It was while we were exploring an end of the garden where a thicket of fruit trees grew that we met our first real adventure.
The trees formed a regular jungle; but there seemed a well worn path between them, so we followed on, winding this way and that, until the sound of voices and laughter arrested our attention. The voices were sweet and fresh and the laughter ringing and merry.
While we paused to listen, hesitating whether to retreat or advance, a sentence in English caught our ears, and we looked at one another in surprise. Broken English it was, very quaintly and prettily uttered, and in a girl's voice; but after hearing it none of us cared to run away.
"Seen them I have--a peep--a view only--but they were young and handsome, these foreign devils," said the voice.
A peal of laughter greeted the remark, and the chatter went on in lower tones.
"We must be near the harem," whispered Archie.
"Nonsense," cautiously replied Joe. "The harem's way back by the palace. That's a sort of summer-house ahead of us."
It was merely a circle of willows, with their branches mingling and interlacing to form a roof.
"If they've had a peep at us, whoever they are, I mean to have a peep at them," said I; and without waiting for a reply I softly tip-toed toward the willows.
The others followed, but I did not heed them. Really I was hungry for the sight of a girl, merely to relieve the monotony of our intercourse with the harsh-featured eunuchs; but more than all I was curious.
Halting at the circle of trees I found a place where I could see the interior between the trunks, and then I paused spell-bound.
A table of woven reeds was in the center of the leafy bower, and around it were low chairs and settles of the same material. Seated at the table were three young and pretty Chinese girls--and if you think a Chinese girl cannot be pretty you should have seen this group as I saw it.
One maid was leaning on her dainty elbows over the table, on which lay an open book. She was not reading it, but looking earnestly at another maid half reclining upon a bench opposite. Her eyes were dark and smiling, her teeth white as pearls, her cheeks like rose leaves and her hair had a wonderful arrangement of bows and knitting-needles--or some such things--stuck this way and that to hold it all together.