A Prince's Harem.

Tuapeka Times, Volume XXIV, Issue 1870, 13 February 1892, Page 2 (Supplement)

A Prince's Harem.

From the fir3t day I sit foot in India I sho weJ imp itienca to visit an E i3tcrn harem. My hiisbuid cmtrolled my impatience by remarking that very shortly we would visit one of tne leading Indian prinC9's states, and then I would have an opportunity of satisfying my curioiity. Alter waiting for a month we Htdrced on our journey. Arrived at th 6 principality, we were received with marked attention and conveyed to the guc c t home. Tne place waa elegantly f uruUhed, a beaut ful garden surrounded it.'and a whole army of servants was ready to administer to our wants. Aoar/iaga was placed.at our dupoaal) and we wore told that when we wished to visit the " city" an elephant would be sent to carry us there. The day came to make the vsit, the elephant came with it, too. We passed through a long stretch of streets where the houses were of a most wretched descuption, and the natives seemed to be living in the greatest misery and squalor. 1 5v Bat at lust we reached the palace of the nizam. Hid highness) we were told, was at Saifabad^ spending tne summer there, but we were shown through ma palace. Tma ia bis principal residence. He has 36 of them in all, aud to each of them there ia a huretn attached. This one was the headqu irters, so 10 spgak, of hia army of wive 3. l'anoy a youug man of 2i summers, as his highness is, having close upon 000 wivesl My request to viaic thi harem was complied with, and I fortunately had with me as companion a lady who could speak Hindustante, and who had often visited, the mzain's court. We were escorted from the palace to the zenana. A thiok cloth wall surrounded the garden, and there were guards in uniform all around. The official wno accompanied us as far as the sanctum sanctorum left us in charge of a guard, who was in authority. He ied us through a decent garden, with plenty of rose plants and sweet-smelling bushes into a, corridor. We met several old women, who, we were told, were servants to the young princesses. At last we reached a large room and we entered what might properly be termed the hall of the zanaaa. I looked aoout for (those beautiful women, those soft eyes and lovely forms I had read of in books. I longed for the sweet-smelling attars and perfum9 from burning incense, but instead got a strong sniff of melting butter or fat) and an odor of the day's cooking. Six women were seated in swings and slaves were rooking them to and fro. There were othera squatted on carpets on the floor smoking hookahs. Some very pretty, but the majority were ugly. One timid-looking girl reminded me of the pioture of Esther in our pioture gallery, only that she did not wear that sad, unhappy look which the pioture shows. My companion addressed her, and Bhe then left her swing and came to us. She first examined my earrings, then my bracelets. Both were of silver. " Who gave you them?" she asked, pointing to these. "My husband." was my reply. " Then he does-not love you," she said. " Sac what my master has given me." she remarked, pointing to the jewellery with which she was loaded.

Sne wore large round earrings of gold with alternate diamonds and emeralds, and a cluater of pearte formed the centre. Her nose was smothered with a round gold ornament, set with rabies, diamonds, emeralds aud pearls, while from the tip of her nasal organ a huge emerald was suspended. Her throat was almost hidden with a triple necklace of alternate pearls and emeralds, the former the size of small hazel nuts, and the latter goodfuzed nuts of the same sort. On her wrists there were heavy gold bangles and her ankles were covered with the same kind of ornaments, only of a heavier description. All her fingers had richly jewelled ringß on them, and her toes were encased in gold circles. She wore a thick gold girdle round her wa'.st, set in the centre with precious gems, while 4he buckle coasi3tsd of a large sapphire. Every time she turned she tinkltd with the sound riher ornamentß, and the light flashed f;nrough the translucent gems. To say that she was loaded with jewellery was no exaggeration, for I never before saw a woman Garry anything like the amount this one did. After admiring her trinkets we turned our attention to her clothes. These consisted of a light eilk saree or cloth, bordered heavily with bullion ; a pretty choiis bodice of psarlycolored silk, tightly fitting, encased her form from her shoulders to her waist, and the aaree was tied round aud round the remainder of her body, with ju3t the enda, showing the gulden border, thrown over the head and shoulders. She looked pretty, but her jewels robbed her of much of her natural beauty. She was fairer than an Italian, not a brunette and not a blonde.

" There," she said, pointing to a prettier girl than herself who was smoking, "my husoand does not love her ; she has not the Fame jewellery as I have. I a>n hia married wife (iv-aim), the other ia only a concubine (niooa)." l .ti.uiy tried, tbroujh the assistance of my fnend.t 0 make her understand that the amount of jewellery did not form a test of love or hffaction. She would not believe it. By this time a whole troop of women came up. Some were very dark, others fair- Some bad the characteristic features of the gipßy, and others looked for all ttie wnrld like Eaglish girls. I addressed one ia English, thinking she really was one of my own raoe, but she gave me no answer. I learned that she was a beauty from Georgia. All of them were well loaded with jewellery, though there was a marked difference in the value oarried by the individual women.

" Will you not sit down ?" said one, as she pointed to the beautiful carpet laid on the floor. We both tried, but the civilised improvements in dressea were not conducive to sitting down with dignity and ease.

However, we squatted as best we could and reohned on the cushions. Pan suparee (nut and betel leaveß) were brought in on a ■> •■ r ■d we hud 'o take a little for courtesy. Then a servant woman, very old and very m-ioous, fpin.hietl rose water oxl us and prencnt'-'d us with a silk handkerchief each Tae woman we addressed first, whom we fctcerwards heard was one of the principal \?ives of the niz.im, ordered in some musioians. About half a dozen women entered, hearing guitars lutes, castanets and a kind of tambourine. One started a song, a wierd chant and melancholy to a degree. From smiling faces all became grave as the singer proceeded with her dirge. Every other line She mu3-.cians joined ia with the singer, and even some of the old servants entered into the ppiric of the chant, and in the absence of rnusioal instrument, beat their hands together in a peculiar manner. I could judge by the changing expression of the countenances of the hearers that they were interested in the song. At the conclusion I asked what it was all about. " Only a hero song," remarked my companion. "It relates the h>sory of a noble chief who fought many batt'es, conquered many dominions, had many wivea, was very good to everybody, and particularly so to his zanana. But one day misfortune befell him ; the Commander-in-chief sold hiß army to the enemy, the palace was seized, the harem taken captive and the chief killed. God, however, visited the sin of the oommanderin-chief on his own head, as he was destroyed by the very man who bribed him to Bell his late master." We were next regaled with sherbet. This was a syrup which, in addition to the sugar, contained either rose-water or some other scented liquid. It was very sweet, and as there were six different kinds before us we tasted them all. Sweetmeats in variety were placed before us, and we were obliged to eat more than we oaied lor. All the women were young ; some oould not have been more than 12 years old. I asked if there were any babies. " Ob, yeß," said one, " plenty." I then learned that his highness was the father of 10 children, four of whom were born in one month. There were no bibies in the zenana. The mothers were sent away to a large place outside the

One of the princesses began to examine our clothing. We were asked the use of each {uncle, and were orossexamioed on the folly o! uaiDgßo many pieces of underclothing. As for that indispensible article, the corset, the beauties of the zenana could not divine its value. (l S^e the biz 3of her waist," remarked a begun, undoiog her golden girdle, and showing it to us. I must admit that very few Eaglish girls oould possibly have shown each a «lim figure. " You will make yourself Rick," remarked the owner of tbs golden girdle flrnall waist, and gazelle eyes, as she returned trie prcoioa3 circle to its fitting place around her form. We wished to go, but the houris would not permit us. One more mischievous than the others suggested the propriery of nressing the Midamo Sahibs in oriental costume. No sooner was the suggestion made than the whole of the harem entered into the sprit of it. It was a relief to the dull monotony of their every-day life, and my companion and I, bearing this in mind, acceded (to the request. We set to work at once removing our wearing apparel, but the hurry they manifested to get quickly through this work brought them constantly in cllision with the pins in our dresses. The idea of as* suining oriental dress appeared so ridiculous So our mind that my companion and I fairly burst out laughing as the women commenced operations. They first dressed us in a pair of loose trousers, with all the colors of a rainbow in them. Then they put a silk cholie on. The bodioe has no back to it ; the front was of two pieces, and so cut as to expose the neck and part of the chest. Shoulder straps kept it firmly round the upper portion of the body, and a silk cord gathered it tightly

round the wai6t.

Then they threw a gauzy lavender-colored cloud of silk over my shoulders, with the ends falling carelessly on my head. One placed jewellry on me, while another, commanding me to cle?e my eyes, painted the upper and lower portions of my eyelids with a black subRtanoe called soornah. My fiDgers were next tinged with hennab, and there I stood before a glass dressed as an oriental and sparkling with jewels. I only wished I could have gone about as I wan, for 1 was literally carrying a fortune which many would have envied. After admiring us and laughing over our awkwardness in walking with heavy rings on our every-day apparel we bade them good- by, and, mounting our elephant, returned to the guesthouse, betttr informed of what* a harem was tnan we were before leaving home.