<p>To repeat fifty <i>paternosters</i>, walk, on the following Sabbath morning, -barefooted, and dressed in her meanest garb, to the chapel of Tâmsèng, -and be admitted thus by baptism into the true Church.</p> - -<p>The priest again pulled the cord; the window was shut, the door stood -ajar, and the girl rose and passed out to join her attendants. Her -bright face was overcast, unbidden tears were in her eyes, and all -her love and joy in the beautiful Saviour she had found blighted like -autumn leaves before the wind. When she gained her boat, great black -clouds lowered in the sky, the winds rose into a squall, and the waves -tossed and tumbled and rolled high upon the banks. It was one of -those sudden hurricanes that are so common in Siam. The boat proved -unmanageable, and, in spite of all the combined efforts of the three -women, she was capsized in the middle of the angry, surging waters. -Long and desperately the women struggle for life, again and again they -try to swim towards the bank, but the stronger waters carry them away -in their irresistible grasp.</p> - -<p>The high-priest of the temple of Adi Buddha Annando has taken shelter -beneath the porch of his temple. He sees the empty boat and the -struggling women; he hesitates. His vows forbid him to touch a woman, -even his own mother, and still hold his office as a priest of Buddha. -He sees the women throw up their arms as if imploring his aid. He casts -aside his upper yellow robe, and plunges in to their rescue, regardless -of his vows, his office, of everything else.</p> - -<p>And now a sudden dizziness veils the eyes of the Nang Rungeah; while -her companions are safe on the bank, she relaxes her efforts; a -sickness like that of death overcomes her, and she sinks. But again the -strong man<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_219" id="Page_219">[Pg 219]</a></span> plunges and dives deeper and deeper, and at last holds her -firmly in his herculean arms. She hears, or she thinks she hears, the -voice of the priest reproving her, and the jubilant chimes of Tâmsèng -clang at her fainting heart as she is home out of the dark waters -and laid upon the flowery bank; but at length she opens her eyes on -Maha Sâp, the chief priest of the temple of Adi Buddha Annando, her -brother's tutor and guide. A slight shudder, and then a blush of shame -passes over her as she recognizes her early religious teacher. But he, -stooping, gathers a handful of flowers, hands them to her, and says: -"Sadly and heavily did my heart ache to see thee in the grasp of the -strong demons of the storm, and to save thee I have violated the vows -of my order. But if thou wilt return to me one of these flowers as a -token, I will neither regret the loss of my sanctity nor yet of my -priestly office, but rejoice in the fates that have blessed me with a -new life."</p> - -<p>To the sonorous rushing and wild dash of the waters is joined the deep -melodious voice of the priest, urging her to give him a token from -his flowers; and the chimes now seem to swell into joyful choruses of -jubilant anthems as she gives him the sweet token.</p> - -<p>After the fury of the storm had abated, the priest left them and set -off to confess himself to the Archbishop of the Ecclesiastical Court; -and the women returned home.</p> - -<p>The first thing Nang Rungeah did was to relate to her mother all that -had befallen her from the time she entered the chapel of Tâmsèng to -her return home. She then took the "dangerous book" from under her -pillow and laid it on a high shelf out of her reach, but put in its -place her crumpled flowers. Then she knelt down and repeated her fifty -<i>paternosters</i> with lessening fervor, and tried to believe that she was -a better woman. But how was it that her thoughts would stray from the -morrow's bright vision, when she would publicly be baptized into<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_220" id="Page_220">[Pg 220]</a></span> the -Church of Christ, to the dark face of Maha Sâp and the tenderness she -had seen in his eyes.</p> - -<p>She shut herself up in her chamber to weep and pray in agonizing doubts -and fears, because of that something which has come between her and her -beautiful P'hra Jesu.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_221" id="Page_221">[Pg 221]</a></span></p> - - - - -<p class="ph2"><a name="CHAPTER_XXVIII" id="CHAPTER_XXVIII">CHAPTER XXVIII.</a></p> - -<p class="center">AD OGNI UCCELLO SUO NIDO È BELLO,—"TO EVERY BIRD ITS OWN NEST IS -CHARMING."</p> - - -<p>When Rungeah awoke on the following morning, it seemed to her that she -had just thrown off some wondrous and powerful spell that had somehow -girt its strong and mysterious illusions about her heart. A new soul -from within that inmost chamber had started into life. She faltered, -hesitated, and dropped on her knees and raised her eyes towards heaven, -and felt as she had never done before.</p> - -<p>In her visions—strange contradiction of human nature—and in her -holiest thoughts of the beloved Mother and her Son, the face of the -priest of Buddha would intrude.</p> - -<p>Her prayers finished, she put on her most faded and meanest robe, laid -aside all her customary adornments and jewels, save only her veil and -her rosary, and, attended by a host of fond relatives and slaves, and -among them the priest her brother, and Maha Sâp in a layman's dress, -went her way barefooted to the chapel, where she solemnly recanted the -errors of Buddhism, and was baptized into the church of Christ.</p> - -<p>Again the merry bells were rung, and on the dark face of the priest of -Tâmsèng might be seen</p> - -<p style="margin-left: 20%;"> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">"The slow wise smile, that round about</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 2em;">His dusty forehead dryly curled,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Seemed half within and half without,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 2em;">And full of dealings with the world."</span><br /> -</p> - -<p>A month after her baptism, Mariâ, as Rungeah was now named, was -selected, on account of her great piety and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_222" id="Page_222">[Pg 222]</a></span> devotion, to be one of the -female wardens of the chapel.</p> - -<p>This distinction she enjoyed with six other girls, whose duty it was -to dust and sweep the chapel, clean the lamps and the gold and silver -candlesticks, and to dress the altar with fresh flowers.<a name="FNanchor_42_42" id="FNanchor_42_42"></a><a href="#Footnote_42_42" class="fnanchor">[42]</a></p> - -<p>Saturday was the day appointed to Mariâ to serve in the chapel, and -a lovely warden was the gentle Cambodian girl. She had given up the -dangerous book to her father confessor. But the handful of crumpled -flowers still nestled under her pillow, and her secret preference -for Maha-Sâp was deeply hidden in her heart; and yet it proved an -impenetrable barrier, as long as she lived, between her and her -confessor.</p> - -<p>It was touching to see this girl at her duties in the chapel. After the -floor had been swept, and the candlesticks polished and replenished -with fresh candles, and the flowers arranged in the vases in the -niches, and the garlands hung over the images of the gods and the -saints, she would kneel at the foot of the sad Christ, after having -touched with her lips the nailed and bleeding feet, praying to him to -make her as noble and as self-sacrificing as himself, and to the tender -Mother to intercede for her at the throne of grace.</p> - -<p>One Saturday evening, Mariâ, having spent a comfortless day within -herself, repaired to the chapel as usual, attended only by the -oars-women, to open it for the evening service. She opened wide the -doors, and sat herself down under the cross. There were rays of comfort -emanating from that figure nailed on it forever, that had now become -very precious to her.</p> - -<p>Long after the congregation had dispersed, she knelt on<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_223" id="Page_223">[Pg 223]</a></span> the floor of -the sanctuary. All the religion of the place and the hour came over -her, and a strange yearning sorrow, for which she could not account. -And as she knelt there she fancied that a shadow darkened the lights -that streamed down from the altar upon her, but only for a moment, -for the next found the shadow gone, and tears gathering in her eyes. -"Alas! what is it that steals my thoughts from Thee to Buddha, and -the temple in which I once loved to worship?" muttered the girl, -conscience-stricken at her own depravity.</p> - -<p>The chapel bell suddenly "flung out" the hour of five, i.e. ten -o'clock. She rose from her knees, put out the lights, and, locking the -doors, turned into the dark deserted street; but somehow a sudden fear -overcame her, and a feeling that somebody was watching her, perhaps -following her. She drew her veil over her face and ran breathlessly -towards the river, where she gained her boat and returned home for the -night.</p> - -<p>The Roman Catholic Missionary Society at Bangkok consisted of one -bishop and from fifteen to twenty priests, besides a number of -proselytes from the Siamese and the Chinese, who also were admitted -into the priesthood. Of the former, most of the priests were endowed -with every talent that a strict collegiate education could furnish; but -the latter were particularly useful, because, besides being professing -and, some of them, sincere Christians, they possessed the power of -expounding the doctrines of the Church to their native brethren in a -language natural to themselves from their birth. Nor was this all; they -were nearly all well skilled in medicine and surgery, which gave them -more power than the French priests in winning over the discontented -followers of the Buddha to lend a willing ear to the marvellous facts -of the Christian faith. And, moreover, as the teachings and ceremonies -of the Roman Catholic Church are<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_224" id="Page_224">[Pg 224]</a></span> in many respects almost identical -with the Buddhist teachings and ceremonies, the Roman Catholic priests -are more successful in making proselytes than their Protestant -colaborers in the same field.</p> - -<p>When a poor ignorant Buddhist goes into his temples he sees the images -of the Buddha, and he sees certain forms and prostrations practised, -the burning of incense, the bowing before the well-lit shrines, and -hears prayers uttered in an unknown tongue, and he knows also that -the most heinous sin that can be committed by the Buddhist priest is -the violation of his oath of celibacy. And if from idle curiosity he -should be induced to enter a Roman Catholic chapel or church, to his -surprise and delight he observes not only forms and ceremonies very -nearly approaching to those used in his own temple, but also images and -pictures far more beautiful and attractive than those of his own gods. -On inquiring he finds that the priests of this faith also do not marry, -that they have the marvellous power to absolve the transgressor from -the consequences of his deadly sins, and that the only thing necessary -to escape the irresistible "wheel of the law" is faith in Christ. So -the poor, timorous, trembling soul, that feels a certain consciousness -of a fearful retribution awaiting his sins, and yet knows not where -or to whom to fly, hails with joy the name of Christ, the all-atoning -sacrifice, as a rock on which to rest his weary wings, and fears no -more the inexorable "wheel" of the Divine vengeance.</p> - -<p>It is not to be wondered at, then, that the Siamese, Peguans, and -Cambodians readily give ear to the native Catholic priests, and -particularly when even the French and Portuguese priests adapt -themselves, in many instances, to the usages and customs of the natives -themselves, the most striking of which are in employing the children of -the rich as wardens and keepers of the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_225" id="Page_225">[Pg 225]</a></span> churches, and of never wearing -any covering on their heads.</p> - -<p>On the morning following the night on which Mariâ had lingered so late -in the chapel, Khoon Jethamas had risen at daybreak; for ever since the -day of the eventful thunder-storm she had troubled dreams accompanied -with signs and omens that foretold approaching calamity; and now she -sat alone on the doorstep, meditating sadly on the future of her dear -child.</p> - -<p>It had been predicted by a wise old man, in the days of Rungeah's -infancy, that "she was born under the fatal star Sathimara, who would -assume the form of a fair and beautiful angel to lead her on to her own -destruction."</p> - -<p>The pagan mother could not discern between the heavenly and the earthly -church of Christ, nor between the true and the false ministers of the -gospel. And now the prophecy seemed in a way of being fulfilled, but, -like all prophecies, in the most unlooked-for manner.</p> - -<p>Suddenly the dark priest of Tâmsèng with a band of officers appeared -on the gravel walk. The lady gave a cry of alarm that brought nearly -the whole household to her side, and, as the priest with the officers -persisted in forcing an immediate entrance into the house, there ensued -a violent scuffle between the officers of the law and the slaves of -P'hagunn.</p> - -<p>"Very good," said the padre, doggedly; "it is certain, however, that -the chapel of Tâmsèng has been plundered by Mariâ and a vile pagan who -was seen lurking in its vicinity last night."</p> - -<p>On hearing this the blood rushed violently to the mother's temples, and -she fell back in a death-like swoon.</p> - -<p>P'hagunn and his numerous attendants were also stupefied by horror and -dismay at this dreadful accusation; and the officers, headed by the -padre, proceeded coolly to search the house for the missing jewels -and the gold and silver<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_226" id="Page_226">[Pg 226]</a></span> candlesticks, censers, and vases that had -ornamented the altar of the chapel of Tâmsèng.</p> - -<p>At last they reached Mariâ's chamber. She had just risen, and was now -on her knees before the open window. The door was burst open, and she -turned, still kneeling and holding her breath, her fixed and terrified -gaze upon the intruders.</p> - -<p>The chapel and the convent bells struck six. It was the hour when she -usually set out to perform her small round of sacred offices and to -open the church doors. But she had no power to move. She saw the padre -dash aside her pillow and then her mattress, and with it her crumpled -flowers. One of the men came towards her and demanded the key of the -chapel. But she could not open her lips to speak; she knelt there -petrified in the morning sunlight.</p> - -<p>"To think that <i>you</i> should have connived at such an outrageous -sacrilege upon the altar of God!" said the padre; and he ordered the -men to handcuff her and carry her away to the prison at Tâmsèng.</p> - -<p>She made no resistance, but let them do whatever they wished with her; -she seemed even to have lost the power of comprehension. She sees the -trees, the thatched roofs, the plantations, the fields, the tapering -spires of the Temple of the Infinite, and a thousand small objects; she -hears voices and cries that would have escaped her at another time, as -she is dragged from the home of her parents to the prison cell of the -doomed, but she cannot speak, or cry, or even think where she put the -key. She knows that her mother is seated outside of the prison door, -wailing and crying, and protesting that her child is innocent of the -dreadful crime of which she is accused; and this is all that is clear -to the stricken girl.</p> - -<p>Twilight was falling just as I was coming out of the palace,—for I -had been detained there all day help<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_227" id="Page_227">[Pg 227]</a></span>ing the secretary to despatch the -royal mail,—when Khoon Jethamas came running up to me, took both my -hands in hers, and told me the story of her daughter's imprisonment.</p> - -<p>What was to be done? The woman was frantic with grief, and I was almost -as much confounded as she.</p> - -<p>"You must come with me to-night, dear lady, this very evening. I cannot -rest till I get her out of that dreadful place."</p> - -<p>I at last persuaded her to come to my house and take a cup of tea, and -when I had soothed her so that she could make herself intelligible, I -thought the affair did not look quite so hopeless as she supposed, and -I tried to make her take a more cheerful view of the matter. The only -thing that seemed strange was that Mariâ could give no account of what -she had done with the key of the chapel door.</p> - -<p>Whoever robbed the chapel had got possession of the key. The locks on -the chapel were of European manufacture, and there were only two keys -that could open them, one in the possession of the padre Tomas, and the -other in the keeping of the young wardens, who transferred it to the -next person on duty after the morning service.</p> - -<p>In a short time Khoon Jethamas and I were rowing against the tide for -the village of Tâmsèng. On cross-questioning the lady, I discovered -that the late priest Maha-Sâp had been seen prowling about the chapel -when Rungeah, as the mother still called her, was at her devotions, and -that on the following morning he was going towards the same spot when -he was taken prisoner.</p> - -<p>I confess that now I began to feel anxious, for the value of the -jewels, etc., that were stolen was fixed at several laks or millions of -ticals, an incredible sum which no person could pay. I hardly knew what -to think.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_228" id="Page_228">[Pg 228]</a></span></p> - -<p>Amid hopes and fears, and innumerable plans, which were abandoned as -soon as formed for new ones that seemed equally impracticable, we -reached the prison of Tâmsèng.</p> - -<p>What a dreadful spot it was in the night-time! And the very darkness -was aggravated by the people around, who looked more savage and fiercer -than wild beasts. Before and behind and on all sides there were rags -and filth and wretchedness crowding upon us with the double darkness of -night and misery. Some hideous women were jailers; for a few ticals and -a promise not to tell upon them, they allowed us to go in and see the -girl.</p> - -<p>Rungeah sat as one entranced, with her eyes fixed upon the ground, as -if she expected Jesus or the Mother to rise up out of it to vindicate -her cause. We could not get her to say a word, to utter a cry or even a -moan. We were almost as much overwhelmed at her grief as she was by the -padre's accusation.</p> - -<p>What was to be done?</p> - -<p>Leaving Rungeah, we set off for the convent of Tâmsèng.</p> - -<p>The clock had long before struck eight, when we came to the convent -gate, and we were full of hope. But no light was to be seen, and a -high wooden fence ran all round the house. Groping our way, we came to -a gate at last, but it was locked. We began to knock, and we knocked -loudly for a quarter of an hour, and then we waited to see if any one -would come to open it. No one came. We were uncertain what to do, -the night came on full of clouds, clothing with darkness even the -star-filled depths. The convent clock struck nine, and the thought of -poor Rungeah struggling with her anguish came with redoubled force -upon the mother's heart, and again we both knocked together more and -more loudly. At length lights appeared amid the gloom, and three women -with<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_229" id="Page_229">[Pg 229]</a></span> lanterns approached and demanded who we were and what we wanted. -On hearing that I was a Christian woman, they opened the gate, and -after surveying us carefully, passing their lanterns up and down our -persons from head to foot, they led the way to the apartments of the -Lady Abbess. When we entered, we found a morose-looking old lady of -Portuguese descent seated on a tall high-backed chair, with nine or -ten young women, mostly Siamese, sewing scapulars. All round the room -were dreadful pictures of the Christ and the Mother in all kinds of -agonizing attitudes.</p> - -<p>We proceeded to make our business known, which was only to go bail -for Rungeah until the trial should come off, and to ask the Abbess's -influence with the padre Tomas in urging our request.</p> - -<p>The old lady coolly replied that it was her duty to wait upon the -Lord Jesus, and not to rush about the country, as some folks did, -intermeddling with other people's business.</p> - -<p>We left her with clouded hearts, and set out for the house of the -padre. As we were women, which we in our distress of mind had quite -forgotten, the servants or slaves of this holy individual drove us from -the doorstep with scorn and contemptuous language for our indelicacy in -going there at all.</p> - -<p>We then, but less hopefully, turned our almost fainting steps to the -house of the Governor P'haya Visate. Khoon Jethamas was afraid to -enter, but I was not going away without seeing him. I climbed the steps -and entered the veranda; two slaves went before to report our arrival. -I saw the great man seated on a cushion in a room adjoining, with -women and men crouching in all sorts of abject attitudes before him. -I walked in, ready, at the mother's request, to double and treble the -bail if necessary. As soon as he saw me approaching, the governor rose, -retired<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_230" id="Page_230">[Pg 230]</a></span> to his bedchamber, and shut the door violently in my face.</p> - -<p>I came away completely cast down and defeated; as for the poor mother, -she wrung her hands and wept piteously. It was now nearly eleven -o'clock, and we went back to the prison. The unhappy Khoon Jethamas -took up her abode near the only window of the cell where her daughter -was immured. I left her sitting on a strip of matting, with her hands -over her face, shutting out the outer darkness, in order to realize the -utter darkness that had fallen upon her life and upon the light of her -home.</p> - -<p>Nights and days succeeded each other in regular succession, and day -after day I went to the prison to find the patient, loving mother -living under the shadow of its roof, so as to be ever near her child, -and once a day she was admitted to see her loved one visibly wasting -away. The only change that had taken place in the prisoner, that was -hopeful, was, that now it was she who comforted her mother every day, -by relating to her her bright visions, and assuring her that she felt -the time was not far distant when the Mother and her Son would come -down from heaven to proclaim her innocence; that the holy angels -descended at night to bless and comfort her with loving promises of -speedy justice, and that now the prison-house had been transformed by -them into a paradise.</p> - -<p>There are mysteries in all religions, which the uninitiated cannot -penetrate, and we stood abashed and silent on the other side of the -veil that was lifted for the spiritual consolation of this strange girl.</p> - -<p>The burning July sun shone daily on the tiled roof of the prison of -Tâmsèng. The ground on one side was full of muddy pools, and the river -on the other was the cesspool of the village,—a liquid mass of poison -from which rose the pestilence and the cholera that brooded with their<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_231" id="Page_231">[Pg 231]</a></span> -death-like wings over the inhabitants of Tâmsèng. The evening air was -either heavy with noxious vapors or it came in fitful burning gusts -across the river, and brought no balm to the suffering prisoners within.</p> - -<p>Rungeah languished day after day, for the case was to be tried before -the International Court of Siam, and the days and the weeks and the -months passed away like</p> - -<p style="margin-left: 20%;"> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">"A stream whose waters scarcely seem to stray,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">And yet they glide like happiness away."</span><br /> -</p> - -<p>With them poor Rungeah's bright faith began to grow dim, and her -nightly prayers to the Mother and her holy Son were less and less -hopeful, but yet she still strove with each returning day to revive her -drooping spirits, and with sweet self-deceit "to paint elysium" upon -the darkness of her prison-walls.</p> - -<p>The mother bribed the jailers to take to her daughter some little -delicacies every day, for the coarse prison food disgusted the girl, -and she was gradually being starved to death; and now a low cough and a -hectic fever had set in.</p> - -<p>The judicial courts of Siam, one and all included, were neither better -nor worse than that of other Oriental and despotic kingdoms; and the -judges of the outer city, with the exception, as far as I know, of -only one man, his Highness Mom Kratai Rajoday, were very far from -being model judges. They aimed no higher than the traditional policy -of the empire, "the good old rule" that "might makes right," which had -guided the rulers of Siam ever since Siam began to exist as a kingdom -and a nation; so that everybody preyed upon his weaker neighbor, and -everybody was obliged to suffer, without hope of redress, the wrongs -which one stronger than himself could inflict.</p> - -<p>Meanwhile the mother grew more and more impatient for her daughter's -trial, which seemed to her as if purposely delayed, and in an unguarded -moment she accused<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_232" id="Page_232">[Pg 232]</a></span> the padre Tomas of having secreted the jewels -and ornaments of the altar of Tâmsèng, and of having made a false -accusation against her daughter for the sole purpose of laying claim to -her estate. The padre became exasperated and brought a charge of libel -against the mother; and poor Rungeah was more and more hopelessly a -prisoner.</p> - -<p>The timid P'hagunn shut himself up in his house, and left it to his -brave wife to threaten the Christian officials, and to haunt the courts -with her complaints, expending large sums of money, but without result.</p> - -<p>At length, as Rungeah was really very ill, and I feared she would die, -I accompanied Khoon Jethamas on a private visit to his Highness Mom -Kratai Rajoday, the chief judge of the International Court, taking with -me a private letter from the king, which simply stated that I wished to -be made personally acquainted with him.</p> - -<p>The judge received us very cordially indeed, and the unhappy Jethamas -threw herself at his feet, and with tears and sobs implored of him to -hasten the trial of her child, which he most kindly promised to do.</p> - -<p>It was now December, and three days after our visit to the chief judge -the trial came on.</p> - -<p>I could not attend on the two first days, but on Saturday, the 10th of -December, 1864, I accompanied Khoon Jethamas and the feeble and wasted -Rungeah to the court, where I was rejoiced to see his Highness Mom -Kratai Rajoday presiding in person. All the preliminaries had been gone -through with on the two previous days. The court-house was crammed with -native Christians, Buddhists, and Cambodians, so that there was not -even standing room to be had anywhere.</p> - -<p>After going through a great many forms and ceremonies, such as laying -the right hand on a branch of the boh-tree, and thence on his left -side, and taking the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_233" id="Page_233">[Pg 233]</a></span> Buddhist's oath, Maha-Sâp's innocence was clearly -proved. He confessed, however, that he was in the habit of repairing to -the chapel morning and evening, but that his sole motive was to be near -by to protect Rungeah from any danger that might threaten her.</p> - -<p>The judge then turned and asked Rungeah to relate again all that she -had done on the night of the robbery.</p> - -<p>All her natural grace of feature, all her excellences of mind and soul, -shone out as she calmly repeated her story; the only thing she could -not account for was where she had dropped the key. "But," said she, "my -soul and my conscience acquit me of this sin. How then shall I plead -guilty to that which I have not done? Will it not be accounted a sin -against myself by P'hra Jesu and his Holy Mother in heaven?"</p> - -<p>The beating hearts of the crowd were suspended in breathless -expectation; some being interested for and some against the prisoners. -The next moment the judge declared that Rungeah and Maha-Sâp had been -imprisoned on insufficient grounds; that their innocence was quite -apparent, even without or rather before the trial, and that the case -was dismissed.</p> - -<p>Scarcely were these words articulated, when a shout like that of a -great hurricane broke from the excited masses of the people; the -boarded floor seemed to thrill and ripple as with the throes of an -earthquake, and the crowd staggered to and fro as if inebriated with -the sudden paroxysm of joy. It was to them not so much the cause of -a young and beautiful Cambodian lady of high rank, as the cause of -Buddhism against Roman Catholicism.</p> - -<p>I was stunned with their deafening roar. But poor Rungeah was too -feeble to bear the sudden and overwhelming joy of her acquittal; an -exclamation of the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_234" id="Page_234">[Pg 234]</a></span> wildest delight broke from her pale lips, and she -fell back insensible.</p> - -<p>The excited crowd unable to master their now as sudden agony at the -sight of the apparently lifeless girl, were hushed, and a lull as -profound as death succeeded. They bore her to the boat and laid her -down in it, and her mother implored me to go home with them. In the -fresh air, as we rowed slowly along, the girl soon revived, and, -putting out her arms, drew her mother down to her, and held her firmly -to her breast.</p> - -<p>Maha-Sâp, her brother, both noble-looking men, and a crowd of people, -followed in another boat.</p> - -<p>As we approached the temple of Adi Buddha Annando, Rungeah whispered to -her mother to take her in there to rest; that she was weary, and that -it would comfort her to enter its sacred precincts once more.</p> - -<p>The sun is near his setting, and broad lights and shadows are lying -upon and veiling the grand proportions of the temple of the "Infinite."</p> - -<p>Now the boats are fastened to the pier, and a little group follows the -women who are bearing the form of Rungeah into the temple.</p> - -<p>It is the hour of the Buddhists' evening prayer. They bring a small -mat, and she is laid in the middle of the temple, while the bonzes are -seated on either side, waiting for the high-priest to open the vesper -service.</p> - -<p>During the service the girl lies there with her eyes closed.</p> - -<p>Sunshine is reflected in wonderful glory from the head of the great -silver image of the Adi Buddh. Sunshine is flooding the temple, -glorifying the stolid idols that are standing around, and streaming on -the floor and over the quiet figure of the girl. Her face assumes an -ashy hue, and she again puts out her arms and draws her mother down to -her.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_235" id="Page_235">[Pg 235]</a></span></p> - -<p>"O mother, pray to the Virgin Mother for me," says the girl, "to tell -P'hra Jesu that I am innocent."</p> - -<p>The pagan mother makes no reply, but bends an agonized look on her -dear child's face, and the girl's face becomes grayer in the floods of -sunlight. Her fingers twitch and quiver around her mother's neck.</p> - -<p>The priests are hushed, and the temple is more and more flooded with -light; and the faint, sweet, pleading voice of the girl is again -heard: "Mother, dear mother, pray to P'hra Jesu that he shut not the -heavenly gates upon me"; and the strong love of the mother conquers her -religious scruples, and, lying there with her head cushioned on the -bosom of her dying child, she raises her voice and prays:—</p> - -<p>"O thou who art called P'hra Jesu, free my child from sin. O forgive -her, sacred One. She has loved thee to the last. She believes in none -but thee. Be thou her God, and shut not, O shut not thy heavenly gates -upon her, even though they shut her out forever from my sorrowing heart -and eyes."</p> - -<p>At the utterance of those strange syllables falling from the lips of -a Buddhist mother in the most solemn of the temples of the Buddha, a -marvellous change passed over the face of the dying girl; the gray -pallor of death gave place to a heavenly light, and a faint but -lovely smile irradiated her pale lips. She opened her eyes and gazed -enraptured upon some vision that seemed to float before her. "O mother, -mother," cried the exulting voice of the girl, "I see P'hra Jesu and -P'hra Buddha; P'hra Jesu is above and P'hra Buddha is below, and the -two mothers, Marie and Maia<a name="FNanchor_43_43" id="FNanchor_43_43"></a><a href="#Footnote_43_43" class="fnanchor">[43]</a> are sitting side by side, and they are -all smiling and calling me upward, upward." And Rungeah stretched out -her arms and closed her eyes, the gray pallor returned; her spirit -fluttered for a moment,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_236" id="Page_236">[Pg 236]</a></span> and then was gone forever. But the smile never -left her lips.</p> - -<p>She was buried with the rites of the Roman Catholic Church, with her -rosary and the golden image of Christ on her bosom, by a French priest -from the other side of the village of Tâmsèng.</p> - -<p>Two years after, a man was taken in the act of plundering the jewels of -a princess of Siam, as she was travelling in her boat to Ayudia, and -on his trial he confessed that he was a Christian, that he had been -betrothed to Rungeah's sister, whom he had murdered for the sake of her -jewels, and then fled to Ayudia, whence having gambled away all the -proceeds of his spoils, he once more returned to Bangkok and robbed the -chapel of Tâmsèng. He offered to deliver up the jewels, etc., if his -life should be spared. His request was granted, but he was condemned to -life-long imprisonment, while the crown and the diadem are once more to -be seen on the brows of the figure of the Christ and the Virgin Mary, -and the gold and silver candlesticks again light up the altar of the -little chapel of Tâmsèng.</p> - - -<div class="footnotes"> -<p class="center">FOOTNOTES:</p> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_42_42" id="Footnote_42_42"></a><a href="#FNanchor_42_42"><span class="label">[42]</span></a> This is one of the Buddhist customs adopted by the -Catholics for the purpose of securing the daughters of rich natives as -servants of the Church.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_43_43" id="Footnote_43_43"></a><a href="#FNanchor_43_43"><span class="label">[43]</span></a> One of the names of the mother of the Buddha.</p></div> -</div> -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_237" id="Page_237">[Pg 237]</a></span></p> - - -<p class="ph2"><a name="CHAPTER_XXIX" id="CHAPTER_XXIX">CHAPTER XXIX.</a></p> - -<p class="center">STRAY LEAVES FROM THE ROYAL SCHOOL-ROOM TABLE.</p> - - -<p>The three temples around which the city of the Nang Harm had taken -root and gradually grown to its present dimensions were especially -remarkable. The one in which I taught, Watt Khoon Chom Manda -Thai,—Temple of the Mothers of the Free,—was formerly dedicated to -the mother of the Buddha, as its ancient name Manda Maia Goudamana -clearly shows; and the other was dedicated to the "Buddha Thapinya," -Buddha the Omniscient, and the third and most beautiful to the "Buddha -Annando,"<a name="FNanchor_44_44" id="FNanchor_44_44"></a><a href="#Footnote_44_44" class="fnanchor">[44]</a> Buddha the Infinite,—all names from the Pali. The -general effect of each of these buildings is that of some great church -in the southern part of Europe. The basement story is a square mass -of about two hundred feet on each side, with double rows of windows -flanked by pilasters and crowned with a curious flamboyant spiral -canopy, in what may be called the French-Gothic style. These pilasters -and this canopy are the two most marked and universal features in the -Buddhist architecture; at the middle of each side of the basement rises -a lofty porch or ante-hall, terminating in an immense gabled façade, -pilastered and canopied like the windows. These halls or vestibules -convert the temple into a vast Greek cross. Over the basement rise a -number of diminishing terraces with small pagodas at the angles, the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_238" id="Page_238">[Pg 238]</a></span> -whole culminating in a pyramidal steeple like the Hindoo shivala; and -lastly the steeple itself is crowned with a chayatree, or tapering -umbrella of gilt iron-work, rising to nearly two hundred feet from the -ground.</p> - -<p>The interior consists of two great concentric corridors with large -recesses for the images. Most of the images are standing figures; -the Buddha alone is either seated or reclining, in various attitudes -of benediction, or preaching on elevated lotus-shaped pedestals. The -vaulted cells in which the Buddha is seated reach up to the second and -sometimes to the third terrace, and from a small window in the roof -there streams a flood of sunlight downwards on the head and shoulders -of the colossus, with wonderful effect.</p> - -<p>There is great uncertainty about the dates and builders of these -three temples, and I know nothing more interesting and beautiful than -the legend which is attached to the spot on which they stand. In the -Siamese annals, however, it is stated that these temples have stood -here for nearly twelve hundred years, embedded in what was once a -sacred grove of olive, palm, and boh trees, before Bangkok was ever -settled, and in the palmy days of the ancient and beautiful city of -Ayodhya or Ayudia; that they then attracted pilgrims from all parts of -the world, particularly women, who came to perform vows or to offer -votive sacrifices at their shrines.</p> - -<p>It was P'hra P'huthi Chow L'huang, a usurper, who, in order to -establish more securely his throne, selected the vicinity of these -triad temples as the seat of government, removed his palace from the -west to the east bank of the Mèinam, founded a city, surrounded it with -triple walls, and called it the abode of the beautiful and invincible -archangel.</p> - -<p>As often as I sat in the porches of these temples, the chanted prayers -of the worshippers boomed through<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_239" id="Page_239">[Pg 239]</a></span> the aisles and inspired me with -feelings of the deepest devotion; and whenever I passed along the dim, -silent corridors, and came unexpectedly in front of one of the great -golden images with its folded arms and drooping eyelids, looking down -upon me in monitory sadness, with the wisdom of ages stamped upon its -brow, amid the gloom of a never-ending twilight, while the head and -shoulders were illuminated by a halo of light from the unseen source -above, the effect was strangely mystical, solemn, and profound.</p> - -<p>The character of these buildings I do not exaggerate in calling them -sublime; they prove unmistakably that the architect, whoever he was,</p> - -<p style="margin-left: 20%;"> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">"Wrought in a sad sincerity;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Himself from God he could not free;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">He builded better than he knew:</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">The conscious stone to beauty grew."</span><br /> -</p> - -<p>This impression was deepened every time I visited them, and, though I -knew every inch of the temples and their surroundings, the meanings -of some of the symbols remained mysterious and incomprehensible. If -I succeeded in unravelling one portion, the remainder was lost in -inextricable perplexity and doubt.</p> - -<p>My pupils in that wonderful city numbered from twenty to twenty-five -boys and girls, the loveliest and most remarkable of whom were -the heir-apparent, the Prince Somdetch P'hra Paramendr Maha -Chulalonkorn, his younger sister, the little fairy-like creature Fa -Ying,<a name="FNanchor_45_45" id="FNanchor_45_45"></a><a href="#Footnote_45_45" class="fnanchor">[45]</a> the Princesses Wanee, Ying-You Wahlacks, Somawati, the -Prince Kreta-Bhinniharn, the only son of Hidden-Perfume, P'hra Ong -Dwithwallabh, and Kabkranockratin, the sons of the child-wife; and in -addition to these were several gentlewomen of the harem.</p> - -<p>We always began school immediately after the Buddh<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_240" id="Page_240">[Pg 240]</a></span>ists' morning -service, which I was obliged to attend, so as to muster my pupils -together in good order, and which was held precisely at nine o'clock -in the temple of the Chom Manda Thai. The long inlaid and richly gilt -table on which we pursued our studies day after day was the same on -which had been laid every morning for hundreds of years offerings to -the priests of Buddha, and whereon stood the bronze censers and the -golden vases from which ascended clouds of fragrant incense amid the -perfume of still more fragrant flowers, while the brilliant colors -of the silks, satins, diamonds, and jewels that adorned the regal -worshippers relieved the gloom.</p> - -<p>The studies that took the most absolute possession of the fervid -Eastern imaginations of my pupils were geography and astronomy. But -each had his or her own idea about the form of the earth, and it needed -no small amount of patient repetition to convince them that it was -neither flat nor square, but round.</p> - -<p>The only map—and a very ancient one it was—which they had ever seen -was one drawn and painted about a century before, by a Siamese who was -thought to possess great scientific and literary attainments.</p> - -<p class="center"> -<img src="images/illus15.jpg" alt="queen" /> -<a id="illus15" name="illus15"></a> -</p> -<p class="caption"> QUEEN OF SIAM.</p> - -<p>This map was five feet long by three wide; in the centre was a great -patch of red, and above it a small patch of green. On the part painted -red—which was intended to represent Siam—was pasted a comical-looking -human figure, cut out of silver paper, with a huge pitchfork in one -hand and an orange in the other. There was a crown on the head and -spurs on the heels, and the sun was shining over all. The legs, -which were of miserably thin dimensions, met sympathetically at the -knees. And this cadaverous-looking creature was meant for the king -of Siam,—indicating that so vast were his strength and power they -extended from one end of his dominions to the other. In the little -patch of green, intended to rep<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_241" id="Page_241">[Pg 241]</a></span>resent Birmah, was a small Indian-ink -figure, consisting of a little dot for the body, another smaller one -for the head, and four scratches of the pen for the legs and arms; this -was meant for the king of Birmah. A legion of little imps, in many -grotesque attitudes, were seen dancing about his dominions; and these -almost unintelligible hieroglyphics were to show to the uninitiated in -what a disturbed state the Birman Empire was, and what an insignificant -personage in his own dominions was the king of that country. On the -north side of the green patch was painted a huge Englishman, sporting -a cocked hat with red feathers, clasping in his arms what was meant -for a vast tract of land. This was marked as British Birmah, and the -Englishman was Lord Clive, holding on to it. The rest of the map was -all blue, and all around the Siamese territories richly painted and -heavily freighted ships were sailing to and fro. But the poor Birmese -monarch had not a boat to display. My simple pupils knew just so much -as this map taught them, and no more. Birmah on the north, and Siam on -the south, and the sea all around,—this was the world to them.</p> - -<p>But of their celestial geography they could tell me a host of -interesting particulars, all of which they would relate with the -accuracy and picturesque vividness of a fairy tale; and whenever a -dispute arose as to the height of some of the mountains or the depth or -breadth of the oceans in the celestial worlds, they would at once refer -to a Siamese book, called "Tri Loke Winit Chai,"—a book which settles -all questions about the three worlds, of angels, of demons, and of -gods,—and find therein a satisfactory solution of their difficulties. -In their celestial chronology they were all equally well grounded. A -little fellow of nine years old, when speaking of "time," stood upright -in his chair and informed me that he was "time." His name signified -a period of time<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_242" id="Page_242">[Pg 242]</a></span> appointed for the creation or the destruction of a -world. He then proceeded to tell me with wonderful clearness for one -so young, "that the first time, or Kâp, is reckoned by the Siamese -from the appearance of a certain cloud called god-thirst, which was -the harbinger of a creative rain, and which brought into existence the -worlds and their attendant suns and moons; that the second Kâp, or -time, is the period between the creation of these worlds and the coming -of another great cloud denominated the dissolving cloud, and which is -the third Kâp and the forerunner of the dissolution of the worlds; and -the fourth Kâp is the period when matter remains in a chaotic mass, -waiting for the generative cloud,—god-thirst,—which again pours forth -the creative rain, and life once more springs into being. These four -periods added together make a Maha-Kâp."</p> - -<p>When I pressed him to state the number of years contained in a -Maha-Kâp, he became indignant, and replied, "that as the length of -a single Kâp could not be computed by the gods themselves, it was -unreasonable for me to suppose that he could give me any correct -estimate of their actual duration."</p> - -<p>I soon found that my pupils were in some respects much wiser than I, -and thenceforth we exchanged thoughts and ideas. I gave them sound -realities in return for their poetic illusions and chimeras, which had -for me a certain charm and a great deal of odd reasonableness, for it -was their way of explaining the incomprehensible.</p> - -<p>When a large English map and globes of the celestial and terrestrial -spheres arrived, they created quite a sensation in the ancient temple -of the "Mothers of the Free." His Majesty caused the map to be set in -a massive gold frame, and placed it with the globes on ponderously -gilt supporters in the very middle of the temple, and for nine days -crowds of women came to be instructed in the sci<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_243" id="Page_243">[Pg 243]</a></span>ences of geography and -astronomy, so that I found my hands quite full. It was hard for them to -see Siam reduced to a mere speck on the great globe, but there was some -consolation in the fact that England occupied even a smaller space. -After the first excitement had worn off, my pupils began to enjoy their -lessons; they would cluster round the globes, delighted with the novel -idea of a world revolving in space, and some of them were as keen as -any Arctic explorer for the discovery of the North Pole, where they -could some day sit astride, as they thought, with perfect ease and -security, and satisfy their doubts about the form and the revolution of -the earth.</p> - -<p>I found them always full of eager inquiry, unlike most Western -children, about the sun and moon and stars; but they preferred to have -them peopled with demons, ghosts, and hobgoblins, rather than to have -them uninhabited.</p> - -<p>On one occasion, when I informed them that the moon was supposed to -be uninhabited, all the little eager faces were clouded, and their -interest flagged, and little Wanee declared, "that for her part she was -convinced that the moon was the beautiful daughter of a great king of -Ayudia, who lived many thousands of years ago, and the head wife of the -sun, and not a great stupid ball of earth and rock rolling about in the -sky to no purpose but for the sun to shine upon."</p> - -<p>One day the steamer "Chow P'haya" brought his Majesty a box of ice from -Singapore, and I obtained some for an object-lesson. The women and -children found no difficulty in believing that it was water frozen; but -when I went to tell them about snow, the whole school became indignant -at what they considered an evident stretch of my imagination, and my -dear simple friend, Hidden-Perfume, laid her hand gently upon my arm, -and said, "Please do not say that again. I believe you like my own -heart in everything you have taught to me, but this<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_244" id="Page_244">[Pg 244]</a></span> sounds like the -story of a little child who wishes to say something more wonderful than -anything that was ever said before." So my lesson of the snow proved -a stumbling-block to me for several days; my pupils' imaginations had -taken alarm, and they could not be brought to believe the simplest -statements.</p> - -<p>I informed his Majesty of my dilemma; he came to my aid, and assured -the royal children that it was just possible that there was such a -thing as snow, for English books of travel spoke frequently of some -phenomenon which they designated as "snow."</p> - -<p>On another occasion, as we were all busily engaged in tracing the -river Nile on an ancient map of Egypt, there fell suddenly from the -vaulted roof above our heads, and upon the very centre of our chart on -the table, a coil of something that looked at first like a beautiful -thick silk cord neatly rolled up; in another instant, however, the coil -unrolled itself, and began to move slowly away. I screamed, and fled -to the extreme end of the temple. But what was my surprise to see all -my pupils sitting calmly in their seats, with their hands folded in -veneration and their eyes fixed in glowing admiration on the serpent -as it moved in tortuous curves along the entire length of the table. -With a blush of shame and a sense of inferiority I returned to my -seat and watched with them the beautiful creature; a certain feeling -of fascination dawned upon me as I looked into its clear, bright, -penetrating eyes; the upper part was of a fine violet color, its sides -covered with large scales of crimson edged with black; the abdominal -parts were of a pale rose-color edged likewise with black; while the -tail terminated in tints of a bluish ash of singular delicacy and -beauty. As the snake slowly dragged itself to the end of the table -I held my breath in terror, for it dropped on the arm of the chair -on which the Prince Somdetch Choufa Chulalonkorn was seated,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_245" id="Page_245">[Pg 245]</a></span> whence -it fell on the floor, trailed itself along through the dim corridor -and down the steps, and finally passed out of sight under the stone -basement of the temple.</p> - -<p>On the moment of its disappearance my pupils jumped up from their seats -and clustered around me in the wildest joy, caressing me, and declaring -that the gods loved me dearly, else they would not have sent me such an -auspicious token in favor of my teaching. I was told that the gliding -of the snake all over the table was full of happy omens, and that its -dropping on the arm of the Prince's chair was an unmistakable sign -that he would one day become famous in wisdom and knowledge. All the -old and young women congratulated me, as did even the king himself, -who, when he heard of the singular visitor we had had, caused the -circumstance to be made known to the wise men and women of the court, -and they all united in pronouncing it to be a wonderful and inspiring -recognition of favor from on high. From this time I was treated with -great consideration and respect by the simple-hearted women and mothers -of the harem, but I nevertheless felt not a little uncomfortable for -days after the sudden descent of the snake, and secretly hoped I might -never again be so signally favored by the gods.</p> - -<p>I afterwards learned that this snake has three names. In Sanskrit it -is celebrated as the Sarpa Rakta, the red snake, who brings secret -omens from the gods; in Pali, as the Naghalalvana, the crimson snake -of the woods, who carries on his person in glowing letters the name of -his great master; and in Siamese, Gnuthongdang, the crimson-bellied -snake, who brings with its appearance all that is good and great to the -beholder.</p> - -<p>I leave it with my readers to decide which is the better, our inherited -dread of and desire to destroy the serpent race, or the Siamese custom -of idealizing, though with a certain superstitious reverence, the -meanest of the works of nature.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_246" id="Page_246">[Pg 246]</a></span></p> - -<p>Among the ladies of the harem, I knew one woman who more than all the -rest helped to enrich my life and to render fairer and more beautiful -every lovely woman I have since chanced to meet. Her name translated -itself—and no other name could ever have been so appropriate—into -"Hidden Perfume." Her clear, dark eyes were clearer and calmer, her -full lips had a stronger expression of tenderness about them, and her -brow, which was at times smooth and open, and at others contracted -with pain, grew nobler and more beautiful as the purposes of her life, -strengthened by new elements, grew deeper and broader each day.</p> - -<p>She had been deprived of her opportunity of loving as a wife and a -woman, and the sorrow that had broken up the fountains of her nature -now caused them to flow into deeper channels, for she had become an -earnest and devoted mother.</p> - -<p>Our daily lessons and talks had become a part of her happiest moments. -They gave her entrance into a new world, without requiring that she -should abandon any part of the old world she had known, or that she -should accept any new religious feelings or dogmas. Her aim was to find -out all things that are pure, noble, brave, and good, and to adopt -them, whether Pagan or Christian in their origin, and to leave dogmas, -creeds, and doctrines to those who were inclined to them by temperament.</p> - -<p>One day, it being the Siamese Sâbâto (Sabbath), I called at her house -on my way home. In passing into the little room that she had fitted -up to receive me, and which we had dignified with the title of "the -study," I saw that my friend, in the room adjoining, was at prayer, -kneeling before her altar, on which was a gilt image of the Buddha, -while on either side hung pictures of the king and her little son. The -room in which she knelt was a gay one, covered with Birmese paper, on -which were seen<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_247" id="Page_247">[Pg 247]</a></span> huge trees, some standing, and others uprooted and -carried away by the inundation of a mighty tropical river, here and -there drifting along passive and lifeless, and anon covered with gay -flowers. Thousands of miles distant the sun left open his golden gates, -that his waves of light might rest in benediction and with protecting -fondness on her dark, upturned face and colored brow. There was a -mysterious joy in her worship, which transfigured by its soft inner -light her otherwise not beautiful face, and she seemed as if she were -holding direct communion in her inner soul with the Infinite Spirit. I -stepped into the study and waited until her prayer was offered up. In -a little time after I heard her clear voice calling me, and in another -moment I was seated beside her at the foot of her pretty little altar. -She then asked me to look at her paper, which I did, telling her that I -thought it was a very gay one indeed for her little oratory.</p> - -<p>"I see you do not understand the meaning of it." And she proceeded to -explain the allegory to me in her quaint and broken English.</p> - -<p>"That big green tree there," said she, "is like unto me when I was -young and ignorant, rejoicing in earthly distinctions and affections; -and then I am brought as a gift to a great king, and only think how -grand and how rich I may become; and there you see that I am drooping -and my leaves are all withering and begin to fall; here I am shattered -and uprooted by a sense of sorrow and humiliation, drifting along -an impetuous river, but by and by a little flower stops my downward -course. That little flower is my child; he springs out of the very -waters which threatened my destruction; and now he grows into a garden -of flowers, to hide away from me that which would make me sad and -sorrowful again; and now I am always glad."</p> - -<p>After a little while, desirous of knowing what the glit<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_248" id="Page_248">[Pg 248]</a></span>tering image of -Buddha really was to her, I said kindly: "Sonn Klean, you were praying -to that idol?"</p> - -<p>She did not reply at once, but at length, laying her hand gently upon -my arm, said: "Shall I say of you, dear friend, that you worship the -ideal or image which you have of your God in your own mind, and not the -God? Even so say not of me that I worship the golden image up there, -but the Great One who sent me my teacher Buddha, that he might be the -guide and the light of my life."</p> - -<p>On another occasion when she read and translated the Sermon on the -Mount, she suddenly exclaimed with great emotion: "O, your sacred P'hra -Jesus is very beautiful! Let us promise one another that whenever you -pray to P'hra Jesus you will call him Buddha, the Enlightened One; and -I, when I pray to my Buddha, I will call him P'hra Jesu Karuna, the -tender and sacred Jesus, for surely these are only different names for -the one and the same God."</p> - -<p>Her favorite book, however, was "Uncle Tom's Cabin," and she would read -it over and over again, though she knew all the characters by heart, -and spoke of them as if she had known them all her life.</p> - -<p>On the 3d of January, 1867, she invited me to dinner, and she sent -to me, in the course of the day, so many messages, telling me to be -sure to come, that I began to suspect it was going to be a very grand -entertainment. So I put on my best dress, and made myself as fine as I -could.</p> - -<p>My friend was looking down the street, with her head and shoulders out -of her window, as we appeared, and the moment she saw us she rushed -to greet us in her own sweet, cordial manner. Dinner was served in -the study, for it boasted of one table and five chairs; but our party -numbered six in all, so my boy and the Prince Kreta<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_249" id="Page_249">[Pg 249]</a></span> B'hiniharn were -obliged to squeeze themselves into one chair, and then there was one -apiece for the rest of us. We were served by Peguan slave-girls in -the Peguan fashion, on little silver plates, the slave-girls kneeling -around us. Fish, rice, jelly, and a variety of sweetmeats, came first, -then different kinds of vegetables; after them a course of meat, -venison, and birds of all kinds, and we finished with sweet drinks, -preserves, and fruit.</p> - -<p>When dinner was over, my friend, in concert with her sisters and -slave-girls, performed on several musical instruments with wonderful -effect. At last all Sonn Klean's slave-women with their children -appeared in a group, one hundred and thirty-two in all, in nice new -dresses, all looking particularly happy.</p> - -<p>"I am wishful to be good like Harriet Beecher Stowe,"—or Stowâ, as my -friend persisted in pronouncing that name,—"and never to buy human -bodies again, but only to let go free once more, and so I have now no -more slaves, but hired servants. I have given freedom to all of my -slaves to go or to stay with me as they wish. If they go away to their -homes, I am glad; if they stay with me, I am still more glad; and I -will give them each four ticals every month after this day, with their -food and clothes."</p> - -<p>Thenceforth, to express her entire sympathy and affection for the -author of "Uncle Tom's Cabin," she always signed herself Harriet -Beecher Stowe; and her sweet voice trembled with love and music -whenever she spoke of the lovely American lady who had taught her, -"even as Buddha had once taught kings," to respect the rights of her -fellow-creatures.</p> - -<p>During a severe illness which confined me a month or more to my room, -I used to receive the most affectionate letters from this dear lady, -signed Harriet Beecher Stowe; and when I once more returned to the -palace, she took all the credit of my recovery from an illness so fatal -as<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_250" id="Page_250">[Pg 250]</a></span> cholera as due to her intercessions and prayers. In one temple she -had vowed that she would save seven thousand lives if mine were granted -to her prayers.</p> - -<p>I was perplexed and curious to know how she would perform the -conditions of such a vow, but she assured me there would be no -difficulty about it, and forthwith despatched her servant-women to the -market to purchase seven baskets, containing each a thousand live fish, -which, with great pomp and ceremony, were set free again in the river, -and the seven thousand lives were thus actually saved.</p> - -<p>One day, when I was sitting with my friend in her little study, she -learned that I had recently lost a very dear relative, and she related -to me, in a voice full of the tenderest sympathy and affection, the -following Buddhist legend, which I give here as nearly as possible in -her own words.</p> - -<p>"In the village of Sârvâthi there lived a young wife named Keesah, who -at the age of fourteen gave birth to a son; and she loved him with -all the love and joy of the possessor of a newly found treasure, for -his face was like a golden cloud, his eyes fair and tender as a blue -lotus, and his smile bright and beaming like the morning light upon the -dewy flowers. But when the boy was able to walk, and could run about -the house, there came a day when he suddenly fell sick and died. And -Keesah, not understanding what had happened to her fair lotus-eyed boy, -clasped him to her bosom, and went about the village from house to -house, praying and weeping, and beseeching the good people to give her -some medicine to cure her baby.</p> - -<p>"But the villagers and neighbors, on seeing her, said: 'Is the girl -mad, that she still bears about on her breast the dead body of her -child?'</p> - -<p>"At length a holy man, pitying the girl's sorrow, said to himself: -'Alas! this Keesah does not understand the law of death; I will try to -comfort her.' And he answered<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_251" id="Page_251">[Pg 251]</a></span> her, and said: 'My good girl, I cannot -myself give you any medicine to cure your boy, but I know a holy and -wise physician who can.'</p> - -<p>"'O,' said the young mother, 'do tell me who it is, that I may go at -once to him!'</p> - -<p>"And the holy man replied, 'He is called the Buddha; he alone can cure -thy child.'</p> - -<p>"Then Keesah, on hearing this, was comforted, and set out to find the -Buddha, still clasping to her heart the lifeless body of her child. And -when she found him she bowed down before him, and said: 'O my lord and -master, do you know of any medicine that will cure my baby?'</p> - -<p>"And the Buddha replied and said: 'Yes, I know of one, but you must get -it for me.'</p> - -<p>"And she asked: 'What medicine do you want? Tell me, that I may hasten -in search of it.'</p> - -<p>"And the Buddha said: 'I want only a few grains of mustard-seed. Leave -here the boy, and go you and bring them to me.'</p> - -<p>"The girl refused to part with her baby, but promised to get the seed -for him.</p> - -<p>"As she was about to set out, the pitiful Buddha, recalling her, said: -'My sister, the mustard-seed that I require must be taken from a house -where no child, parent, husband, wife, relative, or slave has ever -died.'</p> - -<p>"The young mother replied, 'Very good, my lord'; and went her way, -taking her boy with her, and setting him astride on her hip, with his -lifeless head resting on her bosom.</p> - -<p>"Thus she went from house to house, from palace to hut, begging for -some grains of mustard-seed.</p> - -<p>"The people said to her: 'Here are the seeds; take them, and go thy -way.'</p> - -<p>"But she first asked: 'In this, my friend's house, has there ever died -a child, a husband, a parent, or a slave?'</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_252" id="Page_252">[Pg 252]</a></span></p> - -<p>"And they one and all replied: 'Lady, what is this that thou hast said? -Knowest thou not that the living are few, but that the dead are many? -There is no such house as thou seekest.'</p> - -<p>"Then she went to other houses and begged the grains of mustard-seed, -which they gladly gave her, but to her questionings one said, 'I have -lost a son'; another, 'I have lost a parent'; and yet another, 'I have -lost a slave'; and every one and all of them made some such reply.</p> - -<p>"At last, not being able to discover a single house free from the -dead, whence she could obtain the mustard-seed, and feeling utterly -faint and weary, she sat herself down upon a stone, with her baby in -her lap, and thinking sadly said to herself: 'Alas! this is a heavy -task I have undertaken. I am not the only one who has lost her baby. -Everywhere children are dying, parents are dying, loved ones are dying, -and everywhere they tell me that the dead are more numerous than the -living. Shall I then think only of my own sorrow?'</p> - -<p>"Thinking thus, she suddenly summoned courage to put away her sorrow -for her dead baby, and she carried him to the forest and laid him down -to rest under a tree; and having covered him over with tender leaves, -and taking her last look of his loved face, she betook herself once -more to the Buddha and bowed before him.</p> - -<p>"And he said to her: 'Sister, hast thou found the mustard-seed?'</p> - -<p>"'I have not, my lord, she replied, 'for the people in the village tell -me there is no house in which some one has not died; for the living are -few, but the dead are many.'</p> - -<p>"'And where is your baby?'</p> - -<p>"'I have laid him under a tree in the forest, my lord,' said Keesah, -gently.</p> - -<p>"Then said the Buddha to her: 'You have found the grains of -mustard-seed; you thought that you alone had<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_253" id="Page_253">[Pg 253]</a></span> lost a son, but now you -have learned that the law of death and of suffering is among all living -creatures, and that here there is no permanence.'</p> - -<p>"On hearing this Keesah was comforted, and established in the path of -virtue, and was thenceforth called Keesah Godami, the disciple of the -Buddha."<a name="FNanchor_46_46" id="FNanchor_46_46"></a><a href="#Footnote_46_46" class="fnanchor">[46]</a></p> - -<p>The pleasantest of the days that I spent in the city of the "Nang -Harm" were those that fell on the first full moons in the months of -May, which days are always held as the anniversary of the birth, -inspiration, and death of the Buddha. On the morning of the 21st of -May, 1864, I was conducted by a number of well-dressed slave-women to -the residence of my pupil, the "child wife." Her house was a brick -building with a low wall running round it, which took in some few acres -of ground devoted to gardens and to residences for her numerous slaves -and attendants. I was the first, that morning, to pass between the two -brick and mortar lions which guarded the entrance, and after a kindly -greeting I took my place at the inner end of the hall or antechamber -which gave access to the residence.</p> - -<p>The "child wife," a remarkably pretty little woman, dressed in pure -white silk, stood in the hall beside a small marble fountain, with -her two sons on either side of her. All round the fountain were huge -China vases containing plants, covered with flowers, and between them -were immense silver water-jars, each large enough to hold a couple of -men, and each containing a huge silver ladle. Thirty or more young -slave-women were engaged in filling them with cool fresh water drawn -from a well in the garden.</p> - -<p>The hall was freshly furnished with striped floor-mat<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_254" id="Page_254">[Pg 254]</a></span>ting, and with -cushioned seats for a hundred guests. In the garden opposite the doors -of the hall was a circular thatched roof supported on one great mast, -like a single-poled tent, and this was the theatre erected for the -occasion. In one part was an elevated stage for the marionettes, and -the whole was very gracefully and prettily ornamented, showing, as did -everything around, a desire to please and to entertain. Some fifty -women-porters came from an inner court, hearing on their heads massive -silver dishes of sweetmeats and choice viands, and placed them along -the hall; then came some maidens dressed in pure white, and arranged -flowers in small gold vases beside each of the seats designed for the -expected guests; and when this was done they took their places behind -their mistress.</p> - -<p>It was early morning, just seven o'clock. But this entire woman's -city had been up for hours engaged in the important work of rightly -celebrating the great day. The grounds around the house were all in -a glow with roses, and the pure silver of the water-jars glistened -resplendently in the morning sunlight.</p> - -<p>The gate was thrown wide open, and into this fairy-like scene, amid -flowers and sunshine and fragrance, and the dew still trembling on the -leaves, were ushered in the guests, one by one,—a hundred decrepit, -filthy, unsightly looking beggar-women covered with dirt and rags and -the vilest uncleanliness.</p> - -<p>And the "child wife," who might have numbered twenty-five summers, but -who looked as if she were only sixteen, blushing with a delicacy and -beauty of her own, advances and greets her strange guests with all -the more respect and tenderness because of their rags and poverty, -leads them gently and seats them on low stools around her sparkling -fountain, removes their disgusting apparel, and proceeds with the aid -of her maidens to wash them clean with fragrant soap and great draughts -of cool water<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_255" id="Page_255">[Pg 255]</a></span> ladled out of the silver jars. What a transformation, -when the matted hair was washed and combed and parted and dressed with -flowers, and the rags were replaced by new robes of purest white! Then -she led them towards the hall, and seated them on the silk cushions -before the silver trays, and bowed on her knees before them and served -to them the delicacies prepared for them, as if they each one and all -deserved from her some special token of her love and veneration. After -breakfast the music struck up and the actors and puppets appeared on -the stage. The music was particularly good. The royal female bands were -assembled for the occasion, and relieved each other in succession; the -acting was occasionally interspersed with the plaintive notes of female -voices; the priestesses of this beautiful scene, who seemed sometimes -deeply moved, collected from within themselves all the charms and joys -of love to pour them forth with the inspiration of music at the feet of -their lowly listeners.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_256" id="Page_256">[Pg 256]</a></span><a name="FNanchor_47_47" id="FNanchor_47_47"></a><a href="#Footnote_47_47" class="fnanchor">[47]</a></p> - -<p>And at length, as the curtain of the last act dropped, and the -prolonged cadence of the voices and the instruments died away, a loud -buzz of delight and pleasure broke from the listening crowd of old, -decrepit women, who received each a sum of money from their kind -hostess, and went on their lonely way rejoicing.</p> - -<p>"This," said my friend to me, "I do every year, to show my love and -obedience to my dear teacher, the Buddha." And to my unaccustomed heart -and eyes it seemed the sight in all the world the most worth gazing -upon.</p> - - - -<div class="footnotes"> -<p class="center">FOOTNOTES:</p> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_44_44" id="Footnote_44_44"></a><a href="#FNanchor_44_44"><span class="label">[44]</span></a> I would here remark that all intelligent Buddhists make a -very marked distinction between the Buddha and the Buddh. Buddh, or as -he is sometimes called, Adi Buddha, is the Supreme Intelligence, from -whom Buddha is only an emanation, has existed from all eternity.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_45_45" id="Footnote_45_45"></a><a href="#FNanchor_45_45"><span class="label">[45]</span></a> See "English Governess at the Siamese Court," Chap. XIII. -p. 116.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_46_46" id="Footnote_46_46"></a><a href="#FNanchor_46_46"><span class="label">[46]</span></a> Professor F. Max Müller mentions this parable, in his -lecture on "Buddhist Nihilism," as translated from the Birmese by -Captain H.T. Rogers; but the Birmese text is slightly different from -that of the Siamese.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_47_47" id="Footnote_47_47"></a><a href="#FNanchor_47_47"><span class="label">[47]</span></a> The Siamese are naturally very fond of music, and even -persons of high rank think it no disparagement to acquire a proficiency -in the art. Whence their great skill in music and in architecture it -would be difficult to explain, more especially as their music exhibits -great poetical genius and has a remarkably pleasing measure. It might -naturally be supposed that they had derived their music from the -same source that they have their religion; the softness, the playful -sweetness and simplicity of the former, seeming to harmonize in great -measure with the humane tenets, the pure morality, and the beauty of -the latter. -</p> -<p> -The music of the Siamese Peguans and of Laos differs from that of -most Indian nations in being played upon different keys, a feature -which characterizes the pathetic music of certain European, and in -particular the Scottish and Welsh nations. There is certainly no harsh -or disagreeable sound, no abrupt transition, no grating sharpness; all -is soft, lively, sweet, and harmonious to a degree which seemed to me -quite surprising. They have certainly arrived far beyond the point of -being merely pleased with sound. They have far a higher aim, that of -interesting the feelings, of awakening thought or emotion. -</p> -<p> -Their pieces of music are very numerous; some of the women who perform -before the king know by heart a hundred and fifty tunes; their memory -and their performance are equally remarkable and surprising.</p></div> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_257" id="Page_257">[Pg 257]</a></span></p> - -<p class="ph2"><a name="CHAPTER_XXX" id="CHAPTER_XXX">CHAPTER XXX.</a></p> - -<p class="center">THE SIAMESE SYSTEM OF SLAVERY.<a name="FNanchor_48_48" id="FNanchor_48_48"></a><a href="#Footnote_48_48" class="fnanchor">[48]</a></p> - - -<p>Under the late king, his Majesty Somdetch P'hra Paramendr Maha Mongkut, -there existed in Siam a mixed system of slavery, in part resembling the -old system of English feudal service, in part the former serfdom of -Russia, and again in part the peonage of Mexico.</p> - -<p>Three fourths of the population of Siam are in this condition of -modified slavery, branded with the mark of their owners, or held by -their creditors in a form of qualified servitude to work out a debt. -The royal family, princes, and chief rulers and magistrates of the -country, are the only exceptions to this rule. But even they are -obliged to serve the king in times of war, or to provide a fitting -substitute.</p> - -<p>"Slaves," in the minute subdivisions of the law, are classed under -seven different heads: first, prisoners of war; second, slaves by -purchase; third, slaves by birth; fourth, by gifts and legacies; fifth, -those who become slaves from gratitude; sixth, voluntary slaves in -times of famine; seventh, debtors and their children.</p> - -<p>But these may all be embraced in three general classes, called Prie, -Baw, and Bâtt, that of slaves by birth and attached to the land, of -slaves by purchase, and of slaves captured in war.</p> - -<p>The prisoners of war and their descendants are composed of the -following nations and numbers: Malays,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_258" id="Page_258">[Pg 258]</a></span> fifty thousand; Cochin-Chinese, -seventy-five thousand; Peguans, one million; Laotians, twenty-five -thousand; and Birmese, fifty thousand. All these, with few exceptions, -belong to the kings of Siam. Some few are given to the principal nobles -and chiefs who have distinguished themselves in the state; but even -these, with their descendants, are held as Baw Chow Chewitt,—the -king's slaves. The Cochin-Chinese captured in war, and all their -numerous descendants, belong exclusively to the second king,—the first -or supreme king having a positive antipathy to that people. They are -formed into an army under the command of the second king, to guard his -person, palaces, harem, etc.</p> - -<p>The Malays and Peguans are employed as sailors and soldiers in company -with the native Siamese. These are all branded on the left side a -little below the armpit, and they are bound to serve three months in -every year; the remaining time they may employ in their own private -interests.</p> - -<p>The slaves by purchase are divided into two classes, "redeemable" and -"irredeemable." The first class must furnish security that they will -fulfil the legal requirements of their masters. These can always free -themselves by refunding the purchase-money, or can change their masters -on procuring payment of the sum due to the old masters.</p> - -<p>The second class are chiefly young girls sold by their parents, -relatives, or owners; with these no security is either given or taken, -because they generally become the wives or concubines of the buyer. -As a natural consequence more than four fifths abscond whenever they -get an opportunity, and the owner has no redress. Women-slaves are not -branded or enrolled as the men-slaves are.</p> - -<p>Husbands may sell their wives, parents their children,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_259" id="Page_259">[Pg 259]</a></span> and masters -their slaves and debtors; but no one can sell an adult man-slave after -he is sixteen, or a woman-slave after she has attained puberty, without -his or her consent.</p> - -<p>Prices of slaves vary according to the appearance, color, strength, -physical proportions, and parentage of the person sold, from one -hundred and twenty ticals for men, and sixty to a hundred ticals<a name="FNanchor_49_49" id="FNanchor_49_49"></a><a href="#Footnote_49_49" class="fnanchor">[49]</a> -for women. But if the woman be fair and pleasing in form and feature, -she will bring as much as a thousand ticals for the harem of a great -noble.</p> - -<p>The method of selling one's self is very simple. Every man, on becoming -a slave, signs an agreement, of which I give a copy below. This paper -his master retains, but is obliged to surrender whenever the slave -produces the amount mentioned in it.</p> - -<p>"Wednesday, the seventh day of the waning moon of the year 1227 of the -little era Choola Sakarat,<a name="FNanchor_50_50" id="FNanchor_50_50"></a><a href="#Footnote_50_50" class="fnanchor">[50]</a> I, Khow,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_260" id="Page_260">[Pg 260]</a></span> sell myself to Nai Dang for -ticals one hundred and twenty, to be refunded by me, Khow, at the time -and hour of being set free."</p> - -<p>Such is the bill of sale. But as it generally happens that the parents -have also sold themselves, some other security is required, which is -given in another paper. The value of anything that the slave may break -or destroy is added to the original account.</p> - -<p>The masters are bound to furnish their slaves with rice and fish daily, -but not with clothes.</p> - -<p>The position of the slaves by birth differs in no respect from that of -slaves by purchase, with the exception that while the prices of the -latter vary, the price of the former is fixed by law for every age, -size, and sex, and the owners cannot demand more for them than that -which is determined by the law.</p> - -<p>The severest punishment for slaves is being made to work in chains. If -no improvement takes place from this punishment, the slave is handed -over to the king's judges, and is, provided the crime or misdemeanor is -proven, incarcerated in the Siamese convict prison,—a punishment to -which death itself is preferable.</p> - -<p>The principal hardship that the slave suffers is being obliged to marry -at the will of his or her owner, and this with a people who are highly -susceptible of conjugal affection is often the cause of great suffering -to the women.</p> - -<p>Then comes the difficulty of lodging a complaint against their masters -for an insufficiency of food, and sometimes for an absolute want -of clothes, for which latter even the law does not hold the master -responsible.</p> - -<p>There are four conditions under which a slave is freed from the -obligations of servitude,—slaves voluntarily manumitted by their -masters; slaves admitted to the priesthood; those who are given to -serve the priests; and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_261" id="Page_261">[Pg 261]</a></span> when the master himself takes the vows of a -priest, he is obliged to free all his slaves, as the ecclesiastical -court will not otherwise receive him into the priesthood, and he can -at no time reclaim them for actual service, unless on quitting the -priesthood he repurchases them.</p> - -<p>Debtors may be made slaves when they do not pay the interest for money -borrowed, and will not work to make good the failure of payment; and in -case of death the nearest relative becomes a slave till the original -amount, with the interest added, is refunded. The rate of interest -in Siam is about thirty per cent, and the poor are unable, unless by -labor, to pay such an exorbitant rate.</p> - -<p>If the bought or rather the redeemable slave should die in his master's -service,—even after a lifetime of labor,—the security must refund the -original sum or become a slave in his stead. If a slave be sick, and is -attended to during his illness in his master's house, the security is -liable for the interest of the slave's purchase-money during the period -of illness. When children are sold under the full value, they must not -be beaten till they bleed.</p> - -<p>When a slave volunteers out of affection for his master or mistress to -take his or her place in prison or in torture, one half of his or her -purchase-money must be refunded to the security. But if the slave is -irredeemable, no part is to be refunded.</p> - -<p>If a man sell a slave, and after receiving the money refuse to give him -or her up to the purchaser, he shall pay double the sum,—three fourths -to the buyer and one fourth into the government or state treasury.</p> - -<p>If a buyer disapprove of a slave before three months have elapsed, he -may recover his money.</p> - -<p>If a master strike his slave so that he die, no claim can be made upon -the security, and the master shall be punished according to the law.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_262" id="Page_262">[Pg 262]</a></span></p> - -<p>Anything that a slave may break can be added, at the will of the owner, -to the purchase-money.</p> - -<p>If in herding cattle he be negligent, and they be lost, he shall pay -for them; if more be given into his charge than he can attend to, he -shall pay only half; but if robbers bind him and steal the cattle, he -cannot be held responsible.</p> - -<p>Any claim against a slave must be made by the owner before he is sold -to another party.</p> - -<p>If a master or mistress force a female slave to marry one man -when she has openly professed a preference for another, half her -redemption-money must be remitted.</p> - -<p>If a slave go to war instead of his master, and fight bravely, he -must be set free at the termination of the battle. If he fight only -ordinarily well, half his purchase-money shall be remitted.</p> - -<p>If a master repurchase a slave, and he die in his service, he can -demand only half the original amount from his security.</p> - -<p>If a slave begin to plant rice, he cannot, even if able, purchase his -freedom until the harvest is over.</p> - -<p>If, when rice is dear, a man sell himself to slavery below the standard -value, when rice gets cheap the price must be raised, and the balance -paid over by the purchaser.</p> - -<p>If a slave injure himself while at his master's work, compensation must -be made according to the nature of the injury.</p> - -<p>If a slave die in the stead or in the defence of his master, nothing -can be demanded from the security.</p> - -<p>In all cases of an epidemic, nothing can be claimed from the security.</p> - -<p>If a man have several wives, and the lesser sell themselves to the -higher wives, or the poorer to the richer, no interest can be claimed -on the purchase-money, as they are considered sisters in the sight of -the law.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_263" id="Page_263">[Pg 263]</a></span></p> - -<p>If the slave demand a change of masters, and the master cannot dispose -of him, he must take him to the judges to sell; and if they find no -purchaser within three days, he must return to his master and be -thenceforward Khai-Khat, irredeemable.</p> - -<p>If a slave run away, the money expended in apprehending him or her must -be added to his original account.</p> - -<p>Slaves having children, the children become slaves, and must be paid -for according to age.</p> - -<p>If a master compel a slave to bear a child against her will, both she -and the child are free in the sight of the law, even if irredeemable at -first.</p> - -<p>If a slave complain against his master, the judges will not file the -complaint unless he has first paid his purchase-money, except in cases -of murder and treason.</p> - -<p>If a slave accuse his master falsely of capital crimes, his tongue and -lips shall be cut off. But if the charge be true, he shall receive his -freedom, even if Khai-Khat irredeemables.</p> - -<p>If a slave make money on his or her own private account, at his or her -death it will become the property of the master. But if the money be -left to him, it shall go to the nearest relative.</p> - -<p>In all cases of doubt between the slave-woman and her master, the law -shall protect the mother, and the children must be given to her if she -bring the price, under penalty of forfeiting both mother and child.</p> - -<p>Two slaves, husband and wife, brother and sister, having their names on -the same bill of sale, if one run away, the other shall be charged with -the entire debt.</p> - - -<div class="footnotes"> -<p class="center">FOOTNOTES:</p> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_48_48" id="Footnote_48_48"></a><a href="#FNanchor_48_48"><span class="label">[48]</span></a> For the following statements I am indebted to the late -king, who very kindly furnished me with a copy of the Siamese "Slave -Laws," from which these pages are translated, as if the system still -existed.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_49_49" id="Footnote_49_49"></a><a href="#FNanchor_49_49"><span class="label">[49]</span></a> A tical may be valued at from fifty to sixty cents of the -Spanish dollar.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_50_50" id="Footnote_50_50"></a><a href="#FNanchor_50_50"><span class="label">[50]</span></a> The Siamese months are lunar months; each is divided -into two parts, i.e. Khang Khun and Khang Ram, waxing and waning moon. -Six of the months have thirty, and six twenty-nine days. To compensate -for the deficiency of the eleven days which are required to make a -full solar year, they have an intercalary month of thirty days once -in three years, and there being still a loss of about three days in -nineteen years, this is supplied by an arbitrary addition of a day -to the seventh month of such years as may be selected by the Brahmin -astrologers, whose business it is to observe the sun's path in the -heavens, and to announce all variations in the calendar. At the very -moment of the sun's crossing the equator, they make proclamation of the -advent of each new year, accompanied by a burst of music and by the -firing of great guns, both from the palace and the city walls. -</p> -<p> -The Siamese have two cycles, one within the other; the greater is -twelve, and the lesser ten years in duration. Every year in each cycle -has its own peculiar name. Their sacred era is reckoned from the time -of the death of the Buddha (2415). It is denominated Buddha Sakarat. -Their civil era is called Choola Sakarat, and is reckoned from the time -of its establishment (1233) by P'hra Rooang, a Siamese king of great -celebrity.</p></div> -</div> -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_264" id="Page_264">[Pg 264]</a></span></p> - - -<p class="ph2"><a name="CHAPTER_XXXI" id="CHAPTER_XXXI">CHAPTER XXXI.</a></p> - -<p class="center">THE ROYAL PROCLAMATIONS.</p> - - -<p>In the beginning of the reign of P'rabat Somdetch P'hra Paramendr Maha -Chulalonkorn, a new era dawned upon the kingdom of the white elephant.</p> - -<p>On the 11th of October, 1868, a royal proclamation of the new -and auspicious reign was made in all parts of the vast kingdom -and provinces of Siam, and a national holiday was appointed. The -multitudinous pagoda bells rang all day, while louder still boomed -the cannon, up went the rockets, and aloft streamed the red and white -banners of the white elephant. Still higher rose the glad hearts of the -princes and chiefs of the people, and low in reverential attitudes, -even in the very dust, were bowed the heads of the millions of the -enslaved subjects.</p> - -<p>Classed with the sod, and of as little account as the earth out of -which they obtain so scanty a subsistence, branded as cattle with the -mark of their owner, what have they to do with the glad shouts and the -loud rejoicings that resound on every side?</p> - -<p>To them it means only a change of owners, and royalty is the name fixed -to the other end of the enslaving rod of power: "The right divine of -kings to govern wrong."</p> - -<p>There can be no auspicious reign or any happy future for the slave.</p> - -<p class="center"> -<img src="images/illus16.jpg" alt="king" /> -<a id="illus16" name="illus16"></a> -</p> -<p class="caption"> KING OF SIAM.</p> - -<p>The royal messages of peace and good-will may find an echo in the -freedman's heart and in his home, but they must ever come with a -darkening power and as a saddening cloud to the home and the heart of -the slave. An irre<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_265" id="Page_265">[Pg 265]</a></span>deemable beast of burden, what has he to hope from -an auspicious reign, or the enthronement of a promising sovereign?</p> - -<p>Yet that these millions of enslaved men and women are not brutes or -wild beasts, or even devoid of noble and generous emotions, is proved -by the most astonishing acts of devotion and self-sacrifice performed -by slaves for the masters and mistresses whom they have learned to love.</p> - -<p>Any one who from curiosity or with a higher motive may visit the -prisons in the city of Bangkok will find, to his great surprise, that -nearly one half of the inmates are slaves voluntarily expiating the -crimes and wrong-doings of their masters and mistresses, or, as is -often the case, mothers, daughters, wives, or sisters enduring all the -hardships of a Siamese prison—and words would fail me adequately to -describe the amount of suffering which those two words imply—in the -place and for the sake of sons, husbands, or unworthy relatives. The -strength that is in these slaves to suffer is the strength of love. -Love combined with despair gives them the awful and wonderful power of -utter self-sacrifice.</p> - -<p>The rights which every man should enjoy in his wife, his children, -and his own labor, and which should be the most sacred and inviolable -rights, are here placed at the mercy of a master, and are oft-times to -the slave the very fetters of his galling servitude.</p> - -<p>But, since that ever-to-be-remembered 11th of October, 1868, a new -empire has arisen out of the ashes of the old. The traditions and -customs of centuries are as naught. A fresh start has been made, a -young king full of generous impulses and noble purposes reigns; and how -he intends to govern may be gathered from his second royal proclamation -to his people on the subject of religion:—</p> - -<p>"In regard to the concern of seeking and holding a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_266" id="Page_266">[Pg 266]</a></span> religion that will -be a refuge to you in this life: it is a good and noble concern, and -it is exceedingly appropriate and suitable that you, as a nation, and -each man individually, should investigate for himself, and according -to his own wisdom, which is the right and which the wrong; and if you -see any religion whatever, or any body of men professing any religion -whatsoever who seem likely to be an advantage to you,—a true religion -in accordance with your own wisdom,—hold to that religion with all -your heart; hold to it not with a shallow mind, or after slight -investigation, or even because of its tradition, saying this is the -custom held from time immemorial, but from your own deep faith in its -excellence; and do not profess a religion for the truth of which you -have not good evidence, or one which frightens men through their fears -and flatters them through their hopes.</p> - -<p>"Do not be either frightened or flattered into doing what is right and -just, and do not follow after fictitious signs and wonders.</p> - -<p>"But, when you shall have obtained a firm conviction in any religious -faith that it is true, beautiful, and good, hold to it with great joy, -follow its teachings alone, and it will be a source of happiness to -each one of you.</p> - -<p>"It is our will that our subjects of whatever race, nation, or creed, -live freely and happily in our kingdom, no man despising or molesting -another on account of religious difference, or any other difference of -opinions, customs, or manners."</p> - -<p>This is the second important message from the young king, who has just -ascended the throne of his fathers, to his subjects, both bond and free.</p> - -<p>The great old dukes and princes and nobles of the realm feel in their -hardened hearts that it is barely gracious, and certainly not at all -graceful, in one so young, to ignore all that magnificent past. But -the young mon<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_267" id="Page_267">[Pg 267]</a></span>arch is true to his early promise, and his next step is -quietly to abolish the customary prostrations before a superior, and to -inaugurate a new costume for his people, which will enable the wearer, -whoever he may be, prince, ruler, chieftain, or slave, to stand face to -face with his fellow-men and erect in the presence of his sovereign.</p> - -<p>And now let us mark the next step made in the path of progress and -freedom by this noble young Buddhist monarch.</p> - -<p>Years ago, in the little study in his beautiful palace called the -"Rose-Planting House," when a mere boy, on hearing of the death of -President Lincoln, he had declared "that if he ever lived to reign -over Siam, he would reign over a free and not an enslaved nation; that -it would be his pride and joy to restore to his kingdom the original -constitution under which it was first planted by a small colony of -hardy and brave Buddhists, who fled from their native country, Magadah, -to escape the religious persecutions of the Brahminical priests, who -had arrived at Ayudia and there established themselves under one of -their leaders, who was at once priest and king. They called the spot -they occupied "Muang Thai,"—the kingdom of the free,—and this kingdom -now extends from the northern slopes of the mountains of Yuman in China -to the Gulf of Siam."</p> - -<p>Nobly has he striven to keep this aspiration of his early boyhood; -and as he went, day after day, to take his place at the head of his -government, and to the nightly sittings of the Secret Council of the -state, he endeavored to hold unflinchingly to his one great purpose.</p> - -<p>On the first opportunity that offered he urged the abolition of slavery -upon the Prince Regent, his uncle, and the Prime Minister; then again -he brought it before the mighty Secret Council, sitting at midnight in -the hall of his ancestors. "I see," says the brave young king, "no<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_268" id="Page_268">[Pg 268]</a></span> -hope for our country until she is freed from the dark blot of slavery."</p> - -<p>The Prince Regent and the Prime Minister, though almost persuaded by -the vehement pleading of the young and fearless king, replied: "It is -impossible to free a nation of slaves without incurring much risk and -danger to the state and to the slaveholders. Under the existing laws, -Siam could not abolish her system of slavery without undermining at the -same time her whole constitution."</p> - -<p>"Well," said the young king, "let it be so; but my slaves, my soldiers, -and my debtors are my own, and I will free them at least, whatever my -ministers may see fit to do; for my part, no human being shall ever -again be branded in my name and with my mark."</p> - -<p>What strange words from one so young!</p> - -<p>The Secret Council meet again and again to discuss the matter, and at -length they decide—for they too have the good of their country at -heart—to let the young king have his own way.</p> - -<p>Then the royal boy king sends another message summoning the heads of -all his people, from every department of his vast kingdom, to appear -together in his audience hall, and to receive the royal message.</p> - -<p>Standing on the lowest step of his glittering throne, he greets the -chief rulers and governors and judges of his people, and utters -these remarkable words: "Let this our royal message to our people be -proclaimed, and not as if we were doing a great and lordly thing, but -our simple duty to our fellow-men and subjects, that from the first -day of January, 1872, slavery shall cease to be an institution in -our country, and every man, woman, and child shall hold themselves -free-born citizens; and further let it be made known, that a tax, -according to the circumstances of each and every man, shall be levied -on the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_269" id="Page_269">[Pg 269]</a></span> nation to remunerate the slaveholders for the loss of their -slaves."</p> - -<p>The effect of this speech upon the listeners can hardly be imagined. -It was like the winged words of an angel from heaven, and the young -monarch descended from the last step of his throne, having firmly laid -the corner-stone on which the greatness of his reign and his nation -will forever rest unshaken. But seeing that his astonished hearers -remained rooted to the spot, still doubting whether they had heard -aright, he added: "We bind ourselves to fulfil our word to our subjects -at large, no matter what the cost to ourselves. Go you and proclaim our -royal will."</p> - -<p>When the wonderful tidings were actually proclaimed, the people -listened as though they heard not; at best they distrusted the good -report, and received the wondrous words as if they were merely the -sounding of brass and the tinkling of cymbals in their ears.</p> - -<p>Confidence is a plant of slow growth; but how slow must its revival -have been in the place whence it has once been torn up by the roots! -So the people turned a deaf ear to the loving messages of their young -king, and went on their sad way not a whit happier.</p> - -<p>But when the 1st of January, 1872, had actually arrived, and they -absolutely found themselves "free" men and women, their patient, loving -hearts well-nigh burst asunder with joy.</p> - -<p>The glad cries of the ransomed millions penetrated the heart of the -universe, and the "Despair" of the nation flapped her dark wings and -fell down dead at the golden feet of the royal ransomer.</p> - -<p>The prison doors are open, and all the prisoners by proxy and those -who were slaves by reason of their great poverty or their greater love -find, to their amazement, that the sun of freedom has risen for them, -and who<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_270" id="Page_270">[Pg 270]</a></span> shall fathom the depth of their joy? But the land is full -of flower shows, and unfurled standards, and cool fountain displays, -fireworks, illuminations, and theatrical exhibitions. The music of -thousands of choristers and the glad huzzas of congregated myriads -rend the air. Let them dance and laugh and sing; they have had enough -of slavery and too little of freedom, and the great hymn of the nation -ascends to the Ruler of kings for the "Ransomed One," "Glory to God in -the highest, and on earth peace and good-will towards men."</p> - - -<p class="center" style="margin-top: 5em;">THE END OF THE ROMANCE.</p> - -<p class="center"> -<img src="images/illus17.jpg" alt="ruins" /> -<a id="illus17" name="illus17"></a> -</p> -<p class="caption"> TEMPLE AND RUINS OF KAMPOOT.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_271" id="Page_271">[Pg 271]</a></span></p> - - - - -<p class="ph2"><a name="A_LEGEND_OF_THE_GOLD_AND_SILVER_MINES_OF_SIAM" id="A_LEGEND_OF_THE_GOLD_AND_SILVER_MINES_OF_SIAM">A LEGEND OF THE GOLD AND SILVER MINES OF SIAM.</a></p> - - -<p>Vela Chow, or the Beautiful Dawn, was the only daughter of a very -powerful king of Ayudia. She was so wondrously beautiful that the old -Brahmins and astrologers who foretold her birth named her, even before -she was born, the Beautiful Dawn, as the only appropriate name for her.</p> - -<p>Now it happened that, at the time of Vela Chow's birth, there was no -moon to illuminate the fair earth, but the golden sun and the green -earth enjoyed a much closer and more intimate friendship than they now -do, and old age, sickness, and death were unknown to the blessed and -undying people of Ayudia.</p> - -<p>But as the mighty king Somdetch P'hra Batt, the duke of the golden -foot, had reigned nearly three thousand five hundred years without -ceasing, he became weary of the cares of state, and thereupon abdicated -in favor of his young son, P'hra Batt Bandethâno, a vigorous youth -of not more than five hundred years of age, who was even from his -childhood an especial favorite of the ruby-faced and warm-hearted -monarch P'hra Athiett, i.e. the Sun.</p> - -<p>In the course of time, the friendship between these two, Bandethâno -and P'hra Athiett, sovereigns of the earth and sky, ripened to such -a degree of perfection that the latter was loath to withdraw his -bright beaming face from his young friend's kingdom, even to seek his -couch for a little rest at night, as had been his custom from time -immemorial; thus he beamed forth both night and day<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_272" id="Page_272">[Pg 272]</a></span> in saffron hues -on the fair mountains and lovely valleys of the invincible city of -Ayudia, and the land flourished in luxuriance and beauty, the fruits -and flowers rivalled those that grew and blossomed in Indra's own -garden, and countless birds of marvellous plumage winged their flight -from distant worlds to build their nests and warble their exquisite -melodies among the proud forests of this favored land. As for the men -of this region, they were tall and stately and of golden mien, like -the laughter-loving Gandharwas of Indra's paradise, and the women were -gloriously beautiful, fair as silvery clouds, with eyes of wondrous -hue; so that no mortal man could look upon one of them and not yield -his spirit to the sweet frenzy of inextinguishable love.</p> - -<p>Away flew the golden days and nights, and round and round rushed the -radiant chariot-wheels of P'hra Athiett, and thousands and thousands of -years sped away, but he never relaxed the speed of his swift coursers, -nor drew in his rainbow-tinted reins, nor turned away even for an -instant his glowing eyes from this favored kingdom.</p> - -<p>Now, things having gone on in this way for several thousands of years, -yet no sweet slumber had ever closed the godlike eyes of P'hra Athiett, -and all the lovely Dowâstrâs, i.e. the stars, finding themselves -totally eclipsed, their brilliancy and beauty marred by this unceasing -sleeplessness on the part of their sovereign, formed the wicked and -cruel design of revolting against him, and of taking possession, by -some means or other, of his golden car.</p> - -<p>Accordingly, instead of going to sleep, as had hitherto been their -practice during the day, they all plotted together to hide themselves -behind the many-tinted curtain of their monarch's chariot, and to -watch his movements, in order to discover the cause of the singular -attraction that drew him forever towards the earth, while he left his<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_273" id="Page_273">[Pg 273]</a></span> -own vaulted and ethereal hemisphere to the tender mercies of stray suns -or wandering comets.</p> - -<p>Having ratified with many an oath and many a vow their wicked compact, -the treacherous Dowâstrâs, instead of going to bed like the dutiful -children of a kind and beneficent ruler, only pretended to sleep, but -all the while kept opening and shutting and blinking their bright, -inquisitive little eyes, winking at one another and peering behind the -golden curtains of the royal chariot at their unconscious master, who, -fully believing that all his subjects were sound asleep, grew brighter -and brighter, while over his round, genial face there beamed forth a -smile of ineffable radiance as he approached the earth. At this very -moment the rebellious Dowâstrâs, wondering at the blissful face of -their monarch, peered out from behind the rainbow-hued drapery of the -celestial chariot and turned their penetrating eyes towards the earth, -where, to their astonishment, they beheld the matchless form and the -divinely beautiful face of Vela Chow, who was lulling her wearied -father to rest with the music of her sweet voice.</p> - -<p>"Ah! ah!" laughed the wicked Dowâstrâs, "now we have found out the -secret."</p> - -<p>As soon as she had soothed her father to sleep, the lovely Vela Chow, -all unconscious of what was happening around her, sauntered forth among -the unfrequented woods and dells, making the voiceless hills and rocks -re-echo her merry notes in melodious sounds; now culling rare wild -flowers to wreathe round her lovely brow, now bathing her little feet -in the cool crystal waters of a purling brook that murmured gently -through the mountain caves and caverns, and anon raising her glad heart -in thanksgiving and praise to the great, beneficent, and glorious P'hra -Athiett.</p> - -<p>At length she sat herself down in the deep solitude to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_274" id="Page_274">[Pg 274]</a></span> rest; and as -she listened to the gentle zephyrs that fanned her yellow tresses or -rustled amidst the topmost boughs of the "green-haired" forest trees, -the birds plucked for her the ripest and the sweetest fruits, and some -dropped them at her side, and others, less timid, hovered around her, -holding them in their tender bills, each fluttering against the other -and striving to be the favored one to whom she would open her sweet -mouth to be fed; and while the many-hued birds were thus rivalling each -other in their delicate attentions to the lovely maiden, it chanced -that a gorgeous butterfly, more glorious than any she had ever before -seen, alighted on a neighboring flower. Up sprang Vela Chow, and away -she flew after it, from flower to flower, from shrub to tree, until at -last the tantalizing butterfly flew so high in the air that the eager -damsel could do no more than raise her fair face and sparkling eyes -to follow its airy flight through the bright sky. Just at this moment -P'hra Athiett's golden chariot was coming over the hill, and he smiled -a smile of such ineffable delight when he caught sight of her, that he -dazzled the eyes of the poor little maiden; and as she could no longer -see the beautiful butterfly, she was obliged to relinquish all idea -of capturing it. So she retraced her disconsolate steps to her lonely -mountain stream, and plunged into its waters, in the hope of finding -therein refreshment and forgetfulness of her cruel disappointment.</p> - -<p>But P'hra Athiett was not to be thus baffled; so he noiselessly climbed -higher and higher, and approached nearer and nearer, and smiled so much -more warmly than ever, that he once more quite overpowered the weary -maiden, who suddenly vanished from his sight, sought refuge in her -favorite mountain cavern, and there fell sound asleep.</p> - -<p>For a moment poor P'hra Athiett was disconcerted, and a great pain, -like a dark heavy cloud, shot up from his<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_275" id="Page_275">[Pg 275]</a></span> heart and overspread his -bright, happy face, and he knew not what to do; but the next, he broke -forth into a more joyous smile than ever, for he was just as foolish as -he was old, and had been on the lookout all these thousands of years, -night and day, hoping to catch a glimpse of this incomparable maiden; -the moment he did so, he fell desperately in love with her, and he -could not make up his mind to perform his journey without one more -look at her sweet, pure face; therefore, instead of going on his way -through the sky, he changed his course, and drove at a furious rate -down the mountain-side towards the cavern, alighted from his chariot, -and crept softly into the cave where the lovely Vela Chow slumbered, -and smiled upon her with such rapturous tenderness that the sleeping -maiden's heart was penetrated and completely captivated. She opened -her beautiful eyes with a joyful sense of a new and delicious emotion -upon P'hra Athiett, who beamed upon her so lovingly and with such -irresistible pleadings in his godlike eyes, that she could not refuse -to return his affection, and they there and then exchanged vows of -eternal friendship and love.</p> - -<p>But alas! while the all-unconscious and happy lovers were thus fondly -conversing together, and P'hra Athiett was painting in glowing words -the beauty of his heavenly dwelling-place, the wicked Dowâstrâs in all -haste rushed to the mountain-side, drove off the golden chariot, and -unharnessed the swift-winged coursers. Having thus cut off his retreat, -they raised a shout of triumph, deposed their infatuated monarch, and -established a republic among themselves, permitting neither stray suns -nor wandering comets to have anything to do with their government.</p> - -<p>Poor P'hra Athiett, who was now about to conduct his sweet happy bride -to his celestial kingdom, found, to his consternation and grief, that -his golden chariot had van<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_276" id="Page_276">[Pg 276]</a></span>ished. He bowed his head, and his great -joyous face became suddenly overcast; all its light and glory departed, -while large tears like mountain torrents rolled from his godlike eyes, -and streamed upon the earth, and were there and then transformed into -nuggets of the purest gold.</p> - -<p>Then the mountains, pitying his sufferings, opened their hearts, and -revealed to him a secret passage by which he might regain his heavenly -abode.</p> - -<p>P'hra Athiett bade a sad adieu to the lovely Vela Chow, and, with -promise of speedy return, set out, shedding golden tears all along the -way, in search of his missing chariot. And as for the unhappy Vela -Chow, the moment she lost sight of her beloved P'hra Athiett, she -drooped her fair head in unspeakable sorrow, and followed him with -aching heart and faltering step all the way, searching for the lost -chariot, and shedding abundantly her bright beautiful tears, which, as -they fell upon the rocky sides of the mountains, changed their flinty -arteries into veins of the purest and most precious silver.</p> - -<p>Thus the grief of these two godlike hearts served to enrich the country -with endless wealth.</p> - -<p>At the end of twelve hours, however, the wicked stars repented of their -cruel conduct, and a fresh compact was made between the republican -Dowâstrâs and the godlike lover P'hra Athiett, wherein it was expressly -agreed that for a fortnight in every month he should pick up his -beautiful bride at the mouth of the cavern and take her with him to his -celestial home; but that for the rest of the month she should unveil -her matchless face, and reveal her exquisite beauty to the Dowâstrâs, -and rule over them in the sky,—for they all, it seems, had also fallen -desperately in love with her,—and it was distinctly stipulated that -P'hra Athiett should never attempt to approach her while she reigned as -their queen and mistress in the heavens; and to distinguish her in her -new regal<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_277" id="Page_277">[Pg 277]</a></span> character, the Dowâstrâs changed her name from "Vela Chow" -to "Rupea Chandra,"—the Silver Moon.</p> - -<p>To all this P'hra Athiett readily assented; for he was impatient to -regain his chariot, and to hear away his lovely bride.</p> - -<p>But it is said that even to this day, while Vela Chow is presiding in -queenlike splendor over the jealous Dowâstrâs, P'hra Athiett is foolish -enough at times (for now and then he cannot restrain his affection) to -attempt to kiss her. When all the Siamese, fearing lest he should again -be dethroned, turn out <i>en masse</i>, and shout, and fire cannons, and -beat drums, to warn him of the impropriety of his proceedings; which -in the space of two or three hours—this being the time, it is said, -that sound takes to travel to the sun and moon—generally produces the -desired effect of recalling the monarch to himself.</p> - -<p>Thus are the gold and silver mines, and the lunar and solar eclipses, -accounted for in the Siamese legends; and annual pilgrimages are still -made to the cavern where the lovely Vela Chow plighted her troth to -P'hra Athiett.</p> - - -<p class="center" style="margin-top: 10em;"><small>Cambridge: Electrotyped and Printed by Welch, Bigelow, & Co.</small></p> - -<div class="transnote"> -<p class="center">[Transcribers Note: -Original spelling, including possible inconsistencies, has been retained.]</p> -</div> - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Romance of the Harem, by -Anna Harriette Leonowens - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE ROMANCE OF THE HAREM *** - -***** This file should be named 56028-h.htm or 56028-h.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/6/0/2/56028/ - -Produced by MWS, Graeme Mackreth and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was -produced from images generously made available by The -Internet Archive/American Libraries.) - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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