diff options
| -rw-r--r-- | .gitattributes | 3 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | 30064-0.txt | 2539 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | 30064-h/30064-h.htm | 2724 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | 30064-h/images/cover.jpg | bin | 0 -> 63473 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | 30064-h/images/image_005.jpg | bin | 0 -> 57747 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | 30064-h/images/image_006.jpg | bin | 0 -> 68798 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | 30064-h/images/image_011.jpg | bin | 0 -> 97243 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | 30064-h/images/image_021.jpg | bin | 0 -> 42684 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | 30064-h/images/image_030.jpg | bin | 0 -> 57167 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | 30064-h/images/image_041.jpg | bin | 0 -> 48381 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | 30064-h/images/image_050.jpg | bin | 0 -> 31785 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | 30064-h/images/image_061.jpg | bin | 0 -> 56689 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | 30064-h/images/image_066.jpg | bin | 0 -> 62252 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | 30064-h/images/image_072.jpg | bin | 0 -> 39842 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | 30064-h/images/image_083.jpg | bin | 0 -> 42378 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | 30064-h/images/image_092.jpg | bin | 0 -> 34285 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | 30064-h/images/image_103.jpg | bin | 0 -> 58656 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | 30064-h/images/image_112.jpg | bin | 0 -> 42641 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | LICENSE.txt | 11 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | README.md | 2 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/30064-8.txt | 2935 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/30064-8.zip | bin | 0 -> 58018 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/30064-h.zip | bin | 0 -> 864822 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/30064-h/30064-h.htm | 3145 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/30064-h/images/cover.jpg | bin | 0 -> 63473 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/30064-h/images/image_005.jpg | bin | 0 -> 57747 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/30064-h/images/image_006.jpg | bin | 0 -> 68798 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/30064-h/images/image_011.jpg | bin | 0 -> 97243 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/30064-h/images/image_021.jpg | bin | 0 -> 42684 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/30064-h/images/image_030.jpg | bin | 0 -> 57167 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/30064-h/images/image_041.jpg | bin | 0 -> 48381 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/30064-h/images/image_050.jpg | bin | 0 -> 31785 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/30064-h/images/image_061.jpg | bin | 0 -> 56689 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/30064-h/images/image_066.jpg | bin | 0 -> 62252 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/30064-h/images/image_072.jpg | bin | 0 -> 39842 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/30064-h/images/image_083.jpg | bin | 0 -> 42378 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/30064-h/images/image_092.jpg | bin | 0 -> 34285 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/30064-h/images/image_103.jpg | bin | 0 -> 58656 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/30064-h/images/image_112.jpg | bin | 0 -> 42641 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/30064.txt | 2935 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/30064.zip | bin | 0 -> 57994 bytes |
41 files changed, 14294 insertions, 0 deletions
diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6833f05 --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,3 @@ +* text=auto +*.txt text +*.md text diff --git a/30064-0.txt b/30064-0.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..98ca451 --- /dev/null +++ b/30064-0.txt @@ -0,0 +1,2539 @@ +*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 30064 *** + + [Illustration: THE PAGODA STEPS, RANGOON. _Page 18._] + + + PEEPS AT MANY LANDS + + BURMA + + + + BY + + R. TALBOT KELLY + R.I., R.B.A., F.R.G.S. + COMMANDER OF THE MEDJIDIEH + + + + WITH TWELVE FULL-PAGE ILLUSTRATIONS + IN COLOUR + BY THE AUTHOR + + + + + + LONDON + + ADAM AND CHARLES BLACK + + 1908 + + * * * * * + + + + +CONTENTS + + +CHAPTER PAGE + + I. THE LAND 1 + + II. RANGOON 5 + + III. THE PEOPLE 13 + + IV. THE IRRAWADDY 21 + + V. THE IRRAWADDY (_continued_) 29 + + VI. VILLAGE LIFE 35 + + VII. TOWN LIFE 41 + +VIII. FIELD WORK 50 + + IX. THE FOREST 56 + + X. THE FOREST (_continued_) 65 + + XI. TEMPLES AND RELIGION 74 + + * * * * * + + + + +LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS + +IN COLOUR + +BY R. TALBOT KELLY + + +THE PAGODA STEPS, RANGOON _frontispiece_ + +FACING PAGE + +"A DAINTILY-CLAD BURMESE LADY" 9 + +A REST-HOUSE 16 + +A NATIVE BOAT SAILING UPSTREAM WITH THE WIND 25 + +THE IRRAWADDY 32 + +ENTRANCE TO A BURMESE VILLAGE 41 + +AT THE WELL 44 + +THE MARKET-PLACE 48 + +IN THE DEPTHS OF THE FOREST 57 + +A DAK BUNGALOW 64 + +THE QUEEN'S GOLDEN MONASTERY, MANDALAY 72 + +THE SHWE ZIGON PAGODA, PAGAN 80 + +SHRINE ON THE PLATFORM OF THE SHWE DAGON PAGODA _on the + cover_ + +_Sketch Map of Burma on p. viii._ + + * * * * * + + +[Illustration: A SKETCH MAP OF BURMA.] + + + + +BURMA + +CHAPTER I + +THE LAND + + +How many boys or girls, I wonder, ever turn to their school atlas for +amusement, or try to picture to themselves what manner of countries +those might be whose strange and unfamiliar place-names so often make +their geography lesson a difficulty? + +Yet there are few subjects, I think, which might be made more +interesting than geography, and a map may often serve to suggest +delightful fancies to a boy or girl of imagination. + +Open your atlas at random and see what it has to tell you. Here, +perhaps in the heart of a great continent, stretches a mountain range, +and from it in many directions wind those serpent-like lines which +denote rivers. + +Following these lines in their course, through narrow valleys or wide +plains, we notice that upon their banks presently appear those towns +and cities whose names you so often find it difficult to remember, and +at length, frequently by many mouths that cut up the delta it has +formed, the river eventually finds its way into the sea. + +These are the simple facts our map gives us, but there is a great deal +of poetry behind. That mountain range is Nature's means of attracting +and holding the moisture-laden clouds which have been blown in from +the sea, and either in the form of rain or snow it stores up the water +evaporated from it. + +By thousands of little rills, or rushing torrents which score furrows +in its sides, the mountain gives up its store of water to feed the +thirsty plains, and with it yields also valuable ores and minerals, +which are often carried many many miles away to enrich a people too +far removed from the mountain to know the origin of their wealth. + +These little streamlets are not marked upon your map, but presently +they join to form one combined river, by which, through the many +hundreds of miles of its windings, the mountain eventually returns its +gathered waters to the sea, from whence they came. + +How interesting to follow the course of such a river, and try to +picture to oneself all it may have to show! What kind of mountain is +it from among whose rugged snow peaks first sprang those plunging +cascades, which, leaping and tossing over their rocky beds, join each +other at its base to form the river itself? Through what wild forests, +filled with curious vegetation, may it not flow, and how strange, +perhaps, are the people who, together with wild beasts and unknown +birds, inhabit its reedy margins! + +As the river grows in size, the grass huts and dug-out canoes of its +upper waters give place to towns which bear names, while large and +strangely-shaped boats carry the produce of the country to some great +seaport at its mouth, where ships of all nations are waiting to +transport it over thousands of miles of ocean to supply us with those +many commodities which we have come to regard as daily necessities! If +boys and girls would think of such things geography, I am sure, would +never be a _dull_ study. + +Now, to turn from an imaginary case to a real one, I want to tell you +something about Burma, a country which, though one of the most +interesting and beautiful in the world, is comparatively little known +to the majority of people. + +This may seem surprising when it is remembered that Burma now forms +part of our Indian Empire, and has for many years carried on a large +trade with England. We may perhaps better understand this if we turn +to our atlas and see how the country is situated. As you will see, +Burma lies on the eastern side of the Bay of Bengal, just north of the +Malay Peninsula, joining Siam and China on the one side and the Indian +provinces of Assam and Manipur on the other, while from an unknown +source in the heart of Thibet its great river, the Irrawaddy, flows +throughout the entire length of the country, and through Rangoon, the +seaport at its mouth, forming the great highway for commerce and +communication between the world at large and its little-known +interior. + +Looking at the map again, you will see that on each side of the +Irrawaddy, running north and south, are mountain ranges called +"yomas" (or back-bones, as the word means), which divide the country, +while other large rivers, such as the Sittang and Salween, flowing in +deep, precipitous valleys, render any communication with Siam +difficult. On the north-west similar ranges of hills form a barrier +between Burma and the frontier provinces of India, and when I tell you +that all these mountains are densely covered with forest and jungle, +and that the rivers are wide, and in many cases unnavigable, you will +understand how it is that Burma is not better known, and that so few +people undertake the arduous work of exploring its interior. Only by +way of one little corner in the north-east, where Burma joins the +Chinese province of Yunnan, is access from the land side easy, and +here caravans of Yunnanese constantly enter the country to trade at +Bhamo and Hsipaw. + +Otherwise, separated by its mountain chains and forests from the rest +of the world, Burma has for centuries remained untouched and +unspoiled, and it is only since the deposition of King Thebaw, in +1885, and the assumption of its government by England that the gradual +extension of the railway system is slowly bringing the interior into +easier communication with the outside world, and beginning to effect a +change in the character of the people. + + + + +CHAPTER II + +RANGOON + + +Anyone wishing to visit Burma must land at Rangoon, for it is not only +the largest and most important of its seaports, but the only one that +has direct steamer communication with England, or by river traffic and +railways affords access to the interior. The harbour is formed by the +tidal estuary of one of the many mouths of the Irrawaddy. Here it is +very wide, and a large number of steamers and sailing ships ride at +anchor, loading or discharging their cargoes into lighters and +quaintly-shaped native boats. + +Huge rafts of teak wood drift slowly downstream to the saw-mills below +the town, where trained elephants stack the logs with almost human +intelligence, and queer uptilted rowing boats, called "sampans," ferry +passengers across the river, or to the various vessels in the stream. +Long stretches of timber-built quays and iron-roofed "godowns" (or +warehouses) form the wharfs, upon which coolies of all nationalities +toil under the tropical sun. European officers in white drill and +sun-helmets superintend the loading of their vessels, longing to be +finished and away from a spot where everything vibrates and dithers in +the white glare. + +On shore the smoke from the rice-mills adds to the already +overpowering sense of heat, while from across the water the noise of +hammered iron from the repairing yards completes a picture of bustle, +heat, and toil. + +Yet Rangoon is a very pleasant place to live in, and as many of my +readers will, no doubt, have fathers or brothers in the East, they +will like to hear something about the place, and how people live +there. + +Behind the quay and warehouses the city lies, well laid out in broad +streets and squares, and having many fine shops and buildings. The +houses are mostly of that curious half-Italian, half-Oriental style +which we find in almost all Southern and Eastern seaports. They are +usually painted white, with green shutters to the windows, and are +often surrounded by broad verandas. The roofs are generally of red +tiles, which look pretty among the dark foliage of the trees which +often line the streets, and in spite of "topee"[1] and umbrella, +pedestrians are thankful to avail themselves of their shade, for the +air is hot and the white glare of the streets is most trying to the +eyes. + +[Footnote 1: Sun-helmet.] + +People of all nations throng the thoroughfares and bazaars--Indians +and Singalese, Chinese and Burmans--and one's first impression is a +vague confusion of picturesque costumes and unaccustomed types of +mankind; for Rangoon is cosmopolitan to a degree, and can hardly be +called a Burmese town at all. + +Anyone visiting Rangoon for the first time will, I think, be struck by +the many strange trades carried on in the streets, and it is +interesting to sit in the veranda of your hotel in the Strand and +watch the crowd as it passes. Here is a water-carrier, whose +terra-cotta water-jars are slung from a bamboo carried on his +shoulder, another man bears on his head a tray upon which a charcoal +fire is cooking a strong-smelling "tit-bit" some hungry labourer will +presently enjoy. Again, a Chinaman, perhaps wearing black skull-cap +and loose jacket and trousers, endeavours to tempt you to purchase the +fans or sunshades he is hawking. Huge baskets of coco-nuts or +vegetables, gaudily printed calicoes and haberdashery, cheap knives +and looking-glasses, and baskets of cool melons, are some of the +articles carried across the shoulders of the pedlars, while porters +pass to and fro bearing huge burdens from one warehouse to another. + +Flocks of goats are driven from house to house to be milked at the +doorstep, and occasionally a hill-man may be seen wandering about in +the hope of finding a purchaser for the freshly-caught leopard he is +leading. What will, perhaps, most strike Europeans are the bullock +gharries by which the heavy traffic of the town is carried on. These +are carts curiously shaped and often carved, with large and very +wide-rimmed wheels. They are drawn by a pair of Indian bullocks, sleek +cream-coloured beasts with mild and patient eyes, and often bearing +enormous horns, which, somewhat after the shape of a lyre, stand four +feet above their heads. + +Excepting for a single rein which is fastened to a ring through the +nose, no harness is used; but, instead, the cattle press against the +wooden yoke which is fixed to the pole of the cart, and is kept in +position by long pins which lie on each side of their necks. + +One thing which distinguishes these bullocks from our own is their +hump, which nearly all Eastern cattle have. This hump not only enables +them the better to work under the yoke, but, as in the case of the +camel, is provided by Nature as a storing-place for surplus fat, upon +which they can unconsciously nourish themselves when pasturage or food +is scarce. + +Large-turbaned Indian police keep order in the streets, where office +"chuprassies," or messengers, wearing their broad, coloured sash of +office across their shoulders, come and go upon their errands, and, +with the white-clad butler of a "Sahib" intent upon his marketing, +mingle with a crowd which is composed of all races and all stations of +life, from the wizened labourer in his loin-cloth to the wealthy baboo +or daintily-clad Burmese lady. It is a wonderful medley of strange +faces, costumes, and tongues, and among it all the self-sufficient +crow fights with the "pi" dogs over the garbage, to the amusement of +the children, who, often quite naked, play about the gutters. + +No such crowd in England could possibly have the same charm, for here +dirt, hunger, and rags are always apparent, while there the dirt is +lost in the glorious sunshine, and, instead of rags, we find bright +colours, while the people, though often poor, seldom, if ever, go +hungry. + +I have tried to give you some little idea of the life of the streets, +and now let us see something of the life of the "Sahib" in Rangoon. + +[Illustration: A DAINTILY-CLAD BURMESE LADY. _Page 8._] + +You boys and girls whose fathers are in India know that "Sahib" means +the Englishman, the merchant or official who carries on the business +affairs or government of the country, and many of you may remember +something of your very young days out there, before the time arrived +when it became necessary for you to leave the East and come to school +in England. + +Well, I may say that the English "Sahib" works very hard indeed, and I +am afraid he is already busy at his office long before we in England +have thought of getting up. Somewhere about six o'clock, after a light +breakfast called "chota-hazri," he is at his office, which he seldom +leaves till the evening. The offices are large and airy, and all the +windows are shaded by jalousies, or grass mats, which in hot weather +are wetted so as to cool the air as it passes through them. Slung from +the ceiling in long rows over tables or desks are the "punkahs," or +fans, which a "punkah-wallah" outside in the veranda pulls to and fro +with a rope in order to keep the hot air moving, and prevent the flies +and mosquitoes from settling. Every one, though clothed in the +lightest suit, works with his coat off, and in many cases, so as not +to interrupt the day's routine, "tiffin," or lunch, is eaten in the +office. Work is hard, steady, and continuous, and no one who has not +been there knows how well our relations in the East earn its many +compensations. + +Life there is not _all_ work, however, and its social conditions are +very attractive. From the time when his "tum-tum"[2] arrives at the +close of office-hours and the "Sahib" bowls merrily homewards, a new +life begins. Town becomes deserted, and the suburbs awake to offer +amusement and relaxation to the workers. + +[Footnote 2: Dogcart.] + +Let us accompany one of our friends on his way home. The sun is +declining and the air already much cooler, and the drive through the +shopping streets and the squares is very enjoyable. The town is soon +passed, however, and broad roads well shaded with many tropical +growths lead to cantonments, as the suburbs are called. Here are the +military lines as well as the bungalows of the residents. These +bungalows are generally large and comfortable-looking, and one can see +from their broad verandas and well-shaded windows that they are +designed for coolness. Nearly all are built of timber, and each stands +in its own compound, which is usually gay with flowers and well +provided with shade-trees. Separated from the house but connected with +it by a covered walk are the kitchens, and in a corner of the garden +are the stables, for horses are an essential in Rangoon. + +As we drive along the quiet roads they gradually become animated. The +ladies, who have been resting indoors during the great heat of the +day, pass us on their way to their tennis-parties or other +engagements, while, in charge of picturesquely-clad Burmese or Indian +ayahs, the little ones take their evening walk. Groups of Burmans of +the better class with their wives promenade the cool avenues in happy +contentment, or wend their way towards Dalhousie Park. The whole scene +is pretty and domestic, and the roads themselves form beautiful vistas +in the evening light, which gilds the feathery crests of the coco-nuts +and gives added colour to the deep-toned foliage of the padouk and +other trees which fringe them. Song-birds which are strange to us +call each other from the groves, and in the bamboo clumps the +grasshoppers are beginning to sing, while floating in the air, which +is now fresh and cool, is the scent of many flowers from the gardens. + +Dalhousie Park is one of the many attractions of Rangoon. It is large +and well laid out, with a very pretty lake, which winds among the +well-arranged groups of forest trees. There is a boat club here, and +gliding over the still water are many rowing boats and small sailing +craft. Swans and ducks are swimming about as the swallow skims the +surface of the water, breaking its deep reflections with a silver +streak. All the paths are thronged with people, some driving, others +on foot, and most of them presently congregate about the bandstand to +enjoy the music or exchange the gossip of the day. It is quite an +interesting sight. All the fashionable life of Rangoon is represented +here, and mingling with it are yellow-robed Buddhist priests and +natives of all classes; for the Burman loves to come here in the +evening, to listen to the band or watch the changing glory of the sky +as the sun slowly sets behind his beloved pagoda. + +Now the sun has set, and every one hastily puts on overcoats or wraps +before driving home, for the air becomes suddenly cold, and neglect of +these precautions will probably result in fever. + +Many adjourn to the gymkhana club before returning home. This is +principally a man's club, but here also on many days a band plays, and +the sight is a pretty one indeed as the children and their ayahs play +about the lawn, while their parents enjoy their tea at the little +tables scattered about it, before the falling dew drives the little +ones homewards, and their elders to the club-house for a game of +billiards or a chat. + +All this side of Rangoon life is very pleasant and very interesting, +but it is not Burmese. Rangoon has for so long been a great trade +centre that the easy-going Burman is rather overshadowed; but as it is +typical of many foreign places where our fathers or brothers are +occupied, and where some of my readers may presently have to go, I +thought it would be interesting to give you this glimpse of European +life in India, and in the next chapter I will tell you something about +the Burmans themselves. + + + + +CHAPTER III + +THE PEOPLE + + +Have you ever thought how the character of the various races of the +world is more or less determined by the nature of the country of their +origin? Rugged mountains and a hard climate produce people of a +similar severity of type, and, on the other hand, one naturally looks +for poetry and music in a people so pleasantly and romantically +situated as are the Italians. In the same way the Burmese are pretty +much what their country has made them. The land is so very fertile +that almost anything will grow there, and Nature provides food for the +people with the least possible effort on their own part. The climate +is also damp, warm, and enervating, so that one would not expect to +find among its inhabitants much energy or decision of character. Their +beautiful religion also makes them kind and gentle, and their +isolation, which, as I have pointed out, separates them from the +neighbouring countries, has left them almost entirely undisturbed by +the activities of the greater world. In fact, on account of their +easy-going and contented nature, the Burmese are often called the +"Irish of the East," and I am afraid it must be said that the men are +rather lazy, and, like their prototypes in some parts of Ireland, +leave most of the work to the women. + +As a rule, the Burmese women are industrious and clever at business, +most of which is conducted by them, while the men are more fond of +sport of all kinds than employment. All, however, are gentle in +character, light-hearted, and merry, and like to repeat in their +clothing the beautiful tints of their forest flowers and +gaily-coloured birds and butterflies. + +It is not surprising, therefore, that among the alien races so busily +engaged in the trade of Rangoon the Burmans should be overshadowed and +rather lost to sight; and though in Rangoon itself there are many +streets occupied entirely by them, it is in the quieter surroundings +of the suburbs that the Burman appears to advantage. + +Many little Burmese villages surround Rangoon, where, half buried in +the trees and creepers which envelop them, the quaint dwellings lie +more or less secluded from the road. All are built of timber or +bamboo, and have nothing in their design to make them noticeable. +Among them, however, are occasional "kyoungs," or Buddhist +monasteries, which are much more ornamental and striking. Like their +other buildings, the "kyoung" is constructed of timber, and stands +upon a wooden platform raised from the ground some four or five feet +by thick posts, which are usually carried through the balustrade which +surrounds the platform, and terminate in a carved head, steps leading +to the stage upon which the monastery is built. These "kyoungs" are +very curious in design, the walls, doors, and windows being +ornamented with carving, while their succession of roofs, one above +the other, often rise to a great height. To afford shade to the +platform below, the roofs project considerably beyond the walls, and +the ridges of each are decorated with carved woodwork representing +their "nats" and "beloos," as they call their good and evil spirits, +and the ends of the eaves terminate in a very striking ornament +supposed to represent the peacock, which, as you will see from the +picture, gives the building a very quaint appearance indeed. Sometimes +the monasteries are gilded, and the doors and wall-panels inlaid with +looking-glass, tinsel, and other glittering material, which makes them +appear very gorgeous in the sunlight. + +These monasteries are occupied by Buddhist priests, who teach the +children of the neighbourhood, or instruct the pilgrims who visit them +in the beauties of their religion, of which I shall have something to +tell you presently. All the priests have shaven heads, and wear a +simple robe of cotton, dyed to a bright yellow by the juice of the +cutch-tree. Gentle and hospitable themselves, they lead the most +simple lives. All the food they eat is given by the people, and it is +a very picturesque sight to see the daily procession of priests and +novices, each carrying a bowl in which to receive the offerings of +food so willingly given by the inmates of the houses they visit. No +request for alms is ever made, nor any word of thanks spoken, for such +gifts are freely offered by a people who believe in their religion, +and do so as an "act of merit." + +Close by the monasteries are the "zeyats," or homes for wandering +pilgrims. Though their roofs are ornamented in the same way as the +"kyoungs," they are more simple in appearance, and often have one side +entirely open to the air. Built primarily for pilgrims, anyone may use +them, and often a belated traveller is very thankful to take advantage +of their shelter against the night dews or tropical rains. + +Another striking feature of their architecture is the "pyathat," or +spire of five or seven roofs, each smaller than the other, which +finish in what they call a "ti," or umbrella of wrought iron +ornamented with flowers, and from which little bells and cymbals swing +and tinkle in the breeze. These spires, however, are only erected over +sacred buildings or the palace of a King. + +[Illustration: A REST HOUSE.] + +Most beautiful of all their buildings is the pagoda, as their temples +are called, and most beautiful, perhaps, of all the temples in Burma +is the great Shwe Dagon pagoda in Rangoon. "Shwe" means golden, and +this beautiful bell-shaped pyramid, which rises 370 feet above the +mound upon which it is built, is entirely overlaid with gold. The +mound itself, which is of considerable height, is artificially made, +the earth having been carried there in order to form a fortress and a +pedestal for the shrine. These pagodas are constructed of solid +brickwork, in which is often enclosed some sacred relic. Originally of +small dimensions, generations of Kings have from time to time added +further layers of brickwork to the gradually increasing structure, +until to-day this stupendous Shwe Dagon pagoda stands before us so +immense and so beautiful as to be rightly considered one of the +wonders of the world. Around the base of the temple is a large +number of shrines, each lofty, beautified by carved woodwork and +towering pinnacles, richly embellished with gilding and coloured +inlay, and each worthy itself to be a separate temple. Fantastic +images and carved balustrades connect the various shrines with each +other and with the great temple itself, and from ornamental pedestals +spring conventional representations of the sacred tree of Buddha, +delicately wrought in iron. Tall flagstaffs, 60 or 80 feet high, +surmounted by emblematical figures or representations of the Brahminy +duck, float their long streamers in the wind, while the sound of +tinkling bells descends from the "tis" with which every pinnacle is +crowned. Surrounding all is a broad platform fringed with shops and +other buildings, for the Burmese love their pagoda, and many spend +their days here, and the necessities of life must be provided. + +Nowhere in all Burma may a better idea of the Burmese be obtained than +on this pagoda platform. At all times of the day it is thronged by +people, not only from Rangoon, but from all parts of the country, who +come to pray or wonder at its beauty. At the shrines, in which are +always one or more images of Buddha, groups of devout Burmans pray. +Lighted candles burn before the images, while the worshippers, among +whom it will be noticed women predominate, bear flowers in their +hands, which before their departure they reverently lay upon the niche +in which the "Master" is enshrined. + +These flowers and coloured candles are sold upon the platform, leading +up to which are several covered staircases, which form the best +bazaar in Rangoon, as in the shops on either side of the ascent almost +everything from jewellery and toys to food-stuffs may be bought. The +entrance from the street below is very striking. The flight of broad +steps leads to a gilded and painted pavilion, on either side of which +stand enormous leogryphs, the mythical guardians of the temple. +Passing through an archway embellished by figures of "nats" and other +imaginary creatures, a long succession of steps, covered throughout +the whole distance by ornamental roofs, leads to the temple above, and +at all times of the day is thronged by brightly-clothed pedestrians, +ascending and descending through the alternate gleams of sunlight and +cool shade of the bazaar. Nowhere else in Burma can the people be +better studied than here, all classes being represented, and it may be +interesting if I describe them more closely. Like their neighbours of +Siam and China, the Burmese are Mongolian in type, but, without so +pronounced a cheekbone and slanting eye as the Chinese, are more +pleasing in appearance. Indeed, the men are often handsome, and among +the women and young girls I have seen many of extreme beauty. While +the men are often sallow, the women are generally more ruddy in +complexion, and all have hair of an almost purple blackness. Their +clothing is bright and clean-looking. All wear a short jacket, usually +white, though ladies of the better degree sometimes adopt figured +velvets and other rich materials. The men commonly wear a "lungyi," or +short skirt composed of coloured silk or cloth gathered round their +loins, or the more elaborate "petsoe," which is made of coloured silk +and in which many yards of loose material twisted into a bunch about +the waist serves as an additional scarf or head-dress should it be +cold. Short socks and boots of European make are now unfortunately +commonly worn, while a silk scarf of bright colour tied round the head +completes the male costume. + +The women are clad in much the same way, wearing a similar "lungyi" +and jacket or the more beautiful "temaine," a skirt of rich figured +silk, which is open on one side, exposing the leg up to the knee, to +which is added a broad fringe of darker material, which trails upon +the ground, giving it a more graceful appearance than the shorter +"lungyi." Wooden sandals are worn on the feet, while on their +shoulders is thrown a long scarf of delicately-coloured silk. Unlike +the men, the women wear no head-dress, but take great pride in their +hair, which is always glossy and well dressed, and almost invariably +is adorned by a comb or some choice flower. Endowed by Nature with +beautiful hands, they love to accentuate the point by a display of +jewellery, which, though sometimes worn to excess, is always _good_, +for the Burmese lady would scorn to wear a spurious gem. Pretty fans +or handkerchiefs are carried in the hand, while, like a halo +surrounding the head, dainty parasols, semi-transparent and +hand-painted, shield them from the sun. It is difficult to give any +true impression of such a Burmese crowd, in which every conceivable +variety of tint and texture is displayed, and permeating which is a +sense of universal gaiety and lightness of heart. It is like nothing +so much as a beautiful flower-garden, while the people themselves +would seem to be as free from care as the butterflies that hover above +the blooms. + + + + +CHAPTER IV + +THE IRRAWADDY + + +To all countries rivers serve the same purpose as the veins in one's +body, being their great source of life and activity. Not only do they +drain and fertilize the land, but also afford the readiest and most +economical means of transit for its trade; consequently on their banks +are found the largest cities and most active commercial life of the +country. + +This is particularly true of Burma, for, railways still being few in +number, the Irrawaddy forms its great highway for traffic, and a large +fleet of steamers plies regularly with freight and passengers between +Rangoon, Mandalay, and Bhamo, while thousands of native craft of all +shapes and sizes assist in the carrying trade of the country. + +For a thousand miles the Irrawaddy is alive with traffic, and on its +banks have settled the greater proportion of the population of the +country, for with the exception of a few isolated towns and +settlements, which are surrounded by cultivated areas of limited +extent, the whole country away from the river-banks is densely covered +by scrub jungle and primeval forest, practically uninhabited and +uncultivable. Throughout the length of the river, however, is one long +series of towns and villages, whose pagodas and monasteries crown +every knoll, and whose population seems largely to live upon the +water. + +The Irrawaddy is a stream of great size and volume, and, like all +rivers subject to periodic flood, is enclosed by high banks of +alluvial deposit, between which the river winds its devious way, laden +with that rich and fertile mud which, in the course of ages, has +formed the delta at its mouth. + +In the case of the Irrawaddy this delta is of large extent, and is +everywhere intersected by the deep creeks which form the many mouths +of the river, thus breaking up the alluvial plain into numerous +islands, between which communication is impossible except by means of +boats. + +These islands are for the most part covered with a dense jungle, which +forms a lair for tigers and many other wild beasts, and so close do +these tigers approach to Rangoon that one was recently shot inside the +great pagoda, in which it had taken refuge. While there I heard of an +amusing adventure which befell the keeper of the lighthouse at the +mouth of the Rangoon River. He was enjoying a morning stroll along the +beach, reading a book as he walked, and, as the sun was bright, he +held his white umbrella before him to shield himself from the glare of +sand and water. Suddenly he stumbled over a tiger lying fast asleep +upon the shore, and with a yell of terror the lighthouse man, dropping +book and sunshade on the ground, fled away as hard as he could run in +one direction, to discover presently that the tiger, just as much +alarmed as himself, had made an equally precipitous flight in the +other. + +All these lower water-ways of the Irrawaddy are tidal, for they are +quite close to the sea, and at high water the land is scarcely raised +at all above the water level. Mango-trees, dwarf palms, and reeds +fringe the muddy banks, on which, raised upon poles and built partly +over the water, are the huts of the fishermen, who, half naked, ply +their calling in quaintly-shaped, dug-out canoes. To the north of the +principal creek which connects Rangoon with Bassein stretches a vast +plain of fertile "paddy" land, where each year is grown that enormous +crop of rice which forms Burma's chief export. + +From every landing-place cargo boats of many kinds, manned by crews of +different nationalities, drop downstream to Rangoon, heavily laden +with "paddy," as the unhusked rice is called, which, after treatment +at the mills, will be shipped abroad. + +Though hardly beautiful, perhaps, these tidal waters are of great +interest to the new-comer, who probably for the first time sees the +feathery coco-nut and graceful areca-palm growing in their natural +state among the many other strange trees that flourish upon the banks. +At each stopping-place, also, is the picturesque native village, often +surrounded by banana-groves and gardens of sesamum. High on the banks +boats are being built or repaired, in readiness for next season's +flood, while on the water the continuous stream of traffic is of +never-failing interest. + +Above Prome, however, where the river flows between the mountain +ranges which form the great backbone of Burma, every mile of the +journey is of great and varied beauty. + +The banks are high, and cut into terraces by the varying levels of the +river, and are crowned by a belt of almost continuous forest-trees, +among which, half hidden in the foliage, are the towns and villages +which so frequently occur on both banks. Behind, the rising ground, +naturally rocky and broken, is entirely enveloped by a dense forest, +which stretches in leafy undulations to the lofty mountains which loom +in the far distance. + +The Irrawaddy is rapid in its flow, and, like all flood rivers, is +constantly changing its course, as the scour of the water washes away +a portion of the bank from one spot, to form a sand-bank in the stream +lower down. Consequently, navigation for large steamers is difficult, +and the whole course has to be marked out by buoys of bamboo, which, +in some of the more difficult reaches, must be constantly changed. +Some of these steamers plying on the Irrawaddy are very large, being +over 300 feet long, and nearly 80 feet in width. Many of them carry +upwards of 2,000 passengers, mostly deck passengers, who, in the aft +part of the ship, conduct a travelling bazaar for the benefit of such +towns and villages on the banks as have no regular shops of their own. +At each landing-place crowds of people, again mostly women, are +awaiting the arrival of the steamer, carrying various goods for sale +or barter, while others eagerly board the steamer to make such +purchases as they require. + +[Illustration: A NATIVE BOAT SAILING UPSTREAM WITH THE WIND. _Page +26_] + +Almost every requisite of life may be bought in these floating +bazaars--clothing, cutlery, or hardware, lamps and looking-glasses +(which latter are always in great demand), preserved eggs from China, +English flour, Indian curries and sweetmeats, cooking utensils, +"ngapi" (or rotted fish) from Yandoon, are some of the articles +offered for sale, in return for which the villagers have to offer +supplies of oil, cutch, rice, native silks, and beautifully-made +baskets and lacquer-work. + +At important stations the landing-places consist of barges moored +alongside the banks, and these are moved from time to time as the +varying levels of the river demand. More frequently, however, the bows +of the steamer are simply run into the bank, while its crew of +Chittagonians jump overboard to carry the mooring rope ashore. It is +amusing to watch the mass of struggling humanity who throng the +landing-places on the arrival of the steamer. Every one, whether +landing or embarking, strives to be first upon the narrow gangway +which connects the steamer's sponson[3] with the shore, with the +result that many are thrown into the water. Each is intent upon +conducting his business to the best possible advantage in the limited +time at his disposal, for the steamer's visit does not occur every +day, and its stay is short. + +[Footnote 3: The small platform which connects the paddle-box with the +steamer's deck.] + +Along the margin of the river are many who, indifferent to the arrival +of the mail, are engaged in washing their clothes or utensils, while +boys and girls gambol on the banks, or, swimming with delightful ease, +frolic round the steamer in the water. + +Interesting though life in the steamer is, that of the river as seen +from its decks is even more so. The native boats are most quaint in +their designs, the most striking being the "laungzat." This is a +vessel often of very large size, and capable of carrying a large +amount of cargo. Its bows are sharply uptilted, the cut-water +frequently rising clear of the water. The hull is beautifully +modelled, and the stern, rising high above the water in a sort of +tower, is often elaborately carved. Half its length is covered by a +deck-house for the crew, on the roof of which a canopy of reeds or +grasses gives shelter to the steersman, who, raised in this way, is +better able to steer clear of the shoals and shallows which beset the +stream, and which from the lower deck would probably not be seen. The +rudder is a long paddle, also carved, which is slung in a loop over +the stern, while a further decorative effect is often obtained by +inverted soda-water bottles stuck upon poles along the sides. + +Coming downstream the vessel is propelled by oars, usually twelve to +sixteen, which the crew ply with a slow rhythmic swing. During the +monsoons, when strong winds blow upstream, sails are used instead of +oars. The mast is composed of two bamboos lashed together at the top, +their lower ends being made fast to the gunwale. On this frame, from +bamboo yards curved slightly upwards, is spread a curious combination +of six or seven square sails, which, though only of use when running +before the wind, enable the boat to travel at a great speed. There are +many other kinds of boats in use, all equally distinctive in +character; and even the dug-out canoe is pretty, its fore-foot rising +clear of the water in a slight curve, which lends an element of beauty +to what would otherwise have been simply a straight log. + +Fishing is frequent along the river-bank, the favourite appliances +being nets of various kinds. Often on a sand-bank may be seen a little +hut raised high above the ground, and composed of bamboo and reeds. +This is the shelter for the fisherman, who with a drag-net buoyed by +sun-dried gourds fishes the neighbouring shallows. Hand-nets are +occasionally used, but most interesting, perhaps, is the curious kind +of cradle by which a net stretched upon a bamboo frame is let down +into the water from the bank, particularly on the passing of a +steamer, when the startled fish dart in shore and are caught in the +net, which is raised at the proper moment by the watchers on the bank. + +Very interesting also are the rafts, composed of logs of teak and +pyingado, which, cut in the forests far inland, are constructed in the +creeks, as the forest streams are called, and are then launched into +the Irrawaddy upon their voyage of often many weeks before Rangoon is +reached. + +These rafts are frequently of enormous size, and are manned by crews +of Shans, whose numbers vary according to their size. Without means of +propulsion, the rafts simply drift with the stream, but are guided to +some extent by a number of paddles fixed at either end, by which the +crews endeavour, not always successfully, to keep them clear of shoals +and their heads downstream. + +In many cases the population of a raft is so considerable that quite a +little village of huts is built upon it, and I have seen cows, goats, +and fowls, as well as the wives and children of the crew, housed upon +it. In one case at least I remember seeing a raft upon which was +erected a bamboo pagoda, and frequently upon the sand-banks in the +river small pagodas of the same material are erected for devout +watermen. + +Not least among the many beauties of the Irrawaddy are the glorious +sunsets behind the "Yomas," when the colours are repeated in the +limpid water, which perfectly reflects the pinnacles of "kyoungs" or +pagodas, or the pretty village that lies half hidden amidst the varied +foliage which in rich masses crowns the banks. + + + + +CHAPTER V + +THE IRRAWADDY (_continued_) + + +Almost every morning dense mists hang upon the river, screening +everything from view until the sun, slowly gaining power, presently +dispels the fog and reveals the beauty of the scene. + +Very beautiful indeed are some of these panoramas disclosed in the +early sunlight. + +Close beside the high and clear-cut bank, crowned with flowering +kine-grass, our steamer lies, the silently-flowing river gurgling and +bubbling under our keel. The water is quite still, and repeats every +detail of the opposite shore, behind which, rising terrace upon +terrace, are the wooded "Yomas," in whose ravines and valleys still +hangs some remnant of the fog. The foliage is of many kinds, the +feathery tamarind and acacia contrasting well with the more heavily +leaved banyan; betel-nut and toddy-palm rise above the mulberry or +mimosa, and conspicuous among the varied tints of the forest is the +delicate green of the bamboo, to the Burman the most useful perhaps of +all the forest growths, and everywhere abounding. + +Life awakens with the sun. Herds of cattle roam along the shore, while +in the fields from raised platforms half-nude men and boys scare +wild-fowl from the ripening crops. The smoke of many fires on shore +and from the craft upon the water rises perpendicularly in the still +air, as the frugal morning meal is being prepared ere another day's +work begins. + +Between its banks the Irrawaddy sweeps in splendid curves, producing +an ever-growing sense of bigness and dignity. Some of its reaches are +very wide, and have more the appearance of an inland lake than a +river. On such sand-banks as are not already occupied by fishermen, +flocks of wild-goose, storks, and other waders are roosting or fishing +in the shallow pools. Kingfishers dart hither and thither after their +prey, and wild-duck in great numbers settle upon its smooth surface, +to feast upon the teeming fish with which the river abounds. + +In general the scene is one of placid beauty: even the rugged mountain +sides are smoothed and softened by their covering of greenery, and the +warm air and limpid water combine to produce an effect of quietude and +repose, which the contented character of the Burman does little to +disturb. + +At certain places, however, as in the defile above Mandalay, the +scenery is of a more vigorous character. + +Here the river narrows considerably, and in its deep and silent flow +winds for many miles between high hills which closely confine it, and +in one place rise in a perpendicular cliff 800 feet sheer above the +water. + +I was fortunate in approaching the defile in the early dawn, when the +morning mists still hung heavy upon the hills of lurid blackness which +marked its entrance. Between them was an impenetrable gloom, which +seemed to promise no means of egress, and as we steamed rapidly +towards it, one unconsciously felt that here was the end of all +things, and that nothing could possibly lie beyond. It was a most +weird sensation, which the river, so darkly flowing between banks we +could hardly see, served to emphasize. + +Presently the rising sun lit up the clouds of vapour piled high above +the hills, and then for half an hour continued the most beautiful and +ever-changing play of colour imaginable, as the slowly-moving fog +wreaths wound about the mountain tops, now rosy in the sunlight, or +again in pearly shade, while alternate gloom and gleam tipped the +hills with gold or enveloped them in a purple mystery. + +By the time our steamer entered the defile full daylight better +enabled us to observe our surroundings. + +Here, as elsewhere, the vegetation was luxuriant; every crevice in the +rocks afforded foothold for some tree or creeper, while the hilltops +and more sloping sides were densely covered with forest trees. + +The passage of the defile occupies about two hours, and the course of +the river is very tortuous. + +At the bends little beaches of bright shingle lie against the +tree-roots. Fishing cradles, such as I have described, are frequent, +and cormorants in great numbers share with the fishermen the spoils of +the river, for nowhere on the Irrawaddy are the fish of better quality +than here. + +Altogether, in the impressiveness of its scenery, the quiet, +irresistible flow of the river, and the bright tints and varied +growths of the forest, the lower defile of the Irrawaddy forms one of +the most striking scenes I have ever enjoyed; and if the river had no +other beauty than this to show, it alone would amply repay the +traveller for his journey. + +Though in general so fertile, there is one part of the river where the +hills which lie on its western side are entirely barren, and the +reddish-yellow rocks appear very hot and uninviting by comparison. Yet +this forbidding district is one of the busiest and richest of all +Burma, for this is the great oil-field of the country, and the +chimneys of pumping stations which stretch for miles along the hills +and river-bank show how actively the trade is being worked. Formerly +Burma was obliged to import all her lamp-oil from America, but now, +although a certain amount of American oil is still imported, Burma not +only produces sufficient for their own use, but is able to export a +considerable quantity to other countries, and many of the steamers on +the river use the crude or unrefined oil as fuel. + +Here and there in the river are moored curious-looking dredgers +engaged in pumping up the river sand, from which is separated the gold +dust with which it is so freely mixed. The gold comes from unknown +veins hundreds of miles away, and is to be found in greater or less +quantities all down the river, and though the natives have always been +in the habit of "washing for gold," it is only within the last few +years that any real attempt has been made to work it on a large scale. + +[Illustration: THE IRRAWADDY. _Chapters IV and V._] + +The Irrawaddy has many tributaries, but though the larger streams, +such as the Chindwin and Mu Rivers, are always flowing, most of the +smaller forest streams are dry, excepting during the monsoon, which +continues from May until September. At this season, swelled into +torrents by the rains, they pour into the Irrawaddy, quickly raising +its level 40 to 50 feet, and the peaceful river which I have described +becomes a mighty flood, in places 2 miles in width, full to the top of +its banks and overflowing the fields and flooding the village streets, +and sweeping away from its sand-banks those huts and pagodas and other +temporary buildings we have noticed, while the mud which its turbid +waters carry each year adds a little to the delta at its mouth. + +Very often crossing the mouth of these tributaries you may see a +framework of bamboo, over which fishing-nets are spread as the river +rises, and in the pools of slack water which lie at the mouths of the +forest creeks a great collection of logs lie floating. These logs have +been cut in the forest long before, and have gradually been collected +at some such convenient spot, where a large number of natives are +busily engaged in building them into one of those huge rafts so +constantly met with on the river. These rafts have a long journey +before them, and constantly grounding as they do, no ropes would hold +them together through all the wear and tear of their weeks upon the +water, so instead of ropes rattan is used. This is a peculiarly long, +tough, and flexible cane, which grows all over the forests, and is +often a hundred yards or more in length. The logs are mostly of teak +(about which I will tell you more presently) and pyingado or +iron-wood, which is so heavy that it sinks in the water, and +consequently rafts of bamboo are first built, and beneath them the +pyingado logs are slung. + +An interesting place is Bhamo, the last station for the river steamers +and close to the frontier of China. The town is more Chinese than +Burman in character, though on the banks of the River Taiping are the +remains of pagodas and other buildings of purely Burmese origin. + +Then, again, there are other defiles on the river beside the one I +have already described, and many other points of interest which I +might mention. Thabeitkyan, the landing-place for the ruby-mines, +three days' journey inland; the rocky island with its monastery and +pagoda, whose priests are said to be able to tame the fish in the +river, which they feed by hand; the great bell at Mingoon, or the +water-side fair at Shwegu, and a host of others. It would be +impossible for me to tell you about everything of interest that the +Irrawaddy has to show, but perhaps I have said enough to give you some +little idea of how beautiful and interesting a river it is. + + + + +CHAPTER VI + +VILLAGE LIFE + + +Leaving the river, let us go ashore at one of the many villages on its +banks, and see how the Burmese live. + +Our steamer lies alongside of the bank while the cargo is being +landed, and its fuel of eng-wood is put on board. This is hard work, +and is generally done by girls, who are paid by piece-work, and +generally lose no time in the operation. Bales and cases lie upon the +bank, and are being loaded into bullock-carts or carried to the top of +the "bund," as the bank is called, where pack-ponies are waiting to +carry them to more distant destinations. + +The villagers "shikoh"[4] as we land, and swarms of youngsters follow +us on our tour of the village; but though greatly interested in +ourselves and our hardly-concealed curiosity, they are always polite +and never annoy us in any way. + +[Footnote 4: The Burmese form of salute.] + +The village lies close beside the river, and is, as usual, bowered in +trees, which overhang the bank. Its other three sides are enclosed by +a stockade of thorns or wooden palings as a protection against wild +beasts or attack by dacoits, bands of robbers who until recently +lurked in the jungles, and often raided outlying and unprotected +villages. + +The stockade is nearly always overgrown with creeping plants, yellow +convolvulus, tropæolum, and a charming little climber like +canariensis. On each side is a gate built of balks of timber, and so +heavy that it must run on wheels. This gate is always shut at +nightfall, so that no one can enter the village unknown to the +watchman, who is called "kinthamah" and keeps his "kin" in a little +booth called "kinteaine" erected close beside the gate. + +By the gates and at intervals along the roadside are little cupboards +raised above the ground and thatched with grasses called "yaiohzin"; +these contain jars of drinking water for the use of wayfarers, and are +always kept replenished by the villagers. The drinking cup is usually +made of a polished coco-nut shell with a long handle of some hard +wood, and it is noticeable that the water is never spilled or wasted, +for Burma is a thirsty land and some of these watering-places are far +from the river, and every one drinks with due regard to the +necessities of the next comer. + +Entering the large compound which the stockade encloses we are in the +village itself. Here the houses of the Burmans are pleasantly situated +among rows of toddy-palm, mango, padouk, and other trees, among which +the peepul, or sacred ficus, is almost always found. + +The houses are more or less arranged so as to leave a lane or street +between them, and are generally built of bamboo, though many have +their principal timbers of teak or eng-wood. The floors are usually +of split bamboo, and the roof of elephant-grass, or "thekka," as the +thatch of dried leaves is called, forms a good protection against the +summer sun or monsoon rains, while the walls are formed of bamboo +mats, often coloured and woven into some pretty though simple design. + +As the front of the house is generally more or less open, we are able +to see much of the interior arrangements. Sleeping mats of grasses +supply the place of beds, and no chairs are to be seen. On a low stand +of carved wood is the tray upon which their simple meals are served, +and cooking-pots of bronze or earthenware lie about the "chatties" +which contain the fire. Painted and carved boxes contain the family +wardrobe, and in one corner is the stand for the large jars in which +their supply of drinking-water is kept. Mat partitions perhaps screen +inner rooms which we cannot see, but all the domestic appliances +visible are of the simplest character, but ample for the needs of the +people. + +All the buildings are raised several feet above the ground as a +protection against snakes, floods, and malaria, and the space below +often forms a stable for the cattle and a useful storing-place for +agricultural or other implements. These simple homes of the Burmans +are often very pretty as they lie among the trees which cast their +broad shadows across the straggling lane, grass grown and deeply +rutted by the cart-wheels. Bougainvillæa and other creepers spread +luxuriantly over the roofs, or drop their festoons of flowers from +the eaves. Bananas wave their broad leaves gracefully above the +houses, in cool contrast to the richer foliage of the larger trees, +and among all this greenery, alternately in sunlight or shadow, move +the brightly-costumed villagers themselves, most interesting of all. + +Here comes a pretty young mother clad in "lungyi" of apple-green and +dainty white jacket. Cross-legged over her shoulder is her infant, to +whom she talks softly and endearingly as she walks. Presently her home +is reached, and all the joy of motherhood shines in her happy face as +she gently swings her child to sleep in its cradle of rattan which is +slung from the roof above. + +Again, an old man passes, guided by a little boy, who is proud to +assist his grandfather; for respect for the aged, no less than love +for their children, is a dominant trait in the character of the +Burman. + +While many are working in the paddy-fields, other of the villagers +find their occupation nearer home, and employ themselves in such work +as mat and basket making (in which the children assist), the weaving +of silk, and the manufacture of pottery. In sheds made for the purpose +oil or sugar mills are being turned by bullocks, while in some few +villages is made that pretty red and gold lacquer-work we know so well +in England. Notice also the village blacksmith, who, with primitive +tools, hammers out those curiously shaped "dahs" and knives used by +the wood-cutters, while beside him, with equally simple implements, +the carpenter puts the finishing touches to the carved yoke of a +gharry. + +In the streets the naked youngsters are playing at their games. Many +are like our own, and marbles, peg-tops, leap-frog or kite-flying +each have their turn, while in the ditches and puddles the boys hold +miniature regattas with their toy sailing-boats. + +In the monastery or some private dwelling in the village the children +go to school, and as they become older some occupation employs their +time. While the boys are engaged with the cattle or about the boats, +the girls are occupied in cutting firewood in the jungle, or from the +pools in the forest collect the crude oil which they burn in their +lamps. + +Roaming at will through the village are pigs and poultry, geese and +cattle, and the inevitable "pi dog" of the country. These dogs are +peculiar, being wild, yet attaching themselves to some particular +house, whose interests they seem to make their own, and which, by +vigorous barking, they make a pretence of guarding. In some villages, +also, the pigs, which are long-legged and fleet of foot, seem to act +in the same capacity, strongly objecting to the intrusion of +strangers, and even when riding my pony I have been attacked by them +and forced to retire. + +During the day many of the villagers have been busy in the +rice-fields, for rice is their staple food and the only crop generally +cultivated; even infants of a day old are fed upon it, the rice being +first chewed by the mother, and each tiny mouthful washed down by a +few drops of water. Towards evening, when the tired cattle draw their +creaking carts homewards, the streets are thronged with the labourers +returning from their work, ready for the simple meal of rice and +"ngapi" their wives have prepared for them. + +It is a simple, happy life which these villagers lead, graced by many +pretty customs of domesticity. + +Rising with the sun, with it also they retire to rest, and as the last +sweet tones of many gongs from the village monastery proclaim the +close of their evening prayer the stockade-gates are closed, and, save +for the howling of jackals outside, or the yapping of a dog, silence +reigns throughout the village. + +[Illustration: ENTRANCE TO A BURMESE VILLAGE. _Page 10._] + + + + +CHAPTER VII + +TOWN LIFE + + +Owing to their primitive methods of building and choice of materials, +a Burmese town differs very little from a village except in point of +size, though occasionally the houses are of two stories and +timber-built throughout. + +The stockade is absent, and in its place deep ditches, partly filled +with water, surround the houses, and run alongside of the streets, +which are, perhaps, somewhat wider and more regularly planned. + +The approach to the town is often very pretty, the water reflecting +the waving palm-trees and picturesque buildings, while the roads, +which in Burma are usually nothing but a track, have, as they near the +town, some semblance of solidity. + +Little bridges cross the ditches, and give access to the houses, round +about which are often raised paths or causeways of burnt brick set +"herring-bone" fashion. These prove a comfort in the rains, when the +streets of the town are rivers and the whole country a sea of mud. + +Trees in plenty shade the road and houses, and shops and small bazaars +give an air of business to the town, whose principal street, however, +is largely covered with grass, and affords a convenient place in +which to try a pony's paces. + +Some of the streets have side-walks, a shade less dusty (or muddy, as +the case may be) than the road itself, and in the least frequented of +them dwarf palmettos enjoy a lusty existence. + +Enclosed by low palisades in front of many houses, cannas, hibiscus, +poinsettia, or lilies are growing, and rare orchids hang from the +eaves, to provide in their strange but lovely blossoms a flower for +some woman's hair. Indoors, in coloured pots or stands of often +elaborate design, are other flowers, always most carefully tended, for +the Burmans love what is beautiful in Nature. + +In the streets the life of the people is only a slight amplification +of that of the villages, the shops with their attendant customers +marking the principal difference, while in bullock-carts of more +ornamental design than those of the villages, the families of the +well-to-do enjoy their outing. + +Though always two-wheeled and drawn by a pair of oxen, there is a +certain amount of variety in the native carts. The wheels are +generally large, and are placed very wide apart, in order to lessen +the risk of capsizing in the terribly rough roads they often have to +travel. + +In the common country carts the wheels have very wide rims, across +which is fastened a single flat piece of wood instead of spokes, and +in many cases the wheels are quite solid. The body is plain, but the +yoke and yoke-pins are often carved, and the pole usually finishes in +some grotesque ornament. + +When travelling the carts are covered by a hood of matting, and a +mattress inside eases the jolting by day, and serves as a bed at +night. + +The pleasure gharry, however, is quite a pretty vehicle. The wheels +have a very large number of thin spokes, and the hub is always +ornamental. The sides consist of an open balustrade, and the rails +sweeping backward in a fine curve, to terminate in a piece of carving +high above the rail. + +In Mandalay another pretty cart is used by the ladies when out calling +or shopping. This is a closed carriage built entirely of wood, each +panel of which is carved, and is just high enough in the roof to +permit the ladies to sit upright upon their cushions. We can see them +through the little unglazed windows, looking pretty or dignified, as +the case may be; but dignity disappears so soon as they attempt to +dismount, for this can only be done through a small door at the back, +through which the rider must crawl backwards and then drop to the +ground. + +Games, as usual, figure largely in the young life of the place. A +curious kind of football called "chinlon" is very general, and the +instinct for sport comes out early in the boys, who, while flying +their kites, attempt by skilful manoeuvring to saw through each +other's lines and so prove a "conqueror." The little girls have their +amusements also, and it is pretty to see a little one being drawn +about in a diminutive go-cart, or, squatting on her haunches by the +doorstep, endeavouring to fathom the intricacies of doll-dressing. + +Let us wander round the streets and see what we can find to interest +us. First it will be noticed that beside every house are two long +poles; one has a hook at its end, and the other is formed into a sort +of broad paddle. These are provided in case of fire, when with the +hook the thatch is pulled down, or the fire beaten out with the other. +Fires are constantly occurring, for though every house is supposed to +have a separate cooking shed, carelessness, or the habit of cooking +indoors, is largely responsible for them, and there is very little +hope for dwellings built of such inflammable material once a fire +starts. Consequently in all parts of the country roofs of galvanized +iron are slowly taking the place of the picturesque "thekka," even the +"kyoungs" and "zeyats" being roofed by it; and unfortunately, as +creepers do not take kindly to this new form of roofing, it will, I am +afraid, always remain an eyesore among what is otherwise so +picturesque. + +In many of the streets are wells, surrounded by a wall and crossed by +a heavy beam of wood to which pulleys are attached, through which run +ropes with hooks at their ends, by means of which the water-pots are +lowered. This is a great place of congregation for the young people, +and is always surrounded by animated groups of young men and maidens, +who, with pretty courtesies or coyness, carry on their youthful +flirtations. + +The Burman is always delightfully natural, and seems to live in the +open daylight. At the doorstep of one house are mother and daughter, +busy sewing up cloth, their red lacquer box of sewing materials +between them. At another a dainty housewife entertains her guests at +tea, for tea is now largely drunk in Burma. + +[Illustration: AT THE WELL.] + +All the shops are open to the street, and we may see the various +trades in operation. + +It is interesting to see the umbrellas being made. They are almost +flat when open, the frame consisting of a multitude of thin bamboo +ribs formed by splitting _one_ bamboo into many sections, so that the +knots of the cane occur at the same regular distances on the ribs, so +forming a kind of pattern. The common kinds are very large, some of +those in use in the market-places being as big as a small tent. These +are covered with calico, oiled or varnished, and form an excellent +protection against sun or rain. More delicate sunshades are made of +the same materials, or of silk; these are smaller, and are often +painted in rings of flowers or foliage, which has a very pretty +effect, and the sun shining through them throws a rich orange shade +over the head and shoulders of the bearer. + +Then, there are the silk-weavers and silversmiths, whose work is +probably the best of its kind produced in any country, and in Thayetmu +and Rangoon I have seen silver-work produced which, in my opinion, is +unequalled for beauty of design or excellence of workmanship. + +Turning enters largely into their decorative woodwork, and the +turners, who use a very simple form of foot-lathe, are busily engaged +in providing the various articles required--pilasters for a balcony, +hubs for a cart-wheel, or the turned finials of a baby's cot. In a +kindred trade the wood-carver is busy producing embellishments for +the "kyoung" or "zeyat" which some wealthy resident is erecting. + +Though the Burmans occasionally become drunk on "toddy" (a beverage +made from the flower of the toddy-palm), they are by habit abstemious +and simple livers; rice and vegetable curries, bananas, jack-fruit, +papaya, and other fruits, form their staple food, and, forbidden by +their religion to take life, fish is practically the only variant to +their vegetable diet, the fisherman excusing himself by saying that +"_he_ does not kill the fish: they die of themselves." + +All smoke, however, and men, women and children equally enjoy their +huge cheroots, composed of the inner bark of certain trees mixed with +chopped tobacco, which are rolled into the form of a cigar in the +spathe of Indian corn or some similar husk, and no meal would be +considered to be properly set out without the red lacquer box +containing betel, which is universally chewed. Betel is the nut of the +areca-palm, and before being used is rolled between leaves on which a +little lime is spread. The flavour is astringent and produces +excessive expectoration, and, by its irritation, gives to the tongue +and lips a curious bright pink colour. Still, it is considered an +excellent stomach tonic, and so far as one can judge has no worse +effect than to blacken the teeth of the user. + +Every village or town has its pagodas, which in some cases are very +numerous. The Burman spends little upon his home, which is always +regarded as of a temporary nature, and in the erection of a pagoda or +other religious building the wealthy native finds an outlet for his +energies, and earns "merit" for himself. Few of the modern village +pagodas are of any particular beauty, and I cannot but think that the +money spent upon them would be far better employed in restoring and +preserving the many beautiful and ancient temples scattered all over +the country. + +In many towns is a sacred tank or reservoir, so entirely covered with +lotus and other plants that the water cannot be seen. Large fish and +turtles of great age inhabit them, but are seldom seen, on account of +the heavy screen of leaves and flowers which lies upon the surface of +the water, which, however, is often strongly disturbed as some +ungainly monster rolls or turns below them. On the outskirts of the +towns are the gardens, enclosed by hedges of castor-oil or cactus, +where many kinds of fruits and spices are grown: bananas, pineapple, +guava, bael, citrons, etc., are some of the ordinary kinds, while the +coco-nut, tamarind, jack, and papaya grow everywhere about the streets +and houses. Many vegetables, such as cucumber and vegetable-marrow, +are also grown, and among the shops or stalls in the market-place none +are so attractive as those which display their many-coloured and +sweet-smelling fruits and vegetables. + +Every few days a market is held in one or other of the large towns of +a district, and attracts to it country people from a considerable +distance around. Here one has a chance of seeing many other tribes and +types beside the Burman: Shans, Karens, or Kachins, different in +feature and costume from the natives of the town, together with +Chinese and natives of India, give a variety to the population, and +help to swell the crowd which from early morning till sundown throngs +the market-places. + +The market is generally held in the open space outside the town, and +is generally enclosed. In it are wooden buildings, or booths of +sacking or "tayan" (grass-mats), in which each different trade is +gathered, so dividing the bazaar into sections. Between the buildings +rows of people squat upon the ground, protecting themselves and the +odd assortment of wares they have for sale by screens of coloured +cloth or the enormous umbrellas I have already mentioned. Up and down +the lane so formed move the would-be purchasers, a motley crowd in +which every type and race in Burma is represented. No less varied are +the articles offered for sale--cotton goods and silks, cutlery and +tools, lamps and combs, and various other articles of personal +adornment, including the ornamental sandals which all the women of the +town affect. Fruit, vegetables, and food-stuffs have a ready sale; nor +are sweetmeats for the children forgotten. + +Cooking-pots and all kinds of domestic utensils may be purchased and +carried away in baskets beautifully made, and often of immense size, +which form a striking feature of the bazaar. + +All the more important stalls are kept by women, who, as I have +already said, are the business backbone of the country. Many of them +are women of good position, but they like their work, and are very +clever at driving a bargain; but though dainty enough in appearance, +they can be very abusive on occasion. + +[Illustration: THE MARKET PLACE.] + +I have already said that the Burman is not permitted to take life, and +in consequence meat enters but little into his diet; but in all +bazaars frequented by natives of India, who are under no such +prohibition, the slaughter and sale of cattle is of regular +occurrence, and among the most eager buyers of the meat thus offered +for sale are the Burmans themselves. + +Among other articles which I have noticed are "dahs," and knives of +many sorts and degrees of excellence. No Burman travels without his +"dah," which serves as a weapon of defence or enables him to clear his +path where the jungle is thick, while the heavier knives are used for +chopping the domestic fuel. Some of these "dahs" are very finely +finished, the handle and sheath of wild plum being bound by delicately +plaited bands of bamboo fibre, in which the ends are most skilfully +concealed, and the blade, often 2 feet long, is excellently wrought +and balanced. + +At various times of the day groups of priests and novices move up and +down the market collecting offerings from the people, while some +"original" or buffoon gives the scene its touch of humour. + +At sunset, when the bazaar is closed, long lines of people, some on +foot, some in hooded carts, wend their ways towards their distant +homes; and long after darkness has fallen on the land may still be +heard the faint creaking of some laden cart as it slowly disappears +along its lonely forest path. + + + + +CHAPTER VIII + +FIELD WORK + + +If you are up very early in the morning you may see large herds of +buffaloes and bullocks being driven to the paddy-fields. These +surround the village, sometimes extending for miles in different +directions; but often they are simply small clearings scattered +through the jungle. The cattle are always driven by the children of +the village, and it is curious to see how docile these huge buffaloes +are under the control of some diminutive native, while with Europeans +they are obstinate, ungovernable, and often dangerous. + +The children always ride the cattle to the fields, sitting well back +on the haunches, for they frequently have to travel a long, and often +broken, path to their destination, and during the rains they are thus +enabled to cross the streams and flooded areas, which it would have +been impossible for them to do on foot. + +It will interest you to know something about the manner in which the +Burmans produce their rice-crop. Rice, as you know, requires a great +deal of moisture, especially in the early days of its growth; +consequently the ground upon which the rice-crop is to be sown must be +_level_, so that the water with which the fields are covered may flow +equally over the whole surface. The water is kept in by little dikes, +or "bunds," as they are called, which surround each field, or the part +of it to be irrigated; and as during a considerable portion of each +year these cultivated areas are under water, and are always more or +less in a boggy condition, these "bunds" form the most convenient, if +not the only, means of traversing the district. Tortuous and winding +as they are, it is not easy to decide upon your route, and you need +not be surprised if the little causeway upon which you have set out +eventually brings you back to your first starting-point, and you must +make another attempt in a different direction. I remember once being +hopelessly lost among the "bunds" in my endeavour to cross a patch of +paddy-land, and although it was not more than a mile in width, two +hours of valuable time were spent before I solved the problem of this +labyrinth, and struck the road on its farther side. + +Rice cultivation begins towards the end of the monsoon, when the rains +have thoroughly saturated the soil and filled the fields with water, +often to the top of the dikes. Then ploughing begins, and the grass +with which the fields were recently covered is turned over in clods, +as we do at home, by means of a curious wooden plough shod with bronze +or iron. + +These ploughs are drawn by the bullocks and buffaloes, or by elephants +when they are available, the operation being often carried out under +water. After this all the cattle in the district are driven on to the +fields in order to break up and trample down the clods, and sometimes +harrows, much like our own, are used for the same purpose. + +Then the sowing begins, the rice being scattered very freely over one +or two selected portions of the whole area, for which they serve as +nursery gardens; for the rice is not sown generally over the fields, +but the young plants transferred from these small nurseries to the +larger fields. This work is done by the men and women, who, wading in +the water, plant out the young growth 5 or 6 inches apart, and one may +notice that during this operation all wear leggings or stockings of +straw as a protection against the leeches which in enormous numbers +infest the muddy water. + +The rice now may be left to itself, excepting for the necessity of +keeping it constantly supplied with water, which is raised from the +neighbouring river or creek by many ingenious appliances, and carried +to the fields by pipes of bamboo or channels in the mud. + +While the crop is growing the cattle have an idle time, for with the +exception of the bullocks which draw the market-carts, and a few which +may perhaps be working in the oil or sugar mills, there is nothing for +them to do. For the rest, the time between the sowing and reaping is +passed enclosed in large pens or roaming by hundreds in the jungle. + +The harvest begins in October, and lasts until December or later, +according to the district. When ripe, the rice is 3 to 4 feet in +height, each plant growing several ears, the grain being slightly +bearded, like barley; and in good soil, where the water-supply has +been continuous, its growth is so dense that it is impossible for +weeds to grow. + +I know few prettier sights than a harvest-field in an early autumn +morning. Through the steamy exhalations from the ground, and dancing on +the dewdrops which hang heavy upon every blade or ear, the early sun is +shining. Everything is mysterious in the haze, through which the belt of +forest which surrounds the cultivated land is grey and ghost-like; huge +cobwebs hang between the bushes laden with glittering beads of moisture, +and the whole scene is bathed in a curious opalescent light in which all +sense of distance is destroyed. Scattered through the fields are the +harvesters, whose brightly-coloured "lungyi" and gay head-scarf are the +only spots of definite colour. + +The rice is cut with sickles a little above the ground, so as to leave +sufficient straw to serve as fodder for the cattle or to fertilize the +land. The grain is bound into sheaves much as we do at home, and after +remaining in the fields for a day or two in order to dry, it is +carried to the threshing-floor. This is simply a piece of selected +ground where the surface is dry and hard, on which the sheaves are +placed in the form of a large circle and the grain trodden out by +cattle. When the threshing is complete and the straw removed, there +remains a huge pile of grain and husks freely mixed with dust. This +has to be cleaned and winnowed, which is done by a very simple +process, the grain being thrown into the air by means of large shallow +trays made of bamboo, when the wind, blowing away the dust and loose +husks, leaves the grain tolerably clean in a pile at the worker's +feet. + +The rice is not yet fit for use, however, the grain still being +enclosed in its hard husk, which has to be removed by another +process. In travelling through Burma one may often notice standing +outside a native dwelling a large and deep bowl composed of some hard +wood in which lies a rounded log about 4 feet in length, much like a +large mortar and pestle. These are the "pounders," in which by a +vigorous use of the pestle the husk is separated from the rice, which +is again winnowed and washed, and is then ready for use. Though +generally eaten in its simple state, bread and cakes are often made +from rice-flour, which is ground in a hand-mill consisting of two flat +circular stones, and is identical with the hand-mill of Scripture. + +From the large areas the bulk of the rice-crop is shipped to Rangoon, +sufficient for the needs of the people being stored in the villages in +receptacles formed of wicker-work covered on the outside with mud. + +I have described the process of rice cultivation which is followed in +districts where a perpetual water-supply is available, but in other +and drier zones a different kind of rice and other crops, such as +sugar, maize, and sesamum, are grown; but while these, as well as many +fruits and vegetables, are cultivated in the neighbourhood of every +town or village, rice may be considered to be practically the only +agricultural crop in Burma, and forms perhaps its most important +article of export. + +Though not cultivated by man, the country produces another crop which +to the Burman is second only to rice in value. I mean the _bamboo_, +which grows in enormous quantities in every forest or jungle in the +country. There are many varieties of bamboo, some comparatively small, +others growing to a height of 60 or 70 feet, the canes being often +upwards of 2 feet in circumference at the base. Each species has its +separate use, and, as we have already seen, there are few things for +which the Burman does not employ it. His houses are very often +entirely built of it: canes, either whole or split, form its framework +and flooring; the mats which form the walls are woven from strips cut +from the outside skin; the thatch is often composed of its leaves; +while no hotter fire can be used than one made from its debris. Split +into finer strands, the bamboo furnishes the material of which baskets +are made, while its fine and flexible fibres, plaited and woven into +shape, form the foundation for their beautiful bowls and dishes of red +lacquer. Bows and yokes for the porters, sheaths of weapons and +umbrella frames, and a host of small articles of domestic furniture, +are of the same material, and a section cut from the giant bamboo +forms an excellent bucket, which is used all over the forests. + + + + +CHAPTER IX + +THE FOREST + + +And now I want to tell you something about the forest, which, as we +have seen from the river, practically covers the country. + +We all enjoy our English woods, but these, lovely though they are, +convey no idea whatever of the luxuriant and bewildering beauty of a +forest in the tropics. + +How shall I give you an idea of it? It is so big, so magnificent, and +at times so solemn. Everywhere you are surrounded by trees of many +kinds and immense size, whose huge trunks, springing from a dense mass +of undergrowth, rise 200 feet or more into the air. All are bound +together by a tangled mass of creepers, which mingle their foliage +with that of the trees to form one huge canopy of leaves, in which +birds of bright plumage and beautiful song live out their happy lives. +Monkeys also make their home there, and strange insects and +butterflies of rare beauty flit among the flowers, or hover in the few +stray sunbeams which penetrate the gloom. + +[Illustration: IN THE DEPTHS OF THE FOREST.] + +It is all very impressive, very beautiful, and still, except for the +drone of insects or soft note of the songbird. Perhaps the silence may +be broken by a herd of wild elephants crashing heavily through the +canes, or the shrill cry of the squirrel startles the forest and warns +its fellows of the nearness of a snake. + +Bewilderment and wonder grow upon anyone riding through the forest for +the first time, but after a few days one gradually becomes accustomed +to these luxuriant surroundings, and is able to appreciate the forest +in detail. + +How beautiful the undergrowth is! Palms and bamboos wave gracefully +above a mass of flowering plants, among and over which climb +convolvuli of many kinds, tropæolum, honeysuckle, and a variety of +other creepers, forming natural arbours, with whose blossoms mingle +those of the festoons hanging from the trees. + +Teak, india-rubber, and cutch trees rise high above the undergrowth, +and in turn are dwarfed by such giants as the pyingado and the +cotton-tree. These grow to an enormous size. The pyingado, straight +and smooth, often rises 150 feet before it puts forth a branch, and I +have seen ponies stabled between the natural buttresses which support +the huge trunk of the silk-cotton tree, sometimes 250 feet in height. + +Orchids of great size grow upon the boughs, and add to the wealth of +foliage, in which the large-leafed teak or rubber trees contrast with +the feathery pepper or acacia; and it is interesting to notice that +most of the feathery kinds bear thorns. + +Though generally straight and tall, the trees are often twisted into +curious joints and elbows, which give them a very fantastic +appearance; but most strange of all are the creepers which bind these +forest growths. Some are very large, and stretch for immense +distances, linking tree to tree in twining loops, from which their +hanging tendrils reach the ground, or perhaps crossing some forest +glade or stream to form an aerial bridge for the lemurs or the +monkeys. + +One creeper in particular I must tell you about. This is called +"Nyoung-bin" by the natives, and is a very strange plant. It very +often springs from a seed dropped by some bird into the fork of a +tree, where, taking root, it sends its suckers downwards until they +become firmly bedded in the ground, then, growing upwards again, it +slowly envelops the parent tree until it is entirely enclosed by the +new growth, which kills it, but which in its stead becomes a _new_ +tree, larger and more lofty than the one which first supported it. +This is one of the many species of ficus, of which its equally strange +cousin, the many-trunked banyan, is another common feature of a +Burmese forest. + +Naturally these forests are alive with birds. Parrots and parakeets +live among the tree-tops, and doves and pigeons, jays and mynahs, and +a great variety of small birds, find their home here. Woodpeckers are +busy among the tree-trunks, sharing their spoil of insects with the +lizards and the tree-frogs, and among the lesser growths tits, +finches, and wagtails rear their young broods. + +The birds are not the only occupants of these wilds, however, for in +no country is there a larger variety of game than in Burma. Herds of +wild elephants roam the forests, in which are also tigers, panthers, +and bears. Many kinds of deer are there, to be preyed upon by man or +beast, from the pretty little gyi or barking deer to the lordly +sambur. Wild pig also are very numerous, and lurking in the dank +undergrowth or fissures of the rocks are many venomous snakes and +large pythons. + +But though so abundant, all these wild creatures are shy, and one may +travel many days without adventure, and any sense of danger is soon +lost in admiration of the beauties of these wilds. + +Riding through such a forest is very fascinating in the early winter +months. Then the ground is fairly hard, and riding would be easy were +it not for the thorny vines and fallen tree-trunks which lie among the +thickets. At this time, also, foliage and flowers are still luxuriant, +and all kinds of wild life abundant. + +But from May to October the south-west monsoon, bringing in the +heavily-laden rain-clouds from the sea, pours upon the country its +torrential rains, which change this beautiful forest into a swamp. The +quiet creeks become turbid rivers, while the hill-sides are torn by +innumerable torrents, which, washing away the earth from the roots of +the trees, cause them to fall crashing among the dripping undergrowth. +Bridges are swept away, and the paths become morasses. Travelling in +the forest is then wellnigh impossible, though it is this time that +the native woodman and the large number of young Englishmen engaged in +forest-work find the busiest of the year. + +Gradually the rains cease, and with the return of sunshine birds and +flowers spring into renewed life, more beautiful than ever, and at no +time of the year is the forest more lovely than immediately after the +monsoon rains. + +Presently the hot weather of March and April comes to strip the trees +of their leaves, while the dak and other flowering trees are a blaze +of crimson among the autumn tints. Then, when everything is dry and +withered, forest fires break out in many parts of the country, +consuming all but the larger trees, and leaving a blackened waste +where once was a paradise of flowers. It is sad to ride in the track +of such a fire, but this is no doubt Nature's way of _cleaning_ the +country, and destroying a vast amount of decaying vegetable matter and +keeping in check many venomous insects and reptiles. The forest +appears to be dead until the advent of the next monsoon restores to +the sun-bleached skeleton its usual luxuriant vegetation. + +But I hear some one asking, How do you live and travel in such a +country? All through India and Burma at intervals along the main +routes of travel dâk bungalows have been erected for the use of +travellers. These are small houses, containing two or three rooms, +raised on poles above the ground. They are built of timber, with +matting walls and thatched roof, much like the Burmese dwellings I +have described. Native custodians are in charge of them, and although +specially intended for the use of Government servants, any traveller +may use them. In the forest similar houses, called "tais," smaller and +often built of bamboo, are erected, though sometimes very small huts +indeed, formed of bamboo and reeds, are the only shelter available. +These are draughty dwellings, and even the best-built "tai" is partly +open to the air, and affords little protection from the night cold, +which is often so intense that sleep is almost impossible. + +After a scanty breakfast by candlelight, a start is made in the early +dawn, when the air is cold and damp, and the heavy dew dripping from +the reeds and kine-grass quickly soaks you to the skin. The sunrise is +curiously sudden, and very soon the sun is hot enough to compel the +traveller to leave the open glades and seek the shelter of the denser +portions of the forest. Hardy little ponies, sure-footed and willing, +are our mounts, while elephants carry the stores and provisions, +cooking utensils, and bedding, which every traveller must take with +him. + +In distinction to the working elephants, those employed on a journey +are called "travellers," and are used for no other purpose. Their +drivers are called "ouzies," and sit astride the animals' necks, with +their legs hanging down behind their ears. There are several ways of +mounting, each pretty: sometimes the elephant will hold up its +fore-foot to form a step for its driver, or will drop upon its knees +and bend its trunk to form a step, by which the "ouzie" is able to +reach his seat. + +When travelling they have a shambling sort of gait, half walk, half +amble, but manage to get over the ground very quickly, and for such +cumbersome animals are very nimble-footed. It is almost ludicrous to +see the huge beasts picking their way along a narrow "bund" or +crossing some ditch by a bridge of fallen logs, but they always do so +successfully. + +Soft and boggy land, however, is a great trouble to them, their great +weight causing them to sink deep into the mud; and elephants will +often show their dread of such places by loud trumpeting and great +unwillingness to attempt the passage. Occasionally they will tear up +tufts of reeds or boughs of trees to make a foothold for themselves, +and I heard quite recently of a case where a friend of mine, while out +shooting from elephants, came to such a marshy place, which at first +they refused to cross. Then, before anything could be done to prevent +it, his elephant seized the driver with his trunk and, placing him in +the mud, used the poor native's body as a "stepping-stone." The driver +was, of course, crushed to death, and my friend only escaped a similar +fate by scrambling off his elephant by the tail. Generally elephants +are docile enough, but are not always fond of Europeans and very much +dislike a rider to approach too closely; but they rarely give trouble +to their drivers, for whom they often have a genuine affection. + +Roads in the forest are few, and at best are only bridle-tracks, +difficult to ride over, and through which a way has often to be cut +with knives, so rapid is the growth. + +Travelling is slow and often difficult, and towards the great heat of +midday men and animals are glad to rest, while another march in the +afternoon brings us, towards sunset, to our next halting-place. Then +fuel for the fires must be collected to prepare the evening meal, beds +made ready, and the animals attended to. The ponies are tethered +underneath the "tai," while the elephants, wearing a wooden bell +called "kalouk," are turned loose into the forest, where their drivers +quickly track them down again in the morning by the sound of their +bell. + +About sundown a strange hush comes over the forest, and the leaves +hang limply after the great heat of the day. Insects and birds give up +their activities, and are preparing to roost or lying in the various +hiding-places they frequent. All Nature seems to be _tired_, and +little wonder when the thermometer has shown 105° of moist heat! + +Suddenly with the cooling of the air a shiver and a rustle passes over +the tree-tops as the sundown breeze brings relief to the tired world. +Immediately the forest is alive again, but with new inhabitants. The +dancing fireflies weave rings of bluish light around the tree-trunks, +already half lost in the gathering darkness; crickets and tree-frogs +contribute to the growing sounds of the woody solitude; while the +stealthy tread of some prowling animal is faintly heard among the +withered debris of the undergrowth. It is no longer safe to wander +from the camp-fire, whose flames, shooting upwards in straight +tongues, light up the nearer trees in contrast to the blackness +beyond, in which many a dangerous wild beast lurks. Within the circle +which our camp-fire lights is safety, and in the now cold night air +its warmth is grateful. No one who has not experienced it can at all +appreciate the romantic pleasure of a forest camp, never more +enjoyable than in the hour before "turning in," when, in the light of +our blazing logs and surrounded by the dark mystery beyond, the last +pipe is smoked while listening to many exciting tales of adventure, +before we stretch our tired limbs in bed. + +[Illustration: A OAK BUNGALOW. _Page 60._] + + + + +CHAPTER X + +THE FOREST (_continued_) + + +Though human habitations are not often met with in the forest, little +native settlements occur from time to time, where, surrounded by small +clearings, over which a primitive scarecrow mounts guard, sufficient +rice is grown for their needs. These little hamlets are occupied by +woodmen, or little communities of Chins, a kindred race to the +Burmans, though differing from them in many customs, most curious of +which is their habit of tattooing the faces of their young women +_black_. + +Here and there one meets a fowler, who, with primitive snare or +decoy-bird, seeks to take his toll of the forest; and in the most +remote districts may be met some picturesque Burmese travelling-cart, +toiling laboriously over tracks which would almost seem to be +impossible for wheels. I have already mentioned the creaking of the +cart-wheels which no Burman would oil, for they believe that the +horrible groanings they produce, together with their own loud voices, +serve to ward off the evil spirits of the woods; for the Burman is +superstitious, and at frequent intervals may be seen tiny wicker-work +representations of pagodas and "zeyats" erected to propitiate the +forest "nats," and passers-by will deposit in these diminutive +shrines some offering of food or ornament, and in the Shan States I +remember seeing one whose enclosing fence was hung with spears and +"dahs," and other weapons of considerable interest and some value. + +By the wayside the lonely grave of some traveller or woodman, marked +by its simple fence of twigs, gives a touch of pathos to the forest; +and among its natural wonders are the giant ant-hills, often 9 feet or +more in height. + +Ants are probably the most destructive of all insects in Burma. +Voracious wood-eaters, they will attack fallen logs or growing trees, +which they will entirely consume till only the hollow bark remains. +This is one great reason why the wood of the teak-tree is so highly +valued, as it is the only timber these ants will not touch, and +consequently is the one of which all the more important buildings and +dwellings are constructed. + +In many districts, within reach of some beautiful forest creek, +teak-cutting may be seen in full operation; and it is interesting to +watch the elephants at work, hauling logs or loading them on to the +little trollies, by which they are carried down to the water, where, +floundering along the muddy bank, they launch them in the stream. + +Some of these creeks are very lovely, fringed as they are by flowering +grasses, behind which the forest rises tier on tier above the +shimmering water and gleaming sand-banks. + +On the banks are the footprints of many wild animals who have come +down to water during the night. In the water are fish and +water-snakes, which alert herons constantly harass, and, strange as it +may seem, in the river-bed itself are the marks of cart-wheels, for +the Burmans often make a highway of these forest streams, which in the +dry season are generally easier to travel than the roads. + +The forest itself is never monotonous, its growths varying according +to the levels of the hills. Sometimes the enormous trees and heavy +foliage I have already described produce a depth of gloom which might +well excuse the superstitious fear of the Burmans, and often recalls +to me the pictures in our fairy-books, where some bold knight is +depicted entering the depths of an enchanted wood, in search of the +dragon that well might dwell there. Descending the hill-side with a +suddenness which is almost startling, you may find yourself in a +bamboo forest, which is a veritable fairyland for beauty. From a +carpet of sand, on which lilies grow, these giant bamboos spring, +fern-like, in enormous clumps, spreading their arms and feathery +crests in all directions, and, meeting overhead, form avenues and +lanes, which remind one of some beautiful cathedral aisle. + +Different in many ways from the forests I have described are those of +the cooler plateaus and mountain ranges of Northern Burma. On the +higher levels oak and pines are found among the other trees, and +bracken grows around the wild plums on the more open slopes. Sparkling +rivulets spring from the mountain-side, and, overhung by ferns and +mosses, flow gurgling over their pebbly beds to the deep valley below, +there to join the swiftly-flowing river, which, by many waterfalls +and rapids, eventually reaches the level of the plains. + +From the river's edge, where reeds and wild bananas grow, the purple +wistaria spreads itself over the mass of vegetation which covers the +precipitous hills from base to summit. + +Bamboos of many kinds wave among the trees or grow in masses by +themselves, and climbing geranium and ferns mount from one foothold to +another over tree-trunks or rocks, rooting as they go. + +Nests of wasps and weaver birds hang from the canes. Jungle-fowl and +pheasant, snipe and partridge, are there to provide the traveller with +food, and often, flying heavily from tree to tree, a peacock offers a +welcome addition to your larder. + +The forest is dense, and in places almost impenetrable, and as you +ride or cut your way through the thick undergrowth, monkeys of large +size follow you through the tree-tops, scolding and chattering at your +intrusion; and lemurs, fear overcome by curiosity, approach you +closely, as though to see what kind of creature is this that +penetrates these wilds. + +Wildness best describes these leafy solitudes in which roads are +almost unknown, and which the larger beasts as well as men appear to +shun. + +Along the river-bank, however, are many little hamlets, where in +dug-out canoes the natives fish the rivers, using many ingenious nets +and traps, or weirs which stretch from bank to bank. + +Carts are never used here, and such traffic as is carried on must be +done by means of pack-ponies, whose loads are so contrived that, +should they stumble on their rugged path, they can easily free +themselves of their burden. + +We are now near to the Chinese frontier, and many straggling groups of +Chinese, Shans, and Shan-tilok (which is a mixture of the two) may be +met bearing bales or baskets of produce on their backs to some distant +settlement; or occasionally a family party, bent upon some pilgrimage +or journey, carry their household goods and young children in baskets +slung from bamboo poles, which cross their shoulders. + +On the lower levels, where paths are more frequent, little bridges of +picturesque design cross the streams, from which rise warm miasmic +mists. In the early morning dense fogs fill the valleys, often +accompanied by frost; but as the sun gains power and the mists are +sucked up, the heat is intense; and these extremes of heat and cold, +combined with the smell of rotting vegetation and exhalations from the +ground, render this region a perfect fever-den, in which no white man +can safely live. + +Though the general character of the country consists of lofty +mountains and deep valleys, through which wide rivers flow, there are +at intervals considerable stretches of flat land, which are under +partial cultivation. Here villages of some size are found, and among +the people which inhabit them are strange types we have not previously +seen in Burma, and customs which are curious. The Shans, for instance, +have the habit of tattooing their faces and legs and centre of their +chests, while, their scanty clothing not permitting the use of +pockets, they carry upon their backs little baskets of wicker-work, in +which are placed their knives, tobacco, and such other articles as a +pocket might have accommodated. The Yunnanese, wearing huge plaited +hats of straw and curious slippers of the same material, but whose +other garments are so thin and baggy as to mark them indifferent to +the cold, are in marked contrast to the Kachins, who wear an elaborate +costume of heavy woollen material of many colours. The men, whose hair +is long and tied in a knot on the top of the head, after the manner of +the Burmese, wear a simple scarf tied round the head in place of a +hat, while the women, who wear a costume much like the men, have as +their head-covering a handkerchief or scarf folded flat upon the head. +All have their ears bored, the lobes being so large as not only to +enable them to wear ear ornaments of unusual size, but often to serve +as a handy receptacle for a cigar! When travelling the Kachins usually +carry in their hands double-ended spears, whose shafts are covered +with a kind of red plush from which large fringes hang; but these are +only ceremonial weapons, and show that their intentions are pacific. +Like the Shans, they dispense with pockets in their clothing, but +instead wear suspended under their arm a cloth bag, which is often +prettily embroidered. + +Though, as I have mentioned, the forests of Mid-Burma--and, indeed, +generally throughout the country--abound in game, which ranges from +elephant and rhinoceros down to the smallest deer, and while every +tree and thicket is a home for birds, all forms of animal life appear +to avoid the fever-infested highlands of North-East Burma. In some +places, however, strange freaks of Nature occur. On the high plateau +through which the Myit-nge River flows, though the forest and jungle +is more or less deserted, scattered over the plain are conical +limestone crags, which are alive with monkeys; and while the +innumerable species of insects which infest the warmer forests are +absent, nowhere in all Burma have I seen butterflies more numerous or +more beautiful than here. It is singular, also, to notice how human +habitations will attract certain forms of animal life, and in some +mysterious manner, though the surrounding forest may be otherwise +deserted, pigeons and doves and the various kinds of crow quickly +install themselves in the neighbourhood of a newly-established +settlement or camp. + +It is impossible in two short chapters to describe the infinite +variety and charm of these Burmese forests--the rushing mountain +torrents, the sweeping rivers, and noble waterfalls; the sluggish +streams, which reflect the glories of the surrounding forest; its +teeming life, its solitude, and the wonderful effects of light and +colour; but perhaps I have said enough to convey to you some idea of +that wealth of exuberant beauty which has forced upon me the +conclusion that nothing in all the world is quite so beautiful as a +tropical forest. + +So far I have not given you any example of the many adventures which +may befall a traveller in such wilds, but they are naturally of +frequent occurrence. + +Often while painting, and quite unarmed, I have found myself in +unpleasantly close proximity to wild beasts of many kinds, and on +more than one occasion I have narrowly escaped the fatal bite of some +deadly snake which I have killed. Every one has a natural horror of +poisonous snakes, but sometimes an adventure with them has its element +of amusement. I remember an instance where one of my companions, +having come into camp from his work in the forest, lay down outside +his tent to rest, and, the better to enjoy it, took off his +riding-boots and loosened his breeches at the knee. While his "tiffin" +was being prepared he went to sleep, but presently awoke with a +horrible sensation of something lying cold against his thigh. To his +alarm, he discovered this to be a large cobra, which had sought +shelter from the sun. Remaining quite still, he called his native +servant, and explained the position, and the snake was soon secured +and dispatched, while my friend suffered nothing worse than a fright. + +Though so docile as a rule when tamed, elephants in their wild state +are most dangerous, and I have heard of many narrow escapes from them +in Burma. Panthers, also, though shy of human beings, are fierce when +at bay, and I have been told that a scratch from their claws nearly +always results in fatal blood-poisoning. + +[Illustration: THE QUEEN'S GOLDEN MONASTERY, MANDALAY. _Page 79._] + +It is the tiger, however, which is most to be feared. General +throughout the country, a traveller through jungle or forest must be +ever alert, so stealthy are its movements, and so audacious is it in +its depredations. Its great strength, however, which is not so +generally recognized, the following will serve to show. Close beside +our lonely camp on the Nan-Tu River a tiger killed a sambur, upon +which the natives saw him feeding. Being unarmed themselves, they +ran for the "Sahib" to come and shoot him; but, on regaining the spot, +they found that the tiger had gone, carrying the huge carcass with +him. Following the trail, they came up with their quarry at the +river's bank; but the tiger, still retaining its hold upon its prey, +took to the water, and, although impeded by its heavy burden, +succeeded in reaching the opposite shore. The sad part of the story is +that a native, armed with a "dah," who had followed the tiger into the +river, though an extremely powerful swimmer, was swept away by the +current, and drowned in the rapids below. + + + + +CHAPTER XI + +TEMPLES AND RELIGION + + +Burma has been called the "Land of Pagodas," and nothing could be more +true, for from Syriam, below Rangoon, to Myitkyina, in the far north, +is one long succession of these beautiful temples. Not only on the +river-banks do these pagodas crown the hills, but in every town and +village throughout the country; and in many remote districts, far from +present habitations, some shrine, however simple, has been raised. + +We have seen something of the great Shwe Dagon pagoda in Rangoon, but +there are many others almost equally beautiful, if not so large: the +exquisite Shwe Tsan Daw at Prome, the Arracan near Mandalay, while in +old Pagan, Pegu, Moulmein, and a host of other places, are temples +which one might well think could not be surpassed for beauty. I have +told you that these pagodas are usually bell-shaped--a delicate and +most elegant form of design, which gains very much in effect from the +habit the Burmese have of building their temples on a hill, so that +the gradually ascending ground, on the different levels of which the +pinnacles of the "kyoungs" are visible above the trees, leads +gradually upward from one point to another until the temple itself is +reached, towering gracefully above the other forms of beauty with +which the hill is sometimes covered. Another pretty effect is gained +by building them close to the water, either on the river-bank or +beside some artificial pool or "tank," in which they are reflected. +Nothing could be more beautiful than the effect of these golden piles +glittering in the sunshine among the deep green of the trees, +especially when repeated in some placid sheet of water, dotted over +perhaps with pink and purple lotus. + +And, then, the little bells which hang from every "ti"--how they +tinkle as they swing in the breeze, in their numbers forming one +general harmonious note, most musical, and with a strange sensation of +joy and contentment in its sound. + +These little bells are not the only ones in the temples, however, for +in all of them are others of very large size, which, raised a foot or +more from the ground, hang between two posts set in the platform which +surrounds the "zedi," as the bell-shaped temple is called. + +These are used by the worshippers, who, with a stag's horn, strike the +bell after praying, to call the attention of the "nats" of the upper +and lower worlds to the fact that they have done so. You will see +these bells in one of the pictures, but there are some others of +immense size, that at Mingun weighing eighty tons; but, as a rule, the +tone of the very large bells is poor, and not to be compared with that +of those of more moderate size. + +There are one or two places in Burma particularly rich in +pagodas--Pagan, Sagaing, and Mandalay. I want to tell you just a +little about each. + +Let us go to Mandalay first, for I have no doubt that you have been +wondering why I have not already told you something about the capital +of Burma. + +As a matter of fact, Mandalay is little better than an enlarged +village, and is built much in the same way as the towns I have already +described, and has really only two points of great interest--its +religious buildings and the "fort." + +I am referring, of course, to the _Burmese_ town, for surrounding the +fort are a large number of well-built bungalows, and streets of shops +built of stone or brick; but these are for the use of Europeans and +Indian or Chinese traders, the Burmans here, as elsewhere, contenting +themselves with their thatched houses of timber. It may appear +surprising that a people who could erect their marvellous temples +should be satisfied with such poor dwellings. The reason is to be +found in their custom of removing their capital on each change of +dynasty, and since A.D. 1740 the capital of Burma has been moved no +less than eight times! Mandalay itself is only fifty years old, so +that it hardly appeared to them worth their while to build more +substantial dwellings, which might so soon have to be deserted; and in +this way they came to regard their homes as temporary, expending their +energies and wealth in the building of temples and monasteries +instead. + +The streets of Mandalay are wide, and laid out in rectangles, as in +Rangoon, and, like all towns in Burma, the roads are heavily shaded by +trees. Foreign types are common in Mandalay, but the Burmese life here +is very pretty. Nowhere else are the people better dressed, and the +ladies rival the silk bazaar in the variety and beautiful colour of +their clothing. Until recently this was a royal city, and the ladies +pay great attention to the demands of fashion, whether it is in their +delicately-tinted garments, their embroidered sunshades or fan, or the +lace handkerchief with which they love to toy; and nothing in the way +of crowd could be nicer than these daintily-dressed and usually +prepossessing men and women. Fashion, however, has always _some_ +drawback. The ladies in many cases smear their faces with a paste +called "thannakah," which has the effect of whitening the skin. The +result is very unfortunate, for it is not always put on evenly, and +only serves to make the ugly more forbidding, while it destroys the +soft warmth of colour and skin texture which so often makes these +women beautiful. Another unfortunate custom is their habit of smoking +such huge cheroots, which no mouth of ordinary size could possibly +hold without distortion. + +All roads in Mandalay lead to the fort, lately the residence of the +Court. This consists of a huge square, 1-1/4 miles each way, entirely +surrounded by battlemented walls, and further protected by a wide and +deep moat. Quaint bridges cross the moat, and lead to gateways, each +surmounted by a "pyathat." Within the walls are the palace of the +King, and many other buildings of highly ornate and purely Burmese +character. Many of them have lately been destroyed by fire; but what +will interest us most is the rambling but most picturesque palace, the +lofty "pyathat" which is erected over Thebaw's throne being the finest +in the country, and so much admired by the Burmans as to be called +"the centre of the universe." + +All these buildings are of timber, only the finest teak being used, +and the many columns which support the roofs of the halls of audience +consist of single tree-trunks of unusual size and great value. + +The moat serves to supply Mandalay with its drinking-water, and is fed +by a conduit from the hills. I am afraid the water is not very clean, +but it is a very pretty sight to see the people coming to fill their +jars from the little stages which jut from the banks, while the whole +surface is at some seasons of the year a mass of purple lotus and +white water-lily, and, although in the middle of the city, paddy-birds +and other ibis wade about its margins. + +Mandalay is a station for our troops, who are quartered inside the +fort, which was only captured after severe fighting. The stockade, +which offered so great an obstacle to our men, has been swept away, +and "Tommy Atkins," as well as Indian troops, now inhabit the palaces +of King Thebaw's time! But it is an unhealthy station, and nowhere in +Burma have I seen such crowds of mosquitoes, the common cause of fever +in Europeans. + +The most beautiful of Mandalay's pagodas, "the Incomparable," has been +destroyed by fire; but a large number remain, one of which is very +interesting. This is the "Kuthodaw," a temple built by Mindon Min, +King Thebaw's father. The central dome is not remarkable, but on each +side of the large flagged space which surrounds it are rows and rows +of miniature temples, each with an ornamental cupola, supported upon +pillars. Each of these 729 cupolas contains a slab of alabaster, on +which is inscribed a chapter of the Pali Bible. The entrance-gates, +also, are large, and unusually ornate in design. + +Each quarter of the town has one or more large pagodas, and others +surround its outskirts from the river-bank to the top of Mandalay +Hill; but these differ from the others we have noticed in one respect, +being covered by carved plaster-work, each stage of which is +beautified by some elaborate or striking pattern, so that the dome of +pure white, broken by sharp contrast of light and shade, is quite as +rich in effect as the gilded temples of Rangoon or Prome. + +Most remarkable of all the buildings in Mandalay, however, are the +monasteries, of which there are a large number, many of great +interest, the principal one being the "Queen's Golden Monastery," for +beauty of design and elaborate embellishment unquestionably the finest +structure of its kind in Burma. + +Across the river from Mandalay is a very pretty scene. Low conical +hills rise from the banks of the river, each crowned by a pagoda, +around which are many "kyoungs" and "zeyats." Scattered over the +hill-sides are many others, gleaming white against the warm earth +tints and the foliage which surround them. This is old Sagaing, once a +capital of Burma; but the city has gone, and only its temples now +remain. Crossing the river in sampans painted red, blue, and yellow, +or landing on the pearly shingle of the beach, are crowds of +well-dressed Burmans from Mandalay and Ava, bent on a pilgrimage to +one or other of the many shrines, which are reached by long flights of +steps, whose entrance is guarded by enormous leogryphs. + +A pretty legend gives the origin of these monsters, which, often of +enormous size, invariably guard the entrance to a temple. Long ago in +the dim past a Princess was stolen by "nats," and hidden away in the +dark recesses of the forest. The King made every effort to find the +hiding-place of his daughter, but without success, until one day a +lioness rescued the Princess, and restored her to her home. Ever since +then the lion, which in the course of centuries has gradually become +changed into the leogryph (or half-lion, half-griffin), has been +accepted by the people as the emblem of protecting watchfulness. + +Close to Mandalay on the south is Amarapura, another of Burma's many +capitals, and though we cannot hope to see all the many interesting +monuments that remain, it has one pagoda in particular which well +repays us for our long and dusty journey. + +This is the Arracan pagoda, one of the most famous shrines in Burma, +and the one most frequented by the Shans and other hill tribes, whose +time of pilgrimage occurs "between the reaping and the sowing." + +There is no ascent to this temple, which, through a series of +ornamented doorways, is approached by a long flat corridor, which, as +usual, serves the purpose of a bazaar. Here perhaps the best Burmese +gongs may be purchased, and the stalls for cut flowers display a rich +profusion of blooms, whose scent fills the whole temple precincts. The +temple itself is different in design from any others we have seen, +being built in the form of a square tower, above which rises a series +of diminishing terraces, each beautified by carved battlements and +corner pinnacles, the whole being richly gilt. + +[Illustration: THE SHWE ZIGON PAGODA, PAGAN. _Page 82._] + +Beneath the central tower is the shrine, before which a constant +stream of devotees succeed each other in prayer. This contains an +enormous brass image of Buddha, 12 feet in height, thickly plastered +with the pilgrims' offerings of gold-leaf. Behind the temple are the +sacred tanks, whose green and slimy water is alive with turtles, too +lazy or too well fed to eat the dainty morsels thrown to them by the +onlookers, but which are pounced upon by hundreds of hawks, who often +seize the tit-bits before they reach the water. + +The courtyards are, as usual, thronged, and pastry-cooks and +story-tellers, soothsayers and musicians, provide refreshment and +amusement to the ever-moving crowd of happy people, at whom we never +tire of looking. + +And now, having seen something of the principal pagodas, with their +crowds of worshippers or loiterers, let us take one glimpse of the +ancient city of Pagan. + +Splendidly placed upon a commanding site on the river-bank, Pagan was +at one time a populous and wealthy centre. To-day it is the city of +the dead, and the domes and pinnacles of its temples, which cover an +area of 16 square miles, remain silent monuments to its former +greatness. Save for a few priests and scattered families of the +poorest of the people, its population has disappeared centuries ago, +and the land, once fertile, is now covered with aloe, cactus, and +thorn, while an air of weary heat and desolation envelops it. Some +idea of its size may be formed when I tell you that a thousand of its +pagodas are known by name, while as many more are little but a heap of +ruinous brickwork. + +Many of its temples are of the greatest historical interest. The +Ananda, built 800 years ago, is larger than St. Paul's, and its +elongated dome and innumerable pinnacles render it as graceful as it +is imposing. There are other temples even larger, while the picture +facing page 80 will give you some little idea of the beauty and +interest of the Shwe Zigon. + +Throughout the country temples abound, and in lonely places where no +temple has been built, the lofty "tagundaing" marks some holy spot. +You will find no statues to her Kings in Burma, but in every temple, +in little wayside shrines, and even in the most unfrequented wilds, +the Burmans have erected images of Buddha, founder of their faith. + +Nearly one-third of the world's population are Buddhists, and this +fact alone would seem to show how beautiful is the religion they +profess. Buddhism was founded by an Indian Prince called Gautama, +about 600 years before the birth of Christ. This Prince, though heir +to a kingdom, and surrounded by every luxury, left his palace and his +beautiful wife and their little son, to become a wanderer in the +search for truth, and for six years he lived as a hermit in the +wilderness, attended only by a few disciples. One day, while seated +beneath a "bo" tree, lost in contemplation, revelation came to him, +and from that time he became a preacher, striving to raise men and +women to his own lofty and pure standard of what life should be. + +Few Europeans really understand Buddhism, but many of its principles +we can all appreciate. Thus, men are taught truthfulness, purity, +obedience, and kindness, which forbids the giving of pain to any +living creature. Charity, patience, humility, and the habit of +meditation are early instilled into the minds of the boys, who, +without exception, spend at least a portion of their lives as inmates +of a monastery, and with the priests and novices are not ashamed to +collect the daily offering of food. + +In their consideration for animals, their love for their children, and +great respect for age, as well as in their consideration for each +other, the Burmans act well up to the beauty of their faith; for a +beautiful religion it is, beautifully expounded in Arnold's "Light of +Asia," which I hope many of you will presently read. + +It is not difficult to understand how their religion, combined with +their own happy, contented natures, and the enervating effect of +climate, renders the Burmans little able to withstand the pressure +from without which has lately been brought to bear upon them. + +Largely content with what Nature provides for them, and without social +grades to spur them to ambition, their sports and races and amusements +of many kinds occupy the chief attention of the men, who quickly +succumb to their more energetic and businesslike rivals from India or +China. The women, more capable and rather despising the idleness of +the men, are more and more prone to marry among other races, while +Western civilization also is doing much to destroy the primitive charm +of the people. + +Sad it is to think that the Burman as a pure race is slowly +disappearing, and there are few, I think, who know them but will view +this prospect with sincere regret. But if it is inevitable that this +picturesque and lovable people must be in time replaced by others, at +least their beautiful country always will remain. + +And now, as I close this chapter, there recurs to my mind a pretty +picture which embodies so much of the spirit of the country that it +may well form our last peep at Burma. + +Far away in the jungle on the crest of a lonely hill stands a ruined +pagoda. The white ornamental plaster-work which once beautified it has +long since disappeared, and in the rents and fissures which seam its +rich red brickwork venomous serpents hide. + +The niche which formerly contained a Buddha is unoccupied, but, as +though to soften its decay, kindly creepers have covered its rugged +exterior with a bower of foliage and flowers, while the leogryphs +which once marked the entrance to its enclosure are buried in +vegetation. All around are trees of many kinds, which tower above the +jungle, among which large and beautiful butterflies flit among the +flowers, while birds of gay plumage gambol among the tree-tops to the +distant song of the bulbul. It was a pretty scene, but sad in its +loneliness, to which a touch of pathos was added by the figure of a +solitary priest praying before the empty shrine. Wondering what had +brought him so far from any known habitation, I watched him long as +he prayed. Just as the sun set and the day closed he plucked a lovely +flower from the scrub and placed it reverently on the shrine where +Buddha once had stood, and as I turned my pony's head in the direction +of my distant camp, the slowly-retreating figure of the "hpungi" +became lost in the glory of the sunset. + + +THE END + + * * * * * + + + + +LIST OF VOLUMES IN THE +PEEPS AT MANY LANDS +SERIES + +EACH CONTAINING 12 FULL-PAGE +ILLUSTRATIONS IN COLOUR +EACH 1/6 NET + + +BURMA +EGYPT +ENGLAND +FRANCE +HOLLAND +HOLY LAND +INDIA +ITALY +JAPAN +MOROCCO +SCOTLAND +SOUTH AFRICA +SOUTH SEAS +SWITZERLAND +WALES + + +PUBLISHED BY +ADAM AND CHARLES BLACK +SOHO SQUARE, LONDON, W. + + +AGENTS + +AMERICA THE MACMILLAN COMPANY + 64 & 66 FIFTH AVENUE, NEW YORK + +CANADA THE MACMILLAN COMPANY OF CANADA, LTD. + 27 RICHMOND STREET WEST, TORONTO + +INDIA MACMILLAN & COMPANY, LTD. + MACMILLAN BUILDING, BOMBAY + 309 BOW BAZAAR STREET, CALCUTTA + +AUSTRALASIA. OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS, MELBOURNE + + * * * * * + + + + +_BY THE SAME ARTIST AND AUTHOR_ + +BURMA + +By R. TALBOT KELLY, R.B.A. + +_Containing 75 full-page Illustrations in Colour. Square Demy 8vo., +cloth, gilt top_ + +Price 20/- net + +(_Post free, Price 20s. 6d._) + +"His landscapes--in which Nature is seen unforced by the hands of +colour-loving men and women, and seen, more often than not, by early +morning or evening light--have an exquisite delicacy."--_Athenæum._ + +"The result is a narrative delightful in its quiet zest, and a series +of pictures that have the hues of landscapes hung in a heaven of +dreamland."--_Speaker._ + +"If ever there was a poet in colours Mr. Kelly is one. His volume is +bright to read and beautiful to look at."--_Liverpool Post._ + +"Those of our readers who have seen Mr. Kelly's 'Egypt' know that he +uses pen and brush with equal facility, and in this volume we find +again beautiful and faithful pictures, accompanied by admirably +graphic descriptions."--_Aberdeen Journal._ + + +EGYPT + +BY R. TALBOT KELLY, R.B.A. + +_Containing 75 full-page Illustrations in Colour. Square Demy 8vo., +cloth, gilt top_ + +Price 20/- net + +(_Post free, Price 20s. 6d._) + + "How marvellously faithful his work is, every one who knows + Egypt will see in the seventy-five exquisite paintings which + make his book a perfect treasure of beauty.... No series of + drawings has ever conveyed to us so perfect an impression of + Egyptian scenery as these."--_Saturday Review._ + + "Rarely can this old, old country have received more + beautiful homage than here ... the happily inspired work of a + true artist revealing her countless charms."--_Bookman._ + + "This is beyond all question the most beautiful book on + modern Egypt that we have ever seen."--_Spectator._ + + "This is a magnificent production of his, abounding with fine + pictures, beautifully reproduced, and teeming with fine + descriptive touches and bright anecdotal matter."--_Black and + White._ + + "Few more attractive gift-books have fallen into our hands of + late than this splendidly-illustrated volume, the text of + which is in perfect harmony with the pictures."--_Standard._ + + +PUBLISHED BY A. & C. BLACK, SOHO SQUARE, LONDON, W. + + * * * * * + + + + +A BACHELOR GIRL + +IN BURMA + +By G. E. MITTON + +AUTHOR OF +"A BACHELOR GIRL IN LONDON," "JANE AUSTEN AND HER TIMES," ETC. + +_Containing 95 Illustrations from Photographs._ + +_Sq. Demy 8vo_., cloth._ Price 6/- net (_Post free, _Price 6s. 5d._) + + +Some Press Opinions + + "She has written a delightful book on a delightful country, + and the ninety-five illustrations, from photographs taken by + herself and others, add greatly to its readable and + instructive character, as well as to its + beauty."--_Scotsman._ + + "She has altogether succeeded in writing a delightful + account of her trip."--_Westminster Gazette._ + + "A most entertaining and agreeable narrative."--_Burlington + Magazine._ + + "Her book will please and amuse all lovers of + travel."--_World._ + + "She has cleverly tinged her descriptions with much of that + rich colour which ornaments the East, and any who might be + tempted to visit a land as yet little travelled by the + sightseer will in these pages find much information that may + prove of value in their preparation for such a + trip."--_Daily Telegraph._ + + "A delightful account, illustrated with many attractive + photographs."--_World's Work._ + + "Miss Mitton has excelled herself in her last + work."--_Tatler._ + + +PUBLISHED BY A. & C. BLACK, SOHO SQUARE, LONDON, W. + + * * * * * + + + + + + +End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Burma, by R.Talbot Kelly + +*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 30064 *** diff --git a/30064-h/30064-h.htm b/30064-h/30064-h.htm new file mode 100644 index 0000000..8241fe5 --- /dev/null +++ b/30064-h/30064-h.htm @@ -0,0 +1,2724 @@ +<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN" + "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd"> + +<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en"> + <head> + <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html;charset=UTF-8" /> + <meta http-equiv="Content-Style-Type" content="text/css" /> + <title> + The Project Gutenberg eBook of Peeps at Many Lands, Burma, by R. Talbot Kelly + </title> + <style type="text/css"> +/*<![CDATA[ XML blockout */ +<!-- +body { + margin-left: 10%; + margin-right: 10%; background-color: #FFFFFF; +} + + h1,h2,h3,h4,h5,h6 { + text-align: center; /* all headings centered */ + clear: both; +} + +p { + margin-top: .75em; + text-align: justify; + margin-bottom: .75em; +} + +hr { + width: 33%; + margin-top: 2em; + margin-bottom: 2em; + margin-left: auto; + margin-right: auto; + clear: both; +} + +table { width: 60%; padding: 1em; text-align: left; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-transform:lowercase; font-variant:small-caps; } +.table1 { width:80%; padding: 1em; text-align: left; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-transform:lowercase; font-variant:small-caps; } + +ul { list-style:none; margin-left: 40%; } + +.tocch { text-align: right; vertical-align: top;} + +.tocpg {text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;} + +.f1 { font-size:smaller; } +.f2 { font-size:smaller; font-variant:normal; } +.f3 { margin-left: 10%; } +.f4 { margin-left: 5%; } + +a[name] { position: static; } +a:link { border:none; color:#0000ff; text-decoration:none; } +a:visited {color:#0000ff; text-decoration:none; } +a:hover { color:#ff0000; } + + +.pagenum { /* uncomment the next line for invisible page numbers */ + /* visibility: hidden; */ + position: absolute; + left: 92%; + font-size: smaller; + text-align: right; + font-style:normal; +} /* page numbers */ + + +.blockquot { + margin-left: 5%; + margin-right: 10%; +} + +.center {text-align: center;} + +.smcap {font-variant: small-caps;} + + +.caption {font-weight: bold; font-size:smaller; } + +/* Images */ +.figcenter { + margin: auto; + text-align: center; +} + + +/* Footnotes */ +.footnotes {border: dashed 1px;} + +.footnote {margin-left: 10%; margin-right: 10%; font-size: 0.9em;} + +.footnote .label {position: absolute; right: 84%; text-align: right;} + +.fnanchor { + vertical-align: super; + font-size: .8em; + text-decoration: + none; +} + + +/* XML end ]]>*/ + </style> + </head> +<body> +<div>*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 30064 ***</div> + +<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;"><a name="pic14" id="pic14"></a> +<img src="images/cover.jpg" width="500" height="736" alt="Cover page" /> +</div> +<p> </p> + +<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;"><a name="pic1" id="pic1"></a> +<img src="images/image_005.jpg" width="500" height="692" alt="THE PAGODA STEPS, RANGOON. Page 18." /> +<span class="caption">THE PAGODA STEPS, RANGOON. <a href="#Page_18">Page 18</a>.</span></div> +<p> </p> +<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;"> +<img src="images/image_006.jpg" width="500" height="719" alt="Title page" /> +</div> +<p> </p> +<h3>PEEPS AT MANY LANDS</h3> +<h1>BURMA</h1> +<p> </p> +<h3>BY</h3> +<h2>R. TALBOT KELLY</h2> +<h4>R.I., R.B.A., F.R.G.S.</h4> +<h5><span class="smcap">Commander of the Medjidieh</span></h5> +<p> </p> +<h4>WITH TWELVE FULL-PAGE ILLUSTRATIONS<br /> +IN COLOUR</h4> +<h3>BY THE AUTHOR</h3> +<p> </p> +<p> </p> +<h3>LONDON</h3> +<h3>ADAM AND CHARLES BLACK</h3> +<h3>1908</h3> + + + + +<hr style="width: 65%;" /> +<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_v" id="Page_v">[v]</a></span></p> +<h2>CONTENTS</h2> + +<table summary="Contents"> +<tr><td class="tocch f1">CHAPTER</td> + <td></td> + <td></td><td class="tocpg f1">PAGE</td> +</tr> +<tr><td class="tocch">I.</td> + <td> </td> + <td><a href="#CHAPTER_I">THE LAND</a></td> +<td class="tocpg"><a href="#Page_1">1</a></td> +</tr> +<tr><td class="tocch">II.</td> + <td> </td> + <td><a href="#CHAPTER_II">RANGOON</a></td> +<td class="tocpg"><a href="#Page_5">5</a></td> +</tr> +<tr><td class="tocch">III.</td> + <td> </td> + <td><a href="#CHAPTER_III">THE PEOPLE</a></td> +<td class="tocpg"><a href="#Page_13">13</a></td> +</tr> +<tr><td class="tocch">IV.</td> + <td> </td> + <td><a href="#CHAPTER_IV">THE IRRAWADDY</a></td> +<td class="tocpg"><a href="#Page_21">21</a></td> +</tr> +<tr><td class="tocch">V.</td> + <td> </td> + <td><a href="#CHAPTER_V">THE IRRAWADDY (<span class="f2"><i>continued</i></span>)</a></td> +<td class="tocpg"><a href="#Page_29">29</a></td> +</tr> +<tr><td class="tocch">VI.</td> + <td> </td> + <td><a href="#CHAPTER_VI">VILLAGE LIFE</a></td> +<td class="tocpg"><a href="#Page_35">35</a></td> +</tr> +<tr><td class="tocch">VII.</td> + <td> </td> + <td><a href="#CHAPTER_VII">TOWN LIFE</a></td> +<td class="tocpg"><a href="#Page_41">41</a></td> +</tr> +<tr><td class="tocch">VIII.</td> + <td> </td> + <td><a href="#CHAPTER_VIII">FIELD WORK</a></td> +<td class="tocpg"><a href="#Page_50">50</a></td> +</tr> +<tr><td class="tocch">IX.</td> + <td> </td> + <td><a href="#CHAPTER_IX">THE FOREST</a></td> +<td class="tocpg"><a href="#Page_56">56</a></td> +</tr> +<tr><td class="tocch">X.</td> + <td> </td> + <td><a href="#CHAPTER_X">THE FOREST (<span class="f2"><i>continued</i>)</span></a></td> +<td class="tocpg"><a href="#Page_65">65</a></td> +</tr> +<tr><td class="tocch">XI.</td> + <td> </td> + <td><a href="#CHAPTER_XI">TEMPLES AND RELIGION</a></td> +<td class="tocpg"><a href="#Page_74">74</a></td> +</tr> +</table> + + + + +<hr style="width: 65%;" /> +<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_vii" id="Page_vii">[vii]</a></span></p> +<h2>LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS</h2> + +<h4>IN COLOUR</h4> + +<h3><span class="smcap">By</span> R. TALBOT KELLY</h3> + + +<table class="table1" summary="List of Illustrations"> +<tr><td><a href="#pic1">THE PAGODA STEPS, RANGOON</a></td> +<td class="tocpg"><span class="f2"><i><a href="#pic1">frontispiece</a></i></span></td> +</tr> +<tr><td></td><td class="tocpg f1">FACING PAGE</td> +</tr> +<tr><td><a href="#pic3">"A DAINTILY-CLAD BURMESE LADY"</a></td> +<td class="tocpg"><a href="#Page_9">9</a></td> +</tr> +<tr><td><a href="#pic4">A REST-HOUSE</a></td> +<td class="tocpg"><a href="#Page_16">16</a></td> +</tr> +<tr><td><a href="#pic5">A NATIVE BOAT SAILING UPSTREAM WITH THE WIND</a></td> +<td class="tocpg"><a href="#Page_25">25</a></td> +</tr> +<tr><td><a href="#pic6">THE IRRAWADDY</a></td> +<td class="tocpg"><a href="#Page_32">32</a></td> +</tr> +<tr><td><a href="#pic7">ENTRANCE TO A BURMESE VILLAGE</a></td> +<td class="tocpg"><a href="#Page_41">41</a></td> +</tr> +<tr><td><a href="#pic8">AT THE WELL</a></td> +<td class="tocpg"><a href="#Page_44">44</a></td> +</tr> +<tr><td><a href="#pic9">THE MARKET-PLACE</a></td> +<td class="tocpg"><a href="#Page_48">48</a></td> +</tr> +<tr><td><a href="#pic10">IN THE DEPTHS OF THE FOREST</a></td> +<td class="tocpg"><a href="#Page_57">57</a></td> +</tr> +<tr><td><a href="#pic11">A DAK BUNGALOW</a></td> +<td class="tocpg"><a href="#Page_64">64</a></td> +</tr> +<tr><td><a href="#pic12">THE QUEEN'S GOLDEN MONASTERY, MANDALAY</a></td> +<td class="tocpg"><a href="#Page_72">72</a></td> +</tr> +<tr><td><a href="#pic13">THE SHWE ZIGON PAGODA, PAGAN</a></td> +<td class="tocpg"><a href="#Page_80">80</a></td> +</tr> +<tr><td><a href="#pic14">SHRINE ON THE PLATFORM OF THE SHWE DAGON PAGODA</a></td> +<td class="tocpg"><span class="f2"><i><a href="#pic14">on the cover</a></i></span></td> +</tr> +</table> +<p class="center"><a href="#pic2"><i>Sketch Map of Burma on p. viii.</i></a></p> + +<hr style="width: 65%;" /> +<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_viii" id="Page_viii">[viii]</a></span></p> + +<div class="figcenter" style="width: 600px;"><a name="pic2" id="pic2"></a> +<img src="images/image_011.jpg" width="600" height="817" alt="" /> +<span class="caption">A SKETCH MAP OF BURMA</span></div> + +<hr style="width: 65%;" /> +<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_1" id="Page_1">[1]</a></span></p> +<h2>BURMA</h2> + +<hr style="width: 65%;" /> +<h2><a name="CHAPTER_I" id="CHAPTER_I"></a>CHAPTER I</h2> + +<h2>THE LAND</h2> + + +<p>How many boys or girls, I wonder, ever turn to their school atlas for +amusement, or try to picture to themselves what manner of countries +those might be whose strange and unfamiliar place-names so often make +their geography lesson a difficulty?</p> + +<p>Yet there are few subjects, I think, which might be made more +interesting than geography, and a map may often serve to suggest +delightful fancies to a boy or girl of imagination.</p> + +<p>Open your atlas at random and see what it has to tell you. Here, +perhaps in the heart of a great continent, stretches a mountain range, +and from it in many directions wind those serpent-like lines which +denote rivers.</p> + +<p>Following these lines in their course, through narrow valleys or wide +plains, we notice that upon their banks presently appear those towns +and cities whose names you so often find it difficult to remember, and +at length, frequently by many mouths that cut up the delta it<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2" id="Page_2">[2]</a></span> has +formed, the river eventually finds its way into the sea.</p> + +<p>These are the simple facts our map gives us, but there is a great deal +of poetry behind. That mountain range is Nature's means of attracting +and holding the moisture-laden clouds which have been blown in from +the sea, and either in the form of rain or snow it stores up the water +evaporated from it.</p> + +<p>By thousands of little rills, or rushing torrents which score furrows +in its sides, the mountain gives up its store of water to feed the +thirsty plains, and with it yields also valuable ores and minerals, +which are often carried many many miles away to enrich a people too +far removed from the mountain to know the origin of their wealth.</p> + +<p>These little streamlets are not marked upon your map, but presently +they join to form one combined river, by which, through the many +hundreds of miles of its windings, the mountain eventually returns its +gathered waters to the sea, from whence they came.</p> + +<p>How interesting to follow the course of such a river, and try to +picture to oneself all it may have to show! What kind of mountain is +it from among whose rugged snow peaks first sprang those plunging +cascades, which, leaping and tossing over their rocky beds, join each +other at its base to form the river itself? Through what wild forests, +filled with curious vegetation, may it not flow, and how strange, +perhaps, are the people who, together with wild beasts and unknown +birds, inhabit its reedy margins!</p> + +<p>As the river grows in size, the grass huts and dug-<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_3" id="Page_3">[3]</a></span>out canoes of its +upper waters give place to towns which bear names, while large and +strangely-shaped boats carry the produce of the country to some great +seaport at its mouth, where ships of all nations are waiting to +transport it over thousands of miles of ocean to supply us with those +many commodities which we have come to regard as daily necessities! If +boys and girls would think of such things geography, I am sure, would +never be a <i>dull</i> study.</p> + +<p>Now, to turn from an imaginary case to a real one, I want to tell you +something about Burma, a country which, though one of the most +interesting and beautiful in the world, is comparatively little known +to the majority of people.</p> + +<p>This may seem surprising when it is remembered that Burma now forms +part of our Indian Empire, and has for many years carried on a large +trade with England. We may perhaps better understand this if we turn +to our atlas and see how the country is situated. As you will see, +Burma lies on the eastern side of the Bay of Bengal, just north of the +Malay Peninsula, joining Siam and China on the one side and the Indian +provinces of Assam and Manipur on the other, while from an unknown +source in the heart of Thibet its great river, the Irrawaddy, flows +throughout the entire length of the country, and through Rangoon, the +seaport at its mouth, forming the great highway for commerce and +communication between the world at large and its little-known +interior.</p> + +<p>Looking at the map again, you will see that on each side of the +Irrawaddy, running north and south, are<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_4" id="Page_4">[4]</a></span> mountain ranges called +"yomas" (or back-bones, as the word means), which divide the country, +while other large rivers, such as the Sittang and Salween, flowing in +deep, precipitous valleys, render any communication with Siam +difficult. On the north-west similar ranges of hills form a barrier +between Burma and the frontier provinces of India, and when I tell you +that all these mountains are densely covered with forest and jungle, +and that the rivers are wide, and in many cases unnavigable, you will +understand how it is that Burma is not better known, and that so few +people undertake the arduous work of exploring its interior. Only by +way of one little corner in the north-east, where Burma joins the +Chinese province of Yunnan, is access from the land side easy, and +here caravans of Yunnanese constantly enter the country to trade at +Bhamo and Hsipaw.</p> + +<p>Otherwise, separated by its mountain chains and forests from the rest +of the world, Burma has for centuries remained untouched and +unspoiled, and it is only since the deposition of King Thebaw, in +1885, and the assumption of its government by England that the gradual +extension of the railway system is slowly bringing the interior into +easier communication with the outside world, and beginning to effect a +change in the character of the people.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 65%;" /> +<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_5" id="Page_5">[5]</a></span></p> +<h2><a name="CHAPTER_II" id="CHAPTER_II"></a>CHAPTER II</h2> + +<h2>RANGOON</h2> + + +<p>Anyone wishing to visit Burma must land at Rangoon, for it is not only +the largest and most important of its seaports, but the only one that +has direct steamer communication with England, or by river traffic and +railways affords access to the interior. The harbour is formed by the +tidal estuary of one of the many mouths of the Irrawaddy. Here it is +very wide, and a large number of steamers and sailing ships ride at +anchor, loading or discharging their cargoes into lighters and +quaintly-shaped native boats.</p> + +<p>Huge rafts of teak wood drift slowly downstream to the saw-mills below +the town, where trained elephants stack the logs with almost human +intelligence, and queer uptilted rowing boats, called "sampans," ferry +passengers across the river, or to the various vessels in the stream. +Long stretches of timber-built quays and iron-roofed "godowns" (or +warehouses) form the wharfs, upon which coolies of all nationalities +toil under the tropical sun. European officers in white drill and +sun-helmets superintend the loading of their vessels, longing to be +finished and away from a spot where everything vibrates and dithers in +the white glare.</p> + +<p>On shore the smoke from the rice-mills adds to the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_6" id="Page_6">[6]</a></span> already +overpowering sense of heat, while from across the water the noise of +hammered iron from the repairing yards completes a picture of bustle, +heat, and toil.</p> + +<p>Yet Rangoon is a very pleasant place to live in, and as many of my +readers will, no doubt, have fathers or brothers in the East, they +will like to hear something about the place, and how people live +there.</p> + +<p>Behind the quay and warehouses the city lies, well laid out in broad +streets and squares, and having many fine shops and buildings. The +houses are mostly of that curious half-Italian, half-Oriental style +which we find in almost all Southern and Eastern seaports. They are +usually painted white, with green shutters to the windows, and are +often surrounded by broad verandas. The roofs are generally of red +tiles, which look pretty among the dark foliage of the trees which +often line the streets, and in spite of "topee"<a name="FNanchor_1_1" id="FNanchor_1_1"></a><a href="#Footnote_1_1" class="fnanchor">[1]</a> and umbrella, +pedestrians are thankful to avail themselves of their shade, for the +air is hot and the white glare of the streets is most trying to the +eyes.</p> + +<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_1_1" id="Footnote_1_1"></a><a href="#FNanchor_1_1"><span class="label">[1]</span></a> Sun-helmet.</p></div> + +<p>People of all nations throng the thoroughfares and bazaars—Indians +and Singalese, Chinese and Burmans—and one's first impression is a +vague confusion of picturesque costumes and unaccustomed types of +mankind; for Rangoon is cosmopolitan to a degree, and can hardly be +called a Burmese town at all.</p> + +<p>Anyone visiting Rangoon for the first time will, I think, be struck by +the many strange trades carried on in the streets, and it is +interesting to sit in the veranda of your hotel in the Strand and +watch the crowd as it <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_7" id="Page_7">[7]</a></span>passes. Here is a water-carrier, whose +terra-cotta water-jars are slung from a bamboo carried on his +shoulder, another man bears on his head a tray upon which a charcoal +fire is cooking a strong-smelling "tit-bit" some hungry labourer will +presently enjoy. Again, a Chinaman, perhaps wearing black skull-cap +and loose jacket and trousers, endeavours to tempt you to purchase the +fans or sunshades he is hawking. Huge baskets of coco-nuts or +vegetables, gaudily printed calicoes and haberdashery, cheap knives +and looking-glasses, and baskets of cool melons, are some of the +articles carried across the shoulders of the pedlars, while porters +pass to and fro bearing huge burdens from one warehouse to another.</p> + +<p>Flocks of goats are driven from house to house to be milked at the +doorstep, and occasionally a hill-man may be seen wandering about in +the hope of finding a purchaser for the freshly-caught leopard he is +leading. What will, perhaps, most strike Europeans are the bullock +gharries by which the heavy traffic of the town is carried on. These +are carts curiously shaped and often carved, with large and very +wide-rimmed wheels. They are drawn by a pair of Indian bullocks, sleek +cream-coloured beasts with mild and patient eyes, and often bearing +enormous horns, which, somewhat after the shape of a lyre, stand four +feet above their heads.</p> + +<p>Excepting for a single rein which is fastened to a ring through the +nose, no harness is used; but, instead, the cattle press against the +wooden yoke which is fixed to the pole of the cart, and is kept in +position by long pins which lie on each side of their necks.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_8" id="Page_8">[8]</a></span></p> + +<p>One thing which distinguishes these bullocks from our own is their +hump, which nearly all Eastern cattle have. This hump not only enables +them the better to work under the yoke, but, as in the case of the +camel, is provided by Nature as a storing-place for surplus fat, upon +which they can unconsciously nourish themselves when pasturage or food +is scarce.</p> + +<p>Large-turbaned Indian police keep order in the streets, where office +"chuprassies," or messengers, wearing their broad, coloured sash of +office across their shoulders, come and go upon their errands, and, +with the white-clad butler of a "Sahib" intent upon his marketing, +mingle with a crowd which is composed of all races and all stations of +life, from the wizened labourer in his loin-cloth to the wealthy baboo +or daintily-clad Burmese lady. It is a wonderful medley of strange +faces, costumes, and tongues, and among it all the self-sufficient +crow fights with the "pi" dogs over the garbage, to the amusement of +the children, who, often quite naked, play about the gutters.</p> + +<p>No such crowd in England could possibly have the same charm, for here +dirt, hunger, and rags are always apparent, while there the dirt is +lost in the glorious sunshine, and, instead of rags, we find bright +colours, while the people, though often poor, seldom, if ever, go +hungry.</p> + +<p>I have tried to give you some little idea of the life of the streets, +and now let us see something of the life of the "Sahib" in Rangoon.</p> + +<p>You boys and girls whose fathers are in India know that "Sahib" means +the Englishman, the merchant or official who carries on the business +affairs or government <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_9" id="Page_9">[9]</a></span>of the country, and many of you may remember +something of your very young days out there, before the time arrived +when it became necessary for you to leave the East and come to school +in England.</p> + +<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;"><a name="pic3" id="pic3"></a> +<img src="images/image_021.jpg" width="400" height="578" alt="A DAINTILY-CLAD BURMESE LADY. Page 8." /> +<span class="caption">A DAINTILY-CLAD BURMESE LADY. <a href="#Page_8">Page 8</a>.</span></div> + +<p>Well, I may say that the English "Sahib" works very hard indeed, and I +am afraid he is already busy at his office long before we in England +have thought of getting up. Somewhere about six o'clock, after a light +breakfast called "chota-hazri," he is at his office, which he seldom +leaves till the evening. The offices are large and airy, and all the +windows are shaded by jalousies, or grass mats, which in hot weather +are wetted so as to cool the air as it passes through them. Slung from +the ceiling in long rows over tables or desks are the "punkahs," or +fans, which a "punkah-wallah" outside in the veranda pulls to and fro +with a rope in order to keep the hot air moving, and prevent the flies +and mosquitoes from settling. Every one, though clothed in the +lightest suit, works with his coat off, and in many cases, so as not +to interrupt the day's routine, "tiffin," or lunch, is eaten in the +office. Work is hard, steady, and continuous, and no one who has not +been there knows how well our relations in the East earn its many +compensations.</p> + +<p>Life there is not <i>all</i> work, however, and its social conditions are +very attractive. From the time when his "tum-tum"<a name="FNanchor_2_2" id="FNanchor_2_2"></a><a href="#Footnote_2_2" class="fnanchor">[2]</a> arrives at the +close of office-hours and the "Sahib" bowls merrily homewards, a new +life begins. Town becomes deserted, and the suburbs awake to offer +amusement and relaxation to the workers.</p> + +<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_2_2" id="Footnote_2_2"></a><a href="#FNanchor_2_2"><span class="label">[2]</span></a> Dogcart.</p></div> + +<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_10" id="Page_10">[10]</a></span></p> + +<p>Let us accompany one of our friends on his way home. The sun is +declining and the air already much cooler, and the drive through the +shopping streets and the squares is very enjoyable. The town is soon +passed, however, and broad roads well shaded with many tropical +growths lead to cantonments, as the suburbs are called. Here are the +military lines as well as the bungalows of the residents. These +bungalows are generally large and comfortable-looking, and one can see +from their broad verandas and well-shaded windows that they are +designed for coolness. Nearly all are built of timber, and each stands +in its own compound, which is usually gay with flowers and well +provided with shade-trees. Separated from the house but connected with +it by a covered walk are the kitchens, and in a corner of the garden +are the stables, for horses are an essential in Rangoon.</p> + +<p>As we drive along the quiet roads they gradually become animated. The +ladies, who have been resting indoors during the great heat of the +day, pass us on their way to their tennis-parties or other +engagements, while, in charge of picturesquely-clad Burmese or Indian +ayahs, the little ones take their evening walk. Groups of Burmans of +the better class with their wives promenade the cool avenues in happy +contentment, or wend their way towards Dalhousie Park. The whole scene +is pretty and domestic, and the roads themselves form beautiful vistas +in the evening light, which gilds the feathery crests of the coco-nuts +and gives added colour to the deep-toned foliage of the padouk and +other trees which fringe them. Song-birds which are<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_11" id="Page_11">[11]</a></span> strange to us +call each other from the groves, and in the bamboo clumps the +grasshoppers are beginning to sing, while floating in the air, which +is now fresh and cool, is the scent of many flowers from the gardens.</p> + +<p>Dalhousie Park is one of the many attractions of Rangoon. It is large +and well laid out, with a very pretty lake, which winds among the +well-arranged groups of forest trees. There is a boat club here, and +gliding over the still water are many rowing boats and small sailing +craft. Swans and ducks are swimming about as the swallow skims the +surface of the water, breaking its deep reflections with a silver +streak. All the paths are thronged with people, some driving, others +on foot, and most of them presently congregate about the bandstand to +enjoy the music or exchange the gossip of the day. It is quite an +interesting sight. All the fashionable life of Rangoon is represented +here, and mingling with it are yellow-robed Buddhist priests and +natives of all classes; for the Burman loves to come here in the +evening, to listen to the band or watch the changing glory of the sky +as the sun slowly sets behind his beloved pagoda.</p> + +<p>Now the sun has set, and every one hastily puts on overcoats or wraps +before driving home, for the air becomes suddenly cold, and neglect of +these precautions will probably result in fever.</p> + +<p>Many adjourn to the gymkhana club before returning home. This is +principally a man's club, but here also on many days a band plays, and +the sight is a pretty one indeed as the children and their ayahs play +about the lawn, while their parents enjoy their tea at the little<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_12" id="Page_12">[12]</a></span> +tables scattered about it, before the falling dew drives the little +ones homewards, and their elders to the club-house for a game of +billiards or a chat.</p> + +<p>All this side of Rangoon life is very pleasant and very interesting, +but it is not Burmese. Rangoon has for so long been a great trade +centre that the easy-going Burman is rather overshadowed; but as it is +typical of many foreign places where our fathers or brothers are +occupied, and where some of my readers may presently have to go, I +thought it would be interesting to give you this glimpse of European +life in India, and in the next chapter I will tell you something about +the Burmans themselves.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 65%;" /> +<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_13" id="Page_13">[13]</a></span></p> +<h2><a name="CHAPTER_III" id="CHAPTER_III"></a>CHAPTER III</h2> + +<h2>THE PEOPLE</h2> + + +<p>Have you ever thought how the character of the various races of the +world is more or less determined by the nature of the country of their +origin? Rugged mountains and a hard climate produce people of a +similar severity of type, and, on the other hand, one naturally looks +for poetry and music in a people so pleasantly and romantically +situated as are the Italians. In the same way the Burmese are pretty +much what their country has made them. The land is so very fertile +that almost anything will grow there, and Nature provides food for the +people with the least possible effort on their own part. The climate +is also damp, warm, and enervating, so that one would not expect to +find among its inhabitants much energy or decision of character. Their +beautiful religion also makes them kind and gentle, and their +isolation, which, as I have pointed out, separates them from the +neighbouring countries, has left them almost entirely undisturbed by +the activities of the greater world. In fact, on account of their +easy-going and contented nature, the Burmese are often called the +"Irish of the East," and I am afraid it must be said that the men are +rather lazy, and,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_14" id="Page_14">[14]</a></span> like their prototypes in some parts of Ireland, +leave most of the work to the women.</p> + +<p>As a rule, the Burmese women are industrious and clever at business, +most of which is conducted by them, while the men are more fond of +sport of all kinds than employment. All, however, are gentle in +character, light-hearted, and merry, and like to repeat in their +clothing the beautiful tints of their forest flowers and +gaily-coloured birds and butterflies.</p> + +<p>It is not surprising, therefore, that among the alien races so busily +engaged in the trade of Rangoon the Burmans should be overshadowed and +rather lost to sight; and though in Rangoon itself there are many +streets occupied entirely by them, it is in the quieter surroundings +of the suburbs that the Burman appears to advantage.</p> + +<p>Many little Burmese villages surround Rangoon, where, half buried in +the trees and creepers which envelop them, the quaint dwellings lie +more or less secluded from the road. All are built of timber or +bamboo, and have nothing in their design to make them noticeable. +Among them, however, are occasional "kyoungs," or Buddhist +monasteries, which are much more ornamental and striking. Like their +other buildings, the "kyoung" is constructed of timber, and stands +upon a wooden platform raised from the ground some four or five feet +by thick posts, which are usually carried through the balustrade which +surrounds the platform, and terminate in a carved head, steps leading +to the stage upon which the monastery is built. These "kyoungs" are +very curious in design, the walls, doors,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_15" id="Page_15">[15]</a></span> and windows being +ornamented with carving, while their succession of roofs, one above +the other, often rise to a great height. To afford shade to the +platform below, the roofs project considerably beyond the walls, and +the ridges of each are decorated with carved woodwork representing +their "nats" and "beloos," as they call their good and evil spirits, +and the ends of the eaves terminate in a very striking ornament +supposed to represent the peacock, which, as you will see from the +picture, gives the building a very quaint appearance indeed. Sometimes +the monasteries are gilded, and the doors and wall-panels inlaid with +looking-glass, tinsel, and other glittering material, which makes them +appear very gorgeous in the sunlight.</p> + +<p>These monasteries are occupied by Buddhist priests, who teach the +children of the neighbourhood, or instruct the pilgrims who visit them +in the beauties of their religion, of which I shall have something to +tell you presently. All the priests have shaven heads, and wear a +simple robe of cotton, dyed to a bright yellow by the juice of the +cutch-tree. Gentle and hospitable themselves, they lead the most +simple lives. All the food they eat is given by the people, and it is +a very picturesque sight to see the daily procession of priests and +novices, each carrying a bowl in which to receive the offerings of +food so willingly given by the inmates of the houses they visit. No +request for alms is ever made, nor any word of thanks spoken, for such +gifts are freely offered by a people who believe in their religion, +and do so as an "act of merit."</p> + +<p>Close by the monasteries are the "zeyats," or homes<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_16" id="Page_16">[16]</a></span> for wandering +pilgrims. Though their roofs are ornamented in the same way as the +"kyoungs," they are more simple in appearance, and often have one side +entirely open to the air. Built primarily for pilgrims, anyone may use +them, and often a belated traveller is very thankful to take advantage +of their shelter against the night dews or tropical rains.</p> + +<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;"><a name="pic4" id="pic4"></a> +<img src="images/image_030.jpg" width="500" height="685" alt="A REST HOUSE." /> +<span class="caption">A REST HOUSE.</span></div> + +<p>Another striking feature of their architecture is the "pyathat," or +spire of five or seven roofs, each smaller than the other, which +finish in what they call a "ti," or umbrella of wrought iron +ornamented with flowers, and from which little bells and cymbals swing +and tinkle in the breeze. These spires, however, are only erected over +sacred buildings or the palace of a King.</p> + +<p>Most beautiful of all their buildings is the pagoda, as their temples +are called, and most beautiful, perhaps, of all the temples in Burma +is the great Shwe Dagon pagoda in Rangoon. "Shwe" means golden, and +this beautiful bell-shaped pyramid, which rises 370 feet above the +mound upon which it is built, is entirely overlaid with gold. The +mound itself, which is of considerable height, is artificially made, +the earth having been carried there in order to form a fortress and a +pedestal for the shrine. These pagodas are constructed of solid +brickwork, in which is often enclosed some sacred relic. Originally of +small dimensions, generations of Kings have from time to time added +further layers of brickwork to the gradually increasing structure, +until to-day this stupendous Shwe Dagon pagoda stands before us so +immense and so beautiful as to be rightly considered one of the +wonders of the world. Around <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_17" id="Page_17">[17]</a></span>the base of the temple is a large +number of shrines, each lofty, beautified by carved woodwork and +towering pinnacles, richly embellished with gilding and coloured +inlay, and each worthy itself to be a separate temple. Fantastic +images and carved balustrades connect the various shrines with each +other and with the great temple itself, and from ornamental pedestals +spring conventional representations of the sacred tree of Buddha, +delicately wrought in iron. Tall flagstaffs, 60 or 80 feet high, +surmounted by emblematical figures or representations of the Brahminy +duck, float their long streamers in the wind, while the sound of +tinkling bells descends from the "tis" with which every pinnacle is +crowned. Surrounding all is a broad platform fringed with shops and +other buildings, for the Burmese love their pagoda, and many spend +their days here, and the necessities of life must be provided.</p> + +<p>Nowhere in all Burma may a better idea of the Burmese be obtained than +on this pagoda platform. At all times of the day it is thronged by +people, not only from Rangoon, but from all parts of the country, who +come to pray or wonder at its beauty. At the shrines, in which are +always one or more images of Buddha, groups of devout Burmans pray. +Lighted candles burn before the images, while the worshippers, among +whom it will be noticed women predominate, bear flowers in their +hands, which before their departure they reverently lay upon the niche +in which the "Master" is enshrined.</p> + +<p>These flowers and coloured candles are sold upon the platform, leading +up to which are several covered<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_18" id="Page_18">[18]</a></span> staircases, which form the best +bazaar in Rangoon, as in the shops on either side of the ascent almost +everything from jewellery and toys to food-stuffs may be bought. The +entrance from the street below is very striking. The flight of broad +steps leads to a gilded and painted pavilion, on either side of which +stand enormous leogryphs, the mythical guardians of the temple. +Passing through an archway embellished by figures of "nats" and other +imaginary creatures, a long succession of steps, covered throughout +the whole distance by ornamental roofs, leads to the temple above, and +at all times of the day is thronged by brightly-clothed pedestrians, +ascending and descending through the alternate gleams of sunlight and +cool shade of the bazaar. Nowhere else in Burma can the people be +better studied than here, all classes being represented, and it may be +interesting if I describe them more closely. Like their neighbours of +Siam and China, the Burmese are Mongolian in type, but, without so +pronounced a cheekbone and slanting eye as the Chinese, are more +pleasing in appearance. Indeed, the men are often handsome, and among +the women and young girls I have seen many of extreme beauty. While +the men are often sallow, the women are generally more ruddy in +complexion, and all have hair of an almost purple blackness. Their +clothing is bright and clean-looking. All wear a short jacket, usually +white, though ladies of the better degree sometimes adopt figured +velvets and other rich materials. The men commonly wear a "lungyi," or +short skirt composed of coloured silk<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_19" id="Page_19">[19]</a></span> or cloth gathered round their +loins, or the more elaborate "petsoe," which is made of coloured silk +and in which many yards of loose material twisted into a bunch about +the waist serves as an additional scarf or head-dress should it be +cold. Short socks and boots of European make are now unfortunately +commonly worn, while a silk scarf of bright colour tied round the head +completes the male costume.</p> + +<p>The women are clad in much the same way, wearing a similar "lungyi" +and jacket or the more beautiful "temaine," a skirt of rich figured +silk, which is open on one side, exposing the leg up to the knee, to +which is added a broad fringe of darker material, which trails upon +the ground, giving it a more graceful appearance than the shorter +"lungyi." Wooden sandals are worn on the feet, while on their +shoulders is thrown a long scarf of delicately-coloured silk. Unlike +the men, the women wear no head-dress, but take great pride in their +hair, which is always glossy and well dressed, and almost invariably +is adorned by a comb or some choice flower. Endowed by Nature with +beautiful hands, they love to accentuate the point by a display of +jewellery, which, though sometimes worn to excess, is always <i>good</i>, +for the Burmese lady would scorn to wear a spurious gem. Pretty fans +or handkerchiefs are carried in the hand, while, like a halo +surrounding the head, dainty parasols, semi-transparent and +hand-painted, shield them from the sun. It is difficult to give any +true impression of such a Burmese crowd, in which every conceivable +variety of tint and texture is displayed, and permeating which is a +sense of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_20" id="Page_20">[20]</a></span> universal gaiety and lightness of heart. It is like nothing +so much as a beautiful flower-garden, while the people themselves +would seem to be as free from care as the butterflies that hover above +the blooms.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 65%;" /> +<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_21" id="Page_21">[21]</a></span></p> +<h2><a name="CHAPTER_IV" id="CHAPTER_IV"></a>CHAPTER IV</h2> + +<h2>THE IRRAWADDY</h2> + + +<p>To all countries rivers serve the same purpose as the veins in one's +body, being their great source of life and activity. Not only do they +drain and fertilize the land, but also afford the readiest and most +economical means of transit for its trade; consequently on their banks +are found the largest cities and most active commercial life of the +country.</p> + +<p>This is particularly true of Burma, for, railways still being few in +number, the Irrawaddy forms its great highway for traffic, and a large +fleet of steamers plies regularly with freight and passengers between +Rangoon, Mandalay, and Bhamo, while thousands of native craft of all +shapes and sizes assist in the carrying trade of the country.</p> + +<p>For a thousand miles the Irrawaddy is alive with traffic, and on its +banks have settled the greater proportion of the population of the +country, for with the exception of a few isolated towns and +settlements, which are surrounded by cultivated areas of limited +extent, the whole country away from the river-banks is densely covered +by scrub jungle and primeval forest, practically uninhabited and +uncultivable. Throughout the length of the river, however, is one long +series<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_22" id="Page_22">[22]</a></span> of towns and villages, whose pagodas and monasteries crown +every knoll, and whose population seems largely to live upon the +water.</p> + +<p>The Irrawaddy is a stream of great size and volume, and, like all +rivers subject to periodic flood, is enclosed by high banks of +alluvial deposit, between which the river winds its devious way, laden +with that rich and fertile mud which, in the course of ages, has +formed the delta at its mouth.</p> + +<p>In the case of the Irrawaddy this delta is of large extent, and is +everywhere intersected by the deep creeks which form the many mouths +of the river, thus breaking up the alluvial plain into numerous +islands, between which communication is impossible except by means of +boats.</p> + +<p>These islands are for the most part covered with a dense jungle, which +forms a lair for tigers and many other wild beasts, and so close do +these tigers approach to Rangoon that one was recently shot inside the +great pagoda, in which it had taken refuge. While there I heard of an +amusing adventure which befell the keeper of the lighthouse at the +mouth of the Rangoon River. He was enjoying a morning stroll along the +beach, reading a book as he walked, and, as the sun was bright, he +held his white umbrella before him to shield himself from the glare of +sand and water. Suddenly he stumbled over a tiger lying fast asleep +upon the shore, and with a yell of terror the lighthouse man, dropping +book and sunshade on the ground, fled away as hard as he could run in +one direction, to discover presently that the tiger, just as much +alarmed as him<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_23" id="Page_23">[23]</a></span>self, had made an equally precipitous flight in the +other.</p> + +<p>All these lower water-ways of the Irrawaddy are tidal, for they are +quite close to the sea, and at high water the land is scarcely raised +at all above the water level. Mango-trees, dwarf palms, and reeds +fringe the muddy banks, on which, raised upon poles and built partly +over the water, are the huts of the fishermen, who, half naked, ply +their calling in quaintly-shaped, dug-out canoes. To the north of the +principal creek which connects Rangoon with Bassein stretches a vast +plain of fertile "paddy" land, where each year is grown that enormous +crop of rice which forms Burma's chief export.</p> + +<p>From every landing-place cargo boats of many kinds, manned by crews of +different nationalities, drop downstream to Rangoon, heavily laden +with "paddy," as the unhusked rice is called, which, after treatment +at the mills, will be shipped abroad.</p> + +<p>Though hardly beautiful, perhaps, these tidal waters are of great +interest to the new-comer, who probably for the first time sees the +feathery coco-nut and graceful areca-palm growing in their natural +state among the many other strange trees that flourish upon the banks. +At each stopping-place, also, is the picturesque native village, often +surrounded by banana-groves and gardens of sesamum. High on the banks +boats are being built or repaired, in readiness for next season's +flood, while on the water the continuous stream of traffic is of +never-failing interest.</p> + +<p>Above Prome, however, where the river flows between<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_24" id="Page_24">[24]</a></span> the mountain +ranges which form the great backbone of Burma, every mile of the +journey is of great and varied beauty.</p> + +<p>The banks are high, and cut into terraces by the varying levels of the +river, and are crowned by a belt of almost continuous forest-trees, +among which, half hidden in the foliage, are the towns and villages +which so frequently occur on both banks. Behind, the rising ground, +naturally rocky and broken, is entirely enveloped by a dense forest, +which stretches in leafy undulations to the lofty mountains which loom +in the far distance.</p> + +<p>The Irrawaddy is rapid in its flow, and, like all flood rivers, is +constantly changing its course, as the scour of the water washes away +a portion of the bank from one spot, to form a sand-bank in the stream +lower down. Consequently, navigation for large steamers is difficult, +and the whole course has to be marked out by buoys of bamboo, which, +in some of the more difficult reaches, must be constantly changed. +Some of these steamers plying on the Irrawaddy are very large, being +over 300 feet long, and nearly 80 feet in width. Many of them carry +upwards of 2,000 passengers, mostly deck passengers, who, in the aft +part of the ship, conduct a travelling bazaar for the benefit of such +towns and villages on the banks as have no regular shops of their own. +At each landing-place crowds of people, again mostly women, are +awaiting the arrival of the steamer, carrying various goods for sale +or barter, while others eagerly board the steamer to make such +purchases as they require.</p> + +<p>Almost every requisite of life may be bought in these <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_25" id="Page_25">[25]</a></span>floating +bazaars—clothing, cutlery, or hardware, lamps and looking-glasses +(which latter are always in great demand), preserved eggs from China, +English flour, Indian curries and sweetmeats, cooking utensils, +"ngapi" (or rotted fish) from Yandoon, are some of the articles +offered for sale, in return for which the villagers have to offer +supplies of oil, cutch, rice, native silks, and beautifully-made +baskets and lacquer-work.</p> + +<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;"><a name="pic5" id="pic5"></a> +<img src="images/image_041.jpg" width="500" height="661" alt="A NATIVE BOAT SAILING UPSTREAM WITH THE WIND. Page 26" /> +<span class="caption">A NATIVE BOAT SAILING UPSTREAM WITH THE WIND. <a href="#Page_26">Page 26</a>.</span></div> + +<p>At important stations the landing-places consist of barges moored +alongside the banks, and these are moved from time to time as the +varying levels of the river demand. More frequently, however, the bows +of the steamer are simply run into the bank, while its crew of +Chittagonians jump overboard to carry the mooring rope ashore. It is +amusing to watch the mass of struggling humanity who throng the +landing-places on the arrival of the steamer. Every one, whether +landing or embarking, strives to be first upon the narrow gangway +which connects the steamer's sponson<a name="FNanchor_3_3" id="FNanchor_3_3"></a><a href="#Footnote_3_3" class="fnanchor">[3]</a> with the shore, with the +result that many are thrown into the water. Each is intent upon +conducting his business to the best possible advantage in the limited +time at his disposal, for the steamer's visit does not occur every +day, and its stay is short.</p> + +<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_3_3" id="Footnote_3_3"></a><a href="#FNanchor_3_3"><span class="label">[3]</span></a> The small platform which connects the paddle-box with the +steamer's deck.</p></div> + +<p>Along the margin of the river are many who, indifferent to the arrival +of the mail, are engaged in washing their clothes or utensils, while +boys and girls gambol on the banks, or, swimming with delightful ease, +frolic round the steamer in the water.</p> + +<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_26" id="Page_26">[26]</a></span></p><p>Interesting though life in the steamer is, that of the river as seen +from its decks is even more so. The native boats are most quaint in +their designs, the most striking being the "laungzat." This is a +vessel often of very large size, and capable of carrying a large +amount of cargo. Its bows are sharply uptilted, the cut-water +frequently rising clear of the water. The hull is beautifully +modelled, and the stern, rising high above the water in a sort of +tower, is often elaborately carved. Half its length is covered by a +deck-house for the crew, on the roof of which a canopy of reeds or +grasses gives shelter to the steersman, who, raised in this way, is +better able to steer clear of the shoals and shallows which beset the +stream, and which from the lower deck would probably not be seen. The +rudder is a long paddle, also carved, which is slung in a loop over +the stern, while a further decorative effect is often obtained by +inverted soda-water bottles stuck upon poles along the sides.</p> + +<p>Coming downstream the vessel is propelled by oars, usually twelve to +sixteen, which the crew ply with a slow rhythmic swing. During the +monsoons, when strong winds blow upstream, sails are used instead of +oars. The mast is composed of two bamboos lashed together at the top, +their lower ends being made fast to the gunwale. On this frame, from +bamboo yards curved slightly upwards, is spread a curious combination +of six or seven square sails, which, though only of use when running +before the wind, enable the boat to travel at a great speed. There are +many other kinds of boats in use, all equally distinctive in +character; and even the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_27" id="Page_27">[27]</a></span> dug-out canoe is pretty, its fore-foot rising +clear of the water in a slight curve, which lends an element of beauty +to what would otherwise have been simply a straight log.</p> + +<p>Fishing is frequent along the river-bank, the favourite appliances +being nets of various kinds. Often on a sand-bank may be seen a little +hut raised high above the ground, and composed of bamboo and reeds. +This is the shelter for the fisherman, who with a drag-net buoyed by +sun-dried gourds fishes the neighbouring shallows. Hand-nets are +occasionally used, but most interesting, perhaps, is the curious kind +of cradle by which a net stretched upon a bamboo frame is let down +into the water from the bank, particularly on the passing of a +steamer, when the startled fish dart in shore and are caught in the +net, which is raised at the proper moment by the watchers on the bank.</p> + +<p>Very interesting also are the rafts, composed of logs of teak and +pyingado, which, cut in the forests far inland, are constructed in the +creeks, as the forest streams are called, and are then launched into +the Irrawaddy upon their voyage of often many weeks before Rangoon is +reached.</p> + +<p>These rafts are frequently of enormous size, and are manned by crews +of Shans, whose numbers vary according to their size. Without means of +propulsion, the rafts simply drift with the stream, but are guided to +some extent by a number of paddles fixed at either end, by which the +crews endeavour, not always successfully, to keep them clear of shoals +and their heads downstream.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_28" id="Page_28">[28]</a></span></p> + +<p>In many cases the population of a raft is so considerable that quite a +little village of huts is built upon it, and I have seen cows, goats, +and fowls, as well as the wives and children of the crew, housed upon +it. In one case at least I remember seeing a raft upon which was +erected a bamboo pagoda, and frequently upon the sand-banks in the +river small pagodas of the same material are erected for devout +watermen.</p> + +<p>Not least among the many beauties of the Irrawaddy are the glorious +sunsets behind the "Yomas," when the colours are repeated in the +limpid water, which perfectly reflects the pinnacles of "kyoungs" or +pagodas, or the pretty village that lies half hidden amidst the varied +foliage which in rich masses crowns the banks.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 65%;" /> +<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_29" id="Page_29">[29]</a></span></p> +<h2><a name="CHAPTER_V" id="CHAPTER_V"></a>CHAPTER V</h2> + +<h2>THE IRRAWADDY (<span class="f2"><i>continued</i></span>)</h2> + + +<p>Almost every morning dense mists hang upon the river, screening +everything from view until the sun, slowly gaining power, presently +dispels the fog and reveals the beauty of the scene.</p> + +<p>Very beautiful indeed are some of these panoramas disclosed in the +early sunlight.</p> + +<p>Close beside the high and clear-cut bank, crowned with flowering +kine-grass, our steamer lies, the silently-flowing river gurgling and +bubbling under our keel. The water is quite still, and repeats every +detail of the opposite shore, behind which, rising terrace upon +terrace, are the wooded "Yomas," in whose ravines and valleys still +hangs some remnant of the fog. The foliage is of many kinds, the +feathery tamarind and acacia contrasting well with the more heavily +leaved banyan; betel-nut and toddy-palm rise above the mulberry or +mimosa, and conspicuous among the varied tints of the forest is the +delicate green of the bamboo, to the Burman the most useful perhaps of +all the forest growths, and everywhere abounding.</p> + +<p>Life awakens with the sun. Herds of cattle roam along the shore, while +in the fields from raised platforms half-nude men and boys scare +wild-fowl from the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_30" id="Page_30">[30]</a></span> ripening crops. The smoke of many fires on shore +and from the craft upon the water rises perpendicularly in the still +air, as the frugal morning meal is being prepared ere another day's +work begins.</p> + +<p>Between its banks the Irrawaddy sweeps in splendid curves, producing +an ever-growing sense of bigness and dignity. Some of its reaches are +very wide, and have more the appearance of an inland lake than a +river. On such sand-banks as are not already occupied by fishermen, +flocks of wild-goose, storks, and other waders are roosting or fishing +in the shallow pools. Kingfishers dart hither and thither after their +prey, and wild-duck in great numbers settle upon its smooth surface, +to feast upon the teeming fish with which the river abounds.</p> + +<p>In general the scene is one of placid beauty: even the rugged mountain +sides are smoothed and softened by their covering of greenery, and the +warm air and limpid water combine to produce an effect of quietude and +repose, which the contented character of the Burman does little to +disturb.</p> + +<p>At certain places, however, as in the defile above Mandalay, the +scenery is of a more vigorous character.</p> + +<p>Here the river narrows considerably, and in its deep and silent flow +winds for many miles between high hills which closely confine it, and +in one place rise in a perpendicular cliff 800 feet sheer above the +water.</p> + +<p>I was fortunate in approaching the defile in the early dawn, when the +morning mists still hung heavy upon the hills of lurid blackness which +marked its entrance. Between them was an impenetrable gloom, which +seemed<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_31" id="Page_31">[31]</a></span> to promise no means of egress, and as we steamed rapidly +towards it, one unconsciously felt that here was the end of all +things, and that nothing could possibly lie beyond. It was a most +weird sensation, which the river, so darkly flowing between banks we +could hardly see, served to emphasize.</p> + +<p>Presently the rising sun lit up the clouds of vapour piled high above +the hills, and then for half an hour continued the most beautiful and +ever-changing play of colour imaginable, as the slowly-moving fog +wreaths wound about the mountain tops, now rosy in the sunlight, or +again in pearly shade, while alternate gloom and gleam tipped the +hills with gold or enveloped them in a purple mystery.</p> + +<p>By the time our steamer entered the defile full daylight better +enabled us to observe our surroundings.</p> + +<p>Here, as elsewhere, the vegetation was luxuriant; every crevice in the +rocks afforded foothold for some tree or creeper, while the hilltops +and more sloping sides were densely covered with forest trees.</p> + +<p>The passage of the defile occupies about two hours, and the course of +the river is very tortuous.</p> + +<p>At the bends little beaches of bright shingle lie against the +tree-roots. Fishing cradles, such as I have described, are frequent, +and cormorants in great numbers share with the fishermen the spoils of +the river, for nowhere on the Irrawaddy are the fish of better quality +than here.</p> + +<p>Altogether, in the impressiveness of its scenery, the quiet, +irresistible flow of the river, and the bright tints and varied +growths of the forest, the lower defile of the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_32" id="Page_32">[32]</a></span> Irrawaddy forms one of +the most striking scenes I have ever enjoyed; and if the river had no +other beauty than this to show, it alone would amply repay the +traveller for his journey.</p> + +<div class="figcenter" style="width: 600px;"><a name="pic6" id="pic6"></a> +<img src="images/image_050.jpg" width="600" height="441" alt="THE IRRAWADDY. Chapters IV and V." /> +<span class="caption">THE IRRAWADDY. Chapters <a href="#CHAPTER_IV">IV</a> and <a href="#CHAPTER_V">V</a>.</span></div> + +<p>Though in general so fertile, there is one part of the river where the +hills which lie on its western side are entirely barren, and the +reddish-yellow rocks appear very hot and uninviting by comparison. Yet +this forbidding district is one of the busiest and richest of all +Burma, for this is the great oil-field of the country, and the +chimneys of pumping stations which stretch for miles along the hills +and river-bank show how actively the trade is being worked. Formerly +Burma was obliged to import all her lamp-oil from America, but now, +although a certain amount of American oil is still imported, Burma not +only produces sufficient for their own use, but is able to export a +considerable quantity to other countries, and many of the steamers on +the river use the crude or unrefined oil as fuel.</p> + +<p>Here and there in the river are moored curious-looking dredgers +engaged in pumping up the river sand, from which is separated the gold +dust with which it is so freely mixed. The gold comes from unknown +veins hundreds of miles away, and is to be found in greater or less +quantities all down the river, and though the natives have always been +in the habit of "washing for gold," it is only within the last few +years that any real attempt has been made to work it on a large scale.</p> + +<p>The Irrawaddy has many tributaries, but though the larger streams, +such as the Chindwin and Mu Rivers, are always flowing, most of the +smaller forest streams are <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_33" id="Page_33">[33]</a></span>dry, excepting during the monsoon, which +continues from May until September. At this season, swelled into +torrents by the rains, they pour into the Irrawaddy, quickly raising +its level 40 to 50 feet, and the peaceful river which I have described +becomes a mighty flood, in places 2 miles in width, full to the top of +its banks and overflowing the fields and flooding the village streets, +and sweeping away from its sand-banks those huts and pagodas and other +temporary buildings we have noticed, while the mud which its turbid +waters carry each year adds a little to the delta at its mouth.</p> + +<p>Very often crossing the mouth of these tributaries you may see a +framework of bamboo, over which fishing-nets are spread as the river +rises, and in the pools of slack water which lie at the mouths of the +forest creeks a great collection of logs lie floating. These logs have +been cut in the forest long before, and have gradually been collected +at some such convenient spot, where a large number of natives are +busily engaged in building them into one of those huge rafts so +constantly met with on the river. These rafts have a long journey +before them, and constantly grounding as they do, no ropes would hold +them together through all the wear and tear of their weeks upon the +water, so instead of ropes rattan is used. This is a peculiarly long, +tough, and flexible cane, which grows all over the forests, and is +often a hundred yards or more in length. The logs are mostly of teak +(about which I will tell you more presently) and pyingado or +iron-wood, which is so heavy that it sinks in the water, and +consequently rafts<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_34" id="Page_34">[34]</a></span> of bamboo are first built, and beneath them the +pyingado logs are slung.</p> + +<p>An interesting place is Bhamo, the last station for the river steamers +and close to the frontier of China. The town is more Chinese than +Burman in character, though on the banks of the River Taiping are the +remains of pagodas and other buildings of purely Burmese origin.</p> + +<p>Then, again, there are other defiles on the river beside the one I +have already described, and many other points of interest which I +might mention. Thabeitkyan, the landing-place for the ruby-mines, +three days' journey inland; the rocky island with its monastery and +pagoda, whose priests are said to be able to tame the fish in the +river, which they feed by hand; the great bell at Mingoon, or the +water-side fair at Shwegu, and a host of others. It would be +impossible for me to tell you about everything of interest that the +Irrawaddy has to show, but perhaps I have said enough to give you some +little idea of how beautiful and interesting a river it is.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 65%;" /> +<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_35" id="Page_35">[35]</a></span></p> +<h2><a name="CHAPTER_VI" id="CHAPTER_VI"></a>CHAPTER VI</h2> + +<h2>VILLAGE LIFE</h2> + + +<p>Leaving the river, let us go ashore at one of the many villages on its +banks, and see how the Burmese live.</p> + +<p>Our steamer lies alongside of the bank while the cargo is being +landed, and its fuel of eng-wood is put on board. This is hard work, +and is generally done by girls, who are paid by piece-work, and +generally lose no time in the operation. Bales and cases lie upon the +bank, and are being loaded into bullock-carts or carried to the top of +the "bund," as the bank is called, where pack-ponies are waiting to +carry them to more distant destinations.</p> + +<p>The villagers "shikoh"<a name="FNanchor_4_4" id="FNanchor_4_4"></a><a href="#Footnote_4_4" class="fnanchor">[4]</a> as we land, and swarms of youngsters follow +us on our tour of the village; but though greatly interested in +ourselves and our hardly-concealed curiosity, they are always polite +and never annoy us in any way.</p> + +<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_4_4" id="Footnote_4_4"></a><a href="#FNanchor_4_4"><span class="label">[4]</span></a> The Burmese form of salute.</p></div> + +<p>The village lies close beside the river, and is, as usual, bowered in +trees, which overhang the bank. Its other three sides are enclosed by +a stockade of thorns or wooden palings as a protection against wild +beasts or attack by dacoits, bands of robbers who <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_36" id="Page_36">[36]</a></span>until recently +lurked in the jungles, and often raided outlying and unprotected +villages.</p> + +<p>The stockade is nearly always overgrown with creeping plants, yellow +convolvulus, tropæolum, and a charming little climber like +canariensis. On each side is a gate built of balks of timber, and so +heavy that it must run on wheels. This gate is always shut at +nightfall, so that no one can enter the village unknown to the +watchman, who is called "kinthamah" and keeps his "kin" in a little +booth called "kinteaine" erected close beside the gate.</p> + +<p>By the gates and at intervals along the roadside are little cupboards +raised above the ground and thatched with grasses called "yaiohzin"; +these contain jars of drinking water for the use of wayfarers, and are +always kept replenished by the villagers. The drinking cup is usually +made of a polished coco-nut shell with a long handle of some hard +wood, and it is noticeable that the water is never spilled or wasted, +for Burma is a thirsty land and some of these watering-places are far +from the river, and every one drinks with due regard to the +necessities of the next comer.</p> + +<p>Entering the large compound which the stockade encloses we are in the +village itself. Here the houses of the Burmans are pleasantly situated +among rows of toddy-palm, mango, padouk, and other trees, among which +the peepul, or sacred ficus, is almost always found.</p> + +<p>The houses are more or less arranged so as to leave a lane or street +between them, and are generally built of bamboo, though many have +their principal timbers<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_37" id="Page_37">[37]</a></span> of teak or eng-wood. The floors are usually +of split bamboo, and the roof of elephant-grass, or "thekka," as the +thatch of dried leaves is called, forms a good protection against the +summer sun or monsoon rains, while the walls are formed of bamboo +mats, often coloured and woven into some pretty though simple design.</p> + +<p>As the front of the house is generally more or less open, we are able +to see much of the interior arrangements. Sleeping mats of grasses +supply the place of beds, and no chairs are to be seen. On a low stand +of carved wood is the tray upon which their simple meals are served, +and cooking-pots of bronze or earthenware lie about the "chatties" +which contain the fire. Painted and carved boxes contain the family +wardrobe, and in one corner is the stand for the large jars in which +their supply of drinking-water is kept. Mat partitions perhaps screen +inner rooms which we cannot see, but all the domestic appliances +visible are of the simplest character, but ample for the needs of the +people.</p> + +<p>All the buildings are raised several feet above the ground as a +protection against snakes, floods, and malaria, and the space below +often forms a stable for the cattle and a useful storing-place for +agricultural or other implements. These simple homes of the Burmans +are often very pretty as they lie among the trees which cast their +broad shadows across the straggling lane, grass grown and deeply +rutted by the cart-wheels. Bougainvillæa and other creepers spread +luxuriantly over the roofs, or drop their festoons of flowers from +the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_38" id="Page_38">[38]</a></span> eaves. Bananas wave their broad leaves gracefully above the +houses, in cool contrast to the richer foliage of the larger trees, +and among all this greenery, alternately in sunlight or shadow, move +the brightly-costumed villagers themselves, most interesting of all.</p> + +<p>Here comes a pretty young mother clad in "lungyi" of apple-green and +dainty white jacket. Cross-legged over her shoulder is her infant, to +whom she talks softly and endearingly as she walks. Presently her home +is reached, and all the joy of motherhood shines in her happy face as +she gently swings her child to sleep in its cradle of rattan which is +slung from the roof above.</p> + +<p>Again, an old man passes, guided by a little boy, who is proud to +assist his grandfather; for respect for the aged, no less than love +for their children, is a dominant trait in the character of the +Burman.</p> + +<p>While many are working in the paddy-fields, other of the villagers +find their occupation nearer home, and employ themselves in such work +as mat and basket making (in which the children assist), the weaving +of silk, and the manufacture of pottery. In sheds made for the purpose +oil or sugar mills are being turned by bullocks, while in some few +villages is made that pretty red and gold lacquer-work we know so well +in England. Notice also the village blacksmith, who, with primitive +tools, hammers out those curiously shaped "dahs" and knives used by +the wood-cutters, while beside him, with equally simple implements, +the carpenter puts the finishing touches to the carved yoke of a +gharry.</p> + +<p>In the streets the naked youngsters are playing at their games. Many +are like our own, and marbles,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_39" id="Page_39">[39]</a></span> peg-tops, leap-frog or kite-flying +each have their turn, while in the ditches and puddles the boys hold +miniature regattas with their toy sailing-boats.</p> + +<p>In the monastery or some private dwelling in the village the children +go to school, and as they become older some occupation employs their +time. While the boys are engaged with the cattle or about the boats, +the girls are occupied in cutting firewood in the jungle, or from the +pools in the forest collect the crude oil which they burn in their +lamps.</p> + +<p>Roaming at will through the village are pigs and poultry, geese and +cattle, and the inevitable "pi dog" of the country. These dogs are +peculiar, being wild, yet attaching themselves to some particular +house, whose interests they seem to make their own, and which, by +vigorous barking, they make a pretence of guarding. In some villages, +also, the pigs, which are long-legged and fleet of foot, seem to act +in the same capacity, strongly objecting to the intrusion of +strangers, and even when riding my pony I have been attacked by them +and forced to retire.</p> + +<p>During the day many of the villagers have been busy in the +rice-fields, for rice is their staple food and the only crop generally +cultivated; even infants of a day old are fed upon it, the rice being +first chewed by the mother, and each tiny mouthful washed down by a +few drops of water. Towards evening, when the tired cattle draw their +creaking carts homewards, the streets are thronged with the labourers +returning from their work, ready for the simple meal of rice and +"ngapi" their wives have prepared for them.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_40" id="Page_40">[40]</a></span></p> + +<p>It is a simple, happy life which these villagers lead, graced by many +pretty customs of domesticity.</p> + +<p>Rising with the sun, with it also they retire to rest, and as the last +sweet tones of many gongs from the village monastery proclaim the +close of their evening prayer the stockade-gates are closed, and, save +for the howling of jackals outside, or the yapping of a dog, silence +reigns throughout the village.</p> + +<hr style="width: 65%;" /> +<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_41" id="Page_41">[41]</a></span></p> +<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;"><a name="pic7" id="pic7"></a> +<img src="images/image_061.jpg" width="500" height="635" alt="ENTRANCE TO A BURMESE VILLAGE. Page 10." /> +<span class="caption">ENTRANCE TO A BURMESE VILLAGE. <a href="#Page_10">Page 10</a>.</span></div> +<h2><a name="CHAPTER_VII" id="CHAPTER_VII"></a>CHAPTER VII</h2> + +<h2>TOWN LIFE</h2> + + +<p>Owing to their primitive methods of building and choice of materials, +a Burmese town differs very little from a village except in point of +size, though occasionally the houses are of two stories and +timber-built throughout.</p> + +<p>The stockade is absent, and in its place deep ditches, partly filled +with water, surround the houses, and run alongside of the streets, +which are, perhaps, somewhat wider and more regularly planned.</p> + +<p>The approach to the town is often very pretty, the water reflecting +the waving palm-trees and picturesque buildings, while the roads, +which in Burma are usually nothing but a track, have, as they near the +town, some semblance of solidity.</p> + +<p>Little bridges cross the ditches, and give access to the houses, round +about which are often raised paths or causeways of burnt brick set +"herring-bone" fashion. These prove a comfort in the rains, when the +streets of the town are rivers and the whole country a sea of mud.</p> + +<p>Trees in plenty shade the road and houses, and shops and small bazaars +give an air of business to the town, whose principal street, however, +is largely covered with<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_42" id="Page_42">[42]</a></span> grass, and affords a convenient place in +which to try a pony's paces.</p> + +<p>Some of the streets have side-walks, a shade less dusty (or muddy, as +the case may be) than the road itself, and in the least frequented of +them dwarf palmettos enjoy a lusty existence.</p> + +<p>Enclosed by low palisades in front of many houses, cannas, hibiscus, +poinsettia, or lilies are growing, and rare orchids hang from the +eaves, to provide in their strange but lovely blossoms a flower for +some woman's hair. Indoors, in coloured pots or stands of often +elaborate design, are other flowers, always most carefully tended, for +the Burmans love what is beautiful in Nature.</p> + +<p>In the streets the life of the people is only a slight amplification +of that of the villages, the shops with their attendant customers +marking the principal difference, while in bullock-carts of more +ornamental design than those of the villages, the families of the +well-to-do enjoy their outing.</p> + +<p>Though always two-wheeled and drawn by a pair of oxen, there is a +certain amount of variety in the native carts. The wheels are +generally large, and are placed very wide apart, in order to lessen +the risk of capsizing in the terribly rough roads they often have to +travel.</p> + +<p>In the common country carts the wheels have very wide rims, across +which is fastened a single flat piece of wood instead of spokes, and +in many cases the wheels are quite solid. The body is plain, but the +yoke and yoke-pins are often carved, and the pole usually finishes in +some grotesque ornament.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_43" id="Page_43">[43]</a></span></p> + +<p>When travelling the carts are covered by a hood of matting, and a +mattress inside eases the jolting by day, and serves as a bed at +night.</p> + +<p>The pleasure gharry, however, is quite a pretty vehicle. The wheels +have a very large number of thin spokes, and the hub is always +ornamental. The sides consist of an open balustrade, and the rails +sweeping backward in a fine curve, to terminate in a piece of carving +high above the rail.</p> + +<p>In Mandalay another pretty cart is used by the ladies when out calling +or shopping. This is a closed carriage built entirely of wood, each +panel of which is carved, and is just high enough in the roof to +permit the ladies to sit upright upon their cushions. We can see them +through the little unglazed windows, looking pretty or dignified, as +the case may be; but dignity disappears so soon as they attempt to +dismount, for this can only be done through a small door at the back, +through which the rider must crawl backwards and then drop to the +ground.</p> + +<p>Games, as usual, figure largely in the young life of the place. A +curious kind of football called "chinlon" is very general, and the +instinct for sport comes out early in the boys, who, while flying +their kites, attempt by skilful manœuvring to saw through each +other's lines and so prove a "conqueror." The little girls have their +amusements also, and it is pretty to see a little one being drawn +about in a diminutive go-cart, or, squatting on her haunches by the +doorstep, endeavouring to fathom the intricacies of doll-dressing.</p> + +<p>Let us wander round the streets and see what we<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_44" id="Page_44">[44]</a></span> can find to interest +us. First it will be noticed that beside every house are two long +poles; one has a hook at its end, and the other is formed into a sort +of broad paddle. These are provided in case of fire, when with the +hook the thatch is pulled down, or the fire beaten out with the other. +Fires are constantly occurring, for though every house is supposed to +have a separate cooking shed, carelessness, or the habit of cooking +indoors, is largely responsible for them, and there is very little +hope for dwellings built of such inflammable material once a fire +starts. Consequently in all parts of the country roofs of galvanized +iron are slowly taking the place of the picturesque "thekka," even the +"kyoungs" and "zeyats" being roofed by it; and unfortunately, as +creepers do not take kindly to this new form of roofing, it will, I am +afraid, always remain an eyesore among what is otherwise so +picturesque.</p> + +<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;"><a name="pic8" id="pic8"></a> +<img src="images/image_066.jpg" width="500" height="646" alt="AT THE WELL." /> +<span class="caption">AT THE WELL.</span></div> + +<p>In many of the streets are wells, surrounded by a wall and crossed by +a heavy beam of wood to which pulleys are attached, through which run +ropes with hooks at their ends, by means of which the water-pots are +lowered. This is a great place of congregation for the young people, +and is always surrounded by animated groups of young men and maidens, +who, with pretty courtesies or coyness, carry on their youthful +flirtations.</p> + +<p>The Burman is always delightfully natural, and seems to live in the +open daylight. At the doorstep of one house are mother and daughter, +busy sewing up cloth, their red lacquer box of sewing materials +between them. At another a dainty housewife entertains her guests at +tea, for tea is now largely drunk in Burma.</p> + +<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_45" id="Page_45">[45]</a></span></p> + +<p>All the shops are open to the street, and we may see the various +trades in operation.</p> + +<p>It is interesting to see the umbrellas being made. They are almost +flat when open, the frame consisting of a multitude of thin bamboo +ribs formed by splitting <i>one</i> bamboo into many sections, so that the +knots of the cane occur at the same regular distances on the ribs, so +forming a kind of pattern. The common kinds are very large, some of +those in use in the market-places being as big as a small tent. These +are covered with calico, oiled or varnished, and form an excellent +protection against sun or rain. More delicate sunshades are made of +the same materials, or of silk; these are smaller, and are often +painted in rings of flowers or foliage, which has a very pretty +effect, and the sun shining through them throws a rich orange shade +over the head and shoulders of the bearer.</p> + +<p>Then, there are the silk-weavers and silversmiths, whose work is +probably the best of its kind produced in any country, and in Thayetmu +and Rangoon I have seen silver-work produced which, in my opinion, is +unequalled for beauty of design or excellence of workmanship.</p> + +<p>Turning enters largely into their decorative woodwork, and the +turners, who use a very simple form of foot-lathe, are busily engaged +in providing the various articles required—pilasters for a balcony, +hubs for a cart-wheel, or the turned finials of a baby's cot. In a +kindred trade the wood-carver is busy producing<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_46" id="Page_46">[46]</a></span> embellishments for +the "kyoung" or "zeyat" which some wealthy resident is erecting.</p> + +<p>Though the Burmans occasionally become drunk on "toddy" (a beverage +made from the flower of the toddy-palm), they are by habit abstemious +and simple livers; rice and vegetable curries, bananas, jack-fruit, +papaya, and other fruits, form their staple food, and, forbidden by +their religion to take life, fish is practically the only variant to +their vegetable diet, the fisherman excusing himself by saying that +"<i>he</i> does not kill the fish: they die of themselves."</p> + +<p>All smoke, however, and men, women and children equally enjoy their +huge cheroots, composed of the inner bark of certain trees mixed with +chopped tobacco, which are rolled into the form of a cigar in the +spathe of Indian corn or some similar husk, and no meal would be +considered to be properly set out without the red lacquer box +containing betel, which is universally chewed. Betel is the nut of the +areca-palm, and before being used is rolled between leaves on which a +little lime is spread. The flavour is astringent and produces +excessive expectoration, and, by its irritation, gives to the tongue +and lips a curious bright pink colour. Still, it is considered an +excellent stomach tonic, and so far as one can judge has no worse +effect than to blacken the teeth of the user.</p> + +<p>Every village or town has its pagodas, which in some cases are very +numerous. The Burman spends little upon his home, which is always +regarded as of a temporary nature, and in the erection of a pagoda or +other religious building the wealthy native finds<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_47" id="Page_47">[47]</a></span> an outlet for his +energies, and earns "merit" for himself. Few of the modern village +pagodas are of any particular beauty, and I cannot but think that the +money spent upon them would be far better employed in restoring and +preserving the many beautiful and ancient temples scattered all over +the country.</p> + +<p>In many towns is a sacred tank or reservoir, so entirely covered with +lotus and other plants that the water cannot be seen. Large fish and +turtles of great age inhabit them, but are seldom seen, on account of +the heavy screen of leaves and flowers which lies upon the surface of +the water, which, however, is often strongly disturbed as some +ungainly monster rolls or turns below them. On the outskirts of the +towns are the gardens, enclosed by hedges of castor-oil or cactus, +where many kinds of fruits and spices are grown: bananas, pineapple, +guava, bael, citrons, etc., are some of the ordinary kinds, while the +coco-nut, tamarind, jack, and papaya grow everywhere about the streets +and houses. Many vegetables, such as cucumber and vegetable-marrow, +are also grown, and among the shops or stalls in the market-place none +are so attractive as those which display their many-coloured and +sweet-smelling fruits and vegetables.</p> + +<p>Every few days a market is held in one or other of the large towns of +a district, and attracts to it country people from a considerable +distance around. Here one has a chance of seeing many other tribes and +types beside the Burman: Shans, Karens, or Kachins, different in +feature and costume from the natives of the town, together with +Chinese and natives of India, give a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_48" id="Page_48">[48]</a></span> variety to the population, and +help to swell the crowd which from early morning till sundown throngs +the market-places.</p> + +<div class="figcenter" style="width: 600px;"><a name="pic9" id="pic9"></a> +<img src="images/image_072.jpg" width="600" height="416" alt="THE MARKET PLACE." /> +<span class="caption">THE MARKET PLACE.</span></div> + +<p>The market is generally held in the open space outside the town, and +is generally enclosed. In it are wooden buildings, or booths of +sacking or "tayan" (grass-mats), in which each different trade is +gathered, so dividing the bazaar into sections. Between the buildings +rows of people squat upon the ground, protecting themselves and the +odd assortment of wares they have for sale by screens of coloured +cloth or the enormous umbrellas I have already mentioned. Up and down +the lane so formed move the would-be purchasers, a motley crowd in +which every type and race in Burma is represented. No less varied are +the articles offered for sale—cotton goods and silks, cutlery and +tools, lamps and combs, and various other articles of personal +adornment, including the ornamental sandals which all the women of the +town affect. Fruit, vegetables, and food-stuffs have a ready sale; nor +are sweetmeats for the children forgotten.</p> + +<p>Cooking-pots and all kinds of domestic utensils may be purchased and +carried away in baskets beautifully made, and often of immense size, +which form a striking feature of the bazaar.</p> + +<p>All the more important stalls are kept by women, who, as I have +already said, are the business backbone of the country. Many of them +are women of good position, but they like their work, and are very +clever at driving a bargain; but though dainty enough in appearance, +they can be very abusive on occasion.</p> + +<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_49" id="Page_49">[49]</a></span></p> + +<p>I have already said that the Burman is not permitted to take life, and +in consequence meat enters but little into his diet; but in all +bazaars frequented by natives of India, who are under no such +prohibition, the slaughter and sale of cattle is of regular +occurrence, and among the most eager buyers of the meat thus offered +for sale are the Burmans themselves.</p> + +<p>Among other articles which I have noticed are "dahs," and knives of +many sorts and degrees of excellence. No Burman travels without his +"dah," which serves as a weapon of defence or enables him to clear his +path where the jungle is thick, while the heavier knives are used for +chopping the domestic fuel. Some of these "dahs" are very finely +finished, the handle and sheath of wild plum being bound by delicately +plaited bands of bamboo fibre, in which the ends are most skilfully +concealed, and the blade, often 2 feet long, is excellently wrought +and balanced.</p> + +<p>At various times of the day groups of priests and novices move up and +down the market collecting offerings from the people, while some +"original" or buffoon gives the scene its touch of humour.</p> + +<p>At sunset, when the bazaar is closed, long lines of people, some on +foot, some in hooded carts, wend their ways towards their distant +homes; and long after darkness has fallen on the land may still be +heard the faint creaking of some laden cart as it slowly disappears +along its lonely forest path.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 65%;" /> +<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_50" id="Page_50">[50]</a></span></p> +<h2><a name="CHAPTER_VIII" id="CHAPTER_VIII"></a>CHAPTER VIII</h2> + +<h2>FIELD WORK</h2> + + +<p>If you are up very early in the morning you may see large herds of +buffaloes and bullocks being driven to the paddy-fields. These +surround the village, sometimes extending for miles in different +directions; but often they are simply small clearings scattered +through the jungle. The cattle are always driven by the children of +the village, and it is curious to see how docile these huge buffaloes +are under the control of some diminutive native, while with Europeans +they are obstinate, ungovernable, and often dangerous.</p> + +<p>The children always ride the cattle to the fields, sitting well back +on the haunches, for they frequently have to travel a long, and often +broken, path to their destination, and during the rains they are thus +enabled to cross the streams and flooded areas, which it would have +been impossible for them to do on foot.</p> + +<p>It will interest you to know something about the manner in which the +Burmans produce their rice-crop. Rice, as you know, requires a great +deal of moisture, especially in the early days of its growth; +consequently the ground upon which the rice-crop is to be sown must be +<i>level</i>, so that the water with which the fields are covered may flow +equally over the whole surface. The<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_51" id="Page_51">[51]</a></span> water is kept in by little dikes, +or "bunds," as they are called, which surround each field, or the part +of it to be irrigated; and as during a considerable portion of each +year these cultivated areas are under water, and are always more or +less in a boggy condition, these "bunds" form the most convenient, if +not the only, means of traversing the district. Tortuous and winding +as they are, it is not easy to decide upon your route, and you need +not be surprised if the little causeway upon which you have set out +eventually brings you back to your first starting-point, and you must +make another attempt in a different direction. I remember once being +hopelessly lost among the "bunds" in my endeavour to cross a patch of +paddy-land, and although it was not more than a mile in width, two +hours of valuable time were spent before I solved the problem of this +labyrinth, and struck the road on its farther side.</p> + +<p>Rice cultivation begins towards the end of the monsoon, when the rains +have thoroughly saturated the soil and filled the fields with water, +often to the top of the dikes. Then ploughing begins, and the grass +with which the fields were recently covered is turned over in clods, +as we do at home, by means of a curious wooden plough shod with bronze +or iron.</p> + +<p>These ploughs are drawn by the bullocks and buffaloes, or by elephants +when they are available, the operation being often carried out under +water. After this all the cattle in the district are driven on to the +fields in order to break up and trample down the clods, and sometimes +harrows, much like our own, are used for the same purpose.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_52" id="Page_52">[52]</a></span></p> + +<p>Then the sowing begins, the rice being scattered very freely over one +or two selected portions of the whole area, for which they serve as +nursery gardens; for the rice is not sown generally over the fields, +but the young plants transferred from these small nurseries to the +larger fields. This work is done by the men and women, who, wading in +the water, plant out the young growth 5 or 6 inches apart, and one may +notice that during this operation all wear leggings or stockings of +straw as a protection against the leeches which in enormous numbers +infest the muddy water.</p> + +<p>The rice now may be left to itself, excepting for the necessity of +keeping it constantly supplied with water, which is raised from the +neighbouring river or creek by many ingenious appliances, and carried +to the fields by pipes of bamboo or channels in the mud.</p> + +<p>While the crop is growing the cattle have an idle time, for with the +exception of the bullocks which draw the market-carts, and a few which +may perhaps be working in the oil or sugar mills, there is nothing for +them to do. For the rest, the time between the sowing and reaping is +passed enclosed in large pens or roaming by hundreds in the jungle.</p> + +<p>The harvest begins in October, and lasts until December or later, +according to the district. When ripe, the rice is 3 to 4 feet in +height, each plant growing several ears, the grain being slightly +bearded, like barley; and in good soil, where the water-supply has +been continuous, its growth is so dense that it is impossible for +weeds to grow.</p> + +<p>I know few prettier sights than a harvest-field in<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_53" id="Page_53">[53]</a></span> an early autumn +morning. Through the steamy exhalations from the ground, and dancing +on the dewdrops which hang heavy upon every blade or ear, the early +sun is shining. Everything is mysterious in the haze, through which +the belt of forest which surrounds the cultivated land is grey and +ghost-like; huge cobwebs hang between the bushes laden with glittering +beads of moisture, and the whole scene is bathed in a curious +opalescent light in which all sense of distance is destroyed. +Scattered through the fields are the harvesters, whose +brightly-coloured "lungyi" and gay head-scarf are the only spots of +definite colour.</p> + +<p>The rice is cut with sickles a little above the ground, so as to leave +sufficient straw to serve as fodder for the cattle or to fertilize the +land. The grain is bound into sheaves much as we do at home, and after +remaining in the fields for a day or two in order to dry, it is +carried to the threshing-floor. This is simply a piece of selected +ground where the surface is dry and hard, on which the sheaves are +placed in the form of a large circle and the grain trodden out by +cattle. When the threshing is complete and the straw removed, there +remains a huge pile of grain and husks freely mixed with dust. This +has to be cleaned and winnowed, which is done by a very simple +process, the grain being thrown into the air by means of large shallow +trays made of bamboo, when the wind, blowing away the dust and loose +husks, leaves the grain tolerably clean in a pile at the worker's +feet.</p> + +<p>The rice is not yet fit for use, however, the grain still being +enclosed in its hard husk, which has to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_54" id="Page_54">[54]</a></span> be removed by another +process. In travelling through Burma one may often notice standing +outside a native dwelling a large and deep bowl composed of some hard +wood in which lies a rounded log about 4 feet in length, much like a +large mortar and pestle. These are the "pounders," in which by a +vigorous use of the pestle the husk is separated from the rice, which +is again winnowed and washed, and is then ready for use. Though +generally eaten in its simple state, bread and cakes are often made +from rice-flour, which is ground in a hand-mill consisting of two flat +circular stones, and is identical with the hand-mill of Scripture.</p> + +<p>From the large areas the bulk of the rice-crop is shipped to Rangoon, +sufficient for the needs of the people being stored in the villages in +receptacles formed of wicker-work covered on the outside with mud.</p> + +<p>I have described the process of rice cultivation which is followed in +districts where a perpetual water-supply is available, but in other +and drier zones a different kind of rice and other crops, such as +sugar, maize, and sesamum, are grown; but while these, as well as many +fruits and vegetables, are cultivated in the neighbourhood of every +town or village, rice may be considered to be practically the only +agricultural crop in Burma, and forms perhaps its most important +article of export.</p> + +<p>Though not cultivated by man, the country produces another crop which +to the Burman is second only to rice in value. I mean the <i>bamboo</i>, +which grows in enormous quantities in every forest or jungle in the +country. There are many varieties of bamboo, some comparatively small, +others growing to a height of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_55" id="Page_55">[55]</a></span> 60 or 70 feet, the canes being often +upwards of 2 feet in circumference at the base. Each species has its +separate use, and, as we have already seen, there are few things for +which the Burman does not employ it. His houses are very often +entirely built of it: canes, either whole or split, form its framework +and flooring; the mats which form the walls are woven from strips cut +from the outside skin; the thatch is often composed of its leaves; +while no hotter fire can be used than one made from its debris. Split +into finer strands, the bamboo furnishes the material of which baskets +are made, while its fine and flexible fibres, plaited and woven into +shape, form the foundation for their beautiful bowls and dishes of red +lacquer. Bows and yokes for the porters, sheaths of weapons and +umbrella frames, and a host of small articles of domestic furniture, +are of the same material, and a section cut from the giant bamboo +forms an excellent bucket, which is used all over the forests.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 65%;" /> +<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_56" id="Page_56">[56]</a></span></p> +<h2><a name="CHAPTER_IX" id="CHAPTER_IX"></a>CHAPTER IX</h2> + +<h2>THE FOREST</h2> + + +<p>And now I want to tell you something about the forest, which, as we +have seen from the river, practically covers the country.</p> + +<p>We all enjoy our English woods, but these, lovely though they are, +convey no idea whatever of the luxuriant and bewildering beauty of a +forest in the tropics.</p> + +<p>How shall I give you an idea of it? It is so big, so magnificent, and +at times so solemn. Everywhere you are surrounded by trees of many +kinds and immense size, whose huge trunks, springing from a dense mass +of undergrowth, rise 200 feet or more into the air. All are bound +together by a tangled mass of creepers, which mingle their foliage +with that of the trees to form one huge canopy of leaves, in which +birds of bright plumage and beautiful song live out their happy lives. +Monkeys also make their home there, and strange insects and +butterflies of rare beauty flit among the flowers, or hover in the few +stray sunbeams which penetrate the gloom.</p> + +<p>It is all very impressive, very beautiful, and still, except for the +drone of insects or soft note of the songbird. Perhaps the silence may +be broken by a herd of <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_57" id="Page_57">[57]</a></span>wild elephants crashing heavily through the +canes, or the shrill cry of the squirrel startles the forest and warns +its fellows of the nearness of a snake.</p> + +<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;"><a name="pic10" id="pic10"></a> +<img src="images/image_083.jpg" width="400" height="591" alt="IN THE DEPTHS OF THE FOREST." /> +<span class="caption">IN THE DEPTHS OF THE FOREST.</span></div> + +<p>Bewilderment and wonder grow upon anyone riding through the forest for +the first time, but after a few days one gradually becomes accustomed +to these luxuriant surroundings, and is able to appreciate the forest +in detail.</p> + +<p>How beautiful the undergrowth is! Palms and bamboos wave gracefully +above a mass of flowering plants, among and over which climb +convolvuli of many kinds, tropæolum, honeysuckle, and a variety of +other creepers, forming natural arbours, with whose blossoms mingle +those of the festoons hanging from the trees.</p> + +<p>Teak, india-rubber, and cutch trees rise high above the undergrowth, +and in turn are dwarfed by such giants as the pyingado and the +cotton-tree. These grow to an enormous size. The pyingado, straight +and smooth, often rises 150 feet before it puts forth a branch, and I +have seen ponies stabled between the natural buttresses which support +the huge trunk of the silk-cotton tree, sometimes 250 feet in height.</p> + +<p>Orchids of great size grow upon the boughs, and add to the wealth of +foliage, in which the large-leafed teak or rubber trees contrast with +the feathery pepper or acacia; and it is interesting to notice that +most of the feathery kinds bear thorns.</p> + +<p>Though generally straight and tall, the trees are often twisted into +curious joints and elbows, which give them a very fantastic +appearance; but most strange of all are<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_58" id="Page_58">[58]</a></span> the creepers which bind these +forest growths. Some are very large, and stretch for immense +distances, linking tree to tree in twining loops, from which their +hanging tendrils reach the ground, or perhaps crossing some forest +glade or stream to form an aerial bridge for the lemurs or the +monkeys.</p> + +<p>One creeper in particular I must tell you about. This is called +"Nyoung-bin" by the natives, and is a very strange plant. It very +often springs from a seed dropped by some bird into the fork of a +tree, where, taking root, it sends its suckers downwards until they +become firmly bedded in the ground, then, growing upwards again, it +slowly envelops the parent tree until it is entirely enclosed by the +new growth, which kills it, but which in its stead becomes a <i>new</i> +tree, larger and more lofty than the one which first supported it. +This is one of the many species of ficus, of which its equally strange +cousin, the many-trunked banyan, is another common feature of a +Burmese forest.</p> + +<p>Naturally these forests are alive with birds. Parrots and parakeets +live among the tree-tops, and doves and pigeons, jays and mynahs, and +a great variety of small birds, find their home here. Woodpeckers are +busy among the tree-trunks, sharing their spoil of insects with the +lizards and the tree-frogs, and among the lesser growths tits, +finches, and wagtails rear their young broods.</p> + +<p>The birds are not the only occupants of these wilds, however, for in +no country is there a larger variety of game than in Burma. Herds of +wild elephants roam the forests, in which are also tigers, panthers, +and bears.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_59" id="Page_59">[59]</a></span> Many kinds of deer are there, to be preyed upon by man or +beast, from the pretty little gyi or barking deer to the lordly +sambur. Wild pig also are very numerous, and lurking in the dank +undergrowth or fissures of the rocks are many venomous snakes and +large pythons.</p> + +<p>But though so abundant, all these wild creatures are shy, and one may +travel many days without adventure, and any sense of danger is soon +lost in admiration of the beauties of these wilds.</p> + +<p>Riding through such a forest is very fascinating in the early winter +months. Then the ground is fairly hard, and riding would be easy were +it not for the thorny vines and fallen tree-trunks which lie among the +thickets. At this time, also, foliage and flowers are still luxuriant, +and all kinds of wild life abundant.</p> + +<p>But from May to October the south-west monsoon, bringing in the +heavily-laden rain-clouds from the sea, pours upon the country its +torrential rains, which change this beautiful forest into a swamp. The +quiet creeks become turbid rivers, while the hill-sides are torn by +innumerable torrents, which, washing away the earth from the roots of +the trees, cause them to fall crashing among the dripping undergrowth. +Bridges are swept away, and the paths become morasses. Travelling in +the forest is then wellnigh impossible, though it is this time that +the native woodman and the large number of young Englishmen engaged in +forest-work find the busiest of the year.</p> + +<p>Gradually the rains cease, and with the return of sunshine birds and +flowers spring into renewed life,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_60" id="Page_60">[60]</a></span> more beautiful than ever, and at no +time of the year is the forest more lovely than immediately after the +monsoon rains.</p> + +<p>Presently the hot weather of March and April comes to strip the trees +of their leaves, while the dak and other flowering trees are a blaze +of crimson among the autumn tints. Then, when everything is dry and +withered, forest fires break out in many parts of the country, +consuming all but the larger trees, and leaving a blackened waste +where once was a paradise of flowers. It is sad to ride in the track +of such a fire, but this is no doubt Nature's way of <i>cleaning</i> the +country, and destroying a vast amount of decaying vegetable matter and +keeping in check many venomous insects and reptiles. The forest +appears to be dead until the advent of the next monsoon restores to +the sun-bleached skeleton its usual luxuriant vegetation.</p> + +<p>But I hear some one asking, How do you live and travel in such a +country? All through India and Burma at intervals along the main +routes of travel dâk bungalows have been erected for the use of +travellers. These are small houses, containing two or three rooms, +raised on poles above the ground. They are built of timber, with +matting walls and thatched roof, much like the Burmese dwellings I +have described. Native custodians are in charge of them, and although +specially intended for the use of Government servants, any traveller +may use them. In the forest similar houses, called "tais," smaller and +often built of bamboo, are erected, though sometimes<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_61" id="Page_61">[61]</a></span> very small huts +indeed, formed of bamboo and reeds, are the only shelter available. +These are draughty dwellings, and even the best-built "tai" is partly +open to the air, and affords little protection from the night cold, +which is often so intense that sleep is almost impossible.</p> + +<p>After a scanty breakfast by candlelight, a start is made in the early +dawn, when the air is cold and damp, and the heavy dew dripping from +the reeds and kine-grass quickly soaks you to the skin. The sunrise is +curiously sudden, and very soon the sun is hot enough to compel the +traveller to leave the open glades and seek the shelter of the denser +portions of the forest. Hardy little ponies, sure-footed and willing, +are our mounts, while elephants carry the stores and provisions, +cooking utensils, and bedding, which every traveller must take with +him.</p> + +<p>In distinction to the working elephants, those employed on a journey +are called "travellers," and are used for no other purpose. Their +drivers are called "ouzies," and sit astride the animals' necks, with +their legs hanging down behind their ears. There are several ways of +mounting, each pretty: sometimes the elephant will hold up its +fore-foot to form a step for its driver, or will drop upon its knees +and bend its trunk to form a step, by which the "ouzie" is able to +reach his seat.</p> + +<p>When travelling they have a shambling sort of gait, half walk, half +amble, but manage to get over the ground very quickly, and for such +cumbersome animals are very nimble-footed. It is almost ludicrous to +see<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_62" id="Page_62">[62]</a></span> the huge beasts picking their way along a narrow "bund" or +crossing some ditch by a bridge of fallen logs, but they always do so +successfully.</p> + +<p>Soft and boggy land, however, is a great trouble to them, their great +weight causing them to sink deep into the mud; and elephants will +often show their dread of such places by loud trumpeting and great +unwillingness to attempt the passage. Occasionally they will tear up +tufts of reeds or boughs of trees to make a foothold for themselves, +and I heard quite recently of a case where a friend of mine, while out +shooting from elephants, came to such a marshy place, which at first +they refused to cross. Then, before anything could be done to prevent +it, his elephant seized the driver with his trunk and, placing him in +the mud, used the poor native's body as a "stepping-stone." The driver +was, of course, crushed to death, and my friend only escaped a similar +fate by scrambling off his elephant by the tail. Generally elephants +are docile enough, but are not always fond of Europeans and very much +dislike a rider to approach too closely; but they rarely give trouble +to their drivers, for whom they often have a genuine affection.</p> + +<p>Roads in the forest are few, and at best are only bridle-tracks, +difficult to ride over, and through which a way has often to be cut +with knives, so rapid is the growth.</p> + +<p>Travelling is slow and often difficult, and towards the great heat of +midday men and animals are glad to rest, while another march in the +afternoon brings us, towards sunset, to our next halting-place. Then<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_63" id="Page_63">[63]</a></span> +fuel for the fires must be collected to prepare the evening meal, beds +made ready, and the animals attended to. The ponies are tethered +underneath the "tai," while the elephants, wearing a wooden bell +called "kalouk," are turned loose into the forest, where their drivers +quickly track them down again in the morning by the sound of their +bell.</p> + +<p>About sundown a strange hush comes over the forest, and the leaves +hang limply after the great heat of the day. Insects and birds give up +their activities, and are preparing to roost or lying in the various +hiding-places they frequent. All Nature seems to be <i>tired</i>, and +little wonder when the thermometer has shown 105° of moist heat!</p> + +<p>Suddenly with the cooling of the air a shiver and a rustle passes over +the tree-tops as the sundown breeze brings relief to the tired world. +Immediately the forest is alive again, but with new inhabitants. The +dancing fireflies weave rings of bluish light around the tree-trunks, +already half lost in the gathering darkness; crickets and tree-frogs +contribute to the growing sounds of the woody solitude; while the +stealthy tread of some prowling animal is faintly heard among the +withered debris of the undergrowth. It is no longer safe to wander +from the camp-fire, whose flames, shooting upwards in straight +tongues, light up the nearer trees in contrast to the blackness +beyond, in which many a dangerous wild beast lurks. Within the circle +which our camp-fire lights is safety, and in the now cold night air +its warmth is grateful. No one who has not experienced it can at all +appreciate the romantic pleasure<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_64" id="Page_64">[64]</a></span> of a forest camp, never more +enjoyable than in the hour before "turning in," when, in the light of +our blazing logs and surrounded by the dark mystery beyond, the last +pipe is smoked while listening to many exciting tales of adventure, +before we stretch our tired limbs in bed.</p> + +<div class="figcenter" style="width: 600px;"><a name="pic11" id="pic11"></a> +<img src="images/image_092.jpg" width="600" height="432" alt="A DAK BUNGALOW. Page 60." /> +<span class="caption">A DAK BUNGALOW. <a href="#Page_60">Page 60</a>.</span></div> + + +<hr style="width: 65%;" /> +<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_65" id="Page_65">[65]</a></span></p> +<h2><a name="CHAPTER_X" id="CHAPTER_X"></a>CHAPTER X</h2> + +<h2>THE FOREST (<span class="f2"><i>continued</i>)</span></h2> + + +<p>Though human habitations are not often met with in the forest, little +native settlements occur from time to time, where, surrounded by small +clearings, over which a primitive scarecrow mounts guard, sufficient +rice is grown for their needs. These little hamlets are occupied by +woodmen, or little communities of Chins, a kindred race to the +Burmans, though differing from them in many customs, most curious of +which is their habit of tattooing the faces of their young women +<i>black</i>.</p> + +<p>Here and there one meets a fowler, who, with primitive snare or +decoy-bird, seeks to take his toll of the forest; and in the most +remote districts may be met some picturesque Burmese travelling-cart, +toiling laboriously over tracks which would almost seem to be +impossible for wheels. I have already mentioned the creaking of the +cart-wheels which no Burman would oil, for they believe that the +horrible groanings they produce, together with their own loud voices, +serve to ward off the evil spirits of the woods; for the Burman is +superstitious, and at frequent intervals may be seen tiny wicker-work +representations of pagodas and "zeyats" erected to propitiate the +forest "nats," and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_66" id="Page_66">[66]</a></span> passers-by will deposit in these diminutive +shrines some offering of food or ornament, and in the Shan States I +remember seeing one whose enclosing fence was hung with spears and +"dahs," and other weapons of considerable interest and some value.</p> + +<p>By the wayside the lonely grave of some traveller or woodman, marked +by its simple fence of twigs, gives a touch of pathos to the forest; +and among its natural wonders are the giant ant-hills, often 9 feet or +more in height.</p> + +<p>Ants are probably the most destructive of all insects in Burma. +Voracious wood-eaters, they will attack fallen logs or growing trees, +which they will entirely consume till only the hollow bark remains. +This is one great reason why the wood of the teak-tree is so highly +valued, as it is the only timber these ants will not touch, and +consequently is the one of which all the more important buildings and +dwellings are constructed.</p> + +<p>In many districts, within reach of some beautiful forest creek, +teak-cutting may be seen in full operation; and it is interesting to +watch the elephants at work, hauling logs or loading them on to the +little trollies, by which they are carried down to the water, where, +floundering along the muddy bank, they launch them in the stream.</p> + +<p>Some of these creeks are very lovely, fringed as they are by flowering +grasses, behind which the forest rises tier on tier above the +shimmering water and gleaming sand-banks.</p> + +<p>On the banks are the footprints of many wild animals who have come +down to water during the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_67" id="Page_67">[67]</a></span> night. In the water are fish and +water-snakes, which alert herons constantly harass, and, strange as it +may seem, in the river-bed itself are the marks of cart-wheels, for +the Burmans often make a highway of these forest streams, which in the +dry season are generally easier to travel than the roads.</p> + +<p>The forest itself is never monotonous, its growths varying according +to the levels of the hills. Sometimes the enormous trees and heavy +foliage I have already described produce a depth of gloom which might +well excuse the superstitious fear of the Burmans, and often recalls +to me the pictures in our fairy-books, where some bold knight is +depicted entering the depths of an enchanted wood, in search of the +dragon that well might dwell there. Descending the hill-side with a +suddenness which is almost startling, you may find yourself in a +bamboo forest, which is a veritable fairyland for beauty. From a +carpet of sand, on which lilies grow, these giant bamboos spring, +fern-like, in enormous clumps, spreading their arms and feathery +crests in all directions, and, meeting overhead, form avenues and +lanes, which remind one of some beautiful cathedral aisle.</p> + +<p>Different in many ways from the forests I have described are those of +the cooler plateaus and mountain ranges of Northern Burma. On the +higher levels oak and pines are found among the other trees, and +bracken grows around the wild plums on the more open slopes. Sparkling +rivulets spring from the mountain-side, and, overhung by ferns and +mosses, flow gurgling over their pebbly beds to the deep valley below, +there to join the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_68" id="Page_68">[68]</a></span> swiftly-flowing river, which, by many waterfalls +and rapids, eventually reaches the level of the plains.</p> + +<p>From the river's edge, where reeds and wild bananas grow, the purple +wistaria spreads itself over the mass of vegetation which covers the +precipitous hills from base to summit.</p> + +<p>Bamboos of many kinds wave among the trees or grow in masses by +themselves, and climbing geranium and ferns mount from one foothold to +another over tree-trunks or rocks, rooting as they go.</p> + +<p>Nests of wasps and weaver birds hang from the canes. Jungle-fowl and +pheasant, snipe and partridge, are there to provide the traveller with +food, and often, flying heavily from tree to tree, a peacock offers a +welcome addition to your larder.</p> + +<p>The forest is dense, and in places almost impenetrable, and as you +ride or cut your way through the thick undergrowth, monkeys of large +size follow you through the tree-tops, scolding and chattering at your +intrusion; and lemurs, fear overcome by curiosity, approach you +closely, as though to see what kind of creature is this that +penetrates these wilds.</p> + +<p>Wildness best describes these leafy solitudes in which roads are +almost unknown, and which the larger beasts as well as men appear to +shun.</p> + +<p>Along the river-bank, however, are many little hamlets, where in +dug-out canoes the natives fish the rivers, using many ingenious nets +and traps, or weirs which stretch from bank to bank.</p> + +<p>Carts are never used here, and such traffic as is carried on must be +done by means of pack-ponies,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_69" id="Page_69">[69]</a></span> whose loads are so contrived that, +should they stumble on their rugged path, they can easily free +themselves of their burden.</p> + +<p>We are now near to the Chinese frontier, and many straggling groups of +Chinese, Shans, and Shan-tilok (which is a mixture of the two) may be +met bearing bales or baskets of produce on their backs to some distant +settlement; or occasionally a family party, bent upon some pilgrimage +or journey, carry their household goods and young children in baskets +slung from bamboo poles, which cross their shoulders.</p> + +<p>On the lower levels, where paths are more frequent, little bridges of +picturesque design cross the streams, from which rise warm miasmic +mists. In the early morning dense fogs fill the valleys, often +accompanied by frost; but as the sun gains power and the mists are +sucked up, the heat is intense; and these extremes of heat and cold, +combined with the smell of rotting vegetation and exhalations from the +ground, render this region a perfect fever-den, in which no white man +can safely live.</p> + +<p>Though the general character of the country consists of lofty +mountains and deep valleys, through which wide rivers flow, there are +at intervals considerable stretches of flat land, which are under +partial cultivation. Here villages of some size are found, and among +the people which inhabit them are strange types we have not previously +seen in Burma, and customs which are curious. The Shans, for instance, +have the habit of tattooing their faces and legs and centre of their +chests, while, their scanty clothing not permitting the use of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_70" id="Page_70">[70]</a></span> +pockets, they carry upon their backs little baskets of wicker-work, in +which are placed their knives, tobacco, and such other articles as a +pocket might have accommodated. The Yunnanese, wearing huge plaited +hats of straw and curious slippers of the same material, but whose +other garments are so thin and baggy as to mark them indifferent to +the cold, are in marked contrast to the Kachins, who wear an elaborate +costume of heavy woollen material of many colours. The men, whose hair +is long and tied in a knot on the top of the head, after the manner of +the Burmese, wear a simple scarf tied round the head in place of a +hat, while the women, who wear a costume much like the men, have as +their head-covering a handkerchief or scarf folded flat upon the head. +All have their ears bored, the lobes being so large as not only to +enable them to wear ear ornaments of unusual size, but often to serve +as a handy receptacle for a cigar! When travelling the Kachins usually +carry in their hands double-ended spears, whose shafts are covered +with a kind of red plush from which large fringes hang; but these are +only ceremonial weapons, and show that their intentions are pacific. +Like the Shans, they dispense with pockets in their clothing, but +instead wear suspended under their arm a cloth bag, which is often +prettily embroidered.</p> + +<p>Though, as I have mentioned, the forests of Mid-Burma—and, indeed, +generally throughout the country—abound in game, which ranges from +elephant and rhinoceros down to the smallest deer, and while every +tree and thicket is a home for birds, all forms of animal<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_71" id="Page_71">[71]</a></span> life appear +to avoid the fever-infested highlands of North-East Burma. In some +places, however, strange freaks of Nature occur. On the high plateau +through which the Myit-nge River flows, though the forest and jungle +is more or less deserted, scattered over the plain are conical +limestone crags, which are alive with monkeys; and while the +innumerable species of insects which infest the warmer forests are +absent, nowhere in all Burma have I seen butterflies more numerous or +more beautiful than here. It is singular, also, to notice how human +habitations will attract certain forms of animal life, and in some +mysterious manner, though the surrounding forest may be otherwise +deserted, pigeons and doves and the various kinds of crow quickly +install themselves in the neighbourhood of a newly-established +settlement or camp.</p> + +<p>It is impossible in two short chapters to describe the infinite +variety and charm of these Burmese forests—the rushing mountain +torrents, the sweeping rivers, and noble waterfalls; the sluggish +streams, which reflect the glories of the surrounding forest; its +teeming life, its solitude, and the wonderful effects of light and +colour; but perhaps I have said enough to convey to you some idea of +that wealth of exuberant beauty which has forced upon me the +conclusion that nothing in all the world is quite so beautiful as a +tropical forest.</p> + +<p>So far I have not given you any example of the many adventures which +may befall a traveller in such wilds, but they are naturally of +frequent occurrence.</p> + +<p>Often while painting, and quite unarmed, I have found myself in +unpleasantly close proximity to wild<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_72" id="Page_72">[72]</a></span> beasts of many kinds, and on +more than one occasion I have narrowly escaped the fatal bite of some +deadly snake which I have killed. Every one has a natural horror of +poisonous snakes, but sometimes an adventure with them has its element +of amusement. I remember an instance where one of my companions, +having come into camp from his work in the forest, lay down outside +his tent to rest, and, the better to enjoy it, took off his +riding-boots and loosened his breeches at the knee. While his "tiffin" +was being prepared he went to sleep, but presently awoke with a +horrible sensation of something lying cold against his thigh. To his +alarm, he discovered this to be a large cobra, which had sought +shelter from the sun. Remaining quite still, he called his native +servant, and explained the position, and the snake was soon secured +and dispatched, while my friend suffered nothing worse than a fright.</p> + +<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;"><a name="pic12" id="pic12"></a> +<img src="images/image_103.jpg" width="500" height="655" alt="THE QUEEN'S GOLDEN MONASTERY, MANDALAY. Page 79." /> +<span class="caption">THE QUEEN'S GOLDEN MONASTERY, MANDALAY. <a href="#Page_79">Page 79</a>.</span></div> + +<p>Though so docile as a rule when tamed, elephants in their wild state +are most dangerous, and I have heard of many narrow escapes from them +in Burma. Panthers, also, though shy of human beings, are fierce when +at bay, and I have been told that a scratch from their claws nearly +always results in fatal blood-poisoning.</p> + +<p>It is the tiger, however, which is most to be feared. General +throughout the country, a traveller through jungle or forest must be +ever alert, so stealthy are its movements, and so audacious is it in +its depredations. Its great strength, however, which is not so +generally recognized, the following will serve to show. Close beside +our lonely camp on the Nan-Tu River a tiger killed a sambur, upon +which the natives saw him <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_73" id="Page_73">[73]</a></span>feeding. Being unarmed themselves, they +ran for the "Sahib" to come and shoot him; but, on regaining the spot, +they found that the tiger had gone, carrying the huge carcass with +him. Following the trail, they came up with their quarry at the +river's bank; but the tiger, still retaining its hold upon its prey, +took to the water, and, although impeded by its heavy burden, +succeeded in reaching the opposite shore. The sad part of the story is +that a native, armed with a "dah," who had followed the tiger into the +river, though an extremely powerful swimmer, was swept away by the +current, and drowned in the rapids below.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 65%;" /> +<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_74" id="Page_74">[74]</a></span></p> +<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XI" id="CHAPTER_XI"></a>CHAPTER XI</h2> + +<h2>TEMPLES AND RELIGION</h2> + + +<p>Burma has been called the "Land of Pagodas," and nothing could be more +true, for from Syriam, below Rangoon, to Myitkyina, in the far north, +is one long succession of these beautiful temples. Not only on the +river-banks do these pagodas crown the hills, but in every town and +village throughout the country; and in many remote districts, far from +present habitations, some shrine, however simple, has been raised.</p> + +<p>We have seen something of the great Shwe Dagon pagoda in Rangoon, but +there are many others almost equally beautiful, if not so large: the +exquisite Shwe Tsan Daw at Prome, the Arracan near Mandalay, while in +old Pagan, Pegu, Moulmein, and a host of other places, are temples +which one might well think could not be surpassed for beauty. I have +told you that these pagodas are usually bell-shaped—a delicate and +most elegant form of design, which gains very much in effect from the +habit the Burmese have of building their temples on a hill, so that +the gradually ascending ground, on the different levels of which the +pinnacles of the "kyoungs" are visible above the trees, leads +gradually upward from one point to another until the temple itself is +reached, towering gracefully above<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_75" id="Page_75">[75]</a></span> the other forms of beauty with +which the hill is sometimes covered. Another pretty effect is gained +by building them close to the water, either on the river-bank or +beside some artificial pool or "tank," in which they are reflected. +Nothing could be more beautiful than the effect of these golden piles +glittering in the sunshine among the deep green of the trees, +especially when repeated in some placid sheet of water, dotted over +perhaps with pink and purple lotus.</p> + +<p>And, then, the little bells which hang from every "ti"—how they +tinkle as they swing in the breeze, in their numbers forming one +general harmonious note, most musical, and with a strange sensation of +joy and contentment in its sound.</p> + +<p>These little bells are not the only ones in the temples, however, for +in all of them are others of very large size, which, raised a foot or +more from the ground, hang between two posts set in the platform which +surrounds the "zedi," as the bell-shaped temple is called.</p> + +<p>These are used by the worshippers, who, with a stag's horn, strike the +bell after praying, to call the attention of the "nats" of the upper +and lower worlds to the fact that they have done so. You will see +these bells in one of the pictures, but there are some others of +immense size, that at Mingun weighing eighty tons; but, as a rule, the +tone of the very large bells is poor, and not to be compared with that +of those of more moderate size.</p> + +<p>There are one or two places in Burma particularly rich in +pagodas—Pagan, Sagaing, and Mandalay. I want to tell you just a +little about each.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_76" id="Page_76">[76]</a></span></p> + +<p>Let us go to Mandalay first, for I have no doubt that you have been +wondering why I have not already told you something about the capital +of Burma.</p> + +<p>As a matter of fact, Mandalay is little better than an enlarged +village, and is built much in the same way as the towns I have already +described, and has really only two points of great interest—its +religious buildings and the "fort."</p> + +<p>I am referring, of course, to the <i>Burmese</i> town, for surrounding the +fort are a large number of well-built bungalows, and streets of shops +built of stone or brick; but these are for the use of Europeans and +Indian or Chinese traders, the Burmans here, as elsewhere, contenting +themselves with their thatched houses of timber. It may appear +surprising that a people who could erect their marvellous temples +should be satisfied with such poor dwellings. The reason is to be +found in their custom of removing their capital on each change of +dynasty, and since <span class="smcap">a.d.</span> 1740 the capital of Burma has been moved no +less than eight times! Mandalay itself is only fifty years old, so +that it hardly appeared to them worth their while to build more +substantial dwellings, which might so soon have to be deserted; and in +this way they came to regard their homes as temporary, expending their +energies and wealth in the building of temples and monasteries +instead.</p> + +<p>The streets of Mandalay are wide, and laid out in rectangles, as in +Rangoon, and, like all towns in Burma, the roads are heavily shaded by +trees. Foreign types are common in Mandalay, but the Burmese life here +is very pretty. Nowhere else are the people better<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_77" id="Page_77">[77]</a></span> dressed, and the +ladies rival the silk bazaar in the variety and beautiful colour of +their clothing. Until recently this was a royal city, and the ladies +pay great attention to the demands of fashion, whether it is in their +delicately-tinted garments, their embroidered sunshades or fan, or the +lace handkerchief with which they love to toy; and nothing in the way +of crowd could be nicer than these daintily-dressed and usually +prepossessing men and women. Fashion, however, has always <i>some</i> +drawback. The ladies in many cases smear their faces with a paste +called "thannakah," which has the effect of whitening the skin. The +result is very unfortunate, for it is not always put on evenly, and +only serves to make the ugly more forbidding, while it destroys the +soft warmth of colour and skin texture which so often makes these +women beautiful. Another unfortunate custom is their habit of smoking +such huge cheroots, which no mouth of ordinary size could possibly +hold without distortion.</p> + +<p>All roads in Mandalay lead to the fort, lately the residence of the +Court. This consists of a huge square, 1-1/4 miles each way, entirely +surrounded by battlemented walls, and further protected by a wide and +deep moat. Quaint bridges cross the moat, and lead to gateways, each +surmounted by a "pyathat." Within the walls are the palace of the +King, and many other buildings of highly ornate and purely Burmese +character. Many of them have lately been destroyed by fire; but what +will interest us most is the rambling but most picturesque palace, the +lofty "pyathat" which is erected over Thebaw's throne being the finest +in the country,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_78" id="Page_78">[78]</a></span> and so much admired by the Burmans as to be called +"the centre of the universe."</p> + +<p>All these buildings are of timber, only the finest teak being used, +and the many columns which support the roofs of the halls of audience +consist of single tree-trunks of unusual size and great value.</p> + +<p>The moat serves to supply Mandalay with its drinking-water, and is fed +by a conduit from the hills. I am afraid the water is not very clean, +but it is a very pretty sight to see the people coming to fill their +jars from the little stages which jut from the banks, while the whole +surface is at some seasons of the year a mass of purple lotus and +white water-lily, and, although in the middle of the city, paddy-birds +and other ibis wade about its margins.</p> + +<p>Mandalay is a station for our troops, who are quartered inside the +fort, which was only captured after severe fighting. The stockade, +which offered so great an obstacle to our men, has been swept away, +and "Tommy Atkins," as well as Indian troops, now inhabit the palaces +of King Thebaw's time! But it is an unhealthy station, and nowhere in +Burma have I seen such crowds of mosquitoes, the common cause of fever +in Europeans.</p> + +<p>The most beautiful of Mandalay's pagodas, "the Incomparable," has been +destroyed by fire; but a large number remain, one of which is very +interesting. This is the "Kuthodaw," a temple built by Mindon Min, +King Thebaw's father. The central dome is not remarkable, but on each +side of the large flagged space which surrounds it are rows and rows +of miniature<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_79" id="Page_79">[79]</a></span> temples, each with an ornamental cupola, supported upon +pillars. Each of these 729 cupolas contains a slab of alabaster, on +which is inscribed a chapter of the Pali Bible. The entrance-gates, +also, are large, and unusually ornate in design.</p> + +<p>Each quarter of the town has one or more large pagodas, and others +surround its outskirts from the river-bank to the top of Mandalay +Hill; but these differ from the others we have noticed in one respect, +being covered by carved plaster-work, each stage of which is +beautified by some elaborate or striking pattern, so that the dome of +pure white, broken by sharp contrast of light and shade, is quite as +rich in effect as the gilded temples of Rangoon or Prome.</p> + +<p>Most remarkable of all the buildings in Mandalay, however, are the +monasteries, of which there are a large number, many of great +interest, the principal one being the "Queen's Golden Monastery," for +beauty of design and elaborate embellishment unquestionably the finest +structure of its kind in Burma.</p> + +<p>Across the river from Mandalay is a very pretty scene. Low conical +hills rise from the banks of the river, each crowned by a pagoda, +around which are many "kyoungs" and "zeyats." Scattered over the +hill-sides are many others, gleaming white against the warm earth +tints and the foliage which surround them. This is old Sagaing, once a +capital of Burma; but the city has gone, and only its temples now +remain. Crossing the river in sampans painted red, blue, and yellow, +or landing on the pearly shingle of the beach, are crowds of +well-dressed Burmans from Mandalay and Ava, bent<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_80" id="Page_80">[80]</a></span> on a pilgrimage to +one or other of the many shrines, which are reached by long flights of +steps, whose entrance is guarded by enormous leogryphs.</p> + +<div class="figcenter" style="width: 600px;"><a name="pic13" id="pic13"></a> +<img src="images/image_112.jpg" width="600" height="421" alt="THE SHWE ZIGON PAGODA, PAGAN. Page 82." /> +<span class="caption">THE SHWE ZIGON PAGODA, PAGAN. <a href="#Page_82">Page 82</a>.</span></div> + +<p>A pretty legend gives the origin of these monsters, which, often of +enormous size, invariably guard the entrance to a temple. Long ago in +the dim past a Princess was stolen by "nats," and hidden away in the +dark recesses of the forest. The King made every effort to find the +hiding-place of his daughter, but without success, until one day a +lioness rescued the Princess, and restored her to her home. Ever since +then the lion, which in the course of centuries has gradually become +changed into the leogryph (or half-lion, half-griffin), has been +accepted by the people as the emblem of protecting watchfulness.</p> + +<p>Close to Mandalay on the south is Amarapura, another of Burma's many +capitals, and though we cannot hope to see all the many interesting +monuments that remain, it has one pagoda in particular which well +repays us for our long and dusty journey.</p> + +<p>This is the Arracan pagoda, one of the most famous shrines in Burma, +and the one most frequented by the Shans and other hill tribes, whose +time of pilgrimage occurs "between the reaping and the sowing."</p> + +<p>There is no ascent to this temple, which, through a series of +ornamented doorways, is approached by a long flat corridor, which, as +usual, serves the purpose of a bazaar. Here perhaps the best Burmese +gongs may be purchased, and the stalls for cut flowers display a rich +profusion of blooms, whose scent fills the whole temple precincts. The +temple itself is different in design from <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_81" id="Page_81">[81]</a></span>any others we have seen, +being built in the form of a square tower, above which rises a series +of diminishing terraces, each beautified by carved battlements and +corner pinnacles, the whole being richly gilt.</p> + +<p>Beneath the central tower is the shrine, before which a constant +stream of devotees succeed each other in prayer. This contains an +enormous brass image of Buddha, 12 feet in height, thickly plastered +with the pilgrims' offerings of gold-leaf. Behind the temple are the +sacred tanks, whose green and slimy water is alive with turtles, too +lazy or too well fed to eat the dainty morsels thrown to them by the +onlookers, but which are pounced upon by hundreds of hawks, who often +seize the tit-bits before they reach the water.</p> + +<p>The courtyards are, as usual, thronged, and pastry-cooks and +story-tellers, soothsayers and musicians, provide refreshment and +amusement to the ever-moving crowd of happy people, at whom we never +tire of looking.</p> + +<p>And now, having seen something of the principal pagodas, with their +crowds of worshippers or loiterers, let us take one glimpse of the +ancient city of Pagan.</p> + +<p>Splendidly placed upon a commanding site on the river-bank, Pagan was +at one time a populous and wealthy centre. To-day it is the city of +the dead, and the domes and pinnacles of its temples, which cover an +area of 16 square miles, remain silent monuments to its former +greatness. Save for a few priests and scattered families of the +poorest of the people, its population has disappeared centuries ago, +and the land, once fertile, is now covered with aloe, cactus, and +thorn, while an<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_82" id="Page_82">[82]</a></span> air of weary heat and desolation envelops it. Some +idea of its size may be formed when I tell you that a thousand of its +pagodas are known by name, while as many more are little but a heap of +ruinous brickwork.</p> + +<p>Many of its temples are of the greatest historical interest. The +Ananda, built 800 years ago, is larger than St. Paul's, and its +elongated dome and innumerable pinnacles render it as graceful as it +is imposing. There are other temples even larger, while the picture +facing page 80 will give you some little idea of the beauty and +interest of the Shwe Zigon.</p> + +<p>Throughout the country temples abound, and in lonely places where no +temple has been built, the lofty "tagundaing" marks some holy spot. +You will find no statues to her Kings in Burma, but in every temple, +in little wayside shrines, and even in the most unfrequented wilds, +the Burmans have erected images of Buddha, founder of their faith.</p> + +<p>Nearly one-third of the world's population are Buddhists, and this +fact alone would seem to show how beautiful is the religion they +profess. Buddhism was founded by an Indian Prince called Gautama, +about 600 years before the birth of Christ. This Prince, though heir +to a kingdom, and surrounded by every luxury, left his palace and his +beautiful wife and their little son, to become a wanderer in the +search for truth, and for six years he lived as a hermit in the +wilderness, attended only by a few disciples. One day, while seated +beneath a "bo" tree, lost in contemplation, revelation came to him, +and from that time he became<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_83" id="Page_83">[83]</a></span> a preacher, striving to raise men and +women to his own lofty and pure standard of what life should be.</p> + +<p>Few Europeans really understand Buddhism, but many of its principles +we can all appreciate. Thus, men are taught truthfulness, purity, +obedience, and kindness, which forbids the giving of pain to any +living creature. Charity, patience, humility, and the habit of +meditation are early instilled into the minds of the boys, who, +without exception, spend at least a portion of their lives as inmates +of a monastery, and with the priests and novices are not ashamed to +collect the daily offering of food.</p> + +<p>In their consideration for animals, their love for their children, and +great respect for age, as well as in their consideration for each +other, the Burmans act well up to the beauty of their faith; for a +beautiful religion it is, beautifully expounded in Arnold's "Light of +Asia," which I hope many of you will presently read.</p> + +<p>It is not difficult to understand how their religion, combined with +their own happy, contented natures, and the enervating effect of +climate, renders the Burmans little able to withstand the pressure +from without which has lately been brought to bear upon them.</p> + +<p>Largely content with what Nature provides for them, and without social +grades to spur them to ambition, their sports and races and amusements +of many kinds occupy the chief attention of the men, who quickly +succumb to their more energetic and businesslike rivals from India or +China. The women, more capable and rather despising the idleness of +the men, are more and more prone to marry among other races, while<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_84" id="Page_84">[84]</a></span> +Western civilization also is doing much to destroy the primitive charm +of the people.</p> + +<p>Sad it is to think that the Burman as a pure race is slowly +disappearing, and there are few, I think, who know them but will view +this prospect with sincere regret. But if it is inevitable that this +picturesque and lovable people must be in time replaced by others, at +least their beautiful country always will remain.</p> + +<p>And now, as I close this chapter, there recurs to my mind a pretty +picture which embodies so much of the spirit of the country that it +may well form our last peep at Burma.</p> + +<p>Far away in the jungle on the crest of a lonely hill stands a ruined +pagoda. The white ornamental plaster-work which once beautified it has +long since disappeared, and in the rents and fissures which seam its +rich red brickwork venomous serpents hide.</p> + +<p>The niche which formerly contained a Buddha is unoccupied, but, as +though to soften its decay, kindly creepers have covered its rugged +exterior with a bower of foliage and flowers, while the leogryphs +which once marked the entrance to its enclosure are buried in +vegetation. All around are trees of many kinds, which tower above the +jungle, among which large and beautiful butterflies flit among the +flowers, while birds of gay plumage gambol among the tree-tops to the +distant song of the bulbul. It was a pretty scene, but sad in its +loneliness, to which a touch of pathos was added by the figure of a +solitary priest praying before the empty shrine. Wondering what had +brought him so far from any known habitation, I watched him long as +he<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_85" id="Page_85">[85]</a></span> prayed. Just as the sun set and the day closed he plucked a lovely +flower from the scrub and placed it reverently on the shrine where +Buddha once had stood, and as I turned my pony's head in the direction +of my distant camp, the slowly-retreating figure of the "hpungi" +became lost in the glory of the sunset.</p> + + +<h3>THE END</h3> + +<hr style="width: 65%;" /> + + +<h4>LIST OF VOLUMES IN THE</h4> +<h3>PEEPS AT MANY LANDS</h3> +<h5>SERIES</h5> + +<h4>EACH CONTAINING 12 FULL-PAGE<br /> +ILLUSTRATIONS IN COLOUR<br /> +EACH 1/6 NET</h4> + + + + +<ul> +<li>BURMA</li> +<li>EGYPT</li> +<li>ENGLAND</li> +<li>FRANCE</li> +<li>HOLLAND</li> +<li>HOLY LAND</li> +<li>INDIA</li> +<li>ITALY</li> +<li>JAPAN</li> +<li>MOROCCO</li> +<li>SCOTLAND</li> +<li>SOUTH AFRICA</li> +<li>SOUTH SEAS</li> +<li>SWITZERLAND</li> +<li>WALES</li> +</ul> + + + + + +<h4>PUBLISHED BY</h4> +<h3>ADAM AND CHARLES BLACK</h3> +<h5><span class="smcap">Soho Square, London, W.</span></h5> + + + + +<h4>AGENTS</h4> + +<p><b>AMERICA</b><span class="f3"> <b>THE MACMILLAN COMPANY</b></span><br /> +<span class="f4"><span class="smcap"><b>64 & 66 Fifth Avenue</b></span>,<b>NEW YORK</b></span></p> + +<p><b>CANADA</b><span class="f3"> <b>THE MACMILLAN COMPANY OF CANADA, LTD.</b></span><br /> +<span class="f4"><span class="smcap"><b>27 Richmond Street West</b></span>,<b>TORONTO</b></span></p> + +<p><b>INDIA</b><span class="f3"> <b>MACMILLAN & COMPANY, LTD.</b></span><br /> +<span class=" f1 f4"><span class="smcap"><b>macmillan building</b></span>,<b>BOMBAY</b></span><br /> +<span class="f4"><span class="smcap"><b>309 Bow Bazaar Street</b></span>,<b>CALCUTTA</b></span></p> + +<p><b>AUSTRALASIA.</b><span class="f3"><b>OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS, MELBOURNE</b></span></p> + + +<hr style="width: 65%;" /> +<h4><i>BY THE SAME ARTIST AND AUTHOR</i></h4> + +<h2>BURMA</h2> + +<h3>By R. TALBOT KELLY, R.B.A.</h3> + +<h5><i>Containing 75 full-page Illustrations in Colour. Square Demy 8vo., +cloth, gilt top</i></h5> + +<h3>Price 20/- net</h3> + +<h5>(<i>Post free, Price 20s. 6d.</i>)</h5> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>"His landscapes—in which Nature is seen unforced by the hands of +colour-loving men and women, and seen, more often than not, by early +morning or evening light—have an exquisite delicacy."—<i>Athenæum.</i></p></div> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>"The result is a narrative delightful in its quiet zest, and a series +of pictures that have the hues of landscapes hung in a heaven of +dreamland."—<i>Speaker.</i></p></div> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>"If ever there was a poet in colours Mr. Kelly is one. His volume is +bright to read and beautiful to look at."—<i>Liverpool Post.</i></p></div> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>"Those of our readers who have seen Mr. Kelly's 'Egypt' know that he +uses pen and brush with equal facility, and in this volume we find +again beautiful and faithful pictures, accompanied by admirably +graphic descriptions."—<i>Aberdeen Journal.</i></p></div> + + +<h2>EGYPT</h2> + +<h3><span class="smcap">By R. TALBOT KELLY, R.B.A.</span></h3> + +<h5><i>Containing 75 full-page Illustrations in Colour. Square Demy 8vo., +cloth, gilt top</i></h5> + +<h3>Price 20/- net</h3> + +<h5>(<i>Post free, Price 20s. 6d.</i>)</h5> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>"How marvellously faithful his work is, every one who knows Egypt will +see in the seventy-five exquisite paintings which make his book a +perfect treasure of beauty.... No series of drawings has ever conveyed +to us so perfect an impression of Egyptian scenery as +these."—<i>Saturday Review.</i></p></div> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>"Rarely can this old, old country have received more beautiful homage +than here ... the happily inspired work of a true artist revealing her +countless charms."—<i>Bookman.</i></p></div> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>"This is beyond all question the most beautiful book on modern Egypt +that we have ever seen."—<i>Spectator.</i></p></div> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>"This is a magnificent production of his, abounding with fine +pictures, beautifully reproduced, and teeming with fine descriptive +touches and bright anecdotal matter."—<i>Black and White.</i></p></div> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>"Few more attractive gift-books have fallen into our hands of late +than this splendidly-illustrated volume, the text of which is in +perfect harmony with the pictures."—<i>Standard.</i></p></div> + +<h3><span class="smcap">Published by A. & C. BLACK, Soho Square, London, W.</span></h3> + +<hr style="width: 65%;" /> + +<h2>A BACHELOR GIRL<br /> +IN BURMA</h2> + +<h3>By G. E. MITTON</h3> + +<h5>AUTHOR OF<br /> +"A BACHELOR GIRL IN LONDON," "JANE AUSTEN AND HER TIMES," ETC.</h5> + +<h4><i>Containing 95 Illustrations from Photographs.</i></h4> + +<p class="f3"><i>Sq. Demy 8vo</i>., +<i>cloth.</i> <b>Price 6/- net</b> (<i>Post free</i>, <i>Price 6s. 5d.</i>) +</p> + +<h3><b>Some Press Opinions</b> +</h3> +<div class="blockquot"><p>"She has written a delightful book on a delightful country, +and the ninety-five illustrations, from photographs taken by +herself and others, add greatly to its readable and +instructive character, as well as to its +beauty."—<i>Scotsman.</i></p> + +<p>"She has altogether succeeded in writing a delightful +account of her trip."—<i>Westminster Gazette.</i></p> + +<p>"A most entertaining and agreeable narrative."—<i>Burlington +Magazine.</i></p> + +<p>"Her book will please and amuse all lovers of +travel."—<i>World.</i></p> + +<p>"She has cleverly tinged her descriptions with much of that +rich colour which ornaments the East, and any who might be +tempted to visit a land as yet little travelled by the +sightseer will in these pages find much information that may +prove of value in their preparation for such a +trip."—<i>Daily Telegraph.</i></p> + +<p>"A delightful account, illustrated with many attractive +photographs."—<i>World's Work.</i></p> + +<p>"Miss Mitton has excelled herself in her last +work."—<i>Tatler.</i></p></div> + + +<h3><span class="smcap">Published by A. & C. BLACK, Soho Square, London, W.</span></h3> +<hr style="width: 65%;" /> + +<div>*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 30064 ***</div> +</body> +</html> diff --git a/30064-h/images/cover.jpg b/30064-h/images/cover.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..d8e3797 --- /dev/null +++ b/30064-h/images/cover.jpg diff --git a/30064-h/images/image_005.jpg b/30064-h/images/image_005.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..6412a31 --- /dev/null +++ b/30064-h/images/image_005.jpg diff --git a/30064-h/images/image_006.jpg b/30064-h/images/image_006.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..9924355 --- /dev/null +++ b/30064-h/images/image_006.jpg diff --git a/30064-h/images/image_011.jpg b/30064-h/images/image_011.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..4749c06 --- /dev/null +++ b/30064-h/images/image_011.jpg diff --git a/30064-h/images/image_021.jpg b/30064-h/images/image_021.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..1f6cb53 --- /dev/null +++ b/30064-h/images/image_021.jpg diff --git a/30064-h/images/image_030.jpg b/30064-h/images/image_030.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..7f2f8f5 --- /dev/null +++ b/30064-h/images/image_030.jpg diff --git a/30064-h/images/image_041.jpg b/30064-h/images/image_041.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..e83fd12 --- /dev/null +++ b/30064-h/images/image_041.jpg diff --git a/30064-h/images/image_050.jpg b/30064-h/images/image_050.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..840ed1c --- /dev/null +++ b/30064-h/images/image_050.jpg diff --git a/30064-h/images/image_061.jpg b/30064-h/images/image_061.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..9cdd446 --- /dev/null +++ b/30064-h/images/image_061.jpg diff --git a/30064-h/images/image_066.jpg b/30064-h/images/image_066.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..3ac7022 --- /dev/null +++ b/30064-h/images/image_066.jpg diff --git a/30064-h/images/image_072.jpg b/30064-h/images/image_072.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..48d95a5 --- /dev/null +++ b/30064-h/images/image_072.jpg diff --git a/30064-h/images/image_083.jpg b/30064-h/images/image_083.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..3cf2280 --- /dev/null +++ b/30064-h/images/image_083.jpg diff --git a/30064-h/images/image_092.jpg b/30064-h/images/image_092.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..eade320 --- /dev/null +++ b/30064-h/images/image_092.jpg diff --git a/30064-h/images/image_103.jpg b/30064-h/images/image_103.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..de473ea --- /dev/null +++ b/30064-h/images/image_103.jpg diff --git a/30064-h/images/image_112.jpg b/30064-h/images/image_112.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..f25161d --- /dev/null +++ b/30064-h/images/image_112.jpg diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..ef18403 --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #30064 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/30064) diff --git a/old/30064-8.txt b/old/30064-8.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..8ebf2bd --- /dev/null +++ b/old/30064-8.txt @@ -0,0 +1,2935 @@ +The Project Gutenberg EBook of Burma, by R.Talbot Kelly + +This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with +almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org + + +Title: Burma + Peeps at Many Lands + +Author: R.Talbot Kelly + +Release Date: September 22, 2009 [EBook #30064] + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 + +*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK BURMA *** + + + + +Produced by Sankar Viswanathan, Chris Curnow, and the +Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net +(This file was produced from images generously made +available by The Internet Archive) + + + + + + + + + [Illustration: THE PAGODA STEPS, RANGOON. _Page 18._] + + + PEEPS AT MANY LANDS + + BURMA + + + + BY + + R. TALBOT KELLY + R.I., R.B.A., F.R.G.S. + COMMANDER OF THE MEDJIDIEH + + + + WITH TWELVE FULL-PAGE ILLUSTRATIONS + IN COLOUR + BY THE AUTHOR + + + + + + LONDON + + ADAM AND CHARLES BLACK + + 1908 + + * * * * * + + + + +CONTENTS + + +CHAPTER PAGE + + I. THE LAND 1 + + II. RANGOON 5 + + III. THE PEOPLE 13 + + IV. THE IRRAWADDY 21 + + V. THE IRRAWADDY (_continued_) 29 + + VI. VILLAGE LIFE 35 + + VII. TOWN LIFE 41 + +VIII. FIELD WORK 50 + + IX. THE FOREST 56 + + X. THE FOREST (_continued_) 65 + + XI. TEMPLES AND RELIGION 74 + + * * * * * + + + + +LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS + +IN COLOUR + +BY R. TALBOT KELLY + + +THE PAGODA STEPS, RANGOON _frontispiece_ + +FACING PAGE + +"A DAINTILY-CLAD BURMESE LADY" 9 + +A REST-HOUSE 16 + +A NATIVE BOAT SAILING UPSTREAM WITH THE WIND 25 + +THE IRRAWADDY 32 + +ENTRANCE TO A BURMESE VILLAGE 41 + +AT THE WELL 44 + +THE MARKET-PLACE 48 + +IN THE DEPTHS OF THE FOREST 57 + +A DAK BUNGALOW 64 + +THE QUEEN'S GOLDEN MONASTERY, MANDALAY 72 + +THE SHWE ZIGON PAGODA, PAGAN 80 + +SHRINE ON THE PLATFORM OF THE SHWE DAGON PAGODA _on the + cover_ + +_Sketch Map of Burma on p. viii._ + + * * * * * + + +[Illustration: A SKETCH MAP OF BURMA.] + + + + +BURMA + +CHAPTER I + +THE LAND + + +How many boys or girls, I wonder, ever turn to their school atlas for +amusement, or try to picture to themselves what manner of countries +those might be whose strange and unfamiliar place-names so often make +their geography lesson a difficulty? + +Yet there are few subjects, I think, which might be made more +interesting than geography, and a map may often serve to suggest +delightful fancies to a boy or girl of imagination. + +Open your atlas at random and see what it has to tell you. Here, +perhaps in the heart of a great continent, stretches a mountain range, +and from it in many directions wind those serpent-like lines which +denote rivers. + +Following these lines in their course, through narrow valleys or wide +plains, we notice that upon their banks presently appear those towns +and cities whose names you so often find it difficult to remember, and +at length, frequently by many mouths that cut up the delta it has +formed, the river eventually finds its way into the sea. + +These are the simple facts our map gives us, but there is a great deal +of poetry behind. That mountain range is Nature's means of attracting +and holding the moisture-laden clouds which have been blown in from +the sea, and either in the form of rain or snow it stores up the water +evaporated from it. + +By thousands of little rills, or rushing torrents which score furrows +in its sides, the mountain gives up its store of water to feed the +thirsty plains, and with it yields also valuable ores and minerals, +which are often carried many many miles away to enrich a people too +far removed from the mountain to know the origin of their wealth. + +These little streamlets are not marked upon your map, but presently +they join to form one combined river, by which, through the many +hundreds of miles of its windings, the mountain eventually returns its +gathered waters to the sea, from whence they came. + +How interesting to follow the course of such a river, and try to +picture to oneself all it may have to show! What kind of mountain is +it from among whose rugged snow peaks first sprang those plunging +cascades, which, leaping and tossing over their rocky beds, join each +other at its base to form the river itself? Through what wild forests, +filled with curious vegetation, may it not flow, and how strange, +perhaps, are the people who, together with wild beasts and unknown +birds, inhabit its reedy margins! + +As the river grows in size, the grass huts and dug-out canoes of its +upper waters give place to towns which bear names, while large and +strangely-shaped boats carry the produce of the country to some great +seaport at its mouth, where ships of all nations are waiting to +transport it over thousands of miles of ocean to supply us with those +many commodities which we have come to regard as daily necessities! If +boys and girls would think of such things geography, I am sure, would +never be a _dull_ study. + +Now, to turn from an imaginary case to a real one, I want to tell you +something about Burma, a country which, though one of the most +interesting and beautiful in the world, is comparatively little known +to the majority of people. + +This may seem surprising when it is remembered that Burma now forms +part of our Indian Empire, and has for many years carried on a large +trade with England. We may perhaps better understand this if we turn +to our atlas and see how the country is situated. As you will see, +Burma lies on the eastern side of the Bay of Bengal, just north of the +Malay Peninsula, joining Siam and China on the one side and the Indian +provinces of Assam and Manipur on the other, while from an unknown +source in the heart of Thibet its great river, the Irrawaddy, flows +throughout the entire length of the country, and through Rangoon, the +seaport at its mouth, forming the great highway for commerce and +communication between the world at large and its little-known +interior. + +Looking at the map again, you will see that on each side of the +Irrawaddy, running north and south, are mountain ranges called +"yomas" (or back-bones, as the word means), which divide the country, +while other large rivers, such as the Sittang and Salween, flowing in +deep, precipitous valleys, render any communication with Siam +difficult. On the north-west similar ranges of hills form a barrier +between Burma and the frontier provinces of India, and when I tell you +that all these mountains are densely covered with forest and jungle, +and that the rivers are wide, and in many cases unnavigable, you will +understand how it is that Burma is not better known, and that so few +people undertake the arduous work of exploring its interior. Only by +way of one little corner in the north-east, where Burma joins the +Chinese province of Yunnan, is access from the land side easy, and +here caravans of Yunnanese constantly enter the country to trade at +Bhamo and Hsipaw. + +Otherwise, separated by its mountain chains and forests from the rest +of the world, Burma has for centuries remained untouched and +unspoiled, and it is only since the deposition of King Thebaw, in +1885, and the assumption of its government by England that the gradual +extension of the railway system is slowly bringing the interior into +easier communication with the outside world, and beginning to effect a +change in the character of the people. + + + + +CHAPTER II + +RANGOON + + +Anyone wishing to visit Burma must land at Rangoon, for it is not only +the largest and most important of its seaports, but the only one that +has direct steamer communication with England, or by river traffic and +railways affords access to the interior. The harbour is formed by the +tidal estuary of one of the many mouths of the Irrawaddy. Here it is +very wide, and a large number of steamers and sailing ships ride at +anchor, loading or discharging their cargoes into lighters and +quaintly-shaped native boats. + +Huge rafts of teak wood drift slowly downstream to the saw-mills below +the town, where trained elephants stack the logs with almost human +intelligence, and queer uptilted rowing boats, called "sampans," ferry +passengers across the river, or to the various vessels in the stream. +Long stretches of timber-built quays and iron-roofed "godowns" (or +warehouses) form the wharfs, upon which coolies of all nationalities +toil under the tropical sun. European officers in white drill and +sun-helmets superintend the loading of their vessels, longing to be +finished and away from a spot where everything vibrates and dithers in +the white glare. + +On shore the smoke from the rice-mills adds to the already +overpowering sense of heat, while from across the water the noise of +hammered iron from the repairing yards completes a picture of bustle, +heat, and toil. + +Yet Rangoon is a very pleasant place to live in, and as many of my +readers will, no doubt, have fathers or brothers in the East, they +will like to hear something about the place, and how people live +there. + +Behind the quay and warehouses the city lies, well laid out in broad +streets and squares, and having many fine shops and buildings. The +houses are mostly of that curious half-Italian, half-Oriental style +which we find in almost all Southern and Eastern seaports. They are +usually painted white, with green shutters to the windows, and are +often surrounded by broad verandas. The roofs are generally of red +tiles, which look pretty among the dark foliage of the trees which +often line the streets, and in spite of "topee"[1] and umbrella, +pedestrians are thankful to avail themselves of their shade, for the +air is hot and the white glare of the streets is most trying to the +eyes. + +[Footnote 1: Sun-helmet.] + +People of all nations throng the thoroughfares and bazaars--Indians +and Singalese, Chinese and Burmans--and one's first impression is a +vague confusion of picturesque costumes and unaccustomed types of +mankind; for Rangoon is cosmopolitan to a degree, and can hardly be +called a Burmese town at all. + +Anyone visiting Rangoon for the first time will, I think, be struck by +the many strange trades carried on in the streets, and it is +interesting to sit in the veranda of your hotel in the Strand and +watch the crowd as it passes. Here is a water-carrier, whose +terra-cotta water-jars are slung from a bamboo carried on his +shoulder, another man bears on his head a tray upon which a charcoal +fire is cooking a strong-smelling "tit-bit" some hungry labourer will +presently enjoy. Again, a Chinaman, perhaps wearing black skull-cap +and loose jacket and trousers, endeavours to tempt you to purchase the +fans or sunshades he is hawking. Huge baskets of coco-nuts or +vegetables, gaudily printed calicoes and haberdashery, cheap knives +and looking-glasses, and baskets of cool melons, are some of the +articles carried across the shoulders of the pedlars, while porters +pass to and fro bearing huge burdens from one warehouse to another. + +Flocks of goats are driven from house to house to be milked at the +doorstep, and occasionally a hill-man may be seen wandering about in +the hope of finding a purchaser for the freshly-caught leopard he is +leading. What will, perhaps, most strike Europeans are the bullock +gharries by which the heavy traffic of the town is carried on. These +are carts curiously shaped and often carved, with large and very +wide-rimmed wheels. They are drawn by a pair of Indian bullocks, sleek +cream-coloured beasts with mild and patient eyes, and often bearing +enormous horns, which, somewhat after the shape of a lyre, stand four +feet above their heads. + +Excepting for a single rein which is fastened to a ring through the +nose, no harness is used; but, instead, the cattle press against the +wooden yoke which is fixed to the pole of the cart, and is kept in +position by long pins which lie on each side of their necks. + +One thing which distinguishes these bullocks from our own is their +hump, which nearly all Eastern cattle have. This hump not only enables +them the better to work under the yoke, but, as in the case of the +camel, is provided by Nature as a storing-place for surplus fat, upon +which they can unconsciously nourish themselves when pasturage or food +is scarce. + +Large-turbaned Indian police keep order in the streets, where office +"chuprassies," or messengers, wearing their broad, coloured sash of +office across their shoulders, come and go upon their errands, and, +with the white-clad butler of a "Sahib" intent upon his marketing, +mingle with a crowd which is composed of all races and all stations of +life, from the wizened labourer in his loin-cloth to the wealthy baboo +or daintily-clad Burmese lady. It is a wonderful medley of strange +faces, costumes, and tongues, and among it all the self-sufficient +crow fights with the "pi" dogs over the garbage, to the amusement of +the children, who, often quite naked, play about the gutters. + +No such crowd in England could possibly have the same charm, for here +dirt, hunger, and rags are always apparent, while there the dirt is +lost in the glorious sunshine, and, instead of rags, we find bright +colours, while the people, though often poor, seldom, if ever, go +hungry. + +I have tried to give you some little idea of the life of the streets, +and now let us see something of the life of the "Sahib" in Rangoon. + +[Illustration: A DAINTILY-CLAD BURMESE LADY. _Page 8._] + +You boys and girls whose fathers are in India know that "Sahib" means +the Englishman, the merchant or official who carries on the business +affairs or government of the country, and many of you may remember +something of your very young days out there, before the time arrived +when it became necessary for you to leave the East and come to school +in England. + +Well, I may say that the English "Sahib" works very hard indeed, and I +am afraid he is already busy at his office long before we in England +have thought of getting up. Somewhere about six o'clock, after a light +breakfast called "chota-hazri," he is at his office, which he seldom +leaves till the evening. The offices are large and airy, and all the +windows are shaded by jalousies, or grass mats, which in hot weather +are wetted so as to cool the air as it passes through them. Slung from +the ceiling in long rows over tables or desks are the "punkahs," or +fans, which a "punkah-wallah" outside in the veranda pulls to and fro +with a rope in order to keep the hot air moving, and prevent the flies +and mosquitoes from settling. Every one, though clothed in the +lightest suit, works with his coat off, and in many cases, so as not +to interrupt the day's routine, "tiffin," or lunch, is eaten in the +office. Work is hard, steady, and continuous, and no one who has not +been there knows how well our relations in the East earn its many +compensations. + +Life there is not _all_ work, however, and its social conditions are +very attractive. From the time when his "tum-tum"[2] arrives at the +close of office-hours and the "Sahib" bowls merrily homewards, a new +life begins. Town becomes deserted, and the suburbs awake to offer +amusement and relaxation to the workers. + +[Footnote 2: Dogcart.] + +Let us accompany one of our friends on his way home. The sun is +declining and the air already much cooler, and the drive through the +shopping streets and the squares is very enjoyable. The town is soon +passed, however, and broad roads well shaded with many tropical +growths lead to cantonments, as the suburbs are called. Here are the +military lines as well as the bungalows of the residents. These +bungalows are generally large and comfortable-looking, and one can see +from their broad verandas and well-shaded windows that they are +designed for coolness. Nearly all are built of timber, and each stands +in its own compound, which is usually gay with flowers and well +provided with shade-trees. Separated from the house but connected with +it by a covered walk are the kitchens, and in a corner of the garden +are the stables, for horses are an essential in Rangoon. + +As we drive along the quiet roads they gradually become animated. The +ladies, who have been resting indoors during the great heat of the +day, pass us on their way to their tennis-parties or other +engagements, while, in charge of picturesquely-clad Burmese or Indian +ayahs, the little ones take their evening walk. Groups of Burmans of +the better class with their wives promenade the cool avenues in happy +contentment, or wend their way towards Dalhousie Park. The whole scene +is pretty and domestic, and the roads themselves form beautiful vistas +in the evening light, which gilds the feathery crests of the coco-nuts +and gives added colour to the deep-toned foliage of the padouk and +other trees which fringe them. Song-birds which are strange to us +call each other from the groves, and in the bamboo clumps the +grasshoppers are beginning to sing, while floating in the air, which +is now fresh and cool, is the scent of many flowers from the gardens. + +Dalhousie Park is one of the many attractions of Rangoon. It is large +and well laid out, with a very pretty lake, which winds among the +well-arranged groups of forest trees. There is a boat club here, and +gliding over the still water are many rowing boats and small sailing +craft. Swans and ducks are swimming about as the swallow skims the +surface of the water, breaking its deep reflections with a silver +streak. All the paths are thronged with people, some driving, others +on foot, and most of them presently congregate about the bandstand to +enjoy the music or exchange the gossip of the day. It is quite an +interesting sight. All the fashionable life of Rangoon is represented +here, and mingling with it are yellow-robed Buddhist priests and +natives of all classes; for the Burman loves to come here in the +evening, to listen to the band or watch the changing glory of the sky +as the sun slowly sets behind his beloved pagoda. + +Now the sun has set, and every one hastily puts on overcoats or wraps +before driving home, for the air becomes suddenly cold, and neglect of +these precautions will probably result in fever. + +Many adjourn to the gymkhana club before returning home. This is +principally a man's club, but here also on many days a band plays, and +the sight is a pretty one indeed as the children and their ayahs play +about the lawn, while their parents enjoy their tea at the little +tables scattered about it, before the falling dew drives the little +ones homewards, and their elders to the club-house for a game of +billiards or a chat. + +All this side of Rangoon life is very pleasant and very interesting, +but it is not Burmese. Rangoon has for so long been a great trade +centre that the easy-going Burman is rather overshadowed; but as it is +typical of many foreign places where our fathers or brothers are +occupied, and where some of my readers may presently have to go, I +thought it would be interesting to give you this glimpse of European +life in India, and in the next chapter I will tell you something about +the Burmans themselves. + + + + +CHAPTER III + +THE PEOPLE + + +Have you ever thought how the character of the various races of the +world is more or less determined by the nature of the country of their +origin? Rugged mountains and a hard climate produce people of a +similar severity of type, and, on the other hand, one naturally looks +for poetry and music in a people so pleasantly and romantically +situated as are the Italians. In the same way the Burmese are pretty +much what their country has made them. The land is so very fertile +that almost anything will grow there, and Nature provides food for the +people with the least possible effort on their own part. The climate +is also damp, warm, and enervating, so that one would not expect to +find among its inhabitants much energy or decision of character. Their +beautiful religion also makes them kind and gentle, and their +isolation, which, as I have pointed out, separates them from the +neighbouring countries, has left them almost entirely undisturbed by +the activities of the greater world. In fact, on account of their +easy-going and contented nature, the Burmese are often called the +"Irish of the East," and I am afraid it must be said that the men are +rather lazy, and, like their prototypes in some parts of Ireland, +leave most of the work to the women. + +As a rule, the Burmese women are industrious and clever at business, +most of which is conducted by them, while the men are more fond of +sport of all kinds than employment. All, however, are gentle in +character, light-hearted, and merry, and like to repeat in their +clothing the beautiful tints of their forest flowers and +gaily-coloured birds and butterflies. + +It is not surprising, therefore, that among the alien races so busily +engaged in the trade of Rangoon the Burmans should be overshadowed and +rather lost to sight; and though in Rangoon itself there are many +streets occupied entirely by them, it is in the quieter surroundings +of the suburbs that the Burman appears to advantage. + +Many little Burmese villages surround Rangoon, where, half buried in +the trees and creepers which envelop them, the quaint dwellings lie +more or less secluded from the road. All are built of timber or +bamboo, and have nothing in their design to make them noticeable. +Among them, however, are occasional "kyoungs," or Buddhist +monasteries, which are much more ornamental and striking. Like their +other buildings, the "kyoung" is constructed of timber, and stands +upon a wooden platform raised from the ground some four or five feet +by thick posts, which are usually carried through the balustrade which +surrounds the platform, and terminate in a carved head, steps leading +to the stage upon which the monastery is built. These "kyoungs" are +very curious in design, the walls, doors, and windows being +ornamented with carving, while their succession of roofs, one above +the other, often rise to a great height. To afford shade to the +platform below, the roofs project considerably beyond the walls, and +the ridges of each are decorated with carved woodwork representing +their "nats" and "beloos," as they call their good and evil spirits, +and the ends of the eaves terminate in a very striking ornament +supposed to represent the peacock, which, as you will see from the +picture, gives the building a very quaint appearance indeed. Sometimes +the monasteries are gilded, and the doors and wall-panels inlaid with +looking-glass, tinsel, and other glittering material, which makes them +appear very gorgeous in the sunlight. + +These monasteries are occupied by Buddhist priests, who teach the +children of the neighbourhood, or instruct the pilgrims who visit them +in the beauties of their religion, of which I shall have something to +tell you presently. All the priests have shaven heads, and wear a +simple robe of cotton, dyed to a bright yellow by the juice of the +cutch-tree. Gentle and hospitable themselves, they lead the most +simple lives. All the food they eat is given by the people, and it is +a very picturesque sight to see the daily procession of priests and +novices, each carrying a bowl in which to receive the offerings of +food so willingly given by the inmates of the houses they visit. No +request for alms is ever made, nor any word of thanks spoken, for such +gifts are freely offered by a people who believe in their religion, +and do so as an "act of merit." + +Close by the monasteries are the "zeyats," or homes for wandering +pilgrims. Though their roofs are ornamented in the same way as the +"kyoungs," they are more simple in appearance, and often have one side +entirely open to the air. Built primarily for pilgrims, anyone may use +them, and often a belated traveller is very thankful to take advantage +of their shelter against the night dews or tropical rains. + +Another striking feature of their architecture is the "pyathat," or +spire of five or seven roofs, each smaller than the other, which +finish in what they call a "ti," or umbrella of wrought iron +ornamented with flowers, and from which little bells and cymbals swing +and tinkle in the breeze. These spires, however, are only erected over +sacred buildings or the palace of a King. + +[Illustration: A REST HOUSE.] + +Most beautiful of all their buildings is the pagoda, as their temples +are called, and most beautiful, perhaps, of all the temples in Burma +is the great Shwe Dagon pagoda in Rangoon. "Shwe" means golden, and +this beautiful bell-shaped pyramid, which rises 370 feet above the +mound upon which it is built, is entirely overlaid with gold. The +mound itself, which is of considerable height, is artificially made, +the earth having been carried there in order to form a fortress and a +pedestal for the shrine. These pagodas are constructed of solid +brickwork, in which is often enclosed some sacred relic. Originally of +small dimensions, generations of Kings have from time to time added +further layers of brickwork to the gradually increasing structure, +until to-day this stupendous Shwe Dagon pagoda stands before us so +immense and so beautiful as to be rightly considered one of the +wonders of the world. Around the base of the temple is a large +number of shrines, each lofty, beautified by carved woodwork and +towering pinnacles, richly embellished with gilding and coloured +inlay, and each worthy itself to be a separate temple. Fantastic +images and carved balustrades connect the various shrines with each +other and with the great temple itself, and from ornamental pedestals +spring conventional representations of the sacred tree of Buddha, +delicately wrought in iron. Tall flagstaffs, 60 or 80 feet high, +surmounted by emblematical figures or representations of the Brahminy +duck, float their long streamers in the wind, while the sound of +tinkling bells descends from the "tis" with which every pinnacle is +crowned. Surrounding all is a broad platform fringed with shops and +other buildings, for the Burmese love their pagoda, and many spend +their days here, and the necessities of life must be provided. + +Nowhere in all Burma may a better idea of the Burmese be obtained than +on this pagoda platform. At all times of the day it is thronged by +people, not only from Rangoon, but from all parts of the country, who +come to pray or wonder at its beauty. At the shrines, in which are +always one or more images of Buddha, groups of devout Burmans pray. +Lighted candles burn before the images, while the worshippers, among +whom it will be noticed women predominate, bear flowers in their +hands, which before their departure they reverently lay upon the niche +in which the "Master" is enshrined. + +These flowers and coloured candles are sold upon the platform, leading +up to which are several covered staircases, which form the best +bazaar in Rangoon, as in the shops on either side of the ascent almost +everything from jewellery and toys to food-stuffs may be bought. The +entrance from the street below is very striking. The flight of broad +steps leads to a gilded and painted pavilion, on either side of which +stand enormous leogryphs, the mythical guardians of the temple. +Passing through an archway embellished by figures of "nats" and other +imaginary creatures, a long succession of steps, covered throughout +the whole distance by ornamental roofs, leads to the temple above, and +at all times of the day is thronged by brightly-clothed pedestrians, +ascending and descending through the alternate gleams of sunlight and +cool shade of the bazaar. Nowhere else in Burma can the people be +better studied than here, all classes being represented, and it may be +interesting if I describe them more closely. Like their neighbours of +Siam and China, the Burmese are Mongolian in type, but, without so +pronounced a cheekbone and slanting eye as the Chinese, are more +pleasing in appearance. Indeed, the men are often handsome, and among +the women and young girls I have seen many of extreme beauty. While +the men are often sallow, the women are generally more ruddy in +complexion, and all have hair of an almost purple blackness. Their +clothing is bright and clean-looking. All wear a short jacket, usually +white, though ladies of the better degree sometimes adopt figured +velvets and other rich materials. The men commonly wear a "lungyi," or +short skirt composed of coloured silk or cloth gathered round their +loins, or the more elaborate "petsoe," which is made of coloured silk +and in which many yards of loose material twisted into a bunch about +the waist serves as an additional scarf or head-dress should it be +cold. Short socks and boots of European make are now unfortunately +commonly worn, while a silk scarf of bright colour tied round the head +completes the male costume. + +The women are clad in much the same way, wearing a similar "lungyi" +and jacket or the more beautiful "temaine," a skirt of rich figured +silk, which is open on one side, exposing the leg up to the knee, to +which is added a broad fringe of darker material, which trails upon +the ground, giving it a more graceful appearance than the shorter +"lungyi." Wooden sandals are worn on the feet, while on their +shoulders is thrown a long scarf of delicately-coloured silk. Unlike +the men, the women wear no head-dress, but take great pride in their +hair, which is always glossy and well dressed, and almost invariably +is adorned by a comb or some choice flower. Endowed by Nature with +beautiful hands, they love to accentuate the point by a display of +jewellery, which, though sometimes worn to excess, is always _good_, +for the Burmese lady would scorn to wear a spurious gem. Pretty fans +or handkerchiefs are carried in the hand, while, like a halo +surrounding the head, dainty parasols, semi-transparent and +hand-painted, shield them from the sun. It is difficult to give any +true impression of such a Burmese crowd, in which every conceivable +variety of tint and texture is displayed, and permeating which is a +sense of universal gaiety and lightness of heart. It is like nothing +so much as a beautiful flower-garden, while the people themselves +would seem to be as free from care as the butterflies that hover above +the blooms. + + + + +CHAPTER IV + +THE IRRAWADDY + + +To all countries rivers serve the same purpose as the veins in one's +body, being their great source of life and activity. Not only do they +drain and fertilize the land, but also afford the readiest and most +economical means of transit for its trade; consequently on their banks +are found the largest cities and most active commercial life of the +country. + +This is particularly true of Burma, for, railways still being few in +number, the Irrawaddy forms its great highway for traffic, and a large +fleet of steamers plies regularly with freight and passengers between +Rangoon, Mandalay, and Bhamo, while thousands of native craft of all +shapes and sizes assist in the carrying trade of the country. + +For a thousand miles the Irrawaddy is alive with traffic, and on its +banks have settled the greater proportion of the population of the +country, for with the exception of a few isolated towns and +settlements, which are surrounded by cultivated areas of limited +extent, the whole country away from the river-banks is densely covered +by scrub jungle and primeval forest, practically uninhabited and +uncultivable. Throughout the length of the river, however, is one long +series of towns and villages, whose pagodas and monasteries crown +every knoll, and whose population seems largely to live upon the +water. + +The Irrawaddy is a stream of great size and volume, and, like all +rivers subject to periodic flood, is enclosed by high banks of +alluvial deposit, between which the river winds its devious way, laden +with that rich and fertile mud which, in the course of ages, has +formed the delta at its mouth. + +In the case of the Irrawaddy this delta is of large extent, and is +everywhere intersected by the deep creeks which form the many mouths +of the river, thus breaking up the alluvial plain into numerous +islands, between which communication is impossible except by means of +boats. + +These islands are for the most part covered with a dense jungle, which +forms a lair for tigers and many other wild beasts, and so close do +these tigers approach to Rangoon that one was recently shot inside the +great pagoda, in which it had taken refuge. While there I heard of an +amusing adventure which befell the keeper of the lighthouse at the +mouth of the Rangoon River. He was enjoying a morning stroll along the +beach, reading a book as he walked, and, as the sun was bright, he +held his white umbrella before him to shield himself from the glare of +sand and water. Suddenly he stumbled over a tiger lying fast asleep +upon the shore, and with a yell of terror the lighthouse man, dropping +book and sunshade on the ground, fled away as hard as he could run in +one direction, to discover presently that the tiger, just as much +alarmed as himself, had made an equally precipitous flight in the +other. + +All these lower water-ways of the Irrawaddy are tidal, for they are +quite close to the sea, and at high water the land is scarcely raised +at all above the water level. Mango-trees, dwarf palms, and reeds +fringe the muddy banks, on which, raised upon poles and built partly +over the water, are the huts of the fishermen, who, half naked, ply +their calling in quaintly-shaped, dug-out canoes. To the north of the +principal creek which connects Rangoon with Bassein stretches a vast +plain of fertile "paddy" land, where each year is grown that enormous +crop of rice which forms Burma's chief export. + +From every landing-place cargo boats of many kinds, manned by crews of +different nationalities, drop downstream to Rangoon, heavily laden +with "paddy," as the unhusked rice is called, which, after treatment +at the mills, will be shipped abroad. + +Though hardly beautiful, perhaps, these tidal waters are of great +interest to the new-comer, who probably for the first time sees the +feathery coco-nut and graceful areca-palm growing in their natural +state among the many other strange trees that flourish upon the banks. +At each stopping-place, also, is the picturesque native village, often +surrounded by banana-groves and gardens of sesamum. High on the banks +boats are being built or repaired, in readiness for next season's +flood, while on the water the continuous stream of traffic is of +never-failing interest. + +Above Prome, however, where the river flows between the mountain +ranges which form the great backbone of Burma, every mile of the +journey is of great and varied beauty. + +The banks are high, and cut into terraces by the varying levels of the +river, and are crowned by a belt of almost continuous forest-trees, +among which, half hidden in the foliage, are the towns and villages +which so frequently occur on both banks. Behind, the rising ground, +naturally rocky and broken, is entirely enveloped by a dense forest, +which stretches in leafy undulations to the lofty mountains which loom +in the far distance. + +The Irrawaddy is rapid in its flow, and, like all flood rivers, is +constantly changing its course, as the scour of the water washes away +a portion of the bank from one spot, to form a sand-bank in the stream +lower down. Consequently, navigation for large steamers is difficult, +and the whole course has to be marked out by buoys of bamboo, which, +in some of the more difficult reaches, must be constantly changed. +Some of these steamers plying on the Irrawaddy are very large, being +over 300 feet long, and nearly 80 feet in width. Many of them carry +upwards of 2,000 passengers, mostly deck passengers, who, in the aft +part of the ship, conduct a travelling bazaar for the benefit of such +towns and villages on the banks as have no regular shops of their own. +At each landing-place crowds of people, again mostly women, are +awaiting the arrival of the steamer, carrying various goods for sale +or barter, while others eagerly board the steamer to make such +purchases as they require. + +[Illustration: A NATIVE BOAT SAILING UPSTREAM WITH THE WIND. _Page +26_] + +Almost every requisite of life may be bought in these floating +bazaars--clothing, cutlery, or hardware, lamps and looking-glasses +(which latter are always in great demand), preserved eggs from China, +English flour, Indian curries and sweetmeats, cooking utensils, +"ngapi" (or rotted fish) from Yandoon, are some of the articles +offered for sale, in return for which the villagers have to offer +supplies of oil, cutch, rice, native silks, and beautifully-made +baskets and lacquer-work. + +At important stations the landing-places consist of barges moored +alongside the banks, and these are moved from time to time as the +varying levels of the river demand. More frequently, however, the bows +of the steamer are simply run into the bank, while its crew of +Chittagonians jump overboard to carry the mooring rope ashore. It is +amusing to watch the mass of struggling humanity who throng the +landing-places on the arrival of the steamer. Every one, whether +landing or embarking, strives to be first upon the narrow gangway +which connects the steamer's sponson[3] with the shore, with the +result that many are thrown into the water. Each is intent upon +conducting his business to the best possible advantage in the limited +time at his disposal, for the steamer's visit does not occur every +day, and its stay is short. + +[Footnote 3: The small platform which connects the paddle-box with the +steamer's deck.] + +Along the margin of the river are many who, indifferent to the arrival +of the mail, are engaged in washing their clothes or utensils, while +boys and girls gambol on the banks, or, swimming with delightful ease, +frolic round the steamer in the water. + +Interesting though life in the steamer is, that of the river as seen +from its decks is even more so. The native boats are most quaint in +their designs, the most striking being the "laungzat." This is a +vessel often of very large size, and capable of carrying a large +amount of cargo. Its bows are sharply uptilted, the cut-water +frequently rising clear of the water. The hull is beautifully +modelled, and the stern, rising high above the water in a sort of +tower, is often elaborately carved. Half its length is covered by a +deck-house for the crew, on the roof of which a canopy of reeds or +grasses gives shelter to the steersman, who, raised in this way, is +better able to steer clear of the shoals and shallows which beset the +stream, and which from the lower deck would probably not be seen. The +rudder is a long paddle, also carved, which is slung in a loop over +the stern, while a further decorative effect is often obtained by +inverted soda-water bottles stuck upon poles along the sides. + +Coming downstream the vessel is propelled by oars, usually twelve to +sixteen, which the crew ply with a slow rhythmic swing. During the +monsoons, when strong winds blow upstream, sails are used instead of +oars. The mast is composed of two bamboos lashed together at the top, +their lower ends being made fast to the gunwale. On this frame, from +bamboo yards curved slightly upwards, is spread a curious combination +of six or seven square sails, which, though only of use when running +before the wind, enable the boat to travel at a great speed. There are +many other kinds of boats in use, all equally distinctive in +character; and even the dug-out canoe is pretty, its fore-foot rising +clear of the water in a slight curve, which lends an element of beauty +to what would otherwise have been simply a straight log. + +Fishing is frequent along the river-bank, the favourite appliances +being nets of various kinds. Often on a sand-bank may be seen a little +hut raised high above the ground, and composed of bamboo and reeds. +This is the shelter for the fisherman, who with a drag-net buoyed by +sun-dried gourds fishes the neighbouring shallows. Hand-nets are +occasionally used, but most interesting, perhaps, is the curious kind +of cradle by which a net stretched upon a bamboo frame is let down +into the water from the bank, particularly on the passing of a +steamer, when the startled fish dart in shore and are caught in the +net, which is raised at the proper moment by the watchers on the bank. + +Very interesting also are the rafts, composed of logs of teak and +pyingado, which, cut in the forests far inland, are constructed in the +creeks, as the forest streams are called, and are then launched into +the Irrawaddy upon their voyage of often many weeks before Rangoon is +reached. + +These rafts are frequently of enormous size, and are manned by crews +of Shans, whose numbers vary according to their size. Without means of +propulsion, the rafts simply drift with the stream, but are guided to +some extent by a number of paddles fixed at either end, by which the +crews endeavour, not always successfully, to keep them clear of shoals +and their heads downstream. + +In many cases the population of a raft is so considerable that quite a +little village of huts is built upon it, and I have seen cows, goats, +and fowls, as well as the wives and children of the crew, housed upon +it. In one case at least I remember seeing a raft upon which was +erected a bamboo pagoda, and frequently upon the sand-banks in the +river small pagodas of the same material are erected for devout +watermen. + +Not least among the many beauties of the Irrawaddy are the glorious +sunsets behind the "Yomas," when the colours are repeated in the +limpid water, which perfectly reflects the pinnacles of "kyoungs" or +pagodas, or the pretty village that lies half hidden amidst the varied +foliage which in rich masses crowns the banks. + + + + +CHAPTER V + +THE IRRAWADDY (_continued_) + + +Almost every morning dense mists hang upon the river, screening +everything from view until the sun, slowly gaining power, presently +dispels the fog and reveals the beauty of the scene. + +Very beautiful indeed are some of these panoramas disclosed in the +early sunlight. + +Close beside the high and clear-cut bank, crowned with flowering +kine-grass, our steamer lies, the silently-flowing river gurgling and +bubbling under our keel. The water is quite still, and repeats every +detail of the opposite shore, behind which, rising terrace upon +terrace, are the wooded "Yomas," in whose ravines and valleys still +hangs some remnant of the fog. The foliage is of many kinds, the +feathery tamarind and acacia contrasting well with the more heavily +leaved banyan; betel-nut and toddy-palm rise above the mulberry or +mimosa, and conspicuous among the varied tints of the forest is the +delicate green of the bamboo, to the Burman the most useful perhaps of +all the forest growths, and everywhere abounding. + +Life awakens with the sun. Herds of cattle roam along the shore, while +in the fields from raised platforms half-nude men and boys scare +wild-fowl from the ripening crops. The smoke of many fires on shore +and from the craft upon the water rises perpendicularly in the still +air, as the frugal morning meal is being prepared ere another day's +work begins. + +Between its banks the Irrawaddy sweeps in splendid curves, producing +an ever-growing sense of bigness and dignity. Some of its reaches are +very wide, and have more the appearance of an inland lake than a +river. On such sand-banks as are not already occupied by fishermen, +flocks of wild-goose, storks, and other waders are roosting or fishing +in the shallow pools. Kingfishers dart hither and thither after their +prey, and wild-duck in great numbers settle upon its smooth surface, +to feast upon the teeming fish with which the river abounds. + +In general the scene is one of placid beauty: even the rugged mountain +sides are smoothed and softened by their covering of greenery, and the +warm air and limpid water combine to produce an effect of quietude and +repose, which the contented character of the Burman does little to +disturb. + +At certain places, however, as in the defile above Mandalay, the +scenery is of a more vigorous character. + +Here the river narrows considerably, and in its deep and silent flow +winds for many miles between high hills which closely confine it, and +in one place rise in a perpendicular cliff 800 feet sheer above the +water. + +I was fortunate in approaching the defile in the early dawn, when the +morning mists still hung heavy upon the hills of lurid blackness which +marked its entrance. Between them was an impenetrable gloom, which +seemed to promise no means of egress, and as we steamed rapidly +towards it, one unconsciously felt that here was the end of all +things, and that nothing could possibly lie beyond. It was a most +weird sensation, which the river, so darkly flowing between banks we +could hardly see, served to emphasize. + +Presently the rising sun lit up the clouds of vapour piled high above +the hills, and then for half an hour continued the most beautiful and +ever-changing play of colour imaginable, as the slowly-moving fog +wreaths wound about the mountain tops, now rosy in the sunlight, or +again in pearly shade, while alternate gloom and gleam tipped the +hills with gold or enveloped them in a purple mystery. + +By the time our steamer entered the defile full daylight better +enabled us to observe our surroundings. + +Here, as elsewhere, the vegetation was luxuriant; every crevice in the +rocks afforded foothold for some tree or creeper, while the hilltops +and more sloping sides were densely covered with forest trees. + +The passage of the defile occupies about two hours, and the course of +the river is very tortuous. + +At the bends little beaches of bright shingle lie against the +tree-roots. Fishing cradles, such as I have described, are frequent, +and cormorants in great numbers share with the fishermen the spoils of +the river, for nowhere on the Irrawaddy are the fish of better quality +than here. + +Altogether, in the impressiveness of its scenery, the quiet, +irresistible flow of the river, and the bright tints and varied +growths of the forest, the lower defile of the Irrawaddy forms one of +the most striking scenes I have ever enjoyed; and if the river had no +other beauty than this to show, it alone would amply repay the +traveller for his journey. + +Though in general so fertile, there is one part of the river where the +hills which lie on its western side are entirely barren, and the +reddish-yellow rocks appear very hot and uninviting by comparison. Yet +this forbidding district is one of the busiest and richest of all +Burma, for this is the great oil-field of the country, and the +chimneys of pumping stations which stretch for miles along the hills +and river-bank show how actively the trade is being worked. Formerly +Burma was obliged to import all her lamp-oil from America, but now, +although a certain amount of American oil is still imported, Burma not +only produces sufficient for their own use, but is able to export a +considerable quantity to other countries, and many of the steamers on +the river use the crude or unrefined oil as fuel. + +Here and there in the river are moored curious-looking dredgers +engaged in pumping up the river sand, from which is separated the gold +dust with which it is so freely mixed. The gold comes from unknown +veins hundreds of miles away, and is to be found in greater or less +quantities all down the river, and though the natives have always been +in the habit of "washing for gold," it is only within the last few +years that any real attempt has been made to work it on a large scale. + +[Illustration: THE IRRAWADDY. _Chapters IV and V._] + +The Irrawaddy has many tributaries, but though the larger streams, +such as the Chindwin and Mu Rivers, are always flowing, most of the +smaller forest streams are dry, excepting during the monsoon, which +continues from May until September. At this season, swelled into +torrents by the rains, they pour into the Irrawaddy, quickly raising +its level 40 to 50 feet, and the peaceful river which I have described +becomes a mighty flood, in places 2 miles in width, full to the top of +its banks and overflowing the fields and flooding the village streets, +and sweeping away from its sand-banks those huts and pagodas and other +temporary buildings we have noticed, while the mud which its turbid +waters carry each year adds a little to the delta at its mouth. + +Very often crossing the mouth of these tributaries you may see a +framework of bamboo, over which fishing-nets are spread as the river +rises, and in the pools of slack water which lie at the mouths of the +forest creeks a great collection of logs lie floating. These logs have +been cut in the forest long before, and have gradually been collected +at some such convenient spot, where a large number of natives are +busily engaged in building them into one of those huge rafts so +constantly met with on the river. These rafts have a long journey +before them, and constantly grounding as they do, no ropes would hold +them together through all the wear and tear of their weeks upon the +water, so instead of ropes rattan is used. This is a peculiarly long, +tough, and flexible cane, which grows all over the forests, and is +often a hundred yards or more in length. The logs are mostly of teak +(about which I will tell you more presently) and pyingado or +iron-wood, which is so heavy that it sinks in the water, and +consequently rafts of bamboo are first built, and beneath them the +pyingado logs are slung. + +An interesting place is Bhamo, the last station for the river steamers +and close to the frontier of China. The town is more Chinese than +Burman in character, though on the banks of the River Taiping are the +remains of pagodas and other buildings of purely Burmese origin. + +Then, again, there are other defiles on the river beside the one I +have already described, and many other points of interest which I +might mention. Thabeitkyan, the landing-place for the ruby-mines, +three days' journey inland; the rocky island with its monastery and +pagoda, whose priests are said to be able to tame the fish in the +river, which they feed by hand; the great bell at Mingoon, or the +water-side fair at Shwegu, and a host of others. It would be +impossible for me to tell you about everything of interest that the +Irrawaddy has to show, but perhaps I have said enough to give you some +little idea of how beautiful and interesting a river it is. + + + + +CHAPTER VI + +VILLAGE LIFE + + +Leaving the river, let us go ashore at one of the many villages on its +banks, and see how the Burmese live. + +Our steamer lies alongside of the bank while the cargo is being +landed, and its fuel of eng-wood is put on board. This is hard work, +and is generally done by girls, who are paid by piece-work, and +generally lose no time in the operation. Bales and cases lie upon the +bank, and are being loaded into bullock-carts or carried to the top of +the "bund," as the bank is called, where pack-ponies are waiting to +carry them to more distant destinations. + +The villagers "shikoh"[4] as we land, and swarms of youngsters follow +us on our tour of the village; but though greatly interested in +ourselves and our hardly-concealed curiosity, they are always polite +and never annoy us in any way. + +[Footnote 4: The Burmese form of salute.] + +The village lies close beside the river, and is, as usual, bowered in +trees, which overhang the bank. Its other three sides are enclosed by +a stockade of thorns or wooden palings as a protection against wild +beasts or attack by dacoits, bands of robbers who until recently +lurked in the jungles, and often raided outlying and unprotected +villages. + +The stockade is nearly always overgrown with creeping plants, yellow +convolvulus, tropæolum, and a charming little climber like +canariensis. On each side is a gate built of balks of timber, and so +heavy that it must run on wheels. This gate is always shut at +nightfall, so that no one can enter the village unknown to the +watchman, who is called "kinthamah" and keeps his "kin" in a little +booth called "kinteaine" erected close beside the gate. + +By the gates and at intervals along the roadside are little cupboards +raised above the ground and thatched with grasses called "yaiohzin"; +these contain jars of drinking water for the use of wayfarers, and are +always kept replenished by the villagers. The drinking cup is usually +made of a polished coco-nut shell with a long handle of some hard +wood, and it is noticeable that the water is never spilled or wasted, +for Burma is a thirsty land and some of these watering-places are far +from the river, and every one drinks with due regard to the +necessities of the next comer. + +Entering the large compound which the stockade encloses we are in the +village itself. Here the houses of the Burmans are pleasantly situated +among rows of toddy-palm, mango, padouk, and other trees, among which +the peepul, or sacred ficus, is almost always found. + +The houses are more or less arranged so as to leave a lane or street +between them, and are generally built of bamboo, though many have +their principal timbers of teak or eng-wood. The floors are usually +of split bamboo, and the roof of elephant-grass, or "thekka," as the +thatch of dried leaves is called, forms a good protection against the +summer sun or monsoon rains, while the walls are formed of bamboo +mats, often coloured and woven into some pretty though simple design. + +As the front of the house is generally more or less open, we are able +to see much of the interior arrangements. Sleeping mats of grasses +supply the place of beds, and no chairs are to be seen. On a low stand +of carved wood is the tray upon which their simple meals are served, +and cooking-pots of bronze or earthenware lie about the "chatties" +which contain the fire. Painted and carved boxes contain the family +wardrobe, and in one corner is the stand for the large jars in which +their supply of drinking-water is kept. Mat partitions perhaps screen +inner rooms which we cannot see, but all the domestic appliances +visible are of the simplest character, but ample for the needs of the +people. + +All the buildings are raised several feet above the ground as a +protection against snakes, floods, and malaria, and the space below +often forms a stable for the cattle and a useful storing-place for +agricultural or other implements. These simple homes of the Burmans +are often very pretty as they lie among the trees which cast their +broad shadows across the straggling lane, grass grown and deeply +rutted by the cart-wheels. Bougainvillæa and other creepers spread +luxuriantly over the roofs, or drop their festoons of flowers from +the eaves. Bananas wave their broad leaves gracefully above the +houses, in cool contrast to the richer foliage of the larger trees, +and among all this greenery, alternately in sunlight or shadow, move +the brightly-costumed villagers themselves, most interesting of all. + +Here comes a pretty young mother clad in "lungyi" of apple-green and +dainty white jacket. Cross-legged over her shoulder is her infant, to +whom she talks softly and endearingly as she walks. Presently her home +is reached, and all the joy of motherhood shines in her happy face as +she gently swings her child to sleep in its cradle of rattan which is +slung from the roof above. + +Again, an old man passes, guided by a little boy, who is proud to +assist his grandfather; for respect for the aged, no less than love +for their children, is a dominant trait in the character of the +Burman. + +While many are working in the paddy-fields, other of the villagers +find their occupation nearer home, and employ themselves in such work +as mat and basket making (in which the children assist), the weaving +of silk, and the manufacture of pottery. In sheds made for the purpose +oil or sugar mills are being turned by bullocks, while in some few +villages is made that pretty red and gold lacquer-work we know so well +in England. Notice also the village blacksmith, who, with primitive +tools, hammers out those curiously shaped "dahs" and knives used by +the wood-cutters, while beside him, with equally simple implements, +the carpenter puts the finishing touches to the carved yoke of a +gharry. + +In the streets the naked youngsters are playing at their games. Many +are like our own, and marbles, peg-tops, leap-frog or kite-flying +each have their turn, while in the ditches and puddles the boys hold +miniature regattas with their toy sailing-boats. + +In the monastery or some private dwelling in the village the children +go to school, and as they become older some occupation employs their +time. While the boys are engaged with the cattle or about the boats, +the girls are occupied in cutting firewood in the jungle, or from the +pools in the forest collect the crude oil which they burn in their +lamps. + +Roaming at will through the village are pigs and poultry, geese and +cattle, and the inevitable "pi dog" of the country. These dogs are +peculiar, being wild, yet attaching themselves to some particular +house, whose interests they seem to make their own, and which, by +vigorous barking, they make a pretence of guarding. In some villages, +also, the pigs, which are long-legged and fleet of foot, seem to act +in the same capacity, strongly objecting to the intrusion of +strangers, and even when riding my pony I have been attacked by them +and forced to retire. + +During the day many of the villagers have been busy in the +rice-fields, for rice is their staple food and the only crop generally +cultivated; even infants of a day old are fed upon it, the rice being +first chewed by the mother, and each tiny mouthful washed down by a +few drops of water. Towards evening, when the tired cattle draw their +creaking carts homewards, the streets are thronged with the labourers +returning from their work, ready for the simple meal of rice and +"ngapi" their wives have prepared for them. + +It is a simple, happy life which these villagers lead, graced by many +pretty customs of domesticity. + +Rising with the sun, with it also they retire to rest, and as the last +sweet tones of many gongs from the village monastery proclaim the +close of their evening prayer the stockade-gates are closed, and, save +for the howling of jackals outside, or the yapping of a dog, silence +reigns throughout the village. + +[Illustration: ENTRANCE TO A BURMESE VILLAGE. _Page 10._] + + + + +CHAPTER VII + +TOWN LIFE + + +Owing to their primitive methods of building and choice of materials, +a Burmese town differs very little from a village except in point of +size, though occasionally the houses are of two stories and +timber-built throughout. + +The stockade is absent, and in its place deep ditches, partly filled +with water, surround the houses, and run alongside of the streets, +which are, perhaps, somewhat wider and more regularly planned. + +The approach to the town is often very pretty, the water reflecting +the waving palm-trees and picturesque buildings, while the roads, +which in Burma are usually nothing but a track, have, as they near the +town, some semblance of solidity. + +Little bridges cross the ditches, and give access to the houses, round +about which are often raised paths or causeways of burnt brick set +"herring-bone" fashion. These prove a comfort in the rains, when the +streets of the town are rivers and the whole country a sea of mud. + +Trees in plenty shade the road and houses, and shops and small bazaars +give an air of business to the town, whose principal street, however, +is largely covered with grass, and affords a convenient place in +which to try a pony's paces. + +Some of the streets have side-walks, a shade less dusty (or muddy, as +the case may be) than the road itself, and in the least frequented of +them dwarf palmettos enjoy a lusty existence. + +Enclosed by low palisades in front of many houses, cannas, hibiscus, +poinsettia, or lilies are growing, and rare orchids hang from the +eaves, to provide in their strange but lovely blossoms a flower for +some woman's hair. Indoors, in coloured pots or stands of often +elaborate design, are other flowers, always most carefully tended, for +the Burmans love what is beautiful in Nature. + +In the streets the life of the people is only a slight amplification +of that of the villages, the shops with their attendant customers +marking the principal difference, while in bullock-carts of more +ornamental design than those of the villages, the families of the +well-to-do enjoy their outing. + +Though always two-wheeled and drawn by a pair of oxen, there is a +certain amount of variety in the native carts. The wheels are +generally large, and are placed very wide apart, in order to lessen +the risk of capsizing in the terribly rough roads they often have to +travel. + +In the common country carts the wheels have very wide rims, across +which is fastened a single flat piece of wood instead of spokes, and +in many cases the wheels are quite solid. The body is plain, but the +yoke and yoke-pins are often carved, and the pole usually finishes in +some grotesque ornament. + +When travelling the carts are covered by a hood of matting, and a +mattress inside eases the jolting by day, and serves as a bed at +night. + +The pleasure gharry, however, is quite a pretty vehicle. The wheels +have a very large number of thin spokes, and the hub is always +ornamental. The sides consist of an open balustrade, and the rails +sweeping backward in a fine curve, to terminate in a piece of carving +high above the rail. + +In Mandalay another pretty cart is used by the ladies when out calling +or shopping. This is a closed carriage built entirely of wood, each +panel of which is carved, and is just high enough in the roof to +permit the ladies to sit upright upon their cushions. We can see them +through the little unglazed windows, looking pretty or dignified, as +the case may be; but dignity disappears so soon as they attempt to +dismount, for this can only be done through a small door at the back, +through which the rider must crawl backwards and then drop to the +ground. + +Games, as usual, figure largely in the young life of the place. A +curious kind of football called "chinlon" is very general, and the +instinct for sport comes out early in the boys, who, while flying +their kites, attempt by skilful manoeuvring to saw through each +other's lines and so prove a "conqueror." The little girls have their +amusements also, and it is pretty to see a little one being drawn +about in a diminutive go-cart, or, squatting on her haunches by the +doorstep, endeavouring to fathom the intricacies of doll-dressing. + +Let us wander round the streets and see what we can find to interest +us. First it will be noticed that beside every house are two long +poles; one has a hook at its end, and the other is formed into a sort +of broad paddle. These are provided in case of fire, when with the +hook the thatch is pulled down, or the fire beaten out with the other. +Fires are constantly occurring, for though every house is supposed to +have a separate cooking shed, carelessness, or the habit of cooking +indoors, is largely responsible for them, and there is very little +hope for dwellings built of such inflammable material once a fire +starts. Consequently in all parts of the country roofs of galvanized +iron are slowly taking the place of the picturesque "thekka," even the +"kyoungs" and "zeyats" being roofed by it; and unfortunately, as +creepers do not take kindly to this new form of roofing, it will, I am +afraid, always remain an eyesore among what is otherwise so +picturesque. + +In many of the streets are wells, surrounded by a wall and crossed by +a heavy beam of wood to which pulleys are attached, through which run +ropes with hooks at their ends, by means of which the water-pots are +lowered. This is a great place of congregation for the young people, +and is always surrounded by animated groups of young men and maidens, +who, with pretty courtesies or coyness, carry on their youthful +flirtations. + +The Burman is always delightfully natural, and seems to live in the +open daylight. At the doorstep of one house are mother and daughter, +busy sewing up cloth, their red lacquer box of sewing materials +between them. At another a dainty housewife entertains her guests at +tea, for tea is now largely drunk in Burma. + +[Illustration: AT THE WELL.] + +All the shops are open to the street, and we may see the various +trades in operation. + +It is interesting to see the umbrellas being made. They are almost +flat when open, the frame consisting of a multitude of thin bamboo +ribs formed by splitting _one_ bamboo into many sections, so that the +knots of the cane occur at the same regular distances on the ribs, so +forming a kind of pattern. The common kinds are very large, some of +those in use in the market-places being as big as a small tent. These +are covered with calico, oiled or varnished, and form an excellent +protection against sun or rain. More delicate sunshades are made of +the same materials, or of silk; these are smaller, and are often +painted in rings of flowers or foliage, which has a very pretty +effect, and the sun shining through them throws a rich orange shade +over the head and shoulders of the bearer. + +Then, there are the silk-weavers and silversmiths, whose work is +probably the best of its kind produced in any country, and in Thayetmu +and Rangoon I have seen silver-work produced which, in my opinion, is +unequalled for beauty of design or excellence of workmanship. + +Turning enters largely into their decorative woodwork, and the +turners, who use a very simple form of foot-lathe, are busily engaged +in providing the various articles required--pilasters for a balcony, +hubs for a cart-wheel, or the turned finials of a baby's cot. In a +kindred trade the wood-carver is busy producing embellishments for +the "kyoung" or "zeyat" which some wealthy resident is erecting. + +Though the Burmans occasionally become drunk on "toddy" (a beverage +made from the flower of the toddy-palm), they are by habit abstemious +and simple livers; rice and vegetable curries, bananas, jack-fruit, +papaya, and other fruits, form their staple food, and, forbidden by +their religion to take life, fish is practically the only variant to +their vegetable diet, the fisherman excusing himself by saying that +"_he_ does not kill the fish: they die of themselves." + +All smoke, however, and men, women and children equally enjoy their +huge cheroots, composed of the inner bark of certain trees mixed with +chopped tobacco, which are rolled into the form of a cigar in the +spathe of Indian corn or some similar husk, and no meal would be +considered to be properly set out without the red lacquer box +containing betel, which is universally chewed. Betel is the nut of the +areca-palm, and before being used is rolled between leaves on which a +little lime is spread. The flavour is astringent and produces +excessive expectoration, and, by its irritation, gives to the tongue +and lips a curious bright pink colour. Still, it is considered an +excellent stomach tonic, and so far as one can judge has no worse +effect than to blacken the teeth of the user. + +Every village or town has its pagodas, which in some cases are very +numerous. The Burman spends little upon his home, which is always +regarded as of a temporary nature, and in the erection of a pagoda or +other religious building the wealthy native finds an outlet for his +energies, and earns "merit" for himself. Few of the modern village +pagodas are of any particular beauty, and I cannot but think that the +money spent upon them would be far better employed in restoring and +preserving the many beautiful and ancient temples scattered all over +the country. + +In many towns is a sacred tank or reservoir, so entirely covered with +lotus and other plants that the water cannot be seen. Large fish and +turtles of great age inhabit them, but are seldom seen, on account of +the heavy screen of leaves and flowers which lies upon the surface of +the water, which, however, is often strongly disturbed as some +ungainly monster rolls or turns below them. On the outskirts of the +towns are the gardens, enclosed by hedges of castor-oil or cactus, +where many kinds of fruits and spices are grown: bananas, pineapple, +guava, bael, citrons, etc., are some of the ordinary kinds, while the +coco-nut, tamarind, jack, and papaya grow everywhere about the streets +and houses. Many vegetables, such as cucumber and vegetable-marrow, +are also grown, and among the shops or stalls in the market-place none +are so attractive as those which display their many-coloured and +sweet-smelling fruits and vegetables. + +Every few days a market is held in one or other of the large towns of +a district, and attracts to it country people from a considerable +distance around. Here one has a chance of seeing many other tribes and +types beside the Burman: Shans, Karens, or Kachins, different in +feature and costume from the natives of the town, together with +Chinese and natives of India, give a variety to the population, and +help to swell the crowd which from early morning till sundown throngs +the market-places. + +The market is generally held in the open space outside the town, and +is generally enclosed. In it are wooden buildings, or booths of +sacking or "tayan" (grass-mats), in which each different trade is +gathered, so dividing the bazaar into sections. Between the buildings +rows of people squat upon the ground, protecting themselves and the +odd assortment of wares they have for sale by screens of coloured +cloth or the enormous umbrellas I have already mentioned. Up and down +the lane so formed move the would-be purchasers, a motley crowd in +which every type and race in Burma is represented. No less varied are +the articles offered for sale--cotton goods and silks, cutlery and +tools, lamps and combs, and various other articles of personal +adornment, including the ornamental sandals which all the women of the +town affect. Fruit, vegetables, and food-stuffs have a ready sale; nor +are sweetmeats for the children forgotten. + +Cooking-pots and all kinds of domestic utensils may be purchased and +carried away in baskets beautifully made, and often of immense size, +which form a striking feature of the bazaar. + +All the more important stalls are kept by women, who, as I have +already said, are the business backbone of the country. Many of them +are women of good position, but they like their work, and are very +clever at driving a bargain; but though dainty enough in appearance, +they can be very abusive on occasion. + +[Illustration: THE MARKET PLACE.] + +I have already said that the Burman is not permitted to take life, and +in consequence meat enters but little into his diet; but in all +bazaars frequented by natives of India, who are under no such +prohibition, the slaughter and sale of cattle is of regular +occurrence, and among the most eager buyers of the meat thus offered +for sale are the Burmans themselves. + +Among other articles which I have noticed are "dahs," and knives of +many sorts and degrees of excellence. No Burman travels without his +"dah," which serves as a weapon of defence or enables him to clear his +path where the jungle is thick, while the heavier knives are used for +chopping the domestic fuel. Some of these "dahs" are very finely +finished, the handle and sheath of wild plum being bound by delicately +plaited bands of bamboo fibre, in which the ends are most skilfully +concealed, and the blade, often 2 feet long, is excellently wrought +and balanced. + +At various times of the day groups of priests and novices move up and +down the market collecting offerings from the people, while some +"original" or buffoon gives the scene its touch of humour. + +At sunset, when the bazaar is closed, long lines of people, some on +foot, some in hooded carts, wend their ways towards their distant +homes; and long after darkness has fallen on the land may still be +heard the faint creaking of some laden cart as it slowly disappears +along its lonely forest path. + + + + +CHAPTER VIII + +FIELD WORK + + +If you are up very early in the morning you may see large herds of +buffaloes and bullocks being driven to the paddy-fields. These +surround the village, sometimes extending for miles in different +directions; but often they are simply small clearings scattered +through the jungle. The cattle are always driven by the children of +the village, and it is curious to see how docile these huge buffaloes +are under the control of some diminutive native, while with Europeans +they are obstinate, ungovernable, and often dangerous. + +The children always ride the cattle to the fields, sitting well back +on the haunches, for they frequently have to travel a long, and often +broken, path to their destination, and during the rains they are thus +enabled to cross the streams and flooded areas, which it would have +been impossible for them to do on foot. + +It will interest you to know something about the manner in which the +Burmans produce their rice-crop. Rice, as you know, requires a great +deal of moisture, especially in the early days of its growth; +consequently the ground upon which the rice-crop is to be sown must be +_level_, so that the water with which the fields are covered may flow +equally over the whole surface. The water is kept in by little dikes, +or "bunds," as they are called, which surround each field, or the part +of it to be irrigated; and as during a considerable portion of each +year these cultivated areas are under water, and are always more or +less in a boggy condition, these "bunds" form the most convenient, if +not the only, means of traversing the district. Tortuous and winding +as they are, it is not easy to decide upon your route, and you need +not be surprised if the little causeway upon which you have set out +eventually brings you back to your first starting-point, and you must +make another attempt in a different direction. I remember once being +hopelessly lost among the "bunds" in my endeavour to cross a patch of +paddy-land, and although it was not more than a mile in width, two +hours of valuable time were spent before I solved the problem of this +labyrinth, and struck the road on its farther side. + +Rice cultivation begins towards the end of the monsoon, when the rains +have thoroughly saturated the soil and filled the fields with water, +often to the top of the dikes. Then ploughing begins, and the grass +with which the fields were recently covered is turned over in clods, +as we do at home, by means of a curious wooden plough shod with bronze +or iron. + +These ploughs are drawn by the bullocks and buffaloes, or by elephants +when they are available, the operation being often carried out under +water. After this all the cattle in the district are driven on to the +fields in order to break up and trample down the clods, and sometimes +harrows, much like our own, are used for the same purpose. + +Then the sowing begins, the rice being scattered very freely over one +or two selected portions of the whole area, for which they serve as +nursery gardens; for the rice is not sown generally over the fields, +but the young plants transferred from these small nurseries to the +larger fields. This work is done by the men and women, who, wading in +the water, plant out the young growth 5 or 6 inches apart, and one may +notice that during this operation all wear leggings or stockings of +straw as a protection against the leeches which in enormous numbers +infest the muddy water. + +The rice now may be left to itself, excepting for the necessity of +keeping it constantly supplied with water, which is raised from the +neighbouring river or creek by many ingenious appliances, and carried +to the fields by pipes of bamboo or channels in the mud. + +While the crop is growing the cattle have an idle time, for with the +exception of the bullocks which draw the market-carts, and a few which +may perhaps be working in the oil or sugar mills, there is nothing for +them to do. For the rest, the time between the sowing and reaping is +passed enclosed in large pens or roaming by hundreds in the jungle. + +The harvest begins in October, and lasts until December or later, +according to the district. When ripe, the rice is 3 to 4 feet in +height, each plant growing several ears, the grain being slightly +bearded, like barley; and in good soil, where the water-supply has +been continuous, its growth is so dense that it is impossible for +weeds to grow. + +I know few prettier sights than a harvest-field in an early autumn +morning. Through the steamy exhalations from the ground, and dancing on +the dewdrops which hang heavy upon every blade or ear, the early sun is +shining. Everything is mysterious in the haze, through which the belt of +forest which surrounds the cultivated land is grey and ghost-like; huge +cobwebs hang between the bushes laden with glittering beads of moisture, +and the whole scene is bathed in a curious opalescent light in which all +sense of distance is destroyed. Scattered through the fields are the +harvesters, whose brightly-coloured "lungyi" and gay head-scarf are the +only spots of definite colour. + +The rice is cut with sickles a little above the ground, so as to leave +sufficient straw to serve as fodder for the cattle or to fertilize the +land. The grain is bound into sheaves much as we do at home, and after +remaining in the fields for a day or two in order to dry, it is +carried to the threshing-floor. This is simply a piece of selected +ground where the surface is dry and hard, on which the sheaves are +placed in the form of a large circle and the grain trodden out by +cattle. When the threshing is complete and the straw removed, there +remains a huge pile of grain and husks freely mixed with dust. This +has to be cleaned and winnowed, which is done by a very simple +process, the grain being thrown into the air by means of large shallow +trays made of bamboo, when the wind, blowing away the dust and loose +husks, leaves the grain tolerably clean in a pile at the worker's +feet. + +The rice is not yet fit for use, however, the grain still being +enclosed in its hard husk, which has to be removed by another +process. In travelling through Burma one may often notice standing +outside a native dwelling a large and deep bowl composed of some hard +wood in which lies a rounded log about 4 feet in length, much like a +large mortar and pestle. These are the "pounders," in which by a +vigorous use of the pestle the husk is separated from the rice, which +is again winnowed and washed, and is then ready for use. Though +generally eaten in its simple state, bread and cakes are often made +from rice-flour, which is ground in a hand-mill consisting of two flat +circular stones, and is identical with the hand-mill of Scripture. + +From the large areas the bulk of the rice-crop is shipped to Rangoon, +sufficient for the needs of the people being stored in the villages in +receptacles formed of wicker-work covered on the outside with mud. + +I have described the process of rice cultivation which is followed in +districts where a perpetual water-supply is available, but in other +and drier zones a different kind of rice and other crops, such as +sugar, maize, and sesamum, are grown; but while these, as well as many +fruits and vegetables, are cultivated in the neighbourhood of every +town or village, rice may be considered to be practically the only +agricultural crop in Burma, and forms perhaps its most important +article of export. + +Though not cultivated by man, the country produces another crop which +to the Burman is second only to rice in value. I mean the _bamboo_, +which grows in enormous quantities in every forest or jungle in the +country. There are many varieties of bamboo, some comparatively small, +others growing to a height of 60 or 70 feet, the canes being often +upwards of 2 feet in circumference at the base. Each species has its +separate use, and, as we have already seen, there are few things for +which the Burman does not employ it. His houses are very often +entirely built of it: canes, either whole or split, form its framework +and flooring; the mats which form the walls are woven from strips cut +from the outside skin; the thatch is often composed of its leaves; +while no hotter fire can be used than one made from its debris. Split +into finer strands, the bamboo furnishes the material of which baskets +are made, while its fine and flexible fibres, plaited and woven into +shape, form the foundation for their beautiful bowls and dishes of red +lacquer. Bows and yokes for the porters, sheaths of weapons and +umbrella frames, and a host of small articles of domestic furniture, +are of the same material, and a section cut from the giant bamboo +forms an excellent bucket, which is used all over the forests. + + + + +CHAPTER IX + +THE FOREST + + +And now I want to tell you something about the forest, which, as we +have seen from the river, practically covers the country. + +We all enjoy our English woods, but these, lovely though they are, +convey no idea whatever of the luxuriant and bewildering beauty of a +forest in the tropics. + +How shall I give you an idea of it? It is so big, so magnificent, and +at times so solemn. Everywhere you are surrounded by trees of many +kinds and immense size, whose huge trunks, springing from a dense mass +of undergrowth, rise 200 feet or more into the air. All are bound +together by a tangled mass of creepers, which mingle their foliage +with that of the trees to form one huge canopy of leaves, in which +birds of bright plumage and beautiful song live out their happy lives. +Monkeys also make their home there, and strange insects and +butterflies of rare beauty flit among the flowers, or hover in the few +stray sunbeams which penetrate the gloom. + +[Illustration: IN THE DEPTHS OF THE FOREST.] + +It is all very impressive, very beautiful, and still, except for the +drone of insects or soft note of the songbird. Perhaps the silence may +be broken by a herd of wild elephants crashing heavily through the +canes, or the shrill cry of the squirrel startles the forest and warns +its fellows of the nearness of a snake. + +Bewilderment and wonder grow upon anyone riding through the forest for +the first time, but after a few days one gradually becomes accustomed +to these luxuriant surroundings, and is able to appreciate the forest +in detail. + +How beautiful the undergrowth is! Palms and bamboos wave gracefully +above a mass of flowering plants, among and over which climb +convolvuli of many kinds, tropæolum, honeysuckle, and a variety of +other creepers, forming natural arbours, with whose blossoms mingle +those of the festoons hanging from the trees. + +Teak, india-rubber, and cutch trees rise high above the undergrowth, +and in turn are dwarfed by such giants as the pyingado and the +cotton-tree. These grow to an enormous size. The pyingado, straight +and smooth, often rises 150 feet before it puts forth a branch, and I +have seen ponies stabled between the natural buttresses which support +the huge trunk of the silk-cotton tree, sometimes 250 feet in height. + +Orchids of great size grow upon the boughs, and add to the wealth of +foliage, in which the large-leafed teak or rubber trees contrast with +the feathery pepper or acacia; and it is interesting to notice that +most of the feathery kinds bear thorns. + +Though generally straight and tall, the trees are often twisted into +curious joints and elbows, which give them a very fantastic +appearance; but most strange of all are the creepers which bind these +forest growths. Some are very large, and stretch for immense +distances, linking tree to tree in twining loops, from which their +hanging tendrils reach the ground, or perhaps crossing some forest +glade or stream to form an aerial bridge for the lemurs or the +monkeys. + +One creeper in particular I must tell you about. This is called +"Nyoung-bin" by the natives, and is a very strange plant. It very +often springs from a seed dropped by some bird into the fork of a +tree, where, taking root, it sends its suckers downwards until they +become firmly bedded in the ground, then, growing upwards again, it +slowly envelops the parent tree until it is entirely enclosed by the +new growth, which kills it, but which in its stead becomes a _new_ +tree, larger and more lofty than the one which first supported it. +This is one of the many species of ficus, of which its equally strange +cousin, the many-trunked banyan, is another common feature of a +Burmese forest. + +Naturally these forests are alive with birds. Parrots and parakeets +live among the tree-tops, and doves and pigeons, jays and mynahs, and +a great variety of small birds, find their home here. Woodpeckers are +busy among the tree-trunks, sharing their spoil of insects with the +lizards and the tree-frogs, and among the lesser growths tits, +finches, and wagtails rear their young broods. + +The birds are not the only occupants of these wilds, however, for in +no country is there a larger variety of game than in Burma. Herds of +wild elephants roam the forests, in which are also tigers, panthers, +and bears. Many kinds of deer are there, to be preyed upon by man or +beast, from the pretty little gyi or barking deer to the lordly +sambur. Wild pig also are very numerous, and lurking in the dank +undergrowth or fissures of the rocks are many venomous snakes and +large pythons. + +But though so abundant, all these wild creatures are shy, and one may +travel many days without adventure, and any sense of danger is soon +lost in admiration of the beauties of these wilds. + +Riding through such a forest is very fascinating in the early winter +months. Then the ground is fairly hard, and riding would be easy were +it not for the thorny vines and fallen tree-trunks which lie among the +thickets. At this time, also, foliage and flowers are still luxuriant, +and all kinds of wild life abundant. + +But from May to October the south-west monsoon, bringing in the +heavily-laden rain-clouds from the sea, pours upon the country its +torrential rains, which change this beautiful forest into a swamp. The +quiet creeks become turbid rivers, while the hill-sides are torn by +innumerable torrents, which, washing away the earth from the roots of +the trees, cause them to fall crashing among the dripping undergrowth. +Bridges are swept away, and the paths become morasses. Travelling in +the forest is then wellnigh impossible, though it is this time that +the native woodman and the large number of young Englishmen engaged in +forest-work find the busiest of the year. + +Gradually the rains cease, and with the return of sunshine birds and +flowers spring into renewed life, more beautiful than ever, and at no +time of the year is the forest more lovely than immediately after the +monsoon rains. + +Presently the hot weather of March and April comes to strip the trees +of their leaves, while the dak and other flowering trees are a blaze +of crimson among the autumn tints. Then, when everything is dry and +withered, forest fires break out in many parts of the country, +consuming all but the larger trees, and leaving a blackened waste +where once was a paradise of flowers. It is sad to ride in the track +of such a fire, but this is no doubt Nature's way of _cleaning_ the +country, and destroying a vast amount of decaying vegetable matter and +keeping in check many venomous insects and reptiles. The forest +appears to be dead until the advent of the next monsoon restores to +the sun-bleached skeleton its usual luxuriant vegetation. + +But I hear some one asking, How do you live and travel in such a +country? All through India and Burma at intervals along the main +routes of travel dâk bungalows have been erected for the use of +travellers. These are small houses, containing two or three rooms, +raised on poles above the ground. They are built of timber, with +matting walls and thatched roof, much like the Burmese dwellings I +have described. Native custodians are in charge of them, and although +specially intended for the use of Government servants, any traveller +may use them. In the forest similar houses, called "tais," smaller and +often built of bamboo, are erected, though sometimes very small huts +indeed, formed of bamboo and reeds, are the only shelter available. +These are draughty dwellings, and even the best-built "tai" is partly +open to the air, and affords little protection from the night cold, +which is often so intense that sleep is almost impossible. + +After a scanty breakfast by candlelight, a start is made in the early +dawn, when the air is cold and damp, and the heavy dew dripping from +the reeds and kine-grass quickly soaks you to the skin. The sunrise is +curiously sudden, and very soon the sun is hot enough to compel the +traveller to leave the open glades and seek the shelter of the denser +portions of the forest. Hardy little ponies, sure-footed and willing, +are our mounts, while elephants carry the stores and provisions, +cooking utensils, and bedding, which every traveller must take with +him. + +In distinction to the working elephants, those employed on a journey +are called "travellers," and are used for no other purpose. Their +drivers are called "ouzies," and sit astride the animals' necks, with +their legs hanging down behind their ears. There are several ways of +mounting, each pretty: sometimes the elephant will hold up its +fore-foot to form a step for its driver, or will drop upon its knees +and bend its trunk to form a step, by which the "ouzie" is able to +reach his seat. + +When travelling they have a shambling sort of gait, half walk, half +amble, but manage to get over the ground very quickly, and for such +cumbersome animals are very nimble-footed. It is almost ludicrous to +see the huge beasts picking their way along a narrow "bund" or +crossing some ditch by a bridge of fallen logs, but they always do so +successfully. + +Soft and boggy land, however, is a great trouble to them, their great +weight causing them to sink deep into the mud; and elephants will +often show their dread of such places by loud trumpeting and great +unwillingness to attempt the passage. Occasionally they will tear up +tufts of reeds or boughs of trees to make a foothold for themselves, +and I heard quite recently of a case where a friend of mine, while out +shooting from elephants, came to such a marshy place, which at first +they refused to cross. Then, before anything could be done to prevent +it, his elephant seized the driver with his trunk and, placing him in +the mud, used the poor native's body as a "stepping-stone." The driver +was, of course, crushed to death, and my friend only escaped a similar +fate by scrambling off his elephant by the tail. Generally elephants +are docile enough, but are not always fond of Europeans and very much +dislike a rider to approach too closely; but they rarely give trouble +to their drivers, for whom they often have a genuine affection. + +Roads in the forest are few, and at best are only bridle-tracks, +difficult to ride over, and through which a way has often to be cut +with knives, so rapid is the growth. + +Travelling is slow and often difficult, and towards the great heat of +midday men and animals are glad to rest, while another march in the +afternoon brings us, towards sunset, to our next halting-place. Then +fuel for the fires must be collected to prepare the evening meal, beds +made ready, and the animals attended to. The ponies are tethered +underneath the "tai," while the elephants, wearing a wooden bell +called "kalouk," are turned loose into the forest, where their drivers +quickly track them down again in the morning by the sound of their +bell. + +About sundown a strange hush comes over the forest, and the leaves +hang limply after the great heat of the day. Insects and birds give up +their activities, and are preparing to roost or lying in the various +hiding-places they frequent. All Nature seems to be _tired_, and +little wonder when the thermometer has shown 105° of moist heat! + +Suddenly with the cooling of the air a shiver and a rustle passes over +the tree-tops as the sundown breeze brings relief to the tired world. +Immediately the forest is alive again, but with new inhabitants. The +dancing fireflies weave rings of bluish light around the tree-trunks, +already half lost in the gathering darkness; crickets and tree-frogs +contribute to the growing sounds of the woody solitude; while the +stealthy tread of some prowling animal is faintly heard among the +withered debris of the undergrowth. It is no longer safe to wander +from the camp-fire, whose flames, shooting upwards in straight +tongues, light up the nearer trees in contrast to the blackness +beyond, in which many a dangerous wild beast lurks. Within the circle +which our camp-fire lights is safety, and in the now cold night air +its warmth is grateful. No one who has not experienced it can at all +appreciate the romantic pleasure of a forest camp, never more +enjoyable than in the hour before "turning in," when, in the light of +our blazing logs and surrounded by the dark mystery beyond, the last +pipe is smoked while listening to many exciting tales of adventure, +before we stretch our tired limbs in bed. + +[Illustration: A OAK BUNGALOW. _Page 60._] + + + + +CHAPTER X + +THE FOREST (_continued_) + + +Though human habitations are not often met with in the forest, little +native settlements occur from time to time, where, surrounded by small +clearings, over which a primitive scarecrow mounts guard, sufficient +rice is grown for their needs. These little hamlets are occupied by +woodmen, or little communities of Chins, a kindred race to the +Burmans, though differing from them in many customs, most curious of +which is their habit of tattooing the faces of their young women +_black_. + +Here and there one meets a fowler, who, with primitive snare or +decoy-bird, seeks to take his toll of the forest; and in the most +remote districts may be met some picturesque Burmese travelling-cart, +toiling laboriously over tracks which would almost seem to be +impossible for wheels. I have already mentioned the creaking of the +cart-wheels which no Burman would oil, for they believe that the +horrible groanings they produce, together with their own loud voices, +serve to ward off the evil spirits of the woods; for the Burman is +superstitious, and at frequent intervals may be seen tiny wicker-work +representations of pagodas and "zeyats" erected to propitiate the +forest "nats," and passers-by will deposit in these diminutive +shrines some offering of food or ornament, and in the Shan States I +remember seeing one whose enclosing fence was hung with spears and +"dahs," and other weapons of considerable interest and some value. + +By the wayside the lonely grave of some traveller or woodman, marked +by its simple fence of twigs, gives a touch of pathos to the forest; +and among its natural wonders are the giant ant-hills, often 9 feet or +more in height. + +Ants are probably the most destructive of all insects in Burma. +Voracious wood-eaters, they will attack fallen logs or growing trees, +which they will entirely consume till only the hollow bark remains. +This is one great reason why the wood of the teak-tree is so highly +valued, as it is the only timber these ants will not touch, and +consequently is the one of which all the more important buildings and +dwellings are constructed. + +In many districts, within reach of some beautiful forest creek, +teak-cutting may be seen in full operation; and it is interesting to +watch the elephants at work, hauling logs or loading them on to the +little trollies, by which they are carried down to the water, where, +floundering along the muddy bank, they launch them in the stream. + +Some of these creeks are very lovely, fringed as they are by flowering +grasses, behind which the forest rises tier on tier above the +shimmering water and gleaming sand-banks. + +On the banks are the footprints of many wild animals who have come +down to water during the night. In the water are fish and +water-snakes, which alert herons constantly harass, and, strange as it +may seem, in the river-bed itself are the marks of cart-wheels, for +the Burmans often make a highway of these forest streams, which in the +dry season are generally easier to travel than the roads. + +The forest itself is never monotonous, its growths varying according +to the levels of the hills. Sometimes the enormous trees and heavy +foliage I have already described produce a depth of gloom which might +well excuse the superstitious fear of the Burmans, and often recalls +to me the pictures in our fairy-books, where some bold knight is +depicted entering the depths of an enchanted wood, in search of the +dragon that well might dwell there. Descending the hill-side with a +suddenness which is almost startling, you may find yourself in a +bamboo forest, which is a veritable fairyland for beauty. From a +carpet of sand, on which lilies grow, these giant bamboos spring, +fern-like, in enormous clumps, spreading their arms and feathery +crests in all directions, and, meeting overhead, form avenues and +lanes, which remind one of some beautiful cathedral aisle. + +Different in many ways from the forests I have described are those of +the cooler plateaus and mountain ranges of Northern Burma. On the +higher levels oak and pines are found among the other trees, and +bracken grows around the wild plums on the more open slopes. Sparkling +rivulets spring from the mountain-side, and, overhung by ferns and +mosses, flow gurgling over their pebbly beds to the deep valley below, +there to join the swiftly-flowing river, which, by many waterfalls +and rapids, eventually reaches the level of the plains. + +From the river's edge, where reeds and wild bananas grow, the purple +wistaria spreads itself over the mass of vegetation which covers the +precipitous hills from base to summit. + +Bamboos of many kinds wave among the trees or grow in masses by +themselves, and climbing geranium and ferns mount from one foothold to +another over tree-trunks or rocks, rooting as they go. + +Nests of wasps and weaver birds hang from the canes. Jungle-fowl and +pheasant, snipe and partridge, are there to provide the traveller with +food, and often, flying heavily from tree to tree, a peacock offers a +welcome addition to your larder. + +The forest is dense, and in places almost impenetrable, and as you +ride or cut your way through the thick undergrowth, monkeys of large +size follow you through the tree-tops, scolding and chattering at your +intrusion; and lemurs, fear overcome by curiosity, approach you +closely, as though to see what kind of creature is this that +penetrates these wilds. + +Wildness best describes these leafy solitudes in which roads are +almost unknown, and which the larger beasts as well as men appear to +shun. + +Along the river-bank, however, are many little hamlets, where in +dug-out canoes the natives fish the rivers, using many ingenious nets +and traps, or weirs which stretch from bank to bank. + +Carts are never used here, and such traffic as is carried on must be +done by means of pack-ponies, whose loads are so contrived that, +should they stumble on their rugged path, they can easily free +themselves of their burden. + +We are now near to the Chinese frontier, and many straggling groups of +Chinese, Shans, and Shan-tilok (which is a mixture of the two) may be +met bearing bales or baskets of produce on their backs to some distant +settlement; or occasionally a family party, bent upon some pilgrimage +or journey, carry their household goods and young children in baskets +slung from bamboo poles, which cross their shoulders. + +On the lower levels, where paths are more frequent, little bridges of +picturesque design cross the streams, from which rise warm miasmic +mists. In the early morning dense fogs fill the valleys, often +accompanied by frost; but as the sun gains power and the mists are +sucked up, the heat is intense; and these extremes of heat and cold, +combined with the smell of rotting vegetation and exhalations from the +ground, render this region a perfect fever-den, in which no white man +can safely live. + +Though the general character of the country consists of lofty +mountains and deep valleys, through which wide rivers flow, there are +at intervals considerable stretches of flat land, which are under +partial cultivation. Here villages of some size are found, and among +the people which inhabit them are strange types we have not previously +seen in Burma, and customs which are curious. The Shans, for instance, +have the habit of tattooing their faces and legs and centre of their +chests, while, their scanty clothing not permitting the use of +pockets, they carry upon their backs little baskets of wicker-work, in +which are placed their knives, tobacco, and such other articles as a +pocket might have accommodated. The Yunnanese, wearing huge plaited +hats of straw and curious slippers of the same material, but whose +other garments are so thin and baggy as to mark them indifferent to +the cold, are in marked contrast to the Kachins, who wear an elaborate +costume of heavy woollen material of many colours. The men, whose hair +is long and tied in a knot on the top of the head, after the manner of +the Burmese, wear a simple scarf tied round the head in place of a +hat, while the women, who wear a costume much like the men, have as +their head-covering a handkerchief or scarf folded flat upon the head. +All have their ears bored, the lobes being so large as not only to +enable them to wear ear ornaments of unusual size, but often to serve +as a handy receptacle for a cigar! When travelling the Kachins usually +carry in their hands double-ended spears, whose shafts are covered +with a kind of red plush from which large fringes hang; but these are +only ceremonial weapons, and show that their intentions are pacific. +Like the Shans, they dispense with pockets in their clothing, but +instead wear suspended under their arm a cloth bag, which is often +prettily embroidered. + +Though, as I have mentioned, the forests of Mid-Burma--and, indeed, +generally throughout the country--abound in game, which ranges from +elephant and rhinoceros down to the smallest deer, and while every +tree and thicket is a home for birds, all forms of animal life appear +to avoid the fever-infested highlands of North-East Burma. In some +places, however, strange freaks of Nature occur. On the high plateau +through which the Myit-nge River flows, though the forest and jungle +is more or less deserted, scattered over the plain are conical +limestone crags, which are alive with monkeys; and while the +innumerable species of insects which infest the warmer forests are +absent, nowhere in all Burma have I seen butterflies more numerous or +more beautiful than here. It is singular, also, to notice how human +habitations will attract certain forms of animal life, and in some +mysterious manner, though the surrounding forest may be otherwise +deserted, pigeons and doves and the various kinds of crow quickly +install themselves in the neighbourhood of a newly-established +settlement or camp. + +It is impossible in two short chapters to describe the infinite +variety and charm of these Burmese forests--the rushing mountain +torrents, the sweeping rivers, and noble waterfalls; the sluggish +streams, which reflect the glories of the surrounding forest; its +teeming life, its solitude, and the wonderful effects of light and +colour; but perhaps I have said enough to convey to you some idea of +that wealth of exuberant beauty which has forced upon me the +conclusion that nothing in all the world is quite so beautiful as a +tropical forest. + +So far I have not given you any example of the many adventures which +may befall a traveller in such wilds, but they are naturally of +frequent occurrence. + +Often while painting, and quite unarmed, I have found myself in +unpleasantly close proximity to wild beasts of many kinds, and on +more than one occasion I have narrowly escaped the fatal bite of some +deadly snake which I have killed. Every one has a natural horror of +poisonous snakes, but sometimes an adventure with them has its element +of amusement. I remember an instance where one of my companions, +having come into camp from his work in the forest, lay down outside +his tent to rest, and, the better to enjoy it, took off his +riding-boots and loosened his breeches at the knee. While his "tiffin" +was being prepared he went to sleep, but presently awoke with a +horrible sensation of something lying cold against his thigh. To his +alarm, he discovered this to be a large cobra, which had sought +shelter from the sun. Remaining quite still, he called his native +servant, and explained the position, and the snake was soon secured +and dispatched, while my friend suffered nothing worse than a fright. + +Though so docile as a rule when tamed, elephants in their wild state +are most dangerous, and I have heard of many narrow escapes from them +in Burma. Panthers, also, though shy of human beings, are fierce when +at bay, and I have been told that a scratch from their claws nearly +always results in fatal blood-poisoning. + +[Illustration: THE QUEEN'S GOLDEN MONASTERY, MANDALAY. _Page 79._] + +It is the tiger, however, which is most to be feared. General +throughout the country, a traveller through jungle or forest must be +ever alert, so stealthy are its movements, and so audacious is it in +its depredations. Its great strength, however, which is not so +generally recognized, the following will serve to show. Close beside +our lonely camp on the Nan-Tu River a tiger killed a sambur, upon +which the natives saw him feeding. Being unarmed themselves, they +ran for the "Sahib" to come and shoot him; but, on regaining the spot, +they found that the tiger had gone, carrying the huge carcass with +him. Following the trail, they came up with their quarry at the +river's bank; but the tiger, still retaining its hold upon its prey, +took to the water, and, although impeded by its heavy burden, +succeeded in reaching the opposite shore. The sad part of the story is +that a native, armed with a "dah," who had followed the tiger into the +river, though an extremely powerful swimmer, was swept away by the +current, and drowned in the rapids below. + + + + +CHAPTER XI + +TEMPLES AND RELIGION + + +Burma has been called the "Land of Pagodas," and nothing could be more +true, for from Syriam, below Rangoon, to Myitkyina, in the far north, +is one long succession of these beautiful temples. Not only on the +river-banks do these pagodas crown the hills, but in every town and +village throughout the country; and in many remote districts, far from +present habitations, some shrine, however simple, has been raised. + +We have seen something of the great Shwe Dagon pagoda in Rangoon, but +there are many others almost equally beautiful, if not so large: the +exquisite Shwe Tsan Daw at Prome, the Arracan near Mandalay, while in +old Pagan, Pegu, Moulmein, and a host of other places, are temples +which one might well think could not be surpassed for beauty. I have +told you that these pagodas are usually bell-shaped--a delicate and +most elegant form of design, which gains very much in effect from the +habit the Burmese have of building their temples on a hill, so that +the gradually ascending ground, on the different levels of which the +pinnacles of the "kyoungs" are visible above the trees, leads +gradually upward from one point to another until the temple itself is +reached, towering gracefully above the other forms of beauty with +which the hill is sometimes covered. Another pretty effect is gained +by building them close to the water, either on the river-bank or +beside some artificial pool or "tank," in which they are reflected. +Nothing could be more beautiful than the effect of these golden piles +glittering in the sunshine among the deep green of the trees, +especially when repeated in some placid sheet of water, dotted over +perhaps with pink and purple lotus. + +And, then, the little bells which hang from every "ti"--how they +tinkle as they swing in the breeze, in their numbers forming one +general harmonious note, most musical, and with a strange sensation of +joy and contentment in its sound. + +These little bells are not the only ones in the temples, however, for +in all of them are others of very large size, which, raised a foot or +more from the ground, hang between two posts set in the platform which +surrounds the "zedi," as the bell-shaped temple is called. + +These are used by the worshippers, who, with a stag's horn, strike the +bell after praying, to call the attention of the "nats" of the upper +and lower worlds to the fact that they have done so. You will see +these bells in one of the pictures, but there are some others of +immense size, that at Mingun weighing eighty tons; but, as a rule, the +tone of the very large bells is poor, and not to be compared with that +of those of more moderate size. + +There are one or two places in Burma particularly rich in +pagodas--Pagan, Sagaing, and Mandalay. I want to tell you just a +little about each. + +Let us go to Mandalay first, for I have no doubt that you have been +wondering why I have not already told you something about the capital +of Burma. + +As a matter of fact, Mandalay is little better than an enlarged +village, and is built much in the same way as the towns I have already +described, and has really only two points of great interest--its +religious buildings and the "fort." + +I am referring, of course, to the _Burmese_ town, for surrounding the +fort are a large number of well-built bungalows, and streets of shops +built of stone or brick; but these are for the use of Europeans and +Indian or Chinese traders, the Burmans here, as elsewhere, contenting +themselves with their thatched houses of timber. It may appear +surprising that a people who could erect their marvellous temples +should be satisfied with such poor dwellings. The reason is to be +found in their custom of removing their capital on each change of +dynasty, and since A.D. 1740 the capital of Burma has been moved no +less than eight times! Mandalay itself is only fifty years old, so +that it hardly appeared to them worth their while to build more +substantial dwellings, which might so soon have to be deserted; and in +this way they came to regard their homes as temporary, expending their +energies and wealth in the building of temples and monasteries +instead. + +The streets of Mandalay are wide, and laid out in rectangles, as in +Rangoon, and, like all towns in Burma, the roads are heavily shaded by +trees. Foreign types are common in Mandalay, but the Burmese life here +is very pretty. Nowhere else are the people better dressed, and the +ladies rival the silk bazaar in the variety and beautiful colour of +their clothing. Until recently this was a royal city, and the ladies +pay great attention to the demands of fashion, whether it is in their +delicately-tinted garments, their embroidered sunshades or fan, or the +lace handkerchief with which they love to toy; and nothing in the way +of crowd could be nicer than these daintily-dressed and usually +prepossessing men and women. Fashion, however, has always _some_ +drawback. The ladies in many cases smear their faces with a paste +called "thannakah," which has the effect of whitening the skin. The +result is very unfortunate, for it is not always put on evenly, and +only serves to make the ugly more forbidding, while it destroys the +soft warmth of colour and skin texture which so often makes these +women beautiful. Another unfortunate custom is their habit of smoking +such huge cheroots, which no mouth of ordinary size could possibly +hold without distortion. + +All roads in Mandalay lead to the fort, lately the residence of the +Court. This consists of a huge square, 1-1/4 miles each way, entirely +surrounded by battlemented walls, and further protected by a wide and +deep moat. Quaint bridges cross the moat, and lead to gateways, each +surmounted by a "pyathat." Within the walls are the palace of the +King, and many other buildings of highly ornate and purely Burmese +character. Many of them have lately been destroyed by fire; but what +will interest us most is the rambling but most picturesque palace, the +lofty "pyathat" which is erected over Thebaw's throne being the finest +in the country, and so much admired by the Burmans as to be called +"the centre of the universe." + +All these buildings are of timber, only the finest teak being used, +and the many columns which support the roofs of the halls of audience +consist of single tree-trunks of unusual size and great value. + +The moat serves to supply Mandalay with its drinking-water, and is fed +by a conduit from the hills. I am afraid the water is not very clean, +but it is a very pretty sight to see the people coming to fill their +jars from the little stages which jut from the banks, while the whole +surface is at some seasons of the year a mass of purple lotus and +white water-lily, and, although in the middle of the city, paddy-birds +and other ibis wade about its margins. + +Mandalay is a station for our troops, who are quartered inside the +fort, which was only captured after severe fighting. The stockade, +which offered so great an obstacle to our men, has been swept away, +and "Tommy Atkins," as well as Indian troops, now inhabit the palaces +of King Thebaw's time! But it is an unhealthy station, and nowhere in +Burma have I seen such crowds of mosquitoes, the common cause of fever +in Europeans. + +The most beautiful of Mandalay's pagodas, "the Incomparable," has been +destroyed by fire; but a large number remain, one of which is very +interesting. This is the "Kuthodaw," a temple built by Mindon Min, +King Thebaw's father. The central dome is not remarkable, but on each +side of the large flagged space which surrounds it are rows and rows +of miniature temples, each with an ornamental cupola, supported upon +pillars. Each of these 729 cupolas contains a slab of alabaster, on +which is inscribed a chapter of the Pali Bible. The entrance-gates, +also, are large, and unusually ornate in design. + +Each quarter of the town has one or more large pagodas, and others +surround its outskirts from the river-bank to the top of Mandalay +Hill; but these differ from the others we have noticed in one respect, +being covered by carved plaster-work, each stage of which is +beautified by some elaborate or striking pattern, so that the dome of +pure white, broken by sharp contrast of light and shade, is quite as +rich in effect as the gilded temples of Rangoon or Prome. + +Most remarkable of all the buildings in Mandalay, however, are the +monasteries, of which there are a large number, many of great +interest, the principal one being the "Queen's Golden Monastery," for +beauty of design and elaborate embellishment unquestionably the finest +structure of its kind in Burma. + +Across the river from Mandalay is a very pretty scene. Low conical +hills rise from the banks of the river, each crowned by a pagoda, +around which are many "kyoungs" and "zeyats." Scattered over the +hill-sides are many others, gleaming white against the warm earth +tints and the foliage which surround them. This is old Sagaing, once a +capital of Burma; but the city has gone, and only its temples now +remain. Crossing the river in sampans painted red, blue, and yellow, +or landing on the pearly shingle of the beach, are crowds of +well-dressed Burmans from Mandalay and Ava, bent on a pilgrimage to +one or other of the many shrines, which are reached by long flights of +steps, whose entrance is guarded by enormous leogryphs. + +A pretty legend gives the origin of these monsters, which, often of +enormous size, invariably guard the entrance to a temple. Long ago in +the dim past a Princess was stolen by "nats," and hidden away in the +dark recesses of the forest. The King made every effort to find the +hiding-place of his daughter, but without success, until one day a +lioness rescued the Princess, and restored her to her home. Ever since +then the lion, which in the course of centuries has gradually become +changed into the leogryph (or half-lion, half-griffin), has been +accepted by the people as the emblem of protecting watchfulness. + +Close to Mandalay on the south is Amarapura, another of Burma's many +capitals, and though we cannot hope to see all the many interesting +monuments that remain, it has one pagoda in particular which well +repays us for our long and dusty journey. + +This is the Arracan pagoda, one of the most famous shrines in Burma, +and the one most frequented by the Shans and other hill tribes, whose +time of pilgrimage occurs "between the reaping and the sowing." + +There is no ascent to this temple, which, through a series of +ornamented doorways, is approached by a long flat corridor, which, as +usual, serves the purpose of a bazaar. Here perhaps the best Burmese +gongs may be purchased, and the stalls for cut flowers display a rich +profusion of blooms, whose scent fills the whole temple precincts. The +temple itself is different in design from any others we have seen, +being built in the form of a square tower, above which rises a series +of diminishing terraces, each beautified by carved battlements and +corner pinnacles, the whole being richly gilt. + +[Illustration: THE SHWE ZIGON PAGODA, PAGAN. _Page 82._] + +Beneath the central tower is the shrine, before which a constant +stream of devotees succeed each other in prayer. This contains an +enormous brass image of Buddha, 12 feet in height, thickly plastered +with the pilgrims' offerings of gold-leaf. Behind the temple are the +sacred tanks, whose green and slimy water is alive with turtles, too +lazy or too well fed to eat the dainty morsels thrown to them by the +onlookers, but which are pounced upon by hundreds of hawks, who often +seize the tit-bits before they reach the water. + +The courtyards are, as usual, thronged, and pastry-cooks and +story-tellers, soothsayers and musicians, provide refreshment and +amusement to the ever-moving crowd of happy people, at whom we never +tire of looking. + +And now, having seen something of the principal pagodas, with their +crowds of worshippers or loiterers, let us take one glimpse of the +ancient city of Pagan. + +Splendidly placed upon a commanding site on the river-bank, Pagan was +at one time a populous and wealthy centre. To-day it is the city of +the dead, and the domes and pinnacles of its temples, which cover an +area of 16 square miles, remain silent monuments to its former +greatness. Save for a few priests and scattered families of the +poorest of the people, its population has disappeared centuries ago, +and the land, once fertile, is now covered with aloe, cactus, and +thorn, while an air of weary heat and desolation envelops it. Some +idea of its size may be formed when I tell you that a thousand of its +pagodas are known by name, while as many more are little but a heap of +ruinous brickwork. + +Many of its temples are of the greatest historical interest. The +Ananda, built 800 years ago, is larger than St. Paul's, and its +elongated dome and innumerable pinnacles render it as graceful as it +is imposing. There are other temples even larger, while the picture +facing page 80 will give you some little idea of the beauty and +interest of the Shwe Zigon. + +Throughout the country temples abound, and in lonely places where no +temple has been built, the lofty "tagundaing" marks some holy spot. +You will find no statues to her Kings in Burma, but in every temple, +in little wayside shrines, and even in the most unfrequented wilds, +the Burmans have erected images of Buddha, founder of their faith. + +Nearly one-third of the world's population are Buddhists, and this +fact alone would seem to show how beautiful is the religion they +profess. Buddhism was founded by an Indian Prince called Gautama, +about 600 years before the birth of Christ. This Prince, though heir +to a kingdom, and surrounded by every luxury, left his palace and his +beautiful wife and their little son, to become a wanderer in the +search for truth, and for six years he lived as a hermit in the +wilderness, attended only by a few disciples. One day, while seated +beneath a "bo" tree, lost in contemplation, revelation came to him, +and from that time he became a preacher, striving to raise men and +women to his own lofty and pure standard of what life should be. + +Few Europeans really understand Buddhism, but many of its principles +we can all appreciate. Thus, men are taught truthfulness, purity, +obedience, and kindness, which forbids the giving of pain to any +living creature. Charity, patience, humility, and the habit of +meditation are early instilled into the minds of the boys, who, +without exception, spend at least a portion of their lives as inmates +of a monastery, and with the priests and novices are not ashamed to +collect the daily offering of food. + +In their consideration for animals, their love for their children, and +great respect for age, as well as in their consideration for each +other, the Burmans act well up to the beauty of their faith; for a +beautiful religion it is, beautifully expounded in Arnold's "Light of +Asia," which I hope many of you will presently read. + +It is not difficult to understand how their religion, combined with +their own happy, contented natures, and the enervating effect of +climate, renders the Burmans little able to withstand the pressure +from without which has lately been brought to bear upon them. + +Largely content with what Nature provides for them, and without social +grades to spur them to ambition, their sports and races and amusements +of many kinds occupy the chief attention of the men, who quickly +succumb to their more energetic and businesslike rivals from India or +China. The women, more capable and rather despising the idleness of +the men, are more and more prone to marry among other races, while +Western civilization also is doing much to destroy the primitive charm +of the people. + +Sad it is to think that the Burman as a pure race is slowly +disappearing, and there are few, I think, who know them but will view +this prospect with sincere regret. But if it is inevitable that this +picturesque and lovable people must be in time replaced by others, at +least their beautiful country always will remain. + +And now, as I close this chapter, there recurs to my mind a pretty +picture which embodies so much of the spirit of the country that it +may well form our last peep at Burma. + +Far away in the jungle on the crest of a lonely hill stands a ruined +pagoda. The white ornamental plaster-work which once beautified it has +long since disappeared, and in the rents and fissures which seam its +rich red brickwork venomous serpents hide. + +The niche which formerly contained a Buddha is unoccupied, but, as +though to soften its decay, kindly creepers have covered its rugged +exterior with a bower of foliage and flowers, while the leogryphs +which once marked the entrance to its enclosure are buried in +vegetation. All around are trees of many kinds, which tower above the +jungle, among which large and beautiful butterflies flit among the +flowers, while birds of gay plumage gambol among the tree-tops to the +distant song of the bulbul. It was a pretty scene, but sad in its +loneliness, to which a touch of pathos was added by the figure of a +solitary priest praying before the empty shrine. Wondering what had +brought him so far from any known habitation, I watched him long as +he prayed. Just as the sun set and the day closed he plucked a lovely +flower from the scrub and placed it reverently on the shrine where +Buddha once had stood, and as I turned my pony's head in the direction +of my distant camp, the slowly-retreating figure of the "hpungi" +became lost in the glory of the sunset. + + +THE END + + * * * * * + + + + +LIST OF VOLUMES IN THE +PEEPS AT MANY LANDS +SERIES + +EACH CONTAINING 12 FULL-PAGE +ILLUSTRATIONS IN COLOUR +EACH 1/6 NET + + +BURMA +EGYPT +ENGLAND +FRANCE +HOLLAND +HOLY LAND +INDIA +ITALY +JAPAN +MOROCCO +SCOTLAND +SOUTH AFRICA +SOUTH SEAS +SWITZERLAND +WALES + + +PUBLISHED BY +ADAM AND CHARLES BLACK +SOHO SQUARE, LONDON, W. + + +AGENTS + +AMERICA THE MACMILLAN COMPANY + 64 & 66 FIFTH AVENUE, NEW YORK + +CANADA THE MACMILLAN COMPANY OF CANADA, LTD. + 27 RICHMOND STREET WEST, TORONTO + +INDIA MACMILLAN & COMPANY, LTD. + MACMILLAN BUILDING, BOMBAY + 309 BOW BAZAAR STREET, CALCUTTA + +AUSTRALASIA. OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS, MELBOURNE + + * * * * * + + + + +_BY THE SAME ARTIST AND AUTHOR_ + +BURMA + +By R. TALBOT KELLY, R.B.A. + +_Containing 75 full-page Illustrations in Colour. Square Demy 8vo., +cloth, gilt top_ + +Price 20/- net + +(_Post free, Price 20s. 6d._) + +"His landscapes--in which Nature is seen unforced by the hands of +colour-loving men and women, and seen, more often than not, by early +morning or evening light--have an exquisite delicacy."--_Athenæum._ + +"The result is a narrative delightful in its quiet zest, and a series +of pictures that have the hues of landscapes hung in a heaven of +dreamland."--_Speaker._ + +"If ever there was a poet in colours Mr. Kelly is one. His volume is +bright to read and beautiful to look at."--_Liverpool Post._ + +"Those of our readers who have seen Mr. Kelly's 'Egypt' know that he +uses pen and brush with equal facility, and in this volume we find +again beautiful and faithful pictures, accompanied by admirably +graphic descriptions."--_Aberdeen Journal._ + + +EGYPT + +BY R. TALBOT KELLY, R.B.A. + +_Containing 75 full-page Illustrations in Colour. Square Demy 8vo., +cloth, gilt top_ + +Price 20/- net + +(_Post free, Price 20s. 6d._) + + "How marvellously faithful his work is, every one who knows + Egypt will see in the seventy-five exquisite paintings which + make his book a perfect treasure of beauty.... No series of + drawings has ever conveyed to us so perfect an impression of + Egyptian scenery as these."--_Saturday Review._ + + "Rarely can this old, old country have received more + beautiful homage than here ... the happily inspired work of a + true artist revealing her countless charms."--_Bookman._ + + "This is beyond all question the most beautiful book on + modern Egypt that we have ever seen."--_Spectator._ + + "This is a magnificent production of his, abounding with fine + pictures, beautifully reproduced, and teeming with fine + descriptive touches and bright anecdotal matter."--_Black and + White._ + + "Few more attractive gift-books have fallen into our hands of + late than this splendidly-illustrated volume, the text of + which is in perfect harmony with the pictures."--_Standard._ + + +PUBLISHED BY A. & C. BLACK, SOHO SQUARE, LONDON, W. + + * * * * * + + + + +A BACHELOR GIRL + +IN BURMA + +By G. E. MITTON + +AUTHOR OF +"A BACHELOR GIRL IN LONDON," "JANE AUSTEN AND HER TIMES," ETC. + +_Containing 95 Illustrations from Photographs._ + +_Sq. Demy 8vo_., cloth._ Price 6/- net (_Post free, _Price 6s. 5d._) + + +Some Press Opinions + + "She has written a delightful book on a delightful country, + and the ninety-five illustrations, from photographs taken by + herself and others, add greatly to its readable and + instructive character, as well as to its + beauty."--_Scotsman._ + + "She has altogether succeeded in writing a delightful + account of her trip."--_Westminster Gazette._ + + "A most entertaining and agreeable narrative."--_Burlington + Magazine._ + + "Her book will please and amuse all lovers of + travel."--_World._ + + "She has cleverly tinged her descriptions with much of that + rich colour which ornaments the East, and any who might be + tempted to visit a land as yet little travelled by the + sightseer will in these pages find much information that may + prove of value in their preparation for such a + trip."--_Daily Telegraph._ + + "A delightful account, illustrated with many attractive + photographs."--_World's Work._ + + "Miss Mitton has excelled herself in her last + work."--_Tatler._ + + +PUBLISHED BY A. & C. BLACK, SOHO SQUARE, LONDON, W. + + * * * * * + + + + + + +End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Burma, by R.Talbot Kelly + +*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK BURMA *** + +***** This file should be named 30064-8.txt or 30064-8.zip ***** +This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: + http://www.gutenberg.org/3/0/0/6/30064/ + +Produced by Sankar Viswanathan, Chris Curnow, and the +Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net +(This file was produced from images generously made +available by The Internet Archive) + + +Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions +will be renamed. + +Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no +one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation +(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without +permission and without paying copyright royalties. Special rules, +set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to +copying and distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works to +protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm concept and trademark. Project +Gutenberg is a registered trademark, and may not be used if you +charge for the eBooks, unless you receive specific permission. If you +do not charge anything for copies of this eBook, complying with the +rules is very easy. You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose +such as creation of derivative works, reports, performances and +research. They may be modified and printed and given away--you may do +practically ANYTHING with public domain eBooks. Redistribution is +subject to the trademark license, especially commercial +redistribution. + + + +*** START: FULL LICENSE *** + +THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE +PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK + +To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free +distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work +(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project +Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full Project +Gutenberg-tm License (available with this file or online at +http://gutenberg.org/license). + + +Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg-tm +electronic works + +1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm +electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to +and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property +(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all +the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or destroy +all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your possession. +If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a Project +Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound by the +terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person or +entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8. + +1.B. "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark. It may only be +used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who +agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few +things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works +even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See +paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project +Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this agreement +and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm electronic +works. See paragraph 1.E below. + +1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the Foundation" +or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection of Project +Gutenberg-tm electronic works. Nearly all the individual works in the +collection are in the public domain in the United States. If an +individual work is in the public domain in the United States and you are +located in the United States, we do not claim a right to prevent you from +copying, distributing, performing, displaying or creating derivative +works based on the work as long as all references to Project Gutenberg +are removed. Of course, we hope that you will support the Project +Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting free access to electronic works by +freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm works in compliance with the terms of +this agreement for keeping the Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with +the work. You can easily comply with the terms of this agreement by +keeping this work in the same format with its attached full Project +Gutenberg-tm License when you share it without charge with others. + +1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern +what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are in +a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States, check +the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this agreement +before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, distributing or +creating derivative works based on this work or any other Project +Gutenberg-tm work. The Foundation makes no representations concerning +the copyright status of any work in any country outside the United +States. + +1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg: + +1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other immediate +access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear prominently +whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work on which the +phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the phrase "Project +Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, performed, viewed, +copied or distributed: + +This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with +almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org + +1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is derived +from the public domain (does not contain a notice indicating that it is +posted with permission of the copyright holder), the work can be copied +and distributed to anyone in the United States without paying any fees +or charges. If you are redistributing or providing access to a work +with the phrase "Project Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the +work, you must comply either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 +through 1.E.7 or obtain permission for the use of the work and the +Project Gutenberg-tm trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or +1.E.9. + +1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted +with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution +must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any additional +terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms will be linked +to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works posted with the +permission of the copyright holder found at the beginning of this work. + +1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm +License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this +work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm. + +1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this +electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without +prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with +active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project +Gutenberg-tm License. + +1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary, +compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including any +word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access to or +distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format other than +"Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official version +posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site (www.gutenberg.org), +you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense to the user, provide a +copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means of obtaining a copy upon +request, of the work in its original "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other +form. Any alternate format must include the full Project Gutenberg-tm +License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1. + +1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying, +performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works +unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. + +1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing +access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works provided +that + +- You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from + the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method + you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is + owed to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he + has agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the + Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments + must be paid within 60 days following each date on which you + prepare (or are legally required to prepare) your periodic tax + returns. Royalty payments should be clearly marked as such and + sent to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the + address specified in Section 4, "Information about donations to + the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation." + +- You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies + you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he + does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm + License. You must require such a user to return or + destroy all copies of the works possessed in a physical medium + and discontinue all use of and all access to other copies of + Project Gutenberg-tm works. + +- You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of any + money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the + electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days + of receipt of the work. + +- You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free + distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works. + +1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project Gutenberg-tm +electronic work or group of works on different terms than are set +forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing from +both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and Michael +Hart, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark. Contact the +Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below. + +1.F. + +1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable +effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread +public domain works in creating the Project Gutenberg-tm +collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm electronic +works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may contain +"Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate or +corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other intellectual +property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or other medium, a +computer virus, or computer codes that damage or cannot be read by +your equipment. + +1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right +of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project +Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project +Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project +Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all +liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal +fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT +LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE +PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH F3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE +TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE +LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR +INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH +DAMAGE. + +1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a +defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can +receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a +written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you +received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium with +your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you with +the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in lieu of a +refund. If you received the work electronically, the person or entity +providing it to you may choose to give you a second opportunity to +receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If the second copy +is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing without further +opportunities to fix the problem. + +1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth +in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS' WITH NO OTHER +WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO +WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTIBILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE. + +1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied +warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of damages. +If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement violates the +law of the state applicable to this agreement, the agreement shall be +interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or limitation permitted by +the applicable state law. The invalidity or unenforceability of any +provision of this agreement shall not void the remaining provisions. + +1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the +trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone +providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in accordance +with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the production, +promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works, +harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, including legal fees, +that arise directly or indirectly from any of the following which you do +or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this or any Project Gutenberg-tm +work, (b) alteration, modification, or additions or deletions to any +Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any Defect you cause. + + +Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm + +Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of +electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of computers +including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It exists +because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations from +people in all walks of life. + +Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the +assistance they need, are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's +goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will +remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project +Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure +and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future generations. +To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation +and how your efforts and donations can help, see Sections 3 and 4 +and the Foundation web page at http://www.pglaf.org. + + +Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive +Foundation + +The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit +501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the +state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal +Revenue Service. The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification +number is 64-6221541. Its 501(c)(3) letter is posted at +http://pglaf.org/fundraising. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg +Literary Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent +permitted by U.S. federal laws and your state's laws. + +The Foundation's principal office is located at 4557 Melan Dr. S. +Fairbanks, AK, 99712., but its volunteers and employees are scattered +throughout numerous locations. Its business office is located at +809 North 1500 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887, email +business@pglaf.org. Email contact links and up to date contact +information can be found at the Foundation's web site and official +page at http://pglaf.org + +For additional contact information: + Dr. Gregory B. Newby + Chief Executive and Director + gbnewby@pglaf.org + + +Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg +Literary Archive Foundation + +Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without wide +spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of +increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be +freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest +array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations +($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt +status with the IRS. + +The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating +charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United +States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a +considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up +with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations +where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To +SEND DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any +particular state visit http://pglaf.org + +While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we +have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition +against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who +approach us with offers to donate. + +International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make +any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from +outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff. + +Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation +methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other +ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations. +To donate, please visit: http://pglaf.org/donate + + +Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic +works. + +Professor Michael S. Hart is the originator of the Project Gutenberg-tm +concept of a library of electronic works that could be freely shared +with anyone. For thirty years, he produced and distributed Project +Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of volunteer support. + + +Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed +editions, all of which are confirmed as Public Domain in the U.S. +unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not necessarily +keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition. + + +Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search facility: + + http://www.gutenberg.org + +This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm, +including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary +Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to +subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks. diff --git a/old/30064-8.zip b/old/30064-8.zip Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..7ed4ffb --- /dev/null +++ b/old/30064-8.zip diff --git a/old/30064-h.zip b/old/30064-h.zip Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..d378846 --- /dev/null +++ b/old/30064-h.zip diff --git a/old/30064-h/30064-h.htm b/old/30064-h/30064-h.htm new file mode 100644 index 0000000..ff6e255 --- /dev/null +++ b/old/30064-h/30064-h.htm @@ -0,0 +1,3145 @@ +<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN" + "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd"> + +<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en"> + <head> + <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html;charset=iso-8859-1" /> + <meta http-equiv="Content-Style-Type" content="text/css" /> + <title> + The Project Gutenberg eBook of Peeps at Many Lands, Burma, by R. Talbot Kelly + </title> + <style type="text/css"> +/*<![CDATA[ XML blockout */ +<!-- +body { + margin-left: 10%; + margin-right: 10%; background-color: #FFFFFF; +} + + h1,h2,h3,h4,h5,h6 { + text-align: center; /* all headings centered */ + clear: both; +} + +p { + margin-top: .75em; + text-align: justify; + margin-bottom: .75em; +} + +hr { + width: 33%; + margin-top: 2em; + margin-bottom: 2em; + margin-left: auto; + margin-right: auto; + clear: both; +} + +table { width: 60%; padding: 1em; text-align: left; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-transform:lowercase; font-variant:small-caps; } +.table1 { width:80%; padding: 1em; text-align: left; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-transform:lowercase; font-variant:small-caps; } + +ul { list-style:none; margin-left: 40%; } + +.tocch { text-align: right; vertical-align: top;} + +.tocpg {text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;} + +.f1 { font-size:smaller; } +.f2 { font-size:smaller; font-variant:normal; } +.f3 { margin-left: 10%; } +.f4 { margin-left: 5%; } + +a[name] { position: static; } +a:link { border:none; color:#0000ff; text-decoration:none; } +a:visited {color:#0000ff; text-decoration:none; } +a:hover { color:#ff0000; } + + +.pagenum { /* uncomment the next line for invisible page numbers */ + /* visibility: hidden; */ + position: absolute; + left: 92%; + font-size: smaller; + text-align: right; + font-style:normal; +} /* page numbers */ + + +.blockquot { + margin-left: 5%; + margin-right: 10%; +} + +.center {text-align: center;} + +.smcap {font-variant: small-caps;} + + +.caption {font-weight: bold; font-size:smaller; } + +/* Images */ +.figcenter { + margin: auto; + text-align: center; +} + + +/* Footnotes */ +.footnotes {border: dashed 1px;} + +.footnote {margin-left: 10%; margin-right: 10%; font-size: 0.9em;} + +.footnote .label {position: absolute; right: 84%; text-align: right;} + +.fnanchor { + vertical-align: super; + font-size: .8em; + text-decoration: + none; +} + + +/* XML end ]]>*/ + </style> + </head> +<body> + + +<pre> + +The Project Gutenberg EBook of Burma, by R.Talbot Kelly + +This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with +almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org + + +Title: Burma + Peeps at Many Lands + +Author: R.Talbot Kelly + +Release Date: September 22, 2009 [EBook #30064] + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 + +*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK BURMA *** + + + + +Produced by Sankar Viswanathan, Chris Curnow, and the +Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net +(This file was produced from images generously made +available by The Internet Archive) + + + + + + +</pre> + + + + +<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;"><a name="pic14" id="pic14"></a> +<img src="images/cover.jpg" width="500" height="736" alt="Cover page" /> +</div> +<p> </p> + +<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;"><a name="pic1" id="pic1"></a> +<img src="images/image_005.jpg" width="500" height="692" alt="THE PAGODA STEPS, RANGOON. Page 18." /> +<span class="caption">THE PAGODA STEPS, RANGOON. <a href="#Page_18">Page 18</a>.</span></div> +<p> </p> +<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;"> +<img src="images/image_006.jpg" width="500" height="719" alt="Title page" /> +</div> +<p> </p> +<h3>PEEPS AT MANY LANDS</h3> +<h1>BURMA</h1> +<p> </p> +<h3>BY</h3> +<h2>R. TALBOT KELLY</h2> +<h4>R.I., R.B.A., F.R.G.S.</h4> +<h5><span class="smcap">Commander of the Medjidieh</span></h5> +<p> </p> +<h4>WITH TWELVE FULL-PAGE ILLUSTRATIONS<br /> +IN COLOUR</h4> +<h3>BY THE AUTHOR</h3> +<p> </p> +<p> </p> +<h3>LONDON</h3> +<h3>ADAM AND CHARLES BLACK</h3> +<h3>1908</h3> + + + + +<hr style="width: 65%;" /> +<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_v" id="Page_v">[v]</a></span></p> +<h2>CONTENTS</h2> + +<table summary="Contents"> +<tr><td class="tocch f1">CHAPTER</td> + <td></td> + <td></td><td class="tocpg f1">PAGE</td> +</tr> +<tr><td class="tocch">I.</td> + <td> </td> + <td><a href="#CHAPTER_I">THE LAND</a></td> +<td class="tocpg"><a href="#Page_1">1</a></td> +</tr> +<tr><td class="tocch">II.</td> + <td> </td> + <td><a href="#CHAPTER_II">RANGOON</a></td> +<td class="tocpg"><a href="#Page_5">5</a></td> +</tr> +<tr><td class="tocch">III.</td> + <td> </td> + <td><a href="#CHAPTER_III">THE PEOPLE</a></td> +<td class="tocpg"><a href="#Page_13">13</a></td> +</tr> +<tr><td class="tocch">IV.</td> + <td> </td> + <td><a href="#CHAPTER_IV">THE IRRAWADDY</a></td> +<td class="tocpg"><a href="#Page_21">21</a></td> +</tr> +<tr><td class="tocch">V.</td> + <td> </td> + <td><a href="#CHAPTER_V">THE IRRAWADDY (<span class="f2"><i>continued</i></span>)</a></td> +<td class="tocpg"><a href="#Page_29">29</a></td> +</tr> +<tr><td class="tocch">VI.</td> + <td> </td> + <td><a href="#CHAPTER_VI">VILLAGE LIFE</a></td> +<td class="tocpg"><a href="#Page_35">35</a></td> +</tr> +<tr><td class="tocch">VII.</td> + <td> </td> + <td><a href="#CHAPTER_VII">TOWN LIFE</a></td> +<td class="tocpg"><a href="#Page_41">41</a></td> +</tr> +<tr><td class="tocch">VIII.</td> + <td> </td> + <td><a href="#CHAPTER_VIII">FIELD WORK</a></td> +<td class="tocpg"><a href="#Page_50">50</a></td> +</tr> +<tr><td class="tocch">IX.</td> + <td> </td> + <td><a href="#CHAPTER_IX">THE FOREST</a></td> +<td class="tocpg"><a href="#Page_56">56</a></td> +</tr> +<tr><td class="tocch">X.</td> + <td> </td> + <td><a href="#CHAPTER_X">THE FOREST (<span class="f2"><i>continued</i>)</span></a></td> +<td class="tocpg"><a href="#Page_65">65</a></td> +</tr> +<tr><td class="tocch">XI.</td> + <td> </td> + <td><a href="#CHAPTER_XI">TEMPLES AND RELIGION</a></td> +<td class="tocpg"><a href="#Page_74">74</a></td> +</tr> +</table> + + + + +<hr style="width: 65%;" /> +<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_vii" id="Page_vii">[vii]</a></span></p> +<h2>LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS</h2> + +<h4>IN COLOUR</h4> + +<h3><span class="smcap">By</span> R. TALBOT KELLY</h3> + + +<table class="table1" summary="List of Illustrations"> +<tr><td><a href="#pic1">THE PAGODA STEPS, RANGOON</a></td> +<td class="tocpg"><span class="f2"><i><a href="#pic1">frontispiece</a></i></span></td> +</tr> +<tr><td></td><td class="tocpg f1">FACING PAGE</td> +</tr> +<tr><td><a href="#pic3">"A DAINTILY-CLAD BURMESE LADY"</a></td> +<td class="tocpg"><a href="#Page_9">9</a></td> +</tr> +<tr><td><a href="#pic4">A REST-HOUSE</a></td> +<td class="tocpg"><a href="#Page_16">16</a></td> +</tr> +<tr><td><a href="#pic5">A NATIVE BOAT SAILING UPSTREAM WITH THE WIND</a></td> +<td class="tocpg"><a href="#Page_25">25</a></td> +</tr> +<tr><td><a href="#pic6">THE IRRAWADDY</a></td> +<td class="tocpg"><a href="#Page_32">32</a></td> +</tr> +<tr><td><a href="#pic7">ENTRANCE TO A BURMESE VILLAGE</a></td> +<td class="tocpg"><a href="#Page_41">41</a></td> +</tr> +<tr><td><a href="#pic8">AT THE WELL</a></td> +<td class="tocpg"><a href="#Page_44">44</a></td> +</tr> +<tr><td><a href="#pic9">THE MARKET-PLACE</a></td> +<td class="tocpg"><a href="#Page_48">48</a></td> +</tr> +<tr><td><a href="#pic10">IN THE DEPTHS OF THE FOREST</a></td> +<td class="tocpg"><a href="#Page_57">57</a></td> +</tr> +<tr><td><a href="#pic11">A DAK BUNGALOW</a></td> +<td class="tocpg"><a href="#Page_64">64</a></td> +</tr> +<tr><td><a href="#pic12">THE QUEEN'S GOLDEN MONASTERY, MANDALAY</a></td> +<td class="tocpg"><a href="#Page_72">72</a></td> +</tr> +<tr><td><a href="#pic13">THE SHWE ZIGON PAGODA, PAGAN</a></td> +<td class="tocpg"><a href="#Page_80">80</a></td> +</tr> +<tr><td><a href="#pic14">SHRINE ON THE PLATFORM OF THE SHWE DAGON PAGODA</a></td> +<td class="tocpg"><span class="f2"><i><a href="#pic14">on the cover</a></i></span></td> +</tr> +</table> +<p class="center"><a href="#pic2"><i>Sketch Map of Burma on p. viii.</i></a></p> + +<hr style="width: 65%;" /> +<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_viii" id="Page_viii">[viii]</a></span></p> + +<div class="figcenter" style="width: 600px;"><a name="pic2" id="pic2"></a> +<img src="images/image_011.jpg" width="600" height="817" alt="" /> +<span class="caption">A SKETCH MAP OF BURMA</span></div> + +<hr style="width: 65%;" /> +<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_1" id="Page_1">[1]</a></span></p> +<h2>BURMA</h2> + +<hr style="width: 65%;" /> +<h2><a name="CHAPTER_I" id="CHAPTER_I"></a>CHAPTER I</h2> + +<h2>THE LAND</h2> + + +<p>How many boys or girls, I wonder, ever turn to their school atlas for +amusement, or try to picture to themselves what manner of countries +those might be whose strange and unfamiliar place-names so often make +their geography lesson a difficulty?</p> + +<p>Yet there are few subjects, I think, which might be made more +interesting than geography, and a map may often serve to suggest +delightful fancies to a boy or girl of imagination.</p> + +<p>Open your atlas at random and see what it has to tell you. Here, +perhaps in the heart of a great continent, stretches a mountain range, +and from it in many directions wind those serpent-like lines which +denote rivers.</p> + +<p>Following these lines in their course, through narrow valleys or wide +plains, we notice that upon their banks presently appear those towns +and cities whose names you so often find it difficult to remember, and +at length, frequently by many mouths that cut up the delta it<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2" id="Page_2">[2]</a></span> has +formed, the river eventually finds its way into the sea.</p> + +<p>These are the simple facts our map gives us, but there is a great deal +of poetry behind. That mountain range is Nature's means of attracting +and holding the moisture-laden clouds which have been blown in from +the sea, and either in the form of rain or snow it stores up the water +evaporated from it.</p> + +<p>By thousands of little rills, or rushing torrents which score furrows +in its sides, the mountain gives up its store of water to feed the +thirsty plains, and with it yields also valuable ores and minerals, +which are often carried many many miles away to enrich a people too +far removed from the mountain to know the origin of their wealth.</p> + +<p>These little streamlets are not marked upon your map, but presently +they join to form one combined river, by which, through the many +hundreds of miles of its windings, the mountain eventually returns its +gathered waters to the sea, from whence they came.</p> + +<p>How interesting to follow the course of such a river, and try to +picture to oneself all it may have to show! What kind of mountain is +it from among whose rugged snow peaks first sprang those plunging +cascades, which, leaping and tossing over their rocky beds, join each +other at its base to form the river itself? Through what wild forests, +filled with curious vegetation, may it not flow, and how strange, +perhaps, are the people who, together with wild beasts and unknown +birds, inhabit its reedy margins!</p> + +<p>As the river grows in size, the grass huts and dug-<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_3" id="Page_3">[3]</a></span>out canoes of its +upper waters give place to towns which bear names, while large and +strangely-shaped boats carry the produce of the country to some great +seaport at its mouth, where ships of all nations are waiting to +transport it over thousands of miles of ocean to supply us with those +many commodities which we have come to regard as daily necessities! If +boys and girls would think of such things geography, I am sure, would +never be a <i>dull</i> study.</p> + +<p>Now, to turn from an imaginary case to a real one, I want to tell you +something about Burma, a country which, though one of the most +interesting and beautiful in the world, is comparatively little known +to the majority of people.</p> + +<p>This may seem surprising when it is remembered that Burma now forms +part of our Indian Empire, and has for many years carried on a large +trade with England. We may perhaps better understand this if we turn +to our atlas and see how the country is situated. As you will see, +Burma lies on the eastern side of the Bay of Bengal, just north of the +Malay Peninsula, joining Siam and China on the one side and the Indian +provinces of Assam and Manipur on the other, while from an unknown +source in the heart of Thibet its great river, the Irrawaddy, flows +throughout the entire length of the country, and through Rangoon, the +seaport at its mouth, forming the great highway for commerce and +communication between the world at large and its little-known +interior.</p> + +<p>Looking at the map again, you will see that on each side of the +Irrawaddy, running north and south, are<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_4" id="Page_4">[4]</a></span> mountain ranges called +"yomas" (or back-bones, as the word means), which divide the country, +while other large rivers, such as the Sittang and Salween, flowing in +deep, precipitous valleys, render any communication with Siam +difficult. On the north-west similar ranges of hills form a barrier +between Burma and the frontier provinces of India, and when I tell you +that all these mountains are densely covered with forest and jungle, +and that the rivers are wide, and in many cases unnavigable, you will +understand how it is that Burma is not better known, and that so few +people undertake the arduous work of exploring its interior. Only by +way of one little corner in the north-east, where Burma joins the +Chinese province of Yunnan, is access from the land side easy, and +here caravans of Yunnanese constantly enter the country to trade at +Bhamo and Hsipaw.</p> + +<p>Otherwise, separated by its mountain chains and forests from the rest +of the world, Burma has for centuries remained untouched and +unspoiled, and it is only since the deposition of King Thebaw, in +1885, and the assumption of its government by England that the gradual +extension of the railway system is slowly bringing the interior into +easier communication with the outside world, and beginning to effect a +change in the character of the people.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 65%;" /> +<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_5" id="Page_5">[5]</a></span></p> +<h2><a name="CHAPTER_II" id="CHAPTER_II"></a>CHAPTER II</h2> + +<h2>RANGOON</h2> + + +<p>Anyone wishing to visit Burma must land at Rangoon, for it is not only +the largest and most important of its seaports, but the only one that +has direct steamer communication with England, or by river traffic and +railways affords access to the interior. The harbour is formed by the +tidal estuary of one of the many mouths of the Irrawaddy. Here it is +very wide, and a large number of steamers and sailing ships ride at +anchor, loading or discharging their cargoes into lighters and +quaintly-shaped native boats.</p> + +<p>Huge rafts of teak wood drift slowly downstream to the saw-mills below +the town, where trained elephants stack the logs with almost human +intelligence, and queer uptilted rowing boats, called "sampans," ferry +passengers across the river, or to the various vessels in the stream. +Long stretches of timber-built quays and iron-roofed "godowns" (or +warehouses) form the wharfs, upon which coolies of all nationalities +toil under the tropical sun. European officers in white drill and +sun-helmets superintend the loading of their vessels, longing to be +finished and away from a spot where everything vibrates and dithers in +the white glare.</p> + +<p>On shore the smoke from the rice-mills adds to the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_6" id="Page_6">[6]</a></span> already +overpowering sense of heat, while from across the water the noise of +hammered iron from the repairing yards completes a picture of bustle, +heat, and toil.</p> + +<p>Yet Rangoon is a very pleasant place to live in, and as many of my +readers will, no doubt, have fathers or brothers in the East, they +will like to hear something about the place, and how people live +there.</p> + +<p>Behind the quay and warehouses the city lies, well laid out in broad +streets and squares, and having many fine shops and buildings. The +houses are mostly of that curious half-Italian, half-Oriental style +which we find in almost all Southern and Eastern seaports. They are +usually painted white, with green shutters to the windows, and are +often surrounded by broad verandas. The roofs are generally of red +tiles, which look pretty among the dark foliage of the trees which +often line the streets, and in spite of "topee"<a name="FNanchor_1_1" id="FNanchor_1_1"></a><a href="#Footnote_1_1" class="fnanchor">[1]</a> and umbrella, +pedestrians are thankful to avail themselves of their shade, for the +air is hot and the white glare of the streets is most trying to the +eyes.</p> + +<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_1_1" id="Footnote_1_1"></a><a href="#FNanchor_1_1"><span class="label">[1]</span></a> Sun-helmet.</p></div> + +<p>People of all nations throng the thoroughfares and bazaars—Indians +and Singalese, Chinese and Burmans—and one's first impression is a +vague confusion of picturesque costumes and unaccustomed types of +mankind; for Rangoon is cosmopolitan to a degree, and can hardly be +called a Burmese town at all.</p> + +<p>Anyone visiting Rangoon for the first time will, I think, be struck by +the many strange trades carried on in the streets, and it is +interesting to sit in the veranda of your hotel in the Strand and +watch the crowd as it <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_7" id="Page_7">[7]</a></span>passes. Here is a water-carrier, whose +terra-cotta water-jars are slung from a bamboo carried on his +shoulder, another man bears on his head a tray upon which a charcoal +fire is cooking a strong-smelling "tit-bit" some hungry labourer will +presently enjoy. Again, a Chinaman, perhaps wearing black skull-cap +and loose jacket and trousers, endeavours to tempt you to purchase the +fans or sunshades he is hawking. Huge baskets of coco-nuts or +vegetables, gaudily printed calicoes and haberdashery, cheap knives +and looking-glasses, and baskets of cool melons, are some of the +articles carried across the shoulders of the pedlars, while porters +pass to and fro bearing huge burdens from one warehouse to another.</p> + +<p>Flocks of goats are driven from house to house to be milked at the +doorstep, and occasionally a hill-man may be seen wandering about in +the hope of finding a purchaser for the freshly-caught leopard he is +leading. What will, perhaps, most strike Europeans are the bullock +gharries by which the heavy traffic of the town is carried on. These +are carts curiously shaped and often carved, with large and very +wide-rimmed wheels. They are drawn by a pair of Indian bullocks, sleek +cream-coloured beasts with mild and patient eyes, and often bearing +enormous horns, which, somewhat after the shape of a lyre, stand four +feet above their heads.</p> + +<p>Excepting for a single rein which is fastened to a ring through the +nose, no harness is used; but, instead, the cattle press against the +wooden yoke which is fixed to the pole of the cart, and is kept in +position by long pins which lie on each side of their necks.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_8" id="Page_8">[8]</a></span></p> + +<p>One thing which distinguishes these bullocks from our own is their +hump, which nearly all Eastern cattle have. This hump not only enables +them the better to work under the yoke, but, as in the case of the +camel, is provided by Nature as a storing-place for surplus fat, upon +which they can unconsciously nourish themselves when pasturage or food +is scarce.</p> + +<p>Large-turbaned Indian police keep order in the streets, where office +"chuprassies," or messengers, wearing their broad, coloured sash of +office across their shoulders, come and go upon their errands, and, +with the white-clad butler of a "Sahib" intent upon his marketing, +mingle with a crowd which is composed of all races and all stations of +life, from the wizened labourer in his loin-cloth to the wealthy baboo +or daintily-clad Burmese lady. It is a wonderful medley of strange +faces, costumes, and tongues, and among it all the self-sufficient +crow fights with the "pi" dogs over the garbage, to the amusement of +the children, who, often quite naked, play about the gutters.</p> + +<p>No such crowd in England could possibly have the same charm, for here +dirt, hunger, and rags are always apparent, while there the dirt is +lost in the glorious sunshine, and, instead of rags, we find bright +colours, while the people, though often poor, seldom, if ever, go +hungry.</p> + +<p>I have tried to give you some little idea of the life of the streets, +and now let us see something of the life of the "Sahib" in Rangoon.</p> + +<p>You boys and girls whose fathers are in India know that "Sahib" means +the Englishman, the merchant or official who carries on the business +affairs or government <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_9" id="Page_9">[9]</a></span>of the country, and many of you may remember +something of your very young days out there, before the time arrived +when it became necessary for you to leave the East and come to school +in England.</p> + +<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;"><a name="pic3" id="pic3"></a> +<img src="images/image_021.jpg" width="400" height="578" alt="A DAINTILY-CLAD BURMESE LADY. Page 8." /> +<span class="caption">A DAINTILY-CLAD BURMESE LADY. <a href="#Page_8">Page 8</a>.</span></div> + +<p>Well, I may say that the English "Sahib" works very hard indeed, and I +am afraid he is already busy at his office long before we in England +have thought of getting up. Somewhere about six o'clock, after a light +breakfast called "chota-hazri," he is at his office, which he seldom +leaves till the evening. The offices are large and airy, and all the +windows are shaded by jalousies, or grass mats, which in hot weather +are wetted so as to cool the air as it passes through them. Slung from +the ceiling in long rows over tables or desks are the "punkahs," or +fans, which a "punkah-wallah" outside in the veranda pulls to and fro +with a rope in order to keep the hot air moving, and prevent the flies +and mosquitoes from settling. Every one, though clothed in the +lightest suit, works with his coat off, and in many cases, so as not +to interrupt the day's routine, "tiffin," or lunch, is eaten in the +office. Work is hard, steady, and continuous, and no one who has not +been there knows how well our relations in the East earn its many +compensations.</p> + +<p>Life there is not <i>all</i> work, however, and its social conditions are +very attractive. From the time when his "tum-tum"<a name="FNanchor_2_2" id="FNanchor_2_2"></a><a href="#Footnote_2_2" class="fnanchor">[2]</a> arrives at the +close of office-hours and the "Sahib" bowls merrily homewards, a new +life begins. Town becomes deserted, and the suburbs awake to offer +amusement and relaxation to the workers.</p> + +<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_2_2" id="Footnote_2_2"></a><a href="#FNanchor_2_2"><span class="label">[2]</span></a> Dogcart.</p></div> + +<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_10" id="Page_10">[10]</a></span></p> + +<p>Let us accompany one of our friends on his way home. The sun is +declining and the air already much cooler, and the drive through the +shopping streets and the squares is very enjoyable. The town is soon +passed, however, and broad roads well shaded with many tropical +growths lead to cantonments, as the suburbs are called. Here are the +military lines as well as the bungalows of the residents. These +bungalows are generally large and comfortable-looking, and one can see +from their broad verandas and well-shaded windows that they are +designed for coolness. Nearly all are built of timber, and each stands +in its own compound, which is usually gay with flowers and well +provided with shade-trees. Separated from the house but connected with +it by a covered walk are the kitchens, and in a corner of the garden +are the stables, for horses are an essential in Rangoon.</p> + +<p>As we drive along the quiet roads they gradually become animated. The +ladies, who have been resting indoors during the great heat of the +day, pass us on their way to their tennis-parties or other +engagements, while, in charge of picturesquely-clad Burmese or Indian +ayahs, the little ones take their evening walk. Groups of Burmans of +the better class with their wives promenade the cool avenues in happy +contentment, or wend their way towards Dalhousie Park. The whole scene +is pretty and domestic, and the roads themselves form beautiful vistas +in the evening light, which gilds the feathery crests of the coco-nuts +and gives added colour to the deep-toned foliage of the padouk and +other trees which fringe them. Song-birds which are<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_11" id="Page_11">[11]</a></span> strange to us +call each other from the groves, and in the bamboo clumps the +grasshoppers are beginning to sing, while floating in the air, which +is now fresh and cool, is the scent of many flowers from the gardens.</p> + +<p>Dalhousie Park is one of the many attractions of Rangoon. It is large +and well laid out, with a very pretty lake, which winds among the +well-arranged groups of forest trees. There is a boat club here, and +gliding over the still water are many rowing boats and small sailing +craft. Swans and ducks are swimming about as the swallow skims the +surface of the water, breaking its deep reflections with a silver +streak. All the paths are thronged with people, some driving, others +on foot, and most of them presently congregate about the bandstand to +enjoy the music or exchange the gossip of the day. It is quite an +interesting sight. All the fashionable life of Rangoon is represented +here, and mingling with it are yellow-robed Buddhist priests and +natives of all classes; for the Burman loves to come here in the +evening, to listen to the band or watch the changing glory of the sky +as the sun slowly sets behind his beloved pagoda.</p> + +<p>Now the sun has set, and every one hastily puts on overcoats or wraps +before driving home, for the air becomes suddenly cold, and neglect of +these precautions will probably result in fever.</p> + +<p>Many adjourn to the gymkhana club before returning home. This is +principally a man's club, but here also on many days a band plays, and +the sight is a pretty one indeed as the children and their ayahs play +about the lawn, while their parents enjoy their tea at the little<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_12" id="Page_12">[12]</a></span> +tables scattered about it, before the falling dew drives the little +ones homewards, and their elders to the club-house for a game of +billiards or a chat.</p> + +<p>All this side of Rangoon life is very pleasant and very interesting, +but it is not Burmese. Rangoon has for so long been a great trade +centre that the easy-going Burman is rather overshadowed; but as it is +typical of many foreign places where our fathers or brothers are +occupied, and where some of my readers may presently have to go, I +thought it would be interesting to give you this glimpse of European +life in India, and in the next chapter I will tell you something about +the Burmans themselves.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 65%;" /> +<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_13" id="Page_13">[13]</a></span></p> +<h2><a name="CHAPTER_III" id="CHAPTER_III"></a>CHAPTER III</h2> + +<h2>THE PEOPLE</h2> + + +<p>Have you ever thought how the character of the various races of the +world is more or less determined by the nature of the country of their +origin? Rugged mountains and a hard climate produce people of a +similar severity of type, and, on the other hand, one naturally looks +for poetry and music in a people so pleasantly and romantically +situated as are the Italians. In the same way the Burmese are pretty +much what their country has made them. The land is so very fertile +that almost anything will grow there, and Nature provides food for the +people with the least possible effort on their own part. The climate +is also damp, warm, and enervating, so that one would not expect to +find among its inhabitants much energy or decision of character. Their +beautiful religion also makes them kind and gentle, and their +isolation, which, as I have pointed out, separates them from the +neighbouring countries, has left them almost entirely undisturbed by +the activities of the greater world. In fact, on account of their +easy-going and contented nature, the Burmese are often called the +"Irish of the East," and I am afraid it must be said that the men are +rather lazy, and,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_14" id="Page_14">[14]</a></span> like their prototypes in some parts of Ireland, +leave most of the work to the women.</p> + +<p>As a rule, the Burmese women are industrious and clever at business, +most of which is conducted by them, while the men are more fond of +sport of all kinds than employment. All, however, are gentle in +character, light-hearted, and merry, and like to repeat in their +clothing the beautiful tints of their forest flowers and +gaily-coloured birds and butterflies.</p> + +<p>It is not surprising, therefore, that among the alien races so busily +engaged in the trade of Rangoon the Burmans should be overshadowed and +rather lost to sight; and though in Rangoon itself there are many +streets occupied entirely by them, it is in the quieter surroundings +of the suburbs that the Burman appears to advantage.</p> + +<p>Many little Burmese villages surround Rangoon, where, half buried in +the trees and creepers which envelop them, the quaint dwellings lie +more or less secluded from the road. All are built of timber or +bamboo, and have nothing in their design to make them noticeable. +Among them, however, are occasional "kyoungs," or Buddhist +monasteries, which are much more ornamental and striking. Like their +other buildings, the "kyoung" is constructed of timber, and stands +upon a wooden platform raised from the ground some four or five feet +by thick posts, which are usually carried through the balustrade which +surrounds the platform, and terminate in a carved head, steps leading +to the stage upon which the monastery is built. These "kyoungs" are +very curious in design, the walls, doors,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_15" id="Page_15">[15]</a></span> and windows being +ornamented with carving, while their succession of roofs, one above +the other, often rise to a great height. To afford shade to the +platform below, the roofs project considerably beyond the walls, and +the ridges of each are decorated with carved woodwork representing +their "nats" and "beloos," as they call their good and evil spirits, +and the ends of the eaves terminate in a very striking ornament +supposed to represent the peacock, which, as you will see from the +picture, gives the building a very quaint appearance indeed. Sometimes +the monasteries are gilded, and the doors and wall-panels inlaid with +looking-glass, tinsel, and other glittering material, which makes them +appear very gorgeous in the sunlight.</p> + +<p>These monasteries are occupied by Buddhist priests, who teach the +children of the neighbourhood, or instruct the pilgrims who visit them +in the beauties of their religion, of which I shall have something to +tell you presently. All the priests have shaven heads, and wear a +simple robe of cotton, dyed to a bright yellow by the juice of the +cutch-tree. Gentle and hospitable themselves, they lead the most +simple lives. All the food they eat is given by the people, and it is +a very picturesque sight to see the daily procession of priests and +novices, each carrying a bowl in which to receive the offerings of +food so willingly given by the inmates of the houses they visit. No +request for alms is ever made, nor any word of thanks spoken, for such +gifts are freely offered by a people who believe in their religion, +and do so as an "act of merit."</p> + +<p>Close by the monasteries are the "zeyats," or homes<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_16" id="Page_16">[16]</a></span> for wandering +pilgrims. Though their roofs are ornamented in the same way as the +"kyoungs," they are more simple in appearance, and often have one side +entirely open to the air. Built primarily for pilgrims, anyone may use +them, and often a belated traveller is very thankful to take advantage +of their shelter against the night dews or tropical rains.</p> + +<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;"><a name="pic4" id="pic4"></a> +<img src="images/image_030.jpg" width="500" height="685" alt="A REST HOUSE." /> +<span class="caption">A REST HOUSE.</span></div> + +<p>Another striking feature of their architecture is the "pyathat," or +spire of five or seven roofs, each smaller than the other, which +finish in what they call a "ti," or umbrella of wrought iron +ornamented with flowers, and from which little bells and cymbals swing +and tinkle in the breeze. These spires, however, are only erected over +sacred buildings or the palace of a King.</p> + +<p>Most beautiful of all their buildings is the pagoda, as their temples +are called, and most beautiful, perhaps, of all the temples in Burma +is the great Shwe Dagon pagoda in Rangoon. "Shwe" means golden, and +this beautiful bell-shaped pyramid, which rises 370 feet above the +mound upon which it is built, is entirely overlaid with gold. The +mound itself, which is of considerable height, is artificially made, +the earth having been carried there in order to form a fortress and a +pedestal for the shrine. These pagodas are constructed of solid +brickwork, in which is often enclosed some sacred relic. Originally of +small dimensions, generations of Kings have from time to time added +further layers of brickwork to the gradually increasing structure, +until to-day this stupendous Shwe Dagon pagoda stands before us so +immense and so beautiful as to be rightly considered one of the +wonders of the world. Around <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_17" id="Page_17">[17]</a></span>the base of the temple is a large +number of shrines, each lofty, beautified by carved woodwork and +towering pinnacles, richly embellished with gilding and coloured +inlay, and each worthy itself to be a separate temple. Fantastic +images and carved balustrades connect the various shrines with each +other and with the great temple itself, and from ornamental pedestals +spring conventional representations of the sacred tree of Buddha, +delicately wrought in iron. Tall flagstaffs, 60 or 80 feet high, +surmounted by emblematical figures or representations of the Brahminy +duck, float their long streamers in the wind, while the sound of +tinkling bells descends from the "tis" with which every pinnacle is +crowned. Surrounding all is a broad platform fringed with shops and +other buildings, for the Burmese love their pagoda, and many spend +their days here, and the necessities of life must be provided.</p> + +<p>Nowhere in all Burma may a better idea of the Burmese be obtained than +on this pagoda platform. At all times of the day it is thronged by +people, not only from Rangoon, but from all parts of the country, who +come to pray or wonder at its beauty. At the shrines, in which are +always one or more images of Buddha, groups of devout Burmans pray. +Lighted candles burn before the images, while the worshippers, among +whom it will be noticed women predominate, bear flowers in their +hands, which before their departure they reverently lay upon the niche +in which the "Master" is enshrined.</p> + +<p>These flowers and coloured candles are sold upon the platform, leading +up to which are several covered<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_18" id="Page_18">[18]</a></span> staircases, which form the best +bazaar in Rangoon, as in the shops on either side of the ascent almost +everything from jewellery and toys to food-stuffs may be bought. The +entrance from the street below is very striking. The flight of broad +steps leads to a gilded and painted pavilion, on either side of which +stand enormous leogryphs, the mythical guardians of the temple. +Passing through an archway embellished by figures of "nats" and other +imaginary creatures, a long succession of steps, covered throughout +the whole distance by ornamental roofs, leads to the temple above, and +at all times of the day is thronged by brightly-clothed pedestrians, +ascending and descending through the alternate gleams of sunlight and +cool shade of the bazaar. Nowhere else in Burma can the people be +better studied than here, all classes being represented, and it may be +interesting if I describe them more closely. Like their neighbours of +Siam and China, the Burmese are Mongolian in type, but, without so +pronounced a cheekbone and slanting eye as the Chinese, are more +pleasing in appearance. Indeed, the men are often handsome, and among +the women and young girls I have seen many of extreme beauty. While +the men are often sallow, the women are generally more ruddy in +complexion, and all have hair of an almost purple blackness. Their +clothing is bright and clean-looking. All wear a short jacket, usually +white, though ladies of the better degree sometimes adopt figured +velvets and other rich materials. The men commonly wear a "lungyi," or +short skirt composed of coloured silk<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_19" id="Page_19">[19]</a></span> or cloth gathered round their +loins, or the more elaborate "petsoe," which is made of coloured silk +and in which many yards of loose material twisted into a bunch about +the waist serves as an additional scarf or head-dress should it be +cold. Short socks and boots of European make are now unfortunately +commonly worn, while a silk scarf of bright colour tied round the head +completes the male costume.</p> + +<p>The women are clad in much the same way, wearing a similar "lungyi" +and jacket or the more beautiful "temaine," a skirt of rich figured +silk, which is open on one side, exposing the leg up to the knee, to +which is added a broad fringe of darker material, which trails upon +the ground, giving it a more graceful appearance than the shorter +"lungyi." Wooden sandals are worn on the feet, while on their +shoulders is thrown a long scarf of delicately-coloured silk. Unlike +the men, the women wear no head-dress, but take great pride in their +hair, which is always glossy and well dressed, and almost invariably +is adorned by a comb or some choice flower. Endowed by Nature with +beautiful hands, they love to accentuate the point by a display of +jewellery, which, though sometimes worn to excess, is always <i>good</i>, +for the Burmese lady would scorn to wear a spurious gem. Pretty fans +or handkerchiefs are carried in the hand, while, like a halo +surrounding the head, dainty parasols, semi-transparent and +hand-painted, shield them from the sun. It is difficult to give any +true impression of such a Burmese crowd, in which every conceivable +variety of tint and texture is displayed, and permeating which is a +sense of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_20" id="Page_20">[20]</a></span> universal gaiety and lightness of heart. It is like nothing +so much as a beautiful flower-garden, while the people themselves +would seem to be as free from care as the butterflies that hover above +the blooms.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 65%;" /> +<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_21" id="Page_21">[21]</a></span></p> +<h2><a name="CHAPTER_IV" id="CHAPTER_IV"></a>CHAPTER IV</h2> + +<h2>THE IRRAWADDY</h2> + + +<p>To all countries rivers serve the same purpose as the veins in one's +body, being their great source of life and activity. Not only do they +drain and fertilize the land, but also afford the readiest and most +economical means of transit for its trade; consequently on their banks +are found the largest cities and most active commercial life of the +country.</p> + +<p>This is particularly true of Burma, for, railways still being few in +number, the Irrawaddy forms its great highway for traffic, and a large +fleet of steamers plies regularly with freight and passengers between +Rangoon, Mandalay, and Bhamo, while thousands of native craft of all +shapes and sizes assist in the carrying trade of the country.</p> + +<p>For a thousand miles the Irrawaddy is alive with traffic, and on its +banks have settled the greater proportion of the population of the +country, for with the exception of a few isolated towns and +settlements, which are surrounded by cultivated areas of limited +extent, the whole country away from the river-banks is densely covered +by scrub jungle and primeval forest, practically uninhabited and +uncultivable. Throughout the length of the river, however, is one long +series<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_22" id="Page_22">[22]</a></span> of towns and villages, whose pagodas and monasteries crown +every knoll, and whose population seems largely to live upon the +water.</p> + +<p>The Irrawaddy is a stream of great size and volume, and, like all +rivers subject to periodic flood, is enclosed by high banks of +alluvial deposit, between which the river winds its devious way, laden +with that rich and fertile mud which, in the course of ages, has +formed the delta at its mouth.</p> + +<p>In the case of the Irrawaddy this delta is of large extent, and is +everywhere intersected by the deep creeks which form the many mouths +of the river, thus breaking up the alluvial plain into numerous +islands, between which communication is impossible except by means of +boats.</p> + +<p>These islands are for the most part covered with a dense jungle, which +forms a lair for tigers and many other wild beasts, and so close do +these tigers approach to Rangoon that one was recently shot inside the +great pagoda, in which it had taken refuge. While there I heard of an +amusing adventure which befell the keeper of the lighthouse at the +mouth of the Rangoon River. He was enjoying a morning stroll along the +beach, reading a book as he walked, and, as the sun was bright, he +held his white umbrella before him to shield himself from the glare of +sand and water. Suddenly he stumbled over a tiger lying fast asleep +upon the shore, and with a yell of terror the lighthouse man, dropping +book and sunshade on the ground, fled away as hard as he could run in +one direction, to discover presently that the tiger, just as much +alarmed as him<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_23" id="Page_23">[23]</a></span>self, had made an equally precipitous flight in the +other.</p> + +<p>All these lower water-ways of the Irrawaddy are tidal, for they are +quite close to the sea, and at high water the land is scarcely raised +at all above the water level. Mango-trees, dwarf palms, and reeds +fringe the muddy banks, on which, raised upon poles and built partly +over the water, are the huts of the fishermen, who, half naked, ply +their calling in quaintly-shaped, dug-out canoes. To the north of the +principal creek which connects Rangoon with Bassein stretches a vast +plain of fertile "paddy" land, where each year is grown that enormous +crop of rice which forms Burma's chief export.</p> + +<p>From every landing-place cargo boats of many kinds, manned by crews of +different nationalities, drop downstream to Rangoon, heavily laden +with "paddy," as the unhusked rice is called, which, after treatment +at the mills, will be shipped abroad.</p> + +<p>Though hardly beautiful, perhaps, these tidal waters are of great +interest to the new-comer, who probably for the first time sees the +feathery coco-nut and graceful areca-palm growing in their natural +state among the many other strange trees that flourish upon the banks. +At each stopping-place, also, is the picturesque native village, often +surrounded by banana-groves and gardens of sesamum. High on the banks +boats are being built or repaired, in readiness for next season's +flood, while on the water the continuous stream of traffic is of +never-failing interest.</p> + +<p>Above Prome, however, where the river flows between<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_24" id="Page_24">[24]</a></span> the mountain +ranges which form the great backbone of Burma, every mile of the +journey is of great and varied beauty.</p> + +<p>The banks are high, and cut into terraces by the varying levels of the +river, and are crowned by a belt of almost continuous forest-trees, +among which, half hidden in the foliage, are the towns and villages +which so frequently occur on both banks. Behind, the rising ground, +naturally rocky and broken, is entirely enveloped by a dense forest, +which stretches in leafy undulations to the lofty mountains which loom +in the far distance.</p> + +<p>The Irrawaddy is rapid in its flow, and, like all flood rivers, is +constantly changing its course, as the scour of the water washes away +a portion of the bank from one spot, to form a sand-bank in the stream +lower down. Consequently, navigation for large steamers is difficult, +and the whole course has to be marked out by buoys of bamboo, which, +in some of the more difficult reaches, must be constantly changed. +Some of these steamers plying on the Irrawaddy are very large, being +over 300 feet long, and nearly 80 feet in width. Many of them carry +upwards of 2,000 passengers, mostly deck passengers, who, in the aft +part of the ship, conduct a travelling bazaar for the benefit of such +towns and villages on the banks as have no regular shops of their own. +At each landing-place crowds of people, again mostly women, are +awaiting the arrival of the steamer, carrying various goods for sale +or barter, while others eagerly board the steamer to make such +purchases as they require.</p> + +<p>Almost every requisite of life may be bought in these <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_25" id="Page_25">[25]</a></span>floating +bazaars—clothing, cutlery, or hardware, lamps and looking-glasses +(which latter are always in great demand), preserved eggs from China, +English flour, Indian curries and sweetmeats, cooking utensils, +"ngapi" (or rotted fish) from Yandoon, are some of the articles +offered for sale, in return for which the villagers have to offer +supplies of oil, cutch, rice, native silks, and beautifully-made +baskets and lacquer-work.</p> + +<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;"><a name="pic5" id="pic5"></a> +<img src="images/image_041.jpg" width="500" height="661" alt="A NATIVE BOAT SAILING UPSTREAM WITH THE WIND. Page 26" /> +<span class="caption">A NATIVE BOAT SAILING UPSTREAM WITH THE WIND. <a href="#Page_26">Page 26</a>.</span></div> + +<p>At important stations the landing-places consist of barges moored +alongside the banks, and these are moved from time to time as the +varying levels of the river demand. More frequently, however, the bows +of the steamer are simply run into the bank, while its crew of +Chittagonians jump overboard to carry the mooring rope ashore. It is +amusing to watch the mass of struggling humanity who throng the +landing-places on the arrival of the steamer. Every one, whether +landing or embarking, strives to be first upon the narrow gangway +which connects the steamer's sponson<a name="FNanchor_3_3" id="FNanchor_3_3"></a><a href="#Footnote_3_3" class="fnanchor">[3]</a> with the shore, with the +result that many are thrown into the water. Each is intent upon +conducting his business to the best possible advantage in the limited +time at his disposal, for the steamer's visit does not occur every +day, and its stay is short.</p> + +<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_3_3" id="Footnote_3_3"></a><a href="#FNanchor_3_3"><span class="label">[3]</span></a> The small platform which connects the paddle-box with the +steamer's deck.</p></div> + +<p>Along the margin of the river are many who, indifferent to the arrival +of the mail, are engaged in washing their clothes or utensils, while +boys and girls gambol on the banks, or, swimming with delightful ease, +frolic round the steamer in the water.</p> + +<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_26" id="Page_26">[26]</a></span></p><p>Interesting though life in the steamer is, that of the river as seen +from its decks is even more so. The native boats are most quaint in +their designs, the most striking being the "laungzat." This is a +vessel often of very large size, and capable of carrying a large +amount of cargo. Its bows are sharply uptilted, the cut-water +frequently rising clear of the water. The hull is beautifully +modelled, and the stern, rising high above the water in a sort of +tower, is often elaborately carved. Half its length is covered by a +deck-house for the crew, on the roof of which a canopy of reeds or +grasses gives shelter to the steersman, who, raised in this way, is +better able to steer clear of the shoals and shallows which beset the +stream, and which from the lower deck would probably not be seen. The +rudder is a long paddle, also carved, which is slung in a loop over +the stern, while a further decorative effect is often obtained by +inverted soda-water bottles stuck upon poles along the sides.</p> + +<p>Coming downstream the vessel is propelled by oars, usually twelve to +sixteen, which the crew ply with a slow rhythmic swing. During the +monsoons, when strong winds blow upstream, sails are used instead of +oars. The mast is composed of two bamboos lashed together at the top, +their lower ends being made fast to the gunwale. On this frame, from +bamboo yards curved slightly upwards, is spread a curious combination +of six or seven square sails, which, though only of use when running +before the wind, enable the boat to travel at a great speed. There are +many other kinds of boats in use, all equally distinctive in +character; and even the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_27" id="Page_27">[27]</a></span> dug-out canoe is pretty, its fore-foot rising +clear of the water in a slight curve, which lends an element of beauty +to what would otherwise have been simply a straight log.</p> + +<p>Fishing is frequent along the river-bank, the favourite appliances +being nets of various kinds. Often on a sand-bank may be seen a little +hut raised high above the ground, and composed of bamboo and reeds. +This is the shelter for the fisherman, who with a drag-net buoyed by +sun-dried gourds fishes the neighbouring shallows. Hand-nets are +occasionally used, but most interesting, perhaps, is the curious kind +of cradle by which a net stretched upon a bamboo frame is let down +into the water from the bank, particularly on the passing of a +steamer, when the startled fish dart in shore and are caught in the +net, which is raised at the proper moment by the watchers on the bank.</p> + +<p>Very interesting also are the rafts, composed of logs of teak and +pyingado, which, cut in the forests far inland, are constructed in the +creeks, as the forest streams are called, and are then launched into +the Irrawaddy upon their voyage of often many weeks before Rangoon is +reached.</p> + +<p>These rafts are frequently of enormous size, and are manned by crews +of Shans, whose numbers vary according to their size. Without means of +propulsion, the rafts simply drift with the stream, but are guided to +some extent by a number of paddles fixed at either end, by which the +crews endeavour, not always successfully, to keep them clear of shoals +and their heads downstream.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_28" id="Page_28">[28]</a></span></p> + +<p>In many cases the population of a raft is so considerable that quite a +little village of huts is built upon it, and I have seen cows, goats, +and fowls, as well as the wives and children of the crew, housed upon +it. In one case at least I remember seeing a raft upon which was +erected a bamboo pagoda, and frequently upon the sand-banks in the +river small pagodas of the same material are erected for devout +watermen.</p> + +<p>Not least among the many beauties of the Irrawaddy are the glorious +sunsets behind the "Yomas," when the colours are repeated in the +limpid water, which perfectly reflects the pinnacles of "kyoungs" or +pagodas, or the pretty village that lies half hidden amidst the varied +foliage which in rich masses crowns the banks.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 65%;" /> +<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_29" id="Page_29">[29]</a></span></p> +<h2><a name="CHAPTER_V" id="CHAPTER_V"></a>CHAPTER V</h2> + +<h2>THE IRRAWADDY (<span class="f2"><i>continued</i></span>)</h2> + + +<p>Almost every morning dense mists hang upon the river, screening +everything from view until the sun, slowly gaining power, presently +dispels the fog and reveals the beauty of the scene.</p> + +<p>Very beautiful indeed are some of these panoramas disclosed in the +early sunlight.</p> + +<p>Close beside the high and clear-cut bank, crowned with flowering +kine-grass, our steamer lies, the silently-flowing river gurgling and +bubbling under our keel. The water is quite still, and repeats every +detail of the opposite shore, behind which, rising terrace upon +terrace, are the wooded "Yomas," in whose ravines and valleys still +hangs some remnant of the fog. The foliage is of many kinds, the +feathery tamarind and acacia contrasting well with the more heavily +leaved banyan; betel-nut and toddy-palm rise above the mulberry or +mimosa, and conspicuous among the varied tints of the forest is the +delicate green of the bamboo, to the Burman the most useful perhaps of +all the forest growths, and everywhere abounding.</p> + +<p>Life awakens with the sun. Herds of cattle roam along the shore, while +in the fields from raised platforms half-nude men and boys scare +wild-fowl from the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_30" id="Page_30">[30]</a></span> ripening crops. The smoke of many fires on shore +and from the craft upon the water rises perpendicularly in the still +air, as the frugal morning meal is being prepared ere another day's +work begins.</p> + +<p>Between its banks the Irrawaddy sweeps in splendid curves, producing +an ever-growing sense of bigness and dignity. Some of its reaches are +very wide, and have more the appearance of an inland lake than a +river. On such sand-banks as are not already occupied by fishermen, +flocks of wild-goose, storks, and other waders are roosting or fishing +in the shallow pools. Kingfishers dart hither and thither after their +prey, and wild-duck in great numbers settle upon its smooth surface, +to feast upon the teeming fish with which the river abounds.</p> + +<p>In general the scene is one of placid beauty: even the rugged mountain +sides are smoothed and softened by their covering of greenery, and the +warm air and limpid water combine to produce an effect of quietude and +repose, which the contented character of the Burman does little to +disturb.</p> + +<p>At certain places, however, as in the defile above Mandalay, the +scenery is of a more vigorous character.</p> + +<p>Here the river narrows considerably, and in its deep and silent flow +winds for many miles between high hills which closely confine it, and +in one place rise in a perpendicular cliff 800 feet sheer above the +water.</p> + +<p>I was fortunate in approaching the defile in the early dawn, when the +morning mists still hung heavy upon the hills of lurid blackness which +marked its entrance. Between them was an impenetrable gloom, which +seemed<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_31" id="Page_31">[31]</a></span> to promise no means of egress, and as we steamed rapidly +towards it, one unconsciously felt that here was the end of all +things, and that nothing could possibly lie beyond. It was a most +weird sensation, which the river, so darkly flowing between banks we +could hardly see, served to emphasize.</p> + +<p>Presently the rising sun lit up the clouds of vapour piled high above +the hills, and then for half an hour continued the most beautiful and +ever-changing play of colour imaginable, as the slowly-moving fog +wreaths wound about the mountain tops, now rosy in the sunlight, or +again in pearly shade, while alternate gloom and gleam tipped the +hills with gold or enveloped them in a purple mystery.</p> + +<p>By the time our steamer entered the defile full daylight better +enabled us to observe our surroundings.</p> + +<p>Here, as elsewhere, the vegetation was luxuriant; every crevice in the +rocks afforded foothold for some tree or creeper, while the hilltops +and more sloping sides were densely covered with forest trees.</p> + +<p>The passage of the defile occupies about two hours, and the course of +the river is very tortuous.</p> + +<p>At the bends little beaches of bright shingle lie against the +tree-roots. Fishing cradles, such as I have described, are frequent, +and cormorants in great numbers share with the fishermen the spoils of +the river, for nowhere on the Irrawaddy are the fish of better quality +than here.</p> + +<p>Altogether, in the impressiveness of its scenery, the quiet, +irresistible flow of the river, and the bright tints and varied +growths of the forest, the lower defile of the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_32" id="Page_32">[32]</a></span> Irrawaddy forms one of +the most striking scenes I have ever enjoyed; and if the river had no +other beauty than this to show, it alone would amply repay the +traveller for his journey.</p> + +<div class="figcenter" style="width: 600px;"><a name="pic6" id="pic6"></a> +<img src="images/image_050.jpg" width="600" height="441" alt="THE IRRAWADDY. Chapters IV and V." /> +<span class="caption">THE IRRAWADDY. Chapters <a href="#CHAPTER_IV">IV</a> and <a href="#CHAPTER_V">V</a>.</span></div> + +<p>Though in general so fertile, there is one part of the river where the +hills which lie on its western side are entirely barren, and the +reddish-yellow rocks appear very hot and uninviting by comparison. Yet +this forbidding district is one of the busiest and richest of all +Burma, for this is the great oil-field of the country, and the +chimneys of pumping stations which stretch for miles along the hills +and river-bank show how actively the trade is being worked. Formerly +Burma was obliged to import all her lamp-oil from America, but now, +although a certain amount of American oil is still imported, Burma not +only produces sufficient for their own use, but is able to export a +considerable quantity to other countries, and many of the steamers on +the river use the crude or unrefined oil as fuel.</p> + +<p>Here and there in the river are moored curious-looking dredgers +engaged in pumping up the river sand, from which is separated the gold +dust with which it is so freely mixed. The gold comes from unknown +veins hundreds of miles away, and is to be found in greater or less +quantities all down the river, and though the natives have always been +in the habit of "washing for gold," it is only within the last few +years that any real attempt has been made to work it on a large scale.</p> + +<p>The Irrawaddy has many tributaries, but though the larger streams, +such as the Chindwin and Mu Rivers, are always flowing, most of the +smaller forest streams are <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_33" id="Page_33">[33]</a></span>dry, excepting during the monsoon, which +continues from May until September. At this season, swelled into +torrents by the rains, they pour into the Irrawaddy, quickly raising +its level 40 to 50 feet, and the peaceful river which I have described +becomes a mighty flood, in places 2 miles in width, full to the top of +its banks and overflowing the fields and flooding the village streets, +and sweeping away from its sand-banks those huts and pagodas and other +temporary buildings we have noticed, while the mud which its turbid +waters carry each year adds a little to the delta at its mouth.</p> + +<p>Very often crossing the mouth of these tributaries you may see a +framework of bamboo, over which fishing-nets are spread as the river +rises, and in the pools of slack water which lie at the mouths of the +forest creeks a great collection of logs lie floating. These logs have +been cut in the forest long before, and have gradually been collected +at some such convenient spot, where a large number of natives are +busily engaged in building them into one of those huge rafts so +constantly met with on the river. These rafts have a long journey +before them, and constantly grounding as they do, no ropes would hold +them together through all the wear and tear of their weeks upon the +water, so instead of ropes rattan is used. This is a peculiarly long, +tough, and flexible cane, which grows all over the forests, and is +often a hundred yards or more in length. The logs are mostly of teak +(about which I will tell you more presently) and pyingado or +iron-wood, which is so heavy that it sinks in the water, and +consequently rafts<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_34" id="Page_34">[34]</a></span> of bamboo are first built, and beneath them the +pyingado logs are slung.</p> + +<p>An interesting place is Bhamo, the last station for the river steamers +and close to the frontier of China. The town is more Chinese than +Burman in character, though on the banks of the River Taiping are the +remains of pagodas and other buildings of purely Burmese origin.</p> + +<p>Then, again, there are other defiles on the river beside the one I +have already described, and many other points of interest which I +might mention. Thabeitkyan, the landing-place for the ruby-mines, +three days' journey inland; the rocky island with its monastery and +pagoda, whose priests are said to be able to tame the fish in the +river, which they feed by hand; the great bell at Mingoon, or the +water-side fair at Shwegu, and a host of others. It would be +impossible for me to tell you about everything of interest that the +Irrawaddy has to show, but perhaps I have said enough to give you some +little idea of how beautiful and interesting a river it is.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 65%;" /> +<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_35" id="Page_35">[35]</a></span></p> +<h2><a name="CHAPTER_VI" id="CHAPTER_VI"></a>CHAPTER VI</h2> + +<h2>VILLAGE LIFE</h2> + + +<p>Leaving the river, let us go ashore at one of the many villages on its +banks, and see how the Burmese live.</p> + +<p>Our steamer lies alongside of the bank while the cargo is being +landed, and its fuel of eng-wood is put on board. This is hard work, +and is generally done by girls, who are paid by piece-work, and +generally lose no time in the operation. Bales and cases lie upon the +bank, and are being loaded into bullock-carts or carried to the top of +the "bund," as the bank is called, where pack-ponies are waiting to +carry them to more distant destinations.</p> + +<p>The villagers "shikoh"<a name="FNanchor_4_4" id="FNanchor_4_4"></a><a href="#Footnote_4_4" class="fnanchor">[4]</a> as we land, and swarms of youngsters follow +us on our tour of the village; but though greatly interested in +ourselves and our hardly-concealed curiosity, they are always polite +and never annoy us in any way.</p> + +<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_4_4" id="Footnote_4_4"></a><a href="#FNanchor_4_4"><span class="label">[4]</span></a> The Burmese form of salute.</p></div> + +<p>The village lies close beside the river, and is, as usual, bowered in +trees, which overhang the bank. Its other three sides are enclosed by +a stockade of thorns or wooden palings as a protection against wild +beasts or attack by dacoits, bands of robbers who <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_36" id="Page_36">[36]</a></span>until recently +lurked in the jungles, and often raided outlying and unprotected +villages.</p> + +<p>The stockade is nearly always overgrown with creeping plants, yellow +convolvulus, tropæolum, and a charming little climber like +canariensis. On each side is a gate built of balks of timber, and so +heavy that it must run on wheels. This gate is always shut at +nightfall, so that no one can enter the village unknown to the +watchman, who is called "kinthamah" and keeps his "kin" in a little +booth called "kinteaine" erected close beside the gate.</p> + +<p>By the gates and at intervals along the roadside are little cupboards +raised above the ground and thatched with grasses called "yaiohzin"; +these contain jars of drinking water for the use of wayfarers, and are +always kept replenished by the villagers. The drinking cup is usually +made of a polished coco-nut shell with a long handle of some hard +wood, and it is noticeable that the water is never spilled or wasted, +for Burma is a thirsty land and some of these watering-places are far +from the river, and every one drinks with due regard to the +necessities of the next comer.</p> + +<p>Entering the large compound which the stockade encloses we are in the +village itself. Here the houses of the Burmans are pleasantly situated +among rows of toddy-palm, mango, padouk, and other trees, among which +the peepul, or sacred ficus, is almost always found.</p> + +<p>The houses are more or less arranged so as to leave a lane or street +between them, and are generally built of bamboo, though many have +their principal timbers<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_37" id="Page_37">[37]</a></span> of teak or eng-wood. The floors are usually +of split bamboo, and the roof of elephant-grass, or "thekka," as the +thatch of dried leaves is called, forms a good protection against the +summer sun or monsoon rains, while the walls are formed of bamboo +mats, often coloured and woven into some pretty though simple design.</p> + +<p>As the front of the house is generally more or less open, we are able +to see much of the interior arrangements. Sleeping mats of grasses +supply the place of beds, and no chairs are to be seen. On a low stand +of carved wood is the tray upon which their simple meals are served, +and cooking-pots of bronze or earthenware lie about the "chatties" +which contain the fire. Painted and carved boxes contain the family +wardrobe, and in one corner is the stand for the large jars in which +their supply of drinking-water is kept. Mat partitions perhaps screen +inner rooms which we cannot see, but all the domestic appliances +visible are of the simplest character, but ample for the needs of the +people.</p> + +<p>All the buildings are raised several feet above the ground as a +protection against snakes, floods, and malaria, and the space below +often forms a stable for the cattle and a useful storing-place for +agricultural or other implements. These simple homes of the Burmans +are often very pretty as they lie among the trees which cast their +broad shadows across the straggling lane, grass grown and deeply +rutted by the cart-wheels. Bougainvillæa and other creepers spread +luxuriantly over the roofs, or drop their festoons of flowers from +the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_38" id="Page_38">[38]</a></span> eaves. Bananas wave their broad leaves gracefully above the +houses, in cool contrast to the richer foliage of the larger trees, +and among all this greenery, alternately in sunlight or shadow, move +the brightly-costumed villagers themselves, most interesting of all.</p> + +<p>Here comes a pretty young mother clad in "lungyi" of apple-green and +dainty white jacket. Cross-legged over her shoulder is her infant, to +whom she talks softly and endearingly as she walks. Presently her home +is reached, and all the joy of motherhood shines in her happy face as +she gently swings her child to sleep in its cradle of rattan which is +slung from the roof above.</p> + +<p>Again, an old man passes, guided by a little boy, who is proud to +assist his grandfather; for respect for the aged, no less than love +for their children, is a dominant trait in the character of the +Burman.</p> + +<p>While many are working in the paddy-fields, other of the villagers +find their occupation nearer home, and employ themselves in such work +as mat and basket making (in which the children assist), the weaving +of silk, and the manufacture of pottery. In sheds made for the purpose +oil or sugar mills are being turned by bullocks, while in some few +villages is made that pretty red and gold lacquer-work we know so well +in England. Notice also the village blacksmith, who, with primitive +tools, hammers out those curiously shaped "dahs" and knives used by +the wood-cutters, while beside him, with equally simple implements, +the carpenter puts the finishing touches to the carved yoke of a +gharry.</p> + +<p>In the streets the naked youngsters are playing at their games. Many +are like our own, and marbles,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_39" id="Page_39">[39]</a></span> peg-tops, leap-frog or kite-flying +each have their turn, while in the ditches and puddles the boys hold +miniature regattas with their toy sailing-boats.</p> + +<p>In the monastery or some private dwelling in the village the children +go to school, and as they become older some occupation employs their +time. While the boys are engaged with the cattle or about the boats, +the girls are occupied in cutting firewood in the jungle, or from the +pools in the forest collect the crude oil which they burn in their +lamps.</p> + +<p>Roaming at will through the village are pigs and poultry, geese and +cattle, and the inevitable "pi dog" of the country. These dogs are +peculiar, being wild, yet attaching themselves to some particular +house, whose interests they seem to make their own, and which, by +vigorous barking, they make a pretence of guarding. In some villages, +also, the pigs, which are long-legged and fleet of foot, seem to act +in the same capacity, strongly objecting to the intrusion of +strangers, and even when riding my pony I have been attacked by them +and forced to retire.</p> + +<p>During the day many of the villagers have been busy in the +rice-fields, for rice is their staple food and the only crop generally +cultivated; even infants of a day old are fed upon it, the rice being +first chewed by the mother, and each tiny mouthful washed down by a +few drops of water. Towards evening, when the tired cattle draw their +creaking carts homewards, the streets are thronged with the labourers +returning from their work, ready for the simple meal of rice and +"ngapi" their wives have prepared for them.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_40" id="Page_40">[40]</a></span></p> + +<p>It is a simple, happy life which these villagers lead, graced by many +pretty customs of domesticity.</p> + +<p>Rising with the sun, with it also they retire to rest, and as the last +sweet tones of many gongs from the village monastery proclaim the +close of their evening prayer the stockade-gates are closed, and, save +for the howling of jackals outside, or the yapping of a dog, silence +reigns throughout the village.</p> + +<hr style="width: 65%;" /> +<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_41" id="Page_41">[41]</a></span></p> +<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;"><a name="pic7" id="pic7"></a> +<img src="images/image_061.jpg" width="500" height="635" alt="ENTRANCE TO A BURMESE VILLAGE. Page 10." /> +<span class="caption">ENTRANCE TO A BURMESE VILLAGE. <a href="#Page_10">Page 10</a>.</span></div> +<h2><a name="CHAPTER_VII" id="CHAPTER_VII"></a>CHAPTER VII</h2> + +<h2>TOWN LIFE</h2> + + +<p>Owing to their primitive methods of building and choice of materials, +a Burmese town differs very little from a village except in point of +size, though occasionally the houses are of two stories and +timber-built throughout.</p> + +<p>The stockade is absent, and in its place deep ditches, partly filled +with water, surround the houses, and run alongside of the streets, +which are, perhaps, somewhat wider and more regularly planned.</p> + +<p>The approach to the town is often very pretty, the water reflecting +the waving palm-trees and picturesque buildings, while the roads, +which in Burma are usually nothing but a track, have, as they near the +town, some semblance of solidity.</p> + +<p>Little bridges cross the ditches, and give access to the houses, round +about which are often raised paths or causeways of burnt brick set +"herring-bone" fashion. These prove a comfort in the rains, when the +streets of the town are rivers and the whole country a sea of mud.</p> + +<p>Trees in plenty shade the road and houses, and shops and small bazaars +give an air of business to the town, whose principal street, however, +is largely covered with<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_42" id="Page_42">[42]</a></span> grass, and affords a convenient place in +which to try a pony's paces.</p> + +<p>Some of the streets have side-walks, a shade less dusty (or muddy, as +the case may be) than the road itself, and in the least frequented of +them dwarf palmettos enjoy a lusty existence.</p> + +<p>Enclosed by low palisades in front of many houses, cannas, hibiscus, +poinsettia, or lilies are growing, and rare orchids hang from the +eaves, to provide in their strange but lovely blossoms a flower for +some woman's hair. Indoors, in coloured pots or stands of often +elaborate design, are other flowers, always most carefully tended, for +the Burmans love what is beautiful in Nature.</p> + +<p>In the streets the life of the people is only a slight amplification +of that of the villages, the shops with their attendant customers +marking the principal difference, while in bullock-carts of more +ornamental design than those of the villages, the families of the +well-to-do enjoy their outing.</p> + +<p>Though always two-wheeled and drawn by a pair of oxen, there is a +certain amount of variety in the native carts. The wheels are +generally large, and are placed very wide apart, in order to lessen +the risk of capsizing in the terribly rough roads they often have to +travel.</p> + +<p>In the common country carts the wheels have very wide rims, across +which is fastened a single flat piece of wood instead of spokes, and +in many cases the wheels are quite solid. The body is plain, but the +yoke and yoke-pins are often carved, and the pole usually finishes in +some grotesque ornament.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_43" id="Page_43">[43]</a></span></p> + +<p>When travelling the carts are covered by a hood of matting, and a +mattress inside eases the jolting by day, and serves as a bed at +night.</p> + +<p>The pleasure gharry, however, is quite a pretty vehicle. The wheels +have a very large number of thin spokes, and the hub is always +ornamental. The sides consist of an open balustrade, and the rails +sweeping backward in a fine curve, to terminate in a piece of carving +high above the rail.</p> + +<p>In Mandalay another pretty cart is used by the ladies when out calling +or shopping. This is a closed carriage built entirely of wood, each +panel of which is carved, and is just high enough in the roof to +permit the ladies to sit upright upon their cushions. We can see them +through the little unglazed windows, looking pretty or dignified, as +the case may be; but dignity disappears so soon as they attempt to +dismount, for this can only be done through a small door at the back, +through which the rider must crawl backwards and then drop to the +ground.</p> + +<p>Games, as usual, figure largely in the young life of the place. A +curious kind of football called "chinlon" is very general, and the +instinct for sport comes out early in the boys, who, while flying +their kites, attempt by skilful manœuvring to saw through each +other's lines and so prove a "conqueror." The little girls have their +amusements also, and it is pretty to see a little one being drawn +about in a diminutive go-cart, or, squatting on her haunches by the +doorstep, endeavouring to fathom the intricacies of doll-dressing.</p> + +<p>Let us wander round the streets and see what we<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_44" id="Page_44">[44]</a></span> can find to interest +us. First it will be noticed that beside every house are two long +poles; one has a hook at its end, and the other is formed into a sort +of broad paddle. These are provided in case of fire, when with the +hook the thatch is pulled down, or the fire beaten out with the other. +Fires are constantly occurring, for though every house is supposed to +have a separate cooking shed, carelessness, or the habit of cooking +indoors, is largely responsible for them, and there is very little +hope for dwellings built of such inflammable material once a fire +starts. Consequently in all parts of the country roofs of galvanized +iron are slowly taking the place of the picturesque "thekka," even the +"kyoungs" and "zeyats" being roofed by it; and unfortunately, as +creepers do not take kindly to this new form of roofing, it will, I am +afraid, always remain an eyesore among what is otherwise so +picturesque.</p> + +<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;"><a name="pic8" id="pic8"></a> +<img src="images/image_066.jpg" width="500" height="646" alt="AT THE WELL." /> +<span class="caption">AT THE WELL.</span></div> + +<p>In many of the streets are wells, surrounded by a wall and crossed by +a heavy beam of wood to which pulleys are attached, through which run +ropes with hooks at their ends, by means of which the water-pots are +lowered. This is a great place of congregation for the young people, +and is always surrounded by animated groups of young men and maidens, +who, with pretty courtesies or coyness, carry on their youthful +flirtations.</p> + +<p>The Burman is always delightfully natural, and seems to live in the +open daylight. At the doorstep of one house are mother and daughter, +busy sewing up cloth, their red lacquer box of sewing materials +between them. At another a dainty housewife entertains her guests at +tea, for tea is now largely drunk in Burma.</p> + +<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_45" id="Page_45">[45]</a></span></p> + +<p>All the shops are open to the street, and we may see the various +trades in operation.</p> + +<p>It is interesting to see the umbrellas being made. They are almost +flat when open, the frame consisting of a multitude of thin bamboo +ribs formed by splitting <i>one</i> bamboo into many sections, so that the +knots of the cane occur at the same regular distances on the ribs, so +forming a kind of pattern. The common kinds are very large, some of +those in use in the market-places being as big as a small tent. These +are covered with calico, oiled or varnished, and form an excellent +protection against sun or rain. More delicate sunshades are made of +the same materials, or of silk; these are smaller, and are often +painted in rings of flowers or foliage, which has a very pretty +effect, and the sun shining through them throws a rich orange shade +over the head and shoulders of the bearer.</p> + +<p>Then, there are the silk-weavers and silversmiths, whose work is +probably the best of its kind produced in any country, and in Thayetmu +and Rangoon I have seen silver-work produced which, in my opinion, is +unequalled for beauty of design or excellence of workmanship.</p> + +<p>Turning enters largely into their decorative woodwork, and the +turners, who use a very simple form of foot-lathe, are busily engaged +in providing the various articles required—pilasters for a balcony, +hubs for a cart-wheel, or the turned finials of a baby's cot. In a +kindred trade the wood-carver is busy producing<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_46" id="Page_46">[46]</a></span> embellishments for +the "kyoung" or "zeyat" which some wealthy resident is erecting.</p> + +<p>Though the Burmans occasionally become drunk on "toddy" (a beverage +made from the flower of the toddy-palm), they are by habit abstemious +and simple livers; rice and vegetable curries, bananas, jack-fruit, +papaya, and other fruits, form their staple food, and, forbidden by +their religion to take life, fish is practically the only variant to +their vegetable diet, the fisherman excusing himself by saying that +"<i>he</i> does not kill the fish: they die of themselves."</p> + +<p>All smoke, however, and men, women and children equally enjoy their +huge cheroots, composed of the inner bark of certain trees mixed with +chopped tobacco, which are rolled into the form of a cigar in the +spathe of Indian corn or some similar husk, and no meal would be +considered to be properly set out without the red lacquer box +containing betel, which is universally chewed. Betel is the nut of the +areca-palm, and before being used is rolled between leaves on which a +little lime is spread. The flavour is astringent and produces +excessive expectoration, and, by its irritation, gives to the tongue +and lips a curious bright pink colour. Still, it is considered an +excellent stomach tonic, and so far as one can judge has no worse +effect than to blacken the teeth of the user.</p> + +<p>Every village or town has its pagodas, which in some cases are very +numerous. The Burman spends little upon his home, which is always +regarded as of a temporary nature, and in the erection of a pagoda or +other religious building the wealthy native finds<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_47" id="Page_47">[47]</a></span> an outlet for his +energies, and earns "merit" for himself. Few of the modern village +pagodas are of any particular beauty, and I cannot but think that the +money spent upon them would be far better employed in restoring and +preserving the many beautiful and ancient temples scattered all over +the country.</p> + +<p>In many towns is a sacred tank or reservoir, so entirely covered with +lotus and other plants that the water cannot be seen. Large fish and +turtles of great age inhabit them, but are seldom seen, on account of +the heavy screen of leaves and flowers which lies upon the surface of +the water, which, however, is often strongly disturbed as some +ungainly monster rolls or turns below them. On the outskirts of the +towns are the gardens, enclosed by hedges of castor-oil or cactus, +where many kinds of fruits and spices are grown: bananas, pineapple, +guava, bael, citrons, etc., are some of the ordinary kinds, while the +coco-nut, tamarind, jack, and papaya grow everywhere about the streets +and houses. Many vegetables, such as cucumber and vegetable-marrow, +are also grown, and among the shops or stalls in the market-place none +are so attractive as those which display their many-coloured and +sweet-smelling fruits and vegetables.</p> + +<p>Every few days a market is held in one or other of the large towns of +a district, and attracts to it country people from a considerable +distance around. Here one has a chance of seeing many other tribes and +types beside the Burman: Shans, Karens, or Kachins, different in +feature and costume from the natives of the town, together with +Chinese and natives of India, give a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_48" id="Page_48">[48]</a></span> variety to the population, and +help to swell the crowd which from early morning till sundown throngs +the market-places.</p> + +<div class="figcenter" style="width: 600px;"><a name="pic9" id="pic9"></a> +<img src="images/image_072.jpg" width="600" height="416" alt="THE MARKET PLACE." /> +<span class="caption">THE MARKET PLACE.</span></div> + +<p>The market is generally held in the open space outside the town, and +is generally enclosed. In it are wooden buildings, or booths of +sacking or "tayan" (grass-mats), in which each different trade is +gathered, so dividing the bazaar into sections. Between the buildings +rows of people squat upon the ground, protecting themselves and the +odd assortment of wares they have for sale by screens of coloured +cloth or the enormous umbrellas I have already mentioned. Up and down +the lane so formed move the would-be purchasers, a motley crowd in +which every type and race in Burma is represented. No less varied are +the articles offered for sale—cotton goods and silks, cutlery and +tools, lamps and combs, and various other articles of personal +adornment, including the ornamental sandals which all the women of the +town affect. Fruit, vegetables, and food-stuffs have a ready sale; nor +are sweetmeats for the children forgotten.</p> + +<p>Cooking-pots and all kinds of domestic utensils may be purchased and +carried away in baskets beautifully made, and often of immense size, +which form a striking feature of the bazaar.</p> + +<p>All the more important stalls are kept by women, who, as I have +already said, are the business backbone of the country. Many of them +are women of good position, but they like their work, and are very +clever at driving a bargain; but though dainty enough in appearance, +they can be very abusive on occasion.</p> + +<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_49" id="Page_49">[49]</a></span></p> + +<p>I have already said that the Burman is not permitted to take life, and +in consequence meat enters but little into his diet; but in all +bazaars frequented by natives of India, who are under no such +prohibition, the slaughter and sale of cattle is of regular +occurrence, and among the most eager buyers of the meat thus offered +for sale are the Burmans themselves.</p> + +<p>Among other articles which I have noticed are "dahs," and knives of +many sorts and degrees of excellence. No Burman travels without his +"dah," which serves as a weapon of defence or enables him to clear his +path where the jungle is thick, while the heavier knives are used for +chopping the domestic fuel. Some of these "dahs" are very finely +finished, the handle and sheath of wild plum being bound by delicately +plaited bands of bamboo fibre, in which the ends are most skilfully +concealed, and the blade, often 2 feet long, is excellently wrought +and balanced.</p> + +<p>At various times of the day groups of priests and novices move up and +down the market collecting offerings from the people, while some +"original" or buffoon gives the scene its touch of humour.</p> + +<p>At sunset, when the bazaar is closed, long lines of people, some on +foot, some in hooded carts, wend their ways towards their distant +homes; and long after darkness has fallen on the land may still be +heard the faint creaking of some laden cart as it slowly disappears +along its lonely forest path.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 65%;" /> +<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_50" id="Page_50">[50]</a></span></p> +<h2><a name="CHAPTER_VIII" id="CHAPTER_VIII"></a>CHAPTER VIII</h2> + +<h2>FIELD WORK</h2> + + +<p>If you are up very early in the morning you may see large herds of +buffaloes and bullocks being driven to the paddy-fields. These +surround the village, sometimes extending for miles in different +directions; but often they are simply small clearings scattered +through the jungle. The cattle are always driven by the children of +the village, and it is curious to see how docile these huge buffaloes +are under the control of some diminutive native, while with Europeans +they are obstinate, ungovernable, and often dangerous.</p> + +<p>The children always ride the cattle to the fields, sitting well back +on the haunches, for they frequently have to travel a long, and often +broken, path to their destination, and during the rains they are thus +enabled to cross the streams and flooded areas, which it would have +been impossible for them to do on foot.</p> + +<p>It will interest you to know something about the manner in which the +Burmans produce their rice-crop. Rice, as you know, requires a great +deal of moisture, especially in the early days of its growth; +consequently the ground upon which the rice-crop is to be sown must be +<i>level</i>, so that the water with which the fields are covered may flow +equally over the whole surface. The<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_51" id="Page_51">[51]</a></span> water is kept in by little dikes, +or "bunds," as they are called, which surround each field, or the part +of it to be irrigated; and as during a considerable portion of each +year these cultivated areas are under water, and are always more or +less in a boggy condition, these "bunds" form the most convenient, if +not the only, means of traversing the district. Tortuous and winding +as they are, it is not easy to decide upon your route, and you need +not be surprised if the little causeway upon which you have set out +eventually brings you back to your first starting-point, and you must +make another attempt in a different direction. I remember once being +hopelessly lost among the "bunds" in my endeavour to cross a patch of +paddy-land, and although it was not more than a mile in width, two +hours of valuable time were spent before I solved the problem of this +labyrinth, and struck the road on its farther side.</p> + +<p>Rice cultivation begins towards the end of the monsoon, when the rains +have thoroughly saturated the soil and filled the fields with water, +often to the top of the dikes. Then ploughing begins, and the grass +with which the fields were recently covered is turned over in clods, +as we do at home, by means of a curious wooden plough shod with bronze +or iron.</p> + +<p>These ploughs are drawn by the bullocks and buffaloes, or by elephants +when they are available, the operation being often carried out under +water. After this all the cattle in the district are driven on to the +fields in order to break up and trample down the clods, and sometimes +harrows, much like our own, are used for the same purpose.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_52" id="Page_52">[52]</a></span></p> + +<p>Then the sowing begins, the rice being scattered very freely over one +or two selected portions of the whole area, for which they serve as +nursery gardens; for the rice is not sown generally over the fields, +but the young plants transferred from these small nurseries to the +larger fields. This work is done by the men and women, who, wading in +the water, plant out the young growth 5 or 6 inches apart, and one may +notice that during this operation all wear leggings or stockings of +straw as a protection against the leeches which in enormous numbers +infest the muddy water.</p> + +<p>The rice now may be left to itself, excepting for the necessity of +keeping it constantly supplied with water, which is raised from the +neighbouring river or creek by many ingenious appliances, and carried +to the fields by pipes of bamboo or channels in the mud.</p> + +<p>While the crop is growing the cattle have an idle time, for with the +exception of the bullocks which draw the market-carts, and a few which +may perhaps be working in the oil or sugar mills, there is nothing for +them to do. For the rest, the time between the sowing and reaping is +passed enclosed in large pens or roaming by hundreds in the jungle.</p> + +<p>The harvest begins in October, and lasts until December or later, +according to the district. When ripe, the rice is 3 to 4 feet in +height, each plant growing several ears, the grain being slightly +bearded, like barley; and in good soil, where the water-supply has +been continuous, its growth is so dense that it is impossible for +weeds to grow.</p> + +<p>I know few prettier sights than a harvest-field in<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_53" id="Page_53">[53]</a></span> an early autumn +morning. Through the steamy exhalations from the ground, and dancing +on the dewdrops which hang heavy upon every blade or ear, the early +sun is shining. Everything is mysterious in the haze, through which +the belt of forest which surrounds the cultivated land is grey and +ghost-like; huge cobwebs hang between the bushes laden with glittering +beads of moisture, and the whole scene is bathed in a curious +opalescent light in which all sense of distance is destroyed. +Scattered through the fields are the harvesters, whose +brightly-coloured "lungyi" and gay head-scarf are the only spots of +definite colour.</p> + +<p>The rice is cut with sickles a little above the ground, so as to leave +sufficient straw to serve as fodder for the cattle or to fertilize the +land. The grain is bound into sheaves much as we do at home, and after +remaining in the fields for a day or two in order to dry, it is +carried to the threshing-floor. This is simply a piece of selected +ground where the surface is dry and hard, on which the sheaves are +placed in the form of a large circle and the grain trodden out by +cattle. When the threshing is complete and the straw removed, there +remains a huge pile of grain and husks freely mixed with dust. This +has to be cleaned and winnowed, which is done by a very simple +process, the grain being thrown into the air by means of large shallow +trays made of bamboo, when the wind, blowing away the dust and loose +husks, leaves the grain tolerably clean in a pile at the worker's +feet.</p> + +<p>The rice is not yet fit for use, however, the grain still being +enclosed in its hard husk, which has to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_54" id="Page_54">[54]</a></span> be removed by another +process. In travelling through Burma one may often notice standing +outside a native dwelling a large and deep bowl composed of some hard +wood in which lies a rounded log about 4 feet in length, much like a +large mortar and pestle. These are the "pounders," in which by a +vigorous use of the pestle the husk is separated from the rice, which +is again winnowed and washed, and is then ready for use. Though +generally eaten in its simple state, bread and cakes are often made +from rice-flour, which is ground in a hand-mill consisting of two flat +circular stones, and is identical with the hand-mill of Scripture.</p> + +<p>From the large areas the bulk of the rice-crop is shipped to Rangoon, +sufficient for the needs of the people being stored in the villages in +receptacles formed of wicker-work covered on the outside with mud.</p> + +<p>I have described the process of rice cultivation which is followed in +districts where a perpetual water-supply is available, but in other +and drier zones a different kind of rice and other crops, such as +sugar, maize, and sesamum, are grown; but while these, as well as many +fruits and vegetables, are cultivated in the neighbourhood of every +town or village, rice may be considered to be practically the only +agricultural crop in Burma, and forms perhaps its most important +article of export.</p> + +<p>Though not cultivated by man, the country produces another crop which +to the Burman is second only to rice in value. I mean the <i>bamboo</i>, +which grows in enormous quantities in every forest or jungle in the +country. There are many varieties of bamboo, some comparatively small, +others growing to a height of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_55" id="Page_55">[55]</a></span> 60 or 70 feet, the canes being often +upwards of 2 feet in circumference at the base. Each species has its +separate use, and, as we have already seen, there are few things for +which the Burman does not employ it. His houses are very often +entirely built of it: canes, either whole or split, form its framework +and flooring; the mats which form the walls are woven from strips cut +from the outside skin; the thatch is often composed of its leaves; +while no hotter fire can be used than one made from its debris. Split +into finer strands, the bamboo furnishes the material of which baskets +are made, while its fine and flexible fibres, plaited and woven into +shape, form the foundation for their beautiful bowls and dishes of red +lacquer. Bows and yokes for the porters, sheaths of weapons and +umbrella frames, and a host of small articles of domestic furniture, +are of the same material, and a section cut from the giant bamboo +forms an excellent bucket, which is used all over the forests.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 65%;" /> +<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_56" id="Page_56">[56]</a></span></p> +<h2><a name="CHAPTER_IX" id="CHAPTER_IX"></a>CHAPTER IX</h2> + +<h2>THE FOREST</h2> + + +<p>And now I want to tell you something about the forest, which, as we +have seen from the river, practically covers the country.</p> + +<p>We all enjoy our English woods, but these, lovely though they are, +convey no idea whatever of the luxuriant and bewildering beauty of a +forest in the tropics.</p> + +<p>How shall I give you an idea of it? It is so big, so magnificent, and +at times so solemn. Everywhere you are surrounded by trees of many +kinds and immense size, whose huge trunks, springing from a dense mass +of undergrowth, rise 200 feet or more into the air. All are bound +together by a tangled mass of creepers, which mingle their foliage +with that of the trees to form one huge canopy of leaves, in which +birds of bright plumage and beautiful song live out their happy lives. +Monkeys also make their home there, and strange insects and +butterflies of rare beauty flit among the flowers, or hover in the few +stray sunbeams which penetrate the gloom.</p> + +<p>It is all very impressive, very beautiful, and still, except for the +drone of insects or soft note of the songbird. Perhaps the silence may +be broken by a herd of <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_57" id="Page_57">[57]</a></span>wild elephants crashing heavily through the +canes, or the shrill cry of the squirrel startles the forest and warns +its fellows of the nearness of a snake.</p> + +<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;"><a name="pic10" id="pic10"></a> +<img src="images/image_083.jpg" width="400" height="591" alt="IN THE DEPTHS OF THE FOREST." /> +<span class="caption">IN THE DEPTHS OF THE FOREST.</span></div> + +<p>Bewilderment and wonder grow upon anyone riding through the forest for +the first time, but after a few days one gradually becomes accustomed +to these luxuriant surroundings, and is able to appreciate the forest +in detail.</p> + +<p>How beautiful the undergrowth is! Palms and bamboos wave gracefully +above a mass of flowering plants, among and over which climb +convolvuli of many kinds, tropæolum, honeysuckle, and a variety of +other creepers, forming natural arbours, with whose blossoms mingle +those of the festoons hanging from the trees.</p> + +<p>Teak, india-rubber, and cutch trees rise high above the undergrowth, +and in turn are dwarfed by such giants as the pyingado and the +cotton-tree. These grow to an enormous size. The pyingado, straight +and smooth, often rises 150 feet before it puts forth a branch, and I +have seen ponies stabled between the natural buttresses which support +the huge trunk of the silk-cotton tree, sometimes 250 feet in height.</p> + +<p>Orchids of great size grow upon the boughs, and add to the wealth of +foliage, in which the large-leafed teak or rubber trees contrast with +the feathery pepper or acacia; and it is interesting to notice that +most of the feathery kinds bear thorns.</p> + +<p>Though generally straight and tall, the trees are often twisted into +curious joints and elbows, which give them a very fantastic +appearance; but most strange of all are<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_58" id="Page_58">[58]</a></span> the creepers which bind these +forest growths. Some are very large, and stretch for immense +distances, linking tree to tree in twining loops, from which their +hanging tendrils reach the ground, or perhaps crossing some forest +glade or stream to form an aerial bridge for the lemurs or the +monkeys.</p> + +<p>One creeper in particular I must tell you about. This is called +"Nyoung-bin" by the natives, and is a very strange plant. It very +often springs from a seed dropped by some bird into the fork of a +tree, where, taking root, it sends its suckers downwards until they +become firmly bedded in the ground, then, growing upwards again, it +slowly envelops the parent tree until it is entirely enclosed by the +new growth, which kills it, but which in its stead becomes a <i>new</i> +tree, larger and more lofty than the one which first supported it. +This is one of the many species of ficus, of which its equally strange +cousin, the many-trunked banyan, is another common feature of a +Burmese forest.</p> + +<p>Naturally these forests are alive with birds. Parrots and parakeets +live among the tree-tops, and doves and pigeons, jays and mynahs, and +a great variety of small birds, find their home here. Woodpeckers are +busy among the tree-trunks, sharing their spoil of insects with the +lizards and the tree-frogs, and among the lesser growths tits, +finches, and wagtails rear their young broods.</p> + +<p>The birds are not the only occupants of these wilds, however, for in +no country is there a larger variety of game than in Burma. Herds of +wild elephants roam the forests, in which are also tigers, panthers, +and bears.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_59" id="Page_59">[59]</a></span> Many kinds of deer are there, to be preyed upon by man or +beast, from the pretty little gyi or barking deer to the lordly +sambur. Wild pig also are very numerous, and lurking in the dank +undergrowth or fissures of the rocks are many venomous snakes and +large pythons.</p> + +<p>But though so abundant, all these wild creatures are shy, and one may +travel many days without adventure, and any sense of danger is soon +lost in admiration of the beauties of these wilds.</p> + +<p>Riding through such a forest is very fascinating in the early winter +months. Then the ground is fairly hard, and riding would be easy were +it not for the thorny vines and fallen tree-trunks which lie among the +thickets. At this time, also, foliage and flowers are still luxuriant, +and all kinds of wild life abundant.</p> + +<p>But from May to October the south-west monsoon, bringing in the +heavily-laden rain-clouds from the sea, pours upon the country its +torrential rains, which change this beautiful forest into a swamp. The +quiet creeks become turbid rivers, while the hill-sides are torn by +innumerable torrents, which, washing away the earth from the roots of +the trees, cause them to fall crashing among the dripping undergrowth. +Bridges are swept away, and the paths become morasses. Travelling in +the forest is then wellnigh impossible, though it is this time that +the native woodman and the large number of young Englishmen engaged in +forest-work find the busiest of the year.</p> + +<p>Gradually the rains cease, and with the return of sunshine birds and +flowers spring into renewed life,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_60" id="Page_60">[60]</a></span> more beautiful than ever, and at no +time of the year is the forest more lovely than immediately after the +monsoon rains.</p> + +<p>Presently the hot weather of March and April comes to strip the trees +of their leaves, while the dak and other flowering trees are a blaze +of crimson among the autumn tints. Then, when everything is dry and +withered, forest fires break out in many parts of the country, +consuming all but the larger trees, and leaving a blackened waste +where once was a paradise of flowers. It is sad to ride in the track +of such a fire, but this is no doubt Nature's way of <i>cleaning</i> the +country, and destroying a vast amount of decaying vegetable matter and +keeping in check many venomous insects and reptiles. The forest +appears to be dead until the advent of the next monsoon restores to +the sun-bleached skeleton its usual luxuriant vegetation.</p> + +<p>But I hear some one asking, How do you live and travel in such a +country? All through India and Burma at intervals along the main +routes of travel dâk bungalows have been erected for the use of +travellers. These are small houses, containing two or three rooms, +raised on poles above the ground. They are built of timber, with +matting walls and thatched roof, much like the Burmese dwellings I +have described. Native custodians are in charge of them, and although +specially intended for the use of Government servants, any traveller +may use them. In the forest similar houses, called "tais," smaller and +often built of bamboo, are erected, though sometimes<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_61" id="Page_61">[61]</a></span> very small huts +indeed, formed of bamboo and reeds, are the only shelter available. +These are draughty dwellings, and even the best-built "tai" is partly +open to the air, and affords little protection from the night cold, +which is often so intense that sleep is almost impossible.</p> + +<p>After a scanty breakfast by candlelight, a start is made in the early +dawn, when the air is cold and damp, and the heavy dew dripping from +the reeds and kine-grass quickly soaks you to the skin. The sunrise is +curiously sudden, and very soon the sun is hot enough to compel the +traveller to leave the open glades and seek the shelter of the denser +portions of the forest. Hardy little ponies, sure-footed and willing, +are our mounts, while elephants carry the stores and provisions, +cooking utensils, and bedding, which every traveller must take with +him.</p> + +<p>In distinction to the working elephants, those employed on a journey +are called "travellers," and are used for no other purpose. Their +drivers are called "ouzies," and sit astride the animals' necks, with +their legs hanging down behind their ears. There are several ways of +mounting, each pretty: sometimes the elephant will hold up its +fore-foot to form a step for its driver, or will drop upon its knees +and bend its trunk to form a step, by which the "ouzie" is able to +reach his seat.</p> + +<p>When travelling they have a shambling sort of gait, half walk, half +amble, but manage to get over the ground very quickly, and for such +cumbersome animals are very nimble-footed. It is almost ludicrous to +see<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_62" id="Page_62">[62]</a></span> the huge beasts picking their way along a narrow "bund" or +crossing some ditch by a bridge of fallen logs, but they always do so +successfully.</p> + +<p>Soft and boggy land, however, is a great trouble to them, their great +weight causing them to sink deep into the mud; and elephants will +often show their dread of such places by loud trumpeting and great +unwillingness to attempt the passage. Occasionally they will tear up +tufts of reeds or boughs of trees to make a foothold for themselves, +and I heard quite recently of a case where a friend of mine, while out +shooting from elephants, came to such a marshy place, which at first +they refused to cross. Then, before anything could be done to prevent +it, his elephant seized the driver with his trunk and, placing him in +the mud, used the poor native's body as a "stepping-stone." The driver +was, of course, crushed to death, and my friend only escaped a similar +fate by scrambling off his elephant by the tail. Generally elephants +are docile enough, but are not always fond of Europeans and very much +dislike a rider to approach too closely; but they rarely give trouble +to their drivers, for whom they often have a genuine affection.</p> + +<p>Roads in the forest are few, and at best are only bridle-tracks, +difficult to ride over, and through which a way has often to be cut +with knives, so rapid is the growth.</p> + +<p>Travelling is slow and often difficult, and towards the great heat of +midday men and animals are glad to rest, while another march in the +afternoon brings us, towards sunset, to our next halting-place. Then<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_63" id="Page_63">[63]</a></span> +fuel for the fires must be collected to prepare the evening meal, beds +made ready, and the animals attended to. The ponies are tethered +underneath the "tai," while the elephants, wearing a wooden bell +called "kalouk," are turned loose into the forest, where their drivers +quickly track them down again in the morning by the sound of their +bell.</p> + +<p>About sundown a strange hush comes over the forest, and the leaves +hang limply after the great heat of the day. Insects and birds give up +their activities, and are preparing to roost or lying in the various +hiding-places they frequent. All Nature seems to be <i>tired</i>, and +little wonder when the thermometer has shown 105° of moist heat!</p> + +<p>Suddenly with the cooling of the air a shiver and a rustle passes over +the tree-tops as the sundown breeze brings relief to the tired world. +Immediately the forest is alive again, but with new inhabitants. The +dancing fireflies weave rings of bluish light around the tree-trunks, +already half lost in the gathering darkness; crickets and tree-frogs +contribute to the growing sounds of the woody solitude; while the +stealthy tread of some prowling animal is faintly heard among the +withered debris of the undergrowth. It is no longer safe to wander +from the camp-fire, whose flames, shooting upwards in straight +tongues, light up the nearer trees in contrast to the blackness +beyond, in which many a dangerous wild beast lurks. Within the circle +which our camp-fire lights is safety, and in the now cold night air +its warmth is grateful. No one who has not experienced it can at all +appreciate the romantic pleasure<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_64" id="Page_64">[64]</a></span> of a forest camp, never more +enjoyable than in the hour before "turning in," when, in the light of +our blazing logs and surrounded by the dark mystery beyond, the last +pipe is smoked while listening to many exciting tales of adventure, +before we stretch our tired limbs in bed.</p> + +<div class="figcenter" style="width: 600px;"><a name="pic11" id="pic11"></a> +<img src="images/image_092.jpg" width="600" height="432" alt="A DAK BUNGALOW. Page 60." /> +<span class="caption">A DAK BUNGALOW. <a href="#Page_60">Page 60</a>.</span></div> + + +<hr style="width: 65%;" /> +<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_65" id="Page_65">[65]</a></span></p> +<h2><a name="CHAPTER_X" id="CHAPTER_X"></a>CHAPTER X</h2> + +<h2>THE FOREST (<span class="f2"><i>continued</i>)</span></h2> + + +<p>Though human habitations are not often met with in the forest, little +native settlements occur from time to time, where, surrounded by small +clearings, over which a primitive scarecrow mounts guard, sufficient +rice is grown for their needs. These little hamlets are occupied by +woodmen, or little communities of Chins, a kindred race to the +Burmans, though differing from them in many customs, most curious of +which is their habit of tattooing the faces of their young women +<i>black</i>.</p> + +<p>Here and there one meets a fowler, who, with primitive snare or +decoy-bird, seeks to take his toll of the forest; and in the most +remote districts may be met some picturesque Burmese travelling-cart, +toiling laboriously over tracks which would almost seem to be +impossible for wheels. I have already mentioned the creaking of the +cart-wheels which no Burman would oil, for they believe that the +horrible groanings they produce, together with their own loud voices, +serve to ward off the evil spirits of the woods; for the Burman is +superstitious, and at frequent intervals may be seen tiny wicker-work +representations of pagodas and "zeyats" erected to propitiate the +forest "nats," and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_66" id="Page_66">[66]</a></span> passers-by will deposit in these diminutive +shrines some offering of food or ornament, and in the Shan States I +remember seeing one whose enclosing fence was hung with spears and +"dahs," and other weapons of considerable interest and some value.</p> + +<p>By the wayside the lonely grave of some traveller or woodman, marked +by its simple fence of twigs, gives a touch of pathos to the forest; +and among its natural wonders are the giant ant-hills, often 9 feet or +more in height.</p> + +<p>Ants are probably the most destructive of all insects in Burma. +Voracious wood-eaters, they will attack fallen logs or growing trees, +which they will entirely consume till only the hollow bark remains. +This is one great reason why the wood of the teak-tree is so highly +valued, as it is the only timber these ants will not touch, and +consequently is the one of which all the more important buildings and +dwellings are constructed.</p> + +<p>In many districts, within reach of some beautiful forest creek, +teak-cutting may be seen in full operation; and it is interesting to +watch the elephants at work, hauling logs or loading them on to the +little trollies, by which they are carried down to the water, where, +floundering along the muddy bank, they launch them in the stream.</p> + +<p>Some of these creeks are very lovely, fringed as they are by flowering +grasses, behind which the forest rises tier on tier above the +shimmering water and gleaming sand-banks.</p> + +<p>On the banks are the footprints of many wild animals who have come +down to water during the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_67" id="Page_67">[67]</a></span> night. In the water are fish and +water-snakes, which alert herons constantly harass, and, strange as it +may seem, in the river-bed itself are the marks of cart-wheels, for +the Burmans often make a highway of these forest streams, which in the +dry season are generally easier to travel than the roads.</p> + +<p>The forest itself is never monotonous, its growths varying according +to the levels of the hills. Sometimes the enormous trees and heavy +foliage I have already described produce a depth of gloom which might +well excuse the superstitious fear of the Burmans, and often recalls +to me the pictures in our fairy-books, where some bold knight is +depicted entering the depths of an enchanted wood, in search of the +dragon that well might dwell there. Descending the hill-side with a +suddenness which is almost startling, you may find yourself in a +bamboo forest, which is a veritable fairyland for beauty. From a +carpet of sand, on which lilies grow, these giant bamboos spring, +fern-like, in enormous clumps, spreading their arms and feathery +crests in all directions, and, meeting overhead, form avenues and +lanes, which remind one of some beautiful cathedral aisle.</p> + +<p>Different in many ways from the forests I have described are those of +the cooler plateaus and mountain ranges of Northern Burma. On the +higher levels oak and pines are found among the other trees, and +bracken grows around the wild plums on the more open slopes. Sparkling +rivulets spring from the mountain-side, and, overhung by ferns and +mosses, flow gurgling over their pebbly beds to the deep valley below, +there to join the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_68" id="Page_68">[68]</a></span> swiftly-flowing river, which, by many waterfalls +and rapids, eventually reaches the level of the plains.</p> + +<p>From the river's edge, where reeds and wild bananas grow, the purple +wistaria spreads itself over the mass of vegetation which covers the +precipitous hills from base to summit.</p> + +<p>Bamboos of many kinds wave among the trees or grow in masses by +themselves, and climbing geranium and ferns mount from one foothold to +another over tree-trunks or rocks, rooting as they go.</p> + +<p>Nests of wasps and weaver birds hang from the canes. Jungle-fowl and +pheasant, snipe and partridge, are there to provide the traveller with +food, and often, flying heavily from tree to tree, a peacock offers a +welcome addition to your larder.</p> + +<p>The forest is dense, and in places almost impenetrable, and as you +ride or cut your way through the thick undergrowth, monkeys of large +size follow you through the tree-tops, scolding and chattering at your +intrusion; and lemurs, fear overcome by curiosity, approach you +closely, as though to see what kind of creature is this that +penetrates these wilds.</p> + +<p>Wildness best describes these leafy solitudes in which roads are +almost unknown, and which the larger beasts as well as men appear to +shun.</p> + +<p>Along the river-bank, however, are many little hamlets, where in +dug-out canoes the natives fish the rivers, using many ingenious nets +and traps, or weirs which stretch from bank to bank.</p> + +<p>Carts are never used here, and such traffic as is carried on must be +done by means of pack-ponies,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_69" id="Page_69">[69]</a></span> whose loads are so contrived that, +should they stumble on their rugged path, they can easily free +themselves of their burden.</p> + +<p>We are now near to the Chinese frontier, and many straggling groups of +Chinese, Shans, and Shan-tilok (which is a mixture of the two) may be +met bearing bales or baskets of produce on their backs to some distant +settlement; or occasionally a family party, bent upon some pilgrimage +or journey, carry their household goods and young children in baskets +slung from bamboo poles, which cross their shoulders.</p> + +<p>On the lower levels, where paths are more frequent, little bridges of +picturesque design cross the streams, from which rise warm miasmic +mists. In the early morning dense fogs fill the valleys, often +accompanied by frost; but as the sun gains power and the mists are +sucked up, the heat is intense; and these extremes of heat and cold, +combined with the smell of rotting vegetation and exhalations from the +ground, render this region a perfect fever-den, in which no white man +can safely live.</p> + +<p>Though the general character of the country consists of lofty +mountains and deep valleys, through which wide rivers flow, there are +at intervals considerable stretches of flat land, which are under +partial cultivation. Here villages of some size are found, and among +the people which inhabit them are strange types we have not previously +seen in Burma, and customs which are curious. The Shans, for instance, +have the habit of tattooing their faces and legs and centre of their +chests, while, their scanty clothing not permitting the use of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_70" id="Page_70">[70]</a></span> +pockets, they carry upon their backs little baskets of wicker-work, in +which are placed their knives, tobacco, and such other articles as a +pocket might have accommodated. The Yunnanese, wearing huge plaited +hats of straw and curious slippers of the same material, but whose +other garments are so thin and baggy as to mark them indifferent to +the cold, are in marked contrast to the Kachins, who wear an elaborate +costume of heavy woollen material of many colours. The men, whose hair +is long and tied in a knot on the top of the head, after the manner of +the Burmese, wear a simple scarf tied round the head in place of a +hat, while the women, who wear a costume much like the men, have as +their head-covering a handkerchief or scarf folded flat upon the head. +All have their ears bored, the lobes being so large as not only to +enable them to wear ear ornaments of unusual size, but often to serve +as a handy receptacle for a cigar! When travelling the Kachins usually +carry in their hands double-ended spears, whose shafts are covered +with a kind of red plush from which large fringes hang; but these are +only ceremonial weapons, and show that their intentions are pacific. +Like the Shans, they dispense with pockets in their clothing, but +instead wear suspended under their arm a cloth bag, which is often +prettily embroidered.</p> + +<p>Though, as I have mentioned, the forests of Mid-Burma—and, indeed, +generally throughout the country—abound in game, which ranges from +elephant and rhinoceros down to the smallest deer, and while every +tree and thicket is a home for birds, all forms of animal<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_71" id="Page_71">[71]</a></span> life appear +to avoid the fever-infested highlands of North-East Burma. In some +places, however, strange freaks of Nature occur. On the high plateau +through which the Myit-nge River flows, though the forest and jungle +is more or less deserted, scattered over the plain are conical +limestone crags, which are alive with monkeys; and while the +innumerable species of insects which infest the warmer forests are +absent, nowhere in all Burma have I seen butterflies more numerous or +more beautiful than here. It is singular, also, to notice how human +habitations will attract certain forms of animal life, and in some +mysterious manner, though the surrounding forest may be otherwise +deserted, pigeons and doves and the various kinds of crow quickly +install themselves in the neighbourhood of a newly-established +settlement or camp.</p> + +<p>It is impossible in two short chapters to describe the infinite +variety and charm of these Burmese forests—the rushing mountain +torrents, the sweeping rivers, and noble waterfalls; the sluggish +streams, which reflect the glories of the surrounding forest; its +teeming life, its solitude, and the wonderful effects of light and +colour; but perhaps I have said enough to convey to you some idea of +that wealth of exuberant beauty which has forced upon me the +conclusion that nothing in all the world is quite so beautiful as a +tropical forest.</p> + +<p>So far I have not given you any example of the many adventures which +may befall a traveller in such wilds, but they are naturally of +frequent occurrence.</p> + +<p>Often while painting, and quite unarmed, I have found myself in +unpleasantly close proximity to wild<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_72" id="Page_72">[72]</a></span> beasts of many kinds, and on +more than one occasion I have narrowly escaped the fatal bite of some +deadly snake which I have killed. Every one has a natural horror of +poisonous snakes, but sometimes an adventure with them has its element +of amusement. I remember an instance where one of my companions, +having come into camp from his work in the forest, lay down outside +his tent to rest, and, the better to enjoy it, took off his +riding-boots and loosened his breeches at the knee. While his "tiffin" +was being prepared he went to sleep, but presently awoke with a +horrible sensation of something lying cold against his thigh. To his +alarm, he discovered this to be a large cobra, which had sought +shelter from the sun. Remaining quite still, he called his native +servant, and explained the position, and the snake was soon secured +and dispatched, while my friend suffered nothing worse than a fright.</p> + +<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;"><a name="pic12" id="pic12"></a> +<img src="images/image_103.jpg" width="500" height="655" alt="THE QUEEN'S GOLDEN MONASTERY, MANDALAY. Page 79." /> +<span class="caption">THE QUEEN'S GOLDEN MONASTERY, MANDALAY. <a href="#Page_79">Page 79</a>.</span></div> + +<p>Though so docile as a rule when tamed, elephants in their wild state +are most dangerous, and I have heard of many narrow escapes from them +in Burma. Panthers, also, though shy of human beings, are fierce when +at bay, and I have been told that a scratch from their claws nearly +always results in fatal blood-poisoning.</p> + +<p>It is the tiger, however, which is most to be feared. General +throughout the country, a traveller through jungle or forest must be +ever alert, so stealthy are its movements, and so audacious is it in +its depredations. Its great strength, however, which is not so +generally recognized, the following will serve to show. Close beside +our lonely camp on the Nan-Tu River a tiger killed a sambur, upon +which the natives saw him <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_73" id="Page_73">[73]</a></span>feeding. Being unarmed themselves, they +ran for the "Sahib" to come and shoot him; but, on regaining the spot, +they found that the tiger had gone, carrying the huge carcass with +him. Following the trail, they came up with their quarry at the +river's bank; but the tiger, still retaining its hold upon its prey, +took to the water, and, although impeded by its heavy burden, +succeeded in reaching the opposite shore. The sad part of the story is +that a native, armed with a "dah," who had followed the tiger into the +river, though an extremely powerful swimmer, was swept away by the +current, and drowned in the rapids below.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 65%;" /> +<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_74" id="Page_74">[74]</a></span></p> +<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XI" id="CHAPTER_XI"></a>CHAPTER XI</h2> + +<h2>TEMPLES AND RELIGION</h2> + + +<p>Burma has been called the "Land of Pagodas," and nothing could be more +true, for from Syriam, below Rangoon, to Myitkyina, in the far north, +is one long succession of these beautiful temples. Not only on the +river-banks do these pagodas crown the hills, but in every town and +village throughout the country; and in many remote districts, far from +present habitations, some shrine, however simple, has been raised.</p> + +<p>We have seen something of the great Shwe Dagon pagoda in Rangoon, but +there are many others almost equally beautiful, if not so large: the +exquisite Shwe Tsan Daw at Prome, the Arracan near Mandalay, while in +old Pagan, Pegu, Moulmein, and a host of other places, are temples +which one might well think could not be surpassed for beauty. I have +told you that these pagodas are usually bell-shaped—a delicate and +most elegant form of design, which gains very much in effect from the +habit the Burmese have of building their temples on a hill, so that +the gradually ascending ground, on the different levels of which the +pinnacles of the "kyoungs" are visible above the trees, leads +gradually upward from one point to another until the temple itself is +reached, towering gracefully above<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_75" id="Page_75">[75]</a></span> the other forms of beauty with +which the hill is sometimes covered. Another pretty effect is gained +by building them close to the water, either on the river-bank or +beside some artificial pool or "tank," in which they are reflected. +Nothing could be more beautiful than the effect of these golden piles +glittering in the sunshine among the deep green of the trees, +especially when repeated in some placid sheet of water, dotted over +perhaps with pink and purple lotus.</p> + +<p>And, then, the little bells which hang from every "ti"—how they +tinkle as they swing in the breeze, in their numbers forming one +general harmonious note, most musical, and with a strange sensation of +joy and contentment in its sound.</p> + +<p>These little bells are not the only ones in the temples, however, for +in all of them are others of very large size, which, raised a foot or +more from the ground, hang between two posts set in the platform which +surrounds the "zedi," as the bell-shaped temple is called.</p> + +<p>These are used by the worshippers, who, with a stag's horn, strike the +bell after praying, to call the attention of the "nats" of the upper +and lower worlds to the fact that they have done so. You will see +these bells in one of the pictures, but there are some others of +immense size, that at Mingun weighing eighty tons; but, as a rule, the +tone of the very large bells is poor, and not to be compared with that +of those of more moderate size.</p> + +<p>There are one or two places in Burma particularly rich in +pagodas—Pagan, Sagaing, and Mandalay. I want to tell you just a +little about each.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_76" id="Page_76">[76]</a></span></p> + +<p>Let us go to Mandalay first, for I have no doubt that you have been +wondering why I have not already told you something about the capital +of Burma.</p> + +<p>As a matter of fact, Mandalay is little better than an enlarged +village, and is built much in the same way as the towns I have already +described, and has really only two points of great interest—its +religious buildings and the "fort."</p> + +<p>I am referring, of course, to the <i>Burmese</i> town, for surrounding the +fort are a large number of well-built bungalows, and streets of shops +built of stone or brick; but these are for the use of Europeans and +Indian or Chinese traders, the Burmans here, as elsewhere, contenting +themselves with their thatched houses of timber. It may appear +surprising that a people who could erect their marvellous temples +should be satisfied with such poor dwellings. The reason is to be +found in their custom of removing their capital on each change of +dynasty, and since <span class="smcap">a.d.</span> 1740 the capital of Burma has been moved no +less than eight times! Mandalay itself is only fifty years old, so +that it hardly appeared to them worth their while to build more +substantial dwellings, which might so soon have to be deserted; and in +this way they came to regard their homes as temporary, expending their +energies and wealth in the building of temples and monasteries +instead.</p> + +<p>The streets of Mandalay are wide, and laid out in rectangles, as in +Rangoon, and, like all towns in Burma, the roads are heavily shaded by +trees. Foreign types are common in Mandalay, but the Burmese life here +is very pretty. Nowhere else are the people better<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_77" id="Page_77">[77]</a></span> dressed, and the +ladies rival the silk bazaar in the variety and beautiful colour of +their clothing. Until recently this was a royal city, and the ladies +pay great attention to the demands of fashion, whether it is in their +delicately-tinted garments, their embroidered sunshades or fan, or the +lace handkerchief with which they love to toy; and nothing in the way +of crowd could be nicer than these daintily-dressed and usually +prepossessing men and women. Fashion, however, has always <i>some</i> +drawback. The ladies in many cases smear their faces with a paste +called "thannakah," which has the effect of whitening the skin. The +result is very unfortunate, for it is not always put on evenly, and +only serves to make the ugly more forbidding, while it destroys the +soft warmth of colour and skin texture which so often makes these +women beautiful. Another unfortunate custom is their habit of smoking +such huge cheroots, which no mouth of ordinary size could possibly +hold without distortion.</p> + +<p>All roads in Mandalay lead to the fort, lately the residence of the +Court. This consists of a huge square, 1-1/4 miles each way, entirely +surrounded by battlemented walls, and further protected by a wide and +deep moat. Quaint bridges cross the moat, and lead to gateways, each +surmounted by a "pyathat." Within the walls are the palace of the +King, and many other buildings of highly ornate and purely Burmese +character. Many of them have lately been destroyed by fire; but what +will interest us most is the rambling but most picturesque palace, the +lofty "pyathat" which is erected over Thebaw's throne being the finest +in the country,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_78" id="Page_78">[78]</a></span> and so much admired by the Burmans as to be called +"the centre of the universe."</p> + +<p>All these buildings are of timber, only the finest teak being used, +and the many columns which support the roofs of the halls of audience +consist of single tree-trunks of unusual size and great value.</p> + +<p>The moat serves to supply Mandalay with its drinking-water, and is fed +by a conduit from the hills. I am afraid the water is not very clean, +but it is a very pretty sight to see the people coming to fill their +jars from the little stages which jut from the banks, while the whole +surface is at some seasons of the year a mass of purple lotus and +white water-lily, and, although in the middle of the city, paddy-birds +and other ibis wade about its margins.</p> + +<p>Mandalay is a station for our troops, who are quartered inside the +fort, which was only captured after severe fighting. The stockade, +which offered so great an obstacle to our men, has been swept away, +and "Tommy Atkins," as well as Indian troops, now inhabit the palaces +of King Thebaw's time! But it is an unhealthy station, and nowhere in +Burma have I seen such crowds of mosquitoes, the common cause of fever +in Europeans.</p> + +<p>The most beautiful of Mandalay's pagodas, "the Incomparable," has been +destroyed by fire; but a large number remain, one of which is very +interesting. This is the "Kuthodaw," a temple built by Mindon Min, +King Thebaw's father. The central dome is not remarkable, but on each +side of the large flagged space which surrounds it are rows and rows +of miniature<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_79" id="Page_79">[79]</a></span> temples, each with an ornamental cupola, supported upon +pillars. Each of these 729 cupolas contains a slab of alabaster, on +which is inscribed a chapter of the Pali Bible. The entrance-gates, +also, are large, and unusually ornate in design.</p> + +<p>Each quarter of the town has one or more large pagodas, and others +surround its outskirts from the river-bank to the top of Mandalay +Hill; but these differ from the others we have noticed in one respect, +being covered by carved plaster-work, each stage of which is +beautified by some elaborate or striking pattern, so that the dome of +pure white, broken by sharp contrast of light and shade, is quite as +rich in effect as the gilded temples of Rangoon or Prome.</p> + +<p>Most remarkable of all the buildings in Mandalay, however, are the +monasteries, of which there are a large number, many of great +interest, the principal one being the "Queen's Golden Monastery," for +beauty of design and elaborate embellishment unquestionably the finest +structure of its kind in Burma.</p> + +<p>Across the river from Mandalay is a very pretty scene. Low conical +hills rise from the banks of the river, each crowned by a pagoda, +around which are many "kyoungs" and "zeyats." Scattered over the +hill-sides are many others, gleaming white against the warm earth +tints and the foliage which surround them. This is old Sagaing, once a +capital of Burma; but the city has gone, and only its temples now +remain. Crossing the river in sampans painted red, blue, and yellow, +or landing on the pearly shingle of the beach, are crowds of +well-dressed Burmans from Mandalay and Ava, bent<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_80" id="Page_80">[80]</a></span> on a pilgrimage to +one or other of the many shrines, which are reached by long flights of +steps, whose entrance is guarded by enormous leogryphs.</p> + +<div class="figcenter" style="width: 600px;"><a name="pic13" id="pic13"></a> +<img src="images/image_112.jpg" width="600" height="421" alt="THE SHWE ZIGON PAGODA, PAGAN. Page 82." /> +<span class="caption">THE SHWE ZIGON PAGODA, PAGAN. <a href="#Page_82">Page 82</a>.</span></div> + +<p>A pretty legend gives the origin of these monsters, which, often of +enormous size, invariably guard the entrance to a temple. Long ago in +the dim past a Princess was stolen by "nats," and hidden away in the +dark recesses of the forest. The King made every effort to find the +hiding-place of his daughter, but without success, until one day a +lioness rescued the Princess, and restored her to her home. Ever since +then the lion, which in the course of centuries has gradually become +changed into the leogryph (or half-lion, half-griffin), has been +accepted by the people as the emblem of protecting watchfulness.</p> + +<p>Close to Mandalay on the south is Amarapura, another of Burma's many +capitals, and though we cannot hope to see all the many interesting +monuments that remain, it has one pagoda in particular which well +repays us for our long and dusty journey.</p> + +<p>This is the Arracan pagoda, one of the most famous shrines in Burma, +and the one most frequented by the Shans and other hill tribes, whose +time of pilgrimage occurs "between the reaping and the sowing."</p> + +<p>There is no ascent to this temple, which, through a series of +ornamented doorways, is approached by a long flat corridor, which, as +usual, serves the purpose of a bazaar. Here perhaps the best Burmese +gongs may be purchased, and the stalls for cut flowers display a rich +profusion of blooms, whose scent fills the whole temple precincts. The +temple itself is different in design from <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_81" id="Page_81">[81]</a></span>any others we have seen, +being built in the form of a square tower, above which rises a series +of diminishing terraces, each beautified by carved battlements and +corner pinnacles, the whole being richly gilt.</p> + +<p>Beneath the central tower is the shrine, before which a constant +stream of devotees succeed each other in prayer. This contains an +enormous brass image of Buddha, 12 feet in height, thickly plastered +with the pilgrims' offerings of gold-leaf. Behind the temple are the +sacred tanks, whose green and slimy water is alive with turtles, too +lazy or too well fed to eat the dainty morsels thrown to them by the +onlookers, but which are pounced upon by hundreds of hawks, who often +seize the tit-bits before they reach the water.</p> + +<p>The courtyards are, as usual, thronged, and pastry-cooks and +story-tellers, soothsayers and musicians, provide refreshment and +amusement to the ever-moving crowd of happy people, at whom we never +tire of looking.</p> + +<p>And now, having seen something of the principal pagodas, with their +crowds of worshippers or loiterers, let us take one glimpse of the +ancient city of Pagan.</p> + +<p>Splendidly placed upon a commanding site on the river-bank, Pagan was +at one time a populous and wealthy centre. To-day it is the city of +the dead, and the domes and pinnacles of its temples, which cover an +area of 16 square miles, remain silent monuments to its former +greatness. Save for a few priests and scattered families of the +poorest of the people, its population has disappeared centuries ago, +and the land, once fertile, is now covered with aloe, cactus, and +thorn, while an<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_82" id="Page_82">[82]</a></span> air of weary heat and desolation envelops it. Some +idea of its size may be formed when I tell you that a thousand of its +pagodas are known by name, while as many more are little but a heap of +ruinous brickwork.</p> + +<p>Many of its temples are of the greatest historical interest. The +Ananda, built 800 years ago, is larger than St. Paul's, and its +elongated dome and innumerable pinnacles render it as graceful as it +is imposing. There are other temples even larger, while the picture +facing page 80 will give you some little idea of the beauty and +interest of the Shwe Zigon.</p> + +<p>Throughout the country temples abound, and in lonely places where no +temple has been built, the lofty "tagundaing" marks some holy spot. +You will find no statues to her Kings in Burma, but in every temple, +in little wayside shrines, and even in the most unfrequented wilds, +the Burmans have erected images of Buddha, founder of their faith.</p> + +<p>Nearly one-third of the world's population are Buddhists, and this +fact alone would seem to show how beautiful is the religion they +profess. Buddhism was founded by an Indian Prince called Gautama, +about 600 years before the birth of Christ. This Prince, though heir +to a kingdom, and surrounded by every luxury, left his palace and his +beautiful wife and their little son, to become a wanderer in the +search for truth, and for six years he lived as a hermit in the +wilderness, attended only by a few disciples. One day, while seated +beneath a "bo" tree, lost in contemplation, revelation came to him, +and from that time he became<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_83" id="Page_83">[83]</a></span> a preacher, striving to raise men and +women to his own lofty and pure standard of what life should be.</p> + +<p>Few Europeans really understand Buddhism, but many of its principles +we can all appreciate. Thus, men are taught truthfulness, purity, +obedience, and kindness, which forbids the giving of pain to any +living creature. Charity, patience, humility, and the habit of +meditation are early instilled into the minds of the boys, who, +without exception, spend at least a portion of their lives as inmates +of a monastery, and with the priests and novices are not ashamed to +collect the daily offering of food.</p> + +<p>In their consideration for animals, their love for their children, and +great respect for age, as well as in their consideration for each +other, the Burmans act well up to the beauty of their faith; for a +beautiful religion it is, beautifully expounded in Arnold's "Light of +Asia," which I hope many of you will presently read.</p> + +<p>It is not difficult to understand how their religion, combined with +their own happy, contented natures, and the enervating effect of +climate, renders the Burmans little able to withstand the pressure +from without which has lately been brought to bear upon them.</p> + +<p>Largely content with what Nature provides for them, and without social +grades to spur them to ambition, their sports and races and amusements +of many kinds occupy the chief attention of the men, who quickly +succumb to their more energetic and businesslike rivals from India or +China. The women, more capable and rather despising the idleness of +the men, are more and more prone to marry among other races, while<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_84" id="Page_84">[84]</a></span> +Western civilization also is doing much to destroy the primitive charm +of the people.</p> + +<p>Sad it is to think that the Burman as a pure race is slowly +disappearing, and there are few, I think, who know them but will view +this prospect with sincere regret. But if it is inevitable that this +picturesque and lovable people must be in time replaced by others, at +least their beautiful country always will remain.</p> + +<p>And now, as I close this chapter, there recurs to my mind a pretty +picture which embodies so much of the spirit of the country that it +may well form our last peep at Burma.</p> + +<p>Far away in the jungle on the crest of a lonely hill stands a ruined +pagoda. The white ornamental plaster-work which once beautified it has +long since disappeared, and in the rents and fissures which seam its +rich red brickwork venomous serpents hide.</p> + +<p>The niche which formerly contained a Buddha is unoccupied, but, as +though to soften its decay, kindly creepers have covered its rugged +exterior with a bower of foliage and flowers, while the leogryphs +which once marked the entrance to its enclosure are buried in +vegetation. All around are trees of many kinds, which tower above the +jungle, among which large and beautiful butterflies flit among the +flowers, while birds of gay plumage gambol among the tree-tops to the +distant song of the bulbul. It was a pretty scene, but sad in its +loneliness, to which a touch of pathos was added by the figure of a +solitary priest praying before the empty shrine. Wondering what had +brought him so far from any known habitation, I watched him long as +he<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_85" id="Page_85">[85]</a></span> prayed. Just as the sun set and the day closed he plucked a lovely +flower from the scrub and placed it reverently on the shrine where +Buddha once had stood, and as I turned my pony's head in the direction +of my distant camp, the slowly-retreating figure of the "hpungi" +became lost in the glory of the sunset.</p> + + +<h3>THE END</h3> + +<hr style="width: 65%;" /> + + +<h4>LIST OF VOLUMES IN THE</h4> +<h3>PEEPS AT MANY LANDS</h3> +<h5>SERIES</h5> + +<h4>EACH CONTAINING 12 FULL-PAGE<br /> +ILLUSTRATIONS IN COLOUR<br /> +EACH 1/6 NET</h4> + + + + +<ul> +<li>BURMA</li> +<li>EGYPT</li> +<li>ENGLAND</li> +<li>FRANCE</li> +<li>HOLLAND</li> +<li>HOLY LAND</li> +<li>INDIA</li> +<li>ITALY</li> +<li>JAPAN</li> +<li>MOROCCO</li> +<li>SCOTLAND</li> +<li>SOUTH AFRICA</li> +<li>SOUTH SEAS</li> +<li>SWITZERLAND</li> +<li>WALES</li> +</ul> + + + + + +<h4>PUBLISHED BY</h4> +<h3>ADAM AND CHARLES BLACK</h3> +<h5><span class="smcap">Soho Square, London, W.</span></h5> + + + + +<h4>AGENTS</h4> + +<p><b>AMERICA</b><span class="f3"> <b>THE MACMILLAN COMPANY</b></span><br /> +<span class="f4"><span class="smcap"><b>64 & 66 Fifth Avenue</b></span>,<b>NEW YORK</b></span></p> + +<p><b>CANADA</b><span class="f3"> <b>THE MACMILLAN COMPANY OF CANADA, LTD.</b></span><br /> +<span class="f4"><span class="smcap"><b>27 Richmond Street West</b></span>,<b>TORONTO</b></span></p> + +<p><b>INDIA</b><span class="f3"> <b>MACMILLAN & COMPANY, LTD.</b></span><br /> +<span class=" f1 f4"><span class="smcap"><b>macmillan building</b></span>,<b>BOMBAY</b></span><br /> +<span class="f4"><span class="smcap"><b>309 Bow Bazaar Street</b></span>,<b>CALCUTTA</b></span></p> + +<p><b>AUSTRALASIA.</b><span class="f3"><b>OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS, MELBOURNE</b></span></p> + + +<hr style="width: 65%;" /> +<h4><i>BY THE SAME ARTIST AND AUTHOR</i></h4> + +<h2>BURMA</h2> + +<h3>By R. TALBOT KELLY, R.B.A.</h3> + +<h5><i>Containing 75 full-page Illustrations in Colour. Square Demy 8vo., +cloth, gilt top</i></h5> + +<h3>Price 20/- net</h3> + +<h5>(<i>Post free, Price 20s. 6d.</i>)</h5> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>"His landscapes—in which Nature is seen unforced by the hands of +colour-loving men and women, and seen, more often than not, by early +morning or evening light—have an exquisite delicacy."—<i>Athenæum.</i></p></div> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>"The result is a narrative delightful in its quiet zest, and a series +of pictures that have the hues of landscapes hung in a heaven of +dreamland."—<i>Speaker.</i></p></div> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>"If ever there was a poet in colours Mr. Kelly is one. His volume is +bright to read and beautiful to look at."—<i>Liverpool Post.</i></p></div> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>"Those of our readers who have seen Mr. Kelly's 'Egypt' know that he +uses pen and brush with equal facility, and in this volume we find +again beautiful and faithful pictures, accompanied by admirably +graphic descriptions."—<i>Aberdeen Journal.</i></p></div> + + +<h2>EGYPT</h2> + +<h3><span class="smcap">By R. TALBOT KELLY, R.B.A.</span></h3> + +<h5><i>Containing 75 full-page Illustrations in Colour. Square Demy 8vo., +cloth, gilt top</i></h5> + +<h3>Price 20/- net</h3> + +<h5>(<i>Post free, Price 20s. 6d.</i>)</h5> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>"How marvellously faithful his work is, every one who knows Egypt will +see in the seventy-five exquisite paintings which make his book a +perfect treasure of beauty.... No series of drawings has ever conveyed +to us so perfect an impression of Egyptian scenery as +these."—<i>Saturday Review.</i></p></div> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>"Rarely can this old, old country have received more beautiful homage +than here ... the happily inspired work of a true artist revealing her +countless charms."—<i>Bookman.</i></p></div> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>"This is beyond all question the most beautiful book on modern Egypt +that we have ever seen."—<i>Spectator.</i></p></div> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>"This is a magnificent production of his, abounding with fine +pictures, beautifully reproduced, and teeming with fine descriptive +touches and bright anecdotal matter."—<i>Black and White.</i></p></div> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>"Few more attractive gift-books have fallen into our hands of late +than this splendidly-illustrated volume, the text of which is in +perfect harmony with the pictures."—<i>Standard.</i></p></div> + +<h3><span class="smcap">Published by A. & C. BLACK, Soho Square, London, W.</span></h3> + +<hr style="width: 65%;" /> + +<h2>A BACHELOR GIRL<br /> +IN BURMA</h2> + +<h3>By G. E. MITTON</h3> + +<h5>AUTHOR OF<br /> +"A BACHELOR GIRL IN LONDON," "JANE AUSTEN AND HER TIMES," ETC.</h5> + +<h4><i>Containing 95 Illustrations from Photographs.</i></h4> + +<p class="f3"><i>Sq. Demy 8vo</i>., +<i>cloth.</i> <b>Price 6/- net</b> (<i>Post free</i>, <i>Price 6s. 5d.</i>) +</p> + +<h3><b>Some Press Opinions</b> +</h3> +<div class="blockquot"><p>"She has written a delightful book on a delightful country, +and the ninety-five illustrations, from photographs taken by +herself and others, add greatly to its readable and +instructive character, as well as to its +beauty."—<i>Scotsman.</i></p> + +<p>"She has altogether succeeded in writing a delightful +account of her trip."—<i>Westminster Gazette.</i></p> + +<p>"A most entertaining and agreeable narrative."—<i>Burlington +Magazine.</i></p> + +<p>"Her book will please and amuse all lovers of +travel."—<i>World.</i></p> + +<p>"She has cleverly tinged her descriptions with much of that +rich colour which ornaments the East, and any who might be +tempted to visit a land as yet little travelled by the +sightseer will in these pages find much information that may +prove of value in their preparation for such a +trip."—<i>Daily Telegraph.</i></p> + +<p>"A delightful account, illustrated with many attractive +photographs."—<i>World's Work.</i></p> + +<p>"Miss Mitton has excelled herself in her last +work."—<i>Tatler.</i></p></div> + + +<h3><span class="smcap">Published by A. & C. BLACK, Soho Square, London, W.</span></h3> +<hr style="width: 65%;" /> + + + + + + + +<pre> + + + + + +End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Burma, by R.Talbot Kelly + +*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK BURMA *** + +***** This file should be named 30064-h.htm or 30064-h.zip ***** +This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: + http://www.gutenberg.org/3/0/0/6/30064/ + +Produced by Sankar Viswanathan, Chris Curnow, and the +Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net +(This file was produced from images generously made +available by The Internet Archive) + + +Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions +will be renamed. + +Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no +one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation +(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without +permission and without paying copyright royalties. Special rules, +set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to +copying and distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works to +protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm concept and trademark. Project +Gutenberg is a registered trademark, and may not be used if you +charge for the eBooks, unless you receive specific permission. If you +do not charge anything for copies of this eBook, complying with the +rules is very easy. You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose +such as creation of derivative works, reports, performances and +research. They may be modified and printed and given away--you may do +practically ANYTHING with public domain eBooks. Redistribution is +subject to the trademark license, especially commercial +redistribution. + + + +*** START: FULL LICENSE *** + +THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE +PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK + +To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free +distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work +(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project +Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full Project +Gutenberg-tm License (available with this file or online at +http://gutenberg.org/license). + + +Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg-tm +electronic works + +1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm +electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to +and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property +(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all +the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or destroy +all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your possession. +If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a Project +Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound by the +terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person or +entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8. + +1.B. "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark. It may only be +used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who +agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few +things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works +even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See +paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project +Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this agreement +and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm electronic +works. See paragraph 1.E below. + +1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the Foundation" +or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection of Project +Gutenberg-tm electronic works. Nearly all the individual works in the +collection are in the public domain in the United States. If an +individual work is in the public domain in the United States and you are +located in the United States, we do not claim a right to prevent you from +copying, distributing, performing, displaying or creating derivative +works based on the work as long as all references to Project Gutenberg +are removed. Of course, we hope that you will support the Project +Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting free access to electronic works by +freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm works in compliance with the terms of +this agreement for keeping the Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with +the work. You can easily comply with the terms of this agreement by +keeping this work in the same format with its attached full Project +Gutenberg-tm License when you share it without charge with others. + +1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern +what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are in +a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States, check +the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this agreement +before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, distributing or +creating derivative works based on this work or any other Project +Gutenberg-tm work. The Foundation makes no representations concerning +the copyright status of any work in any country outside the United +States. + +1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg: + +1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other immediate +access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear prominently +whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work on which the +phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the phrase "Project +Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, performed, viewed, +copied or distributed: + +This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with +almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org + +1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is derived +from the public domain (does not contain a notice indicating that it is +posted with permission of the copyright holder), the work can be copied +and distributed to anyone in the United States without paying any fees +or charges. If you are redistributing or providing access to a work +with the phrase "Project Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the +work, you must comply either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 +through 1.E.7 or obtain permission for the use of the work and the +Project Gutenberg-tm trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or +1.E.9. + +1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted +with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution +must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any additional +terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms will be linked +to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works posted with the +permission of the copyright holder found at the beginning of this work. + +1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm +License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this +work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm. + +1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this +electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without +prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with +active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project +Gutenberg-tm License. + +1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary, +compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including any +word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access to or +distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format other than +"Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official version +posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site (www.gutenberg.org), +you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense to the user, provide a +copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means of obtaining a copy upon +request, of the work in its original "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other +form. Any alternate format must include the full Project Gutenberg-tm +License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1. + +1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying, +performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works +unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. + +1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing +access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works provided +that + +- You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from + the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method + you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is + owed to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he + has agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the + Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments + must be paid within 60 days following each date on which you + prepare (or are legally required to prepare) your periodic tax + returns. Royalty payments should be clearly marked as such and + sent to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the + address specified in Section 4, "Information about donations to + the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation." + +- You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies + you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he + does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm + License. You must require such a user to return or + destroy all copies of the works possessed in a physical medium + and discontinue all use of and all access to other copies of + Project Gutenberg-tm works. + +- You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of any + money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the + electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days + of receipt of the work. + +- You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free + distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works. + +1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project Gutenberg-tm +electronic work or group of works on different terms than are set +forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing from +both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and Michael +Hart, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark. Contact the +Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below. + +1.F. + +1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable +effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread +public domain works in creating the Project Gutenberg-tm +collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm electronic +works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may contain +"Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate or +corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other intellectual +property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or other medium, a +computer virus, or computer codes that damage or cannot be read by +your equipment. + +1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right +of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project +Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project +Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project +Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all +liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal +fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT +LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE +PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH F3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE +TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE +LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR +INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH +DAMAGE. + +1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a +defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can +receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a +written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you +received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium with +your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you with +the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in lieu of a +refund. If you received the work electronically, the person or entity +providing it to you may choose to give you a second opportunity to +receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If the second copy +is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing without further +opportunities to fix the problem. + +1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth +in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS' WITH NO OTHER +WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO +WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTIBILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE. + +1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied +warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of damages. +If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement violates the +law of the state applicable to this agreement, the agreement shall be +interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or limitation permitted by +the applicable state law. The invalidity or unenforceability of any +provision of this agreement shall not void the remaining provisions. + +1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the +trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone +providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in accordance +with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the production, +promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works, +harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, including legal fees, +that arise directly or indirectly from any of the following which you do +or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this or any Project Gutenberg-tm +work, (b) alteration, modification, or additions or deletions to any +Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any Defect you cause. + + +Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm + +Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of +electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of computers +including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It exists +because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations from +people in all walks of life. + +Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the +assistance they need, are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's +goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will +remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project +Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure +and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future generations. +To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation +and how your efforts and donations can help, see Sections 3 and 4 +and the Foundation web page at http://www.pglaf.org. + + +Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive +Foundation + +The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit +501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the +state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal +Revenue Service. The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification +number is 64-6221541. Its 501(c)(3) letter is posted at +http://pglaf.org/fundraising. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg +Literary Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent +permitted by U.S. federal laws and your state's laws. + +The Foundation's principal office is located at 4557 Melan Dr. S. +Fairbanks, AK, 99712., but its volunteers and employees are scattered +throughout numerous locations. Its business office is located at +809 North 1500 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887, email +business@pglaf.org. Email contact links and up to date contact +information can be found at the Foundation's web site and official +page at http://pglaf.org + +For additional contact information: + Dr. Gregory B. Newby + Chief Executive and Director + gbnewby@pglaf.org + + +Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg +Literary Archive Foundation + +Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without wide +spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of +increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be +freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest +array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations +($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt +status with the IRS. + +The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating +charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United +States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a +considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up +with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations +where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To +SEND DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any +particular state visit http://pglaf.org + +While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we +have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition +against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who +approach us with offers to donate. + +International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make +any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from +outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff. + +Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation +methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other +ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations. +To donate, please visit: http://pglaf.org/donate + + +Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic +works. + +Professor Michael S. Hart is the originator of the Project Gutenberg-tm +concept of a library of electronic works that could be freely shared +with anyone. For thirty years, he produced and distributed Project +Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of volunteer support. + + +Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed +editions, all of which are confirmed as Public Domain in the U.S. +unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not necessarily +keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition. + + +Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search facility: + + http://www.gutenberg.org + +This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm, +including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary +Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to +subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks. + + +</pre> + +</body> +</html> diff --git a/old/30064-h/images/cover.jpg b/old/30064-h/images/cover.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..d8e3797 --- /dev/null +++ b/old/30064-h/images/cover.jpg diff --git a/old/30064-h/images/image_005.jpg b/old/30064-h/images/image_005.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..6412a31 --- /dev/null +++ b/old/30064-h/images/image_005.jpg diff --git a/old/30064-h/images/image_006.jpg b/old/30064-h/images/image_006.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..9924355 --- /dev/null +++ b/old/30064-h/images/image_006.jpg diff --git a/old/30064-h/images/image_011.jpg b/old/30064-h/images/image_011.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..4749c06 --- /dev/null +++ b/old/30064-h/images/image_011.jpg diff --git a/old/30064-h/images/image_021.jpg b/old/30064-h/images/image_021.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..1f6cb53 --- /dev/null +++ b/old/30064-h/images/image_021.jpg diff --git a/old/30064-h/images/image_030.jpg b/old/30064-h/images/image_030.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..7f2f8f5 --- /dev/null +++ b/old/30064-h/images/image_030.jpg diff --git a/old/30064-h/images/image_041.jpg b/old/30064-h/images/image_041.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..e83fd12 --- /dev/null +++ b/old/30064-h/images/image_041.jpg diff --git a/old/30064-h/images/image_050.jpg b/old/30064-h/images/image_050.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..840ed1c --- /dev/null +++ b/old/30064-h/images/image_050.jpg diff --git a/old/30064-h/images/image_061.jpg b/old/30064-h/images/image_061.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..9cdd446 --- /dev/null +++ b/old/30064-h/images/image_061.jpg diff --git a/old/30064-h/images/image_066.jpg b/old/30064-h/images/image_066.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..3ac7022 --- /dev/null +++ b/old/30064-h/images/image_066.jpg diff --git a/old/30064-h/images/image_072.jpg b/old/30064-h/images/image_072.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..48d95a5 --- /dev/null +++ b/old/30064-h/images/image_072.jpg diff --git a/old/30064-h/images/image_083.jpg b/old/30064-h/images/image_083.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..3cf2280 --- /dev/null +++ b/old/30064-h/images/image_083.jpg diff --git a/old/30064-h/images/image_092.jpg b/old/30064-h/images/image_092.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..eade320 --- /dev/null +++ b/old/30064-h/images/image_092.jpg diff --git a/old/30064-h/images/image_103.jpg b/old/30064-h/images/image_103.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..de473ea --- /dev/null +++ b/old/30064-h/images/image_103.jpg diff --git a/old/30064-h/images/image_112.jpg b/old/30064-h/images/image_112.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..f25161d --- /dev/null +++ b/old/30064-h/images/image_112.jpg diff --git a/old/30064.txt b/old/30064.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..5c995ba --- /dev/null +++ b/old/30064.txt @@ -0,0 +1,2935 @@ +The Project Gutenberg EBook of Burma, by R.Talbot Kelly + +This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with +almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org + + +Title: Burma + Peeps at Many Lands + +Author: R.Talbot Kelly + +Release Date: September 22, 2009 [EBook #30064] + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: ASCII + +*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK BURMA *** + + + + +Produced by Sankar Viswanathan, Chris Curnow, and the +Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net +(This file was produced from images generously made +available by The Internet Archive) + + + + + + + + + [Illustration: THE PAGODA STEPS, RANGOON. _Page 18._] + + + PEEPS AT MANY LANDS + + BURMA + + + + BY + + R. TALBOT KELLY + R.I., R.B.A., F.R.G.S. + COMMANDER OF THE MEDJIDIEH + + + + WITH TWELVE FULL-PAGE ILLUSTRATIONS + IN COLOUR + BY THE AUTHOR + + + + + + LONDON + + ADAM AND CHARLES BLACK + + 1908 + + * * * * * + + + + +CONTENTS + + +CHAPTER PAGE + + I. THE LAND 1 + + II. RANGOON 5 + + III. THE PEOPLE 13 + + IV. THE IRRAWADDY 21 + + V. THE IRRAWADDY (_continued_) 29 + + VI. VILLAGE LIFE 35 + + VII. TOWN LIFE 41 + +VIII. FIELD WORK 50 + + IX. THE FOREST 56 + + X. THE FOREST (_continued_) 65 + + XI. TEMPLES AND RELIGION 74 + + * * * * * + + + + +LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS + +IN COLOUR + +BY R. TALBOT KELLY + + +THE PAGODA STEPS, RANGOON _frontispiece_ + +FACING PAGE + +"A DAINTILY-CLAD BURMESE LADY" 9 + +A REST-HOUSE 16 + +A NATIVE BOAT SAILING UPSTREAM WITH THE WIND 25 + +THE IRRAWADDY 32 + +ENTRANCE TO A BURMESE VILLAGE 41 + +AT THE WELL 44 + +THE MARKET-PLACE 48 + +IN THE DEPTHS OF THE FOREST 57 + +A DAK BUNGALOW 64 + +THE QUEEN'S GOLDEN MONASTERY, MANDALAY 72 + +THE SHWE ZIGON PAGODA, PAGAN 80 + +SHRINE ON THE PLATFORM OF THE SHWE DAGON PAGODA _on the + cover_ + +_Sketch Map of Burma on p. viii._ + + * * * * * + + +[Illustration: A SKETCH MAP OF BURMA.] + + + + +BURMA + +CHAPTER I + +THE LAND + + +How many boys or girls, I wonder, ever turn to their school atlas for +amusement, or try to picture to themselves what manner of countries +those might be whose strange and unfamiliar place-names so often make +their geography lesson a difficulty? + +Yet there are few subjects, I think, which might be made more +interesting than geography, and a map may often serve to suggest +delightful fancies to a boy or girl of imagination. + +Open your atlas at random and see what it has to tell you. Here, +perhaps in the heart of a great continent, stretches a mountain range, +and from it in many directions wind those serpent-like lines which +denote rivers. + +Following these lines in their course, through narrow valleys or wide +plains, we notice that upon their banks presently appear those towns +and cities whose names you so often find it difficult to remember, and +at length, frequently by many mouths that cut up the delta it has +formed, the river eventually finds its way into the sea. + +These are the simple facts our map gives us, but there is a great deal +of poetry behind. That mountain range is Nature's means of attracting +and holding the moisture-laden clouds which have been blown in from +the sea, and either in the form of rain or snow it stores up the water +evaporated from it. + +By thousands of little rills, or rushing torrents which score furrows +in its sides, the mountain gives up its store of water to feed the +thirsty plains, and with it yields also valuable ores and minerals, +which are often carried many many miles away to enrich a people too +far removed from the mountain to know the origin of their wealth. + +These little streamlets are not marked upon your map, but presently +they join to form one combined river, by which, through the many +hundreds of miles of its windings, the mountain eventually returns its +gathered waters to the sea, from whence they came. + +How interesting to follow the course of such a river, and try to +picture to oneself all it may have to show! What kind of mountain is +it from among whose rugged snow peaks first sprang those plunging +cascades, which, leaping and tossing over their rocky beds, join each +other at its base to form the river itself? Through what wild forests, +filled with curious vegetation, may it not flow, and how strange, +perhaps, are the people who, together with wild beasts and unknown +birds, inhabit its reedy margins! + +As the river grows in size, the grass huts and dug-out canoes of its +upper waters give place to towns which bear names, while large and +strangely-shaped boats carry the produce of the country to some great +seaport at its mouth, where ships of all nations are waiting to +transport it over thousands of miles of ocean to supply us with those +many commodities which we have come to regard as daily necessities! If +boys and girls would think of such things geography, I am sure, would +never be a _dull_ study. + +Now, to turn from an imaginary case to a real one, I want to tell you +something about Burma, a country which, though one of the most +interesting and beautiful in the world, is comparatively little known +to the majority of people. + +This may seem surprising when it is remembered that Burma now forms +part of our Indian Empire, and has for many years carried on a large +trade with England. We may perhaps better understand this if we turn +to our atlas and see how the country is situated. As you will see, +Burma lies on the eastern side of the Bay of Bengal, just north of the +Malay Peninsula, joining Siam and China on the one side and the Indian +provinces of Assam and Manipur on the other, while from an unknown +source in the heart of Thibet its great river, the Irrawaddy, flows +throughout the entire length of the country, and through Rangoon, the +seaport at its mouth, forming the great highway for commerce and +communication between the world at large and its little-known +interior. + +Looking at the map again, you will see that on each side of the +Irrawaddy, running north and south, are mountain ranges called +"yomas" (or back-bones, as the word means), which divide the country, +while other large rivers, such as the Sittang and Salween, flowing in +deep, precipitous valleys, render any communication with Siam +difficult. On the north-west similar ranges of hills form a barrier +between Burma and the frontier provinces of India, and when I tell you +that all these mountains are densely covered with forest and jungle, +and that the rivers are wide, and in many cases unnavigable, you will +understand how it is that Burma is not better known, and that so few +people undertake the arduous work of exploring its interior. Only by +way of one little corner in the north-east, where Burma joins the +Chinese province of Yunnan, is access from the land side easy, and +here caravans of Yunnanese constantly enter the country to trade at +Bhamo and Hsipaw. + +Otherwise, separated by its mountain chains and forests from the rest +of the world, Burma has for centuries remained untouched and +unspoiled, and it is only since the deposition of King Thebaw, in +1885, and the assumption of its government by England that the gradual +extension of the railway system is slowly bringing the interior into +easier communication with the outside world, and beginning to effect a +change in the character of the people. + + + + +CHAPTER II + +RANGOON + + +Anyone wishing to visit Burma must land at Rangoon, for it is not only +the largest and most important of its seaports, but the only one that +has direct steamer communication with England, or by river traffic and +railways affords access to the interior. The harbour is formed by the +tidal estuary of one of the many mouths of the Irrawaddy. Here it is +very wide, and a large number of steamers and sailing ships ride at +anchor, loading or discharging their cargoes into lighters and +quaintly-shaped native boats. + +Huge rafts of teak wood drift slowly downstream to the saw-mills below +the town, where trained elephants stack the logs with almost human +intelligence, and queer uptilted rowing boats, called "sampans," ferry +passengers across the river, or to the various vessels in the stream. +Long stretches of timber-built quays and iron-roofed "godowns" (or +warehouses) form the wharfs, upon which coolies of all nationalities +toil under the tropical sun. European officers in white drill and +sun-helmets superintend the loading of their vessels, longing to be +finished and away from a spot where everything vibrates and dithers in +the white glare. + +On shore the smoke from the rice-mills adds to the already +overpowering sense of heat, while from across the water the noise of +hammered iron from the repairing yards completes a picture of bustle, +heat, and toil. + +Yet Rangoon is a very pleasant place to live in, and as many of my +readers will, no doubt, have fathers or brothers in the East, they +will like to hear something about the place, and how people live +there. + +Behind the quay and warehouses the city lies, well laid out in broad +streets and squares, and having many fine shops and buildings. The +houses are mostly of that curious half-Italian, half-Oriental style +which we find in almost all Southern and Eastern seaports. They are +usually painted white, with green shutters to the windows, and are +often surrounded by broad verandas. The roofs are generally of red +tiles, which look pretty among the dark foliage of the trees which +often line the streets, and in spite of "topee"[1] and umbrella, +pedestrians are thankful to avail themselves of their shade, for the +air is hot and the white glare of the streets is most trying to the +eyes. + +[Footnote 1: Sun-helmet.] + +People of all nations throng the thoroughfares and bazaars--Indians +and Singalese, Chinese and Burmans--and one's first impression is a +vague confusion of picturesque costumes and unaccustomed types of +mankind; for Rangoon is cosmopolitan to a degree, and can hardly be +called a Burmese town at all. + +Anyone visiting Rangoon for the first time will, I think, be struck by +the many strange trades carried on in the streets, and it is +interesting to sit in the veranda of your hotel in the Strand and +watch the crowd as it passes. Here is a water-carrier, whose +terra-cotta water-jars are slung from a bamboo carried on his +shoulder, another man bears on his head a tray upon which a charcoal +fire is cooking a strong-smelling "tit-bit" some hungry labourer will +presently enjoy. Again, a Chinaman, perhaps wearing black skull-cap +and loose jacket and trousers, endeavours to tempt you to purchase the +fans or sunshades he is hawking. Huge baskets of coco-nuts or +vegetables, gaudily printed calicoes and haberdashery, cheap knives +and looking-glasses, and baskets of cool melons, are some of the +articles carried across the shoulders of the pedlars, while porters +pass to and fro bearing huge burdens from one warehouse to another. + +Flocks of goats are driven from house to house to be milked at the +doorstep, and occasionally a hill-man may be seen wandering about in +the hope of finding a purchaser for the freshly-caught leopard he is +leading. What will, perhaps, most strike Europeans are the bullock +gharries by which the heavy traffic of the town is carried on. These +are carts curiously shaped and often carved, with large and very +wide-rimmed wheels. They are drawn by a pair of Indian bullocks, sleek +cream-coloured beasts with mild and patient eyes, and often bearing +enormous horns, which, somewhat after the shape of a lyre, stand four +feet above their heads. + +Excepting for a single rein which is fastened to a ring through the +nose, no harness is used; but, instead, the cattle press against the +wooden yoke which is fixed to the pole of the cart, and is kept in +position by long pins which lie on each side of their necks. + +One thing which distinguishes these bullocks from our own is their +hump, which nearly all Eastern cattle have. This hump not only enables +them the better to work under the yoke, but, as in the case of the +camel, is provided by Nature as a storing-place for surplus fat, upon +which they can unconsciously nourish themselves when pasturage or food +is scarce. + +Large-turbaned Indian police keep order in the streets, where office +"chuprassies," or messengers, wearing their broad, coloured sash of +office across their shoulders, come and go upon their errands, and, +with the white-clad butler of a "Sahib" intent upon his marketing, +mingle with a crowd which is composed of all races and all stations of +life, from the wizened labourer in his loin-cloth to the wealthy baboo +or daintily-clad Burmese lady. It is a wonderful medley of strange +faces, costumes, and tongues, and among it all the self-sufficient +crow fights with the "pi" dogs over the garbage, to the amusement of +the children, who, often quite naked, play about the gutters. + +No such crowd in England could possibly have the same charm, for here +dirt, hunger, and rags are always apparent, while there the dirt is +lost in the glorious sunshine, and, instead of rags, we find bright +colours, while the people, though often poor, seldom, if ever, go +hungry. + +I have tried to give you some little idea of the life of the streets, +and now let us see something of the life of the "Sahib" in Rangoon. + +[Illustration: A DAINTILY-CLAD BURMESE LADY. _Page 8._] + +You boys and girls whose fathers are in India know that "Sahib" means +the Englishman, the merchant or official who carries on the business +affairs or government of the country, and many of you may remember +something of your very young days out there, before the time arrived +when it became necessary for you to leave the East and come to school +in England. + +Well, I may say that the English "Sahib" works very hard indeed, and I +am afraid he is already busy at his office long before we in England +have thought of getting up. Somewhere about six o'clock, after a light +breakfast called "chota-hazri," he is at his office, which he seldom +leaves till the evening. The offices are large and airy, and all the +windows are shaded by jalousies, or grass mats, which in hot weather +are wetted so as to cool the air as it passes through them. Slung from +the ceiling in long rows over tables or desks are the "punkahs," or +fans, which a "punkah-wallah" outside in the veranda pulls to and fro +with a rope in order to keep the hot air moving, and prevent the flies +and mosquitoes from settling. Every one, though clothed in the +lightest suit, works with his coat off, and in many cases, so as not +to interrupt the day's routine, "tiffin," or lunch, is eaten in the +office. Work is hard, steady, and continuous, and no one who has not +been there knows how well our relations in the East earn its many +compensations. + +Life there is not _all_ work, however, and its social conditions are +very attractive. From the time when his "tum-tum"[2] arrives at the +close of office-hours and the "Sahib" bowls merrily homewards, a new +life begins. Town becomes deserted, and the suburbs awake to offer +amusement and relaxation to the workers. + +[Footnote 2: Dogcart.] + +Let us accompany one of our friends on his way home. The sun is +declining and the air already much cooler, and the drive through the +shopping streets and the squares is very enjoyable. The town is soon +passed, however, and broad roads well shaded with many tropical +growths lead to cantonments, as the suburbs are called. Here are the +military lines as well as the bungalows of the residents. These +bungalows are generally large and comfortable-looking, and one can see +from their broad verandas and well-shaded windows that they are +designed for coolness. Nearly all are built of timber, and each stands +in its own compound, which is usually gay with flowers and well +provided with shade-trees. Separated from the house but connected with +it by a covered walk are the kitchens, and in a corner of the garden +are the stables, for horses are an essential in Rangoon. + +As we drive along the quiet roads they gradually become animated. The +ladies, who have been resting indoors during the great heat of the +day, pass us on their way to their tennis-parties or other +engagements, while, in charge of picturesquely-clad Burmese or Indian +ayahs, the little ones take their evening walk. Groups of Burmans of +the better class with their wives promenade the cool avenues in happy +contentment, or wend their way towards Dalhousie Park. The whole scene +is pretty and domestic, and the roads themselves form beautiful vistas +in the evening light, which gilds the feathery crests of the coco-nuts +and gives added colour to the deep-toned foliage of the padouk and +other trees which fringe them. Song-birds which are strange to us +call each other from the groves, and in the bamboo clumps the +grasshoppers are beginning to sing, while floating in the air, which +is now fresh and cool, is the scent of many flowers from the gardens. + +Dalhousie Park is one of the many attractions of Rangoon. It is large +and well laid out, with a very pretty lake, which winds among the +well-arranged groups of forest trees. There is a boat club here, and +gliding over the still water are many rowing boats and small sailing +craft. Swans and ducks are swimming about as the swallow skims the +surface of the water, breaking its deep reflections with a silver +streak. All the paths are thronged with people, some driving, others +on foot, and most of them presently congregate about the bandstand to +enjoy the music or exchange the gossip of the day. It is quite an +interesting sight. All the fashionable life of Rangoon is represented +here, and mingling with it are yellow-robed Buddhist priests and +natives of all classes; for the Burman loves to come here in the +evening, to listen to the band or watch the changing glory of the sky +as the sun slowly sets behind his beloved pagoda. + +Now the sun has set, and every one hastily puts on overcoats or wraps +before driving home, for the air becomes suddenly cold, and neglect of +these precautions will probably result in fever. + +Many adjourn to the gymkhana club before returning home. This is +principally a man's club, but here also on many days a band plays, and +the sight is a pretty one indeed as the children and their ayahs play +about the lawn, while their parents enjoy their tea at the little +tables scattered about it, before the falling dew drives the little +ones homewards, and their elders to the club-house for a game of +billiards or a chat. + +All this side of Rangoon life is very pleasant and very interesting, +but it is not Burmese. Rangoon has for so long been a great trade +centre that the easy-going Burman is rather overshadowed; but as it is +typical of many foreign places where our fathers or brothers are +occupied, and where some of my readers may presently have to go, I +thought it would be interesting to give you this glimpse of European +life in India, and in the next chapter I will tell you something about +the Burmans themselves. + + + + +CHAPTER III + +THE PEOPLE + + +Have you ever thought how the character of the various races of the +world is more or less determined by the nature of the country of their +origin? Rugged mountains and a hard climate produce people of a +similar severity of type, and, on the other hand, one naturally looks +for poetry and music in a people so pleasantly and romantically +situated as are the Italians. In the same way the Burmese are pretty +much what their country has made them. The land is so very fertile +that almost anything will grow there, and Nature provides food for the +people with the least possible effort on their own part. The climate +is also damp, warm, and enervating, so that one would not expect to +find among its inhabitants much energy or decision of character. Their +beautiful religion also makes them kind and gentle, and their +isolation, which, as I have pointed out, separates them from the +neighbouring countries, has left them almost entirely undisturbed by +the activities of the greater world. In fact, on account of their +easy-going and contented nature, the Burmese are often called the +"Irish of the East," and I am afraid it must be said that the men are +rather lazy, and, like their prototypes in some parts of Ireland, +leave most of the work to the women. + +As a rule, the Burmese women are industrious and clever at business, +most of which is conducted by them, while the men are more fond of +sport of all kinds than employment. All, however, are gentle in +character, light-hearted, and merry, and like to repeat in their +clothing the beautiful tints of their forest flowers and +gaily-coloured birds and butterflies. + +It is not surprising, therefore, that among the alien races so busily +engaged in the trade of Rangoon the Burmans should be overshadowed and +rather lost to sight; and though in Rangoon itself there are many +streets occupied entirely by them, it is in the quieter surroundings +of the suburbs that the Burman appears to advantage. + +Many little Burmese villages surround Rangoon, where, half buried in +the trees and creepers which envelop them, the quaint dwellings lie +more or less secluded from the road. All are built of timber or +bamboo, and have nothing in their design to make them noticeable. +Among them, however, are occasional "kyoungs," or Buddhist +monasteries, which are much more ornamental and striking. Like their +other buildings, the "kyoung" is constructed of timber, and stands +upon a wooden platform raised from the ground some four or five feet +by thick posts, which are usually carried through the balustrade which +surrounds the platform, and terminate in a carved head, steps leading +to the stage upon which the monastery is built. These "kyoungs" are +very curious in design, the walls, doors, and windows being +ornamented with carving, while their succession of roofs, one above +the other, often rise to a great height. To afford shade to the +platform below, the roofs project considerably beyond the walls, and +the ridges of each are decorated with carved woodwork representing +their "nats" and "beloos," as they call their good and evil spirits, +and the ends of the eaves terminate in a very striking ornament +supposed to represent the peacock, which, as you will see from the +picture, gives the building a very quaint appearance indeed. Sometimes +the monasteries are gilded, and the doors and wall-panels inlaid with +looking-glass, tinsel, and other glittering material, which makes them +appear very gorgeous in the sunlight. + +These monasteries are occupied by Buddhist priests, who teach the +children of the neighbourhood, or instruct the pilgrims who visit them +in the beauties of their religion, of which I shall have something to +tell you presently. All the priests have shaven heads, and wear a +simple robe of cotton, dyed to a bright yellow by the juice of the +cutch-tree. Gentle and hospitable themselves, they lead the most +simple lives. All the food they eat is given by the people, and it is +a very picturesque sight to see the daily procession of priests and +novices, each carrying a bowl in which to receive the offerings of +food so willingly given by the inmates of the houses they visit. No +request for alms is ever made, nor any word of thanks spoken, for such +gifts are freely offered by a people who believe in their religion, +and do so as an "act of merit." + +Close by the monasteries are the "zeyats," or homes for wandering +pilgrims. Though their roofs are ornamented in the same way as the +"kyoungs," they are more simple in appearance, and often have one side +entirely open to the air. Built primarily for pilgrims, anyone may use +them, and often a belated traveller is very thankful to take advantage +of their shelter against the night dews or tropical rains. + +Another striking feature of their architecture is the "pyathat," or +spire of five or seven roofs, each smaller than the other, which +finish in what they call a "ti," or umbrella of wrought iron +ornamented with flowers, and from which little bells and cymbals swing +and tinkle in the breeze. These spires, however, are only erected over +sacred buildings or the palace of a King. + +[Illustration: A REST HOUSE.] + +Most beautiful of all their buildings is the pagoda, as their temples +are called, and most beautiful, perhaps, of all the temples in Burma +is the great Shwe Dagon pagoda in Rangoon. "Shwe" means golden, and +this beautiful bell-shaped pyramid, which rises 370 feet above the +mound upon which it is built, is entirely overlaid with gold. The +mound itself, which is of considerable height, is artificially made, +the earth having been carried there in order to form a fortress and a +pedestal for the shrine. These pagodas are constructed of solid +brickwork, in which is often enclosed some sacred relic. Originally of +small dimensions, generations of Kings have from time to time added +further layers of brickwork to the gradually increasing structure, +until to-day this stupendous Shwe Dagon pagoda stands before us so +immense and so beautiful as to be rightly considered one of the +wonders of the world. Around the base of the temple is a large +number of shrines, each lofty, beautified by carved woodwork and +towering pinnacles, richly embellished with gilding and coloured +inlay, and each worthy itself to be a separate temple. Fantastic +images and carved balustrades connect the various shrines with each +other and with the great temple itself, and from ornamental pedestals +spring conventional representations of the sacred tree of Buddha, +delicately wrought in iron. Tall flagstaffs, 60 or 80 feet high, +surmounted by emblematical figures or representations of the Brahminy +duck, float their long streamers in the wind, while the sound of +tinkling bells descends from the "tis" with which every pinnacle is +crowned. Surrounding all is a broad platform fringed with shops and +other buildings, for the Burmese love their pagoda, and many spend +their days here, and the necessities of life must be provided. + +Nowhere in all Burma may a better idea of the Burmese be obtained than +on this pagoda platform. At all times of the day it is thronged by +people, not only from Rangoon, but from all parts of the country, who +come to pray or wonder at its beauty. At the shrines, in which are +always one or more images of Buddha, groups of devout Burmans pray. +Lighted candles burn before the images, while the worshippers, among +whom it will be noticed women predominate, bear flowers in their +hands, which before their departure they reverently lay upon the niche +in which the "Master" is enshrined. + +These flowers and coloured candles are sold upon the platform, leading +up to which are several covered staircases, which form the best +bazaar in Rangoon, as in the shops on either side of the ascent almost +everything from jewellery and toys to food-stuffs may be bought. The +entrance from the street below is very striking. The flight of broad +steps leads to a gilded and painted pavilion, on either side of which +stand enormous leogryphs, the mythical guardians of the temple. +Passing through an archway embellished by figures of "nats" and other +imaginary creatures, a long succession of steps, covered throughout +the whole distance by ornamental roofs, leads to the temple above, and +at all times of the day is thronged by brightly-clothed pedestrians, +ascending and descending through the alternate gleams of sunlight and +cool shade of the bazaar. Nowhere else in Burma can the people be +better studied than here, all classes being represented, and it may be +interesting if I describe them more closely. Like their neighbours of +Siam and China, the Burmese are Mongolian in type, but, without so +pronounced a cheekbone and slanting eye as the Chinese, are more +pleasing in appearance. Indeed, the men are often handsome, and among +the women and young girls I have seen many of extreme beauty. While +the men are often sallow, the women are generally more ruddy in +complexion, and all have hair of an almost purple blackness. Their +clothing is bright and clean-looking. All wear a short jacket, usually +white, though ladies of the better degree sometimes adopt figured +velvets and other rich materials. The men commonly wear a "lungyi," or +short skirt composed of coloured silk or cloth gathered round their +loins, or the more elaborate "petsoe," which is made of coloured silk +and in which many yards of loose material twisted into a bunch about +the waist serves as an additional scarf or head-dress should it be +cold. Short socks and boots of European make are now unfortunately +commonly worn, while a silk scarf of bright colour tied round the head +completes the male costume. + +The women are clad in much the same way, wearing a similar "lungyi" +and jacket or the more beautiful "temaine," a skirt of rich figured +silk, which is open on one side, exposing the leg up to the knee, to +which is added a broad fringe of darker material, which trails upon +the ground, giving it a more graceful appearance than the shorter +"lungyi." Wooden sandals are worn on the feet, while on their +shoulders is thrown a long scarf of delicately-coloured silk. Unlike +the men, the women wear no head-dress, but take great pride in their +hair, which is always glossy and well dressed, and almost invariably +is adorned by a comb or some choice flower. Endowed by Nature with +beautiful hands, they love to accentuate the point by a display of +jewellery, which, though sometimes worn to excess, is always _good_, +for the Burmese lady would scorn to wear a spurious gem. Pretty fans +or handkerchiefs are carried in the hand, while, like a halo +surrounding the head, dainty parasols, semi-transparent and +hand-painted, shield them from the sun. It is difficult to give any +true impression of such a Burmese crowd, in which every conceivable +variety of tint and texture is displayed, and permeating which is a +sense of universal gaiety and lightness of heart. It is like nothing +so much as a beautiful flower-garden, while the people themselves +would seem to be as free from care as the butterflies that hover above +the blooms. + + + + +CHAPTER IV + +THE IRRAWADDY + + +To all countries rivers serve the same purpose as the veins in one's +body, being their great source of life and activity. Not only do they +drain and fertilize the land, but also afford the readiest and most +economical means of transit for its trade; consequently on their banks +are found the largest cities and most active commercial life of the +country. + +This is particularly true of Burma, for, railways still being few in +number, the Irrawaddy forms its great highway for traffic, and a large +fleet of steamers plies regularly with freight and passengers between +Rangoon, Mandalay, and Bhamo, while thousands of native craft of all +shapes and sizes assist in the carrying trade of the country. + +For a thousand miles the Irrawaddy is alive with traffic, and on its +banks have settled the greater proportion of the population of the +country, for with the exception of a few isolated towns and +settlements, which are surrounded by cultivated areas of limited +extent, the whole country away from the river-banks is densely covered +by scrub jungle and primeval forest, practically uninhabited and +uncultivable. Throughout the length of the river, however, is one long +series of towns and villages, whose pagodas and monasteries crown +every knoll, and whose population seems largely to live upon the +water. + +The Irrawaddy is a stream of great size and volume, and, like all +rivers subject to periodic flood, is enclosed by high banks of +alluvial deposit, between which the river winds its devious way, laden +with that rich and fertile mud which, in the course of ages, has +formed the delta at its mouth. + +In the case of the Irrawaddy this delta is of large extent, and is +everywhere intersected by the deep creeks which form the many mouths +of the river, thus breaking up the alluvial plain into numerous +islands, between which communication is impossible except by means of +boats. + +These islands are for the most part covered with a dense jungle, which +forms a lair for tigers and many other wild beasts, and so close do +these tigers approach to Rangoon that one was recently shot inside the +great pagoda, in which it had taken refuge. While there I heard of an +amusing adventure which befell the keeper of the lighthouse at the +mouth of the Rangoon River. He was enjoying a morning stroll along the +beach, reading a book as he walked, and, as the sun was bright, he +held his white umbrella before him to shield himself from the glare of +sand and water. Suddenly he stumbled over a tiger lying fast asleep +upon the shore, and with a yell of terror the lighthouse man, dropping +book and sunshade on the ground, fled away as hard as he could run in +one direction, to discover presently that the tiger, just as much +alarmed as himself, had made an equally precipitous flight in the +other. + +All these lower water-ways of the Irrawaddy are tidal, for they are +quite close to the sea, and at high water the land is scarcely raised +at all above the water level. Mango-trees, dwarf palms, and reeds +fringe the muddy banks, on which, raised upon poles and built partly +over the water, are the huts of the fishermen, who, half naked, ply +their calling in quaintly-shaped, dug-out canoes. To the north of the +principal creek which connects Rangoon with Bassein stretches a vast +plain of fertile "paddy" land, where each year is grown that enormous +crop of rice which forms Burma's chief export. + +From every landing-place cargo boats of many kinds, manned by crews of +different nationalities, drop downstream to Rangoon, heavily laden +with "paddy," as the unhusked rice is called, which, after treatment +at the mills, will be shipped abroad. + +Though hardly beautiful, perhaps, these tidal waters are of great +interest to the new-comer, who probably for the first time sees the +feathery coco-nut and graceful areca-palm growing in their natural +state among the many other strange trees that flourish upon the banks. +At each stopping-place, also, is the picturesque native village, often +surrounded by banana-groves and gardens of sesamum. High on the banks +boats are being built or repaired, in readiness for next season's +flood, while on the water the continuous stream of traffic is of +never-failing interest. + +Above Prome, however, where the river flows between the mountain +ranges which form the great backbone of Burma, every mile of the +journey is of great and varied beauty. + +The banks are high, and cut into terraces by the varying levels of the +river, and are crowned by a belt of almost continuous forest-trees, +among which, half hidden in the foliage, are the towns and villages +which so frequently occur on both banks. Behind, the rising ground, +naturally rocky and broken, is entirely enveloped by a dense forest, +which stretches in leafy undulations to the lofty mountains which loom +in the far distance. + +The Irrawaddy is rapid in its flow, and, like all flood rivers, is +constantly changing its course, as the scour of the water washes away +a portion of the bank from one spot, to form a sand-bank in the stream +lower down. Consequently, navigation for large steamers is difficult, +and the whole course has to be marked out by buoys of bamboo, which, +in some of the more difficult reaches, must be constantly changed. +Some of these steamers plying on the Irrawaddy are very large, being +over 300 feet long, and nearly 80 feet in width. Many of them carry +upwards of 2,000 passengers, mostly deck passengers, who, in the aft +part of the ship, conduct a travelling bazaar for the benefit of such +towns and villages on the banks as have no regular shops of their own. +At each landing-place crowds of people, again mostly women, are +awaiting the arrival of the steamer, carrying various goods for sale +or barter, while others eagerly board the steamer to make such +purchases as they require. + +[Illustration: A NATIVE BOAT SAILING UPSTREAM WITH THE WIND. _Page +26_] + +Almost every requisite of life may be bought in these floating +bazaars--clothing, cutlery, or hardware, lamps and looking-glasses +(which latter are always in great demand), preserved eggs from China, +English flour, Indian curries and sweetmeats, cooking utensils, +"ngapi" (or rotted fish) from Yandoon, are some of the articles +offered for sale, in return for which the villagers have to offer +supplies of oil, cutch, rice, native silks, and beautifully-made +baskets and lacquer-work. + +At important stations the landing-places consist of barges moored +alongside the banks, and these are moved from time to time as the +varying levels of the river demand. More frequently, however, the bows +of the steamer are simply run into the bank, while its crew of +Chittagonians jump overboard to carry the mooring rope ashore. It is +amusing to watch the mass of struggling humanity who throng the +landing-places on the arrival of the steamer. Every one, whether +landing or embarking, strives to be first upon the narrow gangway +which connects the steamer's sponson[3] with the shore, with the +result that many are thrown into the water. Each is intent upon +conducting his business to the best possible advantage in the limited +time at his disposal, for the steamer's visit does not occur every +day, and its stay is short. + +[Footnote 3: The small platform which connects the paddle-box with the +steamer's deck.] + +Along the margin of the river are many who, indifferent to the arrival +of the mail, are engaged in washing their clothes or utensils, while +boys and girls gambol on the banks, or, swimming with delightful ease, +frolic round the steamer in the water. + +Interesting though life in the steamer is, that of the river as seen +from its decks is even more so. The native boats are most quaint in +their designs, the most striking being the "laungzat." This is a +vessel often of very large size, and capable of carrying a large +amount of cargo. Its bows are sharply uptilted, the cut-water +frequently rising clear of the water. The hull is beautifully +modelled, and the stern, rising high above the water in a sort of +tower, is often elaborately carved. Half its length is covered by a +deck-house for the crew, on the roof of which a canopy of reeds or +grasses gives shelter to the steersman, who, raised in this way, is +better able to steer clear of the shoals and shallows which beset the +stream, and which from the lower deck would probably not be seen. The +rudder is a long paddle, also carved, which is slung in a loop over +the stern, while a further decorative effect is often obtained by +inverted soda-water bottles stuck upon poles along the sides. + +Coming downstream the vessel is propelled by oars, usually twelve to +sixteen, which the crew ply with a slow rhythmic swing. During the +monsoons, when strong winds blow upstream, sails are used instead of +oars. The mast is composed of two bamboos lashed together at the top, +their lower ends being made fast to the gunwale. On this frame, from +bamboo yards curved slightly upwards, is spread a curious combination +of six or seven square sails, which, though only of use when running +before the wind, enable the boat to travel at a great speed. There are +many other kinds of boats in use, all equally distinctive in +character; and even the dug-out canoe is pretty, its fore-foot rising +clear of the water in a slight curve, which lends an element of beauty +to what would otherwise have been simply a straight log. + +Fishing is frequent along the river-bank, the favourite appliances +being nets of various kinds. Often on a sand-bank may be seen a little +hut raised high above the ground, and composed of bamboo and reeds. +This is the shelter for the fisherman, who with a drag-net buoyed by +sun-dried gourds fishes the neighbouring shallows. Hand-nets are +occasionally used, but most interesting, perhaps, is the curious kind +of cradle by which a net stretched upon a bamboo frame is let down +into the water from the bank, particularly on the passing of a +steamer, when the startled fish dart in shore and are caught in the +net, which is raised at the proper moment by the watchers on the bank. + +Very interesting also are the rafts, composed of logs of teak and +pyingado, which, cut in the forests far inland, are constructed in the +creeks, as the forest streams are called, and are then launched into +the Irrawaddy upon their voyage of often many weeks before Rangoon is +reached. + +These rafts are frequently of enormous size, and are manned by crews +of Shans, whose numbers vary according to their size. Without means of +propulsion, the rafts simply drift with the stream, but are guided to +some extent by a number of paddles fixed at either end, by which the +crews endeavour, not always successfully, to keep them clear of shoals +and their heads downstream. + +In many cases the population of a raft is so considerable that quite a +little village of huts is built upon it, and I have seen cows, goats, +and fowls, as well as the wives and children of the crew, housed upon +it. In one case at least I remember seeing a raft upon which was +erected a bamboo pagoda, and frequently upon the sand-banks in the +river small pagodas of the same material are erected for devout +watermen. + +Not least among the many beauties of the Irrawaddy are the glorious +sunsets behind the "Yomas," when the colours are repeated in the +limpid water, which perfectly reflects the pinnacles of "kyoungs" or +pagodas, or the pretty village that lies half hidden amidst the varied +foliage which in rich masses crowns the banks. + + + + +CHAPTER V + +THE IRRAWADDY (_continued_) + + +Almost every morning dense mists hang upon the river, screening +everything from view until the sun, slowly gaining power, presently +dispels the fog and reveals the beauty of the scene. + +Very beautiful indeed are some of these panoramas disclosed in the +early sunlight. + +Close beside the high and clear-cut bank, crowned with flowering +kine-grass, our steamer lies, the silently-flowing river gurgling and +bubbling under our keel. The water is quite still, and repeats every +detail of the opposite shore, behind which, rising terrace upon +terrace, are the wooded "Yomas," in whose ravines and valleys still +hangs some remnant of the fog. The foliage is of many kinds, the +feathery tamarind and acacia contrasting well with the more heavily +leaved banyan; betel-nut and toddy-palm rise above the mulberry or +mimosa, and conspicuous among the varied tints of the forest is the +delicate green of the bamboo, to the Burman the most useful perhaps of +all the forest growths, and everywhere abounding. + +Life awakens with the sun. Herds of cattle roam along the shore, while +in the fields from raised platforms half-nude men and boys scare +wild-fowl from the ripening crops. The smoke of many fires on shore +and from the craft upon the water rises perpendicularly in the still +air, as the frugal morning meal is being prepared ere another day's +work begins. + +Between its banks the Irrawaddy sweeps in splendid curves, producing +an ever-growing sense of bigness and dignity. Some of its reaches are +very wide, and have more the appearance of an inland lake than a +river. On such sand-banks as are not already occupied by fishermen, +flocks of wild-goose, storks, and other waders are roosting or fishing +in the shallow pools. Kingfishers dart hither and thither after their +prey, and wild-duck in great numbers settle upon its smooth surface, +to feast upon the teeming fish with which the river abounds. + +In general the scene is one of placid beauty: even the rugged mountain +sides are smoothed and softened by their covering of greenery, and the +warm air and limpid water combine to produce an effect of quietude and +repose, which the contented character of the Burman does little to +disturb. + +At certain places, however, as in the defile above Mandalay, the +scenery is of a more vigorous character. + +Here the river narrows considerably, and in its deep and silent flow +winds for many miles between high hills which closely confine it, and +in one place rise in a perpendicular cliff 800 feet sheer above the +water. + +I was fortunate in approaching the defile in the early dawn, when the +morning mists still hung heavy upon the hills of lurid blackness which +marked its entrance. Between them was an impenetrable gloom, which +seemed to promise no means of egress, and as we steamed rapidly +towards it, one unconsciously felt that here was the end of all +things, and that nothing could possibly lie beyond. It was a most +weird sensation, which the river, so darkly flowing between banks we +could hardly see, served to emphasize. + +Presently the rising sun lit up the clouds of vapour piled high above +the hills, and then for half an hour continued the most beautiful and +ever-changing play of colour imaginable, as the slowly-moving fog +wreaths wound about the mountain tops, now rosy in the sunlight, or +again in pearly shade, while alternate gloom and gleam tipped the +hills with gold or enveloped them in a purple mystery. + +By the time our steamer entered the defile full daylight better +enabled us to observe our surroundings. + +Here, as elsewhere, the vegetation was luxuriant; every crevice in the +rocks afforded foothold for some tree or creeper, while the hilltops +and more sloping sides were densely covered with forest trees. + +The passage of the defile occupies about two hours, and the course of +the river is very tortuous. + +At the bends little beaches of bright shingle lie against the +tree-roots. Fishing cradles, such as I have described, are frequent, +and cormorants in great numbers share with the fishermen the spoils of +the river, for nowhere on the Irrawaddy are the fish of better quality +than here. + +Altogether, in the impressiveness of its scenery, the quiet, +irresistible flow of the river, and the bright tints and varied +growths of the forest, the lower defile of the Irrawaddy forms one of +the most striking scenes I have ever enjoyed; and if the river had no +other beauty than this to show, it alone would amply repay the +traveller for his journey. + +Though in general so fertile, there is one part of the river where the +hills which lie on its western side are entirely barren, and the +reddish-yellow rocks appear very hot and uninviting by comparison. Yet +this forbidding district is one of the busiest and richest of all +Burma, for this is the great oil-field of the country, and the +chimneys of pumping stations which stretch for miles along the hills +and river-bank show how actively the trade is being worked. Formerly +Burma was obliged to import all her lamp-oil from America, but now, +although a certain amount of American oil is still imported, Burma not +only produces sufficient for their own use, but is able to export a +considerable quantity to other countries, and many of the steamers on +the river use the crude or unrefined oil as fuel. + +Here and there in the river are moored curious-looking dredgers +engaged in pumping up the river sand, from which is separated the gold +dust with which it is so freely mixed. The gold comes from unknown +veins hundreds of miles away, and is to be found in greater or less +quantities all down the river, and though the natives have always been +in the habit of "washing for gold," it is only within the last few +years that any real attempt has been made to work it on a large scale. + +[Illustration: THE IRRAWADDY. _Chapters IV and V._] + +The Irrawaddy has many tributaries, but though the larger streams, +such as the Chindwin and Mu Rivers, are always flowing, most of the +smaller forest streams are dry, excepting during the monsoon, which +continues from May until September. At this season, swelled into +torrents by the rains, they pour into the Irrawaddy, quickly raising +its level 40 to 50 feet, and the peaceful river which I have described +becomes a mighty flood, in places 2 miles in width, full to the top of +its banks and overflowing the fields and flooding the village streets, +and sweeping away from its sand-banks those huts and pagodas and other +temporary buildings we have noticed, while the mud which its turbid +waters carry each year adds a little to the delta at its mouth. + +Very often crossing the mouth of these tributaries you may see a +framework of bamboo, over which fishing-nets are spread as the river +rises, and in the pools of slack water which lie at the mouths of the +forest creeks a great collection of logs lie floating. These logs have +been cut in the forest long before, and have gradually been collected +at some such convenient spot, where a large number of natives are +busily engaged in building them into one of those huge rafts so +constantly met with on the river. These rafts have a long journey +before them, and constantly grounding as they do, no ropes would hold +them together through all the wear and tear of their weeks upon the +water, so instead of ropes rattan is used. This is a peculiarly long, +tough, and flexible cane, which grows all over the forests, and is +often a hundred yards or more in length. The logs are mostly of teak +(about which I will tell you more presently) and pyingado or +iron-wood, which is so heavy that it sinks in the water, and +consequently rafts of bamboo are first built, and beneath them the +pyingado logs are slung. + +An interesting place is Bhamo, the last station for the river steamers +and close to the frontier of China. The town is more Chinese than +Burman in character, though on the banks of the River Taiping are the +remains of pagodas and other buildings of purely Burmese origin. + +Then, again, there are other defiles on the river beside the one I +have already described, and many other points of interest which I +might mention. Thabeitkyan, the landing-place for the ruby-mines, +three days' journey inland; the rocky island with its monastery and +pagoda, whose priests are said to be able to tame the fish in the +river, which they feed by hand; the great bell at Mingoon, or the +water-side fair at Shwegu, and a host of others. It would be +impossible for me to tell you about everything of interest that the +Irrawaddy has to show, but perhaps I have said enough to give you some +little idea of how beautiful and interesting a river it is. + + + + +CHAPTER VI + +VILLAGE LIFE + + +Leaving the river, let us go ashore at one of the many villages on its +banks, and see how the Burmese live. + +Our steamer lies alongside of the bank while the cargo is being +landed, and its fuel of eng-wood is put on board. This is hard work, +and is generally done by girls, who are paid by piece-work, and +generally lose no time in the operation. Bales and cases lie upon the +bank, and are being loaded into bullock-carts or carried to the top of +the "bund," as the bank is called, where pack-ponies are waiting to +carry them to more distant destinations. + +The villagers "shikoh"[4] as we land, and swarms of youngsters follow +us on our tour of the village; but though greatly interested in +ourselves and our hardly-concealed curiosity, they are always polite +and never annoy us in any way. + +[Footnote 4: The Burmese form of salute.] + +The village lies close beside the river, and is, as usual, bowered in +trees, which overhang the bank. Its other three sides are enclosed by +a stockade of thorns or wooden palings as a protection against wild +beasts or attack by dacoits, bands of robbers who until recently +lurked in the jungles, and often raided outlying and unprotected +villages. + +The stockade is nearly always overgrown with creeping plants, yellow +convolvulus, tropaeolum, and a charming little climber like +canariensis. On each side is a gate built of balks of timber, and so +heavy that it must run on wheels. This gate is always shut at +nightfall, so that no one can enter the village unknown to the +watchman, who is called "kinthamah" and keeps his "kin" in a little +booth called "kinteaine" erected close beside the gate. + +By the gates and at intervals along the roadside are little cupboards +raised above the ground and thatched with grasses called "yaiohzin"; +these contain jars of drinking water for the use of wayfarers, and are +always kept replenished by the villagers. The drinking cup is usually +made of a polished coco-nut shell with a long handle of some hard +wood, and it is noticeable that the water is never spilled or wasted, +for Burma is a thirsty land and some of these watering-places are far +from the river, and every one drinks with due regard to the +necessities of the next comer. + +Entering the large compound which the stockade encloses we are in the +village itself. Here the houses of the Burmans are pleasantly situated +among rows of toddy-palm, mango, padouk, and other trees, among which +the peepul, or sacred ficus, is almost always found. + +The houses are more or less arranged so as to leave a lane or street +between them, and are generally built of bamboo, though many have +their principal timbers of teak or eng-wood. The floors are usually +of split bamboo, and the roof of elephant-grass, or "thekka," as the +thatch of dried leaves is called, forms a good protection against the +summer sun or monsoon rains, while the walls are formed of bamboo +mats, often coloured and woven into some pretty though simple design. + +As the front of the house is generally more or less open, we are able +to see much of the interior arrangements. Sleeping mats of grasses +supply the place of beds, and no chairs are to be seen. On a low stand +of carved wood is the tray upon which their simple meals are served, +and cooking-pots of bronze or earthenware lie about the "chatties" +which contain the fire. Painted and carved boxes contain the family +wardrobe, and in one corner is the stand for the large jars in which +their supply of drinking-water is kept. Mat partitions perhaps screen +inner rooms which we cannot see, but all the domestic appliances +visible are of the simplest character, but ample for the needs of the +people. + +All the buildings are raised several feet above the ground as a +protection against snakes, floods, and malaria, and the space below +often forms a stable for the cattle and a useful storing-place for +agricultural or other implements. These simple homes of the Burmans +are often very pretty as they lie among the trees which cast their +broad shadows across the straggling lane, grass grown and deeply +rutted by the cart-wheels. Bougainvillaea and other creepers spread +luxuriantly over the roofs, or drop their festoons of flowers from +the eaves. Bananas wave their broad leaves gracefully above the +houses, in cool contrast to the richer foliage of the larger trees, +and among all this greenery, alternately in sunlight or shadow, move +the brightly-costumed villagers themselves, most interesting of all. + +Here comes a pretty young mother clad in "lungyi" of apple-green and +dainty white jacket. Cross-legged over her shoulder is her infant, to +whom she talks softly and endearingly as she walks. Presently her home +is reached, and all the joy of motherhood shines in her happy face as +she gently swings her child to sleep in its cradle of rattan which is +slung from the roof above. + +Again, an old man passes, guided by a little boy, who is proud to +assist his grandfather; for respect for the aged, no less than love +for their children, is a dominant trait in the character of the +Burman. + +While many are working in the paddy-fields, other of the villagers +find their occupation nearer home, and employ themselves in such work +as mat and basket making (in which the children assist), the weaving +of silk, and the manufacture of pottery. In sheds made for the purpose +oil or sugar mills are being turned by bullocks, while in some few +villages is made that pretty red and gold lacquer-work we know so well +in England. Notice also the village blacksmith, who, with primitive +tools, hammers out those curiously shaped "dahs" and knives used by +the wood-cutters, while beside him, with equally simple implements, +the carpenter puts the finishing touches to the carved yoke of a +gharry. + +In the streets the naked youngsters are playing at their games. Many +are like our own, and marbles, peg-tops, leap-frog or kite-flying +each have their turn, while in the ditches and puddles the boys hold +miniature regattas with their toy sailing-boats. + +In the monastery or some private dwelling in the village the children +go to school, and as they become older some occupation employs their +time. While the boys are engaged with the cattle or about the boats, +the girls are occupied in cutting firewood in the jungle, or from the +pools in the forest collect the crude oil which they burn in their +lamps. + +Roaming at will through the village are pigs and poultry, geese and +cattle, and the inevitable "pi dog" of the country. These dogs are +peculiar, being wild, yet attaching themselves to some particular +house, whose interests they seem to make their own, and which, by +vigorous barking, they make a pretence of guarding. In some villages, +also, the pigs, which are long-legged and fleet of foot, seem to act +in the same capacity, strongly objecting to the intrusion of +strangers, and even when riding my pony I have been attacked by them +and forced to retire. + +During the day many of the villagers have been busy in the +rice-fields, for rice is their staple food and the only crop generally +cultivated; even infants of a day old are fed upon it, the rice being +first chewed by the mother, and each tiny mouthful washed down by a +few drops of water. Towards evening, when the tired cattle draw their +creaking carts homewards, the streets are thronged with the labourers +returning from their work, ready for the simple meal of rice and +"ngapi" their wives have prepared for them. + +It is a simple, happy life which these villagers lead, graced by many +pretty customs of domesticity. + +Rising with the sun, with it also they retire to rest, and as the last +sweet tones of many gongs from the village monastery proclaim the +close of their evening prayer the stockade-gates are closed, and, save +for the howling of jackals outside, or the yapping of a dog, silence +reigns throughout the village. + +[Illustration: ENTRANCE TO A BURMESE VILLAGE. _Page 10._] + + + + +CHAPTER VII + +TOWN LIFE + + +Owing to their primitive methods of building and choice of materials, +a Burmese town differs very little from a village except in point of +size, though occasionally the houses are of two stories and +timber-built throughout. + +The stockade is absent, and in its place deep ditches, partly filled +with water, surround the houses, and run alongside of the streets, +which are, perhaps, somewhat wider and more regularly planned. + +The approach to the town is often very pretty, the water reflecting +the waving palm-trees and picturesque buildings, while the roads, +which in Burma are usually nothing but a track, have, as they near the +town, some semblance of solidity. + +Little bridges cross the ditches, and give access to the houses, round +about which are often raised paths or causeways of burnt brick set +"herring-bone" fashion. These prove a comfort in the rains, when the +streets of the town are rivers and the whole country a sea of mud. + +Trees in plenty shade the road and houses, and shops and small bazaars +give an air of business to the town, whose principal street, however, +is largely covered with grass, and affords a convenient place in +which to try a pony's paces. + +Some of the streets have side-walks, a shade less dusty (or muddy, as +the case may be) than the road itself, and in the least frequented of +them dwarf palmettos enjoy a lusty existence. + +Enclosed by low palisades in front of many houses, cannas, hibiscus, +poinsettia, or lilies are growing, and rare orchids hang from the +eaves, to provide in their strange but lovely blossoms a flower for +some woman's hair. Indoors, in coloured pots or stands of often +elaborate design, are other flowers, always most carefully tended, for +the Burmans love what is beautiful in Nature. + +In the streets the life of the people is only a slight amplification +of that of the villages, the shops with their attendant customers +marking the principal difference, while in bullock-carts of more +ornamental design than those of the villages, the families of the +well-to-do enjoy their outing. + +Though always two-wheeled and drawn by a pair of oxen, there is a +certain amount of variety in the native carts. The wheels are +generally large, and are placed very wide apart, in order to lessen +the risk of capsizing in the terribly rough roads they often have to +travel. + +In the common country carts the wheels have very wide rims, across +which is fastened a single flat piece of wood instead of spokes, and +in many cases the wheels are quite solid. The body is plain, but the +yoke and yoke-pins are often carved, and the pole usually finishes in +some grotesque ornament. + +When travelling the carts are covered by a hood of matting, and a +mattress inside eases the jolting by day, and serves as a bed at +night. + +The pleasure gharry, however, is quite a pretty vehicle. The wheels +have a very large number of thin spokes, and the hub is always +ornamental. The sides consist of an open balustrade, and the rails +sweeping backward in a fine curve, to terminate in a piece of carving +high above the rail. + +In Mandalay another pretty cart is used by the ladies when out calling +or shopping. This is a closed carriage built entirely of wood, each +panel of which is carved, and is just high enough in the roof to +permit the ladies to sit upright upon their cushions. We can see them +through the little unglazed windows, looking pretty or dignified, as +the case may be; but dignity disappears so soon as they attempt to +dismount, for this can only be done through a small door at the back, +through which the rider must crawl backwards and then drop to the +ground. + +Games, as usual, figure largely in the young life of the place. A +curious kind of football called "chinlon" is very general, and the +instinct for sport comes out early in the boys, who, while flying +their kites, attempt by skilful manoeuvring to saw through each +other's lines and so prove a "conqueror." The little girls have their +amusements also, and it is pretty to see a little one being drawn +about in a diminutive go-cart, or, squatting on her haunches by the +doorstep, endeavouring to fathom the intricacies of doll-dressing. + +Let us wander round the streets and see what we can find to interest +us. First it will be noticed that beside every house are two long +poles; one has a hook at its end, and the other is formed into a sort +of broad paddle. These are provided in case of fire, when with the +hook the thatch is pulled down, or the fire beaten out with the other. +Fires are constantly occurring, for though every house is supposed to +have a separate cooking shed, carelessness, or the habit of cooking +indoors, is largely responsible for them, and there is very little +hope for dwellings built of such inflammable material once a fire +starts. Consequently in all parts of the country roofs of galvanized +iron are slowly taking the place of the picturesque "thekka," even the +"kyoungs" and "zeyats" being roofed by it; and unfortunately, as +creepers do not take kindly to this new form of roofing, it will, I am +afraid, always remain an eyesore among what is otherwise so +picturesque. + +In many of the streets are wells, surrounded by a wall and crossed by +a heavy beam of wood to which pulleys are attached, through which run +ropes with hooks at their ends, by means of which the water-pots are +lowered. This is a great place of congregation for the young people, +and is always surrounded by animated groups of young men and maidens, +who, with pretty courtesies or coyness, carry on their youthful +flirtations. + +The Burman is always delightfully natural, and seems to live in the +open daylight. At the doorstep of one house are mother and daughter, +busy sewing up cloth, their red lacquer box of sewing materials +between them. At another a dainty housewife entertains her guests at +tea, for tea is now largely drunk in Burma. + +[Illustration: AT THE WELL.] + +All the shops are open to the street, and we may see the various +trades in operation. + +It is interesting to see the umbrellas being made. They are almost +flat when open, the frame consisting of a multitude of thin bamboo +ribs formed by splitting _one_ bamboo into many sections, so that the +knots of the cane occur at the same regular distances on the ribs, so +forming a kind of pattern. The common kinds are very large, some of +those in use in the market-places being as big as a small tent. These +are covered with calico, oiled or varnished, and form an excellent +protection against sun or rain. More delicate sunshades are made of +the same materials, or of silk; these are smaller, and are often +painted in rings of flowers or foliage, which has a very pretty +effect, and the sun shining through them throws a rich orange shade +over the head and shoulders of the bearer. + +Then, there are the silk-weavers and silversmiths, whose work is +probably the best of its kind produced in any country, and in Thayetmu +and Rangoon I have seen silver-work produced which, in my opinion, is +unequalled for beauty of design or excellence of workmanship. + +Turning enters largely into their decorative woodwork, and the +turners, who use a very simple form of foot-lathe, are busily engaged +in providing the various articles required--pilasters for a balcony, +hubs for a cart-wheel, or the turned finials of a baby's cot. In a +kindred trade the wood-carver is busy producing embellishments for +the "kyoung" or "zeyat" which some wealthy resident is erecting. + +Though the Burmans occasionally become drunk on "toddy" (a beverage +made from the flower of the toddy-palm), they are by habit abstemious +and simple livers; rice and vegetable curries, bananas, jack-fruit, +papaya, and other fruits, form their staple food, and, forbidden by +their religion to take life, fish is practically the only variant to +their vegetable diet, the fisherman excusing himself by saying that +"_he_ does not kill the fish: they die of themselves." + +All smoke, however, and men, women and children equally enjoy their +huge cheroots, composed of the inner bark of certain trees mixed with +chopped tobacco, which are rolled into the form of a cigar in the +spathe of Indian corn or some similar husk, and no meal would be +considered to be properly set out without the red lacquer box +containing betel, which is universally chewed. Betel is the nut of the +areca-palm, and before being used is rolled between leaves on which a +little lime is spread. The flavour is astringent and produces +excessive expectoration, and, by its irritation, gives to the tongue +and lips a curious bright pink colour. Still, it is considered an +excellent stomach tonic, and so far as one can judge has no worse +effect than to blacken the teeth of the user. + +Every village or town has its pagodas, which in some cases are very +numerous. The Burman spends little upon his home, which is always +regarded as of a temporary nature, and in the erection of a pagoda or +other religious building the wealthy native finds an outlet for his +energies, and earns "merit" for himself. Few of the modern village +pagodas are of any particular beauty, and I cannot but think that the +money spent upon them would be far better employed in restoring and +preserving the many beautiful and ancient temples scattered all over +the country. + +In many towns is a sacred tank or reservoir, so entirely covered with +lotus and other plants that the water cannot be seen. Large fish and +turtles of great age inhabit them, but are seldom seen, on account of +the heavy screen of leaves and flowers which lies upon the surface of +the water, which, however, is often strongly disturbed as some +ungainly monster rolls or turns below them. On the outskirts of the +towns are the gardens, enclosed by hedges of castor-oil or cactus, +where many kinds of fruits and spices are grown: bananas, pineapple, +guava, bael, citrons, etc., are some of the ordinary kinds, while the +coco-nut, tamarind, jack, and papaya grow everywhere about the streets +and houses. Many vegetables, such as cucumber and vegetable-marrow, +are also grown, and among the shops or stalls in the market-place none +are so attractive as those which display their many-coloured and +sweet-smelling fruits and vegetables. + +Every few days a market is held in one or other of the large towns of +a district, and attracts to it country people from a considerable +distance around. Here one has a chance of seeing many other tribes and +types beside the Burman: Shans, Karens, or Kachins, different in +feature and costume from the natives of the town, together with +Chinese and natives of India, give a variety to the population, and +help to swell the crowd which from early morning till sundown throngs +the market-places. + +The market is generally held in the open space outside the town, and +is generally enclosed. In it are wooden buildings, or booths of +sacking or "tayan" (grass-mats), in which each different trade is +gathered, so dividing the bazaar into sections. Between the buildings +rows of people squat upon the ground, protecting themselves and the +odd assortment of wares they have for sale by screens of coloured +cloth or the enormous umbrellas I have already mentioned. Up and down +the lane so formed move the would-be purchasers, a motley crowd in +which every type and race in Burma is represented. No less varied are +the articles offered for sale--cotton goods and silks, cutlery and +tools, lamps and combs, and various other articles of personal +adornment, including the ornamental sandals which all the women of the +town affect. Fruit, vegetables, and food-stuffs have a ready sale; nor +are sweetmeats for the children forgotten. + +Cooking-pots and all kinds of domestic utensils may be purchased and +carried away in baskets beautifully made, and often of immense size, +which form a striking feature of the bazaar. + +All the more important stalls are kept by women, who, as I have +already said, are the business backbone of the country. Many of them +are women of good position, but they like their work, and are very +clever at driving a bargain; but though dainty enough in appearance, +they can be very abusive on occasion. + +[Illustration: THE MARKET PLACE.] + +I have already said that the Burman is not permitted to take life, and +in consequence meat enters but little into his diet; but in all +bazaars frequented by natives of India, who are under no such +prohibition, the slaughter and sale of cattle is of regular +occurrence, and among the most eager buyers of the meat thus offered +for sale are the Burmans themselves. + +Among other articles which I have noticed are "dahs," and knives of +many sorts and degrees of excellence. No Burman travels without his +"dah," which serves as a weapon of defence or enables him to clear his +path where the jungle is thick, while the heavier knives are used for +chopping the domestic fuel. Some of these "dahs" are very finely +finished, the handle and sheath of wild plum being bound by delicately +plaited bands of bamboo fibre, in which the ends are most skilfully +concealed, and the blade, often 2 feet long, is excellently wrought +and balanced. + +At various times of the day groups of priests and novices move up and +down the market collecting offerings from the people, while some +"original" or buffoon gives the scene its touch of humour. + +At sunset, when the bazaar is closed, long lines of people, some on +foot, some in hooded carts, wend their ways towards their distant +homes; and long after darkness has fallen on the land may still be +heard the faint creaking of some laden cart as it slowly disappears +along its lonely forest path. + + + + +CHAPTER VIII + +FIELD WORK + + +If you are up very early in the morning you may see large herds of +buffaloes and bullocks being driven to the paddy-fields. These +surround the village, sometimes extending for miles in different +directions; but often they are simply small clearings scattered +through the jungle. The cattle are always driven by the children of +the village, and it is curious to see how docile these huge buffaloes +are under the control of some diminutive native, while with Europeans +they are obstinate, ungovernable, and often dangerous. + +The children always ride the cattle to the fields, sitting well back +on the haunches, for they frequently have to travel a long, and often +broken, path to their destination, and during the rains they are thus +enabled to cross the streams and flooded areas, which it would have +been impossible for them to do on foot. + +It will interest you to know something about the manner in which the +Burmans produce their rice-crop. Rice, as you know, requires a great +deal of moisture, especially in the early days of its growth; +consequently the ground upon which the rice-crop is to be sown must be +_level_, so that the water with which the fields are covered may flow +equally over the whole surface. The water is kept in by little dikes, +or "bunds," as they are called, which surround each field, or the part +of it to be irrigated; and as during a considerable portion of each +year these cultivated areas are under water, and are always more or +less in a boggy condition, these "bunds" form the most convenient, if +not the only, means of traversing the district. Tortuous and winding +as they are, it is not easy to decide upon your route, and you need +not be surprised if the little causeway upon which you have set out +eventually brings you back to your first starting-point, and you must +make another attempt in a different direction. I remember once being +hopelessly lost among the "bunds" in my endeavour to cross a patch of +paddy-land, and although it was not more than a mile in width, two +hours of valuable time were spent before I solved the problem of this +labyrinth, and struck the road on its farther side. + +Rice cultivation begins towards the end of the monsoon, when the rains +have thoroughly saturated the soil and filled the fields with water, +often to the top of the dikes. Then ploughing begins, and the grass +with which the fields were recently covered is turned over in clods, +as we do at home, by means of a curious wooden plough shod with bronze +or iron. + +These ploughs are drawn by the bullocks and buffaloes, or by elephants +when they are available, the operation being often carried out under +water. After this all the cattle in the district are driven on to the +fields in order to break up and trample down the clods, and sometimes +harrows, much like our own, are used for the same purpose. + +Then the sowing begins, the rice being scattered very freely over one +or two selected portions of the whole area, for which they serve as +nursery gardens; for the rice is not sown generally over the fields, +but the young plants transferred from these small nurseries to the +larger fields. This work is done by the men and women, who, wading in +the water, plant out the young growth 5 or 6 inches apart, and one may +notice that during this operation all wear leggings or stockings of +straw as a protection against the leeches which in enormous numbers +infest the muddy water. + +The rice now may be left to itself, excepting for the necessity of +keeping it constantly supplied with water, which is raised from the +neighbouring river or creek by many ingenious appliances, and carried +to the fields by pipes of bamboo or channels in the mud. + +While the crop is growing the cattle have an idle time, for with the +exception of the bullocks which draw the market-carts, and a few which +may perhaps be working in the oil or sugar mills, there is nothing for +them to do. For the rest, the time between the sowing and reaping is +passed enclosed in large pens or roaming by hundreds in the jungle. + +The harvest begins in October, and lasts until December or later, +according to the district. When ripe, the rice is 3 to 4 feet in +height, each plant growing several ears, the grain being slightly +bearded, like barley; and in good soil, where the water-supply has +been continuous, its growth is so dense that it is impossible for +weeds to grow. + +I know few prettier sights than a harvest-field in an early autumn +morning. Through the steamy exhalations from the ground, and dancing on +the dewdrops which hang heavy upon every blade or ear, the early sun is +shining. Everything is mysterious in the haze, through which the belt of +forest which surrounds the cultivated land is grey and ghost-like; huge +cobwebs hang between the bushes laden with glittering beads of moisture, +and the whole scene is bathed in a curious opalescent light in which all +sense of distance is destroyed. Scattered through the fields are the +harvesters, whose brightly-coloured "lungyi" and gay head-scarf are the +only spots of definite colour. + +The rice is cut with sickles a little above the ground, so as to leave +sufficient straw to serve as fodder for the cattle or to fertilize the +land. The grain is bound into sheaves much as we do at home, and after +remaining in the fields for a day or two in order to dry, it is +carried to the threshing-floor. This is simply a piece of selected +ground where the surface is dry and hard, on which the sheaves are +placed in the form of a large circle and the grain trodden out by +cattle. When the threshing is complete and the straw removed, there +remains a huge pile of grain and husks freely mixed with dust. This +has to be cleaned and winnowed, which is done by a very simple +process, the grain being thrown into the air by means of large shallow +trays made of bamboo, when the wind, blowing away the dust and loose +husks, leaves the grain tolerably clean in a pile at the worker's +feet. + +The rice is not yet fit for use, however, the grain still being +enclosed in its hard husk, which has to be removed by another +process. In travelling through Burma one may often notice standing +outside a native dwelling a large and deep bowl composed of some hard +wood in which lies a rounded log about 4 feet in length, much like a +large mortar and pestle. These are the "pounders," in which by a +vigorous use of the pestle the husk is separated from the rice, which +is again winnowed and washed, and is then ready for use. Though +generally eaten in its simple state, bread and cakes are often made +from rice-flour, which is ground in a hand-mill consisting of two flat +circular stones, and is identical with the hand-mill of Scripture. + +From the large areas the bulk of the rice-crop is shipped to Rangoon, +sufficient for the needs of the people being stored in the villages in +receptacles formed of wicker-work covered on the outside with mud. + +I have described the process of rice cultivation which is followed in +districts where a perpetual water-supply is available, but in other +and drier zones a different kind of rice and other crops, such as +sugar, maize, and sesamum, are grown; but while these, as well as many +fruits and vegetables, are cultivated in the neighbourhood of every +town or village, rice may be considered to be practically the only +agricultural crop in Burma, and forms perhaps its most important +article of export. + +Though not cultivated by man, the country produces another crop which +to the Burman is second only to rice in value. I mean the _bamboo_, +which grows in enormous quantities in every forest or jungle in the +country. There are many varieties of bamboo, some comparatively small, +others growing to a height of 60 or 70 feet, the canes being often +upwards of 2 feet in circumference at the base. Each species has its +separate use, and, as we have already seen, there are few things for +which the Burman does not employ it. His houses are very often +entirely built of it: canes, either whole or split, form its framework +and flooring; the mats which form the walls are woven from strips cut +from the outside skin; the thatch is often composed of its leaves; +while no hotter fire can be used than one made from its debris. Split +into finer strands, the bamboo furnishes the material of which baskets +are made, while its fine and flexible fibres, plaited and woven into +shape, form the foundation for their beautiful bowls and dishes of red +lacquer. Bows and yokes for the porters, sheaths of weapons and +umbrella frames, and a host of small articles of domestic furniture, +are of the same material, and a section cut from the giant bamboo +forms an excellent bucket, which is used all over the forests. + + + + +CHAPTER IX + +THE FOREST + + +And now I want to tell you something about the forest, which, as we +have seen from the river, practically covers the country. + +We all enjoy our English woods, but these, lovely though they are, +convey no idea whatever of the luxuriant and bewildering beauty of a +forest in the tropics. + +How shall I give you an idea of it? It is so big, so magnificent, and +at times so solemn. Everywhere you are surrounded by trees of many +kinds and immense size, whose huge trunks, springing from a dense mass +of undergrowth, rise 200 feet or more into the air. All are bound +together by a tangled mass of creepers, which mingle their foliage +with that of the trees to form one huge canopy of leaves, in which +birds of bright plumage and beautiful song live out their happy lives. +Monkeys also make their home there, and strange insects and +butterflies of rare beauty flit among the flowers, or hover in the few +stray sunbeams which penetrate the gloom. + +[Illustration: IN THE DEPTHS OF THE FOREST.] + +It is all very impressive, very beautiful, and still, except for the +drone of insects or soft note of the songbird. Perhaps the silence may +be broken by a herd of wild elephants crashing heavily through the +canes, or the shrill cry of the squirrel startles the forest and warns +its fellows of the nearness of a snake. + +Bewilderment and wonder grow upon anyone riding through the forest for +the first time, but after a few days one gradually becomes accustomed +to these luxuriant surroundings, and is able to appreciate the forest +in detail. + +How beautiful the undergrowth is! Palms and bamboos wave gracefully +above a mass of flowering plants, among and over which climb +convolvuli of many kinds, tropaeolum, honeysuckle, and a variety of +other creepers, forming natural arbours, with whose blossoms mingle +those of the festoons hanging from the trees. + +Teak, india-rubber, and cutch trees rise high above the undergrowth, +and in turn are dwarfed by such giants as the pyingado and the +cotton-tree. These grow to an enormous size. The pyingado, straight +and smooth, often rises 150 feet before it puts forth a branch, and I +have seen ponies stabled between the natural buttresses which support +the huge trunk of the silk-cotton tree, sometimes 250 feet in height. + +Orchids of great size grow upon the boughs, and add to the wealth of +foliage, in which the large-leafed teak or rubber trees contrast with +the feathery pepper or acacia; and it is interesting to notice that +most of the feathery kinds bear thorns. + +Though generally straight and tall, the trees are often twisted into +curious joints and elbows, which give them a very fantastic +appearance; but most strange of all are the creepers which bind these +forest growths. Some are very large, and stretch for immense +distances, linking tree to tree in twining loops, from which their +hanging tendrils reach the ground, or perhaps crossing some forest +glade or stream to form an aerial bridge for the lemurs or the +monkeys. + +One creeper in particular I must tell you about. This is called +"Nyoung-bin" by the natives, and is a very strange plant. It very +often springs from a seed dropped by some bird into the fork of a +tree, where, taking root, it sends its suckers downwards until they +become firmly bedded in the ground, then, growing upwards again, it +slowly envelops the parent tree until it is entirely enclosed by the +new growth, which kills it, but which in its stead becomes a _new_ +tree, larger and more lofty than the one which first supported it. +This is one of the many species of ficus, of which its equally strange +cousin, the many-trunked banyan, is another common feature of a +Burmese forest. + +Naturally these forests are alive with birds. Parrots and parakeets +live among the tree-tops, and doves and pigeons, jays and mynahs, and +a great variety of small birds, find their home here. Woodpeckers are +busy among the tree-trunks, sharing their spoil of insects with the +lizards and the tree-frogs, and among the lesser growths tits, +finches, and wagtails rear their young broods. + +The birds are not the only occupants of these wilds, however, for in +no country is there a larger variety of game than in Burma. Herds of +wild elephants roam the forests, in which are also tigers, panthers, +and bears. Many kinds of deer are there, to be preyed upon by man or +beast, from the pretty little gyi or barking deer to the lordly +sambur. Wild pig also are very numerous, and lurking in the dank +undergrowth or fissures of the rocks are many venomous snakes and +large pythons. + +But though so abundant, all these wild creatures are shy, and one may +travel many days without adventure, and any sense of danger is soon +lost in admiration of the beauties of these wilds. + +Riding through such a forest is very fascinating in the early winter +months. Then the ground is fairly hard, and riding would be easy were +it not for the thorny vines and fallen tree-trunks which lie among the +thickets. At this time, also, foliage and flowers are still luxuriant, +and all kinds of wild life abundant. + +But from May to October the south-west monsoon, bringing in the +heavily-laden rain-clouds from the sea, pours upon the country its +torrential rains, which change this beautiful forest into a swamp. The +quiet creeks become turbid rivers, while the hill-sides are torn by +innumerable torrents, which, washing away the earth from the roots of +the trees, cause them to fall crashing among the dripping undergrowth. +Bridges are swept away, and the paths become morasses. Travelling in +the forest is then wellnigh impossible, though it is this time that +the native woodman and the large number of young Englishmen engaged in +forest-work find the busiest of the year. + +Gradually the rains cease, and with the return of sunshine birds and +flowers spring into renewed life, more beautiful than ever, and at no +time of the year is the forest more lovely than immediately after the +monsoon rains. + +Presently the hot weather of March and April comes to strip the trees +of their leaves, while the dak and other flowering trees are a blaze +of crimson among the autumn tints. Then, when everything is dry and +withered, forest fires break out in many parts of the country, +consuming all but the larger trees, and leaving a blackened waste +where once was a paradise of flowers. It is sad to ride in the track +of such a fire, but this is no doubt Nature's way of _cleaning_ the +country, and destroying a vast amount of decaying vegetable matter and +keeping in check many venomous insects and reptiles. The forest +appears to be dead until the advent of the next monsoon restores to +the sun-bleached skeleton its usual luxuriant vegetation. + +But I hear some one asking, How do you live and travel in such a +country? All through India and Burma at intervals along the main +routes of travel dak bungalows have been erected for the use of +travellers. These are small houses, containing two or three rooms, +raised on poles above the ground. They are built of timber, with +matting walls and thatched roof, much like the Burmese dwellings I +have described. Native custodians are in charge of them, and although +specially intended for the use of Government servants, any traveller +may use them. In the forest similar houses, called "tais," smaller and +often built of bamboo, are erected, though sometimes very small huts +indeed, formed of bamboo and reeds, are the only shelter available. +These are draughty dwellings, and even the best-built "tai" is partly +open to the air, and affords little protection from the night cold, +which is often so intense that sleep is almost impossible. + +After a scanty breakfast by candlelight, a start is made in the early +dawn, when the air is cold and damp, and the heavy dew dripping from +the reeds and kine-grass quickly soaks you to the skin. The sunrise is +curiously sudden, and very soon the sun is hot enough to compel the +traveller to leave the open glades and seek the shelter of the denser +portions of the forest. Hardy little ponies, sure-footed and willing, +are our mounts, while elephants carry the stores and provisions, +cooking utensils, and bedding, which every traveller must take with +him. + +In distinction to the working elephants, those employed on a journey +are called "travellers," and are used for no other purpose. Their +drivers are called "ouzies," and sit astride the animals' necks, with +their legs hanging down behind their ears. There are several ways of +mounting, each pretty: sometimes the elephant will hold up its +fore-foot to form a step for its driver, or will drop upon its knees +and bend its trunk to form a step, by which the "ouzie" is able to +reach his seat. + +When travelling they have a shambling sort of gait, half walk, half +amble, but manage to get over the ground very quickly, and for such +cumbersome animals are very nimble-footed. It is almost ludicrous to +see the huge beasts picking their way along a narrow "bund" or +crossing some ditch by a bridge of fallen logs, but they always do so +successfully. + +Soft and boggy land, however, is a great trouble to them, their great +weight causing them to sink deep into the mud; and elephants will +often show their dread of such places by loud trumpeting and great +unwillingness to attempt the passage. Occasionally they will tear up +tufts of reeds or boughs of trees to make a foothold for themselves, +and I heard quite recently of a case where a friend of mine, while out +shooting from elephants, came to such a marshy place, which at first +they refused to cross. Then, before anything could be done to prevent +it, his elephant seized the driver with his trunk and, placing him in +the mud, used the poor native's body as a "stepping-stone." The driver +was, of course, crushed to death, and my friend only escaped a similar +fate by scrambling off his elephant by the tail. Generally elephants +are docile enough, but are not always fond of Europeans and very much +dislike a rider to approach too closely; but they rarely give trouble +to their drivers, for whom they often have a genuine affection. + +Roads in the forest are few, and at best are only bridle-tracks, +difficult to ride over, and through which a way has often to be cut +with knives, so rapid is the growth. + +Travelling is slow and often difficult, and towards the great heat of +midday men and animals are glad to rest, while another march in the +afternoon brings us, towards sunset, to our next halting-place. Then +fuel for the fires must be collected to prepare the evening meal, beds +made ready, and the animals attended to. The ponies are tethered +underneath the "tai," while the elephants, wearing a wooden bell +called "kalouk," are turned loose into the forest, where their drivers +quickly track them down again in the morning by the sound of their +bell. + +About sundown a strange hush comes over the forest, and the leaves +hang limply after the great heat of the day. Insects and birds give up +their activities, and are preparing to roost or lying in the various +hiding-places they frequent. All Nature seems to be _tired_, and +little wonder when the thermometer has shown 105 deg. of moist heat! + +Suddenly with the cooling of the air a shiver and a rustle passes over +the tree-tops as the sundown breeze brings relief to the tired world. +Immediately the forest is alive again, but with new inhabitants. The +dancing fireflies weave rings of bluish light around the tree-trunks, +already half lost in the gathering darkness; crickets and tree-frogs +contribute to the growing sounds of the woody solitude; while the +stealthy tread of some prowling animal is faintly heard among the +withered debris of the undergrowth. It is no longer safe to wander +from the camp-fire, whose flames, shooting upwards in straight +tongues, light up the nearer trees in contrast to the blackness +beyond, in which many a dangerous wild beast lurks. Within the circle +which our camp-fire lights is safety, and in the now cold night air +its warmth is grateful. No one who has not experienced it can at all +appreciate the romantic pleasure of a forest camp, never more +enjoyable than in the hour before "turning in," when, in the light of +our blazing logs and surrounded by the dark mystery beyond, the last +pipe is smoked while listening to many exciting tales of adventure, +before we stretch our tired limbs in bed. + +[Illustration: A OAK BUNGALOW. _Page 60._] + + + + +CHAPTER X + +THE FOREST (_continued_) + + +Though human habitations are not often met with in the forest, little +native settlements occur from time to time, where, surrounded by small +clearings, over which a primitive scarecrow mounts guard, sufficient +rice is grown for their needs. These little hamlets are occupied by +woodmen, or little communities of Chins, a kindred race to the +Burmans, though differing from them in many customs, most curious of +which is their habit of tattooing the faces of their young women +_black_. + +Here and there one meets a fowler, who, with primitive snare or +decoy-bird, seeks to take his toll of the forest; and in the most +remote districts may be met some picturesque Burmese travelling-cart, +toiling laboriously over tracks which would almost seem to be +impossible for wheels. I have already mentioned the creaking of the +cart-wheels which no Burman would oil, for they believe that the +horrible groanings they produce, together with their own loud voices, +serve to ward off the evil spirits of the woods; for the Burman is +superstitious, and at frequent intervals may be seen tiny wicker-work +representations of pagodas and "zeyats" erected to propitiate the +forest "nats," and passers-by will deposit in these diminutive +shrines some offering of food or ornament, and in the Shan States I +remember seeing one whose enclosing fence was hung with spears and +"dahs," and other weapons of considerable interest and some value. + +By the wayside the lonely grave of some traveller or woodman, marked +by its simple fence of twigs, gives a touch of pathos to the forest; +and among its natural wonders are the giant ant-hills, often 9 feet or +more in height. + +Ants are probably the most destructive of all insects in Burma. +Voracious wood-eaters, they will attack fallen logs or growing trees, +which they will entirely consume till only the hollow bark remains. +This is one great reason why the wood of the teak-tree is so highly +valued, as it is the only timber these ants will not touch, and +consequently is the one of which all the more important buildings and +dwellings are constructed. + +In many districts, within reach of some beautiful forest creek, +teak-cutting may be seen in full operation; and it is interesting to +watch the elephants at work, hauling logs or loading them on to the +little trollies, by which they are carried down to the water, where, +floundering along the muddy bank, they launch them in the stream. + +Some of these creeks are very lovely, fringed as they are by flowering +grasses, behind which the forest rises tier on tier above the +shimmering water and gleaming sand-banks. + +On the banks are the footprints of many wild animals who have come +down to water during the night. In the water are fish and +water-snakes, which alert herons constantly harass, and, strange as it +may seem, in the river-bed itself are the marks of cart-wheels, for +the Burmans often make a highway of these forest streams, which in the +dry season are generally easier to travel than the roads. + +The forest itself is never monotonous, its growths varying according +to the levels of the hills. Sometimes the enormous trees and heavy +foliage I have already described produce a depth of gloom which might +well excuse the superstitious fear of the Burmans, and often recalls +to me the pictures in our fairy-books, where some bold knight is +depicted entering the depths of an enchanted wood, in search of the +dragon that well might dwell there. Descending the hill-side with a +suddenness which is almost startling, you may find yourself in a +bamboo forest, which is a veritable fairyland for beauty. From a +carpet of sand, on which lilies grow, these giant bamboos spring, +fern-like, in enormous clumps, spreading their arms and feathery +crests in all directions, and, meeting overhead, form avenues and +lanes, which remind one of some beautiful cathedral aisle. + +Different in many ways from the forests I have described are those of +the cooler plateaus and mountain ranges of Northern Burma. On the +higher levels oak and pines are found among the other trees, and +bracken grows around the wild plums on the more open slopes. Sparkling +rivulets spring from the mountain-side, and, overhung by ferns and +mosses, flow gurgling over their pebbly beds to the deep valley below, +there to join the swiftly-flowing river, which, by many waterfalls +and rapids, eventually reaches the level of the plains. + +From the river's edge, where reeds and wild bananas grow, the purple +wistaria spreads itself over the mass of vegetation which covers the +precipitous hills from base to summit. + +Bamboos of many kinds wave among the trees or grow in masses by +themselves, and climbing geranium and ferns mount from one foothold to +another over tree-trunks or rocks, rooting as they go. + +Nests of wasps and weaver birds hang from the canes. Jungle-fowl and +pheasant, snipe and partridge, are there to provide the traveller with +food, and often, flying heavily from tree to tree, a peacock offers a +welcome addition to your larder. + +The forest is dense, and in places almost impenetrable, and as you +ride or cut your way through the thick undergrowth, monkeys of large +size follow you through the tree-tops, scolding and chattering at your +intrusion; and lemurs, fear overcome by curiosity, approach you +closely, as though to see what kind of creature is this that +penetrates these wilds. + +Wildness best describes these leafy solitudes in which roads are +almost unknown, and which the larger beasts as well as men appear to +shun. + +Along the river-bank, however, are many little hamlets, where in +dug-out canoes the natives fish the rivers, using many ingenious nets +and traps, or weirs which stretch from bank to bank. + +Carts are never used here, and such traffic as is carried on must be +done by means of pack-ponies, whose loads are so contrived that, +should they stumble on their rugged path, they can easily free +themselves of their burden. + +We are now near to the Chinese frontier, and many straggling groups of +Chinese, Shans, and Shan-tilok (which is a mixture of the two) may be +met bearing bales or baskets of produce on their backs to some distant +settlement; or occasionally a family party, bent upon some pilgrimage +or journey, carry their household goods and young children in baskets +slung from bamboo poles, which cross their shoulders. + +On the lower levels, where paths are more frequent, little bridges of +picturesque design cross the streams, from which rise warm miasmic +mists. In the early morning dense fogs fill the valleys, often +accompanied by frost; but as the sun gains power and the mists are +sucked up, the heat is intense; and these extremes of heat and cold, +combined with the smell of rotting vegetation and exhalations from the +ground, render this region a perfect fever-den, in which no white man +can safely live. + +Though the general character of the country consists of lofty +mountains and deep valleys, through which wide rivers flow, there are +at intervals considerable stretches of flat land, which are under +partial cultivation. Here villages of some size are found, and among +the people which inhabit them are strange types we have not previously +seen in Burma, and customs which are curious. The Shans, for instance, +have the habit of tattooing their faces and legs and centre of their +chests, while, their scanty clothing not permitting the use of +pockets, they carry upon their backs little baskets of wicker-work, in +which are placed their knives, tobacco, and such other articles as a +pocket might have accommodated. The Yunnanese, wearing huge plaited +hats of straw and curious slippers of the same material, but whose +other garments are so thin and baggy as to mark them indifferent to +the cold, are in marked contrast to the Kachins, who wear an elaborate +costume of heavy woollen material of many colours. The men, whose hair +is long and tied in a knot on the top of the head, after the manner of +the Burmese, wear a simple scarf tied round the head in place of a +hat, while the women, who wear a costume much like the men, have as +their head-covering a handkerchief or scarf folded flat upon the head. +All have their ears bored, the lobes being so large as not only to +enable them to wear ear ornaments of unusual size, but often to serve +as a handy receptacle for a cigar! When travelling the Kachins usually +carry in their hands double-ended spears, whose shafts are covered +with a kind of red plush from which large fringes hang; but these are +only ceremonial weapons, and show that their intentions are pacific. +Like the Shans, they dispense with pockets in their clothing, but +instead wear suspended under their arm a cloth bag, which is often +prettily embroidered. + +Though, as I have mentioned, the forests of Mid-Burma--and, indeed, +generally throughout the country--abound in game, which ranges from +elephant and rhinoceros down to the smallest deer, and while every +tree and thicket is a home for birds, all forms of animal life appear +to avoid the fever-infested highlands of North-East Burma. In some +places, however, strange freaks of Nature occur. On the high plateau +through which the Myit-nge River flows, though the forest and jungle +is more or less deserted, scattered over the plain are conical +limestone crags, which are alive with monkeys; and while the +innumerable species of insects which infest the warmer forests are +absent, nowhere in all Burma have I seen butterflies more numerous or +more beautiful than here. It is singular, also, to notice how human +habitations will attract certain forms of animal life, and in some +mysterious manner, though the surrounding forest may be otherwise +deserted, pigeons and doves and the various kinds of crow quickly +install themselves in the neighbourhood of a newly-established +settlement or camp. + +It is impossible in two short chapters to describe the infinite +variety and charm of these Burmese forests--the rushing mountain +torrents, the sweeping rivers, and noble waterfalls; the sluggish +streams, which reflect the glories of the surrounding forest; its +teeming life, its solitude, and the wonderful effects of light and +colour; but perhaps I have said enough to convey to you some idea of +that wealth of exuberant beauty which has forced upon me the +conclusion that nothing in all the world is quite so beautiful as a +tropical forest. + +So far I have not given you any example of the many adventures which +may befall a traveller in such wilds, but they are naturally of +frequent occurrence. + +Often while painting, and quite unarmed, I have found myself in +unpleasantly close proximity to wild beasts of many kinds, and on +more than one occasion I have narrowly escaped the fatal bite of some +deadly snake which I have killed. Every one has a natural horror of +poisonous snakes, but sometimes an adventure with them has its element +of amusement. I remember an instance where one of my companions, +having come into camp from his work in the forest, lay down outside +his tent to rest, and, the better to enjoy it, took off his +riding-boots and loosened his breeches at the knee. While his "tiffin" +was being prepared he went to sleep, but presently awoke with a +horrible sensation of something lying cold against his thigh. To his +alarm, he discovered this to be a large cobra, which had sought +shelter from the sun. Remaining quite still, he called his native +servant, and explained the position, and the snake was soon secured +and dispatched, while my friend suffered nothing worse than a fright. + +Though so docile as a rule when tamed, elephants in their wild state +are most dangerous, and I have heard of many narrow escapes from them +in Burma. Panthers, also, though shy of human beings, are fierce when +at bay, and I have been told that a scratch from their claws nearly +always results in fatal blood-poisoning. + +[Illustration: THE QUEEN'S GOLDEN MONASTERY, MANDALAY. _Page 79._] + +It is the tiger, however, which is most to be feared. General +throughout the country, a traveller through jungle or forest must be +ever alert, so stealthy are its movements, and so audacious is it in +its depredations. Its great strength, however, which is not so +generally recognized, the following will serve to show. Close beside +our lonely camp on the Nan-Tu River a tiger killed a sambur, upon +which the natives saw him feeding. Being unarmed themselves, they +ran for the "Sahib" to come and shoot him; but, on regaining the spot, +they found that the tiger had gone, carrying the huge carcass with +him. Following the trail, they came up with their quarry at the +river's bank; but the tiger, still retaining its hold upon its prey, +took to the water, and, although impeded by its heavy burden, +succeeded in reaching the opposite shore. The sad part of the story is +that a native, armed with a "dah," who had followed the tiger into the +river, though an extremely powerful swimmer, was swept away by the +current, and drowned in the rapids below. + + + + +CHAPTER XI + +TEMPLES AND RELIGION + + +Burma has been called the "Land of Pagodas," and nothing could be more +true, for from Syriam, below Rangoon, to Myitkyina, in the far north, +is one long succession of these beautiful temples. Not only on the +river-banks do these pagodas crown the hills, but in every town and +village throughout the country; and in many remote districts, far from +present habitations, some shrine, however simple, has been raised. + +We have seen something of the great Shwe Dagon pagoda in Rangoon, but +there are many others almost equally beautiful, if not so large: the +exquisite Shwe Tsan Daw at Prome, the Arracan near Mandalay, while in +old Pagan, Pegu, Moulmein, and a host of other places, are temples +which one might well think could not be surpassed for beauty. I have +told you that these pagodas are usually bell-shaped--a delicate and +most elegant form of design, which gains very much in effect from the +habit the Burmese have of building their temples on a hill, so that +the gradually ascending ground, on the different levels of which the +pinnacles of the "kyoungs" are visible above the trees, leads +gradually upward from one point to another until the temple itself is +reached, towering gracefully above the other forms of beauty with +which the hill is sometimes covered. Another pretty effect is gained +by building them close to the water, either on the river-bank or +beside some artificial pool or "tank," in which they are reflected. +Nothing could be more beautiful than the effect of these golden piles +glittering in the sunshine among the deep green of the trees, +especially when repeated in some placid sheet of water, dotted over +perhaps with pink and purple lotus. + +And, then, the little bells which hang from every "ti"--how they +tinkle as they swing in the breeze, in their numbers forming one +general harmonious note, most musical, and with a strange sensation of +joy and contentment in its sound. + +These little bells are not the only ones in the temples, however, for +in all of them are others of very large size, which, raised a foot or +more from the ground, hang between two posts set in the platform which +surrounds the "zedi," as the bell-shaped temple is called. + +These are used by the worshippers, who, with a stag's horn, strike the +bell after praying, to call the attention of the "nats" of the upper +and lower worlds to the fact that they have done so. You will see +these bells in one of the pictures, but there are some others of +immense size, that at Mingun weighing eighty tons; but, as a rule, the +tone of the very large bells is poor, and not to be compared with that +of those of more moderate size. + +There are one or two places in Burma particularly rich in +pagodas--Pagan, Sagaing, and Mandalay. I want to tell you just a +little about each. + +Let us go to Mandalay first, for I have no doubt that you have been +wondering why I have not already told you something about the capital +of Burma. + +As a matter of fact, Mandalay is little better than an enlarged +village, and is built much in the same way as the towns I have already +described, and has really only two points of great interest--its +religious buildings and the "fort." + +I am referring, of course, to the _Burmese_ town, for surrounding the +fort are a large number of well-built bungalows, and streets of shops +built of stone or brick; but these are for the use of Europeans and +Indian or Chinese traders, the Burmans here, as elsewhere, contenting +themselves with their thatched houses of timber. It may appear +surprising that a people who could erect their marvellous temples +should be satisfied with such poor dwellings. The reason is to be +found in their custom of removing their capital on each change of +dynasty, and since A.D. 1740 the capital of Burma has been moved no +less than eight times! Mandalay itself is only fifty years old, so +that it hardly appeared to them worth their while to build more +substantial dwellings, which might so soon have to be deserted; and in +this way they came to regard their homes as temporary, expending their +energies and wealth in the building of temples and monasteries +instead. + +The streets of Mandalay are wide, and laid out in rectangles, as in +Rangoon, and, like all towns in Burma, the roads are heavily shaded by +trees. Foreign types are common in Mandalay, but the Burmese life here +is very pretty. Nowhere else are the people better dressed, and the +ladies rival the silk bazaar in the variety and beautiful colour of +their clothing. Until recently this was a royal city, and the ladies +pay great attention to the demands of fashion, whether it is in their +delicately-tinted garments, their embroidered sunshades or fan, or the +lace handkerchief with which they love to toy; and nothing in the way +of crowd could be nicer than these daintily-dressed and usually +prepossessing men and women. Fashion, however, has always _some_ +drawback. The ladies in many cases smear their faces with a paste +called "thannakah," which has the effect of whitening the skin. The +result is very unfortunate, for it is not always put on evenly, and +only serves to make the ugly more forbidding, while it destroys the +soft warmth of colour and skin texture which so often makes these +women beautiful. Another unfortunate custom is their habit of smoking +such huge cheroots, which no mouth of ordinary size could possibly +hold without distortion. + +All roads in Mandalay lead to the fort, lately the residence of the +Court. This consists of a huge square, 1-1/4 miles each way, entirely +surrounded by battlemented walls, and further protected by a wide and +deep moat. Quaint bridges cross the moat, and lead to gateways, each +surmounted by a "pyathat." Within the walls are the palace of the +King, and many other buildings of highly ornate and purely Burmese +character. Many of them have lately been destroyed by fire; but what +will interest us most is the rambling but most picturesque palace, the +lofty "pyathat" which is erected over Thebaw's throne being the finest +in the country, and so much admired by the Burmans as to be called +"the centre of the universe." + +All these buildings are of timber, only the finest teak being used, +and the many columns which support the roofs of the halls of audience +consist of single tree-trunks of unusual size and great value. + +The moat serves to supply Mandalay with its drinking-water, and is fed +by a conduit from the hills. I am afraid the water is not very clean, +but it is a very pretty sight to see the people coming to fill their +jars from the little stages which jut from the banks, while the whole +surface is at some seasons of the year a mass of purple lotus and +white water-lily, and, although in the middle of the city, paddy-birds +and other ibis wade about its margins. + +Mandalay is a station for our troops, who are quartered inside the +fort, which was only captured after severe fighting. The stockade, +which offered so great an obstacle to our men, has been swept away, +and "Tommy Atkins," as well as Indian troops, now inhabit the palaces +of King Thebaw's time! But it is an unhealthy station, and nowhere in +Burma have I seen such crowds of mosquitoes, the common cause of fever +in Europeans. + +The most beautiful of Mandalay's pagodas, "the Incomparable," has been +destroyed by fire; but a large number remain, one of which is very +interesting. This is the "Kuthodaw," a temple built by Mindon Min, +King Thebaw's father. The central dome is not remarkable, but on each +side of the large flagged space which surrounds it are rows and rows +of miniature temples, each with an ornamental cupola, supported upon +pillars. Each of these 729 cupolas contains a slab of alabaster, on +which is inscribed a chapter of the Pali Bible. The entrance-gates, +also, are large, and unusually ornate in design. + +Each quarter of the town has one or more large pagodas, and others +surround its outskirts from the river-bank to the top of Mandalay +Hill; but these differ from the others we have noticed in one respect, +being covered by carved plaster-work, each stage of which is +beautified by some elaborate or striking pattern, so that the dome of +pure white, broken by sharp contrast of light and shade, is quite as +rich in effect as the gilded temples of Rangoon or Prome. + +Most remarkable of all the buildings in Mandalay, however, are the +monasteries, of which there are a large number, many of great +interest, the principal one being the "Queen's Golden Monastery," for +beauty of design and elaborate embellishment unquestionably the finest +structure of its kind in Burma. + +Across the river from Mandalay is a very pretty scene. Low conical +hills rise from the banks of the river, each crowned by a pagoda, +around which are many "kyoungs" and "zeyats." Scattered over the +hill-sides are many others, gleaming white against the warm earth +tints and the foliage which surround them. This is old Sagaing, once a +capital of Burma; but the city has gone, and only its temples now +remain. Crossing the river in sampans painted red, blue, and yellow, +or landing on the pearly shingle of the beach, are crowds of +well-dressed Burmans from Mandalay and Ava, bent on a pilgrimage to +one or other of the many shrines, which are reached by long flights of +steps, whose entrance is guarded by enormous leogryphs. + +A pretty legend gives the origin of these monsters, which, often of +enormous size, invariably guard the entrance to a temple. Long ago in +the dim past a Princess was stolen by "nats," and hidden away in the +dark recesses of the forest. The King made every effort to find the +hiding-place of his daughter, but without success, until one day a +lioness rescued the Princess, and restored her to her home. Ever since +then the lion, which in the course of centuries has gradually become +changed into the leogryph (or half-lion, half-griffin), has been +accepted by the people as the emblem of protecting watchfulness. + +Close to Mandalay on the south is Amarapura, another of Burma's many +capitals, and though we cannot hope to see all the many interesting +monuments that remain, it has one pagoda in particular which well +repays us for our long and dusty journey. + +This is the Arracan pagoda, one of the most famous shrines in Burma, +and the one most frequented by the Shans and other hill tribes, whose +time of pilgrimage occurs "between the reaping and the sowing." + +There is no ascent to this temple, which, through a series of +ornamented doorways, is approached by a long flat corridor, which, as +usual, serves the purpose of a bazaar. Here perhaps the best Burmese +gongs may be purchased, and the stalls for cut flowers display a rich +profusion of blooms, whose scent fills the whole temple precincts. The +temple itself is different in design from any others we have seen, +being built in the form of a square tower, above which rises a series +of diminishing terraces, each beautified by carved battlements and +corner pinnacles, the whole being richly gilt. + +[Illustration: THE SHWE ZIGON PAGODA, PAGAN. _Page 82._] + +Beneath the central tower is the shrine, before which a constant +stream of devotees succeed each other in prayer. This contains an +enormous brass image of Buddha, 12 feet in height, thickly plastered +with the pilgrims' offerings of gold-leaf. Behind the temple are the +sacred tanks, whose green and slimy water is alive with turtles, too +lazy or too well fed to eat the dainty morsels thrown to them by the +onlookers, but which are pounced upon by hundreds of hawks, who often +seize the tit-bits before they reach the water. + +The courtyards are, as usual, thronged, and pastry-cooks and +story-tellers, soothsayers and musicians, provide refreshment and +amusement to the ever-moving crowd of happy people, at whom we never +tire of looking. + +And now, having seen something of the principal pagodas, with their +crowds of worshippers or loiterers, let us take one glimpse of the +ancient city of Pagan. + +Splendidly placed upon a commanding site on the river-bank, Pagan was +at one time a populous and wealthy centre. To-day it is the city of +the dead, and the domes and pinnacles of its temples, which cover an +area of 16 square miles, remain silent monuments to its former +greatness. Save for a few priests and scattered families of the +poorest of the people, its population has disappeared centuries ago, +and the land, once fertile, is now covered with aloe, cactus, and +thorn, while an air of weary heat and desolation envelops it. Some +idea of its size may be formed when I tell you that a thousand of its +pagodas are known by name, while as many more are little but a heap of +ruinous brickwork. + +Many of its temples are of the greatest historical interest. The +Ananda, built 800 years ago, is larger than St. Paul's, and its +elongated dome and innumerable pinnacles render it as graceful as it +is imposing. There are other temples even larger, while the picture +facing page 80 will give you some little idea of the beauty and +interest of the Shwe Zigon. + +Throughout the country temples abound, and in lonely places where no +temple has been built, the lofty "tagundaing" marks some holy spot. +You will find no statues to her Kings in Burma, but in every temple, +in little wayside shrines, and even in the most unfrequented wilds, +the Burmans have erected images of Buddha, founder of their faith. + +Nearly one-third of the world's population are Buddhists, and this +fact alone would seem to show how beautiful is the religion they +profess. Buddhism was founded by an Indian Prince called Gautama, +about 600 years before the birth of Christ. This Prince, though heir +to a kingdom, and surrounded by every luxury, left his palace and his +beautiful wife and their little son, to become a wanderer in the +search for truth, and for six years he lived as a hermit in the +wilderness, attended only by a few disciples. One day, while seated +beneath a "bo" tree, lost in contemplation, revelation came to him, +and from that time he became a preacher, striving to raise men and +women to his own lofty and pure standard of what life should be. + +Few Europeans really understand Buddhism, but many of its principles +we can all appreciate. Thus, men are taught truthfulness, purity, +obedience, and kindness, which forbids the giving of pain to any +living creature. Charity, patience, humility, and the habit of +meditation are early instilled into the minds of the boys, who, +without exception, spend at least a portion of their lives as inmates +of a monastery, and with the priests and novices are not ashamed to +collect the daily offering of food. + +In their consideration for animals, their love for their children, and +great respect for age, as well as in their consideration for each +other, the Burmans act well up to the beauty of their faith; for a +beautiful religion it is, beautifully expounded in Arnold's "Light of +Asia," which I hope many of you will presently read. + +It is not difficult to understand how their religion, combined with +their own happy, contented natures, and the enervating effect of +climate, renders the Burmans little able to withstand the pressure +from without which has lately been brought to bear upon them. + +Largely content with what Nature provides for them, and without social +grades to spur them to ambition, their sports and races and amusements +of many kinds occupy the chief attention of the men, who quickly +succumb to their more energetic and businesslike rivals from India or +China. The women, more capable and rather despising the idleness of +the men, are more and more prone to marry among other races, while +Western civilization also is doing much to destroy the primitive charm +of the people. + +Sad it is to think that the Burman as a pure race is slowly +disappearing, and there are few, I think, who know them but will view +this prospect with sincere regret. But if it is inevitable that this +picturesque and lovable people must be in time replaced by others, at +least their beautiful country always will remain. + +And now, as I close this chapter, there recurs to my mind a pretty +picture which embodies so much of the spirit of the country that it +may well form our last peep at Burma. + +Far away in the jungle on the crest of a lonely hill stands a ruined +pagoda. The white ornamental plaster-work which once beautified it has +long since disappeared, and in the rents and fissures which seam its +rich red brickwork venomous serpents hide. + +The niche which formerly contained a Buddha is unoccupied, but, as +though to soften its decay, kindly creepers have covered its rugged +exterior with a bower of foliage and flowers, while the leogryphs +which once marked the entrance to its enclosure are buried in +vegetation. All around are trees of many kinds, which tower above the +jungle, among which large and beautiful butterflies flit among the +flowers, while birds of gay plumage gambol among the tree-tops to the +distant song of the bulbul. It was a pretty scene, but sad in its +loneliness, to which a touch of pathos was added by the figure of a +solitary priest praying before the empty shrine. Wondering what had +brought him so far from any known habitation, I watched him long as +he prayed. Just as the sun set and the day closed he plucked a lovely +flower from the scrub and placed it reverently on the shrine where +Buddha once had stood, and as I turned my pony's head in the direction +of my distant camp, the slowly-retreating figure of the "hpungi" +became lost in the glory of the sunset. + + +THE END + + * * * * * + + + + +LIST OF VOLUMES IN THE +PEEPS AT MANY LANDS +SERIES + +EACH CONTAINING 12 FULL-PAGE +ILLUSTRATIONS IN COLOUR +EACH 1/6 NET + + +BURMA +EGYPT +ENGLAND +FRANCE +HOLLAND +HOLY LAND +INDIA +ITALY +JAPAN +MOROCCO +SCOTLAND +SOUTH AFRICA +SOUTH SEAS +SWITZERLAND +WALES + + +PUBLISHED BY +ADAM AND CHARLES BLACK +SOHO SQUARE, LONDON, W. + + +AGENTS + +AMERICA THE MACMILLAN COMPANY + 64 & 66 FIFTH AVENUE, NEW YORK + +CANADA THE MACMILLAN COMPANY OF CANADA, LTD. + 27 RICHMOND STREET WEST, TORONTO + +INDIA MACMILLAN & COMPANY, LTD. + MACMILLAN BUILDING, BOMBAY + 309 BOW BAZAAR STREET, CALCUTTA + +AUSTRALASIA. OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS, MELBOURNE + + * * * * * + + + + +_BY THE SAME ARTIST AND AUTHOR_ + +BURMA + +By R. TALBOT KELLY, R.B.A. + +_Containing 75 full-page Illustrations in Colour. Square Demy 8vo., +cloth, gilt top_ + +Price 20/- net + +(_Post free, Price 20s. 6d._) + +"His landscapes--in which Nature is seen unforced by the hands of +colour-loving men and women, and seen, more often than not, by early +morning or evening light--have an exquisite delicacy."--_Athenaeum._ + +"The result is a narrative delightful in its quiet zest, and a series +of pictures that have the hues of landscapes hung in a heaven of +dreamland."--_Speaker._ + +"If ever there was a poet in colours Mr. Kelly is one. His volume is +bright to read and beautiful to look at."--_Liverpool Post._ + +"Those of our readers who have seen Mr. Kelly's 'Egypt' know that he +uses pen and brush with equal facility, and in this volume we find +again beautiful and faithful pictures, accompanied by admirably +graphic descriptions."--_Aberdeen Journal._ + + +EGYPT + +BY R. TALBOT KELLY, R.B.A. + +_Containing 75 full-page Illustrations in Colour. Square Demy 8vo., +cloth, gilt top_ + +Price 20/- net + +(_Post free, Price 20s. 6d._) + + "How marvellously faithful his work is, every one who knows + Egypt will see in the seventy-five exquisite paintings which + make his book a perfect treasure of beauty.... No series of + drawings has ever conveyed to us so perfect an impression of + Egyptian scenery as these."--_Saturday Review._ + + "Rarely can this old, old country have received more + beautiful homage than here ... the happily inspired work of a + true artist revealing her countless charms."--_Bookman._ + + "This is beyond all question the most beautiful book on + modern Egypt that we have ever seen."--_Spectator._ + + "This is a magnificent production of his, abounding with fine + pictures, beautifully reproduced, and teeming with fine + descriptive touches and bright anecdotal matter."--_Black and + White._ + + "Few more attractive gift-books have fallen into our hands of + late than this splendidly-illustrated volume, the text of + which is in perfect harmony with the pictures."--_Standard._ + + +PUBLISHED BY A. & C. BLACK, SOHO SQUARE, LONDON, W. + + * * * * * + + + + +A BACHELOR GIRL + +IN BURMA + +By G. E. MITTON + +AUTHOR OF +"A BACHELOR GIRL IN LONDON," "JANE AUSTEN AND HER TIMES," ETC. + +_Containing 95 Illustrations from Photographs._ + +_Sq. Demy 8vo_., cloth._ Price 6/- net (_Post free, _Price 6s. 5d._) + + +Some Press Opinions + + "She has written a delightful book on a delightful country, + and the ninety-five illustrations, from photographs taken by + herself and others, add greatly to its readable and + instructive character, as well as to its + beauty."--_Scotsman._ + + "She has altogether succeeded in writing a delightful + account of her trip."--_Westminster Gazette._ + + "A most entertaining and agreeable narrative."--_Burlington + Magazine._ + + "Her book will please and amuse all lovers of + travel."--_World._ + + "She has cleverly tinged her descriptions with much of that + rich colour which ornaments the East, and any who might be + tempted to visit a land as yet little travelled by the + sightseer will in these pages find much information that may + prove of value in their preparation for such a + trip."--_Daily Telegraph._ + + "A delightful account, illustrated with many attractive + photographs."--_World's Work._ + + "Miss Mitton has excelled herself in her last + work."--_Tatler._ + + +PUBLISHED BY A. & C. BLACK, SOHO SQUARE, LONDON, W. + + * * * * * + + + + + + +End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Burma, by R.Talbot Kelly + +*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK BURMA *** + +***** This file should be named 30064.txt or 30064.zip ***** +This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: + http://www.gutenberg.org/3/0/0/6/30064/ + +Produced by Sankar Viswanathan, Chris Curnow, and the +Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net +(This file was produced from images generously made +available by The Internet Archive) + + +Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions +will be renamed. + +Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no +one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation +(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without +permission and without paying copyright royalties. Special rules, +set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to +copying and distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works to +protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm concept and trademark. Project +Gutenberg is a registered trademark, and may not be used if you +charge for the eBooks, unless you receive specific permission. If you +do not charge anything for copies of this eBook, complying with the +rules is very easy. You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose +such as creation of derivative works, reports, performances and +research. They may be modified and printed and given away--you may do +practically ANYTHING with public domain eBooks. Redistribution is +subject to the trademark license, especially commercial +redistribution. + + + +*** START: FULL LICENSE *** + +THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE +PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK + +To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free +distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work +(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project +Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full Project +Gutenberg-tm License (available with this file or online at +http://gutenberg.org/license). + + +Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg-tm +electronic works + +1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm +electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to +and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property +(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all +the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or destroy +all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your possession. +If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a Project +Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound by the +terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person or +entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8. + +1.B. "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark. It may only be +used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who +agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few +things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works +even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See +paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project +Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this agreement +and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm electronic +works. See paragraph 1.E below. + +1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the Foundation" +or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection of Project +Gutenberg-tm electronic works. Nearly all the individual works in the +collection are in the public domain in the United States. If an +individual work is in the public domain in the United States and you are +located in the United States, we do not claim a right to prevent you from +copying, distributing, performing, displaying or creating derivative +works based on the work as long as all references to Project Gutenberg +are removed. Of course, we hope that you will support the Project +Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting free access to electronic works by +freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm works in compliance with the terms of +this agreement for keeping the Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with +the work. You can easily comply with the terms of this agreement by +keeping this work in the same format with its attached full Project +Gutenberg-tm License when you share it without charge with others. + +1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern +what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are in +a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States, check +the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this agreement +before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, distributing or +creating derivative works based on this work or any other Project +Gutenberg-tm work. The Foundation makes no representations concerning +the copyright status of any work in any country outside the United +States. + +1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg: + +1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other immediate +access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear prominently +whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work on which the +phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the phrase "Project +Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, performed, viewed, +copied or distributed: + +This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with +almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org + +1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is derived +from the public domain (does not contain a notice indicating that it is +posted with permission of the copyright holder), the work can be copied +and distributed to anyone in the United States without paying any fees +or charges. If you are redistributing or providing access to a work +with the phrase "Project Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the +work, you must comply either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 +through 1.E.7 or obtain permission for the use of the work and the +Project Gutenberg-tm trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or +1.E.9. + +1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted +with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution +must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any additional +terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms will be linked +to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works posted with the +permission of the copyright holder found at the beginning of this work. + +1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm +License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this +work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm. + +1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this +electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without +prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with +active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project +Gutenberg-tm License. + +1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary, +compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including any +word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access to or +distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format other than +"Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official version +posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site (www.gutenberg.org), +you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense to the user, provide a +copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means of obtaining a copy upon +request, of the work in its original "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other +form. Any alternate format must include the full Project Gutenberg-tm +License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1. + +1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying, +performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works +unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. + +1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing +access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works provided +that + +- You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from + the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method + you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is + owed to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he + has agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the + Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments + must be paid within 60 days following each date on which you + prepare (or are legally required to prepare) your periodic tax + returns. Royalty payments should be clearly marked as such and + sent to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the + address specified in Section 4, "Information about donations to + the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation." + +- You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies + you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he + does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm + License. You must require such a user to return or + destroy all copies of the works possessed in a physical medium + and discontinue all use of and all access to other copies of + Project Gutenberg-tm works. + +- You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of any + money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the + electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days + of receipt of the work. + +- You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free + distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works. + +1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project Gutenberg-tm +electronic work or group of works on different terms than are set +forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing from +both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and Michael +Hart, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark. Contact the +Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below. + +1.F. + +1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable +effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread +public domain works in creating the Project Gutenberg-tm +collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm electronic +works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may contain +"Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate or +corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other intellectual +property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or other medium, a +computer virus, or computer codes that damage or cannot be read by +your equipment. + +1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right +of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project +Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project +Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project +Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all +liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal +fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT +LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE +PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH F3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE +TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE +LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR +INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH +DAMAGE. + +1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a +defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can +receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a +written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you +received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium with +your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you with +the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in lieu of a +refund. If you received the work electronically, the person or entity +providing it to you may choose to give you a second opportunity to +receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If the second copy +is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing without further +opportunities to fix the problem. + +1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth +in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS' WITH NO OTHER +WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO +WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTIBILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE. + +1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied +warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of damages. +If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement violates the +law of the state applicable to this agreement, the agreement shall be +interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or limitation permitted by +the applicable state law. The invalidity or unenforceability of any +provision of this agreement shall not void the remaining provisions. + +1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the +trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone +providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in accordance +with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the production, +promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works, +harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, including legal fees, +that arise directly or indirectly from any of the following which you do +or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this or any Project Gutenberg-tm +work, (b) alteration, modification, or additions or deletions to any +Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any Defect you cause. + + +Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm + +Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of +electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of computers +including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It exists +because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations from +people in all walks of life. + +Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the +assistance they need, are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's +goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will +remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project +Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure +and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future generations. +To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation +and how your efforts and donations can help, see Sections 3 and 4 +and the Foundation web page at http://www.pglaf.org. + + +Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive +Foundation + +The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit +501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the +state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal +Revenue Service. The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification +number is 64-6221541. Its 501(c)(3) letter is posted at +http://pglaf.org/fundraising. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg +Literary Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent +permitted by U.S. federal laws and your state's laws. + +The Foundation's principal office is located at 4557 Melan Dr. S. +Fairbanks, AK, 99712., but its volunteers and employees are scattered +throughout numerous locations. Its business office is located at +809 North 1500 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887, email +business@pglaf.org. Email contact links and up to date contact +information can be found at the Foundation's web site and official +page at http://pglaf.org + +For additional contact information: + Dr. Gregory B. Newby + Chief Executive and Director + gbnewby@pglaf.org + + +Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg +Literary Archive Foundation + +Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without wide +spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of +increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be +freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest +array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations +($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt +status with the IRS. + +The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating +charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United +States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a +considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up +with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations +where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To +SEND DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any +particular state visit http://pglaf.org + +While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we +have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition +against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who +approach us with offers to donate. + +International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make +any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from +outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff. + +Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation +methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other +ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations. +To donate, please visit: http://pglaf.org/donate + + +Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic +works. + +Professor Michael S. Hart is the originator of the Project Gutenberg-tm +concept of a library of electronic works that could be freely shared +with anyone. For thirty years, he produced and distributed Project +Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of volunteer support. + + +Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed +editions, all of which are confirmed as Public Domain in the U.S. +unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not necessarily +keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition. + + +Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search facility: + + http://www.gutenberg.org + +This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm, +including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary +Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to +subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks. diff --git a/old/30064.zip b/old/30064.zip Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..39c2dc8 --- /dev/null +++ b/old/30064.zip |
