AUniEKCE WITH THE EMPEROR. 79 
flat plain» is surrounded by distant mountains which tower to 
the sky and have a very fine effect. The next day I had to 
put on my full dress to visit the Emperor, accompanied 
by a Colonel of the Dutch Artillery and his wife. The 
two wives of the Emperor were also present> with his 
daughter and daughter-in-law ; none of these ladies were 
beauties, but they were covered with fine jewels. The 
Emperor was rather neatly dressed a la Javanese, with some 
Dutch order on his breast. He was a man about middle age 
and not very bright looking. There was quite a swarm of 
half naked children squatting behind the chairs of the ladies. 
His Imperial Majesty is always waited upon by women who 
shortly after our arrival brought in tea ; his handmaidens were 
not beautiful, so that I did not regret having my tea handed 
to me by two half castes of the male sex dressed up in a kind 
of rifle uniform with tails to their coats. The Emperor's 
band was playing all the time of our audience ; the band is 
composed entirely of Javanese and played remarkably well. 
Shortly after tea we took our departure. I am unfortunate 
in being here at the commencement of the Ramadan, as 
otherwise I should most likely have been present at a tiger 
fight which, from what they tell me, is worth seeing. They 
have two modes of attacking the tiger, one is with the buffalo 
and the other by spearing. The first is similar to the Indian 
buffalo fights ; but the latter is peculiar to Java* The tiger is 
set down in a trap in the centre of the Alio n-Al Ion, sur- 
rounded by a triple or quadruple line of spearmen about a 
hundred yards distant from the trap. When all is ready a 
Javanese armed with a kriss advances at a very slow pace, to 
the sound of soft music, and sets fire to the trap, at the same 
time opening the door which is at the back part of the cage 
