52 NARRATIVE OF A JOURNEY 



reaping or rather picking eachsheaf,one by one; 

 the wbole of this was done by women^ wbo also 

 exclusively officiate in the Bootbs on eacb side 

 of the roads, where tea^ CofFee, Rice boiled in 

 heaps, soups, vegetables, fruit^ nuts, betel, the 

 eternal Tobacco and the never failing Opium 

 are prepared ready forthenourishrnent, comfort, 

 or intoxication of the weary travelier ; men, 

 T^'omen, and children, riding pigmy borses. Bat- 

 tors carrying Baskets on cross Bamboos, Troops 

 of Cavalry in hoods, surmounted by long white 

 Frencb Feathers, hoods ivhicb Motber Goose 

 would not disdain to wear, diminutive Ja van 

 Heroes, dressedin womeTi-s petti-coats below^ the 

 "waist and naked above, hearing tremendous 

 pikes, swords, guns, crisses sticking out a yard 

 bebind, tbese were the objects wbich constantly 

 presscd on our notice as we trudged along the 

 tedious way. 



About nine we arrived at Fort Cbittan^ where 

 we basfilv took some Tea : bad not our business 

 liurried us on, we could not have been encour- 

 aged to remaiii, nohvitbstanding the hospitality 

 of the thrce Officei\there^ who, poor fellows 

 themselves, were not very comfortably situafed. 



We arrived at Pakbus about 2 P. m. where 

 our baggage bad just arrived, but there being 



