( 109 ) 



to leave their houses these misty mornings ; and I thought it best not 

 to be too exacting at the start off. At nine o'clock, the old Loogyee 

 made his appearance with four coolies, and the Interpreter. The 

 latter had instructions to pick up two policemen from each village as 

 we went along, until the full complement of six were made up. After 

 a good deal of talk and grumbling, the loads were allotted each 

 man, and by ten o'clock a start had been accomplished. By police 

 it must not be understood that my escort were selected from an 

 organized or paid corps ; they were merely villagers, who had to 

 provide their own arms and ammunition. Their swords were the 

 ordinary daks of the country, and guns, old rusted match-locks that 

 evidently had not been fired out of for years. In this instance, I 

 was looked to for powder and bullets, but as I had none of the 

 latter that fitted their guns, B.B.B. shot served as a substitute. 

 There was always some little delay in recruiting, but once to the 

 front, the people took good-naturedly enough to their fate, and gave 

 no more trouble. It was far too cold for my people to continue 

 their national light and airy costume, so they made their first appear- 

 ance to-day in Shan jackets and pants, white stockings with red 

 tape garters, and red woollen night-caps ; certainly they had a comi- 

 cal enough appearance. We had not gone, far before I noticed an 

 unfortunate Shan lying dead drunk by the road side ; he had 

 nothing on, and the basket these people carry their provisions in, 

 lay empty by his side ; evidently he had been robbed. 



192. Our course now lay in the direction of old Bhamo,° which, 



as I have already mentioned, is situated 

 start in the direction of old on ^ \ )aB ] LS of the Taping ; nothing 



Bhamo, and stay at village Seitket. , • , i ,i •, 



however, now remains to mark the site 

 of this once flourishing town but the rums of its walls, which are a 

 mere heap of bricks, covered with earth, and overgrown with jungle. 

 Here we diverged north-west and by north, until the large Shan- 

 Burmese village of Seitket was reached. It is situated at base of the 

 Kakhyen mountains, and is the guard-mounting station for the out- 

 pickets posted on a spur of the main range. The village was strongly 

 barricaded ; but I was told the safety of the people mainly consisted 

 in keeping on good terms with the mountaineers, and meeting their 

 demands as far as possible; this entailing extra expense, the inhabit- 

 ants are exempt from all taxation by the Burmese Government. 

 We rested here at the head-man's house for half an hour, and were 

 most politely received. I was seated on a nice new rug, and cheroots, 



* I find old Bhamo has been incorrectly placed on the map : it should have occupied the place 

 of the second e in the word Seekaic ; it was there that we left the Taping, and struck off in a north- 

 i north eonrse. 



