A PILGRIMAGE 73 



ants that took hold of one with no tentative grip 

 and held on. But as to attendants, it was the most 

 luxurious camping that ever I had, for, with our 

 thirty men, there was a servant if you did but raise 

 your hand. Phra Earn had been directed by the 

 king's minister to make this journey in fitting style 

 —at my expense — and he was not leaving anything 

 undone to add to my comfort or to increase the 

 importance of his pilgrimage. Usually we started 

 at daylight and pursued our lumbering way, at 

 the rate of about two and one-half miles the hour 

 until sundown, with a two-hour stop during the 

 fierce heat of midday for the benefit of the bullocks, 

 which were not up to much and were being pretty 

 well worked by the heavy roads. The night camp, 

 made after much loud direction on the part of 

 Ram and equally much misdirected energy on the 

 part of the natives, was always picturesquely 

 located in a clearing in the jungle ; and while the 

 men ate, the bullocks wandered in and out and 

 around and over like so many dogs, the natives occa- 

 sionally chiding them for too abrupt friendliness. 

 Occasionally a bullock made his way to where we 

 pitched our tent just outside the circle of carts; 

 but invariably fled discomfited by the contempt 

 with which my servant reminded it of being " but 

 a slave that had tried to play the gentleman." 

 Bullocks never stray far from camp, however. At 



