Unbeknown to most historians there exists an eye-witness account
of the return journey of Prince Mongkut. Pallegoix who had also set
out on a voyage to the north, in order to propagate the Christian
faith, had begun histravel probably on January 15, 1834.2
Late January, while the crew of his boat was slowly paddling
against the current of the Ping River at a location well over 300
kilometres north of Bangkok, the solitude of the river was suddenly
interrupted when he and hisrowers
[…] heard confused shouting and a terrible noise. Soon afterwards
they saw a multitude of large rowing boats, adorned
with peacock feathers, occupied with soldiers, dressed in red
and armed with pikes and halberds, that were coming down
the river with the speed of lightning. We understood immediately
that this was the Prince-Monk (presently the king of
Siam) who returned from his voyage to the Laos people, where
he had been to press gold-leaf on the Sacred Fang-tree, that is
to say an enormous sappan tree or campeche, one that is much