1835.] Autobiography of Tsura Moung-Bo. 163 



bacco, gnapee and fish, neepa leaves, rattan, &c. in value 

 about 2,500 tickals, which I could not convey away. I 

 slept that night in the village ; the next morning an Eng- 

 lish officer with some seapoys came to the village, they 

 were acompanied by a Burman mussulman as interpreter. 

 They asked me who I was and telling them I was a mer- 

 chant and showing my property, they asked for the women^ 

 I said they had fled. The officer told me to go and call them, 

 that they had no reason to be afraid, no harm would be 

 done to them. When the officer went away, I got into a 

 small canoe with my attendants, and started up the river. 

 The alarm was so great amongst the people, there was no 

 possibility of persuading any of them to return, nor did I 

 return myself but left my property to the mercy of the in- 

 vaders. About 300 boats full of the poorer families, had 

 assembled at Kureenzoik about half a tides journey up the 

 Moyoit branch of the river. Decoits were in great number, 

 but by dint of watching we managed to keep our party 

 pretty clear of them; we staid at this place about 1.5 days. 

 Near it was established the stockade of Yaigoo or Gnoung- 

 woin, and for the building of which our party had to fur- 

 nish the materials; the stockade was attacked by the Eng- 

 lish and taken, I went to see it after the troops had return- 

 ed to Rangoon, and found about 300 bodies, principally 

 those of Setoung people in it. The English force passed 

 close to our position, but of course they knew not that we 

 were there, or they would have endeavoured to secure our 

 numerous families. We were called on again to rebuild the 

 stockade, but whilst engaged in it, many of the families 

 who were with me fled in their boats daily, and seeing this 

 I thought it prudent to decamp myself to the village of 

 Kobiat three doings to the east of Pegue. I had not been 

 there above ten days when the Oukmawon or officer of 

 Decoy elephants came with an army of 3,000 men from 

 Tounjoo, on his march to Rangoon. He commenced seiz- 

 ing all the boats he could lay hands on, and I therefore 

 concealed myself with my boats, in the neighbouring jun- 

 gles or long grass which was flooded sufficiently to allow 

 our boats about 20, or 30 in number to traverse it, and af- 

 forded excellent means of concealment. After being cer- 



