Page 181 - A History of Siam

A HISTORY OF SIAM
173
against King Songt'am's brothers, Prince Sri Sin and
Prince After several in he
T'ong. spending years prison,
was released in 1622, and greatly distinguished himself in
the unfortunate to Cambodia in that A
expedition year.
year later he was discovered in an intrigue with one of the
ladies of Prince Sri Sin, and went back to gaol. On his
release he appears to have been tamed to some extent. He
was made Sri and was in the favour
P'ya Worawong, high
of the last few of his
King Songt'am during years reign.
It will be observed that he had reasons for
good oppos-
the accession of Prince Sri Sin to the throne. But
ing
the exclusion of the Prince was not The new
enough.
Kalahom was determined on his destruction. The
Prince had taken the of a
precaution becoming priest.
Yamada undertook the task of him
unworthy luring away
from his He visited the Prince and
sanctuary. persuaded
him that the would aid him to seize the
Japanese troops
throne. the Prince discarded the
Believing this, yellow
robe. He was at once seized and condemned to die.
He was sent to and there cast into a to
P'etchaburi, pit
perish of starvation.
One of the Prince's adherents, Luang Mongkon,
rescued him in a remarkable manner. He
very dug
another pit, communicating with the one in which the
Prince was confined. The of a slave was intro-
corpse
duced while
by night, and dressed in the Prince's clothes,
the Prince The their
escaped. guards, thinking prisoner
dead, filled up the pit with earth, and reported to Ayut'ia
that Prince Sri Sin was dead and buried. l
Prince Sri Sin then to raise a
managed large force,
seized several and was crowned as of Siam.
cities, King
In the end he was, however, defeated and captured.

1
This is van Vliet's account. The incident is related in rather a different
form in the book called Tht Statement of K'un Luang Ha Wat.