Page:Ossendowski - The Fire of Desert Folk.djvu/236

220 with brass wind-instruments of all sizes, clarionets and flutes. Soon the doors giving on the inner court were flung back and opened to us a view of a corner of the lovely park and of a shining, white palace with two coalblack eunuchs at either side of the entrance steps. From somewhere a trumpet sounded, and then a small green carriage, ornamented with red and gilt arabesques and drawn by an excessively fat little white horse with a plume of feathers on the top of its head, drew up at the stairs. The sultan appeared from the palace and took his place in the carriage. As he entered the court where we were waiting, the gathering of courtiers, stretched in two lines between the outer and inner gates, bowed low in salute, while the orchestra let out a most unexpected, piercing shout of welcome and began playing a lively air with many of the performers well off the key.

With the advance toward the outer gate we had time to observe the other elements of the procession. First came the vizier on a white horse caparisoned with a red saddle and cloth, followed by other dignitaries advancing slowly on foot with a measured, solemn tread. Behind these came another of the courtiers, a tall, stout, quite black old man with a sparse gray beard, walking in a strange manner—backwards, with his face ever turned toward the sultan and moving with such an air of ease and certainty that one felt sure he must have had long practice in his part. I took him to be the chief of the eunuchs. Immediately behind the slaves who were leading the pony by the bridle two courtiers walked close to the wheels of the carriage and continually waved long silken streamers to keep the flies away from the face of