The romance of the harem

Preface

"fTIKUTH is often stranger than fiction," but so J- strange will some of the occurrences related in the following pages appear to Western readers, that I deem it necessary to state that they are also true. Most of the stories, incidents, and characters are known to me personally to be real, while of such narratives as I received from others I can say that " I tell the tale as it was told to me," and written down by me at the time. In some cases I have substituted fictitious for real names, in order to shield from what might be undesired publicity persons still living.

I gladly acknowledge my indebtedness to Mr. Francis George Shaw for valuable advice and aid in the preparation of this work for the press, and to Miss Sarah Bradley, daughter of the Eev. Dr. Bradley of Bangkok, for her kindness in providing me with photographs, otherwise unattainable, for some of the illustrations.

Dedication

To the noble and devoted women whom I learned to know to esteem, and to love in the city of the ISTang Harm, I dedicate the following pages, containing a record of some of the events connected with their Uves and sufferings.

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.

I. The Idol op Buddha Frontispiece.

Contents

Chapter > Paob

I. "MuANG Thai," or the Kingdom op the Free . . 1

II. Tdptim : A Tragedy of the Harem .... 14

Chapter II. Tuptim: A Tragedy Of The Harem

THOSE of my readers wlio may recur to my late work, "The English Governess at the Siamese Court," will find on tlie 265th page mention of "a young girl of fresh and striking beauty, and delightful piquancy of ways and expression, wlio, with a clumsy clul), was pounding fragments of [)ottery — urns, vases, and goblets — for the foundation of the Watt (or Temple) Eajali Bali ditt Sang. Very artless and happy she seemed, and as free as she was lovely ; but the instant she perceived that she liad attracted the notice of the king, — who presided at the laying of tlie foundation of tlie temple, and Hung gold and silver coins among the workwomen, — slie sank down and hid lier i'ace in the earth, forgetting or disregarding the falling vessels that threatened to crush lier ; but tlie king merely diverted himself with inquiring her name and parentage, and some one answering for her, he turned away." This is all that is there f:aid of her.

A week later I saw the girl again, as I was ])assing through the long enclosed corridor witliin the palace on my way to my school-room in the temple. She waj lying prostrate on the marble pavement among the offerings which were placed there for the king's acceptance, and which h.e would inspect in his leisurely progress towards his breakl'ast-hall.

I never went that way without seeing something lying there, — bales of silk on silver trays, boxes of tea, calicoes, velvets, fan;^, priests' robes, precious spices, silver, gold, and curiosities of all kinds, in fact, almost anything

TUrTIM: A TIIAGEDY OF THE IIAKEM. 15

and everything tliat money could purchase, or tlie most abject sycophancy could imagine as likely to gratify the despot. Every noble, ])rince, and mercliant sought to obtain tlie royal favor by gifts thus presented, it being fully understood between the giver and receiver tliat whoever gave tlie most costly presents should receive tlie largest share of royal patronage and support. But the most precious tilings ever laid upon that pavement were the young liearts of women and cliildren.

Two women were crouching on either side of the young girl, waiting for the entrance of the king, in order to present her to him. I was liardly surprised to see lier there. I had grown accustomed to sucli sights. But 1 was surprised at the unusual interest slie appeared to excite in the otl)er women present, who were all Avhispering and talking together about her, and expressing their admiration of her beauty in tlie most extra\-agant language.

She was certainly very beautiiul by nature, and those who sent her there had exhausted all the resources of art to complete, according to their notions, what nature had bei>'un, and to render her a fitter ofierini»- for the kino^. Her lips were dyed a deep crimson by the use of betel ; her dark eyebrows were conthiued in indigo until they met on her brow ; her eyelashes were stained witli kohl; the tips of her fingers and her nails were made pink with henna ; Avliile enormous gold chains and rings ])edizeiied her person. Already too much saddened by the frequency of such sights, I merely cast a passing glance upon her and went my way ; but now, as I see in memoiy that tiny figure lying there, and the almost glorified form in which I beheld it for the last time, I cannot keep the tears from my eyes, nor still the aching of my heart.

About three months or so later we met again in the same ])lace. I was passing through to the school-room, when I saw her joyously exhibiting to her companions a

IG KOMANCE OF THE IIAKE^f.

pomcgi'aiiate Avhicli she held in lier hand. It seemed to Le tiic largest and finest fruit of the kind I had ever seen, and I stopped to get a closer view both of the girl and of the fruit, each perfect in its kind. I found, however, that tho fruit was not real, only an imitation. It was a casket of pure gold, the lids of which Avere iidaid with rubies, which looked exactly like the seeds of the pomegranate wlien rij^c. It was made to 02:)en and sluit at tlie touch of a small sjDring, and was most excpiisitely moulded into the shape and enamelled with the tints of the pomegranate. It A\'as her betel-box.

" "Where did you get this box ? " I inquired.

She turned to me witli a child's smile upon her face, pointed to tlie lofty chamber of the king, and said, " My name, you know, is Tuptim" (Pomegranate). I nnderstood the gift.

Afterwards I saw her freqnently. On one occasion she Avas crying bitterly, Avhile the head Avil'e, Thieng, Avas repro\'ing her Avith unusual Avarmth for some foult. I interrupted Tliieng to ask for some paper and ink for the school-room, but she paid no attention to my demands. Instead of complying Avitli them at once, as usual, she inquired of me, " What shall I do Avith this Tuptim ? She is very disobedient. Shall I Avhip her, or starve her till she minds ? "

"Porgive her, and be good to her," I Avhispered in Thieni'-'s ear.

" What ! " said the offended lady in an angry tone, " Avhen slie does Avrong all the time, and is" so naughty and Avilful ? AVhy, Avhen slie is ordered to remain up stairs, slie runs aAvay, and hides herself in ]\Iaprang's or Simlali's rooms, and Ave are taken to task by his Maj^esty, AA'ho accuses us of jealousy and unkind treatment towards her. Then we liave to search all tlie houses of the Choms (concubines) until avc find her, either in hiding or asleep.

and bring lier to liim. Tlie moment she comes into liis presence slie goes down npon lier knees, appearing so very basliful and innocent that he is enraptnred at the sight, and declares that slie is the most perfect, the most fascinating of women. Bnt as soon as she can get away, she does tlie same thing again, only finding some new hidingplace, an.d so she makes an infinity of trouble. 'Now, sho says she is ill, and cannot w^ait npon the king, Avhile tlio physicians declare that there is nothing whatever the matter with her. I really don't know what to do or what to say, for I don't dare to tell the truth to the king, and I'm in constant fear tliat she will come to a bad end, if she does n't follow my advice and make up her mind to bear her life here more patiently."

I pitied the poor girl, who I'cally looked either sick or unhappy. Child as she was, there was a great deal of quiet dignity about her, as, with eyes filled with tears, she protested that she was utterly sick at heart, and could not go up stairs any more. I w^as sure that Thieng's sweeping reproof did not indicate any malice or real anger towards the girl, and, putting my arms around the elder lady, I succeeded in soothing her indignation, and at length obtained permission for Tuptim to be absent from duty for a few days. A grateful smile lit up tlie girl's tearful face as she crept away.

" Tliat girl is too artless," said kind-hearted Thieng to me, as soon as the child was out of sight ; " and she w^ill not even try to like her life here. T pity her from my very heart, mam dear, but it would not do to show it. She would take advantage of my kindness, and keep away from the king altogether, as Marchand does ; and in all such cases Ave head wives have to bear the brunt of the king's displeasure, and are thought to be jealous and intriguing, when the holy Buddh in heaven knows that there is only kindness in our hearts."

18 KOMANCE OF THE IIAKEM.

Not. long after the above conversation, Tuptira began to <jonie to school. She wanted to learn to write her name in English, she said, and she came to me once or twice a week until slie had acquired that accomplishment, which seemed to give her immense satisfaction. After slie liad done this, she asked me if I would write the name " Khoon P'lna Bjllat " for lier in English. I wrote it for her at once, witliout asking her why she wanted it or whose name it was. I did not even know il' it was the name of a man or a woman, as the Siamese have no masculine and feminine terminations to their names and titles. She innncdiately began to trace the letters for herself, and I could see a world of tenderness in her large dreamy eyes as slie copied and recopied the name in its English characters. 1 cannot riglitly remember how oi'ten or how long she came to tlie scliool, for she Avas but one among many ; but, wlienever she found me engaged with the princes and princesses, slie would sit for hours on the marble fioor, and listen to our simple exercises of translating English into Siamese or Siamese into English, with increasing interest and delight expressed in her pure, guileless face. I do remember tliat she was never alone, but always accompanied Ijy two or tln-ee young companions of al)out her own age, wlio were as listless and idle as slie was absorbed and interested.

Perl laps this was tlie reason — with her extreme youth, for she was still but a child, and seemed even younger than she really was — why I never attempted to enter into conversation witli her, or to learn anytiiing about lier history and her feelings. If I had done tliis, I might have succeeded in winning lier confidence, and perliaps have been the means of reconciling her to her life in the palace. That I did ncjt, will ever be a source of poignant regret to me.

One afternoon, as I was about leaving the palace after

TUPTIM : A TRAGEDY OF THE HAKEM. ^ 19

school, she came running up to me, took a scrap of paper from under her vest, and held it silently before my eyes, wliile I read what was written upon it. It was the name " Khoon P'hi'a Bfdat," carefully written in English characters, and she seemed delighted with the praise I bestowed on the writing.

" Whose name is it, Tuptim ? " I asked.

Slie cast down her eyes and hesitated for a moment ; then, raising them to mine, she replied : " It is the name of the iavorite disciple of the high-priest, Chow Khoon Sail ; he lives at the temple of Eajah Bah ditt Sang, and sometimes preaches to us in the palace."

The expression of deep reverence that animated her face as she spoke revealed to me a 'new phase in her character, and I felt strongly attracted towards her. I nevertlieless left the palace without further conversation, but, on my way home, formed a vague resolution tliat I Avould endeavor to become better acquainted with her, and attempt to win her confidence.

My half-formed resolve was \Wthout result, however, since, for some reason unknown to me, she never came to the school-room again ; and, as I did not chance to meet her on my visits to the palace, she soon passed from my tlioughts, and I forgot all about her.

.. Some nine months, or perhaps a year, after my 1 ist encounter with Tuptim, I became conscious of a change in the demeanor of my elder pupils; they were abstracted, and aj peared desirous to get away from their studies as soon as possible. It seemed as if there were some secret they had been ordered to conceal from liiy boy and me. My imagination immediately took the alarm, and I became possessed witli the idea that some grave calamity was impending.

One day, when breaking up school for the ai'ternoon, I lieard one of the princes say to the others in Siamese: "Come, let's go and b.unt for Tuptim."

" Why ! where has she gone ? "

As soon as I asked the question, Princess Ying Yonwalacks angrily seized him by the arm and hurried him away. I had no wish to inquire further. What I Iiad heard was enough to excite my imagination afresh, and I hurried home full of anxiety about poor little Tuptim, thus suddenly brought back to my remembrance.

On the following evening, it being Sunday, one of my servants informed me that a slave-girl from the palace wished to speak with me in private. When she came in, her face seemed familiar, but I could not remember where I had seen her or whose slave she was. She crawled up close to my chair, and told me in a low voice that her mistress, Khoon Chow Tuptim, had sent her to me. " You know," she added, " that my mistress has been found."

" Found ! " I exclaimed ; " wdiat do you mean ? "

She repeated my question, and in great astonishment asked : " Wliy ! did you not know that my mistress had disappeared from the palace ; that his Majesty had offered a rewai'd of twenty caties (about fifteen hundred dollars) to any one who would bring any information about her ; and that no trace of her could be discovered, though everybody had been searching for her far and near ? "

" No, I have never heard a word about it. But how could she have got out of the palace, through the three rows of gates that are always bolted, and not be seen by the Amazons on ' guard ? "

" Alas ! my lady, she did get out," replied the girl, who looked very wan and weary, whose eyes seemed to have been shedding tears for a long time, and who was on the point of breaking down again. She then went on to tell me that two priests had that morning discovered her mistress in the monastery attached to the temple of Eajah ]>ah ditt Sang, and had brought the information to the king, by

TUPTIM: A TKAGEDY OF THE HAREM. 21

whose order she had been arrested and imprisoned in one of the palace dungeons.

" But what good can I do, Phim ? " I asked, sorrowfully.

" O mam dear, if you don't help her, she 's lost,

she '11 be killed ! " cried the girl, bursting into a passion of tears. " Oh ! do, do go to the king, and ask ' an to forgive her. He '11 grant her life to you. I 'lu sure he will. Oh ! oh ! what shall I do ! I 've nobody to go to but you, and there 's nobody but you can help her ! " And her tears and sobs were truly heart-rending.

I tried to soothe her. " Tell me, Phim," I said, " why did your mistress leave the palace, and who helped her to get away ? "

The girl would not answer my question, but kept repeating, '^ Oh ! do come and see her yourself 1 Do come and see her yourself! You can go to the palace after dark, and the gate-keepers will let you in. Nobody need know that you are going to see my dear mistress."

As there was no other method of quieting the poor girl, I finally made the promise, though I did not see what good my going could do, and was fully convinced that Phim had abetted Tuptim in her wrong-doing, whatever that might have been.

After the slave-girl had left me, I sat by my window and watched the stars as they came" out, one by one, and shone with unusual splendor in the cloudless sky. It was a lovely night, and I felt the soothing influence of the Christian Sabbath even in that pagan land; but the one idea that took possession of my mind was : " Poor little Tuptim, in that dreadful dungeon underground." Still, and notwithstanding my promise, I felt a strong reluctance to respond to the cry which had reached me from her, and wished that I had never heard it. I was tired of the palace, tired of witnessing w^rongs I could not remedy, and half afraid, too, to enter that weird, mysterious prisonworld after nightfall. So I sat still in dreamy uncertainty, till a warm hand was laid upon mine, and I turned my eyes from the stars above to the poor slave-girl's sad, tearstained face at my feet.

" The gates are open for the prime-minister, mam dear," said she, in a low, pleading voice, " and you can get in now without any difficulty."

I rose at once, resolutely cast my cowardly fears behind me, told my boy where and why I was going, put twenty ticals in my purse, wrapped my black cloak about me, and hurried towards tlie palace gate. Phim had run back at once, for fear of being shut out for the night. The women at the gates, Avho were all friendly to me, admitted me without question, and, as I passed, I- dropped two ticals into the hand of the chief of the Amazons on guard, saying that I had been called into the palace on important business, and begging her to keep the inner gates ojjen for my return.

"You must be sure and come back before it strikes eleven," said she, and I passed on. As soon as I entered the main street within the walls, the slave-girl joined me, and led the way, crouching and running along in the deep shadow of the houses, until we reached the gate of the prison in whicli Tuptim was immured, when she immediately disappeared.

Tlie hall I entered was immense, with innumerable pillars, and a floor which seemed to be entirely made up of huge trap-doors, double barred and locked, while the lanterns by which it was dimly lighted were hung so high that they looked like distant stars. There were about a dozen Amazons on guard, some of whom were already stretched in sleep on their mats and leather pillows, their weapons lying within reach. The eyes of all the wakeful custodians of the prison were fixed upon me as I entered.

tuptim: a tkagedy of the iiakem. 23

A courteous return was made to my polite salutation, and Ma Ying Taplian — Great Mother of War — addressed me kindly, inquiring wliat was my object in coming there at that time of night. I told her that I had just heard of Tuptim's having got into trouble and being imprisoned, and had come to ascertain if I could be of any assistance

to her.

" The child is in trouble, indeed," replied Ma Ying Taphan ; " and has not only got herself into prison, but her two young friends, Maprang and Simlah, who are confined with her."

" Can I not help them in any way ? " I asked.

"No," said the Amazon, gently, "I fear you cannot. Her guilt is too great, and she must take the consequences."

" What has she been doing ? "

To this question I could get no answer ; and after vainly attempting to persuade Ma Ying Taphan to tell me, I tried to induce Iwr to let me go down and visit poor Tuptim. "Myde" (impossible), was the reply, "without an express order from the king. When you bring us that, we will let you in, but without it we cannot." And " myde " was the only answer I could get to my repeated and urgent entreaties. I sat there, hopelessly looking at the Amazons, who, in the dim light of the distant lanterns overhead, seemed to me to be changed from tender-hearted women, as they were, into fierce, vindictive executioners, and at the huge trap-door at our feet, beneath which the three children, as the Amazon had rightly called them, were imprisoned, but from which no sound, no cry, no indication of life escaped, until, tired and despairing, I rose and left the place.

As soon as I was out of the building I saw Phim, the slave-girl, crouching in the shadows on the opposite side of the street, and keeping pace with me as I went towards

24 ROJUNCE OF THE HAEEM.

the palace gate. Wlien I turned into another street she joined me, and I found that she had been hidden under the portico of the prison, and had heard all my conversation with the Amazons. Prostrating herself till her forehead touched my feet, she implored me, in the name of the P'hra Chow in heaven, not to forsake her dear mistress. "She is to be brought before the court in the outside hall of justice to-morrow," she said. " Oh ! do come early. Perhaps you can persuade Koon Thow App to be merciful to her." And, with a sickening sense of my utter powerlessness, I promised to be present at the trial tuptim's tulvl. 25