



154 SUBJECT OF THE DRAMA. 



of the gamelang, the exhibitor commenced, in a 

 loud and sonorous voice, a kind of recitative, some- 

 thing between the tone of a plain narrative and a 

 chant. Then successivelv bringing different sha- 

 dows on the screen, he put them in action by moving 

 them and pulling the strings which raised and 

 depressed their arms. 



The subject, 1 believe, was taken from the ancient 

 traditions and romances of the country, and was 

 probably familiar to the people, but to me utterly 

 unintelligible, and it soon became very tiresome 

 and monotonous ; so after enjoying a laugh at the 

 antic gestures of the buffoon shadow, which was 

 now and then introduced, and whose motions were 

 sufficiently comic, I stole away to a sofa in a remote 

 corner of the hall, and resigned myself to a very 

 comfortable nap till about eleven o'clock, when an 

 attendant came and woke me with the intelligence 

 that they were just going to dinner. 



A pretty exact repetition of our one o'clock break- 

 fast now took place, being, however, if possible, a 

 little more elaborate. I now first tasted birds'-nest 

 soup, the excellence of which, however, was by no 

 means due to the birds'-nests, which are quite an 

 imaginary dainty, and only perform the part of 

 isinglass. The only other remarkable thing was 

 some of the very best pumelos or shaddocks I ever 

 tasted, the Sultan's garden being celebrated for 

 that excellent fruit. 



After dinner, or rather supper, the Sultan rose, 



