The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1903-10-17

In 1S- l was in Germany, tor the
combined purposes of recreation and pur,
suing certain post graduate studies.
I formed the acquaintance of two Ger
man and two English students about my
own age, and we had apartments in the
same building, on the same floor. We
all had pretty liberal supplies of money,
but like most men, not as much as we
wanted. We were more or less Bohemian
in our tastes, and three or four nights in
every week found us assembled in the
rooms of some member of the party, with
beer, pipes, pungent cheeses and news.
papers, for good time and lots of talk.
We had agreed that we would like an
adventure, and only awaited a good op
portunity to seek that and increase our
fortune.
One night just after dark Geislers bu
Gle, with which he was wont to sound the
assembly when there was any especial oc
casion for meeting, rang out in an ex-
cited way, and shortly we were we all in
his room. He had just come in with an
evening paper, and breathlessly read to us
an advertisement offering an almost fabu-
ulous sum for white elephant not less
than three years old. The advertisement
referred to city bank as to the financial
ability, integrity, etc., of the advertiser,
and Geisler had already been there to make
inquiry.
s'He is all right said Geisler, '"but
does not want to disclose his idenity at
present, for some business reason.
II suspect he must be secret emissa-
ry of my countryman, Barnum, said |.
"Tll bet he represents the Holland firm
of animal Dealers said Shelter.
"Whoever he represents, and whoever
he is, growed Geisler, ''the thing is,
how are we going to get that white ele-
phant, and where 2
''Tn Siam, of course answered War
burton, "and as to the how, let's go there
first and then make plans.
We sat up nearly all night discussing
preliminaries. Harker had an uncle who
was well acquainted with the governess in
the royal family of Siam. Warburton s
mothers seamstress had gone out with this
governess, and was royal dressmaker. That
was sufficient, of course, to give us entree
to the court. So far, so good. Shelter $
father was shipbuilder or something of
the sort, and from him we could charter a
small steamer We were all right.
Sure enough in about a month we were
on our wav to Siam with small bu. select
crew, trim little ship, and letters of in
PRODUCTION to the governess and dress
maker.
The very character of the advertisement
was sufficient to warn us that our under
taking was most difficult one, and we
knew something of the superstitious awe
with which white animals, and especially
white elephants. are regarded in Siam.
But we thought that youth, pluck and
perseverance would overcome all Difficult
ties.
Arrived in the country we fastened to
Bangkok, the capital, hoping to secure val
liable information and perhaps assistance
from the English ladies'. But we learned
on arrival there that the whole royal house
hold was at the king palace, near Pecha
burr, in mourning for the old monarch,
who had recently died. We were IA little
encouraged, however, by the information
that the rigid customs of the court were
somewhat relaxed during sojourns at that
place.
OF course. it was our intention to either
capture the desired game in legitimate hunt
or buy it and pay such number of fuang,
salung, tikals, tamlungs or catties as our
letters of credit would purchase and leave
us good margin of profit.
But when we reached Pechaburi, and
after good deal of ceremony, secured an
audience with the English women, we were
greatly set back by learning that hunting
the white elephant was strictly forbidden
to foreigners, and permitted to natives only
for sacred purposes. Such thing as SELL
ing one was wholly shocking to the Siamese
sensibilities.
We remained about the place and
amused ourselves as best we could, upon
the promise that when the period Of offi =
cial mourning, which was nearly over,
should have passed, we should be presented
to the king.
This humiliating formality occurred in
the palace one day, just before the return
of the royal party to Bang gkok. Think OF
two stalwart Englishmen, two equally stall
wart Germans and an suncrowned Amerl-
can king" crawling like reptiles into and
away from the presence Of an Oriental
heather. That was what we were obliged
to do. But as an especial favor, We were
at future audience allowed to occupy the
same position that the king at the time
occupied. AS he, however, was great
reader, being, like his late father, fine
Oriental and fair English scholar, and as
he usually read and conversed lying face
downward, we had hard times of it at best.
One day, while we were talking with
the governess and the dressmaker in the