The San Francisco call., 1906-07-08
SIXTY-NINE
DANCERS co
WITH KING
Twenty Wives Also Travel
With the Ruler of
Cambodia.
! MONARCH VISITS FRANCE
Wears an Aged Hat Which
Has Historical Signifi-
cance.
MONARCH.VISITS FRANCE
SPECIAL CABLE TO THE CALL.

SPEClAL CAbIh III 1dE CALL
MARSEILLES, July liking Siso-
wath of Cambodis, accompanied by
twenty wives. his sister, and sixty
nine sacred girl dancers, has arrived
at Marseilles.
The people of Marseilles do not call
him by his proper name, for Prea Bat
Samdoch Prea Sisowath Chamchocra-
pong Haririach Braminthor Phouva-
naykraykeofa Sobapedey is a trif1e un-
wieldy for daily and familiar use, so
the Marseillais call him Frank.
Frank or Chichois, the Marseilles
diminutive for Francois, sounds a bit
like Sisowath, and "Vive Chichois" is
what the Marseilles folk have shouted
till their throats cracked, all day long,
while Have you seen Chichois?" is
the familiar greeting here this even
ing.
King Chichois landed at Cap Pined
in shockingly bad billycock hat a
dress coat and waistcoat, white dicky
open-work silk stockings, dress pumps,
and a sampot.
The billycock hat has history.
1t was Norodom's hat and should
have been burned with King Franks
brother and predecessor on the throne
of Cambodia, but one of Norodom' S
thousand wives, who was to have been
set at liberty after the death of the old
if the hat which Norodom had loved
and worn for forty years were kept.
So Sisowath has kept it, and 1T is to
his honor that he set the lady free as
well.
He always wears it on official oc-
casions. 1t is rusty and greasy, mis-
shapen and soft in the brim, and it
cannot have been smart hat when
new.
But King Sisowath wears a diamond
knob the size of a small bellpun fas-
tened into the top of the crown, and
an enormous diamond sun as cockade
at the side.
Cockade and bellpull together are
worth fully twenty thousand pounds.
The hat without them would not be
bargain at fourpence.
The sampot in Cambodia does duty
for trousers or skirt, accordingly to
the sex of the wearer.
1t looks, at first glimpse, like a
pair of large boomers Boomers
would not have mattered, but the sam
pot is really only strip of silk
twisted loosely round each leg, passed
up between them and tied in knot
behind.
The writer obtained his Majesty's
permission to visit his twenty wives.
his sister, Princess Sampredi, and
sixty-nine sacred dancers.
I found them in charge of four
women guardians of the harem, all of
whom are quite as hideous as fancy
possibly can paint them, but, though
their favorite perfume is castor oil,
the ladies are charming, except Prin-
cess Sampredi, who-she is the Kings
eldest sister, and he is sixty -four-is
a Katisha of thirty eight, which is old
for a Cambodian lady.
Like Katisha, she has. a saving sense
49,
is very like the King, but has black,
lacquered teeth, and is one mass of
jewels from head to foot.
Her Highness was pleased to be
gracious. She showed me the jewels
which she had brought in a big iron
box, and told me that she wondered
how Frenchwomen could dress so
much. 1T is beautiful" she said, but
cannot be comfortable
Her own costume is a cheap, ready
made, dressing jacket, with imitation
lace-worn only for state ceremonial
for, as a rule. she wears nothing above
! the waist-mens boots and the In
evitable sampot.
The other Princesses-Sisowath has
left three hundred of his wives at
home and believes in five hundred as
the dancers are dainty little yellow
ladies with the most graceful carriage
imaginable.
Between them the Princesses carry
an immense fortune in jewelry, of
which they are inordinately fond.
One of the Kings present favorites
could hardly move for bracelets,
anklets, chains, rings. all of pure gold
and all studded with jewels, and she
showed me a cane of massive gold and
of beautiful workmanship.
All through our conversation ser
wants came up and, crouching. offered
betel boxes or gold spittoons.
All the plates and cups used by these
ladies are of gold, and l can under
stand why King Sisowath is OCCASION
ally short of ready cash, none of them
understand what money means at all.
All Marseilles is agog to see and
hear the priestesses dance and sing
The officers on board the Aniral Ker-
saint tell me that chants and dances
which illustrate the sacred history of
Cambodia are very beautiful. Princess
Sampredi does not dance herself, but
is the Katti Lanner of Cambodia.