( 96 ) 



guaranteed its safety. The latter now craved the interference of the 

 Assistant Resident, denying that they had ever accepted the respon- 

 sibility, and pointed to the serious inconvenience and loss they had 

 already sustained by the issue of this despotic order. The quan- 

 tity of cotton collected at Tseekaw, ready for transport to Mornein, 

 by mules, was reported to be 1,500 bales. The Governor, on a 

 reference from the Assistant Eesident, explained the circumstances 

 under which he had found it expedient to take stringent measures, 

 but positively stated that trade had been re-established some days 

 ago. These statements were so very contradictory, that Mr. Cooper 

 determined to take a run up to Tseekaw, the next day (29th Decem- 

 ber), and ascertain from the people direct, the correct state of 

 affairs. Having nothing more to do at Bhamo, and there being no 

 probability of the steamer arriving for another week, I thought the 

 present would be a capital opportunity of extending my knowledge 

 of the country, and accordingly asked permission to accompany my 

 friend, to which he very kindly consented. 



174. To avoid the monotony of the first part of the journey, 



the boat was started at 10 a.m., with 

 Excursus at Bhamo. instructions to meet us at Mate, a 



small hamlet some two miles from the mouth of the Taping. 

 At 4 p.m. we shouldered our guns, and took the bridle-path that 

 leads through a dense thicket to Tsain-pen-ago, thence proceed- 

 ing to Suseenah, on the banks of the Taping, and within half a 

 mile of its junction with the Irrawaddy. Here there are some two 

 or three hundred pagodas, all more or less in ruins, and over- 

 grown with bamboo and arborescent scrub ; but still the site 

 maintains its original sanctity, and continues to draw large numbers 

 to the sacred annual festival. Continuing to skirt the banks of the 

 river, in hopes of bagging a few ducks and geese we reached our 

 destination for the night, about 6 p.m., some time before the boat 

 came up. It was too late to continue our rambles, so we sat down, 

 and, as is not an uncommon practice under similar circumstances, 

 appealed to one another for a probable solution of the cause of 

 delay, forgetting that neither of us could possibly be wiser than the 

 other as to the reason of detention; but still there is always some 

 little satisfaction in the vague speculations offered, however remote 

 the conclusions arrived at may prove. An hour had elapsed, and 

 there was still no signs of the boat, so I strolled back in the direc- 

 tion of the Irrawaddy, to see what had happened ; I had not far to 

 go, however, before the voice of my old cook urging on the crew was 

 distinguishable, and in another half hour we were comfortably 

 housed in our little cabin. It was a clear starlight night, and the 

 thermometer stood at 50-5 at 8 p.m., in the open. 



