REWA. 117 
abode with the king, and continuing to talk with him until a late hour. 
When they retired to their sleeping apartments, he found his place of 
rest was divided by tapa-cloths and screens from the rest of the apart- 
ments of the house, and well furnished with musquito-netting. Ere he 
got to sleep, he was surprised to find his musquito-net moving, and still 
more so when he saw the figure of a woman, one of the king’s own 
wives, of whom he has a large number, endeavouring to become his 
bedfellow. This was to him an unexpected adventure, and an honour 
of which he was not ambitious. He therefore called loudly for Paddy 
Connel and Jimmy, the king’s body-servant and cup-bearer, and through 
them very politely declined the honour; but the lady positively refused 
to go away, saying that she had been sent by the king, and must sleep 
there; that she durst not go away, for the king would club her! She 
was told that she must go, that the matter would be arranged with the 
king in the morning, and she need have no fears about it. She then 
left the musquito-net, although with evident alarm as to the conse- 
quences, and would go no further. Seeing this, Captain Hudson sent 
Jimmy to the king, to say he did not wish a bedfellow; to which the 
monarch replied it was well, and directed the woman to withdraw, 
which she did as soon as satisfied that it was the king’s command. 
This circumstance, together with the continued trampling of the mice, 
with which the palace is overrun, drove away any thing like sleep; 
and Captain Hudson, in self-defence, was obliged to pass the remainder 
of the night with Paddy and Jimmy over the fire. 
As soon as the day dawned, his majesty, who is an early riser, called 
for his ava, and her majesty called out lustily for Jimmy to light a 
cigar and bring it to her in bed, for she is as fond of cigars as her royal 
spouse. After the king had drunk his ava and smoked his cigar, they 
had breakfast of baked pig, taro, and yams. The repast was spread 
upon a mat; after which Captain Hudson, accompanied by the king 
and Paddy Connel, crossed the river, to the missionaries, where they 
partook of a second breakfast, the king behaving himself with great 
decorum at the table; and Paddy, too, took his second lunch behind 
the door, with great enjoyment. The king renewed his promises to 
build their houses, as soon as the weather became fine, and said that 
then he would not leave them until they were finished. This engage- 
ment, I am happy to say, he fully performed. After breakfast, they 
again crossed the river to Rewa, and, the weather having cleared up, 
the town presented an entirely different appearance. The scenery 
around Rewa is fine. There are in its neighbourhood many creeks, 
not unlike narrow canals, bordered on each side with rich and beau- 
tiful vegetation, resembling that of Oriental regions. Dr. Pickering 
