HANOI TO MONGTSE 



consisted of four. The first was a little Annamite, who had 

 been with me before. On the present occasion he did not go 

 far with us ; nor did I subsequently regret him : he would never 

 have stood the sort of work we had to encounter. At Yen-Tay 

 he left us sick. The second, Sao, had also previously accompanied 

 me to Bangkok. He was large and angular, of independent temper, 

 and a bit of a grumbler, but 

 withal a safe shot, a sure 

 hunter, and proved himself 

 afterwards eminently practi- 

 cal in an emergency. Sao 

 spoke little, and testified his 

 approbation or derision by a 

 silent smile, which displayed 

 two rows of beautiful black 

 teeth. "Much stupid" was 

 his contemptuous expression 

 for anyone who did not meet 

 with his approval. The very 

 reverse of Sao was Nam, or 

 the Namoi as they called Cy^^'J 



him. He was our cook ; a 

 dirty, shrinking, humble, little 

 old thing, who, inasmuch as 

 he was worthy and longsuffering, soon became the butt of the 

 party, and though incessantly chaffed always maintained his good- 

 humour. Poor simple soul. Nam trotted on from country' to 

 country, alike unmoved by change of scene or people, with never 

 a question as to whence he came or whither he went, but preparing 

 our food throughout with conscientious regularity. Only when 



5 



oK 



Nam. 



