carrying away any of our people,
without previously making it known to him and me.

The 23d I was informed of a great pagan festival to be celebrated this
day, both kings and all the nobles being to meet at a summer-house
erected before the great pagoda, to see a horse-race. I think there must
have been above 3000 people assembled together on this occasion. All the
nobles went on horseback, each being accompanied by a retinue of slaves,
some armed with pikes, some with fire-arms, and others with bows and
arrows. The pikemen drew up on one side of the street, and the shot and
archers on the other, the middle being left open for the race. Right
before the summer-house, where the king and nobles were seated, was a
large round target of straw, hung against the wall, at which the
archers running at full career on horseback discharged their arrows.
The street was so crowded, that neither the present we sent, nor we
ourselves, could get admission, so we passed along the street and
returned by another way to our house. Late at night, the brother of
Zanzibar's wife came to our house, bringing me a present of a haunch of
venison and a basket of oranges, being accompanied by Zanzibar himself.
About ten at night, the Chinese captain, our landlord, came to inform us
that the king had ordered a tub of water to be kept ready on the top of
every house, as the devil had given out that the town was to be burnt
down that night: Yet the devil proved a liar: We got however a large tub
on the top of our house, which held twenty buckets of water; and all
night long people ran about the streets calling out for every one to
look well to their fires, so that it was strange and fearful to hear
them.

This report of burning the town was still current on the 24th, and every
one was making preparations to prevent it. I made ready fifteen buckets,
which cost six _condrines_ each, which I filled with water and hung up
in our yard, setting a large tub beside them full of water, besides that
on the house top. I gave orders likewise to get two ladders ready for
carrying water to the roof, and provided nine wine casks filled with
tempered clay, ready for daubing up the doors of the _gadonge_, [godown
or fire-proof warehouse,] if need should require in consequence of a
conflagration, from which dire necessity may God defend us. All night
long, three or four men ran continually backwards and forwards in the
streets, calling out for every one to have a car