116 JOURNEY THROUGH LAOS FROM BANGKOK TO UBON. 
Wednesday, 26th.—This plain is covered with numerous 
villages. We passed the night at Ban Pheng-puai. 
T. hota 27th.—We breakfasted at the village of Ban 
Thum. At night we travelled by torch-light. When we were 
within halfa kilométre of the village where we intended to sleep, 
a wheel of one of the carts gave away, a section of the tire 
and three spokes being broken. It was impossible to make 
the necessary repairs on the spot, so I left the cart and bul- 
locks under the charge of three men and went on to the vil- 
lage with the other carts. ‘There I had a wheel taken off one 
E the latter, to take the place of the broken one of the cart 
which had been left behind. During the night the broken 
wheel was repaired. 
Friday, 28th.—We left the village of Ban Song Sang, 
where we had slept, with the intention of going as far as Ban 
Nong. We passed the Awaz (torrent) of Khajung by a large 
bridge built in the preceding year. The bridge was a good 
one, but the roadway, being formed of planks placed loosely on 
the cross-pieces, reminded one of the keys of a piano as the 
carts went over it. ‘The road presented no difficulties, so, not- 
withstanding darkness, we pushed on by torchlight. At last, 
as our guides no longer knew the way, we camped where we 
WET, for fear of going wrong. Our compass shewed us the 
biunder which the guides were making; our right course was 
N. E. and we were going N. W. 
Saturday, 29th.—In the morning, after some search, we hit 
upon the right road, about six hundred métres to our left. 
‘The mistake was quickly rectified, and the come eing level 
and free trom underwood, we were able to make short cuts. 
We passed Ban Khin and then Ban Non Noi and Ban Non 
Jai and slept at Ban Kho, the last village before Ubon. We 
slept in the midst of carts which had pulled up on the road. 
Sunday, 80th.—This very dey we were to be at Ubon! We 
set off in advance at a canter. In an hour we were on the 
banks of the Séimun, opposite the town. The river, en 
very low at that time, seemed as broad as the Loire at th 
Pont de la Belle Croix, at Nantes. We followed the bank ee 
stream, it being about six o’clock in the morning. Pére 
