200 WILD SPORTS OF BURMA AND ASSAM 



together a few things, which a couple of men carried, and with 

 my two servants started about 10 a.m. Mendoon had been a 

 place of importance, an appanage of the eldest son of the 

 king of Burma, but it had been burnt down and all but 

 deserted during the late war with us. When clear of it we 

 followed by-paths for an hour, then crossed a stream, an 

 affluent of the Matoon, and entered first an Eeinghein and then 

 a teak forest. There was not much undergrowth, and we 

 followed a track for a couple of hours or more made by 

 elephants during the last rains. We then began to climb 

 the spurs of the lower range of hills. Calling a halt I made 

 an al fresco meal, giving some food to the Burman, who, 

 having no caste, will eat anything ; in fact, they are the most 

 omnivorous people I ever met nothing comes amiss to them 

 in the way of food. 



The meal over, I reclined under a convenient shade and 

 allowed the Burmese to have a smoke, and doled them out a 

 tot of grog. We then started afresh. The ascent became 

 very stiff, and although I was in very good and hard condition, 

 it was very soon a case of u bellows to mend," but I soon 

 recovered my second wind and was then able to trudge along 

 fairly well. Animals construct these paths as if they had been 

 instructed in engineering, for they wind round and round the 

 hills, gradually ascending, and if we had stuck to them all 

 would have been easy, but the guide would take short 

 cuts, which proved very laborious and fatiguing, as the 

 hillsides were covered with fallen branches of trees and 

 debris of all sorts. About 5 p.m. we were probably at an 

 elevation of 1000 feet. Looking back, the lovely Matoon looked 

 almost at our feet, though miles away ; to the east, in the 

 distance, the mighty Irrawady appeared a mere thread ; 

 to the north and west rose the Arrakan mountains, which 

 reach an elevation of some 6000 feet, and are densely 

 wooded for about 3000 to 4000 feet We could see mist 

 rising here and there from the valleys which lay between 

 us and the main range. 



About 5.30 we resumed our journey, and after a climb of 

 another 200 to 300 feet began to descend, and soon came to 

 some townyahs, or clearances, made by Karens for growing 



