438 Itinerary in the district of Amherst, Tenasserim. [No. 5. 



selves. Our order of march was therefore thus. The most expe- 

 rienced of the Karens, a slow going imperturbable old fellow, led 

 the way with a large bamboo held to his stomach as if he were 

 angling for eels. The object of this manoeuvre will be shortly 

 apparent. Immediately behind him protruded the barrels of my 

 Westley Bichards, loaded with ball twelve to the pound, and grasp- 

 ed by myself in readiness for all comers. Mr. Parish, also advanced 

 similarly armed, and our rear was covered by a column of clubs, 

 some spears, and one or two antique muskets (probably unloaded). 

 "We had not proceeded in this order very far, before we came on a 

 little bamboo rail, placed there to warn the passenger that a trap is 

 close ahead. Our pace then became funereal. Our Karen leader 

 struck his bamboo on the ground at every step, and presently hit 

 the trap, which went off with a crack, driving a sharp pointed bam- 

 boo dagger or spear head across the path in a manner which would 

 have smitten the foremost of us hip and thigh, had it not been for 

 the angling apparatus afore mentioned. For about three miles we 

 plodded on in this manner, passing four or five traps, three of 

 which had been let or shot off, one most evidently by a tiger : for 

 we found the bamboo spear-head, covered with blood and unmistak- 

 able black and white hairs. These traps [which are, I fancy, of 

 Malay or Chinese origin] are on the principle of the bows set by 

 our " Bagh Mars" in India. A strong stiff bamboo, with a sharp- 

 ened pointed piece slightly inserted at right angles into one end, 

 is placed horizontally at about two and a half or three feet from the 

 ground, close to and parallel with the path, and the unarmed end 

 firmly lashed to stakes or posts. The free extremity is then bent 

 back and secured in that position in such a manner, that any object 

 moving along the path and pushing before it a line extended across, 

 detaches the fastening of the bent bamboo, which suddenly 

 straightening, drives the spear-head with great force across the 

 path. These spear-heads are smeared with the poisonous juice of 

 the "as'byk ben" (a large tree) found in the hills (a sample 

 of which I take this opportunity of sending to the Society). 

 At 3h. 30m. we entered a verdant line of forest and found our- 

 selves on the banks of the Taylo a beautifully clear hill stream, 

 falling into the Hoangthrau about ten miles to the North. We 



