Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-11-18

SOME OF THE SULTAN'S SUBJECTS
self. They were shown all the civilized
wonders in the way of guns on board. and
| We're specially interested in the rapid-tire
| gun which was set going for their amuse-
| ment with a string of cartridges y meal
/ was served them which they found so dis
| tasteful that one OF the suite was called in
/ 10 cook some rice for his lord in the proper
style.
At half-past IL we slowed up opposite
| Maybun
The DOwagcr Empress Palace.
| There was only one person on the Island
| of Sulu who was capable of acting a Gen
! eral Bates interpreter, a young German
! who was born there and had married a
native woman. All our communications a
! Mayburn We're conducted through him.
| There was certain program laid out for
| us; we were first to proceed to the resi-
dence of the dowager Sultana. who lived
within the crowded precincts Of the village.
| While we Were looking this way and that,
trying to discern a building sufficiently mag
nifcent to be the abode of one 50 exalted
! in rank, we We're halted before a small
! house, She central one of group of huts,
distinguished only from those that sur
| rounded 1t by the fact that it was CON
Structed of rough plankS, while the others
We're of bamboo and nipa. We We're uSh-
| cred inside and invited to sit down. 1t was
! the residence of the Sultana Inchi Jamela,
TIL" room in which We crowded was not
| more than fifteen feet long and ten broad
! a table covered by "A cloth was in the mid
| die and number of brentwood chairs were
! grouped about it, especially large one
| being provided for the general. At enc
| end was sort of couch or divau built of
| boards over which was thrown a covering
! OF purple SATIN, and three OF us sat on this.
| Ky the time We had all crowded in and
| found seats the people who had followed
! Us on the tug arrived. There was a gen
I ora
! extra chairs were brought in from some
| interior region and, to our surprise. We
! found ourselves all accommodated though
| wedged in SO tight that it was impossible
| for one to move without disturbing the
/ whole room full At the end of the table
! opposite Gen. Bates We're two ''Dattos.'
i and the sultan's youngest brother. Out
/ side the door and the one window was the
population of Maybun. II was a promis-
! cuous mixture of young and old patrician
| and plebeian, ali equally overcome by in
! tense curiosity The emotions which their
| faces so ingenuously expressed may be
! seer playing over the countenance of
| young American when he attends his first
| circus.
! An attendant placed a glass bowl filed
| with water on the table, one of the
| 'DattOs' leaned over and spit into II
! mouthful of betcl nut juice. To our horror,
! this was merely preliminary for refresh
| ments. for more retainers appeared with
| trays, on which We're chocolate in glasses
| and plates of pecuarlOoking cakes. |
/ small never forget the varying expressions
! which fitted over the faces of our little
| band. and which finally settled down to a
resignation animated solely by patriotism.
| These people were evidently setting their
| best before us. they Were Of a race most
sensitive where their hospitality was con-
; cerned: We looked at each other inwardlv
| muttered a prayer-and drank. 1t is inn
/ possible to describe without being able ia
| compare. L know of no drink of civiliza-
| ton with which | could compare this Moro
| beverage and convey any idea of its dis
! gushing flavor.
| The Suitana of SuIu.
The sultana's appearance is not unpre-
! possessing; she was clad in gown of black
! brocade silk, not cut after the latest fash
| ion. and wore a scarf Of light, figured ma
! terial, over her shoulders and some sauzy
! stuff like just" on her head so that her
| hair was covered. Her stature is short
| and her face is that Of a woman of sixty
! though it is hard to judge oriental women
| by our standards. Her complexion is
/ lighter than the average Moro, and her
small eyes show both intelligence and cum
ming. We now discovered that the purple
| couch upon which we had been so care
| ieSSly sitting was the royal throne, When
/ the sultana entered We rose and stood until
| we had been introduced to her and she
had seated herself On her right hand was
| a white cotton glove of civilized manufac-
! ture, which, to our amusement, she had
| put on wrong, that the buttons were on
| top. 1t was thus that she armed herself
| against contact with the christian dogs
| The space in the room was 50 limited that
| the maids of honor. of which there were
| two. were obliged to go outside by a back
| way and climb in the window. When the
maids had successfully accomplished this
! feat declining by a Scornful sniff the prof
! fered assistance of one of our officersD, the
exchange of Civlities between her royal
| highness and General Bates commenced
The sutana hoped the general was well
| the general hoped the sultana was the
/ no hon.
visit. etc. The general finally expressed
! his wish to wait upon the sultan. The old
| lady begged that he would remember her
| sons extreme youth and added that The
| best thing that he could do would be to
| give him a little advice. A tender parting
now took place between US on one side and
| the old dowager on the other.
His Palace Like n Shunty
The palace of the sultan is about ten
minutes walk from the village Harlem
| boasts of shanties of more elegant con-
struction. though possibly of less room, for
| there is more available land in Sulu than
| in Greater New York. A square board
house with a galvanized iron roof over part
| of ii, and an extension at one side which
| contained the harem, wall of stones
| about the whole-this was the residence of
| the Sultan of Sulu,
| three soldiers in khaki uniforms and red
| fezes who presented arms. These were
| three Of five soldiers that the sultan had
brought back with him from his visit to
| Mecca. and were evidently Arabians. Their
I ordnance consisted of five rifles, four of
! which were of different makes. The en-
| trance to the house through a small
| lcan-to shed at one side which led inta
room as bare as a barn chamber. The living
! apartments were above. A broad flight of
rough board stairs with a strip of carpet
down the middle, led to the upper regions
We assembled and found ourselves in a
large darkened apartment. in the august
presence of the Lari Paduka Maha Sari
Manlana Sultan Hadji Muhamad Jamalul
Hiram.
Guarded by His Soldiers
The sultan was seated I'm a chair with a
high back in one corner of the room, which
had no communication with the outside air.