i'iimt. xxiv. " Phoonghee's" Contribution about Burmah, 341 



" mnsoular arms of these Cossyahs. I got hold of a capital follow, 



•' the Only word of English he know w;is ' wiml up,' which ho 

 ••kept repeating whenever we came to a rapid, where there was 

 ••danger of losing the spoon, or when 1 Btrnck a fish. We tried in 



■' the vicinity of our encamping ground, hut though we could sec the 

 •' ti>h in dozens, they would not look at our haits. We could ascend 

 "the river only abont a mile, and were then stopped by waterfalls. I 

 •' went up as far as I could without getting a bite ; I had to go through 

 ■' these rapids. Coming back I struck a trout-like fish at the edge of 

 '• the rapid, and it was drowned before we got into smooth water. 



"Below our camp, towards the plains, the river was navigable for 

 •' about two miles, -when it was partially dammed up by the Cossyahs. 

 " There were alternately rapids and readies of deep water. In one 

 •• place which we called the gorge, it was at least 50 to 60 feet deep, 

 " with the steep hills rising abruptly out of the water's edge. I went 

 ■• down to the obstruction without a bite; coming back I put on my 

 " largest spoon, weighted it heavily, and in the centre of the gorge struck 

 • a large fish which immediately took out 50 yards of line. After 

 " several rushes, I got the boat moored in a sandy nook and gradually 

 •■ drew the fish towards me. General Blake now joined me and stayed 

 •' with me till the fish was killed. We could watch its every move- 

 "ment; it did its best to release itself from the hooks, it would be 

 " almost on its side, and rub its mouth into the sand. Presently a fish, 

 " every bit as big as himself, came by to see what the commotion 

 •• was abont, the hooked fish went at him like a tiger, taking out some 

 " forty yards of line. The sun was well up, the glare very unpleasant, 

 " and the perspiration pouring down my face and almost blinding me ; 

 '• vet I stuck to my fish, and, after upwards of an hour's struggle, got it 

 "into the shallows, where 'Wind up' cleverly relieved him. It 

 " weighed just 28 lbs., and was, perhaps, the handsomest fish I ever 

 ■■ caught, and gave the most trouble to kill. The next day I went below 

 " the weir, and, amongst other fish, caught one about 35 lbs., but killed it 

 •• in about a quarter of an hour. Lightfoot, of the 14th, and Charley 



■ Wilson, of the Artillery, an old school-fellow of mine, joined us, and 

 " we remained fishing in these waters three more days, and then went, 

 " partly across country, and partly by water to Jynteeapore, and thence 

 ■• back oid Jowar to Shillong, putting up some woodcocks en >;>ulc. 



" I cannot give full particulars of this trip, because, as I have said 



■ before, my journal is not by me. But in 1870, early in September, 

 •■ Col. Hicks, Ommanney, Baurne, of the I 1th, and I, started for these 

 "diggings oid China Poonghe. I need not enter into details of our 

 " march. At Jerreah there is a river, which used to be, some years 



