( 39 ) 



His entrance was followed by an absolute silence for a few 

 minutes while he ruffled up his sleeves, surveyed the assembly with 

 his binoculars, myself in particular, and filled his mouth with pan- 

 suparee. It was now that I noticed the very shaky state of his 

 nerves, for his hand trembled perceptibly as he shovelled into his 

 mouth the finely-cut suparee, with a little gold spoon. The binoculars 

 were once again brought to bear on me, when His Majesty broke 

 the silence by mumbling out something (for his mouth was too 

 full to speak distinctly) intelligible alone to his echo, the than- 

 daugan* the medium through which conversation was carried on 

 between the Resident and himself. The Resident's letter, applying 

 for permission for me to travel through Bumia Proper, was now 

 intoned by one of the officials to my right in a clear, well-articulat- 

 ed manner. At the conclusion there was a lull of a few minutes, 

 sufficient to give His Majesty time to deliberate, when he re -open- 

 ed the conversation with the Resident, which was kept up with some 

 little animation, until, without any previous warning, he rose, turned 

 his back on the company, and walked away. The guard who, dur- 

 ing the Bang's presence, were in a kneeling posture with their guns 

 between their knees, now withdrew, and we also took our departure. 

 I was indeed not sorry when the interview was at an end, for the 

 attitude in which we were sitting was really most trying ; and 

 although I tried my best to remain quiet, I found it impossible, and 

 kept shifting from one side to the other as the perspiration stream- 

 ed down ; at last I attempted to straighten my leg, for I had an attack 

 of cramp in my hip ; but it was useless, the gentle pressure of some- 

 thing much resembling the butt-end of a musket on my toes, soon 

 made me double up again, as I was not at all certain what might 

 follow, if I disregarded the polite reminder. 



69. I shall not attempt to describe the interior arrangement of 

 Cursory description of principal the palace grounds, for my visit was 

 buildings* in the enclosure. too hurried to admit of more than 



superficial scrutiny. The most conspicuous buildings, however, 

 were the Palace, the Royal Council-house, the Royal Court-house, 

 the Mint, and a high square tower, where the hours are struck on a 

 large bell and drum, and I was informed that at the midnight 

 watch, a guard regularly went round the moat in a boat to see that all 

 was quiet and orderly. The Palace, which is entirely of wood, hand- 

 somely carved and covered with gold-leaf now much tarnished, is 

 erected on a masonry terrace some four feet off the ground. It is 

 of the Buddhistic ecclesiastical type of architecture, with triple-roofed 

 wings and approaches, sending out from the centre a tower with 



* Receiver of the Royal voice. 



