﻿HUNTING 
  THE 
  CHAULMOOGRA 
  TREE 
  

  

  26' 
  

  

  SAM 
  GNOW, 
  OR 
  THE 
  THREE 
  SHADOWS 
  OE 
  BUDDHA 
  

  

  This 
  place 
  of 
  pilgrimage, 
  near 
  Raheng, 
  on 
  the 
  Meh 
  Ping 
  River, 
  is 
  an 
  altar 
  hewn 
  into 
  the 
  

   hillside. 
  In 
  three 
  niches 
  sit 
  three 
  Bnddhas 
  in 
  memory 
  of 
  three 
  sacred 
  shadows 
  which 
  appeared 
  

   as 
  an 
  apparition 
  to 
  early 
  navigators 
  of 
  the 
  stream 
  (see 
  text, 
  page 
  "257). 
  

  

  road 
  to 
  Fort 
  White, 
  which 
  is 
  garrisoned 
  

   by 
  Sepoys. 
  

  

  At 
  length 
  we 
  arrived 
  in 
  Mawlaik, 
  the 
  

   new 
  government 
  seat 
  of 
  the 
  upper 
  Chind- 
  

   win 
  District, 
  Kindat 
  having 
  been 
  aban- 
  

   doned 
  about 
  three 
  years 
  previously, 
  owing 
  

   to 
  malaria 
  and 
  unhealthy 
  surroundings. 
  

  

  Mawlaik, 
  newly 
  laid 
  out, 
  possesses 
  a 
  

   circuit-house 
  the 
  like 
  of 
  which 
  is 
  found 
  

   nowhere 
  in 
  Burma. 
  It 
  is 
  a 
  comfortable 
  

   building 
  with 
  spacious 
  verandas 
  overlook- 
  

   ing 
  the 
  Chindwin 
  and 
  the 
  jungle 
  on 
  the 
  

   opposite 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  river. 
  The 
  hospital, 
  

   with 
  its 
  modern 
  equipment, 
  would 
  be 
  a 
  

   credit 
  to 
  any 
  American 
  city. 
  

  

  Here 
  I 
  was 
  informed 
  that 
  the 
  Chaul- 
  

   moogra 
  forests 
  were 
  to 
  be 
  found 
  several 
  

   days' 
  journey 
  from 
  Mawlaik. 
  

  

  Provided 
  with 
  a 
  Burmese 
  letter 
  ad- 
  

   dressed 
  to 
  the 
  tajees 
  or 
  headmen 
  of 
  the 
  

  

  various 
  jungle 
  villages 
  through 
  which 
  I 
  

   was 
  to 
  pass, 
  I 
  started 
  down 
  the 
  Chindwin 
  

  

  in 
  a 
  dugout 
  canoe. 
  

  

  CHAULMOOGRA 
  TREES, 
  BUT 
  NO 
  FRUIT 
  ! 
  

  

  After 
  rowing 
  for 
  an 
  hour 
  through 
  fog, 
  

   I 
  met 
  a 
  tajee 
  in 
  a 
  boat 
  coming 
  upstream. 
  

   We 
  hailed 
  him, 
  and 
  after 
  seeing 
  my 
  magic 
  

   letter 
  he 
  returned 
  at 
  once 
  to 
  his 
  village, 
  

   where 
  he 
  obtained 
  peasants 
  to 
  carry 
  my 
  

   kit. 
  A 
  string 
  of 
  coolies, 
  some 
  twenty 
  or 
  

   more, 
  mostly 
  women 
  with 
  naked 
  children 
  

   on 
  their 
  hips 
  and 
  backs, 
  and 
  botanical 
  

   blotters, 
  a 
  cot, 
  or 
  whatever 
  they 
  happened 
  

   to 
  pick 
  out, 
  balanced 
  on 
  their 
  heads, 
  

   marched 
  through 
  dale 
  and 
  over 
  hill 
  for 
  

   the 
  mere 
  pittance 
  of 
  one 
  anna 
  (two 
  cents 
  

   or 
  less) 
  a 
  mile. 
  

  

  After 
  two 
  days' 
  marching 
  through 
  

   dense 
  forest 
  and 
  crossing 
  the 
  Khodan 
  

  

  