has been known and feared since the early days of Dutch and Portuguese discovery. In the following pages the reader will find a faithful account of some of these experiences.

THE ROYAL BANQUET.

To get a general idea of Cambodia it is enough to say that Pnoum-Peinh, the capital, owing to its position at the intersection of four branches of the alluvial river Mekong, is in contact, by the usual oriental highways, with Siam and Laos on the north and Annam and Cochin-China on the east and south. The actual population of Cambodia is reckoned at about one million souls, of whom over eight-tenths are native Cambodians, 60,000 are Annamites, 40,000 Siamese and Laosians, 40,000 Chinese, and the remainder, say 15,000, are Xongs, Lavas, Malays and Malabars.

Nōrōdom, the King of this mixed population, had farmed out to a wealthy Chinaman of Saigon, the monopoly of the opium trade throughout his dominions, and in return the latter paid into the royal treasury an annual rental of 300,000 Mexican dollars.

Now a ball of opium,-it is sold in the shape of a Dutch cheese, while it costs only fifteen or sixteen dollars at Singapore, Shanghai or Hong Kong, was sold in Cambodia at twenty-five or thirty dollars, and in addition to this profit the farm had the sole right to sell, through small retailers and smoking-shops of its own, the liquid or hot opium for the consumption of the public. The chief privileges accorded the farm by the King were: to employ as many men as the farmer thought advisable; to own arms, boats and junks, and to establish on the river and the arroyos as many customposts as the needs of the monopoly demanded. The farm, moreover, had its own flag, and was, in a word, the prime power of the land beneath the King.

The latter alone had the right to use his own opium. Woe to any other found in possession of the drug, unless it had passed the farm! The wares were confiscated to the latter, a suit was then entered, and a fine of ten times the value of the seized goods was levied by the courts of the country, and divided a third to the King, a third to the princes and mandarins, and a third equally between the farm and the chief agent. The close proximity of Laos

was a great temptation to smugglers, since the ball of opium had there an intrinsic value of one hundred dollars, and for all commercial purposes this merchandise was the most profitable to handle. Watch was, therefore, more closely kept in that direction, and on certain occasions the agents of the farm engaged in armed fights with the natives and the pirates, who at that time infested the river and the arroyos. These bandits were the last remnant of the rebel bands of Phou Kambō, who died the year before, and who for three consecutive years, had waged a bitter war for the throne against his elder brother Nōrodōm. For this reason the forces of the opiumfarm were some five thousand Chinese of Wangtai's (Shangai) congregation, he being their chief in Cochin-China as well as in Cambodia, all well-armed and, strange to say, well-drilled. Their commander was, therefore, an important personage, in view of the impossibility of the King raising so great a force in so short a time.

The King had conferred on me the title of Mitop, that is, General, at the end of a six month's residence' at Pnoum-Peinh. For Wangtai had returned, after my installation, to Saigon, where more important affairs claimed his attention, leaving to me the entire responsibility of his venture. While previous farmers of the drug had been ruined, my first year brought us thirty thousand dollars profit; an energetic watch was not wanting, and I was well supported. Law-suits rained upon the smugglers who let themselves be caught, and many were the plots exposed.

The King, as well as his mandarins, was deeply interested in the matter, and my daily relations with them brought me into the presence of his Majesty, who, having taken a liking to my character, often asked me to pass a few hours of an evening with him; the first invitation which I received impressed me so forcibly that it is worth telling.

One evening Nōrōdōm sent thirty of his slaves with torches, and eight bearing a palanquin, to get me. Entering this novel chair, the escort took up its march by the grand avenue, parallel to the river, towards the palace, about three miles from my dwelling; on our way all the natives whom we met threw themselves on the ground We passed the sālās, or large rooms thatched with palm leaves, but open to every wind, and where the country courts are held; they were five in number, and sur

rounded the palace entirely, save where the façade looks out on the river, and on a steamer of western build, bought a few years before from the Governor of French Cochin-China, and encircled by many royal piroques, of strange and graceful curves and variegated colors. These formed the Cambodian fleet.

Crossing various small streets of charming little wooden buildings, all alike, and raised above the ground because of the periodical overflows of the stream,-the dwellings, as I found, of the women of the Royal Harem,—we stopped before a large octagonal brick edifice, newly built, containing the apartments of the King, as well as the rooms of the favorites. The stair, of good proportions, was composed of seven granite steps, procured from the ruins of a once celebrated pagoda, built some centuries before on a little hill not far away. By a circular balcony of carved and gilded wood, I passed, under guidance of a page, through one of the glass doors into a room whose black wood floor showed, in admirable workmanship, a group of curious animals from the Hindoo mythology. The wainscot seemed to be carved likewise, but the dimness of the light from an European lamp hung from the middle of the ceiling prevented me from examining it. Lances leaning here and there against the walls, fans of peacock tails, tails of yaks from Thibet wound about peculiar twisted spears with handles of bamboo root encrusted with gold-a sign of high dignity-these with the pages were the only furniture of the room. One of the latter, crouched in Hindoo fashion in a corner, struck several beats on a tom-tom hung on the right of the door. Another slave appearing, I crossed a second large room darker than the first, and in so doing stumbled against a pile of arms. noise of falling weapons brought back the page who led me safely by the hand from what I perceived was a military museum. Just as sounds of music fell agreeably on my ear, a flood of light burst into the hall and showed me an assemblage of strange and wonderful arms. It was the slave announcing to his Majesty the arrival of the Mitop of the Farm. In a moment the curtain was raised and a sign was made to me to enter.

The

Behold a large hall, perfectly lighted, and to the right, at the end, luxuriously stretched upon a high couch, the King; his head resting on a rich cushion of yellow

silk worked with gold, his body on mats of a most delicate texture. His Majesty is clothed in the phàa of brown silk woven with gold, drawn to the figure by a goldthread girdle and a massive buckle of the same metal set with precious stones. His head and breast are nude; he raises himself a little and makes me a sign to approach. In trying to comply I am forced to walk softly and with circumspection, because all about him a great number of women are bowed on their knees; it is only when quite near to the King, who is laughing immoderately, that I perceive the dismay my arrival has produced. Evidently my ladies had not been forewarned of the visit of a European. Shaking hands, the King seats me beside him on a stool covered with some Thibetan stuff. His wives are clad in the national phàa of variously colored silks, rose, blue, red, green and violet, which blend together agreeably and produce the most charming effect imaginable. A long, folded, brown silk scarf, carelessly thrown about the nude bosom, which it does not conceal, completes the costume. As ornament they wear engraved gold bracelets on their legs and arms, with rings on their fingers.

The stare of so many frightened, gazellelike eyes, the perfumes penetrating the air, and the novelty of the sight throw me into more confusion than the greatest dangers I have heretofore encountered. This agitation does not escape the King, who says laughingly:

"I see, Mitop, that you are not used to this kind of spectacle."

"No, your Majesty."

"Well, you perceive then that it's a very great favor I am doing you [I bow] and you must be a great friend for me to invite you, a foreigner, into my home. You are the second who has been here; the first was the Commandant Lagrée, and then all my wives, who, as to-day, I had not forewarned, rushed away in terror. I had the greatest trouble in the world to make them come back. I see your presence causes them only some curiosity, mixed with a little fear because of your size."

"I am sincerely obliged to your Majesty for the honor done me [again I bow]. By calling me 'friend' the king has made me proud and happy and your Majesty may rest assured that I shall do everything in my power to please you; as to these ladies [once more I incline myself] I

should be very sorry if they think me capable of causing them the slightest vexation."

"Yes, yes, I know that. It is very well: we will return to the subject later."

All this conversation took place half in French, which the king understood, and half in Cambodian, which I spoke well enough. Nōrōdōm, at that time twentyeight years old, possessed a most distinguished countenance and a medium figure, perfectly shaped and proportioned, differing very noticeably in that from all his subjects; in his head he showed his Mongolian origin, and his crown of hair two inches high, worn in a thick tuft on the top, became him marvelously, the rest of his head being carefully shaved. This peculiar head-dress is worn by all the Cambodians; the women alone retain two locks of hair besides, two or three inches long, about the temples. In addition to this the King's wives had the long nails of the left hand gilded and turned back over the upper surface of the hand-a great beauty in their eyes, and a sign of

race.

a

At the extremity of the room, on platform raised about ten inches, a scene was being acted from the Indian mythology, where the good and evil genii, represented by men with tails, white or black men, with wings of red, were exerting all their power to charm the, daughters of earth, clothed in the garments of the time, whom they finally carried off with them through the air. These actors, called bhas or fools, are like the acrobats and clowns in our circuses. The dancers, or lakōnes, by their steps, gestures and the more or less natural, but always graceful, writhings of their hands, arms and legs, represent the dance. Others, specially educated to represent poetry and literature, sing their own compositions to the accompaniment of a peculiar music I have often heard various songs of this kind, fresh, unsophisticated and graceful, which seem a peculiar property of oriental poetry. The orchestra on the left of the stage drew my attention particularly. It boasted thirty-seven woman players and three musicians, who, holding various unknown instruments, boded no good to my ears. There was the klong-nong, a system of cymbals of different sizes in a semi-circle, crouched in the center of which the musician strikes here and there with little mallets in both hands, now slowly and

anon with the greatest rapidity. The vibration, more or less long drawn, thus blend together before ceasing, and cause a soft and delightful harmony. The kla-ni is a sort of long flageolet of great purity of tone. The guitar, called tu-kkai has a very deep and rounded back, to give a loud resonance. Another no less curious instrument is the ran-nan, reminding one singularly of a xylophone-so much so that it makes me doubt whether the latter organ is as French as we suppose. this, little plates of sounding wood, round above and flat below, are hung above a graceful junk, which acts as a sounding. board. These are struck with little mallets by the two hands at the same moment, and the flat and melancholy sound they yield accords admirably with the quivering tones of the klong-nong, which is its necessary accompaniment.

These unknown and peculiar shapes made me fear some dreadful hubbub, but what was my surprise when I heard all these artists extract from their instruments such soft, melodious tones, gentle melodies, transparent, charming, restful, and sometimes to the last degree pathetic notes! What I heard was real art, serious, noble, and having nothing in common with the usual monotonous droning of the musi cians of other oriental races. In truth. the King, as well as the princes and mandarins, adore music, which they hold to be the principal, if not the sole, art, and it is the only one which has reached a high grade among them.

At the end of three hours, all too short, the drama closed, and the King caused a supper to be brought, to which he invited me. At his order his wives withdrew. after having made him the salutation, on their knees, by raising their joined hands to the height of their mouth, and then carrying them to the forehead. As long as they were under the royal eye they walked bent down, but straightened themselves on reaching a door behind the King's couch, and disappeared, with a long look at me, more gentle than the first.

"Well, Mitop, what think you of my artists?"

"Your Majesty, I am delighted."

Why, I see you like my music! Does it bear any resemblance to that of Europe?" "Not in the least, your Majesty." "And which do you prefer?"

"Yours, your Majesty, because of its unaccustomed tones, soothing and strange."

"Ah, very well, very well; sit down, and while we sup you shall hear another kind." At his command all the women-players and actresses left the room, with the usual prostrations, by the same door and in the same manner as the wives, leaving their instruments behind.. Women brought in the supper of cold fowls in curry, to which I was already used; delicious indigenous fruits and various sweetmeats, as well as champagne. The King only tasted the eatables, but he drank stoutly.

Five women and a man entered and crouched at a little distance; they were the new musicians. The man held a flute The man held a flute of Laos, with five reed pipes, very high and of different lengths, bound and held together by a hollow mouth-piece of hard wood, in which the pipes were inserted, each one two-thirds of its length. Holes drilled on each side allowed the fingers to carry the instrument, though slanting, to the mouth of the player, who, blowing out and drawing in his breath, produced, by the movement of his fingers on the holes, a soft and pure tone, like the song of birds. To his right a woman held a guitar, like the tu-kkaï of the orchestra, but smaller and rounder, the sounds from which equal those of the former in sweetness and harmony. Two others played on little cymbals of different tones, and, with a little drum, formed the accompaniment to this delightful music. Two singing poetesses of exceeding beauty, without paint, and clad in a rich Cambodian costume, placed themselves behind us, fan in hand, now fanning us, now serving at the table, all the while singing improvised verses in alternation, taking graceful attitudes and walking on the points of their bare feet in slow and cadenced steps, accompanied with a little tinkle from the many bracelets on arms and legs. This savage and, at the same time, melancholy music; these sweet and rhythmic chants in honor of the King (some even were in my praise); the warm air charged with various essences from the fragrant oils burning in a multitude of little oval bronze lamps, flat on top and ornamented with finely worked figures; these perfumes, to which I was unaccustomed, this Asiatic luxury, combined to produce a charming effect.

Toward the end of the repast the King started from the reverie in which he had fallen to say to me: "I have the right, you know, Mitop, to have opium in my possession, and as I shall soon need various

goods from Laos, which I send for every year-hem!—and as your men keep a very sharp look-out," said he, laughing, "I should like to find the passage of the river free in about fifteen days-h'm!-that being the right period-only for my boats however, and-ah'm!--that your agents do not visit them; are you agreed?"

This speech, frequently broken by the King's "hems," showed embarrassment, and gave me, moreover, plenty of time to consider his demand. I, therefore, answered, feeling that to be politic I ought to promise, since I could immediately send a despatch to Saigon telling Wangtaï my conversation, and get an answer within twelve days.

Why certainly, your Majesty! In fifteen days?"

66

Yes, Mitop, not for fifteen days." "It is agreed; the day the boats are ready to go your Majesty has only to let me know.'

"Ah, very good," said he with a relieved air, "I am pleased, very much pleased with you, and I desire that you be contented also.'

"But, your Majesty, I am that already in seeing you contented."

"No, no, that is not enough; I want to make you a present for your friendship to

me.

Come, ask me for something you de-' sire greatly, I will give it you instantly." "Well, your Majesty, I should be very much pleased to have the fine ape which is kept in the waiting sálá of your mandarins."

"What, only that? I give it you; it is Pibolle's (the minister of the navy), but that is nothing. I will send you Sadeck, for that is his name, but I want to make you a present besides," and drawing a splendid brilliant from one of his fingers, he asked me to put it on in his presence.

Day was breaking; the King arose, and I, doing likewise, thanked his Majesty warmly as he gave orders for my return. I was reconducted to my dwelling by the same escort, my head still full of all that I had seen.

Reaching my room, I threw myself into an extension chair, where I lay some time in reverie, when suddenly a soft and melodious chant, recalling the King's supper, fell upon my ears. I looked up, and saw Sakunetana, the poet songstress, presenting me with Sadeck, whom she held in leash.

I sent a despatch to Wangtaï, and went