FROM TALI TO TSEKOU 



declared himself perfectly content to see new country. As for 

 the last-joined Minchias from Piao-tsen, they were green hands, 

 afraid if they went far that they would not find their way back, 

 — "Sunt rustici," quoth Joseph. 



After every portage a rest was imperative ; if we did six 

 or eight miles in the day we thought ourselves fortunate. 

 Nor was this valley of the Mekong anything but monotonous, 

 with its arid slopes, grey rocks, pine-clad ridges, and everlasting 

 murmur of the great red river in its bed. I found my distraction 

 in observing the habits of our own men and of the villagers. In 

 these parts we saw some variety in the female costume ; a pleated 

 skirt down to the knee, like the Lolos of .Setchuen, a small blue 

 and white apron, short dark blue broidered jacket open in front, 

 and often a heavy turban in place of the little white disc'd cap. 

 Not far from the village of Lakouti we were pursued by a ragged 

 old man wearino- a larije necklace of brown wooden beads, to 

 which were fastened a bell and a bronze medallion. This strange 

 being stopped us with much gesticulation, and, falling on his 

 knees, addressed me in a long speech with many queer inter- 

 jections. He said the inhabitants were indigent Lolos {sic) from 

 whom he could not ask anything, but that we ought to give him 

 an alms. It appeared that the poor old mendicant was the priest 

 of Lakouti. Religion seemed ill paid in this locality. It certainly 

 was reduced to simple elements ; for we learned that the Lissous 

 worship Heaven and Earth, and have few rites. 



In the evening we arrived near a little hamlet hidden in a 

 hollow, from which the inhabitants, each uglier than the other, 

 came out and prostrated themselves before us repeatedly. Our 

 advent seemed to have greatly alarmed them. One ol these 

 Lissous bore upon his breast a cuirass made of bark bound round 



M 1/7 



