﻿268 
  

  

  THE 
  NATIONAL 
  GEOGRAPHIC 
  MAGAZINE 
  

  

  ME 
  

  

  ^fc 
  

  

  A 
  MODERN 
  STERN-WHEELER 
  ON 
  THE 
  UPPER 
  CHINDWIN 
  RIVER 
  (SEE 
  MAP, 
  PAGE 
  242) 
  

  

  This 
  is 
  the 
  Shillong, 
  which 
  brought 
  the 
  author 
  to 
  Mawlaik, 
  from 
  which 
  point 
  he 
  began 
  his 
  

   successful 
  hunt 
  for 
  the 
  Chaulmoogra 
  trees 
  in 
  the 
  jungles 
  near 
  haunted 
  Kyokta. 
  

  

  stream 
  many 
  times, 
  we 
  reached 
  Khoung 
  

   Kyew. 
  Here 
  I 
  found 
  my 
  first 
  genuine 
  

   Chaulmoogra 
  tree, 
  some 
  miles 
  distant 
  

   from 
  the 
  village 
  proper. 
  Wild 
  elephants 
  

   live 
  in 
  herds 
  in 
  these 
  jungles 
  and 
  often 
  

   come 
  to 
  bathe 
  in 
  the 
  stream 
  in 
  the 
  day- 
  

   time. 
  First 
  we 
  entered 
  a 
  dense 
  Diptero- 
  

   carpus 
  forest, 
  then 
  one 
  of 
  bamboo 
  (Ccph- 
  

   alostachyum 
  pcrgracile) 
  , 
  and 
  finally 
  we 
  

   reached 
  pure 
  stands 
  of 
  the 
  genuine 
  

   Chaulmoogra 
  tree, 
  Taraktogcnos 
  Kurzii 
  

   (see 
  page 
  269); 
  but, 
  alas, 
  no 
  fruit! 
  

  

  The 
  headman 
  of 
  the 
  village 
  informed 
  

   me 
  that 
  there 
  had 
  been 
  a 
  very 
  poor 
  crop 
  

   of 
  seed 
  here, 
  but 
  added 
  that 
  a 
  village 
  some 
  

   miles 
  farther 
  had 
  had 
  a 
  very 
  good 
  one 
  the 
  

   year 
  before, 
  and 
  so 
  I 
  decided 
  to 
  proceed 
  

   thither. 
  

  

  I 
  sent 
  my 
  magic 
  piece 
  of 
  paper 
  ahead 
  

   by 
  special 
  messenger, 
  and 
  when 
  I 
  arrived 
  

   at 
  Kyokta, 
  the 
  village 
  in 
  question, 
  I 
  found 
  

   a 
  bamboo 
  mat 
  spread 
  in 
  the 
  village 
  square 
  

   near 
  the 
  Poongyi 
  Khoung, 
  or 
  little 
  pa- 
  

   goda, 
  with 
  an 
  old 
  and 
  only 
  chair 
  in 
  the 
  

   center 
  and 
  the 
  peasants 
  sitting 
  around 
  

   the 
  mat. 
  

  

  I 
  made 
  myself 
  as 
  comfortable 
  as 
  possi- 
  

   ble 
  in 
  my 
  little 
  camp 
  on 
  the 
  edge 
  of 
  the 
  

  

  jungle, 
  for 
  this 
  village 
  is 
  surrounded 
  on 
  

   three 
  sides 
  by 
  dense 
  forest. 
  The 
  next 
  day 
  I 
  

   started 
  out 
  with 
  36 
  coolies, 
  determined 
  to 
  

   come 
  back 
  to 
  camp 
  loaded 
  with 
  Chaul- 
  

   moogra 
  seeds. 
  We 
  had 
  five 
  or 
  six 
  miles 
  

   to 
  walk, 
  always 
  following 
  a 
  dry 
  creek 
  bed 
  

   through 
  the 
  dense 
  forest. 
  These 
  creek 
  

   beds 
  are 
  as 
  flat 
  as 
  a 
  floor, 
  with 
  no 
  rocks 
  

   visible. 
  For 
  miles 
  there 
  was 
  only 
  fine 
  

   quartz 
  sand, 
  which 
  made 
  marching 
  easy. 
  

  

  We 
  passed 
  through 
  vegetation 
  similar 
  

   to 
  that 
  at 
  Khoung 
  Kyew 
  until 
  we 
  struck 
  

   the 
  Chaulmoogra 
  forests. 
  There 
  we 
  sepa- 
  

   rated 
  into 
  smaller 
  parties 
  and 
  the 
  seed- 
  

   collecting 
  began 
  in 
  earnest 
  (see 
  page 
  270). 
  

  

  While 
  thus 
  engaged 
  we 
  met 
  a 
  mother 
  

   bear 
  with 
  her 
  cub. 
  With 
  wild 
  shouts 
  

   from 
  the 
  natives 
  she 
  was 
  driven 
  off, 
  leav- 
  

   ing 
  behind 
  her 
  young, 
  which 
  my 
  Burmese 
  

   coolies 
  insisted 
  on 
  taking 
  to 
  the 
  village. 
  

  

  THE 
  LEPROSY-CURING 
  SEED 
  AT 
  EAST 
  

  

  Loaded 
  with 
  seeds, 
  we 
  started 
  down 
  

   the 
  steep 
  hillsides, 
  which 
  are 
  covered 
  with 
  

   Chaulmoogra 
  trees, 
  glad 
  at 
  heart 
  that 
  at 
  

   last 
  I 
  had 
  been 
  successful. 
  

  

  When 
  we 
  reached 
  the 
  stream 
  bed 
  up 
  

   which 
  we 
  had 
  come 
  a 
  few 
  hours 
  previ- 
  

  

  