( 158 ) 



they would avenge themselves on me instead. From enquiry I found 

 the band consisted of the gold-washers I met a little above the 

 Mogoung river, some of whom Mr. Graham fired at and wounded 

 with large shot imagining they were dacoits. 



271. After being asked to send him from Rangoon a musical- 

 box, a pair of white rabbits, some yellow cloth, and a pair of gaiters, 

 I wished him good-bye, and expressed my obligation for his polite 

 attention, and especially for the young Ficus elastica tree he had 

 presented me with. 



272. Purchased three peacock-pheasants (alive) for two rupees ; 

 this bird is common in these latitudes, and easily snared with a 

 decoy bird, which most of the Kakhyens keep. Talo exports south 

 annually in considerable quantities indway* pivaingyetj paddy, til- 

 seed, and cotton. 



273. Monday, 26th January 1874. — At 6 a.m. thermometer, 

 46°. Just as I was about to start, the hpoongyee sent for me, 

 to obtain my name and address in writing. The monastery 

 was crowded with Kakhyens, so I took the opportunity of asking 

 the names of the Tswabivas and their Pomines, with a view to 

 testing the truthfulness of the information already supplied me. 

 These people have a great aversion to giving their names or address, 

 for various suspicious reasons ; but apparently I had gained their 

 confidence, for they had given me theirs correctly in the first 

 instance. As a parting gift I gave each Tswabwa a warm coat 

 of mine, and their Pomines a coloured flannel shirt a-piece. I left 

 Talo at 9 a.m., the bank was lined with crowds of Kakhyens to see 

 me off, and much to my surprise as we were leaving our moorings 

 they fired afeudejoie, which we returned. About 2 p.m. there was a 

 heavy shower of rain accompanied by thunder. Passing the Nan- 

 ma-lee choung either side of the river presented a pebbly beach, 

 and the valley retained the character noted below Talo. 



274. The Nantabet choung is the next tributary on the left bank 

 met with ; at its junction with the Irrawaddy is situated the village 

 of Nyoungbintha, partly inhabited by Shan-Burmans and partly 

 by Kakhyens ; the houses of the former are enclosed within a bamboo 

 palisade, and separated from the latter by a narrow ravine ; here 

 we made fast for the night. The guide provided by the Go- 

 vernor brought down word to say, that the Kakhyens had only 

 returned from a pillaging expedition night before last, and 

 expected to be attacked themselves to-night ; and suggested 

 the advisability of anchoring some little distance from the bank, 



* Indway is the gum that exudes from the Shorea (robusta ?). 



t Pwaingyet is the wax of the bee Trigona laviceps, that builds in the hollows of Shorea 

 (robusta ?). 



