"When a mosquito or a fly lighted two or three inches away, the lizard would creep along like a cat, and hug close to the boards. He did it very slowly till he got within reach, and then out came the tongue as before, and he rarely missed his aim. One large fly was too much for him, and after getting him on the end of his tongue he had a sharp struggle to swallow him. The fly escaped, and after that the lizard was more cautious about the size of his game."
Breakfast was announced, and the story of the Siamese lizard was dropped for the present.
While they were at breakfast a messenger came from the consul to Doctor Bronson. He announced that the second king of Siam would receive them that afternoon, as they had been received the day before by the supreme king.
The boys had heard that Siam was ruled by two kings, and the Doctor took the opportunity to explain the relations between these rulers.
"The king at the grand palace, where we went yesterday," said Doctor Bronson, "is the first or supreme king of the country. The second king occupies a position that is difficult to understand clearly when we compare it with our own form of government. He is not like our Vice-president of the United States, as he does not inherit the throne on the death of the supreme king; nor does he resemble the ancient Mikado of Japan in being a spiritual ruler, while the first king is a temporal one. According to Sir John Bowring, his opinion and sanction are sought by the king in important matters, and his name is associated in treaties. He is supposed to have control of one-third of the revenues, and has a portion of the army under his command; in time of war he is expected to have direct control of the armies in the field, and to go with them in person, but this is not always the case. Occasionally the office of second king is abolished, and it seems to be largely in the power of the first king to do what he pleases concerning the rank and authority of his subordinate.
"The second king has a palace nearly as large as that of the first, and he has ministers corresponding to those that form the highest cabinet. The same respect is shown to him when he goes abroad as to the first king, and the latter is the only personage in the country to whom the second king must pay visits of ceremony. Siam is the only country in the world that has this arrangement for dividing the royal power, and when we come to examine it closely it will be found that there is not a very large division, after all. Not long ago, as I am told, there was a quarrel between the first and second kings of Siam, which resulted in the second king seeking the protection of the English consul. Since that time the power of the second king has been less than it was before, and the breach between the two great heads of the kingdom of Siam has not been entirely healed."
At the appointed time the consul called for the Doctor, and the two gentlemen proceeded on their excursion, leaving the boys at the hotel. The journey to the palace was not made in a boat, as on the day before, but in a carriage, for the reason that going in a boat would necessitate a long walk from the landing to the gates of the royal residence. On his return the Doctor gave the following account of his visit:
"We drove through a narrow gate-way where some soldiers were on guard, and soon found ourselves in an open court-yard of the palace. Here we left the carriage, and entered a large anteroom at the head of a flight of stairs, where we waited while a messenger went to inform the king of our arrival. He came back shortly, accompanied by a gentleman who spoke English and Siamese with equal fluency, as he is the son of an American missionary, and was born in Siam. Under his guidance we went to the reception-hall, which was in a large building just off the court-yard. It was entered directly from the open air, and not by passing through a series of halls, as in the palace of the first king. His majesty rose as we entered, and came forward a few steps to meet us; he first shook hands with the consul, and then with me after the consul had introduced me, and the interpreter had translated his remarks.
"The king asked us to be seated, and gave us the example by taking a chair for himself, and indicating the ones we were to occupy. He is a man of about fifty-five or sixty years old, and has a pleasant and intelligent face; he speaks English with considerable fluency, and has read a great deal about England and America. He is a great admirer of America, and is proud of the name of George Washington, which he bears."
"Are we to understand," Frank asked, "that the second king of Siam is named George Washington?"