( 126 ) 



had with him a good supply of Manchester piece-goods, twist, 

 thread, &c, which he intended advancing — as he went along — on 

 promise of ivory, rubber, amber, &c, &c. We parted company in 

 the morning. 



212. Two fine young Ficus elastica trees were offered to me here, 

 but unfortunately they were too large to carry away, so I arranged 

 to purchase them on my way back. Shot a Loris tardigradus, some 

 painted partridge, jungle fowl, a Ketupa ceylonensis, two otters 

 (the flesh of which my Burman peons regarded a delicacy), and a 

 leopard-cat, which came at me like a young tiger when wounded, 

 but the second barrel put an end to his bad intentions. 



213. Tuesday, 13th January 1874. — Started at 7 a.m., but only to 

 cross the river for a short excursion inland. Themometer, 50° at 

 6 a.m. Dense fog for an hour after landing ; returned to boat by 

 noon. It had at first been my intention to send on the boats, but 

 on second thought, I hardly considered this wise, for it was not at 

 all certain the distance they could make, and very doubtful whether 

 I could reach them anywhere else within the defile, for the 

 river was now hemmed in on either side by perpendicular scarps 

 of serpentine and lime-stone rock, in places over eighty feet high. 



214. My trip was unsatisfactory in the extreme, for I saw 

 nothing sufficiently interesting to compensate for the trouble and 

 fatigue I had to undergo, clambering over the huge boulders that 

 lay across our path. Vegetation throughout, though dense, had a 

 stunted appearance from an absence of surface soil. Massive, 

 disengaged blocks of serpentine lay one upon another in all 

 forms of disorder, some merely maintained in their position by 

 the Goliathan embrace of parasitical Fid. Under the ledges bees' 

 nests of a conical shape were common — some were three feet long 

 and as broad at the top. The honey is much prized, except 

 at certain seasons, when it is said to be piosonous. The fact of 

 honey being poisonous at certain times of the year is borne out 

 by the fate of those in the retreat of the ten thousand, who par- 

 took of the honey which was said to be posioned with the flowers of 

 Rhododendron ponticum. We came on a party of Pwons from Shwe- 

 minwoon, who informed us that they were on their way to visit a 

 rich merchant who had just arrived at Tha-mine-gyee, I explained 

 that i" was the party they referred to, and was on my way 

 to call on them. I was surprised at the rapidity with which 

 the news of my arrival had been circulated ; nor could I 

 obtain from them whence they received their information. Three 

 of the party returned with me to their village, and were most press- 

 ing in their invitation for me to stay the night. On leaving, I 



