1010 Journal of an expedition from Moulmien to Ava. [Dec. 



saying- " tis well." I had then some conversation with the two Tseet- 

 kays (Burman officers sent from Ava) regarding the British posses- 

 sions, power and resources, of every thing regarding which they are 

 in utter ignorance. The Tso-boa himself scarcely opened his lips ; — 

 my visit lasted about an hour. The traders exposed their things for sale 

 during the two days we halted here ; there was a strong desire to buy 

 on the part of the people, and they sold as much as from the size of 

 the place they had reason to expect. Silver is very scarce and that in 

 circulation is half copper. On the 20th we started for Monay and 

 reached Ban-lome a small village of 1 2 or 14 houses in the evening. This 

 is the first village we have seen since leaving their country, the inha- 

 bitants of which consider themselves as tolerably safe from the f ar- 

 rays of the Kareens, which they all compare to the swoop of a hawk. 

 At Mok-mai, though the town may contain 2000 or 2500 people, they 

 dare not go half a mile from the stockade for firewood, and were asto- 

 nished at the temerity of our mohauts in going singly into the jungle 

 after the elephants. On the following day we reached Monay. 



The first days' march from Kudoo is rugged, mountainous and diffi- 

 cult with no water (except one small stream) till the end of the march, 

 when we cross the May-neum about three feet and a half deep. The two 

 following days to Ban-hat is a good deal along the bed of a small stream ; 

 the road rugged but no hills to cross ; water abundant. The next day 

 to Mok-mai, which lies quite out of the direct line of march by this 

 route to Monay, is over the same range of hills crossed the day of 

 leaving Kudoo, but lower. Leaving the May -ting deep nearly four feet 

 at Ban-hat , and encampiDg again on the May-neum. At Mok-mai there 

 is a good deal of cattle, and cultivation round Ban-hat and Mok-mai, 

 the rest of the country rocky mountains covered with jungle. The 

 last two days the road was better, in many places practicable for carts, 

 water plentiful and a great deal of cultivation near Monay. 



The Tso-boa of Mok-mai furnished me with a guide who had au- 

 thority to order the Thoo-gyee of Ban-lome to relieve him and furnish 

 one who should accompany us to the confines of the Mok-mai territory 

 where people would probably be sent from Monay to meet us. The 

 Ban-lome Thoo-gyee was not to be found in the morning, and we 

 proceeded without him. On reaching Monay we were obliged to in- 

 quire our way to the place that had been recommended as encamping 

 ground by our guide from Mok-mai; no one was inclined to give any 

 information, and it was not till after many inquiries we met one man 

 civil enough to point it out to us. We had scarcely halted when we 

 were surrounded by some hundreds of people, and the same scene of 



