He told us he was very full, but he
managed to find us some small rooms, and then conducted us to the
luxuriously fitted bathing establishment. After this came the
table-d'hote, to which about seventy sat down, though many of the
visitors were dining in their own rooms. In the evening we walked
about the garden and chatted with several people, who all seemed to
have heard of us and our voyage, and to be anxious to know what we
thought of the Straits. We saw some English papers too, which was a
great treat, though there did not seem to be much news in them.
_Tuesday, October 24th_.--This is a wonderful place, built entirely of
wood. The centre part is a square, seventy yards in extent, surrounded
by a single row of one-storied rooms, with doors opening into the
courtyard, and windows looking over the river or up into the
mountains. In the middle of the square are a pavilion containing two
billiard-tables, a boot-blacking arbour, covered with white and yellow
jessamine and scarlet and cream-coloured honeysuckle, plenty of
flower-beds, full of roses and orange-trees, and a monkey on a pole,
who must, poor creature, have a sorry life of it, as it is his
business to afford amusement to all the visitors to the baths. He is
very good-tempered, does several tricks, and is tormented 'from early
dawn to dewy eve.
Pages:
216
217
218
219
220
221
222
223
224
225
226
227
228
229
230
231
232
233
234
235
236
237
238
239
240