THE KING'S MAHOUT 9 



silk jacket fastened to the chin, with buttons made 

 from silver half ticals, a round piece of Siamese 

 money worth about thirty cents ; and was bare of 

 head, and legs from knee down to stockingless feet. 



He was an important looking personage ; nothing 

 like him in fact had I met in the royal enclosure, 

 where I had gone seeking the unusual. But my 

 attempt to engage him in conversation was a fail- 

 ure, for he spoke no English. 



The second time I saw the king's mahout was a 

 few days later, in Lee's shop on the river, where I 

 was making purchases for my hunting outfit which 

 I was then getting together. Lee knew English 

 fairly well and I often chatted with him, though 

 he had never spoken to me of his distinguished 

 son, so that, when I saw Choo walk into the shop 

 and make himself very much at home, I naturally 

 asked about him; then Lee opened his heart, for 

 he was very proud of the boy, and told me the 

 whole story as I have told you. 



Choo at once became a very interesting person- 

 ality to me ; because of the unusual type of Asiatic 

 he represented, and on my own account because, 

 having seen something of elephant catching in 

 India, I wanted also to see the work of rounding 

 up the elephants in the jungle preparatory to their 

 being driven into the kraal at Ayuthia, the old 

 Siamese capital, for what is called the " royal 



