plenty of
objects to engage their attention as the steamer slowly made her way
towards the Gulf. Breakfast was served at the usual hour; and as soon as
the pilot was discharged, the company gathered at Conference Hall for
the lecture.

The siamangs and the baby were still great favorites with all on board;
and Mr. Mingo, Mrs. Mingo, and Miss Mingo, as they had been named, had
made great progress in civilization. All of them were regular attendants
at the meetings in Conference Hall, and always behaved themselves with
the greatest propriety. The mother usually occupied one of the
arm-chairs, while the baby was held in the lap of one of the ladies.
They looked at the speaker just as though they understood what he was
saying. They joined in the applause when the lecturer presented himself
before his audience with their "Ra, ra, ra!" finishing with the squeak
which was a part of their language.

General Noury took his place on the platform after he had shaken hands
with Mrs. Mingo, who gave him an encouraging smile as he mounted the
rostrum. The Sumatra lady looked at him very earnestly, and Miss Blanche
declared that she understood everything that was going on. Mrs. Noury,
the Princess Zuleima, had the baby; and the little siamang seemed to
take as much interest in the proceedings as her mother. Mr. Mingo was
not literary, and perched in the fore-rigging.

The great map seemed to have been drawn and colored with even unusual
care, perhaps because Mr. Gaskette had had more time to attend to it. It
was displayed on the new frame which the carpenter had built for it, and
included the entire peninsula east of the Burmese possessions, and south
of China and the Shan States. When the applause which greeted the
general had subsided, he directed the pointer at the map.

"Perhaps some of you will be considerably confused by the various names
of the territory we are engaged in visiting at the present time," he
began; and Mrs. Mingo gave a louder squeak than usual as a special
greeting to the distinguished gentleman. "Cochin China, I think, is the
most common name, though Indo-China is very generally used. It is also
called Farther India and Annam. Its various divisions are the Shan
States, tributary to Siam, taking their name from a race of people who
are of the same descent as the natives of China. You observe that there
are more of these states in the territory of Burma, to which they are
subject. These states tributary to Sia