﻿HUNTING 
  THE 
  CHAULMOOGRA 
  TREE 
  

  

  245 
  

  

  AN 
  AGRICULTURAL 
  FAMILY 
  OF 
  LOWER 
  SIAM 
  

   Note 
  the 
  prachedi-shaped 
  bonnets 
  worn 
  by 
  the 
  children 
  (see 
  also 
  illustration 
  on 
  page 
  263). 
  

  

  the 
  Maikrabao, 
  the 
  Siamese 
  tree, 
  Hyd- 
  

   nocarpus 
  anthelmintic 
  a, 
  which 
  yields 
  an 
  

   oil 
  similar 
  to 
  Chaulmoogra. 
  

  

  No 
  one 
  in 
  Bangkok 
  seemed 
  to 
  know 
  

   where 
  the 
  Maikrabao 
  was 
  found 
  in 
  a 
  wild 
  

   state 
  in 
  Siam. 
  It 
  was 
  left 
  for 
  the 
  wife 
  of 
  

   the 
  Viceroy 
  of 
  Chiengmai, 
  in 
  northern 
  

   Siam, 
  to 
  inform 
  me 
  that 
  it 
  occurred 
  plen- 
  

   tifully 
  in 
  her 
  native 
  home, 
  near 
  Korat, 
  in 
  

   eastern 
  Siam. 
  

  

  Wat 
  Luang 
  is 
  the 
  chief 
  glory 
  of 
  Lam- 
  

   pun 
  (see 
  page 
  251). 
  Its 
  votive 
  spire 
  has 
  

   an 
  outer 
  casing 
  of 
  brass 
  and 
  is 
  about 
  80 
  

   feet 
  in 
  height. 
  The 
  structure 
  is 
  sur- 
  

   rounded 
  by 
  a 
  brass 
  railing 
  and 
  at 
  the 
  cor- 
  

   ners 
  are 
  small 
  temples 
  with 
  stone 
  figures. 
  

   Before 
  each 
  of 
  these 
  guardian 
  angels 
  

   there 
  stands 
  a 
  huge 
  gilt 
  umbrella. 
  

  

  The 
  road 
  from 
  Lampun 
  to 
  Chiengmai 
  

   leads 
  through 
  small 
  villages 
  and 
  beautiful 
  

   groves 
  of 
  Mai 
  Yang 
  trees 
  (see 
  page 
  259), 
  

   which 
  later 
  give 
  place 
  to 
  planted 
  Rain 
  or 
  

   Monkeypod 
  trees, 
  as 
  they 
  are 
  known 
  in 
  

   Hawaii. 
  

  

  A 
  ROYAL 
  GARDEN 
  PARTY 
  IN 
  SIAM 
  

  

  In 
  Chiengmai, 
  situated 
  on 
  the 
  banks 
  

   of 
  the 
  Meh 
  Ping, 
  "Giver 
  of 
  all 
  Pros- 
  

   perity," 
  we 
  were 
  cordially 
  received 
  by 
  

  

  H. 
  S. 
  H. 
  Bovaradej 
  and 
  his 
  wife, 
  the 
  

   first 
  lady 
  of 
  the 
  Lao 
  States. 
  

  

  Entertainment 
  followed 
  entertainment, 
  

   the 
  series 
  culminating 
  in 
  a 
  garden 
  party 
  

   on 
  the 
  lawn 
  of 
  the 
  Viceroy's 
  residence 
  

   facing 
  the 
  Meh 
  Ping, 
  which 
  then 
  reached 
  

   almost 
  to 
  the 
  level 
  of 
  the 
  road. 
  It 
  was 
  a 
  

   moonlight 
  night, 
  flags 
  and 
  lampions 
  deco- 
  

   rated 
  the 
  trees, 
  and 
  to 
  the 
  soft 
  murmur 
  

   of 
  the 
  peaceful 
  waters 
  of 
  the 
  river, 
  on 
  

   whose 
  placid 
  surface 
  the 
  moon 
  was 
  re- 
  

   flected, 
  old 
  Lao 
  orchestras 
  played 
  weird 
  

   chords 
  which 
  harmonized 
  with 
  the 
  fan- 
  

   tastic 
  movements 
  of 
  strangely 
  costumed 
  

   Lao 
  spear 
  and 
  sword 
  dancers. 
  These 
  

   agile 
  and 
  graceful 
  Lao 
  ladies 
  wielded 
  long 
  

   spears 
  with 
  great 
  dexterity. 
  A 
  Siamese 
  

   military 
  band 
  played 
  strange 
  and 
  yet 
  

   familiar 
  airs 
  at 
  intervals, 
  and 
  it 
  was 
  long 
  

   after 
  midnight 
  before 
  this 
  really 
  royal 
  

   entertainment 
  came 
  to 
  a 
  close. 
  

  

  Chiengmai 
  boasts 
  of 
  some 
  fourscore 
  

   temples, 
  of 
  which 
  the 
  most 
  important 
  is 
  

   Wat 
  Luang 
  (see 
  page 
  256), 
  which 
  was 
  

   built 
  in 
  1 
  88 
  1, 
  on 
  the 
  same 
  compound 
  with 
  

   the 
  ruins 
  of 
  an 
  earlier 
  temple. 
  In 
  this 
  

   city, 
  as 
  probably 
  elsewhere 
  in 
  Siam, 
  there 
  

   is 
  no 
  "merit" 
  in 
  repairing 
  a 
  prachedi 
  or 
  

   wat 
  ; 
  hence 
  the 
  numerous 
  ruins 
  and 
  the 
  

  

  