62 PHRA RAM MAKES 



three attendants, who came servilely forward, bent 

 nearly double, and took his place at the right of 

 the chief, where were displayed a bewildering as- 

 sortment of silver boxes of exquisite workmanship. 

 Having made his obeisance by bending first on 

 knees and then to elbows as he pressed the floor 

 with his forehead at the feet of Ram, the attendant 

 settled cross-legged before the boxes. Taking a 

 green leaf he smeared upon it a dab of lime paste 

 tinted with the juice of the aromatic plant tur- 

 meric. Into this he pressed several different seed- 

 like things, one of which I recognized as cardamon, 

 and over all liberally sprinkled pieces of a betel- 

 nut which he had divided into eighths with an iron 

 pair of cutters elaborately inlaid in gold on handles 

 and blade. Then deftly rolling this cone-shape, 

 he offered it on bended knee to Phra Ram, after 

 diligently smiting the floor with his forehead a few 

 times. 



During all this process Ram watched his servant 

 carefully, at times crooning in pleasurable antici- 

 pation, at times bursting into an impatient loud 

 note of disapproval ; and when he had slowly and 

 deliberately placed the tid-bit well back between 

 his molars, the look of peace that came over his 

 countenance would have put a babe to sleep in con- 

 fidence. Silence would now continue while Ram 

 chewed a few moments in undisturbed ecstasy; but 



