festivities, which occupied several days, consisted of receptions,
fireworks, reviews, games, dances, and religious ceremonies,
culminating in a most impressive and colorful pageant, when the two
bridegrooms proceeded to the palace in state to claim their brides.
Nowhere outside the pages of _The Wizard of Oz_ could one find such
amazing and fantastic costumes as those worn by the thousands of
natives who took part in that procession. Every combination of colors
was used, every period of European and Asiatic history was
represented. Some of the costumes looked as though they owed their
inspiration to Bakst's designs for the Russian ballet--or perhaps Bakst
obtained his ideas in Djokjakarta; others were strongly reminiscent of
Louis XIV's era, of the courts of the great Indian princes, of the
Ziegfeld Follies.

The procession was led by four peasant women bearing trays of
vegetables and fruits, symbols of fecundity, I assumed. Behind them,
sitting cross-legged in glass cages swung from poles, each borne by a
score of sweating coolies in scarlet liveries, were the four chief
messengers of the royal harem--former concubines of the Sultan who had
once been noted for their influence and beauty. The cages--I can think
of no better description--were of red lacquer, about four feet square,
with glass sides, and, so far as I could see, entirely air-tight. They
looked not unlike large goldfish aquariums. As they were passing us the
procession halted for a few moments and the panting coolies lowered
their burdens to the ground. Whereupon Hawkinson, who is no respecter
of persons when the business of getting pictures is concerned, set up
his camera within six feet of one of the cages and proceeded to take a
"close-up" of the indignant but helpless occupant, who, unable to
escape or even turn away, could only assume an indifference which she
was evidently far from feeling.

Following the harem attendants marched a company of the royal
body-guard, in scarlet cutaway coats like those worn by the British
grenadiers during the American Revolution, pipe-clayed cross-belts,
white nankeen breeches, enormous cavalry boots, extending half-way up
the thigh, and curious hats of black glazed leather, of a shape which
was a cross between a fireman's helmet and the cap of a Norman
man-at-arms. They were armed indiscriminately with long pikes and
ancient flint-locks, and marched to the music of fife and drum. The
leader of the band danced a sor