NATIVE WARRIORS. 243 



exceedingly original, and almost theatrical. Liberal 

 money gifts, I was told, had been received during the 

 earlier hours at the private palace. The last mountain 

 of rice having disappeared, pawn, wine, and cake were 

 ha.nded round, and the following loyal toasts proposed, 

 and duly responded to by a salute from the guns : to the 

 Emperor of Solo, the King of Holland, the son and heir 

 of the former, a sallow-faced little fellow five years of 

 age, who was here presented ; the Dutch Royal family, 

 and to the Sultan of Djokjokarta. Now sounds of 

 strange music reached our ears from all sides, and the 

 native troops were drawn up firing volley after volley, 

 finishing up by a tremendous cannonade in an outer 

 court, not to shock his Majesty's nerves, which ill- 

 natured people declare to be very weak in consequence 

 of his various excesses. Then the warriors, a body of 

 fine, tall, well-made soldiers, marched past in parade 

 step, a very peculiar sort of dancing -master style, 

 swinging the leg forward very slowly, and drawing it 

 back by a measured movement, during which the foot 

 is raised almost above the calf of the other leg. The 

 whole performance appeared quite in keeping with their 

 extraordinary costume, and would, I feel convinced, 

 meet with great success if adopted in some of our 

 favourite Christmas pantomimes. Parade over, the 

 procession was formed as before, and we returned to 



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