344 CELEBES. [chap. xv. 



ciently good-looking, yet neither their persons nor their 

 garments had that appearance of freshness and cleanli- 

 ness without which no other charms can be contemplated 

 with pleasure. Everything had a dingy and faded ap- 

 pearance, very disagreeable and unroyal to a European 

 eye. The only thing that excited some degree of admi- 

 ration was the quiet and dignified manner of the Eajah, 

 and the great respect always paid to him. None can 

 stand erect in his presence, and when he sits on a chair, 

 all present (Europeans of course excepted) squat upon 

 the ground. The highest seat is literally, with these people, 

 the place of honour and the sign of rank. So unbending 

 are the rules in this respect, that when an English carriage 

 which the Eajah of Lombock had sent for arrived, it was 

 found impossible to use it because the driver's seat was 

 the highest, and it had to be kept as a show in its coach- 

 house. On being told the object of my visit, the Rajah at 

 once said that he would order a house to be emptied for 

 me, which would be much better than building one, as 

 that would take a good deal of time. Bad coffee and 

 sweetmeats were given us as before. 



Two days afterwards I called on the Eajah, to ask him 

 to send a guide with me to show me the house I was to 

 occupy. He immediately ordered a man to be sent for, 

 gave him instructions, and in a few minutes we were on 

 our way. My conductor could speak no Malay, so we 



