In
the king's magazines are to be found numerous cannon, and a quantity of
small arms, while his guards consist of a thousand men. But his
greatest strength is in his elephants, which are trained to trample
upon fire, and to stand unmoved at the report of artillery.

When we came to the inner courts, beyond which were the apartments of
the king, our bodyguard halted, and Mahomet Achmet and I entered the
king's presence unattended.

We found his Majesty seated on a divan surrounded by his numerous wives
and slaves, to the number of several hundred, for the apartment in
which the king received us was a very large one, more resembling a
courtyard than a room, since the roof was open to the sky. The king
seemed to be a man of middle age, whom I judged to be about forty years
old, but his attendants were all young, some of them scarcely more than
children.

All were attired in the same manner, so that it was difficult to tell
their sex, with short white breeches to above the knee, silken scarves
of various colours wrapped round their waists, the end being thrown
over the left shoulder, and white turbans upon their heads, into which
their long hair was gathered. Some were yellow-skinned, others brown,
others again jet-black. All had been rubbed with oil so that their
skins glistened like polished marble, and they stood about the
courtyard or around the king in silent groups, like so many statues.

Mahomet Achmet prostrated himself when he came into the king's
presence, as is the manner of the East; but I contented myself with
bowing low as I approached the divan upon which his Majesty sat, very
gorgeously dressed in red and blue silk robes embroidered with golden
dragons, which I concluded he had obtained from China. Upon his head he
wore a white turban with a jewelled aigrette of great value. His
countenance was intellectual, and his expression shrewd.

King Trinkitat received me graciously, and ordered a stool to be placed
near to the divan so that I might sit and converse with him upon the
matter in hand. When I showed him some of my rubies he at once said,
"These come from the South Land," and upon my asking him how he had
arrived at this conclusion, he answered that some of his people visited
annually the South Land to trade with the natives, and had reported a
white ruler there among a tribe of savages who had in his possession a
great quantity of valuable jewels, which he would not part with for
money, but only