[Transcriber's Note: Bold text is surrounded by =equal signs= and
italic text is surrounded by _underscores_.]
Our Little Siamese Cousin
THE
Little Cousin Series
(TRADE MARK)
Each volume illustrated with six or more full-page plates in
tint. Cloth, 12mo, with decorative cover,
per volume, 60 cents
LIST OF TITLES
BY MARY HAZELTON WADE
(unless indicated otherwise)
=Our Little African Cousin=
=Our Little Alaskan Cousin=
By Mary F. Nixon-Roulet
=Our Little Arabian Cousin=
By Blanche McManus
=Our Little Argentine Cousin=
By Eva Cannon Brooks
=Our Little Armenian Cousin=
=Our Little Australian Cousin=
By Mary F. Nixon-Roulet
=Our Little Belgian Cousin=
By Blanche McManus
=Our Little Bohemian Cousin=
By Clara V. Winlow
=Our Little Brazilian Cousin=
By Mary F. Nixon-Roulet
=Our Little Canadian Cousin=
By Elizabeth R. MacDonald
=Our Little Chinese Cousin=
By Isaac Taylor Headland
=Our Little Cuban Cousin=
=Our Little Danish Cousin=
By Luna May Innes
=Our Little Dutch Cousin=
By Blanche McManus
=Our Little Egyptian Cousin=
By Blanche McManus
=Our Little English Cousin=
By Blanche McManus
=Our Little Eskimo Cousin=
=Our Little French Cousin=
By Blanche McManus
=Our Little German Cousin=
=Our Little Grecian Cousin=
By Mary F. Nixon-Roulet
=Our Little Hawaiian Cousin=
=Our Little Hindu Cousin=
By Blanche McManus
=Our Little Hungarian Cousin=
By Mary F. Nixon-Roulet
=Our Little Indian Cousin=
=Our Little Irish Cousin=
=Our Little Italian Cousin=
=Our Little Japanese Cousin=
=Our Little Jewish Cousin=
=Our Little Korean Cousin=
By H. Lee M. Pike
=Our Little Malayan (Brown) Cousin=
=Our Little Mexican Cousin=
By Edward C. Butler
=Our Little Norwegian Cousin=
=Our Little Panama Cousin=
By H. Lee M. Pike
=Our Little Persian Cousin=
By E. C. Shedd
=Our Little Philippine Cousin=
=Our Little Polish Cousin=
By Florence E. Mendel
=Our Little Porto Rican Cousin=
=Our Little Portuguese Cousin=
By Edith A. Sawyer
=Our Little Russian Cousin=
=Our Little Scotch Cousin=
By Blanche McManus
=Our Little Siamese Cousin=
=Our Little Spanish Cousin=
By Mary F. Nixon-Roulet
=Our Little Swedish Cousin=
By Claire M. Coburn
=Our Little Swiss Cousin=
=Our Little Turkish Cousin=
L. C PAGE & COMPANY
53 Beacon Street, Boston, Mass.
[Illustration: CHIN.]
Our Little
Siamese Cousin
By
Mary Hazelton Wade
_Illustrated by_
L. J. Bridgman
[Illustration]
Boston
L. C. Page & Company
_PUBLISHERS_
_Copyright, 1903_
BY L. C. PAGE & COMPANY
(INCORPORATED)
_All rights reserved_
Published June, 1903
Fourth Impression, June, 1909
Fifth Impression, November, 1912
Preface
MANY years ago there came to America two young men who were looked upon
as the greatest curiosities ever seen in this country.
They belonged to another race than ours. In fact, they were of two
races, for one of their parents was a Chinese, and therefore of the
Yellow Race, while the other was a Siamese, belonging to the Brown Race.
These two young men left their home in far-away Siam and crossed the
great ocean for the purpose of exhibiting the strange way in which
nature had joined them together. A small band of flesh united them from
side to side.
Thus it was that from the moment they were born to the day of their
death the twin brothers played and worked, ate and slept, walked and
rode, at the same time.
Thousands of people became interested in seeing and hearing about
these two men. Not only this, but they turned their attention to the
home of the brothers, the wonderful land of Siam, with its sacred
white elephants and beautiful temples, its curious customs and strange
beliefs.
Last year the young prince of that country, wishing to learn more of
the life of the white people, paid a visit to America. He was much
interested in all he saw and heard while he was here.
Now let us, in thought, return his visit, and take part in the games
and sports of the children of Siam.
We will attend some of their festivals, take a peep into the royal
palace, enter the temples, and learn something about the ways and
habits of that far-away eastern country.
Contents
CHAPTER PAGE
I. THE FIRST BIRTHDAY 9
II. LITTLE CHIE LO 25
III. NIGHT ON THE RIVER 36
IV. WORK AND PLAY 47
V. NEW YEAR'S 55
VI. WHITE ELEPHANTS 61
VII. IN THE TEMPLE 67
VIII. THE LEGEND OF THE PEACE-OFFERING 78
IX. QUEER SIGHTS 87
X. THE QUEEN'S CITY 98
XI. THE MONSOON 104
List of Illustrations
PAGE
CHIN _Frontispiece_
CHIN'S HOME 29
THE GREAT TEMPLE AT BANGKOK 40
"THEY CARRIED SOME OF THEIR FLOWERS TO THE STATUE OF BUDDHA" 57
"'THEY WOULD PICK UP THE LOGS WITH THEIR TRUNKS'" 63
SIAMESE ACTORS 92
Our Little Siamese Cousin
CHAPTER I.
THE FIRST BIRTHDAY
IF you had seen Chin when he was born, you would have thought his skin
yellow enough to suit anybody.
But his mother wasn't satisfied, for the baby's nurse was told to rub
him with a queer sort of paste from top to toe. This paste was made
with saffron and oil, and had a pleasant odour. It made Chin's skin
yellower and darker than ever.
It did not seem to trouble him, however, for he closed his big brown
eyes and went to sleep before the nurse had finished her work.
After this important thing had been done, the tiny baby was laid in his
cradle and covered over. This does not appear very strange until you
learn that he was _entirely_ covered. Not even the flat little nose was
left so the boy could draw in a breath of fresh air.
It is a wonder that he lived, for his home is very near the equator
and the weather is extremely warm there all the time. But he did live,
and grew stronger and healthier every day. Each morning he was rubbed
afresh and stowed away under the covers of his crib.
He had one comfort, although he did not realize it. The mosquitoes
could not reach him, and that was a greater blessing than you can,
perhaps, imagine. There are millions of these insects in Siam,--yes,
billions, trillions,--and the people of that country are not willing to
kill one of them!
"Destroy the life of a living creature! It is a dreadful idea," Chin's
mother would exclaim. "Why, it is against the laws of our religion. I
could never think of doing such a thing, even if my darling boy's face
were covered with bites."
If she were to see one of Chin's American cousins killing a fly or a
spider, she would have a very sad opinion of him.
She was only fourteen years old when Chin was born. People in our
country might still call her a little girl, yet she kept house for her
husband, and cooked and sewed and spun, and watched over her new baby
with the most loving care.
The father was only a little older than the mother. He was so glad that
his first baby was a boy that he hardly knew what to do. He was quite
poor and had very little money, but he said:
"I am going to celebrate as well as I can. Rich people have grand
parties and entertainments at such times. I will hire some actors to
give a little show, at any rate."
He invited his friends, who were hardly more than boys themselves, to
come to the show. The actors dressed themselves up in queer costumes,
and went through with a play that was quite clever and witty. Every
one laughed a great deal, and when it was over the guests told the new
father they had enjoyed themselves very much.
After a few months, Chin had grown strong enough to walk alone. He did
not need to be covered and hidden away any longer. His straight black
hair was shaved off, with the exception of a round spot on the top of
his head, and he was allowed to do as he pleased after his morning bath
in the river was over.
The bath did not last long, and was very pleasant and comfortable.
There was no rubbing afterward with towels, for the hot sunshine did
the drying in a few moments.
Nor was there any dressing to be done, for the brown baby was left to
toddle about in the suit Dame Nature had given him. It was all he could
possibly desire, for clothing is never needed in Siam to keep one from
catching cold.
Chin's mother herself wears only a wide strip of printed cloth fastened
around her waist and hanging down to the knees. Sometimes, but not
always, she has a long scarf draped across her breast and over one
shoulder.
There are no shoes on her little feet, nor is there a hat on her head
except in the hottest sunshine. There are many ornaments shining on her
dark skin, even though she is not rich; and baby Chin did not have his
toilet made till a silver bracelet had been fastened on his arms, and
rings placed on his fingers.
After a year or two the boy's ears were bored so that gilt, pear-shaped
earrings could be worn there. Soon after that a kind relative made him
a present of silver anklets, and then he felt very much dressed indeed.
Few boys as poor as he could boast of as much jewelry.
Chin was born on the river Meinam in a house-boat. There was nothing
strange about that, for the neighbours and friends of the family had
homes like his. It was cool and pleasant to live on the water. It was
convenient when one wished to take a bath, and it was easy for the
children to learn to swim so near home.
Yes, there were many reasons why Chin's parents preferred to make their
home on the water. Perhaps the strongest one of all was that they did
not have to pay any rent for the space taken up by the boat. A piece of
land would have cost money. Then, again, if they should not like their
neighbours, they could very easily move to a new place on the river.
Chin's father built the house, or the boat, just before he was married.
He had some help from his friends, but it was not such hard work that
he could not have done it all alone.
A big raft of bamboo was first made. This served as the floating
platform on which the house should stand. The framework of the little
home was also made of bamboo, which could be got from the woods not far
away, and was very light and easy to handle.
How should the roof be protected from the heavy rains that fell
during a portion of the year? That could be easily managed by getting
quantities of the leaves of the atap palm-tree for thatching. These
would make a thick, close covering, and would keep out the storms for a
long time if they were carefully cemented with mud.
The broad, overhanging eaves would give shade to baby Chin when he was
old enough to play in the outdoor air, and yet not strong enough to
bear the burning sunshine.
Of course, there were many windows in the little house, you would
think. There were openings in the walls in the shape of windows,
certainly, but they were openings only, for they were not filled with
glass, nor any other transparent substance. Chin's father would say:
"We must have all the air we can get. At night-time, when the rain
falls heavily, we can have shutters on the windows. They are easily
taken down whenever we wish."
Why, the whole front of the house was made so it could be opened up to
the air and sunshine, as well as the view of passers-by. The family
have few secrets, and do not mind letting others see how they keep
house.
At this very moment, perhaps, Chin's mother is sitting on the edge of
the bamboo platform, washing her feet in the river; his grandmother
may be there preparing the vegetables for dinner; or, possibly, Chin
himself is cleaning his teeth with a stick of some soft wood.
The boy's mother has taught him to be very careful of his teeth. It is
a mark of beauty with her people to have them well _blacked_. They will
tell you, "Any dog can have white teeth." But there is nothing they
admire more than bright red gums showing plainly with two rows of even,
dark-coloured teeth.
How do they make their gums such a fiery red? It is caused by chewing
a substance called betel, obtained from a beautiful kind of palm-tree
very common in Siam.
Many of Chin's brown cousins chew betel, as well as the people of
his own land. It is even put in the mouths of babies. Betel-chewing
grows to be such a habit with them that they become unhappy and
uncomfortable if long without it. Even now, although Chin is only ten
years old, he would say:
"I can go without food for a long time, if need be, but I must have my
betel."
Let us go back to the boy's home.
If we should count the windows, we should find their number to be
uneven. The Siamese believe something terrible would be sure to happen
if this were not so. They seem to think "There is luck in odd numbers,"
for not only the steps leading to the houses, but the stairs leading
from one floor to another must be carefully counted and made uneven.
There are three rooms in Chin's home. First, there is the sitting-room,
where friends are received, although there is much less visiting done
in Siam than in many other countries. It took little time and money to
furnish the room. There are no pictures or ornaments here. There are
two or three mats on which one may sit, and there is a tray filled
with betel from which every one is invited to help himself.
If callers should arrive and the betel were not offered to them, they
would feel insulted and would go away with the intention of never
coming to that house again.
The second room is that set apart for sleeping. Very little furniture
is found here, as well, for all that Chin's father had to prepare was
a number of long, narrow mattresses, stuffed with tree-cotton. Some
pillows were made in the shape of huge bricks. They were also packed
full of tree-cotton, and were stiff, uncomfortable-looking things; but
Chin and his parents like them, so we should certainly not find fault.
You remember there are great numbers of mosquitoes in the country. How
do they manage to sleep when the air around them is filled with the
buzzing, troublesome creatures? Coarse cotton curtains hang from the
roof down over the beds. While these keep the mosquitoes away from the
sleepers, they also keep out the air, so it is really a wonder that one
can rest in any comfort.
When Chin is in the house during the day, he spends most of his time in
the kitchen, which is also the eating-room. But, dear me! it is a smoky
place, for the boy's father never thought of building a chimney.
The cooking is done over a little charcoal stove and, as the flames
rise, the smoke rises, too, and settles on the ceiling and walls. Chin
has had many good meals cooked over the little fire, and eaten as the
family squatted around the tiny table.
Just think! It stands only four inches above the floor, and is not
large enough to hold many dishes. That does not matter, for each one
has his own rice-bowl on the floor in front of him. Chin has been
brought up so that he is satisfied with one or two things at a time.
The little table is quite large enough to hold the dish of curried fish
or meat from which each one helps himself.
Chin is a very nice boy, yet I shall have to confess that he usually
eats with his fingers! Yes, not only he, but his father and mother and
sister, and even grandmother, do the same thing. One after another
helps himself from the same dish and thinks nothing of it.
People who are a little richer use pretty spoons of mother-of-pearl;
Chin's mother owns one of these useful articles herself, but of course,
that won't serve for five persons, so it is seldom seen on the table.
As for knives and forks, she never even saw any.
One of her friends once watched a stranger from across the great ocean
eating with these strange things. She laughed quietly when she told of
it, and said:
"It must take a long, long time before one can get used to them. They
are very clumsy."
As Chin squats at his dinner he can look down through the split bamboos
and see the water of the river beneath the house. It does not matter
if he drops some crumbs or grains of rice. They can be easily pushed
through the cracks, when down they will fall into the water to be
seized by some waiting fish.
The good woman doesn't even own a broom. Her house-cleaning is done in
the easiest way possible. Anything that is no longer useful is thrown
into the river, while the dirt is simply pushed between the wide cracks
of the floor.
The dish-washing is a simple matter, too. Each one has his own
rice-bowl, and after the meal is over it is his duty to clean it and
then turn it upside down in some corner of the kitchen. It is left
there to drain until it is needed again.
Chin's mother cooks such delicious rice that he wonders any one can
live without it. He needs no bread when he can have that, for it is a
feast in itself. When poured out, it looks like a mountain of snow;
each grain is whole and separate from the others.
It is cooked in an earthen pot with the greatest care, and, when it is
done, never fails to look beautiful and delicate. Chin's mother would
think herself a very poor housekeeper if she should make a mistake in
preparing the rice.
When a dish of rat or bat stew is added to the meal, Chin feels that
there is nothing more in the world that he could wish. He knows that
the rich people in the city often have feasts where twenty or thirty
different dainties are served. But he does not envy them. A person can
taste only one thing at a time, and nothing can be better than a stew
with plenty of curry and vegetables to flavour it. We don't need to
think of the rats and bats if it is an unpleasant idea.
As for Chin, if he had seen you shudder when they were spoken of, he
could not have imagined what was the matter.