"Truth is often stranger than fiction," but so 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 Rev. Dr. Bradley of Bangkok, for her kindness in providing me with photographs, otherwise unattainable, for some of the illustrations.

New Brighton, Staten Island,
September 13, 1872.

[DEDICATION.]

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

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.

  1. [ The Idol of Buddha] Frontispiece.
  2. [ The Emerald Idol] Vignette.
  3. [ A Siamese Slave-Girl]
  4. [ A Siamese Flower-Girl]
  5. [ Guard of Amazons]
  6. [ Palm-Trees near the New Road, Bangkok]
  7. [ A Young Siamese Nobleman]
  8. [ Smâyâtee]
  9. [ A Royal Actress]
  10. [ Rungeah, the Cambodian Proselyte]
  11. [ Ladies of the Royal Harem at Dinner]
  12. [ A Laotian]
  13. [ Crenellated Towers of the Inner City]
  14. [ An Amazon of the Royal Body Guard]
  15. [ Queen of Siam]
  16. [ King of Siam]
  17. [ Temple and Ruins of Kampoot]

CONTENTS.

Chapter Page
I. ["Muang Thai," or the Kingdom of the Free] [1]
II. [Tuptim: A Tragedy of the Harem] [14]
III. [Tuptim's Trial] [25]
IV. [The King changes his Mind] [35]
V. [Slavery in the Grand Royal Palace of the "Invincible and Beautiful Archangel"] [42]
VI. [Khoon Thow App, the Chief of the Female Judges] [58]
VII. [The Rajpoot and his Daughter] [65]
VIII. [Among the Hills of Orissa] [72]
IX. [The Rebel Duke P'haya Si P'hifoor] [77]
X. [The Grandson of Somdetch Ong Yai, and his Tutor P'hra Chow Sâduman] [84]
XI.[The Heroism of a Child][102]
XII.[The Interior of the Duke Chow P'haya Mândtree's Harem][107]
XIII.[A Night of Mysteries][112]
XIV.[Weeping may endure for a Night, but Joy cometh in the Morning][118]
XV.[The Favorite of the Harem][122]
XVI.[May-Peâh, the Laotian Slave-Girl][145]
XVII.[An Accidental Discovery of the Whereabouts of the Princess Sunartha Vismita][151]
XVIII.[Lady Thieng, the Head Wife and Superintendent of the Royal Cuisine][155]
XIX.[The Princess Sunartha Vismita] [160]
XX. [Pak Laut, or the Mouth of the Ocean][165]
XXI.[Narrative of the Princess of Chiengmai][171]
XXII. [Bijrepuree," or the Diamond City][175]
XXIII.[The Deaf and Dumb Changeling][180]
XXIV. [Witchcraft in Siam in Eighteen Hundred and Sixty-Six, compared with Witchcraft in England in Seventeen Hundred and Sixteen][184]
XXV.[Trial for Witchcraft][188]
XXVI.[The Christian Village of Tâmsèng, or of Thomas the Saint][202]
XXVII.[Nang Rungeah, the Cambodian Proselyte] [213]
XXVIII.[Ad ogni Uccello suo Nido è bello,—"To every Bird its own Nest is charming][221]
XXIX.[Stray Leaves from the Royal School-Room Table][237]
XXX.[The Siamese System of Slavery][257]
XXXI.[The Royal Proclamations][264]
[A Legend of the Gold and Silver Mines of Siam][271]