356 A JOURNEY IN THE MENANCfKABATJ STATES 
and went to the other extremity of the verandah where, as 1 
had remarked in the day-time, a cock was tied with a rope. 
The king then with his royal hand took the martial animal 
and brought him to a place where he used to keep his 
Court, forming a miserable throne. I was near the place, 
pre , aring to sleep, when my curiosity was excited by the 
extraordinary fact which I will now relate. Opium having 
been prepared, and a pipe, a candle, and all the other ne¬ 
cessaries to smoke it, having been brought in, his Majesty 
began a bombastic discourse, in which he first endeavoured 
to show the great benefit that is produced by cock fighting, 
and the remarkable pleasure enjoyed by witnesses of 
such combats \ after which, he remarked that this amuse¬ 
ment had much fallen into disuse in his state during the 
last few years, and this he lamented with sorrow; and 
finally, opening his mind, he declared that his intention was 
to restore it in his dominion. This was his purpose in 
bringing up in his palace and by his own care the handsome 
cock he had in his hand. The way of preparing this royal 
cock, in order to make of him a warrior was one not a 
little curious ; this was practised before me in the following 
maimer and accompanied by several superstitions. Having 
ended bis discourse, the king took the head of the cock, 
X>assed his beak twice through the flame of the lamp, after 
which he made the animal walk six or seven steps, which 
was repeated six or seven times ; this preliminary ceremony 
being ended he dipped his fingers in the oil of the lamp, 
and rubbed the cock under the wings and upon the back, and 
then immediately commenced smoking opium; having in¬ 
haled the smoke of the drug in the ordinary manner he 
blew it into the beak, the ears and upon every part of the 
body of the poor animal, which, though accustomed to that 
exercise appeared uot to take any peculiar pleasure in it. 
This being finished, the same ceremony began a second and 
finally a third time, after which the cock was carried care¬ 
fully to his ordinary place, and left there to pass the night 
under the influence of opium. The desire I had to sleep on 
account of my indisposition made me see with satisfaction 
the end of this tedious ceremony. We were ten persons in 
the verandah all lying pele mile, several were already 
asleep and I prepared to do the same, when being placed 
near his Majesty my attention was again excited by a 
spectacle of a new kind. 
A large vase of earth containing lighted charcoal was 
brought by the great minister of state, and was set before 
