A PILGRIMAGE 81 



offered, of which I did not avail myself, having 

 already one head as a trophy. Several times I saw 

 a red-necked jungle fowl, about the size of a small 

 hen, and counted myself very lucky in the sight, 

 for it is shy; and three times a splendid shot 

 offered at the dark brown Far Eastern sambar 

 deer, which is about the size of our Virginia deer, 

 and carries two to four upstanding, branchless 

 spikes varying from eight to twelve inches in 

 length. After several of these excursions the Sia- 

 mese showed a disinclination for further jungle 

 searching, complaining to Nai Kawn that I walked 

 too long and too far, but a little tea, judiciously 

 doled out reawakened their interest and the daily 

 hunting trips continued. 



Within two weeks I had seen and had oppor- 

 tunity to shoot about everything in the jungle, in- 

 cluding elephant, except the buffalo which was the 

 only quarry I wanted, but as we approached the 

 Burmese border we developed into an itinerant 

 police court with calendar so full and interesting 

 that no Siamese could be induced to forego any of 

 its sessions. Apparently the jungle folk had not 

 for some time before been given the chance of tell- 

 ing their tales of woe. And they were mostly do- 

 mestic tales, unsavory and shamelessly personal 

 and frankly recited. Ram always held court at 

 noon in the most open spot to be found in the 



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