274 Incidents of Foreign Field Sport. 



homeless and almost destitute of food, for their 

 granaries even had been burnt. The river was not 

 far off, so, sending word for a boat to be provided, 

 we left the elephants to recover, and walked to the 

 place of embarkation, so reached Myet-quin that night, 

 for we found that by following narrow creeks, we 

 could get within a mile of my bungalow, so there 

 was no need to go round by Banlong. We had still 

 two weeks' leave, but what avail were they without 

 elephants ; so mounting our ponies and taking but a 

 few things with us, going round via Nouksedouk, we 

 reached Tongho on the third day. Our wives would 

 scarcely acknowledge us. Deprived of all hirsute 

 ornaments, blear of eye, burnt to a cinder, we might 

 have been anybody except the " Simon Pures." The 

 more they looked at us in amazement the more we 

 laughed, for Mrs. L. was staying with my wife, and 

 we found them together when we turned up. The 

 elephants did not arrive for fully twenty days, and a 

 pretty bill we had to pay the commissariat. The 

 next time I wanted to take the " boy " with me, he 

 gave me warning, saying, " He not take service to be 

 burnt to death," but a clout on the head brought him 

 to, and I am thankful to say that he did not again 

 have such a narrow shave. Ultimately, he forgot 

 that fearful reminiscence, and remained with me for 

 years, and rose to be my head servant. Our bag 

 that trip was sixty-four head of game and a burning. I 

 will not inflict the whole diary on the reader, for one 

 day's shooting off elephants in Burma is very like 

 another; sometimes of course, we get more sport 

 than on others, but there is always sufficient to re- 

 ward one, although it is rather expensive work. 



