1004 Journal of an Expedition to the Chinese Frontier. [De6, 



by numerous large and rapid torrents. Access with a regular army 

 and its equipments is impossible by this road and the Slums are Well 

 aware of it. There are numerous passes however of which we are 

 totally ignorant, and of which they wish to keep us in the dark. From 

 Muang Hunt to Zumue, four marches, is through the valley of the Me 

 Piu. From Zumue to Esmok or Muang La, there may he said to he 

 only two roads, the others being only branches of them and occasion- 

 ally slightly deviating from them. The one I proceeded by is for three 

 days over low hills, then for eleven marches to the frontier village be- 

 longing to Kiang Tung, HaiTai, through valleys and occasionally over 

 a few low hills, then over high mountains to Kiang Tang. From Kiang 

 Tung to Kiang Hung the country is both hilly and mountainous with 

 small rich valleys through which we daily passed, and in which there 

 are numerous villages all well peopled. These mountains though not 

 passable for carts have good roads and are in every respect easier to 

 pass over than those between this and Zumue, but there is not a spot 

 of ground amongst them in which an encampment could be formed 

 for a large force. Water is throughout abundant and the country 

 thickly wooded. 



From Kiang Hung to Muang La is five marches, and the road runs 

 over high and barren hills. 



The other road is the one by which the Chinese caravans come to 

 Zumue ; it separates from the other one the village of Pak Bong, from 

 whence to the Cambodia river, on which the town of Kiang Khong 

 stands and belongs to Muang Nan, it is six or seven marches. The 

 river is there crossed, the road continues in the Muang Nan district 

 for four or five days, and then enters the Muang Luang Phaban territory 

 and continues in it for two or three days, after which it passes through 

 the Kiang Hung territories to Muang La. The Chinese describe this 

 road as very mountainous. It occupies them forty days to reach 

 Muang La from Zumue. The road travelled by the Chinese, to Muang 

 Nan, separates from the Zumue one at Kiang Khong, on the western 

 bank of the Me Khong or Cambodia river. 



The road I returned by from Zumue is the high road from that 

 place to Bankok, via Lahaing • to within two marches of that place 

 I proceeded, and there struck off to the westward to this place. After 

 crossing the Me Piu only, did we meet any high hills and then only 

 one, which did not occupy us long in getting over. The rest of the 

 road is chiefly hilly but of no elevation, and though no cart road exists, 

 one might with very little trouble be made passable for an army with 

 its equipage. From this road, those to Muang Nan and Logon branch 



