Year: 1871

ceeded tall, fue- built, very handsome


woman. of about twenty years ef age
Her figure was perfect; the grace of her


carriage was faultless, and her large
black eyes were so lustrous they seemed


to fash light. With the first lady the


richness of costume was tho most promi-


nent, but with this woman the beauty of


her person far outshone the magnifcence
of her attire She was dressed aud or


namented, with some slight variation,


like unto her sister wife, to whom, indeed,


she was really sister; for the prince iu-
/ formed us that they were the children


not only of the same father but by the
same mother She moved toward us
! Ike a queeu-self possessed and graci-


Gus and though she had not the man


ners of European lady, the mode OF
her hand shaking was unimpeschsble. A
few moments elapsed before the third


wife presented herself Her Appearance


was insignificant, her features expression
less her eyes lacked luster, her form,
though not angular, was spare and desti-
tute of all grace her movements were
awkward, and though dressed not less


grandly than the others, her costume


appeared far.sless resplendent. The
| prince appeared7fo feel that we were con-


sclous Of her defects, for, as she turned
from US after the usual salutation, he ex-


claimed. "Oh, she is a very tame wife p


eTbese ladies, be it said, did not under


stand English) The curtain over the


door fell no other woman appeared. To


our look of inquiry, the prince replied,


sgfrLok = Ill 4 - 81


only three. If L had as many as my


birth entities me to, l should have twelve
AS many as the king; but the French
have my island, and so am only a poor
devil, with but three wivesp'


The introductions ended, the senior
lady came forward and held out to us
what looked like a thin slice Of ginger
bread, from which we each broke off
small portion and ate it. Ii was abomi


nable to the taste vile compound Of
bad oil, Indian cornmeal, and sweets.
The ladies then seated themselves on
couch opposite to that on which we sat
and we were instructing the prince to
convey to them our thanks for the great
honor they had done us in granting this
interview, and an unbounded admiration
of themselves, when, by all that is shock
ing. we discovered that they chewed
betelsnut! For, right and left, with
volume, a precision, and force that
Yankee might have envied, they began to
relieve themselves of the consequences
of this abominable habit Up to this
point all had seemed consistent with the
place and the occasion but this was
feature in the romance of the harem that
l had not looked for. However, we ex
pressed our qualification, and our senti
ments being made known to the ladies,
they showered upon US smiles and pleas
ant glances. At this juncture the
princes mother entered the room. She
was a very fat, very dirty, but cheerful
old woman. Her dress was a simple robe
of brown cotton, without ornament Of
any kind. The prince rose as she en-
tered, and led her to a seat his manner
in doing this was most respectful and al
most affectionate. He told US she was
very religious woman, had made the pill
grimage to Mecca, and was regarded. as a
saint She asked US especially after a
gentleman whose acquaintance she made
when he was a gallant captain of Brit
ieu HdH Ol-hdK, auu hhV was hOh az
aged admiral, and declared if she were
not so old she would undertake the jour
ney to England to feast her eyes on him
once more. She showed US agold watch |
she had received from the East India
in acknowledgement of her
kindness to a certain English woman and
the passengers of one of the
ships that had been wrecked
on the reef that runs around Johanna.
She took them into her house and enter
tanned them for weeks, and from them
she obtained the knowledge she possess
ed of the English language. She was
certainly good. natured old woman, and
had she not every two or three minutes
elected a torrent of colored fluid from
her mouth, she might have been agree
able