46 BRITISH BORNEO. 
furnished with a porcelain vase, covered with silk, to receive 
and to cover our presents. We mounted the elephants, the 
twelve men going before, carrying the presents. We thus 
proceeded to the house of the Governor, who gave us a sup- 
per of many dishes. Next day we were left at our leisure 
until twelve o’clock, when we proceeded to the King’s palace. 
We were mounted, as before, on elephants, the men bearing 
the gifts going before us. From the Governor’s house to the 
palace the streets were full of people armed with swords, 
lances and targets; the King had so ordered it. Still mount- 
ed on the elephants we entered the court of the palace. We 
then dismounted, ascended a stair, accompanied by the Goy- 
ernor and some chiefs and entered a great hall full of courtiers. 
Here we were seated on carpets, the presents being placed 
near tous. At the end of the great hall, but raised above it, 
there was cne of less extent hung with silken cloth, in which 
were two curtains, on raising which, there appeared two 
windows, which lighted the hall. Here, asa guard to the 
King, there were three hundred men with naked rapiers in 
hand resting on their thighs. At the farther end of this 
smaller hall, there was a great window with a brocade cur- 
tain before it, on raising which, we saw the King seated at a 
table masticating betel, and a little boy, his son, beside him. 
Behind him women only were to be seen. A chieftain then 
informed us, that we must not address the King directly, but 
that if we had anything to say, we must say it to him, and he 
would communicate it to a courtier of higher rank than him- 
self within the lesser hall. This person, in his turn, would 
explain our wishes to the Governor’s brother, and he, speak- 
ing through a tube in an aperture of the wall would commu- 
nicate our sentiments to a courtier near the King, who would 
make them known to his Majesty. Meanwhile, we were 
instructed to make three obeisances to the King with the 
joined hands over the head, and raising, first one foot and then 
the other, and then kissing the hands. This is the royal 
salutation. eS % * Allthe persons pre- 
sent in the palace had their loins covered with gold embroi- 
dered cloth and silk, wore poiniards with golden hilts, orna- 
