128 VOYAGE FROM INDIA TO SIAM AND MALACCA. 



built on poles, which stood about a man's height above the ground 

 and were driven into deep mud, which when the tide was high 

 was entirely covered with water. The large stream, which passed 

 quite close near the house, was here hardly half a cannon-shot 

 wide, and on both its shores there were houses built on poles like 

 ours, or floating houses. Almost all these houses were built of 

 bamboo, fastened together with the leaves of the afore-described 

 new palm tree, and their roofs were also covered with the same 

 leaves; only our house, which had been erected quite recently, 

 was built of wood in quite an artistic manner, and covered with 

 slates. There was another better built house near ours, which 

 was destined for the king of Cambodia, who had received an 

 order to come hither and was expected to arrive soon. However, 

 a prince of Cambodia, a near relative of the king, lived in a house 

 which was only built of bamboo and palm-leaves, only it was a 

 little larger than the ordinary houses, about twelve steps long 

 and eight steps wide. His courtiers and servants without excep- 

 tion lived in houses which were not eight steps long and three 

 steps wide ; many were even smaller. All these huts stood at our 

 right hand in the mud ; they were built irregularly, without any 

 lanes or passages between them. There were only quite narrow 

 footpaths, which sometimes led underneath other houses as access 

 to their own, and when the water was high, they could use 

 small boats, by means of which they also fetched their drinking 

 water from the large river to their houses; but at low tide they 

 waded over knee-deep in the mud, only here and there some 

 thick beams had been laid near to the houses. At our left was the 

 house of the king of Cambodia, who is a vassal of the king of 

 Siam. The house is fenced in by a fence almost two men's height, 

 about three hundred feet in length and two hundred feet iu 

 width. The building' itself stood about fifty steps far both from 

 the river and from the fence, and closer to the fence at the side 

 turned towards us. A great number of martins sought their 

 food in the mud near the houses. There were two different 

 kinds of them. The smallest was Gracula cristatella. Its head is 

 somewhat compressed and at certain movements all the fea- 

 thers of the forehead and neck stood straight up, which really 

 looked like a tuft ; the bill is conical at the base, the upperpart 

 has a round edge, both parts are equally long, pointed yellow. The 

 eyes are surrounded by a bare, smooth, indented ring, which is 



