The English Governess at the Siamese Court | Page 5

refuse of the food,
which the priests beg during the day, is cast to the dogs at night; and
what they refuse is left to putrefy. Unimaginable are the stenches the
sun of Siam engenders in such conditions.
A village so happily situated might, under better management, become
a thriving and pleasing port; but neglect, cupidity, and misrule have
shockingly deformed and degraded it. Nevertheless, by its picturesque
site and surroundings of beauty, it retains its hold upon the regretful
admiration of many Europeans and Americans, who in ill health have
found strength and cheer in its sea-breezes.
We heartily enjoyed the delightful freshness of the evening air as we
glided up the Meinam, though the river view at this point is somewhat
marred by the wooden piers and quays that line it on either side, and
the floating houses, representing elongated A's. From the deck, at a
convenient height above the level of the river and the narrow serpentine
canals and creeks, we looked down upon conical roofs thatched with
attaps, and diversified by the pyramids and spires and fantastic turrets
of the more important buildings. The valley of the Meinam, not over
six hundred miles in length, is as a long deep dent or fissure in the
alluvial soil. At its southern extremity we have the climate and
vegetation of the tropics, while its northern end, on the brow of the
Yunan, is a region of perpetual snow. The surrounding country is
remarkable for the bountiful productiveness of its unctuous loam. The
scenery, though not wild nor grand, is very picturesque and charming
in the peculiar golden haze of its atmosphere. I surveyed with more and
more admiration each new scene of blended luxuriance and
beauty,--plantations spreading on either hand as far as the eye could
reach, and level fields of living green, billowy with crops of rice and
maize, and sugar-cane and coffee, and cotton and tobacco; and the wide

irregular river, a kaleidoscope of evanescent form and color, where
land, water, and sky joined or parted in a thousand charming surprises
of shapes and shadows.
The sun was already sinking in the west, when we caught sight of a tall
roof of familiar European fashion; and presently a lowly white chapel
with green windows, freshly painted, peeped out beside two pleasant
dwellings. Chapel and homes belong to the American Presbyterian
Mission. A forest of graceful boughs filled the background; the last
faint rays of the departing sun fell on the Mission pathway, and the
gentle swaying of the tall trees over the chapel imparted a promise of
safety and peace, as the glamour of the approaching night and the
gloom and mystery of the pagan land into which we were penetrating
filled me with an indefinable dread. I almost trembled, as the
unfriendly clouds drove out the lingering tints of day. Here were the
strange floating city, with its stranger people on all the open porches,
quays, and jetties; the innumerable rafts and boats, canoes and gondolas,
junks, and ships; the pall of black smoke from the steamer, the burly
roar of the engine, and the murmur and the jar; the bewildering cries of
men, women, and children, the shouting of the Chinamen, and the
barking of the dogs,--yet no one seemed troubled but me. I knew it was
wisest to hide my fears. It was the old story. How many of our sisters,
how many of our daughters, how many of our hearts' darlings, are thus,
without friend or guide or guard or asylum, turning into untried paths
with untold stories of trouble and pain!
We dropped anchor in deep water near an island. In a moment the river
was alive with nondescript craft, worked by amphibious creatures, half
naked, swarthy, and grim, who rent the air with shrill, wild jargon as
they scrambled toward us. In the distance were several hulks of
Siamese men-of-war, seemingly as old as the flood; and on the right
towered, tier over tier, the broad roofs of the grand Royal Palace of
Bangkok,--my future "home" and the scene of my future labors.
The circus people are preparing to land; and the dogs, running to and
fro with anxious glances, have an air of leave-taking also. Now the
China coolies, with pigtails braided and coiled round their low,
receding brows, begin their uncouth bustle, and into the small hours of
the morning enliven the time of waiting with frantic shouts and
gestures.

Before long a showy gondola, fashioned like a dragon, with flashing
torches and many paddles, approached; and a Siamese official mounted
the side, swaying himself with an absolute air. The red langoutee, or
skirt, loosely folded about his person, did not reach his ankles; and to
cover his audacious chest and shoulders he had only his own brown
polished skin.