Identifier: outing29newy (find matches)
Title: Outing
Year: 1885 (1880s)
Authors:
Subjects: Leisure Sports Travel
Publisher: (New York : Outing Pub. Co.)
Contributing Library: Tisch Library
Digitizing Sponsor: Boston Library Consortium Member Libraries

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one. The Siam-ese language is said to be exceedinglydifficult, and to judge from the odd-look-ing hieroglyphics they employ, one canreadily imagine this to be true. Of course everyone who reaches Bang-kok will go to the theatre, to find rathera similarity between the Malay and theSiamese performances, which differ verymaterially from those of China and Ja-pan, the two latter countries having farbetter ideas of dramatic action and rep-resentation, while the former use danc-ing as a means of interpreting the feel-ings and of presenting the series of stagepictures which form the chief feature ofthe entertainment. They have also aspecies of opera of which they are veryfond. The stage costumes are extremelypretty, the graceful sarong and the tightlittle vest worn with it being well suitedto the dancing ; and both vest and sarongare as gay and brilliant as colors andspangles can make them. One last, and it must be confessed, arather ghastly visit is still to be made in 592 OUTING FOR MARCH.
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A ROYAL CREMATION. Bangkok. On the way back from thepalace grounds it is worth ones while tostop at Watt Skett, and climbing to thetop of the half-ruined temple, enjoy thefine view it affords of the city. It meansquite a long walk, and about half-wayup, one will be glad to pause at a spotoverlooking a small enclosure at thebase of the hill on which the Watt isbuilt. Around this enclosure, perchedupon the trees, are some fifty or sixtylarge birds, while as many more areslowly circling to and fro. The placeis the public crematory, if such it maybe called; the birds are vultures, andinto that square enclosure the bodies ofSiams natives are lowered when theyhave no further need of the bread-fruitand the banana. In the twinkling of aneye, down sweep these ravenous birdsupon the body, and all one can see isthe fluttering of wings as they driveeach other away. A few minutes and all is finished ; they fly slowly back to thebranches of the trees and await the nextbanquet, whilst the bones are

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