A Desert Island. 401 



bricks and to do the best I could during the six 

 weeks before the breaking out of the monsoon, and 

 then to go back to Haingyie and prepare maps, plans, 

 estimates, &c., &c., for submission to the supreme 

 government. The steamer took the lighter in tow 

 and departed before dark. I soon landed the bricks 

 and sent back the schooner for more. I was then left 

 alone with twenty-four murderers and two Madras 

 boys ; the convicts had each a dhaw, I had a gun and 

 a revolver, but no guard. I had no trouble with 

 the convicts, all Burmese and Shans of the very 

 worst character. Whilst they carried the bricks up 

 the hillside, away from the sea spray, I surveyed 

 the island, took cross sections, and fixed upon the 

 highest spot, which I found was on the south face, 

 for erecting the lighthouse. The schooner went 

 backwards and forwards twice before there were 

 indications that the rains were not far off, and on her 

 last trip, I took my people with me and returned to 

 Haingyie. I then took leave to Calcutta, submitted 

 the plans, &c. , and then went off for two months to 

 Ootacamund and the west coast. I returned, and 

 this time I made a start from Moulmein, taking 

 with me one hundred life convicts, half being 

 Burmese, Shans, and Karens, and the other half 

 Madrassies. I applied for a military guard, but it 

 was refused me, so I picked up nine men from the 

 streets of Moulmein and enlisted them as burkan- 

 dazies or policemen, and armed them with old 

 cutlasses. I also took twenty-five free labourers, as 

 bricklayers, &c., and a quantity of material for 

 building sheds for ourselves. The police I found 

 useless as a guard, as the Burmese cared nothing for 



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