( 106 ) 



They appeared remarkably skilful coopers, and quick workers, com- 

 pleting a pail in a day. Singularly enough, I met this same party 

 at Pegu on my return to British Burma, and was immediately 

 recognized by the late Tswabwa's wife, who now represents the 

 head of her village. Before reaching Tseekaw, we came on a 

 drunken set of Kakhyens, who brandished their swords about, and 

 were otherwise insulting, refusing to make way, and demanding 

 opium of us, but we continued our path with apparent disregard, 

 keeping an eye on them, lest they might carry their threats into force ; 

 however, all passed off quietly, and in another half hour I was 

 within the stockade, and found Mr. Cooper pacing the main road 

 in a great state of anxiety about me, for it was now past 9 p.m. 

 We had a long chat at dinner over our day's doings, when he told 

 me, the cause of the traffic having been suspended here, he ascer- 

 tained to have emanated in an order from the palace, with a view 

 to securing a more ready sale of the royal cotton that had been sent 

 to Momein by another route. He also put his veto on my ex- 

 tending my travels into the hills in this vicinity as I had originally 

 intended to do, giving as a reason that he had been credibly inform- 

 ed, I would be killed if I went among the Kakhyens in the present 

 disturbed state of the country. I was immensely put out at this, 

 as it simply meant my mission was to cease at Bhamo, for the 

 entire country through which my work lay was more or less peopled 

 by these much-dreaded mountaineers. I therefore requested he 

 would kindly commit to paper whatever he had to say ; for my 

 orders from the Local Government and Resident at Mandalay were 

 definite, and I hardly felt inclined, under the circumstances, to aban- 

 don my original plans. It was rather an amusing sight to see us 

 corresponding with one another across a table 3' X 2' 6", but official 

 etiquette demanded this burlesque ; only three tetters, however, were 

 exchanged, and mine was the last, wherein I recorded in mellowed 

 official terms that it was hardly likely I had been sent up here at 

 the jeopardy of my life, and that as my work lay entirely among the 

 Kakhyens, I thought it better I should face all difficulties at once, 

 and begged in this matter to be allowed to exercise my own judg- 

 ment, and take care of myself. To this I received no reply, so I 

 accepted silence as consent : Mr. Cooper wished me " good night" 

 with a few admonishing words, and I proceeded, to catalogue the 

 plants I had collected, which are enumerated below : — 



190. Tectona grandis (scarce and small), Fici, chiefly epiphy- 

 tical, Erythrina, Bauhinia microphylla, 



Catalogue of plants collected dm-- Diospyros. Bombax malabaricum, Dip- 



i))" adventures. , • ' . • / _„in t> . /• 



terocarpus incanus (small), Butea jron- 



