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houses, where my people exchanged salt for some sun-dried venison 

 To the west, the mountains give off a spur known as the Natsay hills 

 reaching to the water's edge, and running parallel with the stream, 

 which now takes a north-east and south-west course. 



280. They bear the sterile aspect of the undulating country 

 in the vicinity of the earth-oil wells at Yenanjaum, the plants 

 of the Eaphorbiacce cactacce, and Capparidacece orders being the most 

 common : a few fossils were collected. The barren appearance of 

 these hills is rendered more conspicuous by the densely-wooded 

 country by which they are surrounded. There is a legend attached 

 to that portion of the spur which sends up two conically-shaped 

 little hills, called Moung-na-mar, signifying brother and sister. It 

 is supposed that these two committed a felony, and were then and 

 there converted into stone. This account savours somewhat of the 

 fate that befell Lot and his wife. The wild rose and raspberry 

 still gladdened us with their presence, and the low alluvial banks are 

 over-grown with Calamus, Coesalpinia Sepiaria, and Saccharum sponta- 

 neum ; the arborescent growth being represented by Bombax, Shorea, 

 and Terminalia. Shot some Chalcophaps inclica and Carpophaga syl- 

 vatica ; snippet, ouzel, brahmi nee-duck, and mina are common. 

 Made fast for the night at a sand-bank. 



281. Thursday, 29th January 1874. — At 6 a.m., thermometer 

 48° ; dense fog up to 8-30 a.m., when we started. Passed a group of 

 Kakhyen houses on the left bank, established below a magnificent 

 Ficus glomerata ; the hills to the west are gradually nearing the 

 river's bank, and continue to be mantled densely with trees. Hailed 

 a fisherman's boat and bartered quarter of a pound of tobacco for four 

 large gobio (red-eyed gudgeon). The fishermen were Shan-Burmese, 

 and were also prepared to exchange their fish for pieces of silver : the 

 price fixed being equivalent to about an anna a viss ; their scales are 

 on the principle of the steel-yard — a bamboo graduated by notches 

 substituting the steel-yard ; on this slides a stone suspended by a 

 string which registers the weight ; just below the indicator is sus- 

 pended a basket for the convenience of the article to be weighed. 

 Kakhyen houses in twos and threes along the bank were becoming 

 more common, and the numerous scars and sword-cuts that dis- 

 figure the men were sufficiently on the increase to attract attention, 

 and pointed to the disturbed state of the country. A range of moun- 

 tains sending up a sugar-loafed peak, which had hitherto served as 

 a land mark, became more apparent to-day, and a second peak 

 was now distinguishable ; but from the sinuosity of the river 

 it was difficult to say on which bank they were. Made fast for the 

 night at the Kakhyen village of Sankah. There was a dispute 

 going on here between these people and a party of mountaineers 

 from the Mogoung Districts. The quarrel was about the Shan por- 



