Four Young Explorers Part 28

"About twenty-five francs."

"It ought not to cost more than that, for they are nothing but shanties," replied the commander. "Some of them are built on floats, as in Bangkok."

"Let us look into one of them; they will not object. This is a Chinaman's abode, and he belongs to the better cla.s.s here," said the Frenchman as he led the way into the house, followed by the commander, with Mrs. Belgrave on his arm.

Seated at a table was what a sailor would call a kid, or small tub, containing a stew of fish and vegetables; and there was a dish for each individual, which did duty as a plate. There were a man, a woman, and three children at the table.

"These people belong to the aristocracy," said the Frenchman, as they retired, and the family were visited by others of the party. "We will look into another house of a lower grade of people;" and they went into a hut about six feet square, in which were eight men, women, and children, huddled together around a tub on the floor containing fish and rice. The odor was not agreeable, and they hurried away.

"You noticed the two girls there. If you want them, Captain, you can buy them for thirty dollars apiece of your money."

"I don't want them; and I don't care about staying any longer in this part of the town," replied the commander.

They walked rather hurriedly to the yacht. On the way they met a carriage something like a wheelbarrow, with a single large wheel, and a seat on each side of it, one occupied by a fat Chinaman and the other by a Malay. It was propelled by a native just like an ordinary wheelbarrow.

"That's a big team," said Scott.

"You will see plenty of them in some of the cities of China."

The Blanchita left Mr. Froler at the landing-place, and then conveyed the pa.s.sengers to the two ships; for the ladies insisted that they must dress for the dinner at the governor's palace.

CHAPTER XXV

SEVERAL HILARIOUS FROLICS

The ladies certainly did dress for the occasion; and not only the ladies, but all the gentlemen. The captain put on a new uniform which he had not worn since his ship left Colombo. Scott had a new uniform also; Uncle Moses, the surgeon, Mr. Woolridge, and the professor came out in evening costume, with black dress-coats; and the young men were clothed for their age, in black. The ship's company looked at them with astonishment when they came on deck, for they had never seen them _en grand tenue_ before.

The ladies were properly costumed for the dinner, and all of them wore the best they had. When the Blanchita came alongside the ship with the Blanche's party, more surprise was manifested; for Mrs. Noury was dressed as a princess, as she was, with the richest garments of India; General Noury clothed in the full costume of his Moroccan rank, a dress which had not been seen before. Captain Sharp wore his uniform, and his wife proved that no money had been spared on her dress and adornings.

The rajah wore his Indian suit, made of the costliest materials and the most brilliant colors, and rubies and diamonds sparkled upon him, as on the pacha. Dr. Henderson was in keeping with his professional brother of the other party.

The seats of the yacht had been overlaid with rugs and other materials, that the rich costumes need not be soiled. The Blanche's barge came soon with the Italian band on board; for the general desired to serenade the governor during the evening. It was an hour too early; for the commander had been so solicitous that the company should not be late, that he had overdone the matter. The landlord was to have the carriages at the landing at half-past six, and there was an hour to wait. But the princess and Mrs. Sharp declined to leave their seats in the launch, for fear of mussing up their dresses; and the general called upon the band to play while they were waiting.

It was near the close of a clear day, and the music was delightful. In a short time not less than a hundred boats surrounded the ship, and three times as many people stood upon the sh.o.r.e. The band had not played before since their arrival. Mr. Froler, in Parisian evening dress, had come to the landing to receive the party, and when he heard the music, he came off, standing up in a sampan; for he was as careful of his garments as the ladies. The captain had ordered a carpet to be placed on the steps of the gangway, and the polite Frenchman ascended to the deck without peril to his clothing.

"Good-evening, Captain Ringgold," said he, extending his hand. "You have the most ravishing music here."

"It is General Noury's Italian band, and he will take it ash.o.r.e to serenade the governor," replied the commander.

"I have not seen your steamer before, and she is a magnificent vessel,"

added the Frenchman.

"I should be happy to show her to you; but we have hardly time to do so now, for I see that the ladies are taking their places in the launch,"

answered Captain Ringgold; "but I shall ask the governor and such ladies and gentlemen as you will designate to spend the afternoon and evening on board to-morrow, dining in the cabin. I arranged it with the general.

Both ships will be visited, the band will play, and we will make a general frolic of it. The next morning we shall sail for Manila."

Both of the gentlemen hastened to the gangway to a.s.sist the ladies as soon as the commander saw Mrs. Belgrave moving in that direction. Miss Blanche, conducted by Louis, appeared about the same time. Her costume was very neat, though not showy; but she was as beautiful as a fairy, and the Frenchman clasped his hands in ecstasy when he saw her. In a short time they were all seated in the Blanchita, and the gentlemen then took their places.

Precisely at twenty minutes past six Captain Sharp, prompted by Captain Ringgold, gave the order to cast off. A quartermaster of the Blanche was at the wheel, and in five minutes she was alongside the sh.o.r.e. A _platform of clean boards, covered with a carpet_, had been laid down by the landlord of the Hotel de l'Europe, and the vehicles were in waiting. The ladies were handed from the boat to the carriages without a spot or a splash on their dresses, though the sh.o.r.e was very muddy.

In ten minutes more the head of the procession reached the governor's palace. There they found an awning over the sidewalk, and _carpets laid_ down for the guests to walk upon. The French, English, and American flags were flying on the building. The ladies were conducted to the grand entrance of the palace, and taken by the servants to the apartments set apart for clothing. There were not less than a thousand natives and French people gathered in the vicinity, but they were kept in admirable order by the Malay police. The pacha's band was admitted to the grounds, and Mr. Froler was acting as chief marshal; he notified them when the party began to descend the stairs, and the music commenced then. They came down in couples, Captain Ringgold and Mrs. Belgrave leading, followed by the pacha and the princess.

His Excellency stood at the head of the large apartment, and received them as they advanced. He was a widower and childless, so that he had no wife nor daughter to present. Louis and Miss Blanche were the next, though the commander had proposed that Louis should come next to him and his mother; but Louis rebelled, and insisted that he should follow the pacha. The rajah came next, and had Mrs. Blossom on his arm, to the no small amus.e.m.e.nt of the party; but the deposed sovereign prince could find no other lady disengaged.

Possibly Mr. Woolridge and wife were disconcerted to come next; but their daughter had been properly honored, and both were too fond of Blanche to be troubled about the precedence. Mr. Froler stood by the governor, and announced the names of the members of the party; for His Excellency could hardly be expected to remember them. But he was very cordial to all of them, speaking in his broken English, except to the pacha and Louis. Some of the gentlemen had to present themselves without ladies; but there were at least twenty ladies and gentlemen seated around the room. After all the party from the ships had been received by the governor, they were introduced to the other visitors. Some of the Saigonians could speak English, and some could not; but the conversation soon became general. The commander and Mrs. Belgrave found enough who could speak English. There were seven persons among the tourists who could converse fluently in French, and Mr. Froler employed these as interpreters for those who could not speak the polite language.

The scene was quite amusing to all; and even the governor laughed heartily as he looked about him, and saw the struggles in the matter of language. The chief marshal proved to be a very potent functionary, and he was omnipresent in the apartment. When the governor spoke to him in praise of Miss Blanche, he immediately sent Louis with her to His Excellency. The room was the audience chamber of the palace, and the magnate of the occasion invited her to a seat on the dais at his side.

She could speak French a little; and it was soon observed that she was enjoying herself very much, and the governor even more.

Mrs. Sharp was pa.s.sed over to Louis, and he made the grand round with her. The princess was instructed to do the same with Mr. Woolridge, while the professor rendered the same service to Mrs. Woolridge. The rajah escorted Mrs. Blossom around the chamber, and the poor woman was in a flutter all the time. The long robe of the Indian prince bothered her, and she had been nearly tripped up several times; but her new beau was as polite and deferential as though she had been a queen. She had a story to tell the gossips of Von Blonk Park which would last her the rest of her lifetime. It was even a livelier time than that at the hotel, made so by the confusion of tongues, which was not far short of that at the Tower of Babel.

The dinner was announced by the major-domo of the household. Ignoring the houris of the occasion, the polite governor escorted Mrs. Belgrave to the table, and seated her on his right, while the captain of the Guardian-Mother conducted the princess. Those of the gentlemen who could speak French were requested by Mr. Froler to attend the resident ladies; and the most distinguished was placed in charge of the pacha. The _contretemps_ of language were frequent and laughable; and so much amus.e.m.e.nt was derived from this source that some of the visitors purposely made bulls to keep up the hilarity.

The dinner was a very elegant as well as a very substantial affair.

Monsieur Odervie and other French cooks fraternized as usual on this great occasion; and the table was ornamented with many set pieces, and one from the citadel produced a Buddhist temple in sugar, which was the admiration of the guests; and doubtless all these culinary artists would a.s.sist the _chef_ of the Guardian-Mother for the great dinner of the following day. But it would require a considerable volume to detail all the occurrences of the governor's banquet. A speech was made by His Excellency in French, which was replied to by Captain Ringgold, without knowing much of what had been said; but Louis followed him in a few remarks in French, thanking the governor and the residents of the city for their kindness and hospitality.

The pacha made the speech of the evening in the vernacular of the host, which was violently applauded by the residents, especially by the military officers from the citadel, who had been informed that he was the commander-in-chief of the armies of his country. The Italian band had been brought into the palace, feasted, and stationed in the great hall, where they discoursed their finest music, to the great delight of the guests. Dancing followed, and the governor led Mrs. Noury to the floor. The rajah asked Mrs. Blossom to dance with him; but she did not know a step, and if she ever in her life regretted that she could not dance, it was on this occasion. The commander of the citadel and chief officer of the army of Cochin China led out Mrs. Noury, and the next in rank to His Excellency who could speak English was favored by Miss Blanche.

It was kept up till after midnight; and then the tourists returned to the ships, visiting the hotel the next forenoon to obtain their baggage.

All the party at the _fete_ of the governor had been invited to the ships; and the Blanchita conveyed them from the landing in two trips, one to the Guardian-Mother, and the other to the Blanche. The guests were shown over both steamers, and they expressed their admiration in both languages. All the officers were kept busy, especially Mr.

Gaskette, who spoke French. Every pa.s.senger was a host or hostess, and the confusion of tongues created as much merriment as it had at the palace. Captain Ringgold devoted himself especially to the governor. The Italian band played all the time on the deck of the Blanche, which was hardly a ship's length from her consort.

After a light lunch had been served in the cabins of both steamers, the party on board of the Guardian-Mother, with their hosts, were conveyed to the Blanche, where they spent a couple of hours, and had a dance on her promenade deck under an awning. Every part of the ship was visited; and after a stay of two hours, the entire company was conveyed in two trips to the Guardian-Mother. When some of the guests asked how the pa.s.sengers contrived to amuse themselves on the long voyage, Mrs.

Belgrave organized a section of them, and played Blindman's Buff, Turning the Cover, Copenhagen, and other games, to the intense delight of the guests.

At six o'clock dinner was announced. Monsieur Odervie had had the a.s.sistance of not less than four _chefs_ all day; and several set pieces in varied ingredients, original and artistic, adorned the two tables.

The bill of fare had been printed in the city, and of course it was all French. The occasion was much the same as at the palace, with all the confusion of tongues. At the close of the dinner Captain Ringgold made his speech, which the governor could understand, and the chief official of the province responded in his own language. Several others were heard; and when Dr. Hawkes attempted to make a speech in the polite language, he excited bursts of laughter, and it was soon evident that he was speaking for the fun of it. His gestures were more French than his speech, which he interlarded with English and Latin. Uncle Moses made a remark in the latter language, which only the doctor and the professor could understand; but it was as vigorously applauded as though every word had been comprehended.

After dinner the governor called for some singing, and gospel hymns were introduced. Captain Rayburn was one of the guests on board, and his heavy ba.s.s was the crowning glory of the music.

The ship had been illuminated, and the band played at times on the deck.

The governor wanted some more of Mrs. Belgrave's games, and they were repeated in the music-room. The Cupids, as the two fat gentlemen had been named in Egypt, did their best on this occasion,--rolled on the floor, and were as antic as boys.

It was after midnight when the Blanchita began to convey the guests to the sh.o.r.e; and the adieux were very cordial, with many regrets that the ships must depart so soon. The river was so full of boats that the launch had some difficulty in making her way to the sh.o.r.e; but the Malay police soon made an opening for her.

Mr. Froler had been invited to sleep on board, as had Captain Rayburn; and both accepted, the former returning to the ship after he had seen his ladies home.

CHAPTER XXVI

THE VOYAGE ACROSS THE CHINA SEA