CAMBODIA.--ITS CAPITAL AND KING.
Having studied ancient Cambodia, Frank and Fred were desirous of
learning something of the modern country of that name. At the hotel
where they were stopping they found a gentleman who had recently been at
Panompin, the Cambodian capital, and had spent sufficient time there to
be able to give a good account of it. As soon as he found that his young
acquaintances were anxious to hear about Cambodia, he promptly consented
to enlighten them.
He was at leisure one evening after dinner, and, by mutual consent, the
party gathered on the veranda in front of the hotel, and an hour was
pleasantly passed in conversation regarding the little-known country.
[Illustration: A CAMBODIAN IDOL.]
"If you think," said the gentleman, "that Panompin is a large city, as
one naturally thinks of the capital of a country, you would be greatly
disappointed if you went there.
"Its population is not more than twenty or twenty-five thousand, and is
made up of several nationalities. There are Siamese, Chinese, Anamese,
and Manilla men among the inhabitants, as well as the native Cambodians,
and there are no long streets of fine buildings, such as you would
expect a capital to contain. It is situated on the banks of the Mesap, a
small river of Cambodia that empties into the Mekong: the greater part
of Panompin is on the right bank of the stream, but there is a small
portion of it on the opposite shore, and another on an island near the
junction of the Mesap with the Mekong. To locate it on the map, you
must put your finger at about latitude 11° 30' north, and longitude 105°
east, and if your map is a good one, you will find a large lake not far
off.
[Illustration: FISHING-VILLAGE ON LAKE THALYSAP.]
"This is Lake Thalysap, and it is a body of water of no small
importance. It is about ninety miles long, and varies from eight to
twenty-five miles in width. It is very shallow except in a few places,
and in the wet season the country around it is so flooded with water
that the lake is then a hundred miles and more in length. There are many
villages along the shores of the lake, and at all seasons of the year
you can see whole fleets of boats going to and fro over the water. Great
quantities of fish are caught in the lake, and those not intended to be
eaten in the vicinity are dried or salted for export to other parts of
Asia. There are also many fish caught for their oil; the villages along
the lake make a considerable business by preparing this oil, and the
stench is often so great that your nose will tell you the location of a
village before your eyes do.
"In the lower part the lake narrows steadily until it forms a river, and
this river is the Mesap, which I have mentioned to you; consequently you
have only to follow the current to come to Panompin. It has only been
the capital within the last ten years; until that time the seat of
government was at Oodong, and the change was made on account of the
supposed unhealthiness of the latter place. The real fact is that
Panompin is better situated for commercial and political purposes, as it
is at the end of the great lake, and close by the River Mekong. If you
could see the two places you would understand it at once.
"You can have little idea of the quantity of fish caught in the lake and
river till you see them. Lots of towns and villages are entirely
occupied with the fish business, and some of these towns contain as many
as four hundred houses, though the most of them are smaller. Some of the
fish are eight or ten feet long and three feet thick, and their bodies
are so full of oil that one of them is a good prize to his captor. It is
very funny to see a native struggling with one of these large fish; and
sometimes it requires a hard fight to bring him in. I have seen a man
dragged into the water and nearly drowned; and though I enjoyed the
performance, I presume it was no fun at all to the man.
[Illustration: PANOMPIN, THE CAPITAL OF CAMBODIA.]
"Panompin consists, for the most part, of bamboo huts, without much
pretence of architecture, and the streets are so bad that though the
king has several carriages he rarely rides out. The principal street is
about three miles in length, and somewhat irregular in its course, as
though the instruments of the surveyor who laid it out were not in the
best order. There are a few stores and shops of brick, and there are
some temples whose spires rise above the buildings that surround them.
The palace of the king is the finest edifice in the place; it was
designed by a French architect, and the construction was supervised by
him, but all the actual work was performed by natives. It is like a fine
dwelling-house in the neighborhood of New York or London, and the
internal arrangement of the rooms is entirely European in character. The
palace has some large halls for receptions, and it has dining-rooms,
sleeping-rooms, and all the usual apartments that a dwelling should
contain. The king lives there; and, as he rarely goes out, he determined
to have a residence as comfortable as could be made. He is very proud of
it; and if you should visit him he would consider it a great politeness
if you admired it all you possibly could--and a little more.
"Not far from the king's palace is the barrack, where the French troops
are quartered for the preservation of order, and to see that the king
does nothing that would be against the interest of his protectors. There
is generally a French gun-boat or two lying in the river opposite the
barracks, and in the river farther down there are two or three small
gun-boats and steamers that belong to the king, and are kept near his
palace.
"As the city has so much dependence on the river for its support, there
is a tendency on the part of the inhabitants to crowd near the stream;
consequently Panompin stretches about three miles along the bank, and
less than half a mile away from it. This is where you find the street I
have mentioned; it is not more than thirty feet wide, and paved with a
concrete mass of broken brick mixed with sand. You find a straggling
line of low huts of bamboo or other light material along the whole
length of this street, and in the busy hours of the day the assemblage
of people is pretty dense. The Chinese are great gamblers, and a goodly
portion of these huts are gambling-shops, whose proprietors pay a
license for the privilege of running the business. In several of these
Eastern countries the money received from gambling forms an important
item in the public revenue; and if it should be stopped, the treasury
would suffer in consequence."
"What an outrageous piece of business!" said Frank. "To think that a
government would derive any part of its revenue from gambling!"
"But remember we are in Asia," Fred remarked; "and we can't expect these
people to be civilized."
The Doctor smiled at this outburst of indignation, and when it was ended
he reminded the boys that several governments of Europe did exactly what
they thought so reprehensible when done by Asiatics.
"Not governments of any consequence," said Frank.
"Well," answered the Doctor, "I hardly think we could say that. Italy,
Spain, and Austria are certainly of some consequence, and in all of them
the lottery, which is a form of gambling, is a government institution.
It is only a few years ago that the gambling-tables at Baden-Baden, in
Germany, were stopped, and there was serious talk, at the time, of
allowing the gamblers that were suppressed in Germany to open their
business at Geneva, in Switzerland.
"And furthermore," Doctor Bronson continued, "we cannot throw many
stones at the Chinese and other Eastern people for gambling when we have
so much of it in America. In all our large cities the vice exists in
defiance of the law; and in some of the States, particularly in Kentucky
and Louisiana, the lottery is a recognized institution, and the drawings
are supervised by officers appointed by the governor."
Frank and Fred both declared that this information was new to them, and
hereafter they would not be too hasty to condemn other countries, lest
they might find that the thing they objected to prevailed in their own.
The description of Panompin was resumed:
"There are some manufactures in the Cambodian capital," their informant
continued, "but they are not numerous. The people are famous for their
manufactures of silk, which is an important article of export, both in
its raw and in its finished state. They are skilful workers of gold and
silver, and I could show you some exquisite specimens of their
production. Wait a moment and I will bring one."
[Illustration: SPECIMEN OF CAMBODIAN GOLD-WORK.]
He went to his room, which was situated just off the veranda, and
returned in a few moments with a small box resembling a flattened
orange, or, more properly, a melon. The boys took it to the light, and
examined it with care.
The gold, as well as the workmanship, was Cambodian; some of it was the
natural color of the metal, and other parts were stained to various
degrees of redness. On the top there was a cluster of leaves, and the
end of the stem contained a topaz, which had been purposely left
unfinished.
The leaves were in fine filigree, and some of the wires were so delicate
that they resembled golden hairs. The whole surface of the box was
covered with flowers and leaves in the most tasteful designs; and both
the boys were of opinion that the jewellers of New York would not find
it easy to imitate this production of the Asiatic barbarians.
"The king has a fine collection of these things," the gentleman
continued, "and he generally gives one of them to any stranger of
importance who visits him. It is lucky for his treasury that it is not
easy to go to Panompin, as otherwise he might find these presents a
serious expense.
[Illustration: THE KING OF CAMBODIA.]
"And if you wish to know about the king, here is his photograph. You
perceive that it is taken in European dress, which he wears on grand
occasions, and has adopted since the French Protectorate was established
in Cambodia. He is an amiable gentleman of pleasing manners, and makes
an agreeable impression on those who come in contact with him. He has
quite a collection of English and French books, maps, and albums, and is
fond of showing them; and he has a fine lot of Japanese and Chinese
vases--enough to stock a fair-sized museum. Then he has European clocks,
music-boxes, and the like; and he has a billiard-table, on which he
plays very well. He also has a piano, but those who have heard him
perform on it say that he is better at billiards than at music.
"The carpets, furniture, and other adornments of his palace are mostly
from Europe, but he has some fine specimens of native embroidery that
are fully equal to any of his foreign importations. He sleeps in a bed
of European manufacture, and the netting that protects him from
mosquitoes is from an English or French loom. He has travelled to
Hong-kong and Shanghai, where he spent much time in learning all he
could about the productions of the western part of the world, and, on
his return, he endeavored to give his people the benefit of his
knowledge. He is much liked by his people; and, on the whole, they could
hardly hope for a better ruler.
[Illustration: QUEEN OF CAMBODIA AND ROYAL CHILDREN.]
"The Queen of Cambodia, like most of the Asiatic queens, is rarely seen
in public. She has not adopted the foreign dress, but adheres to the
_panoung_, a sort of loose wrapper falling a little below the knees, and
gathered at the centre. Here is her portrait, with two of the royal
children; and you will observe that she wears heavy anklets of gold, and
does not think it necessary to cover her feet with shoes. Her hair is
cut in the national way, and sticks up in the centre like a shoe-brush.
Great importance is attached to the ceremony of hair-cutting when a
royal child reaches the age of seven years, and it is generally
performed by the king himself in the presence of all the dignitaries of
the land."
"What a funny idea!" said Fred, "that the king shall act as a barber,
and handle the shears over the head of one of his children. I wonder if
he is as skilful as a regular professional?"
"As to that," was the reply, "I presume it does not make much
difference. He only takes off a lock or two, and the hair-dresser of the
palace does the rest. You will hear more of this curious ceremony when
you get to Siam, as the custom prevails there no less than in Cambodia.
"In Panompin there is an artificial mound, which is called for
politeness' sake a mountain, where the hair-cutting ceremony is
performed. It stands near the palace, and is as high as the building
itself. It is built partly of earth and partly of bamboo, and the sides
are colored so as to represent stone, silver, and gold, the last color
being near the top. A winding path leads up to a platform on the summit,
and here the king stands while he goes through the solemnities of the
occasion. The path goes through tunnels and arches, and occasional
grottoes and valleys, and the whole structure is intended to represent a
mountain in miniature. The platform is a favorite resort of the king in
the evening, as the air is generally cooler there than on the ground
below, and not infrequently he meets his ministers on the top of the
mountain to discuss matters of public importance.
"But it is getting late, and I think I have told you as much about
Panompin and the King of Cambodia as you will be likely to remember. So
I will say good-night."
The boys thanked the gentleman for his kindness, and the Doctor added
his acknowledgments to theirs. Then the party separated.
Frank and Fred sat up till their eyelids were heavy to take down in
writing a summary of what they had heard. They realized the necessity of
making their notes at once, through fear that if they waited till the
next day something would be forgotten. Frank wrote the description of
Panompin and the country generally; and Fred devoted himself to the
royal family, the scenes in the palace, and the curious story of cutting
the youthful hair. Thus the labor was divided to the satisfaction of
both.
In the morning the Doctor informed them that they were to depart that
day for Siam. The steamer _Danube_ had arrived, and her captain had been
early on shore to arrange for the delivery of what cargo was to be
landed, and to receive what he should take away. He did not expect to be
long in port, and they must be prepared to leave at a few hours' notice.
Their baggage was put in readiness, and the rest of the time on shore
was devoted to the preparation of letters for America. The French mail
steamer from Singapore was due that day on her way to Hong-kong and
Shanghai, and when she left she carried a goodly budget from the boys.
In due time the letters were safely delivered; and for a fortnight there
was little else talked of in the Bassett and Bronson households than the
adventures of Frank and Fred, in Cochin China.
[Illustration: THE HARBOR OF OODONG, CAMBODIA.]
The boys made good use of their time up to the last moment. Fred found a
copy of the book of M. Mouhot, who has been mentioned heretofore, and
the last hour of his stay in Saigon was devoted to writing out the
description which that gentleman gives of Oodong, the former capital of
Cambodia. The visit of M. Mouhot was made in 1860, and is thus
described:
"On approaching the capital the prospect becomes more diversified; we
passed fields of rice, cottages encircled by fruit-gardens, and
country-houses belonging to the Cambodian aristocracy, who come here in
the evening for the sake of breathing a purer air than they can find in
the city. As we drew closer to the gates, I found the place to be
protected by a palisade three metres high--about ten feet. The houses
are built of bamboo or planks, and the market-place occupied by the
Chinese is as dirty as all the others of which I have made mention. The
largest street, or, rather, the only one, is about a mile in length; and
in the environs reside the agriculturists, as well as the mandarins and
other government officers. The entire population numbers about twelve
thousand.
[Illustration: A GIRL OF OODONG.]
"The many Cambodians living in the immediate vicinity, and still more
the number of chiefs who resort to Oodong for business or pleasure, or
are passing through it on their way from one province to another,
contribute to give animation to the capital. Every moment I met
mandarins, either borne in litters or on foot, followed by a crowd of
slaves carrying various articles; some yellow or scarlet parasols, more
or less according to the rank of the person; others, boxes with betel. I
also encountered horsemen mounted on pretty, spirited animals, richly
caparisoned and covered with bells, ambling along, while a troop of
attendants, covered with dust and sweltering with heat, ran after them.
Light carts, drawn by a couple of small oxen, trotting along rapidly and
noiselessly, were here and there to be seen. Occasionally a large
elephant passed majestically by. On this side were numerous processions
to the pagoda, marching to the sound of music; there, again, was a band
of ecclesiastics in single file, seeking alms, draped in their yellow
cloaks, and with the holy vessels on their backs."
[Illustration: HOUSE IN THE SUBURBS.]