FROM TONKIN TO INDIA 



These discs are called the Pakoua, and represent the system according to which are 

 divided the elements, as water, earth, etc. Following the diagonals af, he, de, gb, are hung 

 small flags inscribed with characters to frighten the devils. 



At the entry to the pagoda are four words in large characters, meaning : 



TO INVOKE IT IS NECESSARY WITH FEAR CLEARLY 



On cither side of the door two long tablets bear inscriptions : 



Left. 

 With three eyes {the Moiattahi A'/»ir). 

 Can see all. 

 Can see three thousand (hours). 



Right. 



With six shoulders. 



Can govern the Louko {the Loiiko is an 

 assemblage of six things, — sky, earth, 

 mankind, eternity, money, great chief). 



We were detained a day in Fong-Chouan by the searcli for a 

 runaway mule. During our stay the Loutses attacked a village 

 three miles distant, killing one man and wounding and kidnap- 

 ping several others. We derived some more particulars of the 

 Salwen or Lou-kiang, which hereabouts was called equally the 

 Nong-kiang and the Nong-tse-kiang. Another river was said 

 to flow near it in the same direction, named the Kiou-kiang, 

 and this our after-experiences proved to be correct. Report also 

 spoke of silver and copper mines on the left bank of the Mekong, 

 at one or two days' march from Ouei-ten. 



On the 5th (August), at starting, 1 noticed two Lissous who 



were wearing grey robes, Thibetan fashion, and j^laited bamboo 



necklets : they proved to be traders from the Salwen valley, 



offering for exchange many Loutse objects, all made out of 



bamboo — long-stemmed pipes, woven baskets, pitchers with handles, 



etc. Judging from these articles, the transmontane tribes were 



more industrious than the poverty-stricken Lamasjens. Our stage 



was curtailed by a landslip, and we were promised an entire 



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