A SUMPTUOUS FEAST. 
banished from Zanzibar. Under bis superintendence 
the table had been decorated with tropical flowers, 
oleanders, hibiscus, marigolds, double jasmine, and 
crotons of lovely hues; and the royal electro-plate, 
consisting of odd sets of assorted patterns, had 
been carefully served out. The feast lasted for an 
hour and a half and the number of courses seemed 
endless. We had fish, beef, mutton, chickens, 
omelettes, and curries, and finished up with jams, 
mangoes, bananas, and other fruits, all excellent. The 
crockery matched the electro-plate, as it comprised the 
cracked remnants of a number of odd sets. We had 
brought our own wine, for it is contrary to the Sultan’s 
creed to furnish anything but a sickly kind of sherbet 
to which we had not yet accustomed our digestions. 
How to kill time after breakfast was a difficult problem, 
as we had exhausted the attractions of the palace at a 
single glance and the garden was barren, with the ex¬ 
ception of a few oleanders and palm trees. Pira, how¬ 
ever, pointed out with pride two attractions it possessed 
of more importance in the Sultan’s eyes than mere 
beds of flowers. The first was a large steam merry-go- 
round, which had unfortunately “ stopped short never to 
go again,” as the last time it had been used it had run 
itself out and steadfastly resisted all the efforts made 
to wind it up again. The second was a big revolving 
wheel with cradles in perfect working order, but 
hardly represented a healthy form of recreation imme¬ 
diately after such a breakfast as we had finished. It 
was half-past twelve, so some of us decided upon trying 
