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 qe 
 
 BEYOND 
 THE HIMALAYAS. 
 
 A STORY OF TRAVEL AND ADVENTURE IN 
 THE WILDS OF THIBET. 
 
 JOHN GEDDIE, 
 
 AUTHOR OF "THE LAKE REGIONS OF CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 ETC. ETC. 
 
 With Jllustrations. 
 
 "Jskonbovt : 
 
 T. NELSON AND SONS, PATERNOSTER ROW. 
 
 EDINBURGH ; AND NEW YORK. 
 1884. 
 
preface. 
 
 HE problem of opening up an overland route 
 from the Ganges to the Yang-tze — a subject 
 which has long piqued and baffled the curiosity 
 of their seniors — ought to have some attrac- 
 tion for the imagination of young people, if, as formerly, 
 they take delight in wandering among strange and wild 
 scenes, and in encountering- manifold obstacles and dan- 
 gers. Many have sought of late years to climb over 
 the division-wall between the two crowded Eastern 
 worlds of India and China, — the trader, to rind a 
 new market for his wares ; the explorer, in search 
 of a whole nest of " Chinese puzzles" regarding the 
 courses of giant rivers and mountain chains ; and the 
 missionary, in pursuit of his self-denying labours. Only 
 at one point, however, and by a. roundabout way, has 
 the journey been accomplished. This is not wonderful, 
 when we reflect that the traveller in these countries 
 must run the gauntlet of savage mountain tribes, jealous 
 
VI PEEFACE. 
 
 Chinese officials, and fanatical Thibetan lamas, in addition 
 to surmounting the extraordinary natural difficulties of 
 crossing the frayed-out ends of the Himalayas that 
 interpose between the Assam frontier and China proper. 
 The surface of this unexplored region is wrinkled up 
 into deep folds, like the hide of a rhinoceros ; and down 
 these furrows five rivers of the first rank are known 
 to flow, though their channels have never been traced 
 throughout. Their sources are in the most remote 
 nooks of the table-land of Thibet, and their waters 
 find an outlet at points so far apart as Calcutta and 
 Shanghai. But here for a space their main courses are 
 drawn together within a narrow compass, resembling, to 
 use the expression of Colonel Yule, the learned editor 
 of " Marco Polo," " the fascis of thunderbolts in the 
 clutch of Jove, or the parallel lines of railway at Clap- 
 ham Junction." It is over this, the most difficult bit of 
 " cross country " perhaps in the world, that Bob Brown 
 seeks to lead the reader ; and as there is no authentic 
 record of the same line of country having been traversed, 
 it is impossible to say how nearly his narrative will be 
 found to agree with facts. At the same time the scenery 
 and manners described resemble what might be expected 
 from the relations of the distinguished French and 
 English explorers — Hue, Carne, Cooper, Margary, Baber, 
 Gill, and others— who have penetrated into South- 
 western China and Thibet. 
 
(Spoilt cuts. 
 
 I. "mysteries," 
 
 II. THE JOURNEY INTO THE HILLS, 
 III. THE CLEFTS OF THE ROCK, ... 
 IV. THE IRON WALL, ... 
 V. UPS AND DOWNS, ... 
 VI. THE VALLEY OF THE SHADOW, 
 VII. YAKS AND LAMAS, ... 
 VIII. ASTRAY IN THE MOUNTAINS, 
 IX. A HAVEN OF REST, 
 
 X. AMONG THE PIGTAILS, 
 XI. PERILS BY LAND, ... 
 XII. PERILS BY WATER, ... 
 
 XIII. SWAMPS, SHANS, AND SAVAGES, 
 
 XIV. A CANOE VOYAGE UP-STREAM, 
 XV. A HALT IN A PAGODA, 
 
 XVI. A TRAMP THROUGH THE FOREST, 
 XVII. THE LOST CITY, 
 XVIII. THE GREAT SAPPHIRE, 
 XIX. LOST, 
 XX. FOUND, 
 
 9 
 
 20 
 
 30 
 
 57 
 
 CI 
 
 76 
 
 SO 
 
 105 
 
 113 
 
 124 
 
 137 
 
 145 
 
 152 
 
 108 
 
 181 
 
 193 
 
 204 
 
 220 
 
 233 
 
 244 
 
BEYOND THE HIMALAYAS. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 "MTSTEEIE S." 
 
 WONDER what lies beyond ?" 
 
 We were sitting, a group of four 
 Europeans, in the veranda of a bunga- 
 low into which an Indian sunset was shining. The 
 scene was intensely tropical and Eastern. Climbing 
 plants twined up the trellis -work of the veranda, 
 festooning the pillars with masses of broad green leaves, 
 starred with brilliant purple and scarlet flowers. In 
 the garden beyond were clumps of foliage and blossom 
 of types which "at home" you are accustomed to sec 
 only in a conservatory. But here, instead of the 
 dwarfed and drooping exotics that pine and grow 
 pale in exile, the plants had a free, vigorous growth 
 that showed that they were breathing native air. It 
 
10 MYSTERIES. 
 
 was like the difference, in fact, between a collection 
 of wild animals cooped up in a menagerie and the same 
 creatures roaming free in their forest haunts. Fruits, 
 too, some of them familiar, but many of them strange 
 and rare, shone out temptingly from amid the dusk of the 
 leaves like great golden orbs, or in clusters. The huge, 
 clumsy form of an elephant could be descried moving 
 up one of the avenues towards the house, his pendulous 
 trunk swinging to and fro in unison with his deliberate 
 step, and only occasionally vouchsafing a discontented 
 grunt in reply to the appeals of the mahout to increase 
 his speed. A native gardener, dressed, like the elephant 
 driver, in white calico, which made a striking contrast 
 with his dusky face, was approaching in an equally 
 leisurely manner, bearing on his shoulders the hoes and 
 other tools with which he had been trimming the walks. 
 Other black attendants were preparing the hookahs for 
 the last evening smoke, and removing the cups from 
 which we had been drinking a fragrant draught of tea ; 
 while in the large chamber behind, on the other side of 
 the green jalousies, the lamps were being lighted. 
 
 All this spoke unmistakably of Hindostan. 
 
 But looking away from the house, over the wide 
 prospect that the veranda commanded, there were 
 features in the landscape that would have struck an 
 Anglo-Indian as not familiar in Indian scenery. A long 
 hill-slope stretched down in front of us, covered with 
 
" MYSTERIES." 1 1 
 
 dark masses of virgin forest, between which were wide 
 clearings, planted with short, trimly-kept shrubs, that a 
 practised eye might have recognized to be young tea- 
 trees. At a distance of a mile and a half, or rather 
 more, a great river flowed through the valley in many 
 channels, separated from each other by islands densely 
 covered with sal-trees, bamboos, and reeds, and broad 
 belts of the same vegetation bounded the two shores. 
 Our bungalow looked partly across and partly up the 
 stream, on the other side of which wood-covered hills 
 rose peak behind peak, with deep ravines seaming their 
 sides, and dark valleys winding between their folds, 
 until their colours and shapes seemed to melt into those 
 of the array of clouds attending upon the sun, who was 
 about to set behind them. How shall I describe the 
 splendours of that tropical evening — the gorgeous rich- 
 ness and the harmony of the piled-up masses of vapour, 
 the soft glow of the unfathomable depths of rosy, pearly, 
 and cream - coloured sky that lay between, and the 
 flood of level light that poured across the mountains 
 from the descending sun ? It is indescribable ; one 
 must see such a picture with his own eyes in order 
 to have a conception of its beauty. The shadows were 
 already falling on the river : some figures that we 
 had been watching as they moved through the reeds 
 might be a group of tame buffaloes that had not 
 yet been driven home ; or a troop of wild cattle 
 
12 " MYSTERIES." 
 
 taking possession of one of their island strongholds ; 
 or it might even be native boatmen punting their way 
 up one of the narrow creeks, so dim had their outlines 
 become. 
 
 The lio-ht, however, struck on another efreat ran^e 
 of mountains on the hither side of the stream, whose 
 purple sides rose like a mysterious and impassable wall 
 on our extreme right. It was in the direction of this 
 range that the speaker's eyes were turned as he pro- 
 nounced the words that stand at the opening of the 
 chapter. I have to introduce him first, as by far the 
 most important personage in this narrative. You had 
 only to glance at Dr. Roland to see that he was no 
 ordinary man either in physique or intellect. At least 
 that is what I felt when I first set eyes on him ; and 
 my " chum," Tom Wilson, felt exactly the same. His 
 face and neck had been burned a ruddy brown by 
 exposure to many a blazing sun, and deep study had 
 ploughed one or two wrinkles in his broad brow, though 
 he was still a man under middle age. There was no 
 trace of the fatigue and hardships he had endured in 
 travelling all over the globe, in his tall, powerful figure. 
 His eye had none of the supercilious or abstracted ex- 
 pression that repels one in some men of learning ; it 
 was bright and kindly, and alert like his step. I shall 
 not describe his features in detail, and need only say 
 that his face inspired you from the first with con- 
 
" MYSTERIES." 13 
 
 fidence and respect, and that you afterwards learned 
 to love it. I know that when we heard- — my friend 
 Tom and I — that so great a man was coming to visit 
 ns, we felt a great awe of him. We never entirely 
 lost that awe, but it soon became merged in the strong- 
 personal attachment which we learned to entertain for 
 him. 
 
 He had come to spend a few weeks with his old 
 friend Mr. Marshall, who had settled in the most remote 
 district of Upper Assam, and with whom Tom Wilson 
 and your humble servant — I forgot to introduce myself 
 as Robert, or, as my familiar acquaintances choose to 
 call me, Bob Brown — had been living for nearly a year, 
 learning the business of tea-planting. The doctor brought, 
 along with his inseparable negro servant Hannibal, whom 
 he had rescued from a dismal swamp in Louisiana where 
 the poor hunted fellow had found shelter from a brutal 
 slave-master, a wonderful collection of explorers' appa- 
 ratus — quadrants, chronometers, thermometers, aneroids, 
 botanical cases, collecting boxes, and I know not what 
 else ; besides rifles and other instruments of the chase, — 
 for his love of sport was only second to his love of 
 science. A wing of the bungalow was set apart for his 
 use, and over it Hannibal lay in watch like a dragon ; but 
 we were often of an evening privileged to enter the doctor's 
 sanctum, and looked on with breathless interest while he 
 made experiments or classified the plants and animals he 
 
14 " MYSTERIES." 
 
 had secured during his day's tramp, good - naturedly 
 making for our benefit a running commentary on the 
 habits and peculiarities of the beetles, spiders, and ants 
 that he tenderly spitted on pins, and of the mosses, 
 lichens, orchids, and ferns that he carefully spread out 
 and pressed to death in the interests of science. Some- 
 times, too, we had had the treat of accompanying him on 
 his sporting excursions to the hills or in the jungles along 
 the river side, and had under his eye bowled over many 
 a head of forest game, such as wild pig and deer, though 
 our teacher in the art had hitherto taken the post of 
 danger, and had reserved to his own gun the tigers, 
 buffaloes, rhinoceroses, elephants, and bears that had 
 come in our way. 
 
 It was not strange that in the circumstances we had 
 come to regard Dr. Roland with enthusiastic admiration ; 
 that there was nothing that we would not have done to 
 show our devotion to him, and that, in our view, there 
 was scarcely anything that he did not know as familiarly 
 as the alphabet. It was therefore with some surprise 
 as well as curiosity that we watched him gazing away 
 towards those eastern hills, with a baffled and eager air, 
 and heard him express his "wonder" as to what was on 
 the other side. 
 
 " Can you not tell us, then, sir," said Tom, who was 
 the first to break the silence, " what is beyond that big 
 wall?" 
 
" MYSTERIES." 15 
 
 " Mystery," said the doctor, dropping his voice to a 
 stage whisper, but looking all the while more than half 
 serious. " Do you know, young fellows," he continued, 
 " that fate has placed you in the one nook of the 
 inhabitable earth around which a little romance still 
 lingers ? And yet you can find nothing more heroic to 
 do than killing chickens." (This was a bantering refer- 
 ence to an exploit of mine on the previous day, when I 
 had shot a fowl, that had strayed away to the edge of 
 the plantation, in mistake for a pheasant.) " There is 
 mystery brooding all about you, except along the valley 
 there by which you came up hither from Calcutta. 
 Those heights across the river, behind which the sun is 
 just about to hide himself, are, as you know, the foot- 
 hills of the great Himalaya. Can any of you tell me 
 the secrets of their recesses ? No ; neither then can I. 
 That huge mountain range stretches from here to 
 Afghanistan ; nay, as I could show you, to the Caucasus 
 and the Crimea. There is nothing like it in the world 
 for height and grandeur. Its base rises directly from 
 the hot steaming plains of India, and ascends tier 
 above tier like a vast staircase of mountains till it 
 carries you to glittering heights, thousands of feet 
 above the line of perpetual snow, that will never be 
 trodden by man. If you climb up by one of the passes, 
 until your head swims and you catch your breath in 
 short gasps by reason of the rarity of the air, you will 
 
16 " MYSTERIES." 
 
 find that there is, comparatively speaking-, no slope to 
 descend." 
 
 " Then, has the Himalaya only one side ?" I asked. 
 
 " Yes, Bob ; and on the top is Thibet and the Roof of 
 the World." 
 
 " And what happens to yon after you get on the 
 roof ?" 
 
 " You remember what happened to the Duke of York 
 and his ten thousand men V said Mr. Marshall, smiling. 
 " He marched them up a hill, and marched them down 
 again. I wouldn't advise you, Master Bob, to attempt 
 that climb. The Thibetans might take a fancy not to 
 let you away at all, but nail you up on the frontier as 
 a warning to other trespassers, as a gamekeeper does a 
 weasel." 
 
 " Why should they make such a fuss about their 
 stupid country?" said Tom in a tone of disgust. "I 
 never heard that there was anything very pretty to be 
 seen there." 
 
 " It is the Holy Land of one of the great religions of 
 the world, my boy," said the doctor. " It is made sacred 
 by being the residence of the Grand Lama, the living 
 Buddha, and must be kept pure from the profane feet 
 of unbelievers, who might besides take a fancy to occupy 
 the country. They have guarded their frontiers well. 
 I believe that you could count on the fingers of one 
 hand all the Europeans who have penetrated to the 
 
" MYSTERIES." 17 
 
 heart of Thibet. I think it is very foolish policy, how- 
 ever. It is a cold, wild, and barren region. If the 
 lamas opened their doors to strangers, they would soon 
 satisfy their curiosity and go away. But as long as 
 they keep the world waiting outside, the world will 
 want to get in. But leaving that matter aside, look at 
 that great river there, the Bramaputra, coming full- 
 grown from the hills, with no fountain-head that any 
 one knows of. Isn't that a mystery ? There is no 
 stream of its size about which there is so much con- 
 jecture." 
 
 " I thought the maps made it out to be the Sanpoo," 
 said Tom "Wilson meekly. 
 
 " You mustn't pin your faith to all you find in maps," 
 the doctor replied. " Some of the wildest and most 
 fanciful romances extant are to be found in these lines 
 of mountain ranges, rivers, and deserts which the geo- 
 graphers trace for you. In this case they have heard 
 of a stream that flows through the highlands of Thibet, 
 and then they perceive a flood of waters issuing from 
 the hills to meet the Ganges. The river of the cold, 
 bare highlands above is no more like the tropical 
 .stream below there than the hard-featured Thibetan is 
 like the mild Hindu ; and they run in opposite directions. 
 But the people that make the maps don't know whither 
 the one goes, nor from whence the other comes- — " 
 
 " And so," interrupted Mr. Marshall, "they join the 
 
 (000) 
 
IS " MYSTEKIES. 
 
 head of the first to the tail of the second, and construct 
 a monster like the mermaid that the Yankee showman 
 made out of a monkey and a fish. But come now, 
 doctor, what better splice could you make yourself than 
 these yarning map-makers ?" 
 
 "I could not do a bit better," said our sage, shaking 
 his head. " I daresay they are right. But just think 
 what might happen in that mysterious gap. Why, the 
 Sanpoo must fall over a score of precipices, cut all sorts 
 of strange capers, and be terribly shaken and jumbled 
 before it becomes the Bramaputra. What is to hinder 
 it from diving wholly underground, letting this river 
 flow over the top of it, then popping up on the other 
 side and going off to join the Irrawady ? 
 
 " Come, come, my friend," said Mr. Marshall, laughing; 
 " this beats the maps hollow as a fiction." 
 
 " It is not so utterly impossible as you fancy," re- 
 sponded Dr. Roland gravely. " All sorts of queer things 
 happen up there with the rivers. They have a trick of 
 disappearing in the earth, and coming to the surface 
 again miles and miles away, after traversing ' caverns 
 measureless to man,' like Alph, the Sacred River that 
 ran by the palace of the great Kublai Khan. By the 
 way, youngsters," he went on, suddenly turning to us, 
 " you have read Marco Polo's travels of course ? " 
 
 " No," I answered shamefacedly. 
 
 Tom plucked up a little courage on the strength of 
 
" MYSTERIES. 19 
 
 his having once " ground up " the history of the medi- 
 eval traveller as an examination subject, and, of course, 
 had long ao-o forgotten it ; so he was beginning, — 
 " Wasn't that the old Venetian bloke that- — ■ " 
 
 " Please don't call Marco Polo a ' bloke,' " broke in the 
 doctor sternly ; " indeed, I am not sure that it is proper 
 to describe any one by that title. But the great ones 
 of the earth at least must be spoken of with respect ; 
 and you would never talk of Christopher Columbus, or 
 Vasco da Gama, or David Livingstone, as a ' bloke.' 
 Brave old Marco is one of the same glorious band : and 
 I cannot fancy anything more entrancing to young 
 fellows like you, or to your elders either, than the story 
 of his marvellous journey across Asia, if only you put 
 your head into what you read, as, of course, every one 
 should, and try to see with your ' mind's eye ' what he 
 describes in his quaint language. What wild, unfre- 
 quented regions he carries you into ! Wliat giddy 
 heights you scale, and what abysses you cross, from the 
 time that you land with the needy soldier of fortune on 
 the shores of Asia Minor until you see him return, loaded 
 with Tartar wealth and honours; to his native city. You 
 are brought by the cities of Samarcand and Balkh, over 
 the Pamir steppe, and across deserts of sand and stones 
 and salt by a route; that no Western traveller has since 
 been able to follow- ; and you hear strange tidings by the 
 way of the Old Man of the Mountain, of Prester John, of 
 
20 " MYSTERIES." 
 
 Gog and Magog, of wild camels and hairy oxen, of mines 
 of sapphire, jasper, and chalcedony, and of the mysterious 
 voices that haunt the Wilderness of Lob. Then when you 
 reach the Court of the Grand Khan, what barbaric riches 
 and splendour you witness within and without the royal 
 palace, whose walls are thirty-two miles in circuit, — the 
 great hall where the tierce Tartar warriors, who had 
 perhaps fought their way across the world from Japan 
 to Germany, drank wine out of flagons of gold ; the 
 hunting parties that set out in chase of the lion and 
 smaller game, with falcons and leashes of leopards and 
 lynxes ; and the splendid stud of milk-white horses 
 from which the chargers of the princes were chosen. 
 After that you pass on through exceeding rich, powerful, 
 and magnificent cities, and across broad and noble 
 rivers — " 
 
 " Stop, stop ! " cried Mr. Marshall. " See how you are 
 making the eyes of these lads sparkle with your stories 
 of worthy Signor Polo's travels ! They will be packing 
 their bundles and setting out in quest of his river with 
 sands of gold dust, and perhaps will fall into the jaws 
 of that wonderful serpent of his with claws like a tiger 
 and glaring eyes ' bigger than a fourpenny loaf.' Tell 
 us rather about your plan for your own trip up the 
 mountains next week." 
 
 " I was just coming to that," said the doctor. " Marco's 
 River of Gold Sands is on the other side of these moun- 
 
" MYSTERIES. 21 
 
 tains. If we could ' interview ' him, I daresay he could 
 tell us more of the country beyond than any one knows 
 to-day, for we have learned very little in the six hun- 
 dred years since he wandered through China. I intend, 
 if I have time, to go as far up through the hills as pos- 
 sible, with the hope of seeing a little into the heart of 
 the mystery." 
 
 Tom and I exchanged eager glances. We had been 
 promised two or three weeks' holidays, and it was our 
 cherished hope that we would be allowed to spend them 
 with Dr. Roland. You may be sure that when we heard 
 what his route was to be we became more than ever 
 ardent in our wish to accompany him. 
 
 " Where does the road lie over these hills ? " beo-an 
 Tom. 
 
 " That is exactly the question," said the doctor, knit- 
 ting his brows musingly. " Nobody can say that there 
 is a road at all. Here we are within a comparatively 
 few miles of the confines of China, and we miffht, for all 
 we see or hear of it, be as many thousand leagues away. 
 There must be somewhere up there an ' iron wall ' of 
 division between India and China; and it has kept apart 
 five or six hundred millions of people — half the inhabi- 
 tants of the earth — down to this day. When they have 
 met either fur trade or war, they have had to make a 
 vast circuit by Cabul and Kashgar, or some other round- 
 about road." 
 
22 " MYSTERIES." 
 
 " Is it impassable, then, sir ? " 
 
 " I don't mncli believe either in ' impassable ' or ' im- 
 possible.' I daresay there is a way of clambering over 
 the obstacle if one could only hit it. I fancy that stork 
 there going home to roost knows the clue ; or if he is not 
 high-flier enough, some of the hill vultures could tell 
 you. 
 
 " What do you think one would find if he got over, 
 sir ?" I asked. 
 
 " Well, Bob, that lucky man would probably find a 
 deep valley, ending in a chasm with precipitous walls 
 and a river at the bottom — what they call in America 
 a canon ; and if he managed to scramble down without 
 breaking his neck, and embarked on the stream, he 
 would be shot down cataracts and shot at by wild tribes 
 for many weeks, and at length find himself sailing down 
 the Irrawady, past the Peacock Palace of Mandalay, the 
 thousand temples of Pagham, and the Golden Pagoda of 
 Rangoon, to the sea." 
 
 " That would be a lucky man indeed," said Mr. Mar- 
 shall, laughing. 
 
 " But if he despised following the river, and scaled 
 the range of mountains beyond," continued the doctor, 
 " he would come upon just such another ravine and 
 stream, and this would carry him a thousand miles and 
 more through a wild, untravcrsed back-country, amid 
 half-barbarous Shans and wholly savage Karens, — per- 
 
" MYSTERIES." 23 
 
 haps past the mines of rubies and sapphires of the king 
 of Ava, — until he would find himself at the mouth of 
 the Salwen, in the British harbour of Moulmein, in the 
 Bay of Bengal." 
 
 " And suppose he despised the Salwen too, and skipped 
 over it — which is the only way I see of crossing it ? " 
 asked the master of the house. 
 
 " Then at a short distance, measured by space, but 
 terribly long in time, for it would carry him high up 
 among the clouds, he would find a third and still greater 
 river — the Mekong. And if he built for himself a bark 
 canoe, and his luck still clung to him, he would pass 
 amid scenes of incredible grandeur and terror, through 
 the very heart of Indo-China, emerging at last among 
 the French settlers in Saiq-on. If the Mekong itself 
 were not good enouq-h for the attention of this 
 haughty explorer, he would only have to go a stage or 
 two further, and after another sojourn in the mountains 
 of Thibet, he might get afloat on the River of Golden 
 Sand, — the head-waters of the mighty Yang-tze-Kiang 
 itself, — and descend, past junks and joss-houses, pagodas 
 and porcelain towers, exchanging nods with mandarins 
 and bonzes, to the Pacific Ocean. So, instead of one 
 ' iron wall,' there are four lines of ramparts at least, with 
 a deep trench between each, separating us from the 
 Flowery Land." 
 
 "May Tom and 1 go with you to the hills, sir?" said 
 
24 MYSTERIES. 
 
 I, after a pause, looking appealingly from the doctor to 
 Mr. Marshall, Tom meanwhile seconding the request with 
 his eyes. 
 
 It was now the turn of the elders to exchange 
 glances. 
 
 " You would be of great use to me, boys, I admit," 
 said the doctor gravely ; " but the journey will be a 
 rough one and not without some danger. There have 
 been stories, you know, of the hill tribes being rest- 
 less. You would be away three weeks at least, and 
 I do not know that Mr. Marshall can spare you for 
 so long." 
 
 " Let us go inside and talk the matter over," said Mr. 
 Marshall. " It is already almost dark, and the dews are 
 beeanninrr to fall." 
 
 When we were all seated round the table in the 
 bungalow, it was settled, after serious consideration, that 
 Tom and I should accompany Dr. Roland ; and we then 
 proceeded — or rather our elders proceeded, while we 
 listened eagerly — to discuss the arrangements for the 
 journey. It was long ere excitement would allow me to 
 fall asleep that night ; and when at length I dozed off, I 
 dreamed that I was Marco Polo, and that, mounted on a 
 shaggy yak, I was fleeing from a hideous dragon with 
 saucer eyes that chased me up steep hills and across 
 yawning gulfs, at the bottom of which I could hear 
 water gurgling and roaring through caverns, while the 
 
" MYSTERIES. 25 
 
 crashes of the stones as they bumped from rock to rock 
 into the abyss sounded loudly in my ears. Awakening, 
 I found that my neighbour Tom, also suffering from 
 nightmare, was snorting violently in his sleep and 
 wildly beating the wall with his fists. 
 
CHAPTER II. 
 
 THE JOURNEY INTO THE HILLS. 
 
 RIGHT and early one morning, a week after 
 the conversation recorded in last chapter, we 
 set out on our journey to the mountains. 
 So early was it that some of the stars had not faded 
 from the sky, and the fog had not yet cleared away 
 from the banks of the Bramaputra when we turned our 
 backs upon it and our faces towards the sunrise, begin- 
 ning to glimmer over these hills which we had come to 
 associate with all that is mystic and marvellous. Our 
 heavier luggage was packed upon the backs of two 
 elephants. One carried our tent, hammocks, and the 
 warm clothing which we expected to require on the cold 
 mountain-tops to which we were bound. Hannibal — 
 who would, I believe, have undertaken to drive a giraffe 
 or a hippopotamus in the service of his master — was in 
 charge of the other huge beast (Ghenghiz by name), and 
 from his elevated seat glanced with an air of calm pride 
 at the cooking apparatus, the doctor's scientific instru- 
 
THE JOURNEY INTO THE HILLS. 27 
 
 ments, and the packages containing preserved meat, 
 cartridges, and spare rifles that were neatly arranged 
 behind him. Hannibal — or Han, as we were accustomed 
 to call him — would have made a capital " study in black 
 and white " for an artist. It is impossible to imagine 
 anything blacker than his skin or whiter than his newly- 
 washed cotton uniform, or than the whites of his eyes 
 and his rows of shining teeth, as he grinned delightedly 
 in acknowledgment of a word of praise which the doctor 
 gave him for his arrangements. The only neutral tint 
 about him was his hair (his wool rather), which was 
 becoming grizzled with age ; but though past his youth, 
 Han was still possessed of enormous strength. He was 
 a faithful, honest fellow, in whom we were not long in 
 discovering a thousand good qualities that we had not 
 expected. He was kind enough to take a patronizing 
 interest in us youngsters, though we suspected all the 
 time that he would have little hesitation in cooking 
 either of us for his master's breakfast, if Dr. Roland 
 expressed the slightest wish in that direction. The 
 three white members of our party were mounted on 
 stout hill ponies ; and behind us, in Indian file, came 
 about a dozen Assamese natives, who were to act partly 
 as porters and partly as guides and beaters of game. 
 Mr. Marshall accompanied us a little distance on our 
 way, and we parted from him with warm hand-shakes, 
 and many admonitions on his side to be wary and 
 
28 THE JOURNEY INTO THE HILLS. 
 
 careful of ourselves, and not to overstay long our 
 time. 
 
 I am not going to narrate in detail our experiences in 
 the earlier part of the journey, having perhaps already 
 spent too much time in preliminary description, and 
 having much more exciting events to tell of further on. 
 We tried to cover as much ground as possible in the 
 day's march. We were only " provisioned " for three 
 weeks or a month ; and it was our desire to get as far 
 into the mountains as possible, and to return within that 
 time. We had little time, therefore, for sport ; but 
 occasionally we got a shot at a deer, and twice we 
 thought we saw the striped yellow coat of a tiger slink- 
 ing through the jungle. On one occasion we suddenly 
 came upon a small herd of wild elephants shampooing 
 one another in a pool in the river ; but immediately they 
 caught sight of us they trumpeted loudly, scrambled up 
 the bank, and were crashing their way through the 
 bamboos before we could unsling our rifles and take aim. 
 When we pitched our tent and " went into camp" in the 
 evening, some of us generally turned out with rod and 
 line, and in half an hour would bring in a basket of fine 
 trout, which under Hannibal's skilful hands made a 
 capital addition to our fare. The track we followed for 
 the first few days was one well marked by the feet of 
 elephants, cattle, and natives, generally leading through 
 thick scrub and forest, and keeping near to the banks of 
 
THE JOURNEY INTO THE HILLS. 29 
 
 the stream that flowed down to the Bramaputra. 
 Often our eyes were unable to penetrate more than a 
 few yards into the depths of the forest, so dense and 
 matted was the wall of trunks and branches woven 
 together by creepers of every size that rose on either 
 side ; while overhead the leaves met so closely as almost 
 to shut out the light of the sun even at mid-day. Though 
 the air in these leafy tunnels was close and damp, we 
 were glad to escape the hot glare of the sun that we 
 encountered as soon as we reached the open. We could 
 then see steep rocky banks hemming in the stream we 
 were ascending, and gradually drawing nearer and be- 
 coming more precipitous as we advanced. They were 
 still covered with vegetation to the summits; but ahead 
 of us we could see bare and jagged peaks coming into 
 sight, and at night a breeze swept down the valley that 
 felt as if it had blown over snow, and made us glad of 
 the shelter of our tent and blankets. Every mile we 
 advanced the mountains seemed to wrap us more closely 
 in their folds, to take more strange and distorted shapes, 
 and to look down more frowningly on us as trespassers 
 in their domain. 
 
 On the sixth day after we had left our bungalow at 
 Poolongyan, we struck off the path we had hitherto 
 been following, and took a more direct cut into the 
 mountains, by a side valley on our right. Dr. Roland, 
 who had carcfullv studied the lines of the hills and the 
 
30 THE JOUKNEY INTO THE HILLS. 
 
 sketches and accounts of previous travellers, and cross- 
 questioned the native guides, had come to the conclusion 
 that it was in this direction, if anywhere, that a depres- 
 sion in the great snowy range we were in quest of would 
 be found. It was now, however, that the real difficulties 
 of the march began. Regular path there was none, 
 though now and then we could take advantage of well- 
 marked lanes ploughed through the mass of jungle by 
 the heavy bodies of elephants and rhinoceroses, and here 
 and there could trace narrow trails that had apparently 
 been followed by the wild native tribes in their hunting 
 or marauding excursions. We had to send our own 
 elephants to the front to beat down a track through the 
 undergrowth, and our guides had to ply their knives 
 vigorously upon the tough bamboos, lianas, and reeds 
 before we could penetrate the thickets. Often we were 
 compelled to take to the bed of the stream, in which, 
 fortunately, as the dry season had now fairly set in, 
 there was comparatively little water ; and elephants, 
 horses, and men scrambled and stumbled over the 
 slippery boulders and ledges in the most uncomfortable 
 way. It was wonderful to see the care and surefooted- 
 ness of our sagacious beasts as they picked their way 
 from rock to rock ; but sometimes they would slip down 
 into the stream, and the riders were fortunate if they 
 escaped without bruises, in addition to a wetting. 
 Hannibal was fain to descend from his high station on 
 
THE JOUENEY INTO THE HILLS. 31 
 
 his elephant's neck, where he was jolted about and torn 
 and lashed with thorns and briers more than he liked, 
 and to pursue the way on foot. For Dr. Roland, how- 
 ever, this part of the journey yielded a rich harvest. 
 His geologist's hammer was constantly in requisition, 
 chipping fragments of the rock, and his note-book, in 
 which he entered the results of his researches, seemed to 
 be seldom long out of his hands. We, of course, flung 
 ourselves with extraordinary ardour into the task of 
 assisting him in the discovery of new plants, insects, and 
 birds. We were so successful, and gained so much praise 
 from our patron, that Hannibal, who appeared to see his 
 scientific functions invaded, while he was doomed to the 
 vulgar duty of looking after the baggage, began to 
 regard us with disdain and perhaps a spice of jealousy. 
 On the whole, however, we were all in high spirits and 
 good-humour. Everything had hitherto gone as smoothly 
 as could be expected, and we had made such good pro- 
 gress that we were already beyond the limits reached by 
 any previous explorer. 
 
 The little valley we had been ascending was gradually 
 changing to a gorge. Where we could get a glimpse of 
 the hills above us, we could see great cliffs towering up 
 to meet the sky, with trees and shrubs clinging to the 
 crannies, and trailing plants hanging over the edge of 
 the cliffs and shading them as with a green veil ; while 
 overhead huge naked boulders were piled one above 
 
32 THE JOURNEY INTO THE HILLS. 
 
 another, and appeared only to wait the first breath of 
 wind to fall crashing into the valley. In front we could 
 see where the perpendicular walls closed in, leaving only 
 a narrow passage between them, and ahead we could 
 hear the sound of falling waters. Before reaching the 
 waterfall, however, we had to traverse a sort of canal, 
 where the stream had an almost imperceptible flow 
 between marshy banks covered with dense jungle and 
 forest trees that interlaced their branches and formed a 
 leafy arcade overhead. Under this gloomy archway, 
 through which the sun only here and there shot down a 
 pencil of light, we waded for more than half a mile with 
 the water nearly to our armpits. The doctor led the 
 van, holding aloft his rifle and revolver to save them 
 from the wet, and cautiously piloting the way, which 
 was full of boulders, deep miry holes, trunks, limbs, and 
 roots of trees, and other obstacles. Behind him came 
 the mahout and one of the elephants and the line of 
 porters, bravely struggling with their loads through the 
 mud ; while Tom and I, leading the ponies, brought up 
 the rear, along with Hannibal and his big charge, both 
 of them in rather cross temper, owing to a difference of 
 opinion as to the rate of progress which it was proper 
 for an elephant to make in the circumstances. The 
 worthy old negro's ill-humour was not removed by the 
 unmerciful chaff to which we subjected him, and a little 
 incident occurred that threatened further to upset him. 
 
THE JOURNEY INTO THE HILLS. 33 
 
 A resplendent butterfly of a new species, with wings 
 four or five inches across, and all ablaze with glorious 
 shades of blue, purple, and crimson, issued from the 
 thicket, and after fluttering round the head of the 
 doctor, who could only vainly shake his revolver at it, 
 it passed on to one after another of the company, finally 
 concentrating its attention on Hannibal, and apparently 
 taking a special delight in parading its beauties within 
 a foot or two of his nose. 
 
 " Aha ! " said our black friend, wagging his head 
 savagely and showing his teeth like a cat that sees a 
 sparrow from behind a pane of glass, " you t'ink you can 
 do what you like, do you? Hey! You jes' come a little 
 nearah, will you ?" 
 
 The butterfly, responding to the sarcastic invitation, 
 at that moment danced a few inches closer to Hannibal's 
 face, and by a dexterous sweep of his hand he held the 
 prize in his fingers. Instantly the negro's ill-humour, 
 which was never of long continuance, was appeased, and 
 for the rest of the day he could scarcely conceal the 
 elation he felt. He got his share of the too marked 
 attentions of other tribes of insects — mosquitoes, ants, 
 sand-flies, and the rest — that stung us on the wing or 
 dropped on us from the trees ; but he seemed scarcely 
 to mind them. There was not one of us, however, who 
 was not glad enough to emerge again from this damp 
 and dark tunnel into the clear light of day, close beneath 
 
 (690) 3 
 
34 THE JOURNEY INTO THE HILLS. 
 
 the cascade which we had heard gradually sounding 
 louder in our ears. 
 
 We were a forloi-n company when at length we came 
 to a halt at the foot of the falls. Our hands and faces 
 were torn with thorns and swollen with the stings and 
 bites of our insect tormentors, and our clothes had gaping 
 rents here and there, besides being soaked with water 
 and plastered with mud from the waist down. Hanni- 
 bal, particularly, cut a bedraggled figure, in melancholy 
 contrast to the spruce and dandified air he assumed 
 before his bright plumage had been drawn through the 
 mire. Tired and wet as we were, hunger had the upper 
 hand of fatigue, and we set to work with a will in 
 helping our cook to get ready our meal — a mess of rice, 
 with preserved meat sandwiches and some excellent cray- 
 fish, or " fresh-water lobsters," as we called them, that 
 we had fished up from the stream, added to a smoking 
 cup of tea. 
 
 It was a wild scene that environed us as we sat 
 around a great slab of rock, doing ample justice to our 
 fare. Towering granite cliffs rose almost sheer above 
 us to a height of six or seven hundred feet. Piled-up 
 fragments of rock lay around their base and encumbered 
 the bed of the stream, and were overgrown with an 
 extraordinary variety of forest and water plants, among 
 which beautiful ferns and long streaming mosses predom- 
 inated. On the summit of the crags, also, broken and 
 
THE JOURNEY INTO THE HILLS. 35 
 
 splintered masses of stone were confusedly heaped, and 
 some of them seemed to lean over in the act of plunging 
 into the valley. We could make out dwarf shrubs cling- 
 ing to the clefts high up, and hiding behind the boulders, 
 plainly seeking shelter from the cold rude blasts that 
 blew on the plateau above. Just before us the walls of 
 the gorge approached each other within a distance of 
 thirty feet, and down a steep incline rushed the stream 
 in flying leaps and bounds, roaring and chafing over and 
 under the rocks in a line of foam, and falling into a deep 
 pool below. In its present shrunken condition the little 
 river did not nearly fill the space between the cliffs; but 
 in time of flood, as we could plainly see by the markings 
 of water high up the rocks, it must fill the whole channel 
 and thunder through the gap in a resistless torrent. 
 
 " What are we to do now, sir ? " inquired Tom of the 
 doctor. " We will not be able to get the elephants up 
 these rocks, will we ? " 
 
 " We must not only leave the elephants behind us," re- 
 plied our chief, " but also the ponies, if we are to go any 
 further. I am not disappointed about the elephants, as 
 I did not expect to be able to bring them so far. 
 Besides, another day with the care of Ghenghiz weighing 
 on his mind would be the death of Hannibal," glancing 
 slyly at that worthy, who shook his grizzled poll, but 
 looked much relieved. " While you hungry blades have 
 been kindling the fire and boiling the kettle, I have been 
 
36 THE JOURNEY INTO THE HILLS. 
 
 clambering up the rocks at the fall. There is ' no 
 thoroughfare' that way for horses, and scarcely for foot- 
 passengers. But we have had some experience in 
 climbing trees, and there is a root there by which I 
 find you can hoist yourself up to the river-bed above. 
 I am not quite certain," said the doctor after a pause, 
 and speaking with great deliberation, " but I think I 
 could make out at the extreme end of the gorge, and 
 within a couple of days' march, the great ' divide ' of 
 which we are in search." 
 
 " Then shouldn't we push on at once ? " I broke in. 
 
 " Not quite so fast, Bob," said Dr. Roland, smiling at 
 my eagerness. " We have to settle first whether this 
 is not to be our turning-point. "We can still spare two 
 or three days and be back at the bungalow by the time 
 appointed. But there is risk, I can see plainly, in 
 pushing on. What if one of the thunderstorms that 
 occasionally break on these hills at this season were to 
 come down ? We might be imprisoned in the mountain- 
 gully above for a week or more. It might take that 
 time before the flood would subside sufficiently to let us 
 escape by the fall ; and the sides of the gorge, so far as I 
 could observe, are so steep that you might as well think 
 of scaling a church spire. Then there are the hillmen. 
 If they discovered our movements, and chose to bar our 
 way, it would be more awkward even than the floods." 
 
 " But we have seen no natives since we crossed the 
 
THE JOURXEY INTO THE HILLS. 37 
 
 frontier," we objected, " and those we met within the 
 border were quite quiet and peaceable." 
 
 " That sudden disappearance is the very thing that 
 puzzles and troubles me," replied our friend, speaking 
 gravely. " These wily rascals may have been watching 
 every step we have taken, though they have never 
 allowed us to catch a glimpse of them. Did you observe 
 that the little nat-houses we passed on our way had fresh 
 offerings of fruit and meat laid down to propitiate the 
 evil genii of the jungle and the mountains ? The hill- 
 men seldom take the trouble to do that unless some 
 raiding scheme or other mischief is afoot. Now that 
 we are so near the mountains, I think I will push on, 
 with Hannibal and two of the guides, and try to reach 
 the water-parting. But you, boys, must remain here ; or 
 better still, return with the elephants and ponies and the 
 rest of the party to the outlet of the stream, for camping 
 and pasturage. You may look for us in about a week." 
 
 The reader may fancy how terribly disappointing a 
 prospect this was for us, and how we urged the doctor 
 by every argument in our power to take us with him. 
 At length, after much hesitation, and bearing in mind 
 that the dangers were, after all, only conjectural, and 
 that we might be safer under his own eye than left 
 alone with the native attendants, he consented that we 
 should start with him next day to pursue the journey 
 up stream. 
 
38 THE JOURNEY INTO THE HILLS. 
 
 " I wish you had spent your time, Tom, in teaching 
 your pony to climb trees, instead of standing on its hind 
 legs and begging for a biscuit," said the doctor, looking 
 wistfully at our clever little nags. " We shall have to 
 be the beasts of burden ourselves from this point. I 
 advise you to put on as much clothes as you can bear, 
 and Hannibal will show you how to pack your knap- 
 sacks to the best purpose. We must be in as tight 
 marching order as possible, but must have enough food 
 to keep the keen mountain hunger at bay for several 
 days." 
 
CHAPTER III. 
 
 THE CLEFTS OF THE ROCK. 
 
 JONG before the sun had peeped over the walls 
 of the ravine our preparations for the march 
 were complete. In spite of the wetting of 
 the previous day, we felt quite fresh and fit 
 for travel, thanks partly to the delicious plunge we had 
 enjoyed in the pool immediately on awakening. The 
 critical eyes of the doctor and the "darkey" had super- 
 intended every detail of toilet and packing. Elephants, 
 ponies, and attendants stood marshalled, ready for depart- 
 ure to the rear when we had ascended the rocks at the 
 waterfall. Picking our way cautiously over the boulders, 
 wet and slippery with the spray from the cascade, and 
 clinging now to a tuft of grass or fern, now to a root, 
 overhanging branch, or knuckle of rock, we hoisted our- 
 selves up rather stiffly — for we had donned more clothes 
 than was as yet quite comfortable, and had each besides a 
 wallet and a '^\n\ slung to his shoulder — till at length we 
 stood on the topmost ledge. We raised a hearty cheer, 
 
40 THE CLEFTS OF THE ROCK. 
 
 which was responded to from below ; and then each party 
 stepped out briskly, our late companions towards the 
 rendezvous down stream, and we into the unknown 
 heart of the hills. 
 
 It is impossible to conceive a more desolate and terrific 
 scene than the one on which our eyes were now turned. 
 A great chasm seemed to have been rent into the core of 
 the mountains, winding and zigzagging, now contracting 
 till it was less than a stone-throw across, and then ex- 
 panding a little, but with the sheer walls everywhere 
 throwing deep black shadows half-way across the gulf. 
 It seemed to be the gloomy portal to the retreat of the 
 Efreet who guarded the secret of these hills ; and it was 
 not strange in young explorers like Tom and myself, who 
 were introduced for the first time into the scenery of 
 this wild land of precipices and abysses, that for a second 
 or two our hearts sank with an involuntary feeling of 
 awe and terror. Above the cliffs that hemmed us in, 
 however, and far back behind the murky recesses of the 
 ravine, a high mountain-ridge could be plainly discerned, 
 running north-east and south-west, with the morning 
 sun gleaming on its snow-covered peaks, and throwing 
 shadows into its deep notches and hollows. We had no 
 doubt that it was the " Iron Wall " — the impassable 
 prolongation of the Patkoi Chain ; and it seemed not 
 more than fifteen or twenty miles distant. 
 
 The sight infused new spirit into us, and we tramped 
 
THE CLEFTS OF THE ROCK. 41 
 
 on stoutly in spite of obstacles that met us at every 
 step. The bed of the stream was filled with huge blocks 
 of stone, worn smooth with the friction of water passing 
 over them, and piled one above another as if the giants 
 of the hills had been amusing themselves by trying to 
 fill up the chasm. Our progress was a process of crawl- 
 ing, leaping, sliding, and wading. Sometimes we would 
 be picking our way cautiously along a narrow ledge at 
 a dizzy height above the stream; at others endeavouring 
 to follow its banks by scrambling over the boulders, and 
 then again taking to the stream itself, which hurried 
 downhill in a continuous series of rapids and cataracts. 
 Great fissures seamed the sides of the cliffs at intervals, 
 and side valleys opened up, more dark and forbidding 
 than the main gorge. A coarse wiry grass covered the 
 less steep slopes, and at a few spots there were patches 
 of jungle and forest. "We peered anxiously into these 
 thickets, as well as up the branch glens, in search of 
 game or of possible enemies, but saw scarcely any trace 
 of life, human or otherwise. Winged game had dis- 
 appeared, and the only four-footed creatures we saw 
 were two or three Ovis Amnion, the wild mountain sheep, 
 splendid fellows with prodigious horns, that bounded 
 up the nearly perpendicular crags, and disappeared over 
 the sky-line too far off for us to get a shot at them. 
 The only sport the ravine afforded was angling ; and a 
 dish of a curious, snouted, whiting-like fish afforded us 
 
42 THE CLEFTS OF THE ROCK. 
 
 an excellent mid-day meal. We could no longer regale 
 ourselves with tropical fruits ; for we had left behind us 
 the sago-palm and the rubber-tree, the banyan and the 
 plantain, along with the tiger and the buffalo, in the low 
 valley beneath us, and the plants we now encountered 
 were those of more temperate regions, and chiefly pine- 
 trees not unlike our northern firs. 
 
 Still we held onward and upward, and privations and 
 difficulties were made amends for by seeing the snowy 
 range before us grow gradually nearer and clearer. When 
 we halted for the day, we calculated that we had 
 reduced its distance from us by at least one-half. A 
 recess in the rocky wall, with a platform in front com- 
 manding a view up and down the ravine, offered a 
 suitable camping-place for the night, and we turned in, 
 after duly setting a watch and kindling a huge fire, 
 satisfied on the whole with what we had done, and pre- 
 pared to enjoy a well-earned night's repose. 
 
 I think the fatigues of the day must have been too 
 much for me, or the cutting breeze that blew down from 
 the snows, and made me shiver within my blanket, pre- 
 vented me from dropping off to sleep. At all events, 
 I could not compose myself to rest. I heard Dr. Roland 
 and one of the Assamese porters turn in, after having 
 passed the first watch, and Hannibal and our other native 
 follower take their places. The doctor was " dead beat" 
 — for he had been geologizing as well as marching all day 
 
THE CLEFTS OF THE EOCK. 43 
 
 — and did not seem to notice that the two Assam men, 
 willing but superstitious fellows, lingered together for a 
 few moments and exchanged some hurried words. I 
 heard old Han lecturing his companion, with the air of 
 superiority that he always assumed in addressing coloured 
 men of other types than his own, on his ignorance and 
 want of manners. 
 
 " You remembah," he said, " a niggah like you ought 
 nevah to speak b'hind the sahib's back. You grumble 
 b'cause you have to climb ovah big stones, and carry 
 other big stones on your back, do you, hey ? You don't 
 know that Doctah Sahib " — the doctor's name with the 
 natives — " make dem all into rupees when he goes back 
 to Poolongyan. You 'fraid of the ' nats,' are you ? 
 Why, you fool, he coidd catch your biggest nat, and 
 cork him up in him small bottle " (this was evidently 
 a blundering allusion to the doctor's splendid collection 
 of gnats and other insects of the same class which he 
 had made one of his specialities). " You jes' keep your 
 eyes well skinned, and mind your own business, will 
 you ? " 
 
 Much more to the same effect the worthy negro 
 delivered himself of. The Assam man made no response, 
 and Han's own voice sounded drowsily, and at length 
 ceased. The feverish, uneasy sensation I felt was in- 
 creased by a fancy that I saw a shadow flit past my 
 half-closed eyes towards the entrance of the cave, and 
 
44 THE CLEFTS OF THE ROCK. 
 
 by hearing a pebble or two rattle clown the rocks outside. 
 I could lie quiet no longer; and besides, I was convinced 
 that the hour was close at hand when Tom and I were 
 to share the morning watch. I got up, and stepped out 
 upon the ledge where our guard was set. The fire had 
 dwindled down until only two or three half -extinct 
 brands remained. The moon had gone down, and the 
 sunrise had hardly begun to tinge the sky. It was 
 indeed the " black hour " that precedes the dawn, and 
 my eyes could only penetrate a few yards into the murky 
 darkness that seemed to surround the dying fire like a 
 wall. There was light enough, however, to see the 
 prostrate figure of Hannibal, stretched close to the 
 embers, and a prolonged snore gave further testimony to 
 the way in which he was keeping watch. It was as I 
 had half suspected. The toils of the day had been too 
 much for the honest fellow, and for once his sense of 
 duty had succumbed to exhaustion. 
 
 But where was his companion on guard ? I glanced 
 my eye around in search of him, but in vain. Then I 
 stepped aside to see if he had ensconced himself behind 
 some rock. At the instant I moved, an arrow whizzed 
 past, almost brushing my neck, and rattled against a 
 boulder within a few feet of me. For a second or two 
 I felt paralyzed. Then gathering my wits about me, I 
 fired my gun, which I had brought loaded in my hand, 
 in the direction from whence the arrow had come. In- 
 
THE CLEFTS OF THE ROCK. 45 
 
 stantly a howl of pain announced that I had done some- 
 thing more than check the hidden foe and rouse my 
 companions. The doctor and Tom Wilson rushed out 
 from the grotto, rifle in hand; and Hannibal picked him- 
 self up, and began violently to rub his eyes, evidently 
 completely at a loss to understand where he was. In a 
 few hurried words I explained what had happened, and 
 emphatic point was given to them by two or three other 
 arrows that came hurtling about us. It was clearly time 
 to withdraw into the cave ; and this we did, after hastily 
 trampling out the remains of the fire. 
 
 Here we lay with our rifles cocked, anxiously waiting 
 until daylight would break, and spending the interval 
 in eagerly comparing notes as to the meaning of the 
 startling event that had occurred, and discussing our 
 future plans. It was plain that we had fallen into a 
 trap prepared by a party of the wild hillmen, who may 
 have been following our trail for days, or perhaps had 
 been lying in ambuscade in one of the thickets we had 
 passed on the previous day's march. The disappearance 
 of both our native porters puzzled us sorely. At first 
 we suspected complicity on their part with our assailants; 
 but afterwards we came to the conclusion that they had 
 been seized with panic, on perceiving the dangers and 
 difficulties of the enterprise, and had probably over- 
 heard some of the doctor's remarks about the likeli- 
 hood of the dreaded hill-tribes being out upon a raid. 
 
46 THE CLEFTS OF THE KOCK. 
 
 They had seized the first chance of escaping ; and we 
 trembled to think of the fate that had overtaken the 
 deserters, and which in a few hours might be our own. 
 
 After a weary time of waiting, the objects outside began 
 slowly to loom out more plainly in the darkness, and by- 
 and-by the morning light shone into our place of retreat. 
 The enemy had kept at a respectful distance, and contented 
 themselves with now and again flinging an arrow or lance 
 into the cave from below. We now ventured cautiously 
 to the entrance, and reconnoitred the ground. The 
 besiegers were gathered some distance off in two groups, 
 numbering about twenty men each, one party holding 
 a narrow passage by which alone we could retrace our 
 steps down stream, while the design of the others seemed 
 to be to prevent our pushing further on. They raised 
 an excited yell when they perceived us, and sent a 
 score of arrows in our direction. As we were well 
 sheltered behind the rocks, these did us no harm, and we 
 could survey the foe at comparatively little risk. A 
 more wild, truculent-looking crew surely never gathered 
 together for a deed of rapine or bloodshed. They were 
 rather under the middle height, but with enormously 
 long and powerful limbs. Their faces were of the 
 Mongol type that more or less prevails throughout these 
 hill regions ; but in the case of our assailants all the 
 more harsh and sinister features of the Tartar counte- 
 nance were exaggerated to positive hideousness. Their 
 
THE CLEFTS OF THE ROCK. 47 
 
 small, oblique eyes were set underneath a forehead 
 " villanous low ; " and their flattened noses, high cheek 
 bones, and wide mouths displaying broken rows of 
 yellow teeth, did not invite the confidence and sympathy 
 of the stranger. Their skins appeared to have once been 
 copper coloured, but abstinence from earliest childhood 
 from the use of soap and water had plastered them with 
 a thick coating of smoke and dirt. Over this repulsive 
 covering they wore a rough garment woven of yak's hair 
 or some other coarse material ; their heads were defended 
 by caps of fur or bear-skin, or with great parasol-shaped 
 hats of wickerwork, adorned with yak's tails ; and their 
 great splay-feet were bare. For weapons they carried 
 a bow and arrows and spears, and most of them had 
 long-bladed knives stuck in their belts. 
 
 Seeing that we made no movement, they began to 
 shout to us in harsh, guttural tones, and indulged in an 
 insulting pantomime, obviously daring us to come forth 
 and meet them. One rascal held aloft a tin saucepan — 
 one of Hannibal's most cherished possessions — which he 
 had pilfered from the neighbourhood of the fire, and 
 brandished it in triumph. This was too much for the 
 negro, who was bringing his rifle to bear on the thief, 
 when the doctor struck up the barrel. 
 
 " Don't fire one of you till I give the word," he said, 
 for Tom and I were also fingering our triggers. " Just 
 think what a terrible tiling it is to take the life of a 
 
48 THE CLEFTS OF THE EOCK. 
 
 human being, however degraded. We must beware of 
 exasperating them, until we are sure that there is no 
 way of escape except by fighting ; and, remember, in 
 our present case every cartridge is worth to us a king's 
 ransom." 
 
 Again the trophy was flourished in the air ; and the 
 enemy, who had evidently no idea of the range of our 
 weapons, advanced a few paces nearer. The doctor, a 
 splendid shot, brought his rifle to his shoulder, took a 
 steady aim, and fired. The saucepan, from which Han- 
 nibal had in his time produced some of the greatest 
 triumphs of the cooking art, dropped from the hands of 
 the astonished savage, a hole being driven clean through 
 the bottom of it, and after a second or two of comical 
 confusion, he and his companions fled in dismay. At 
 the pass below, however, they rallied, ashamed of their 
 panic. Afraid of venturing to close quarters, they now 
 disposed themselves behind rocks and shrubs, so as to 
 command every yard of our path of retreat, and seemed 
 to have adopted the tactics of starving us into surrender. 
 
 It was now time to decide on a plan of extricat- 
 ing ourselves ; and the circumstances seemed indeed 
 desperate. We waited, of course, for our chief's direc- 
 tions. 
 
 " There is just one way open for us, boys," he said, in 
 a cheery, hopeful voice. " We cannot force that gateway 
 with so many yelling savages guarding it ; we cannot 
 
THE CLEFTS OF THE ROCK. 49 
 
 climb up these sheer walls of rock ; and it is plain we 
 cannot remain where we are, with only a couple of days' 
 food with us. The path ahead is not obstructed ; we 
 have cleared it at the cost of Hannibal's frying-pan." 
 
 " And berry dear cost, too," grumbled that personage, 
 glancing ruefully at the ruined cooking- vessel. " How 
 am I to cook your dinnah when you go knock de 
 bottom out dat pan, sar ? " 
 
 " We'll better settle how we are to get any dinner to 
 cook," answered the doctor dryly. " But there is no 
 time to lose. Get ready everything we must take along 
 with us : cartridges and food first, then clothes ; leave 
 saucepans and luxuries of that kind to their fate, and — 
 quick march ! Somewhere between this and the top of 
 the gorge we shall surely find some spot where young, 
 active legs can scramble up to the plateau above, and so 
 back to the friends we have left in the valley behind,- — 
 especially when we have flights of poisoned arrows to 
 hasten our steps. — Bob, my lad," he added more gravely, 
 looking critically at one of the arrows, as we resumed 
 our march up stream, " you have had a very narrow 
 escape. A slight prick from this would have left you 
 witli a very short lease of life." 
 
 As we proceeded, our persecutors left their intrenched 
 
 positions and cautiously followed in our wake, taking 
 
 care to keep well out of range of our rifles. There was 
 
 another remarkable change in our surroundings, for the 
 fcoo) 4. 
 
50 THE CLEFTS OF THE ROCK. 
 
 granite rocks gave place to stupendous cliffs of limestone 
 formation, and the scenery seemed to grow more weird 
 and fantastic every minute. The river had worn its 
 bed into deep ruts and basins, hollowing out for itself 
 yawning archways and caverns in the rock, or leaving 
 strangely-carved blocks standing in mid-stream. The face 
 of the cliffs was honeycombed with caves. White stalac- 
 tites hung from the roofs and glimmered in the obscurity 
 with a ghostly effect. Above towered the similitude of 
 feudal castles, with ruined turrets and tottering walls, 
 decaying minsters with needle-pointed spires and flying 
 buttresses, columns, obelisks, and towers of every strange 
 outline, all standing sharply defined against the sky. 
 It would scarcely have surprised us if a train of hunch- 
 backed manikins, like the trolls, gnomes, and kobolds 
 we had been reading of in German fairy stories, had 
 issued from one of these darkling caves, bending under 
 the weight of the great sacks of gold and precious stones 
 that they carried on their shoulders. It was with a 
 kind of shudder that we fancied we saw movements in 
 the depths of the grottoes, as of shadowy things flitting 
 to and fro, — doubtless some of the large vampire bats, 
 the capture of which had been one of the main objects 
 that had lured the doctor into the mountains. 
 
 But to-day we were in no mood either for geologizing 
 or making notes on natural history, and we pushed on 
 with all the speed we could muster. No breach, how- 
 
THE CLEFTS OF THE ROCK. 51 
 
 ever, opened up in the prison walls that hemmed us in, 
 offering a portal to liberty and safety. There was no 
 foothold on the cliffs which even a goat could take 
 advantage of as a ladder of escape. Instead, the crags 
 towered above us on either hand more threateningly and 
 steeply than before, and in front also vast precipices, 
 surmounted by seemingly unscalable heights, barred our 
 way ; for we had now arrived close to the base of the 
 mountain-chain we had come so far to see. The skies 
 also seemed to frown on our enterprise, for great clouds 
 were gathered overhead, and the air in the confined 
 gorge was close and suffocating. Our pursuers seemed 
 to perceive that our hour had come, for they uttered a 
 shout of triumph as they crept nearer, skilfully taking 
 advantage of the enormous masses of rock that had 
 slipped down into the gorge and obstructed our way, 
 but which their bare feet easily surmounted. 
 
 Suddenly we saw them stop, glance at the sky, and 
 hastily take shelter in the clefts of the rock near them. 
 At the same moment a deep shadow appeared to fall on 
 us, and looking up, the heavens overhead seemed covered 
 with a black, sulphurous-looking pall, rolled fold within 
 fold, and gradually being drawn down closer upon us. 
 
 "Run — run, luds, for your lives!" said Dr. Roland, 
 and seizing an arm apiece of Tom and me, he hurried us 
 at the top of our speed to the mouth of a cave which 
 opened a friendly refuge close at hand. 
 
52 THE CLEFTS OF THE ROCK. 
 
 Hannibal followed on our heels ; and hardly had we 
 ensconced ourselves within when the skies appeared to 
 open, and a great blaze of white light of exceeding 
 vividness illuminated the gloomy gorge to its innermost 
 recesses, followed instantaneously by a terrific crash of 
 thunder, that seemed to echo and re-echo from every 
 cleft and cavern in the mountains. Flash followed flash, 
 and peal succeeded peal with stunning rapidity, and 
 great hailstones, or rather blocks of ice, as large, or 
 larger, than a pigeon's egg, began to fall, first hopping 
 and dancing fantastically among the rocks, whirling 
 madly round in an eddying wind that came sweeping- 
 down the gullies, and then, as the gusts increased in 
 strength, tearing along in solid battalions, lashing wildly 
 the sides of the cliffs, and battering us even in the 
 shelter of the cave with the hard jagged particles. 
 After the hail came sleet ; and then rain descended in 
 great sheets, and continued for an hour and a half, amid 
 the almost incessant crashing and rumbling of the 
 thunder. 
 
 While this tremendous concert was proceeding, we 
 looked on breathless and awe-stricken, hardly daring to 
 exchange a word with one another. Indeed, it would 
 not have been easy to have made ourselves heard amidst 
 the pealing of the thunder, the howling of the wind, and 
 the roar of many waters ; for the stream, which a little 
 before was a mere brook, had become a powerful torrent, 
 
THE CLEFTS OF THE ROCK. 53 
 
 that chafed like a netted lion among the rocks, and was 
 reinforced every few yards by streams that tumbled 
 down the gullies in lines of foam, or cascades that pre- 
 cipitated themselves over the edge of the cliffs. 
 
 Just as the storm seemed to be expending its fury in 
 a last burst, a new and more terrifying sound struck 
 upon our ears. The solid mountain shook and trembled 
 beneath us, and a loud and long-resounding crash seemed 
 to announce that the world was falling in ruins. Even 
 the doctor's cheek blanched, I fancied, for an instant ; 
 and the thought that occurred to all our minds was 
 that we had experienced one of the shocks of earthquake 
 not uncommon in Assam. 
 
 Almost immediately the rain ceased, and the sun 
 appeared to be struggling through the clouds ; but the 
 air was obscured by thick dust that filled the valley. 
 When this had cleared away, we at once perceived what 
 had happened. An extensive landslip had occurred 
 between us and the spot where we had seen our savage 
 foes seek shelter. A huge mass of the mountain had 
 toppled over into the gorge, completely blocking it, with 
 the exception of a narrow gap through which the pent- 
 up waters of the stream were rushing. Passage over 
 this obstacle there was none. At length we were safe 
 from pursuit — if, indeed, our pursuers had not been 
 buried under the falling mountain. 
 
 We could not afford to wait loner musing over the 
 
54 THE CLEFTS OF THE ROCK. 
 
 singular manner in which we had been released from 
 the more immediate danger. Other perils not less for- 
 midable encompassed us. So far as could be seen, we 
 were shut up in the heart of a mountain, as in a kind 
 of well, surrounded by frightful precipices on all sides, 
 and a hundred miles from the nearest outpost of civiliza- 
 tion. Our first care, of course, was to search for some 
 point where the cliffs would be found accessible. If we 
 failed in this, nothing less than death from starvation 
 stared us in the face. The afternoon was already ad- 
 vanced, and with our almost exhausted supplies no time 
 was to be lost. At first it seemed as if we were to be 
 balked in every attempt to escape from our prison in 
 the clefts of the rock. Many fissures branched off from 
 the head of the gorge, but all alike ended in terrific 
 precipices. We turned back from the last of them, tired 
 out and almost despairing. 
 
 " What have you got there, Hannibal ? " asked Tom 
 of the negro, who had stooped and picked up an object 
 from the ground. " Something to eat, I hope." 
 
 " Don't know I'm sure, Massa Tom," was the reply. 
 " 'Pears to be a bit of hoop, but might once have been a 
 cutlass." 
 
 The doctor took the rusty piece of iron from Hanni- 
 bal's hands, and examined it long and narrowly. 
 
 " This is important, boys," he said. " It means that 
 other travellers have been here before us. It is a knife- 
 
THE CLEFTS OF THE ROCK. 55 
 
 blade of Burmese manufacture. I have often heard that 
 the Shans from the Upper Irrawady cross the mountains, 
 and barter these knives, and also metal ornaments and 
 cloth, with the hill-tribes, in exchange for furs, musk, 
 medicinal plants, yak's hair, and other productions 
 of the mountains. It is plain that a road leads 
 past this spot ; and if barbarians can follow it merely 
 for trade, I think Britons need not shrink from it in 
 a matter of life and death. Let us go back and look 
 again." 
 
 We raised a hearty cheer at this good news. Fortune 
 seemed resolved to smile on us in our extremity; for our 
 shout startled an antelope that had taken cover behind 
 a rock near at hand, and it dashed in a slanting line 
 up the cliffs. The doctor's rifle was instantly at his 
 shoulder, but to our surprise he did not fire, contenting 
 himself with covering the animal's body as it bounded 
 along the precipitous face of the crags. 
 
 "Fire, doctor! — fire, or it will be gone!" called Tom 
 with his accustomed headlong eagerness. 
 
 The doctor, however, took his time ; but at last the 
 report of the gun awakened the echoes of the hills, and 
 the antelope, after a desperate effort to maintain its 
 foothold, fell from a great height, crashing from rock to 
 rock, till it lay motionless at the bottom. 
 
 " I wished to watch the track it took," explained the 
 doctor, as Hannibal shouldered the body and we tinned 
 
56 THE CLEFTS OF THE ROCK. 
 
 away. " And now I think I have the clue that will 
 lead us out of this trap." 
 
 That night we supped cheerfully on roast haunch of 
 venison, and I think that, in spite of the lamented loss 
 of our cooking apparatus, the whole party enjoyed a meal 
 so plentifully sauced with hunger — except myself. 
 
CHAPTER IV. 
 
 THE IRON WALL. 
 
 OT only did I not relish supper, but I passed 
 another night of feverish restlessness, and in 
 the morning I felt quite ill. The fact was 
 that I was suffering from the first symptoms 
 of fever, that I had doubtless caught in our wade 
 through the marshes below. I knew, however, that the 
 lives of myself and my companions depended on our 
 getting out of our present position with all speed ; and 
 I saw plainly in Dr. Roland's face, in spite of his 
 cheerful tone, that he was keenly reproaching himself 
 for having been the means of bringing us into such 
 deadly peril. I resolved, therefore, to bear up to the 
 last gasp, rather than add to his anxiety, or be a burden 
 to my comrades. 
 
 We began the ascent of the mountain, following as 
 closely as possible the steps of the antelope we had shot, 
 the doctor leading the way, and I bringing up the rear, 
 where my companions had least chance of noticing my 
 
53 THE IRON WALL. 
 
 distress. I have a very confused and vague remem- 
 brance of the events of this notable day. I cannot 
 describe the features of the Iron Wall, and 1 could not 
 lead a party over it. This, however, is of small con- 
 sequence, as its wonders, with the particulars regarding 
 the nature of its rocks and its plant and animal life, will 
 be fully dealt with in Dr. Roland's great work of travel 
 and discovery. I only know that, slowly and painfully, 
 we scrambled our way upwards to the region of cloud 
 and snow. We crawled like flies along the flank of the 
 mountain, treading narrow ledges where a single false 
 step would have been destruction, clinging desperately 
 to rock and root, and stepping across yawning fissures 
 that made the head swim as we peered fearfully into 
 their depths. Grass and shrubs gave place to Alpine 
 mosses and lichens or naked rocks, and patches of snow 
 lay in the sheltered spots. There was urgent need that 
 we should cross the " divide " before nightfall; for if we 
 slept out on the bare mountain-side we ran the risk of 
 being frozen to death, or if a storm like that of the 
 previous day overtook us we should be blown into space 
 like straws. It was impossible to move a yard aside 
 from our path, girded in as it was by precipices ; and 
 we noticed many signs — notches and steps cut in the 
 rock, and occasionally the trunk of a tree laid across a 
 crevasse — that proved that the way had been traversed 
 by others before us. It led to a deep " saddle," which 
 
THE IRON WALL. 59 
 
 we now saw in the ridge above us, some fifteen hundred 
 feet, as near as we could judge, below the snowy peaks 
 on either side. 
 
 For myself, I despaired of ever reaching this goal of 
 our desires. My fingers trembled and my knees knocked 
 together as I crept along the dizzy ledges, and a film 
 gathered before my eyes as I strove to keep pace with 
 my companions. An ague fit made my teeth chatter as 
 I tried to set them and keep in a cry for help, and the 
 wind from the frozen heights above pierced me like an 
 icicle. Latterly I think I must have fallen into a half- 
 insensible state, and struggled on mechanically with the 
 strength of delirium. We had climbed high above the 
 level of the lower hills, and a majestic panorama of 
 mountain and valley was spread below us. It seemed as 
 if in a dream I were being carried, by no will of my own, 
 up the steep slope of a colossal wave, with a tempestuous 
 sea of white-crested billows heaving and falling around 
 me, and unfathomable black gulfs opening up between. 
 
 At last nature gave way, and I sank down helpless 
 on the track. My comrades moved on some paces before 
 they observed what had befallen me, and then in an 
 instant they were all about me. I remember feebly 
 urging them to leave me to my fate, and to hurry for- 
 ward for their own safety. The doctor felt my pulse, 
 and prepared a draught from the little medicine-box 
 that he always carried about with him, speaking cheer- 
 
60 THE IKON WALL. 
 
 fully and affectionately as I endeavoured to swallow it ; 
 and my dear friend Tom grasped my other hand, while 
 tears gathered in his eyes. Then Hannibal hoisted me 
 tenderly upon his brawny shoulders — fortunately I was 
 a light weight, and sturdy Tom would have been a 
 much more serious burden — and the up-hill inarch was 
 resumed as I lapsed into unconsciousness. 
 
 For a second or two I " came round," and opening my 
 eyes found myself supported by my companions, and 
 surrounded by deep snow, with icy peaks rising on 
 either hand. The sun was going down behind us, and 
 threw gigantic shadows on the mists that were gathering 
 below ; and the snowy ridges that I had fancied were 
 white-crested waves now looked like icebergs floating in 
 a lake of purple. In front of us, however, there was an 
 opening in the clouds, and a glimpse was caught of a 
 deep defile like that which we had left behind us, 
 opening in the distance into a larger valley, where there 
 was the far-off gleam of rushing waters. 
 
 The doctor was finishing some remark, and I caught 
 the word " Irrawady." I had my wits sufficiently about 
 me to understand that we had reached the crisis of vic- 
 tory — that we had surmounted the great barrier, and dis- 
 covered the hidden upper course of the great river of Bur- 
 mah. I waved my hand, and uttered a feeble " Hurrah." 
 
 " Hurrah !" echoed Tom in a voice that struggled to be 
 firm, and then the whole " expedition " cheered in chorus. 
 
CHAPTER V. 
 
 UPS AND DOWNS. 
 
 HEN I came again to my senses I was lying- 
 in a cave, on a comfortable couch of fir 
 branches, covered with skins of deer and 
 bear. For a moment or two I imagined 
 that I had never left the grotto where we had slept on 
 the night after we had parted from the bulk of our fol- 
 lowers at the falls, and that all that had happened since 
 — the desertion of our guides, the attack and pursuit of the 
 savages, the thunderstorm, and the perilous journey over 
 the mountain — was a nightmare dream. The cliffs that I 
 caught glimpses of through the entrance of the cave had 
 the same fantastic shapes that had become familiar to us 
 on the other side of the Iron Wall, and rose into slender 
 spires and pinnacles, flanked with turrets and over- 
 hanging eaves that seemed to put the laws of gravity at 
 defiance. But as I propped myself upon my elbow and 
 noted this, I perceived that there was an important 
 change from the scenes I had left. The valley was 
 
62 UPS AND DOWNS. 
 
 wider, its walls were higher, and the whole features of the 
 landscape were on a grander scale. That we were in a 
 warmer climate, too, was evident from the half -tropical 
 plants that draped the entrance to the cave, and clung 
 to the nooks and crannies of the rocks; while above, 
 great pine forests began, and stretched almost to the 
 summit of the hills. I tried to sit up, in order to get 
 a better view, but was glad to fall back again upon 
 the fur pillows, and bear with what patience I could the 
 affliction of waiting for an explanation. 
 
 I had not long to wait. In a few minutes the honest 
 black face of Hannibal appeared at the mouth of the 
 cave. He stepped in upon tiptoe ; but when he saw 
 my eyes wide open and staring inquiringly at him, he 
 gave a start, half of fright and half of joy, as if he were 
 about to jump out of his skin, and hurried up to me. 
 
 " Oh, golly, Massa Bob !" he said, seizing my hand, 
 while two big tears rolled down the sides of his nose, 
 as if racing each other to reach the tip — "you have got 
 f rew it ? " 
 
 " Through what, Han ? " I replied, for my ideas were 
 still somewhat confused. " Have we come right through 
 below the mountain ? " 
 
 Before Han could repl} T the doctor and Tom entered, 
 and were, of course, not less overjoyed to see that the 
 fever had left me. From the three I gradually got 
 explanations of what had happened since I lost con- 
 
UPS AND DOWNS. 63 
 
 sciousness on the mountain-top. To my surprise I heard 
 that a whole fortnight had elapsed since then, during 
 which time my companions more than once feared that 
 they would lose me. The descent of the mountain, they 
 assured me, had been comparatively easy. A glacier 
 ran a long way down into the valley, and taking advan- 
 tage of the hard-pressed snow that lay upon it, they 
 had constructed a kind of sleigh, with a brake contriv- 
 ance to regulate the speed, such as the doctor had seen 
 in operation in Canada and Russia, and slid rapidly and 
 easily down to the region of pine forests. The passage 
 was a dangerous one, for any moment a crevasse might 
 have opened and swallowed us ; but there was no other 
 way of descent, and we arrived safely at the bottom. 
 From thence my comrades had carried me by easy stages 
 to the spot where I now lay, within hearing of the 
 rushing flood of the Irrawady. They made light of the 
 toils that I had caused them by so inopportunely 
 breaking down ; but I knew what unspeakable cause 
 for thankfulness I had to them for so bravely sticking 
 by me, and so tenderly nursing me in my delirium and 
 weakness. Afterwards I had chances of paying a small 
 part of my debt of gratitude; ; for lief ore our journey 
 ended we had all had our share of fever, and had each 
 our turns of being nurse and patient. 
 
 During my fever n't, and while I was recovering 
 strength, my comrades were not idle. The doctor was 
 
64 UPS AND DOWNS. 
 
 out on the hills every day, accompanied cither by Tom 
 or Hannibal, surveying the ground, hunting, or collecting 
 scientific information ; while one of the party was left 
 " at home," as we learned to call our cave, to attend to 
 the sick and to the cooking. Fortunately game was not 
 scarce, and many a fragrant stew Hannibal prepared, 
 by the aid of our last preserved-meat tin, with the 
 pheasants, wild duck, quail, and deer that made up the 
 daily bag ; while the river yielded a welcome change of 
 fare, especially when we were lucky enough to hook the 
 lordly mahseer, a fish as large and as fine-flavoured — at 
 least such was the opinion of one hungry convalescent — 
 as the salmon. Pot vegetables, edible mushrooms, salads, 
 and other garnishing were not wanting — for here the 
 doctor's botanical knowledge came very usefully to our 
 aid ; and we soon learned to like the wild rhubarb which 
 grew plentifully on the higher ground. For dessert we 
 laid under contribution the fine walnut, chestnut, apricot, 
 peach, and cherry trees that covered the slopes of the 
 gorges, as well as the brambles, wild gooseberries, straw- 
 berries, and rasps that throve in the covers below ; so 
 that altogether we were, in respect to food, not greatly 
 to be pitied, in spite of the doses of tete and other 
 indigenous drugs which the doctor made us swallow 
 daily as a precaution against fever. 
 
 We could not, however, live for ever in this secluded 
 valley, and our main subject of anxiety was our future 
 
UPS AND DOWNS. 65 
 
 route. A careful survey of the ground had shown that 
 there was no escape by the river, either up or down 
 stream. About two miles above us the Irrawady 
 narrowed to little more than a dozen yards, and tore 
 with a sound like thunder down a series of cataracts, 
 between sheer walls of rocks rising to a height of many 
 hundreds of feet. At a distance of a few hundred 
 yards below us the stream entered another gorsfe, 
 scarcely so steep and narrow — for fine larch and fir trees 
 partly clothed the face of the cliffs, and rose tier above 
 tier till they seemed dwindled to shrubs — but equally 
 impassable either by land or water. Nearly opposite 
 us was a reach of comparatively calm water ; and at no 
 great distance off, on the other bank, the entrance to a 
 side valley, similar to the one we had descended, 
 promised us the only loophole of escape. Plenty of logs 
 and brushwood was scattered along the shore, left there 
 by the summer floods, which we noticed marked a rise 
 of forty or fifty feet in the river-level in the confined 
 channels above and below. Out of this material it was 
 easy to construct a raft ; and as another fortnight's rest 
 had made me feel strong enough to resume the march, 
 we embarked one fine morning on this cumbrous craft ; 
 and after hali'-an-hour's hard toil, and several narrow 
 escapes from going to pieces on the rocks, or being 
 swept down by the current and eddies, we managed to 
 reach safely the opposite bank. 
 
 (G&O) 5 
 
66 UPS AND DOWNS. 
 
 Landing, and shouldering our knapsacks, which we 
 had taken care to store with what was needful for 
 several days' march through a sterile and probably 
 uninhabited country, we allowed our raft to drift away 
 down stream, where it was soon tossing and whirling 
 among the rapids. 
 
 Then the doctor made us a little speech. 
 
 " It is six weeks, as you know, boys," he said, " since 
 we left our friends at Poolongyan. "We were due to re- 
 turn there a fortnight ago ; but instead, we have been 
 drifting, like that raft there, further and further away, 
 into wilder and more troubled scenes, with no possibility 
 of return by the way we have come. We must now 
 make up our minds about what we are to do ; and I say 
 that we must turn our backs upon India and make 
 China our aim. We have made one great discovery — 
 though chance, rather than design, has led us to it. 
 Others as wonderful lie ahead ; and it will be a noble 
 ambition to make them ours. In the first place, we 
 have to climb these hills ; and I hope that we shall shortly 
 reach the valley of the Salwen river, where we shall be 
 able to purchase mules at some of the tribal villages or 
 at a Buddhist monastery ; for, you know, we are going 
 up into Thibet, and there the priests are the kings. 
 You must be prepared to meet dangers and hardships — ■ 
 more than I would ever have dreamed of exposing you 
 to, if I had known where our trip would have led us. 
 
UPS AND DOWNS. 67 
 
 We shall probably have to face wild beasts and robbers, 
 precipices and torrents, cold and hunger ; but I do not 
 see why, with stout hearts and limbs, and clear heads 
 and consciences, and with weapons to fill our larder, and 
 in a last extremity to defend our lives, we should not 
 come through them all. We choose to consider ourselves 
 as explorers, not as fugitives, and cheery endeavour will 
 be our watchword." 
 
 " ' Be not like dumb, driven cattle, 
 Be a hero in the strife,' " 
 
 chimed in Tom, swinging a tough oak cudgel he had cut 
 to assist his steps. So it was to the words of Long- 
 fellow's beautiful " Psalm of Life " that we began the 
 toilsome ascent of the Thibetan mountains ; and I think 
 if you could have watched us as we stepped out, you 
 would have said that there was some of its fire in our 
 eyes and our hearts. 
 
 It was not long before we had to make large demands 
 on our stock both of courage and of patience. I fear it 
 might weary my readers to have a daily record of our 
 arduous journey among the bare and savage mountains 
 through which our route now led us for many days. I 
 can assure them that in actual fact it was much more 
 wearisome than it could possibly be made in description. 
 They may get some small idea of the mere fatigue 
 that had to be undergone, if they can find a staircase six 
 thousand feet high or more, and climb to the top of it 
 
68 UPS AND DOWNS. 
 
 every morning and down again every night. But even 
 this would not take account of the terrors and the perils 
 of the way. The slippery ledges along which we had to 
 pick our steps, and where a crumbling fragment of the 
 rock disturbed by the foot would bound down for hun- 
 dreds of feet into the gloomy ravine, its distant splash 
 lost in the boom of rushing waters, brought us to snowy 
 ridges, on which, after all our toilsome climbing, we 
 dared not rest, so piercing was the cold, and so rarefied 
 the air in which we sought in vain to fetch back our 
 spent breath. Then we had to scramble down steep 
 slopes, torn into deep ruts and covered with splinters of 
 slaty rock, as if some huge harrows had been dragged 
 athwart the hills, until we found ourselves in the gloomy 
 depths of a ravine, where only a thin slip of blue sky 
 was to be seen overhead. At mid-day our faces would 
 be cracked and blistered by the frosty winds that blew 
 on the mountains ; and ere nightfall the close, sultry air 
 of the confined valleys almost stifled us. With all our 
 exertions we seemed to make no progress. The gorge 
 where, for the sake of warmth and shelter, we would 
 halt for the evening was an exact model of the one 
 we had left in the morning. When the new barrier of 
 precipitous mountain had been painfully climbed, the 
 top disclosed more heights, snowy, bare, or pine-covered, 
 rising in front of us. 
 
 It must not be thought, however, that there was no 
 
UPS AND DOWNS. 69 
 
 beauty or grace in these savage scenes. Often the route 
 carried us over grassy hills and hollows, where, in spots 
 sheltered from the powerful sun, the sward was thickly 
 sown with daisies, buttercups, and less familiar flowers, 
 whose names and properties the doctor took care to ex- 
 plain to us. We were sure to meet with slopes covered 
 with rhododendrons, camellias, azaleas, and other plants 
 with glossy green leaves and bright blossoms, and to 
 pass through forests of tall firs, cedars, and larches, 
 before coming to the cold, bare heights above. 
 
 But gradually, as we advanced, the features of the 
 scenery grew more harsh and abrupt ; the gaunt bones 
 of the mountains pushed themselves further through 
 their turfy covering, until only thin patches of green 
 checkered the sterile rocks. Game, too, failed us. The 
 daily " bag " dwindled down until it no longer yielded 
 us a satisfying meal at the close of the march. Hunger 
 began to vex us. We were constantly coming upon signs 
 of the wandering tribes of savages that haunt these hills, 
 in the shape of embers of camp-fires and remains of 
 temporary huts. The track we were following was 
 evidently often used by them, and some of their hunting 
 parties had passed over it only a little time before. At 
 first we had congratulated ourselves at not falling in 
 with such dangerous wayfarers ; but we now began 
 to wish that we would light upon a living creature 
 of any sort, were it man or beast. Were it the 
 
70 UPS AND DOWNS. 
 
 latter, it might serve us for a meal : if the former, 
 we might be served in our turn ; but any risk seemed 
 better than the certainty of starvation from cold and 
 hunger. 
 
 On the fifth evening after we had crossed the Irra- 
 wady, we halted for the night in a small grove of forest 
 trees. In truth, so " dead beat " were we that we could 
 not have dragged our tired limbs many yards further, 
 and we were glad to take advantage of the shelter the 
 trees afforded. To add to our misery, our last scrap of 
 food had been eaten, and to-night, for the first time, we 
 must go supperless to bed. 
 
 " Hallo ! " said Tom, stretching himself below one of 
 the trees, " if this isn't a holly ! Doesn't it remind one 
 of Christmas-time at home — roast-beef, plum-pudding, 
 and all the rest ? " 
 
 " Please don't speak of roast-beef and plum-puddin', 
 Massa Tom," said poor Hannibal, the cook, pleadingly. 
 " It hurts my feelin's." 
 
 " And please don't speak of hollies, Master Tom, when 
 you should say oaks," put in the doctor. 
 
 " Why, this is a holly, is it not, sir ? " Tom rejoined. 
 " Look at these leaves — and the prickles," he added, 
 hastily withdrawing his hand, for he had allowed one of 
 the sharp spines to run into his finger. 
 
 " But look at the height, and the bark, and more par- 
 ticularly the acorns," retorted Dr. Roland. " It is the 
 
UPS AND DOWNS. 71 
 
 holly-leaved oak of Thibet, Tom, and wiser men than 
 you have been deceived by it." 
 
 " Let us camp under one of them," I suggested. " It 
 will be a double reminder of England and good cheer." 
 
 " Both dearer for their absence," murmured Tom. 
 
 So we selected one of these strange, bushy oak trees, 
 that promised to give us effectual shelter, and soon were 
 seated around a crackling rlre of dry fir branches. 
 
 " Is there nothing left in the pantry at all, Hannibal?" 
 asked the doctor ; " not even twice-used tea leaves, to 
 make a brew of ? " 
 
 " No, sar," replied Han sadly, at the same time produc- 
 ing from his pockets and laying before the embers some 
 ripe chestnuts that he had knocked down from the 
 trees with stones while we had been discussing the holly 
 versus oak question. 
 
 There was little opportunity to-night for renewing 
 the loving squabble that we had every meal-hour 
 over the division of the food, in which each man- 
 oeuvred to get the largest shares for his neighbours. 
 I am afraid Hannibal told terrible fibs about the quan- 
 tities he consumed while cooking, in order to excuse his 
 small appetite when his dishes were produced. The 
 doctor was deaf to the arguments of Tom and myself, 
 that being a big full-grown man, he ought to have 
 double the share of us lads. It was the same at bed- 
 time : the members of the party were continually quar- 
 
72 UPS AND DOWNS. 
 
 relling for the most uncomfortable post, or heaping 
 clothes about those who were " caught napping." Then, 
 on the inarch, I hardly knew whether to cry for vexa- 
 tion or for gratitude at the way my companions per- 
 sisted in treating me as still an invalid, who ought to be 
 relieved of hard work as much as possible. It is incred- 
 ible the dodges by which that rascal Tom — generally 
 the most frank, straightforward fellow breathing — would 
 try to get possession of my gun, and insist on carrying 
 it for me. As was only our duty, every one tried now 
 and throughout the journey to keep up as contented, 
 manly, and even "jolly" a demeanour as he could, for 
 the sake of his comrades ; but each must have felt that 
 the situation was becoming desperate. So we cheered 
 the appearance of the handful of chestnuts, though, for 
 myself, I felt so hungry that I could have sat down 
 prepared to do justice to a leg of elephant. 
 
 " What will happen to us to-morrow, sir ? " asked 
 some of us of the doctor. 
 
 " I would not like to prophesy," he replied, " but I 
 think that we must be near the crisis of our troubles. 
 From the distance we have marched, we must be quite 
 close to the basin of the Salwen. For the first time, 
 we have found no gorge between the ranges, only a 
 hollow. I shouldn't wonder if, when we crest the hill 
 in front of us, we should see both the river and the 
 savages. They have apparently hunted all the game 
 
UPS AND DOWNS. 73 
 
 from this side of the watershed, and have followed to 
 the banks of the Salwen. Or, perhaps, they have been 
 northward on a raid, and are now seeking shelter from 
 the Thibetan troops in their remotest gorges." 
 
 From Thibet and its snows and savages our discourse 
 gradually turned, as it was always sure to do, to the 
 little island in the northern seas which we so proudly 
 claimed as our country ; and w T e talked long of our 
 friends at home, and how small idea they could have of 
 our strange surroundings. The ni<?ht had fallen, and 
 the keen frosty air made us shiver ; for our camping- 
 ground was higher than any we had yet reached, and 
 our clothes, ill-suited in any case for such an arctic 
 climate, were torn by thorns and rocks. So we crept 
 up close to the fire, and heaped on more fuel, till the 
 smoke curled in great clouds through the branches 
 above us. 
 
 All at once we were astounded by a violent shaking 
 of the boughs overhead and a monstrous black appari- 
 tion gradually descending almost into our midst. First 
 appeared a shapeless mass, covered with long shaggy 
 black hair, hanging from a lower limb of the tree ; and 
 then shoulders and fore paws, and lastly a snouted head 
 emerged into sight, as with angry gruntings the creature 
 leisurely descended the trunk. So surprised were we 
 that it was a few seconds before we could realize that 
 we were about to be " interviewed " by a mountain 
 
74 UPS AND DOWNS. 
 
 bear, who had probably climbed the tree to feast on the 
 acorns, and had remained hidden in the thick foliage 
 and failing light, until we had " smoked " him off his 
 perch. Our guns were piled behind the tree, and the 
 doctor had barely time to slip round and seize his rifle, 
 when his bearship was among us. He seemed in a 
 shockingly bad humour, for he growled angrily and 
 champed his great jaws together, as, still half -blinded with 
 the smoke, he blundered forward into the fire, scattering 
 the lighted brands in all directions, and, I am bound to 
 admit, putting us ignominiously to flight. By this time 
 the doctor had got his gun ready, and fired ; but a 
 branch catching his sleeve, the bullet only grazed Bruin's 
 cheek, and enraged him the more. He turned and 
 made again towards the tree, but a smart blow over the 
 nose from Hannibal with a burning fagot made him 
 change his mind ; and after a struggle between wrath 
 and prudence, he shuffled off into the darkness. 
 
 It did not, however, suit hungry travellers to see a 
 possible supper disappear in this manner ; so, taking 
 our guns, we started in search. It is not altogether 
 pleasant to hunt for an angry bear in a dark wood ; and 
 I own that my heart jumped to my mouth when, coming 
 round the trunk of a tree, I felt a hot breath in my 
 face, and saw a shadowy shape, that seemed of gigantic 
 dimensions, within a yard or two of me. For the 
 second time that night, I fled with the bear close at my 
 
UPS AND DOWNS. 75 
 
 heels ; but luckily the doctor was close at hand, and a 
 shot through the brain bowled over my slouching 
 pursuer. By-and-by we were feasting joyously on 
 bear-steaks ; and I am in a position to say that for 
 desperately hungry men, and when there is nothing 
 butter to be had, they are not to be despised. 
 
CHAPTER VI. 
 
 THE VALLEY OF THE SHADOW. 
 
 EXT morning we breakfasted on Bruin, and 
 resumed the march. Bearing in mind the 
 likelihood of the savages being near at hand, 
 we thought it proper to move with circumspection ; 
 so, instead of following the track that would have 
 carried us directly over the ridge in front, we pro- 
 ceeded southward some distance down the valley that 
 ran parallel to it, and then climbed cautiously to the 
 top, and peered over, under the shelter of a great rock. 
 What we saw entirely satisfied us of the correctness of 
 the doctor's views as to our whereabouts, and of the 
 wisdom of the precautions we had taken not to expose 
 ourselves. Before us were short ranges of hills, sepa- 
 rated by narrow valleys, and all running in the same 
 general direction — north and south — as those we had 
 already crossed, but so much lower than that on which 
 we stood, that we could make out beyond them what 
 appeared to be a long deep furrow ploughed through 
 
THE VALLEY OF THE SHADOW. 77 
 
 the mountains. This could hardly be other than the 
 long-looked-for gorge of the Sahven river. On the other 
 side were more lines of hills, rising step behind step to 
 a snowy range, with the sun glistening on its peaks. 
 
 But what chiefly attracted our notice was the scene 
 that lay directly at our feet. A kind of natural amphi- 
 theatre was hollowed in the hill, and completely enclosed 
 by two spurs thrown off from the range. The only 
 openings from it were a pass at the upper end, that we 
 should have traversed if we had pursued the direct 
 route, and a narrow rocky gorge below, by which a 
 small stream escaped to the Salwen. The rocks where 
 we stood descended almost perpendicularly, and you could 
 fancy that you could drop a stone upon a grassy flat 
 extending on each bank of the rivulet below, though it 
 must have been almost a quarter of a mile away. On 
 this piece of turf a singular -looking group was gathered. 
 We almost fancied that we recognized our acquaintances 
 who had hunted us so persistently a few weeks ago. 
 The features, the gestures, the costume, and the weapons 
 — so far as we could make them out from our lofty 
 station — generally resembled those of the Assam hill- 
 men ; but these people seemed to have come less into 
 contact with civilized ways than even their brethren on 
 the western side of the Iron Wall. Some of them were 
 clad in the fells of wild beasts, and wore for ornament 
 what appeared to be strings of coral beads round their 
 
78 THE VALLEY OF THE SHADOW. 
 
 necks, and lar^e earrings dangling on their shoulders ; 
 but others had no covering from the cold beyond a 
 waistcloth and their long black hair. We fancied we 
 could make out tattoo-marks on their limbs and chests. 
 Groups of sheep, goats, and small, shaggy-coated horses 
 and mules were pasturing on the grass, and the deep 
 baying of several huge yellow dogs came up to us. 
 But the most curious-looking objects were a score or so 
 of immense hairy beasts, like enormous goats, yet with 
 something about them reminding one of domestic cattle, 
 that quietly fed among the other animals. They had 
 down-looking heads, short muzzles, and humps like 
 bisons ; a long fell of hair descended from their dew- 
 laps and flanks almost to the ground, and their tails 
 were huge bunches of white or brown hair. A little 
 reflection, of course, told Tom and me that this must 
 be the famous yak, the domestic ox of Thibet ; but 
 Hannibal was sorely puzzled, and one could see, from 
 his nervous glances in their direction, that rather than 
 face one of these mysterious-looking creatures, he would 
 encounter a dozen of savages. 
 
 Smoke curled up from the valley, and preparations 
 were going on for a feast as we stood discussing in low 
 tones what steps we should take. One of the yaks was 
 led out into an open space, and, apparently at a given 
 signal, one of the men sprang upon it with the bound of 
 a panther, and plunged a long knife into its throat. 
 
THE VALLEY OF THE SHADOW. 79 
 
 Instantly the whole savage crew flung themselves on 
 the struggling beast, and cut and slashed and hacked 
 off great pieces of flesh with sickening ferocity. The 
 sight was not one to inspire us with confidence ; but 
 feeling it necessary to be doing something, and fearing 
 that we would be caught sight of by the group below, 
 we began to move towards the pass, carefully keeping 
 ourselves concealed behind the brow of the hill. We 
 had not gone far when we noticed an unusual move- 
 ment in the camp of the savages. They seemed to have 
 suspended their meal, and to be hastily preparing for 
 flight. Looking back into the valley we had left, we at 
 once saw the cause of the commotion. A cavalcade had 
 emerged from the hills, and was already crossing the 
 shallow stream we had waded on the previous night. 
 The hillmen had evidently scouts posted on the pass, 
 who had given them notice of the approach of danger. 
 
 The new-comers drew nearer, and it would be difficult 
 to imagine a more motley group. Some of the party 
 were on foot, but the majority were mounted on horses 
 or on yaks, while a train of pack-mules and donkeys 
 brought up the rear. The objects of the company 
 seemed to be partly military and partly trading ; for 
 while most of them carried long spears, and here and 
 there the stock of an old flintlock showed itself, others 
 were attired like peaceable merchants. There was the 
 same variety in features and dress as in martial equip- 
 
80 THE VALLEY OF THE SHADOW. 
 
 ment. Bold, harsh, Tartar traits and rough sheep-skin 
 garments predominated, but there were several members 
 of the party whose regular features, full, flowing beards, 
 and ample robes and turbans recalled the Mohammedan 
 races of Western Asia. 
 
 We had not long time for deliberation, and Dr. 
 Roland at once decided that we should show ourselves. 
 The appearance of four men — three of them white and 
 one intensely black — suddenly starting up from among 
 the rocks, caused unbounded surprise and not a little 
 consternation. Seeing, however, how small our party 
 was, the strangers quickly recovered from their panic, 
 and several barrels were levelled at us. The doctor 
 at once made signs of amity, and shouted something 
 in Chinese to the leader of the band, who evidently 
 understood him, for after a short parley we were sig- 
 nalled to approach. Our new acquaintances, we found, 
 were a party of horse who had been sent out to punish 
 a raid which the Lu-tzes, a notorious tribe of robbers, 
 had made into Thibetan territory, and, if possible, to 
 recover the plunder. Along with them were several 
 traders from Kashgar, who, we learned, had travelled 
 across the breadth of Thibet with their wares, and had 
 seized this chance of getting an escort across the wild, 
 unsettled country between them and the Chinese mart 
 of Tali-fu, to which they were bound. 
 
 The captain of the Thibetans was a tall, stalwart 
 
THE VALLEY OF THE SHADOW. 81 
 
 fellow, with a fierce black eye, and restless, energetic 
 movements, who was only distinguished from his fol- 
 lowers by the greater profusion of coral and turquoise 
 ornaments about him, and by the jade-hilted sword stuck 
 in his belt. He seemed greatly puzzled to know what to 
 do with us ; for the lamas— the priestly rulers of Thibet 
 —have an inveterate objection to strangers, and especi- 
 ally Englishmen, entering their sacred country. The 
 doctor, however, rightly judged of the kind of arguments 
 that the Kashgaree merchants must have used to over- 
 come this prejudice ; and after a short chat with the 
 leader, in which we distinctly heard the clink of some 
 of the Indian rupees which pass freely current in 
 Thibet, we were allowed to join the band. 
 
 Our new friends were astonished when they heard 
 from us that the marauders of whom they were in 
 pursuit were so close at hand, and hastened forward 
 with all speed to overtake them ; but when we came in 
 sight of the green basin in the mountain, where a few 
 minutes before we had seen so animated a sight, it 
 was quite empty. Savages, yaks, mules, horses, sheep, 
 and dogs had disappeared, as if the hill had opened and 
 swallowed them up. I rubbed my eyes, and felt like 
 one of those belated travellers who have watched a fairy 
 pageant until the whole of the little green-jerkined com- 
 pany have vanished at cockcrow; or like Fitz- James when 
 " Clanalpine's warriors " sank from sight at the beck of 
 
 (690) G 
 
82 THE VALLEY OF THE SHADOW. 
 
 Roderick Dim. Our Thibetan guard probably did not 
 trouble their minds with such fancies ; for they instantly 
 set spurs to their horses, and went clattering down the 
 glen, over rock and hillock, at a great rate, leaving us 
 foot-passengers far behind. 
 
 By-and-by from the gorge below came sounds of 
 battle — shots that echoed and echoed ao-ain among the 
 hills, hoarse shouts and words of command, the deep 
 lowing of yaks, the neighing of horses, and the barking of 
 dogs. When we reached the spot the fight was already 
 over. The robbers had managed to escape with part of 
 their prey into their inaccessible retreats in the moun- 
 tains, but the greater portion of the booty had been 
 recaptured. A group of dismounted men was gathered 
 about a form lying prostrate on a ledge of rock. It 
 was Tzang, the leader of the troop. Eager, as usual, to 
 be first in the fray, he had spurred on in front, and had 
 been struck on the chest with a poisoned arrow by one 
 of the retreating freebooters. Dr. Roland drew near, 
 and so skilfully did he dress and cauterize the wound, 
 that after an hour or two's rest the patient was able to 
 resume his seat in the saddle. 
 
 During this halt we made amends for our loner fast 
 by doing justice to the strange fare spread before us, — 
 roast yak beef, a huge bowl of tsamha, and " buttered 
 tea." The last dish caused us a wry face or two, for it 
 was against all our prejudices to see boiling tea beaten 
 
THE VALLEY OF THE SHADOW. S3 
 
 up in a churn, with rancid butter instead of cream, and 
 .salt in place of sugar. The tsamba is oat or barley meal 
 porridge with great lumps of butter in it ; and we soon 
 learned to relish this strong dish, which was our main 
 article of diet during our stay in Thibet. When the 
 march was continued we were mounted on hardy mules, 
 selected from the herd recovered from the Lu-tze free- 
 booters ; and what was to us of nearly as much im- 
 portance, we were clad in the rude but warm sheep-skin 
 garments in which the natives can face the rigorous cold 
 of this hkdi region. 
 
 Nothing of unusual interest occurred until, in the 
 evening, we reached the banks of the Salwen river. We 
 had to pass over some dangerous bits of road ; but 
 precipices and abysses are as familiar things in this 
 country as hedgerows are in England, and we left the 
 matter to our mules, who chose their footing with 
 unerring instinct. It was, nevertheless, a welcome sight 
 to us when the deep, green river- valley opened its arms, 
 as if inviting us to rest and shelter after so long a 
 sojourn amid inhospitable rocks. The banks at this 
 point sank down to the level of the stream with a slope 
 that seemed gentle after what we had lately been 
 accustomed to, and they were covered with fine trees, 
 the vivid greenness of whose leaves was in delicious 
 contrast to the black cliffs around. Below, a beautiful 
 sward, scattered over with clumps of wood, spread on 
 
84 THE VALLEY OF THE SHADOW. 
 
 each side of a smooth current flowing between rocky- 
 islets. Everything spoke of smiling peace and kindly- 
 warmth, and a thin yellowish vapour that floated over 
 the water gave a softer charm to the scene. 
 
 To our surprise, instead of descending to the bottom 
 of the valley, we halted on the bleak mountain-side-, and 
 preparations were made for camping. 
 
 "What do these stupid fellows mean by staying up 
 here in the cold, when we might be so snug down in 
 that delightful valley ?" asked downright Tom of the 
 doctor. " I see plainly apples and peaches hanging in 
 the trees, waiting to be plucked ; and there must be 
 trout lurking in these deep pools, which Han could make 
 into a stew fit for a king, and beat their tea-gruel and 
 buttered porridge all to sticks." 
 
 " Content yourself with porridge for to-night, Tom, 
 and be thankful," replied our chief. " You would have 
 been very glad of it last night, when you were looking on 
 with such hungry looks while the bear-steaks were getting 
 brown. I would not advise you to pluck the apples in 
 that paradise ; and you may be sure that our guides know 
 quite well what they are about. That deceitful, smiling 
 valley of the Salwen has been of evil omen, since long 
 before Marco Polo wrote that ' any stranger would die 
 for certain ' who attempted to cross it." 
 
 " How is that, sir ?" asked 1, while Hannibal looked 
 from the doctor to the river and back in dumb horror. 
 
THE VALLEY OF THE SHADOW. 85 
 
 " Malaria is the name of the demon that haunts it," 
 was the reply. " You can see the sickly mist hanging 
 over it just now. If you went down there, and waited 
 long enough to cast a line, you would be more certain 
 to bring away with you fever and ague than trout. 
 Come away, boys ; there will be no fry to-night. Both 
 fish and frying-pan are beyond your reach, and here is a 
 smoking dish of tsamba coming." 
 
 " And does nobody live on the river ? " we asked, for 
 the mysterious stream excited our curiosity. 
 
 " I believe that some of the tribes sow rice in the 
 valley," said Dr. Roland. " They fling in the seed with 
 fearful haste, and snatch their harvest at the risk of 
 their lives. Gold-seekers have also gone down the 
 stream, in search of the yellow metal. There is gold in 
 the sands of all these rivers, and it is regularly worked 
 on the Yangtze and the Mekong ; but it is said to be 
 peculiarly plentiful on the Salwen. The treasure-hunters 
 have never returned to tell whether the story was true 
 or not. They have died of the fever, or have been 
 swept down by the wild waves of the Lu-kiang, as the 
 Salwen is named up here. Some of the tribes call it 
 the ' Valley of the Shadow,' because it mostly runs 
 through gloomy chasms, with the cliffs nearly knocking 
 their brows together overhead ; and you see that it has 
 two claims to the title." 
 
 " And is it the same all the way down ?" 
 
86 TJIE VALLEY OF THE SHADOW. 
 
 " Not exactly all the way ; for at its mouth — some 
 eight hundred miles from this — you would find your- 
 selves among British shipping and the comfortable 
 bungalows of our countrymen at Moulmein and Martaban. 
 But I daresay there is no stream in the world that has 
 so confined a basin, considering its great length." 
 
 " It must be like old Euclid's definition of a line — 
 length without breadth," said Tom. 
 
 "But how is dat ribber to be got ober, sar ?" was the 
 more practical remark of Hannibal. " Did Massa Polo 
 tell you how him get 'cross, and come back again all 
 'live ?" 
 
 " We will see to-morrow morning," replied the doctor, 
 and we could get no further explanation from him that 
 evening. 
 
 At daybreak we followed the range bordering the river, 
 and soon came upon the water boiling and roaring far 
 beneath us between steep walls scarcely a stone-throw 
 apart. Gradually the opposing cliffs approached nearer, and 
 we came to a stop at a spot where it seemed impossible to 
 advance a hundred yards further. Our Thibetan guards 
 now prepared to leave us and return home. Their fierce 
 looks and rough boisterous manners had alarmed us at 
 first, but we had found them not unkindly. Their 
 captain, Tzang, took a quite affectionate farewell of the 
 doctor, whom he credited, and I daresay rightly, with 
 having saved his life. He insisted, in token of his 
 
THE VALLEY OF THE SHADOW. 87 
 
 gratitude, on pressing upon us, as a present, the animals 
 on which we were riding. Our chief would not hear of 
 this, but at last the matter was adjusted by Tzang 
 accepting in turn a handsome gold chain which the 
 doctor removed from his watch. A few rupees — 
 " wandering rajahs," as they are called up here — were 
 distributed among the followers, and were received with 
 noisy shouts of delight. Tom and I could not help think- 
 ing, while all this was going on, that it was scarcely an act 
 of friendship to abandon us on the edge of a precipice, 
 and that unless the mules could jump across the gulf 
 that lay in our path, they could hardly be of service to 
 us. "We said nothing, however, as the doctor seemed 
 quite satisfied, and advanced confidently towards two 
 slim lines that we now for the first time noticed span- 
 ning the abyss, like spiders' threads. One of these lines, 
 which we found, on approaching, to be of wire chain, 
 started from an elevated point on the opposite bank, 
 and sloped down towards our side, while the other rope 
 was higher on the hither bank. To a platform at the 
 extremity of this latter chain the doctor ascended, 
 seated himself on a sort of leathern sling that moved 
 along the rope on a skid, cast himself loose, and in an 
 instant he had skimmed across to the opposite cliff like 
 a bird. Then unfastening the sling, and adjusting it on 
 the other chain, lie slipped back to us with equal ease. 
 After this illustration of the method of using this 
 
88 THE VALLEY OF THE SHADOW. 
 
 curious bridge, we could have no hesitation, and the 
 mules and baggage of our party, which still included 
 the Kashgaree traders, were slung one by one upon the 
 rope, and launched safely across the chasm. I own 
 that when my turn came to take my seat on the strap 
 of rough hide on which the precarious passage had to 
 be made, I did not feel comfortable. Suspended, as 
 by a thread, over the gulf of darkness, with the plash 
 and boom of the torrent rising from below, I felt 
 awe-stricken and almost terrified. For a moment I 
 became giddy and faint, but in the next I was standing 
 securely on firm soil. I think we were all relieved 
 when, waving farewell to our Thibetan friends on the 
 other side, we turned our backs on that Valley of 
 Shadows and River of Death. 
 
CHAPTER VII. 
 
 YAKS AND LAMAS. 
 
 OR. the next few stao-es of the route nothing 
 very wonderful befell us. The track was 
 more frequented, and more care had been 
 taken in its construction. In some places a narrow cause- 
 way had been hewn for a considerable distance along the 
 face of the cliffs, and occasionally the road was carried 
 over strong timber beams driven into the rock, and 
 paved with rough boards or slabs. The track still zig- 
 zagged as before from the clouds into the bowels of the 
 earth, and back again into the clouds ; but its direction, 
 as we were now on the highway to the famous city 
 of Tali, led us more to the southward instead of due 
 east. There were plenty of signs that we were 
 approaching civilization. The tribesmen whom we met 
 glared at us with greedy eyes, as if they would have 
 liked the excitement of rifling our packs and perhaps 
 cutting our throats ; but our resolute bearing and our 
 arms probably prevented attack. They were dressed no 
 
00 YAKS AND LAMAS. 
 
 longer in skins, but in blue and white cotton cloths, 
 which had probably been woven in Manchester. Herds 
 of goats, sheep, and yaks pastured about their huts, and 
 the patches of level ground were waving with ripe 
 barley, oats, and buckwheat, showing that more peace- 
 able pursuits than robbery and kidnapping rilled up 
 part at least of their time. 
 
 Then as we approached the " divide " between the 
 Salwen and the Mekong, we came at long intervals on 
 Thibetan grazing-farms and hamlets, and were able to 
 study how this secluded folk behave themselves at home. 
 The great two or three story houses, built of rough 
 stones, without mortar, looked like " border keeps " 
 • — as they really are. The tall stature, strongly-marked 
 features, and abrupt gestures of the people ; the coarse 
 garments of sheep-skin, drawn in at the waist by a 
 belt in which at least one formidable knife was always 
 stuck ; the strange nick-nacks of glass, turquoise, and 
 coral which they wore as charms or ornaments ; and the 
 big, fierce-looking dogs that slouched at their heels, were 
 all in thorough keeping with the houses. Within the 
 dwellings there were perhaps more dirt, and confusion, 
 and rude curiosity than we liked ; but the hearty good- 
 will and hospitality of the people made amends for all. 
 AVe were regaled with milk, butter, cheese, eggs, and 
 tsamba unlimited ; and we could hardly prevail on these 
 mountain shepherds to take anything in payment. A 
 
YAKS AND LAMAS. 91 
 
 sight of Hannibal's bare arm of ebony placed alongside 
 of our white skins was thought sufficient recompense, 
 and would make a whole company roar with laughter 
 for an hour. 
 
 We were warned, however, that it was all very plea- 
 sant so long as we were among the common people, but 
 that when we came across the lamas, who cherish a 
 fanatical hatred of our race and creed, we might " look 
 out for squalls." These lamas, as the reader may know, 
 dwell together, sometimes in communities of many thou- 
 sands, under a vow of celibacy and in perpetual contem- 
 plation of the virtues of their great master, Buddha. 
 By all accounts, however, they are a sad set of rascals, 
 who live in ease and idleness on the toils of men more 
 ignorant but more honest than themselves, and who have 
 managed by degrees to gather all the power and wealth 
 of the country into their hands. The cunning knaves 
 fuar that if foreign commerce found its way into the 
 country their day would be done, and hence their deter- 
 mination to turn back every stranger from their fron- 
 tiers. 
 
 We had some doubts as to our welcome when we 
 learned that another day's march would bring us to a 
 lamissary highly reputed for the sanctity and learning 
 of its inmates. By rare good fortune, however, we were 
 able to possess ourselves of the means of getting 
 into the good graces of the suspicious monks. We 
 
92 YAKS AND LAMAS. 
 
 were informed at a Thibetan hamlet that a party of 
 wild yaks, led by a bull of extraordinary size, had been 
 seen lately roving on the slopes of the neighbouring 
 snowy mountain. The doctor resolved to set out in 
 chase, as he had a special wish to study the peculiarities 
 of the wild breed. 
 
 Scouts brought in news that the yaks were feeding 
 in a grassy valley in a mass of mountains three or four 
 miles off, and partly in the direction in which we were 
 moving. "We learned that at the head of the glen there 
 was a pass over the mountain at some distance above the 
 snow-line ; and our plan of action was to send a party 
 of our Thibetan friends, who were easily tempted by the 
 prospect of fresh meat to join the enterprise, to disturb 
 the animals and head them up the valley. They would 
 be almost sure to endeavour to escape over the pass ; and 
 here, it was arranged, we should lie in wait to intercept 
 them. 
 
 We started at an unearthly hour in the morning, and 
 after a most fatiguing climb reached our posts before the 
 day was far advanced. Here we watched long without 
 any sign of a reward for our trouble. There was no 
 shelter, and in spite of our warm fur coverings we found 
 it terribly chilly work waiting among the snow, more 
 especially as the thick clouds of vapour that rolled about 
 us shut out our view of the world below. 
 
 " This is the coldest job we have had yet, and I can't 
 
YAKS AND LAMAS. 93 
 
 wonder that even yaks don't like to come up so high," 
 Tom said, rubbing his numbed hands and stamping his 
 feet, while the rest of us also hopped about as if we 
 were executing a new figure in a country dance. 
 
 " Hush ! " said Hannibal, who had an extremely quick 
 sense of hearing ; " t'ink I heah dat big fellow grunt. 
 Ha ! ha ! you jes' come up heah, will you, and get some- 
 fing to grunt for." 
 
 We listened, and after a little heard an angry snort 
 like that of a steam-engine, followed by a deep, hoarse, 
 lowing note that might have been mistaken for distant 
 thunder, and by the faint shouts of the beaters. After 
 a brief interval, which, however, seemed to us eager 
 stalkers an age, an immense shaggy head and shoulders 
 rose over the crest of the hill, and a pair of fiery eyes 
 glared around. It was the bio- bull himself, and a 
 splendid fellow he looked indeed, as he stood for a few 
 seconds petrified with rage and astonishment at the sight 
 of us. The doctor might have got a long shot at him at 
 that moment, but he waited in expectation of the bull 
 coming nearer. My three companions were posted in 
 front of the low pass ; while I had taken my station a 
 little to the left, in case the herd should head off in that 
 direction. I had brought with me an old-fashioned rest, 
 borrowed from our Kashgarec fellow-travellers, and on 
 this I now placed the barrel of my rifle, and with a 
 heart thumping with excitement dropped down on one 
 
94 YAKS AND LAMAS. 
 
 knee behind it. This curious movement seemed to de- 
 cide the bull. With a furious roar he charged straight 
 towards me ; while his companions, following his lead, 
 crested the brow of the hill, and bore down upon us like 
 a wave of tossing horns, tails, and manes. Our chief 
 had always strictly charged us against the barbarous 
 sport of wantonly destroying the wild game for killing's 
 sake, and in the present case he had only wished to 
 secure the big male. We were now, however, left with 
 no choice, and shot after shot resounded in the hills. 
 
 As for myself, my whole attention was taken up with 
 the monster bull, who seemed in a desperate hurry to 
 make my acquaintance. When he was within fifty 
 yards I fired. The shot struck him on the shoulder, but 
 rather low, and he fell bellowing loudly among the snow. 
 With all the haste I was capable of, I pushed another 
 cartridge into the breach, and stopped just in time, with 
 a bullet through the heart, one of the consorts of the 
 mighty bull as she came pounding down upon me. Mean- 
 while, the lord of the herd had struggled to his feet, stag- 
 gered forward some yards, and stood the picture of baffled 
 rage — his grand front and spreading horns thrown high 
 in the air, and his eyes blazing with wrath, lashing with 
 his tail his shaggy sides, and pawing with his hoofs the 
 snow that was stained with his blood. I drew the 
 trio-o-er of the second barrel, and with hardly a groan he 
 fell dead " in his tracks." 
 
YAKS AND LAMAS. 95 
 
 My companions had been equally successful in stop- 
 ping the charge of the younger bull and his mates, who, 
 after each receiving a shot in a vital place, had turned 
 and attempted to escape before getting their final coup. 
 
 Hardly was this brisk incident over when the beaters 
 appeared at the head of the pass, and great was their 
 rejoicing over our achievement ; but for ourselves, I 
 think a feeling of regret at having deprived so many 
 splendid, vigorous creatures of life was almost above our 
 sportsman's triumph. 
 
 Having possessed ourselves of the big bull's head, and 
 with as much yak's flesh as we cared to bring away 
 with us, we presented two of the carcasses to our assist- 
 ants as a recompense for their help, reserving the others 
 as a timely present for the inmates of the lamissary, 
 which could be reached in three hours' ride from the 
 spot where our adventure occurred. On the route we 
 were rejoined by our travelling companions, the Kash- 
 garee merchants, who listened to the details of our hunt 
 with no other response than a solemn " Allah be praised!" 
 at the close. They did not appear to have a large share 
 of the sportsman feeling themselves, and indeed we be- 
 gan to suspect that they were not much of traders 
 either, and to wonder what were really the contents of 
 the strange packages and bales that they carried with 
 them. If I have said little about them hitherto, it has 
 been because I had little to tell. They coldly repelled 
 
96 YAKS AND LAMAS. 
 
 our attempts to " fraternize " with them, and though 
 they were pleased enough with our companionship so 
 long as we were exposed to attack from the robber tribes, 
 they seemed to feel our presence become more em- 
 barrassing with every mile that brought us nearer to 
 the frontier of China. There was certainly something 
 mysterious about their journey and the excellent 
 understanding that existed between them and the 
 Thibetans. But Khodja Akbar Khan, the chief of the 
 party, a grave personage with deeply-marked, sinister- 
 looking features, and a flowing black beard edged with 
 gray, looked the last person in the world to let a secret 
 slip from him, and, judging by a fanatical gleam that 
 now and then shone in his eyes, he would probably have 
 felt more at his ease cutting off the heads of " infidels " 
 like ourselves than in travelling quietly in their com- 
 pany. His two chief associates appeared to be com- 
 pletely under subjection to him, and their half-dozen 
 attendants were as silent as mutes. 
 
 Meanwhile it was plain that we were approaching the 
 precincts of the lamissary. We had already seen many 
 signs of the Buddhist faith and worship since we had come 
 into this country. Every other person we met carried 
 a little cylinder, which he kept twirling round, muttering 
 at the same time something half below his breath. At 
 the door of each dwelling stood one and often several 
 larger cylinders of the same type, and every one that 
 
THIBETAN WITH HIS PRAYING-MILL 
 
 Page 96. 
 
YAKS AND LAMAS. 97 
 
 passed out or in gave the wheel a turn for the benefit of 
 the household. On the summits of the rocks we observed 
 other specimens of these prayer-mills — for such they were 
 — driven by the wind ; while at the crossings of streams 
 we invariably found a little water-wheel revolving with 
 the current, and enclosing a cylinder written over with the 
 strange characters that met our eyes wherever we went. 
 At every pass over the mountains we came upon what 
 in our own Highlands at home would be called a cairn, 
 made up of stones left there by faithful devotees of the 
 Yellow Religion in gratitude for having escaped thus far 
 the perils of the way, and to propitiate the favour of the 
 evil spirits of the hills ; and on each stone the mystic 
 letters were inscribed. From the trees by the wayside, 
 and at the end of long; wands hung like fishing-rods 
 over the streams, fluttered scraps of paper or cloth with 
 the pious formula repeated upon them, so that a breath 
 of wind could not blow without wafting to heaven 
 thousands of prayers from the wayfarers that had passed 
 over this road. The great sanctity of the monastery 
 Ave were about to visit was shown by the lines that 
 stretched across the ravine which led up to its gates, 
 and from which dangled innumerable rags of silk or 
 oiled paper, scribbled over with prayers ; and the rocks 
 on both sides were carved with the never - ending' 
 petition. 
 
 We began to meet the inmates of the monastery 
 
 (090) 7 
 
98 YAKS AND LAMAS. 
 
 walking singly or in twos and threes — tall, strange- 
 looking figures, generally dressed in long gowns of red 
 or green serge, with a yellow scarf across the shoulders, 
 and red boots. Their heads were shaven ; and under- 
 neath their black eyebrows they cast disdainful and 
 suspicious glances at us as we passed. Around their 
 necks they wore strings of coral beads like rosaries, and 
 each carried in his hand a little prayer-wheel, which he 
 assiduously twirled while he mumbled his litany. They 
 may have been learned and pious men, but there could 
 be no question that they were deplorably dirty. 
 
 " What do these fellows mean by continually mut- 
 tering, 'Niminy-piminy, niminy-piminy,' sir?" asked 
 Tom the querist, turning to our usual source for infor- 
 mation, as we rode up towards the gate of a great pile 
 of blind-looking buildings that now came in sight, and that 
 might have been mistaken for an old feudal " strength " 
 but for the gilded roof rising in the centre, with gables 
 turned up at the corners, like those we had seen in 
 pictures of Chinese pagodas. 
 
 "I daresay it sounds more like 'niminy-piminy' than 
 anything else," said Dr. Roland, smiling, " and has about 
 as much meaning to them. They intend to say, ' Om 
 mani pemi horn.' " 
 
 "And what does ' Om mani pemi horn' mean, then?" 
 
 " It means, ' Oh, the jewel in the lotus.' " 
 
 " But," said Tom, looking more puzzled than before, 
 
YAKS AND LAMAS. 99 
 
 " I don't see that that makes it much plainer. What is 
 ' the jewel in the lotus ' ? " 
 
 " Nay, you have cornered me now, Tom," said our 
 friend ; " whole libraries of books have been written 
 about it, and instead of making it plainer they have 
 only made the mystery more profound. Every syllable 
 has been taken to pieces, and every letter dissected, and 
 the strangest and most contradictory meanings discovered 
 hidden in them. I have no doubt our friends there," 
 pointing to a group that were busily twirling their 
 wheels, " have the whole controversy at their finger- 
 ends, like the prayer itself. It is the universal petition 
 of the votaries of Buddha, and is supposed to be a 
 prayer for that perfection of life which will admit them, 
 after passing through millions of changes, into Nirvana 
 — the state of total unconsciousness which is their sad 
 notion of heaven and future bliss. You may be sure 
 that at any given moment this mystic prayer is being- 
 repeated by hundreds of thousands of lips in Buddhist 
 lands." 
 
 I am not sure whether the doctor's explanation made 
 us much the wiser, and we were still struggling to com- 
 prehend it when we halted at the gate of the lamissary. 
 Notice had been sent of our coming, and the chief lama, 
 with his principal officers, was in waiting for us, most 
 gorgeously dressed in robes of red and yellow, and his 
 head crowned with an immense gilded hat. He was a 
 
100 YAKS AND LAMAS. 
 
 wcazcned-faccd old man, whose expression of features 
 spoke more of cunning and meanness than of benevo- 
 lence. I thought I caught a look of intelligence ex- 
 changed between him and Khodja Akbar, whose arrival 
 did not seem to surprise him, and then he turned 
 towards us with an air that did not bode any good- 
 will. On Dr. Roland coming forward, however, and 
 explaining, as we gathered from his gestures, — for he 
 spoke in Chinese, — the handsome addition we had pro- 
 vided for the larder of the monastery, the old bonze's 
 mien underwent a wonderful change, and his features 
 puckered up into a smile that was meant to be affable. 
 It is against the strict rules of the order to partake of 
 the flesh of any animal, for according to the Buddhist 
 belief it may have harboured the soul of some of their dead 
 ancestors ; but in these remote mountains the monks do 
 not keep their vows very strictly. So our present was 
 graciously accepted, and a party of men and mules was 
 hastily despatched to the pass to bring away the car- 
 casses of the yaks l>efore they would be discovered by 
 the gaunt Thibetan wolves, while we were ushered into 
 the interior of the lamissary. 
 
 We found ourselves in a spacious courtyard, sur- 
 rounded on three sides by the living-rooms of the lamas, 
 with a great temple, highly decorated and gilt, facing 
 us. After being shown the lodging which we were to 
 occupy for the night, we were taken into the temple, 
 
YAKS AND LAMAS. 101 
 
 where a huge brazen statue of Buddha was the chief 
 object, and was surrounded by altars of offering, barbar- 
 ous musical instruments, and carved dragons and other 
 fantastic figures. The walls were painted with strange 
 pictures and devices in glaring colours, while in recesses 
 were rows of small figures of Buddha in solid gold, rolls 
 of manuscript, and other treasures. Here, by direction, 
 we deposited our principal valuables under the care of 
 the presiding deity. We noticed that even here great 
 deference was paid by the Buddhist priests to our 
 Mussulman companions, though what could be the bond 
 of union between people so widely separated by race 
 and creed we could not imagine. It could not be love, 
 for I noticed that on leaving the temple Khodja Akbar 
 spat on the ground in token of his abhorrence of the 
 idolaters — though the Buddhists deny that they are idol- 
 worshippers, and say that the figures in their temples 
 are only memorials in honour of their great teacher. 
 The insult was noticed by one of our lama guides, and I 
 shall not easily forget the look of concentrated hate that 
 he darted at the offender. 
 
 We were afterwards served with an ample meal, in 
 which the unfailing tsamba and buttered tea formed the 
 principal dishes ; but there was also a variety of small 
 cakes and confections, in the making of which the monks 
 showed not a little skill and taste. Our Mussulman 
 fellow-travellers, as usual, ate apart. They retired early 
 
102 YAKS AND LAMAS. 
 
 from the guest-chamber ; and as it was slow work ex- 
 changing ideas with the monks by means of signs, we 
 were not long in following their example. 
 
 The sun was shining brightly in the courtyard when 
 we awakened next morning, the early hour at which we 
 had been up the previous day, and the toils and excite- 
 ment of the yak hunt, having caused all of us to over- 
 sleep our usual hour of rising. To our surprise we found, 
 on making inquiry of the monks, that Khodja Akbar and 
 his company had left before we were up, without taking 
 the trouble of saying good-bye. More than that, the 
 gate of the lamissary was not only closed, but a goodly 
 number of the inmates were gathered about it, as if to 
 bar any attempt to pass through. We could see from 
 the doctor's looks that he was very uneasy and anxious 
 to get off. A plot of some kind was being woven, and 
 we had got entangled in the meshes against our will. 
 Luckily we had resisted the pressing offers of the lamas 
 to take charge of our weapons for us, so that at the 
 worst we were well armed. Dr. Roland asked to see 
 the chief lama, and he came to us with a face that had 
 lost all the forced amiability that it wore yesterday. In 
 fact, without understanding the words he addressed to 
 our chief, we could notice distinctly a tone of insolence 
 in his voice, which grew gradually more marked as the 
 conversation proceeded. We waited anxiously for the 
 upshot, feeling that some dangerous crisis was approach- 
 
YAKS AND LAMAS. 103 
 
 ing. The doctor seemed to begin by offering thanks 
 for the hospitality Ave had received, and a calm request 
 that we should now be allowed to bid good-bye to our 
 hosts. The lama replied in mocking accents, and as the 
 doctor proceeded to repeat his request more firmly, the 
 high priest appeared to give an emphatic refusal ; while 
 the men with whom the courtyard was filled drew 
 nearer in a threatening manner as they heard words 
 rising high. We, also, while hiding our anxiety as much 
 as Ave could, began to get our weapons ready ; for we 
 suspected that though the shedding of blood was for- 
 bidden to the brotherhood, they were capable of finding 
 means of making away with troublesome visitors that 
 Avould satisfy their consciences on that score. 
 
 Dr. Roland appeared to make up his mind that it 
 was time to act with energy. Drawing his revolver — 
 a six-chambered one — from his belt, he glanced round 
 the enclosure until his eye fell on an immense gong that 
 hung near the convent gate. The sight of it probably 
 reminded him of the capital practice that he had made 
 at Hannibal's saucepan, and taking aim at it as at a 
 target, he fired five shots in quick succession, drilling as 
 many holes through the sounding brass in a Avay that 
 must have sadly marred its after performances. Then, 
 while Ave brought our rifles to our shoulders, he turned 
 on the mob of lamas that had been hurrying up from 
 all sides, but Avho now fled helter-skelter, tripping over 
 
104 YAKS AND LAMAS. 
 
 each other and on the hems of their Ions'- gowns in their 
 haste to get out of the way of the terrible little weapon. 
 The chief lama alone held his ground, but his yellow, 
 wrinkled face was so convulsed with fear and surprise 
 that it was quite comical to see. He had some notion 
 of the power of the gun, — indeed, an old-fashioned 
 flintlock is one of the regular arms of the Thibetan 
 soldier, — -but this marvellous article, with the magical 
 property of firing without needing to be loaded, 
 was new to him, and he evidently believed that the 
 doctor held in his hand the lives of himself and all his 
 convent. When, therefore, he heard the request to bring 
 out our mules and to throw open the gate repeated in 
 stern tones, with the revolver pointed at his head, he 
 sulkily gave the necessary command to his underlings, 
 who hastened to obey the order, plainly more anxious 
 now to see us beyond their walls than they had been a 
 little before to retain us. 
 
 In a minute or two we were again mounted on our 
 long-eared but sagacious steeds, retreating in triumph 
 with our baggage, which had not escaped some pillaging, 
 though we did not care just then to examine narrowly 
 the extent, and pursued at a safe distance by yells, 
 curses, and stones from our hospitable entertainers of 
 the previous evening. 
 
CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 ASTRAY IX THE MOUNTAINS. 
 
 IOR several hours we rode on with scarcely any 
 other purpose in view than to put as wide a 
 distance as possible between us and our late 
 hosts. Several roads, or rather bridle-tracks, led away 
 in different directions from the lamissary. We chose the 
 one that the doctor's pocket-compass told us agreed the 
 most closely with the line we wished to follow — namely, 
 towards the south-east. I cannot, of course, tell whether 
 the others were as rough and steep, but if they were, I 
 do not believe that the lamas can much enjoy riding- 
 exercise. A path more bare, desolate, and savage as to 
 surroundings, or more narrow, slippery, and rugged under 
 foot, we had not yet traversed. The sun glared strongly 
 upon us as we crossed a patch of open country, or 
 scrambled and slipped along a broken mountain-side ; 
 while down in the deep gorges into which we plunged 
 ever and anon, we had difficulty in making out the 
 path. Still, we hastened on with all the speed our nags 
 
106 ASTRAY IN THE MOUNTAINS. 
 
 were capable of, occasionally discussing eagerly the ex- 
 citing scene in which we had just taken part, and the 
 motives that could have prompted the lamas to keep us 
 prisoners, but more often silent ; for the roughness of 
 the track generally compelled us to ride in Indian file, 
 and to keep all our wits about us. Soon after losing 
 sight of the lamissary the signs of cultivation and in- 
 habitants disappeared, and for some time we had been 
 wandering through a region that seemed utterly deserted 
 by man and beast. 
 
 As the sun got low in the heavens the doctor drew 
 rein in a little green valley, where our hungry animals 
 at once began to nibble the clover and grass. We were 
 glad to fling ourselves down on the sward, thoroughly 
 exhausted with the toils of the day. 
 
 " I don't know if we will find any place more snug 
 than where we are," remarked our leader, " though by 
 my reckoning we cannot be far from the great Mekong 
 river. Our friends the lamas will hardly care to come 
 so far to fetch us back, and I think we may camp here 
 pretty safe from pursuit." 
 
 " Is the country uninhabited, sir, that we have seen 
 neither men nor houses for the last few hours ? " I in- 
 quired. 
 
 " My notion is that we are in the border-land between 
 Thibetan and Chinese territory," said the doctor ; " and 
 like other border-lands in barbarous countries, it is not 
 
ASTRAY IN THE MOUNTAINS. 107 
 
 a quarter to choose for leading a quiet life. I would 
 not have thought you would be so anxious, Bob, to meet 
 with your fellow-rnen after the little experience you had 
 with the Mishmis and the Lu-tze, not to mention our 
 entertainers of this morning. I am surprised, though, 
 that we have met with no roving banditti, for in this 
 country a troop of these rascals is usually to be found 
 between the settled districts. We must keep our eyes 
 " well skinned " to-night, and not let sleep get the better 
 of us, as it did this morning when we allowed Khodja 
 Akbar and his company to slip away unperceived." 
 
 " Have you any idea where he has gone ? " 
 
 " I should not like to venture a guess about a per- 
 sonage so mysterious ; but it is plain that he has not 
 travelled by this road, otherwise, at the speed we have 
 travelled, we would have overtaken him and his com- 
 pany. Between ourselves, I should not be sorry if we 
 have seen the last of them." 
 
 " You needn't cook anything for me to-night, Hanni- 
 bal," said Tom, trying to put the best face on it; " I feel 
 too tired to eat." 
 
 " Berry lucky dat is, Massa Tom," replied the negro 
 dryly : " couldn't gib you anyt'ing if you asked for it." 
 
 " It was a pity we let those fellows have all these 
 juicy yak-steaks, wasn't it ? " pursued Tom, with a mis- 
 chievous twinkle in his eye. 
 
 The question was too much for Hannibal's composure. 
 
108 ASTRAY IN THE MOUNTAINS. 
 
 Visions of the whole unwashed crowd of lamas feasting 
 on the " roast and boiled " which we had provided for 
 them, while his dear master had not a morsel to eat, 
 rose before him, and he shook his fist fiercely in the 
 direction from whence we had come. 
 
 " Don't see any more bears hidin' around, Massa Bob?" 
 he asked, after recovering his good humour. 
 
 Involuntarily I glanced along the slope of the hill 
 above, and fancied I caught a glimpse of some dark- 
 looking object suddenly withdrawing from sight behind 
 a mass of rock. I called the attention of my companions 
 to the spot, and we prepared cautiously to examine it 
 more closely. This could hardly be a bear, and the idea 
 that occurred to us was that it was some spy watching 
 our movements, whether in the interests of robbers, 
 lamas, or Mussulman traders remained to be seen. As 
 we ascended the hill, the figure of a man rose from be- 
 hind the rock and drew near to us, with a singular mix- 
 ture of eager curiosity and of hesitation in his manner. 
 From his features and other signs, including tattoo-marks 
 on his cheeks, we judged him to belong to the same race 
 of savages whom we had seen scattered by the Thibetans 
 on the other side of the Salwen. But in the new-comer 
 all the harsh traits were subdued and refined. He was 
 decently and cleanly clad also, in blue cotton jacket and 
 wide trousers ; and altogether there was a certain air of 
 civilization about him which we hardly expected to meet 
 
ASTRAY IX THE MOUNTAINS. 109 
 
 with in such a spot. You may judge if our surprise 
 was diminished when, having approached within a few 
 paces of us, he looked anxiously from face to face, and 
 then rapidly made the sign of the cross, such as is prac- 
 tised in Roman Catholic countries. 
 
 The doctor, however, appeared to have a clue to the 
 mystery that puzzled us so greatly, and entered into a 
 conversation with the native, who, by means of signs 
 and a few words of Chinese and French, led our con- 
 ductor to understand that his dwelling was close at 
 hand, and that he would be glad to conduct us thither. 
 The offer was made with a friendly cordiality that con- 
 vinced the doctor that it was made in good faith ; and 
 in a few minutes we had dragged our stiff limbs into the 
 saddle, and, with the strano-er as our o-uide, were ao-ain 
 climbing rocky hills and threading stony passes. In 
 about a quarter of an hour we came upon the upper end 
 of a pretty, winding valley, that, with fine trees shad- 
 ing the small stream flowing through the centre, and a 
 few sheep and goats pasturing on the slopes that rose 
 gently on either side, had a charmingly peaceful and 
 inviting aspect after the rugged and toilsome ways by 
 which we had reached this haven of rest. A neat 
 cottage, surrounded by a few fruit trees, with a little 
 garden in front containing vegetables and even a few 
 flowers, occupied a sheltered nook in the valley. To 
 this the guide led us, and motioned us to dismount; and 
 
110 ASTRAY IN THE MOUNTAINS. 
 
 while our mules began to crop the grass, we seated our- 
 selves under the shady porch of the hut. 
 
 Our host disappeared inside, and presently came forth 
 with a huge wooden bowl lilled with rich goat's milk, 
 and a pile of crisp barley cakes, which, with a gesture 
 of welcome, he laid before us. Then with a natural 
 feeling of good breeding he withdrew into the back- 
 ground beside his wife, whose shyness would not allow 
 her to come forward, though we could see that in dress 
 and looks she was as unlike her wild unkempt kindred as 
 her husband. It made me almost ashamed, after listen- 
 ing to his declaration a few minutes before that he had 
 no appetite, to see the way in which Tom Wilson 
 " tucked into " the milk and cakes. But the rest of us 
 were not a whit behind him ; and the bowl, which had 
 seemed bottomless, was emptied at last. Then after we 
 had rested a little, the master of the hut, whose name, 
 it turned out, was Nga-te, signed to us that it was time 
 to resume the march ; and rather wondcringly — for we 
 had counted on passing the night in this pleasant spot — 
 we prepared to follow him down the valley. 
 
 On the way he explained to us that a wise and good 
 man of our nation had come among the wild robber 
 tribes of this district, and after years of labour and dis- 
 appointment, had persuaded them to lay aside their 
 savage habits and their wandering life, and to settle down 
 around him in this valley, where they now dwelt peace- 
 
ASTRAY IN THE MOUNTAINS. Ill 
 
 ably and pleasantly, tilling the ground and tending their 
 flocks, instead of fighting and plundering. He had 
 taught them beautiful lessons of mutual love and for- 
 bearance out of a book ; but it was chiefly by his ex- 
 ample of self-denying kindness, patience, and gentleness, 
 that they had become devoted to him, as our guide 
 appeared to be, heart and soul. Nga had been searching 
 on the hills for a stray goat when he first noticed us. 
 Something about our appearance gave him the notion 
 that we were of the same race as his pastor, and the 
 longer he watched us he grew the more convinced of the 
 fact, and he was about to steal away and warn the 
 settlement of our coming when we observed him. 
 
 Thus discoursing, chiefly by signs, we passed several 
 other cottages, embowered in leaves and with little 
 patches of cultivated ground about them, the occupants of 
 which came to their doors and saluted us with respectful 
 interest, no doubt wondering what manner of people we 
 were and whence we had come. 
 
 At a sudden turn in the bed of the valley a lovely 
 scene broke upon us. At our feet was a steep 
 descent, down which the brook at our side bickered 
 in a series of cascades, overhung with masses of beauti- 
 ful ferns, and by fine trees that were beginning to put 
 fin their autumn dress. Below, the hills receded on 
 either side, and the vale opened up to meet a mighty 
 stream, whose turbid current ran like a broad yellow 
 
112 ASTRAY IN THE MOUNTAINS. 
 
 band across the landscape. This could be none other 
 than the famous Mekong, the great river of Cambodia, 
 whose course, from its unvisited source in the northern 
 deserts of Thibet to its mouth in the Chinese Sea, pro- 
 bably rivals that of some of the longest rivers on earth. 
 On this rolling flood, overshadowed on the opposite 
 shore by lofty pine-clad peaks that dipped their feet in 
 the water, we gazed for some seconds in awe, though as 
 yet we little dreamed of the perils and sufferings that 
 we were to encounter on its bosom. Then we turned 
 our eyes on the scene immediately below us. A score 
 of houses, mere cabins in size, but neatly thatched and 
 arranged with some sense of order and taste, were 
 grouped about a building of rather larger dimensions, 
 near which was a little chapel surmounted by a cross. 
 Fruit trees, most of them of kinds which you are familiar 
 with in the temperate zone, grew thickly about the 
 dwellings, and trailing plants covered their walls. So 
 close were we to them that we could make out the ripe 
 apples, peaches, and apricots shining among the foliage. 
 Around the village were fields of ripe or ripening barley, 
 wheat, and maize ; and down near the river were dark 
 and light tinted plots, which our Assam experience told 
 us must be " paddy " or rice-fields. The desolate moun- 
 tains that surrounded the scene, like the frame of a 
 picture, only made this green and peaceful little Eden 
 look more refreshing and inviting to us weary travellers. 
 
CHAPTER IX. 
 
 A HAVEN OF REST. 
 
 EAVING our mules in charge of the villagers, 
 who testified as much delight as astonish- 
 ment at our arrival, we hastened to the 
 house of the missionary, wishing, if possible, to take him 
 by surprise. We were not disappointed in this ; for on 
 looking over the trim beech hedge that surrounded his 
 garden, we found him absorbed in the care of his plants, 
 and all unconscious that such guests were at hand. The 
 carefully-propped fruit-trees and the alleys of rhododen- 
 dron and tall box cast a shade most tempting for people 
 who had been so long exposed to scorching sun and cut- 
 ting winds. The rustic seat under the veranda, over- 
 hung with broad vine leaves and clusters of purple 
 grapes, seemed made for jaded limbs to repose upon. 
 The flowers and ferns, the cool-looking little spring of 
 water in the centre ornamented with pebbles and aquatic 
 plants, the glimpse we got through the open window of 
 books and writing materials, all spoke of a cultivated 
 
 (690) g 
 
114 A HAVEN OF REST. 
 
 taste. But most attractive of all was the worthy pastor 
 himself, as, ignorant of our scrutiny, he bent earnestly 
 over his task of weeding his plants. His rather tall and 
 dignified figure was clad in flowing cotton garments, 
 which in cut were a compromise between the Chinese 
 and European fashions. He was considerably past the 
 middle age ; and time and care had ploughed some 
 wrinkles on the broad forehead and smoothly-shaven 
 cheeks. The general expression of the face was one of 
 winning goodness ; but the full dark eyes seemed 
 capable of giving a stern glance, and the kind-looking 
 lips of being compressed with a look of energy and 
 decision. 
 
 " Bonjour, M. l'Abbe," said the doctor, in his heartiest 
 tones. 
 
 The Abbe Ducrot — for such we learned was the name 
 and ecclesiastical rank of the excellent French missionary 
 — started at hearing so unexpectedly the accents of his 
 native tongue. He looked up quickly, and his eyes 
 meeting the black grinning features of Hannibal, who 
 happened to be directly in his " line of vision," the Dutch 
 hoe which he was using dropped from his hands in his 
 amazement. I am not sure whether the good man's first 
 idea was not that he was about to be assailed by the 
 Evil One ; and if this notion was dispelled on glancing 
 at the other members of the party, the youthful faces 
 of Tom and myself, and the bronzed features and the 
 
A HAVEN OF REST. 115 
 
 ample beard of Dr. Roland, appearing as if by magic just 
 above the level of his garden hedge, were in themselves 
 bewildering enough. A few words from our leader, 
 however, explained how matters stood, and M. Ducrot 
 hastened to us, welcoming us with the warmth of an old 
 friend, and with a charming courtesy of manner, as if we 
 were honoured and long-expected guests. 
 
 As the sim had now set, and the nights are cold at 
 this season, we did not linger long outside ; and for the 
 same reason, when we had been ushered into the good 
 priest's dwelling, we were glad to gather round the stove, 
 while our host lighted his lamp, and bustled about, with 
 the aid of a native pupil and Hannibal, to lay the re- 
 sources of his bachelor establishment at our disposal. 
 After our performances at Nga's, we were not able to do 
 so much justice to the good father's fare as it deserved 
 or as he would have liked. We preferred to revel in 
 the luxury of being again surrounded by all the signs 
 of civilized life. Everything looked so home-like that 
 we mi^ht almost have been seated in a snug English 
 study. The light shone on well -rilled book -shelves 
 ranged round the walls, and a white table-cloth, with 
 knives, forks, and glasses, actually graced the board. 
 Still more surprising was it, perhaps, to see the abbe 
 bring forth a box of prime havannahs, which he smilingly 
 tendered to the doctor. Our host did not smoke him- 
 self, but some of his friends at Shanghai had forwarded 
 
116 A HAVEN OF REST. 
 
 to him this present, which he would be delighted if his 
 guest could find use for. 
 
 This led them on to speak of the European society 
 at Shanghai, which Dr. Roland had visited, and where 
 he had picked up the smattering of Chinese he possessed. 
 Our host, in order to give us lads the benefit of the con- 
 versation, good-naturedly spoke in English, which he 
 talked with much fluency. But it did not need this to 
 make us feel as if we were in the presence of a country- 
 man — though, of course, M. Ducrot was not only of dif- 
 ferent race but of another creed than ours. But away 
 in this remote region, surrounded by savage and hostile 
 peoples, the distinction between Frenchman and English- 
 man, stanch Protestant and zealous Romanist, so great 
 as that seemed in Europe, was of comparatively little 
 account. Last evening we were in an atmosphere that 
 was loaded with danger and suspicion. Hate and preju- 
 dice were barely covered by a thin show of hospitality, 
 and everything was petty, false, and base. To-night we 
 breathed again freely. All was frank, manly, kindly, 
 and honest, and we understood the difference between 
 Christian Europe and benighted Asia. 
 
 To our host we were like messengers from another 
 planet, and he eagerly questioned us as to the great 
 public events, the discoveries in science, and the move- 
 ments in literature and art, since he last had tidings 
 from the outer world ; and on all these matters Dr. 
 
A HAVEN OF REST. 117 
 
 Roland was able fully to satisfy him. "We recounted 
 our adventures, and presented him with some scraps of 
 old "home" newspapers which we found among our 
 packages. The news in them was three months old, but 
 a year had passed since he had heard from Europe, 
 and he accepted them more eagerly than if they had 
 been crisp bank-notes. In return he told us something 
 of his own experiences in founding this nourishing little 
 colony. It was a history of heroism and devotion, better 
 worth recording than that of our own aimless wander- 
 ings, but too long to be inserted here. Even now, when 
 success had so far crowned his efforts, he could not tell 
 when misfortune might come, " like a bolt from the 
 blue," through the hatred of the lamas, the jealousy of 
 the Chinese officials, or the outbreak of civil war, and 
 ruin all his labours. 
 
 This led the abbe and our chief to discuss at great 
 length the circumstances of the land and the times ; and 
 though the rest of the party did not understand half of 
 what these seniors talked about, we knew that they had 
 found a clue to the mysterious conduct of Khodja Akbar 
 and the people of the monastery. They spoke of China 
 as decrepit and feeble, like some huge giant whom age 
 and disease had made almost helpless. The outbreak 
 of Mohammedan and other rebellions in different parts 
 of the empire had, a few years before, threatened to break 
 up> the Flowery Land into discordant fragments, and it had 
 
118 A HAVEN OF REST. 
 
 only recovered its unity after a terrible effort. In the 
 province in which we had now arrived — Yunnan — civil 
 war had raged for nearly a generation ; a Mussulman 
 kingdom had been founded and destroyed amid incredible 
 bloodshed. Flourishing cities had been razed to the 
 ground, and by battle, massacre, famine, and pestilence 
 six-sevenths of the population had been swept away. 
 The province, M. Ducrot told us, had no sooner begun to 
 recover from its exhaustion than disturbances were ready 
 to break out again. Reports had come to him of new 
 risings of the Panthays — as the Mussulman rebels were 
 called — in the country beyond the river. The lamas 
 were eager to throw off the yoke of Pekin, and would 
 gladly encourage the insurgents. 
 
 Our seniors had no doubt that Khodja Akbar, instead 
 of being a " trader," was none other than a Mohammedan 
 " mullah," or priest, charged with the task of stirring up 
 the smouldering zeal of the followers of the prophet, and 
 probably the bearer of important tidings from some other 
 disaffected portion of the wide dominions of the "Brother 
 of the Sun and Father of the Moon." They were also of 
 opinion that we could not safely carry out our intention 
 of proceeding through China, with the certainty of fall- 
 ing into the clutches of the " white flags " or the " red 
 flags," — the Imperialists or the Panthays, — or into those of 
 the brigands. Then the question arose, What other route 
 was open to us ? The most feasible seemed to be one 
 
A HAVEN OF REST. 119 
 
 that led to Bhamo, on the Upper Irrawady, in the territory 
 of His Majesty of the Golden Foot. But even in making 
 for Burmah we would meet " lions on the way," in the 
 shape of robbers, rebels, and savages, not to mention 
 lofty mountains and deep rivers. 
 
 The doctor suggested the great river, whose hoarse 
 roar we could hear without, as a means of escape from 
 our predicament. The abbe shook his head. 
 
 " Frenchmen have found it impossible to follow up 
 that most intractable stream further than the Chinese 
 frontier," he said, with a touch of national pride. " I 
 acknowledge the great qualities of your countrymen, M. 
 le Docteur — their courage, their perseverance, and their 
 energy — but I cannot admit that they will succeed where 
 my own compatriots have failed." 
 
 " But though Frenchmen were unable to ascend the 
 river in the rainy season, might not Frenchmen have 
 succeeded in descending it in the season favourable 
 for travel ? And may not Englishmen ? " replied the 
 doctor, a little amused. 
 
 " That is true," said the excellent missionary, smiling ; 
 " but," he added, " you are a weak party, and will be 
 almost at the mercy of the turbulent and barbarous 
 tribes that dwell on the river." 
 
 " Yes ; but we are humble travellers, and not im- 
 portant personages, with grand schemes in their heads 
 of opening up an unwilling empire to trade, and so we 
 
120 A HAVEN OF REST. 
 
 may escape some of the troublesome notice that greater 
 folks have met with. At any rate, it will be well to 
 have the river to fall back upon." 
 
 " True, also," said the abbe' ; and thus closed the first 
 of many conversations we had on this and kindred sub- 
 jects, for we had already talked far into the night. 
 
 We spent a delightful week at Ping-wan-chin, and 
 ourselves and our beasts rapidly recruited from our 
 fatigues. Nothing could exceed the kindness of the 
 abbe, or the goodwill and helpfulness of the villagers. 
 We were not idle either. The doctor's notion of rest 
 included several hours a day of botanizing and geologiz- 
 ing, surveying the hills, gauging the volume of the river, 
 and similar work. We had even a few mild adventures 
 in climbing the beetling cliffs on the margin of the 
 Mekong, and exploring the woods ; and one day we had 
 quite a dangerous " sensation." It happened in this way. 
 We had been busy all day scrambling over rocks, and 
 collecting mineral, plant, and animal specimens ; and in 
 the quiet of the afternoon, previous to starting for home, 
 we rested for half an hour. Dr. Roland had perched 
 himself on a ledge of rock that overlooked a wide extent 
 of country ; and after having made an outline sketch of 
 the hills and valleys that the view commanded, was now 
 thoughtfully smoking one of M. Ducrot's cigars, while 
 Mandarin, a young Thibetan dog belonging to the abbe, 
 had fallen asleep at his feet, tired with several hours of 
 
A HAVEN OF EEST. 121 
 
 racino- and chasing. Not far off I was stretched at full 
 length on a juniper bush, enjoying its fragrant odour, 
 so suggestive of " my native heath," and watching the 
 frantic efforts of a beetle with a burnished-copper back 
 to climb up a slippeiy piece of rock. In fact, I fear I 
 was letting my thoughts bear me away into a kind of 
 day-dream, when I fancied I heard a pebble fall. 
 Looking down into the little gully that separated me 
 from the doctor, to my horror I saw a great mountain 
 leopard, which had stolen up to within a few yards of 
 him, and seemed in the act of contracting its muscles to 
 make a spring. My tongue seemed to be paralyzed with 
 fear, and before I could utter a word, a little puff of 
 smoke rose within a few yards of me, accompanied with 
 the report of a rifle, and the leopard rolled over in the 
 convulsions of death. It was Tom, who, more careful 
 than myself, had kept his gun loaded near his hand, 
 and who had managed just in time to send a bullet 
 crashing through the great cat's skull. 
 
 You should have seen how the doctor and Mandarin 
 started up, the one from reverie and the other from 
 sleep, and how the latter barked and growled over the 
 body, as if he had the whole credit of the performance, 
 while our chief came up and shook Tom warmly by the 
 hand. I also grasped the dear fellow's fist hard, with 
 feelings of deep thankfulness for what he had done, and 
 with reproachful regret that I also had not been found 
 
122 A HAVEN OF REST. 
 
 on guard and ready for the emergency. Hannibal said 
 little, but he looked at Tom in a way that said as plainly 
 as words that he owed him a good turn, which he would 
 take the earliest possible chance of repaying. The 
 animal Tom had shot was a female, and a search of the 
 neighbourhood threw light on the extreme boldness she 
 had shown; for in a recess in the rocks, not many paces 
 off, we came upon three very young leopard cubs, whose 
 lives the mother had evidently believed to be in jeo- 
 pardy. We brought home the cubs, which were about 
 the size of half-grown kittens, and prettily marked ; and 
 M. Ducrot was to try the experiment of rearing them. 
 We have not heard since what was their fate. 
 
 The day had now come when we had to bid farewell 
 to our kind host and the many friends we had made in 
 the village. A longer stay with them was not unlikely to 
 bring the settlement into trouble ; and we had not any 
 time to spare, if we were to make use of the most suit- 
 able season for travelling. The doctor left his scientific 
 gleanings in charge of the abbe*, who in turn loaded us 
 with everything he imagined would be useful, while his 
 flock also brought their goodwill offerings. They gathered 
 together to assist in packing our mules, and to see us 
 depart ; and, as they had learned from their pastor, they 
 shouted " Bon voyage ! " after us as we rode slowly 
 away. Our rest in this happy valley among these 
 simple, kindly folks had been very grateful to us. It 
 
A HAVEN OF REST. 123 
 
 was like a half-way house where we had found shelter 
 and a welcome in a tempest, and we felt sad at heart as 
 we prepared to plunge again into the storm. The excel- 
 lent priest seemed at least as sorry to part with us. He 
 accompanied us some distance beyond the village ; and 
 when at last he shook our hands at leaving, I think I 
 saw moisture in his eyes. I am not sure, however, as 
 my own were not very clear at the time. 
 
CHAPTER X. 
 
 AMONG THE PIGTAILS. 
 
 F I were to mention the outlandish names of 
 half the places that we passed or where we 
 halted during the next few stages of our 
 journey, or to describe the hills we climbed, the defiles 
 we threaded, the streams we crossed, and the strange 
 customs and dresses of the people we came in contact 
 with, the patience of the most gentle of readers might 
 be worn out. At first we followed as closely as we 
 could down the banks of the great Mekong, and the 
 roar of its turbulent waters was never long out of our 
 ears. The road was still an endless succession of ascents 
 and descents ; but we began to think — perhaps it was 
 that our eyes were getting accustomed to heights 
 and depths — that the mountains were not so lofty nor 
 the valleys between them quite so profound as those we 
 had left behind us. There seemed to be more level 
 ground, and there certainly were more people and cul- 
 tivation. The hill-tops grew more rounded and grassy, 
 
AMONG THE PIGTAILS. 125 
 
 and the slopes of the valleys were less steep, and were 
 covered with beautiful woods of pine, oak, chestnut, and 
 other trees. 
 
 Sometimes the trees were scattered over a rolling 
 sward, singly or in clumps, looking like an ornamental 
 English park, and there were not wanting troops of 
 deer and coveys of partridges and pheasants to complete 
 the resemblance. At the bottom of these green and 
 wooded glens, along the banks of the little tributary 
 streams, wooden cottages with vegetable gardens, orchards, 
 and tilled fields became not uncommon. 
 
 The doctor pointed out to us how the shaggy yaks 
 and coarse-wooled sheep that we had seen feeding on 
 the hills, guarded by rough-coated and loud-tongued 
 Thibetan shepherds, had disappeared. Their place was 
 taken by more domesticated-looking animals ; and the 
 people at work in the fields were dressed in light and 
 loose cotton garments, instead of sheep-skins and furs. 
 As we advanced southward, gradually descending, rice 
 and Indian corn superseded the thin barley, oats, and 
 rye, and plantations of sugar, cotton, and tobacco told 
 of a warmer climate. The white flowers of the poppy 
 plant, from which opium is manufactured, blazed in the 
 plains below us, and mulberry and tea trees showed 
 where silk or tea culture occupied a busy people. At 
 length a thicket of bamboos by the side of the river 
 warned us to keep on the alert for the " big game " of 
 
126 AMONG THE PIGTAILS. 
 
 the jungle — the tiger, the alligator, and the buffalo — as 
 we had fairly returned into tropical climes, after a 
 sojourn in the arctic regions. 
 
 The change in the faces and in the manners of the 
 people was even more wonderful. At first, at long inter- 
 vals, we came on little villages composed of a few huts of 
 stone, huddled together as if to keep each other warm, 
 and not unlike the Thibetan hamlets we had visited. 
 But the natives spoke neither Thibetan nor Chinese, nor 
 any other language that the doctor was acquainted with ; 
 and they lived under chiefs who appeared to care 
 nothing for either grand lama or emperor. They were 
 very kindly and hospitable to us, however ; and pro- 
 bably it was their picturesque costume, — jaunty little 
 hats perched on their heads, gaily-coloured jackets and 
 embroidered belts, and le^s swathed in lono- rolls of 
 cloth, like Piedmontese peasants, — together with their 
 light shade of complexion and high, well-cut features of 
 almost a European cast, that made us feel more at homo 
 among these half-barbarous tribes than we afterwards 
 did among people much more civilized. 
 
 When we left these villages, generally loaded with 
 presents from chiefs and people in exchange for the 
 small trinkets we were able to offer them, we found 
 we had bidden farewell to simplicity and homeliness. 
 The paths we now struck upon were still rough and 
 dangerous, but they were more frequented, and great 
 
AMONG THE PIGTAILS. 127 
 
 labour and cost had been expended upon them. Tunnels 
 ivere scooped along the sides of the gorges, and the road, 
 laid with great blocks of stone, was supported for many- 
 hundreds of yards over the abysses by great beams. 
 Bridges of stone arched the torrents ; and by-and-by we 
 came to a really important work of engineering, — a 
 suspension bridge, hung on heavy iron chains, and 
 crossing, in one span of two hundred feet, the chasm of 
 the Mekong. As there was no longer a track for us 
 alone; the rio-ht bank of the river, we crossed this 
 structure, leading our mules by the bridles, and holding 
 on firmly by the handrails ; for the gusts that blew 
 down the gorge made the bridge swing most ominously, 
 and threatened to hurl us over into the muddy current 
 that boiled a hundred feet below us. 
 
 Leaving the river, our road then carried us into 
 districts that became gradually more civilized, and yet, 
 to Tom and me at least, more unfamiliar. There could 
 no longer be a doubt that we were fairly within the 
 strange world of China. If we had been suddenly 
 whisked away into another planet, or if a magician 
 had, by a wave of his wand, transported us into some 
 enchanted region, we could not have been more confused 
 and puzzled by the sights that met us. The people 
 were so yellow, smooth, and smirking, so shaven and 
 shorn, their little beads of eyes leered at us so cunningly, 
 and their pigtails hung SO funnily from under their 
 
128 AMONG THE PIGTAILS. 
 
 wide-brimmed hats, that we had some ado to keep from 
 laughing in their faces. The babies had a look of pre- 
 ternatural age and wisdom, and the old men looked 
 like overgrown and wrinkled babies, in petticoats and 
 slippers. Instead of the bold, free stride and rude 
 manners ot the mountaineers, our new acquaintances 
 were soft-footed and insinuating. The corners of their 
 eyes were always wrinkling with a joyless grin ; and, to 
 tell the truth, they struck us as more amusing than 
 attractive. Most of them seemed miserably poor, but 
 we occasionally met with a high dame, dressed in richly- 
 flowered silk and glittering with precious stones, seated 
 in a sedan-chair, such as our great-great-grandmothers 
 used, and borne along at a swinging trot on the shoulders 
 of four almost naked coolies. We were privileged, once 
 or twice, to see these ladies dismount, and I do not think 
 that the humblest village lass at home would have 
 envied these poor creatures their silks and jewels, if they 
 had seen them hobble painfully for a few yards on the 
 mutilated stumps which were all that fashion had left 
 them for feet. 
 
 The ladies and the common people stared at us 
 strangers with undisguised curiosity, and often openly 
 burst into shouts of laughter at the comical figures we cut 
 in their eyes. They were good-natured enough, however, 
 and I daresay a British country crowd would not have 
 behaved better if a party of Celestials had suddenly 
 
AMONG THE PIGTAILS. 129 
 
 dropped among them from the clouds. But occasionally 
 we would meet with an official dignitary in his palan- 
 quin, or mounted on a mule, and attended by a score of 
 bearers and attendants ; and then we never failed to 
 have a glance of extreme ill-will and suspicion directed 
 at us, and we were stopped till we could explain what 
 we were and whither we were bound. Our leader's 
 tact and patience, and perhaps, also, our bold front, our 
 arms, and the presents we took care to bestow, brought 
 us safely out of what several times looked a serious 
 predicament. Accompanying the mandarin as a guard 
 would be a party of three or four soldiers, dressed in 
 flaming red, armed with bow and arrows, matchlocks, 
 long spears ending in three prongs, and other uncouth 
 weapons, and bearing a red flag, on which sprawled a 
 hideous dragon, all teeth, and claws, and wings, and 
 writhing tail. We noticed that at no great distance 
 from the official party we were almost certain to come 
 upon a group which we had no difficulty in recognizing, 
 by their white turbans and whiskered faces, as " Hui- 
 huis," or Mohammedans, who, notwithstanding the mas- 
 sacres, seemed still to abound in the country ; and it 
 certainly occurred to us that they were dogging the 
 steps of the " red flags." They drew aside on the narrow 
 path to let us pass, and glared at us in a way that 
 plainly showed dislike and suspicion ; but they did not 
 interfere with us, having, it seemed, more pressing 
 
 (090) 9 
 
130 AMONG THE PIGTAILS. 
 
 matters to attend to than a doubtful quarrel with 
 strangers. 
 
 The air, we soon found, was full of alarm, uneasiness, 
 and wild rumours ; and the family parties we had met 
 were countiy gentry fleeing to the walled towns for 
 refuge. Reports came to us that the " Hui-huis " had 
 asrain raised the flag of rebellion, and were flocking to 
 hear a prophet from afar, who had come to preach a 
 holy war. We were told that if we entered any of the 
 Chinese towns we would certainly be thrown into prison 
 on suspicion of being in complicity with the insurgents ; 
 while if we fell into the hands of the rebels, a still 
 worse fate would befall us. 
 
 Thus we kept away as far as we could from the 
 towns and villages, and tried to approach again the 
 banks of the Mekong, which we knew must be recrossed 
 if we were ever to find our way to Burmah and safety. 
 It was easier to travel unobserved through these country 
 parts than it must have been before fire and sword had 
 wasted the land. For hours we would march through 
 ruined fields and gardens overgrown with weeds, and 
 the wrecks of cottage homes buried among thorns and 
 nettles, and from which no smoke had risen since the 
 blazing embers had been quenched with the blood of the 
 happy families who had once dwelt here. Now and 
 then we would come to a wooden shanty, recently built, 
 and a plot of ground reclaimed from the waste. Thriv- 
 
AMONG THE PIGTAILS. 131 
 
 ing crops of rice, grain, and potatoes grew around ; the 
 little garden was full of the beans, cabbages, cucumbers, 
 and other vegetables that the Chinese are so skilful in 
 growing ; and ducks, hens, geese, and pigs played round 
 the doors, and made as free with the interior of the 
 dwelling as if the owner had been an Irishman. On 
 seeing a mounted and armed party approach, the poor 
 people would come hastily forth and present us, in fear 
 and trembling, with their offerings of curdled cream, 
 cakes, vegetables, a fowl, or a piece of pork, along with 
 the Jchata, or " scarf of felicity," — a little square of silk 
 or gauze which fashion requires should accompany every 
 gift in these countries. For dessert we were offered the 
 seeds of the sun-flower, and water-melon plants that 
 were growing round every cottage, which the Chinese 
 crack with great dexterity, but which we could make 
 nothing of ; also pears of great size and flavour, which 
 we knew better how to dispose of. Our hosts seemed 
 surprised when we insisted on paying for all we got. 
 They appeared to expect that the " foreign devils " 
 would proceed to butcher them in return for their 
 kindness. 
 
 The few passengers we now met on the way were equally 
 fearful and suspicious ; and a string of coolies, whom we 
 suddenly met in turning a corner of the rocky road, 
 flung down their packs and fled in dismay at the sight 
 of us. Strange was the merchandise and strange the 
 
132 AMONG THE PIGTAILS. 
 
 coin in this strange land. For money we found 
 " bricks " of tea, bars of copper, and loaves of salt, 
 stamped and lettered, in circulation. The doctor showed 
 us among their wares packages of drugs manufactured 
 from bones and flies and lizards and what not, which he 
 said were enough to set on end the hair of every chemist 
 in Europe. He particularly pointed out a collection of 
 caterpillars, each possessing what seemed to be a long 
 projecting snout, which was in reality, he told us, a kind 
 of fungus ; and for this repulsive medicine the Chinese 
 were eager to give many times its weight in gold, be- 
 lieving it to be a sovereign remedy for every disease. We 
 were puzzled by finding whole bales of eggs about the 
 size of a pea, which our chief explained were the spawn 
 of the curious wax insect, which are every year conveyed 
 from Yunnan to the provinces farther north and placed 
 on trees, where, on reaching their larva stage, they deposit 
 a wax which is one of the most important articles of 
 commerce in the country. 
 
 One evening we had halted for the night at a road- 
 side inn ; not one of the " fine hostelries " which Marco 
 Polo describes as having found in this quarter in his 
 day, but a humble and very dingy and dirty place, where 
 the landlord had nothing better to set before us than a 
 mess of rice and a " ham," which, on examination, turned 
 out to be the leg of a dog, and was therefore removed 
 untouched. The doctor plied his pair of " chopsticks " 
 
AMONG THE PIGTAILS. 133 
 
 with great skill on his own portion of rice, and looked 
 on smilingly while we vainly strove to lift up a few 
 particles from the plate to the mouth. 
 
 " Confound these people and their ways of eating I" 
 growled Tom, eying the dish hungrily. " If I had a 
 spoon now — " 
 
 " I think I have had enough," said I, pushing away 
 my plate. I could not get the " dog-ham" out of my 
 head, and felt rather squeamish. " I think, sir, on the 
 whole, I would rather swallow Chinese medicine than 
 Chinese food." 
 
 " Don't you think that for folks that will by-and-by 
 be setting up for great travellers you are rather too 
 particular ? " said the doctor. " If we are to be long in 
 China, though I hope we won't — " 
 
 " Amen ! " said Tom and I in a breath. 
 
 " You will have to make your minds up to get over 
 many of the little prejudices you have brought from 
 Europe. What would you say, now, to fried rat, or a 
 stew of black cat flesh, which you will find at the best 
 tables here ? " 
 
 "Ugh! ugh!" wc cried, while Hannibal got up and 
 walked about uneasily, with his eyes rolling in his head. 
 
 " A dish of black cats' eyes is considered a great 
 delicacy, but I fear that would be beyond our means." 
 
 "Ah ! please don't, Massa Doctah !" pleaded Hannibal, 
 in a lamentable voice. 
 
134 AMONG THE PIGTAILS. 
 
 " Bircls'-nest soup, now," said Dr. Koland, paying no 
 heed to the appeal, " or tipsy shrimps — " 
 
 " What are they ?" interrupted Tom. " That sounds 
 rather jolly." 
 
 " Live shrimps, made tipsy with wine. When they 
 gambol and hop on the dish, you catch them in the air be- 
 tween the chopsticks, and convey them to your mouth." 
 
 " I am sure I should never get tipsy on tipsy shrimps," 
 said Tom, shaking his head. 
 
 " I was about to say," proceeded the doctor, " that 
 these are luxuries only to be got on the sea-coast ; and 
 for a glimpse of the salt water, I daresay, we would be 
 glad to make a meal of these jolly shrimps." 
 
 " I believe I would even swallow a whole black cat 
 for that sight," said Tom. " But when are we to see it ; 
 what are our prospects now, sir ?" 
 
 The doctor's voice lost some of the cheerfulness it 
 always had when he was speaking to us, as he replied, 
 " You know what the landlord told me a little as;o. 
 The Mekong is just beyond the nearest range of hills, 
 but beyond the river the country is in the possession of 
 the rebels and the banditti. They hold all the regular 
 roads, and a party of traders who attempted to steal 
 through has come to grief. I am afraid that it is 
 only too true, and that our retreat is cut off on both 
 sides — towards the coast, and towards Burmah." 
 
 " What must we do, then, sir ?" I asked. 
 
AMONG THE PIGTAILS. 135 
 
 " Move on hopefully with the river as we are going, 
 and look out for some way of escape from this distracted 
 empire into the savage countries to the south. If we 
 could only hear of a guide ! I am sure there are routes 
 we could traverse if we but find some one to lead us." 
 
 " How can these people be so mad and wicked as to 
 begin no-htino; ao-ain, when the whole land is still full of 
 the misery and ruin of the last war !" I exclaimed. 
 
 " Ay, my boy, that is a more reasonable remark than 
 your objection to Chinese food," said the doctor rather 
 sadly ; "but I fear that it applies to more people than to 
 Chinese." 
 
 While we were speaking, we heard a hum and a shuffling 
 of feet without ; and the landlord opened the door and 
 looked in, with a gesture of apology. What he told the 
 doctor was to the effect that the only survivor of the 
 trading party, whose disaster at the hands of the rebels 
 we had heard of, had been brought to his house, and 
 was now lying downstairs in a dying state. The un- 
 lucky fellow, the landlord informed us, was not a 
 Chinaman, but a barbarian — a Burmese Shan. At this 
 news we pricked up our ears, for it was through the 
 Shan country, tributary to Burmah, that we hoped to 
 find a route, and the region was practically unexplored. 
 He had escaped almost by miracle from the knives of 
 the rebels, and, in spite of his wounds, had swum across 
 the river. He seemed now in the last gasp, but he had 
 
136 AMONG THE PIGTAILS. 
 
 been brought hither in the expectation that the foreign 
 necromancer would heal him by his magic. On the 
 strength of some simple remedies which the doctor had 
 applied with success, his fame as a physician, or, what 
 means the same thing in China, a sorcerer, had spread 
 abroad, and already he had had brought to him patients 
 wanting a leg or an arm, for the purpose of having the 
 missing limbs restored. 
 
 We found the new patient lying in the courtyard, 
 surrounded by a gaping crowd, whom the doctor at once 
 sent about their business. The wounded man had 
 several ugly slashes about his body, none of them of a 
 fatal character, but he was in the last stage of weak- 
 ness from loss of blood. The doctor carefully bound up 
 his wounds, and took the other measures in his power 
 to give him relief; and he was soon rewarded by the 
 poor fellow opening his eyes and casting on him a 
 grateful look. He was under the middle size, but of 
 a firmly knit and wiry frame, apparently capable of 
 enduring great fatigue. His complexion was a coppery 
 brown, several degrees darker than the colour of the 
 Chinese ; his features were more regular and agreeable, 
 according to our taste, and their expression was more 
 open and manly. His name was Yung- wan. The doctor 
 determined that he would stand by him, not only from 
 motives of humanity, but also in the hope that he would 
 turn out to be the guide for whom he had sighed. 
 
CHAPTER XL 
 
 PERILS BY LAND. 
 
 UNG-WAN rallied rapidly under the doctor's 
 care, and in a few days he was able to sit 
 in the saddle. He showed so much attach- 
 ment to his kind benefactor as almost to arouse the 
 jealousy of Hannibal, whose chosen duty of anticipating 
 all our chief's wants he began to invade. When we 
 were again prepared for a start, therefore, and had ex- 
 plained to Yung the line we proposed to follow, and 
 asked him for his services as guide, we expected a 
 ready consent. A little to our surprise, the Shan hesi- 
 tated. Some idea we could not fathom seemed to strike 
 him, and he cast a suspicious glance at us, and even 
 made a step or two towards the door. Then another 
 impulse seized him, for he returned and heartily pro- 
 mised to accompany us, telling us that he knew the 
 routes well, and that they would lead us past his own 
 home. 
 
 For some days we travelled parallel with the river, 
 
133 PERILS BY LAND. 
 
 with little of incident to mark our journey. The hills 
 of red sandstone were well clothed with oaks, chestnuts, 
 and other familiar trees, with here and there a stray plant 
 from the tropics. The wooden houses were painted 
 with strange devices of " squirming " dragons and gay- 
 coloured birds ; while within the threshold was a little 
 altar, where the family burned "joss-sticks" or squills 
 of aromatic paper to the memory of their ancestors. 
 The people were inquisitive, but not evil-disposed, and 
 seemed all made after one pattern, like their quaint 
 little gardens, and their fields divided like a chess-board. 
 Now and then we caught a glimpse of the distant smoke 
 of a town, or of the red tunics of a body of troops, but 
 to both we gave a wide berth. White watch-towers and 
 many-storied pagodas were perched on the heights, but 
 these also we came not near. Where we got a peep of 
 the river, it ran in a swift current between great walls 
 of rock that were often perpendicular, and many canoes 
 paddled by nearly naked figures plied upon it. At 
 night fires were lighted on board, and the fishermen 
 might be seen spearing the fish that crowded round the 
 boats attracted by the gleam. 
 
 As we travelled, Yung- wan described to us in detail 
 the terrible fate that befell his late companions. The 
 object of their journey he could not or would not 
 explain ; but there could be no doubt — for our guide 
 had seen it with his own eyes — that they had been 
 
PERILS BY LAND. 139 
 
 murdered in cold blood by the rebels, who had evidently 
 got notice of their movements, and had laid an ambus- 
 cade. The leader of the "white flags" Yung -wan 
 depicted, by a few graphic gestures, as a black-browed, 
 black-bearded personage, with piercing, restless eyes, and 
 wearing a huge white turban. We glanced at each 
 other, for the portrait recalled our old acquaintance 
 Khodja Akbar, who appeared fated to be the evil genius 
 of our journey. 
 
 Our guide at length decided that we were sufficiently 
 far from the seat of danger to risk crossing the Mekong, 
 which here, for once, had a broad surface and flowed in a 
 smooth deep current. It was tedious work guiding the 
 mules down the steep, slippery bank to the river margin, 
 and having them punted and rowed across one by one 
 in a small barge that served as a ferry-boat. On the 
 other shore, also, the hills rose steeply to a height of 
 several hundred feet, and the slope was covered with 
 great boulders and projecting masses of rock, overgrown 
 with thorns, brambles, creepers, and stunted forest trees 
 clinging to every ledge and cleft. Near the summit 
 was a level cleared space, which we marked out from 
 below as a suitable resting-place for the night, and 
 leading up to it from narrow landing-places on the 
 water-side we could trace two rough tracks through the 
 mass of jungle and rock. 
 
 The path starting from the platform which was the 
 
140 PERILS BY LAND. 
 
 lower clown the stream of the two, seemed to be the 
 more open ; but our boatman landed us at the bottom of 
 the other, explaining that it was the only one practicable 
 for saddle animals. If this were the case, we could 
 only wonder what the lower track could possibly be 
 like, for a more detestable bit of road we had never yet 
 met. We had to dismount and, leading our mules by 
 the bridles, climb and struggle through thickets full 
 of great barbed thorns and matted creepers, and over 
 polished and slippery boulders and ragged tree-roots, 
 now and then plunging into a mud-hole, or falling prone 
 and sending a cannonade of bi^ stones bounding down 
 the slope, to the danger of the heads and limbs of our 
 companions behind. The sweat was pouring from my 
 brow, and my energies were all directed to keeping my 
 footing and helping my poor mule over a rock, when, 
 without any warning, I suddenly found myself pinioned 
 by a pair of strong arms, and saw the gleam of an im- 
 mense knife within a foot of my throat. There was a 
 brief struggle around me — a scuffling of feet, a clash of 
 weapons, and the discharge of a shot or two — while I 
 vainly strove to set myself free ; but before I could 
 well comprehend that we had fallen into an ambuscade, 
 the whole party had been overpowered, and were pri- 
 soners in the hands of an enemy who outnumbered us 
 by ten to one. Where our captors had sprung from I 
 could hardly imagine, for we had carefully surveyed the 
 
PERILS BY LAND. 141 
 
 ground before beginning the ascent, and had seen no 
 trace of a human being. The ferrymen were plainly in 
 the plot ; and indeed we had reason to believe that there 
 had been spies watching our least movement since we had 
 entered Yunnan. The trap, however, did not catch all 
 the victims ; for in the midst of the confusion I got a 
 glimpse of the lithe form of Yung-wan slipping from 
 the grasp of his assailants, and creeping like a serpent 
 into the jungle. 
 
 We were hurried unceremoniously up the rest of the 
 ascent. Our rifles had been dragged from us, but the 
 doctor still held his in his hand, and looked so threat- 
 eningly that none of the bandits ventured to dispute 
 its possession. We took courage from his calm and 
 determined bearing ; and as resistance would have been 
 worse than useless, we submitted to the guidance of our 
 captors with the best grace we could muster. 
 
 When we reached the cleared space above, it was no 
 longer empty and bare as we had seen it from the river. 
 A group of perhaps twenty scowling cut-throats, armed 
 to the teeth, was collected round a white standard 
 stuck in the ground, and in front of them stood a black- 
 bearded man, with eyes that fairly flashed with hate 
 and triumph from under his dark brows and enormous 
 white turban. Our presentiment had come true. It was 
 Akbar himself! For some unknown reason — unless 
 it were the mere blind prejudice of race and creed — 
 
142 PERILS BY LAND. 
 
 he bore a fierce grudge against us, and had become the 
 " rock ahead" of all our plans. He greeted us with a 
 mocking, contemptuous smile, but made no other sign of 
 recognition. His followers fingered their knives, and 
 looked at him as if eagerly awaiting a signal for mas- 
 sacre. The doctor glanced round coolly, as if taking a 
 survey of the whole situation, and then, still holding his 
 gun, took a step or two nearer to our arch foe. My 
 eyes had followed those of our chief, and looking below, 
 I observed, though no one else seemed to notice it, the 
 boat leaving the spot where we landed, and drifting, as 
 if by its own will, down-stream. The boatmen had 
 abandoned their post, and were hurrying up-hill to share 
 in the plunder ; and the idea flashed across my mind 
 that Yung- wan had something to do with the movement 
 of the craft. 
 
 My thoughts were recalled by the voice of the doctor 
 addressing Khodja Akbar in firm, temperate tones, 
 reminding him, as I understood from the gestures, of 
 the good offices we had paid to him, and asking for an 
 explanation of his violent and lawless treatment of us. 
 The only reply vouchsafed was a few muttered words, 
 and a sign to one of his followers to take the doctor's 
 gun away from him. Our leader turned upon the man 
 so fiercely, that the latter fell back a step or two ; and 
 then Khodja himself, with an ejaculation of rage, laid his 
 hand on the barrel. It was high time to act. The rebel 
 
PERILS BY LAND. 143 
 
 soldiers and brigands — for there seemed a mixture of 
 both — had their swords drawn, and several had lighted 
 the fuses of their matchlocks. The insurgent chief had 
 not counted on one weapon which an Englishman always 
 carries about with him. The doctor, retaining his hold 
 of his rifle with his left hand, with his right " let out " 
 with all his strength in the face of the insolent miscreant, 
 who dropped to the ground as if he had been shot. 
 
 " Run for the boat ! " he shouted to us. " Take the 
 right hand path ! " 
 
 I had expected this order, and tripping up the big 
 rascal who had first seized me and still retained his hold, 
 I started to run down-hill by the track that led to the 
 lower landing-place. Tom and Hannibal were not so 
 well prepared. They seemed to take the doctor's action 
 as the signal for a general onslaught, and wrestling thcm- 
 selves free, they "pitched into" the nearest of the enemy 
 in the most vigorous style. Perhaps, after all, this was 
 the happiest course that could have been taken; for 
 the Chinamen fell back, astonished at this lesson in fisti- 
 cuffs, and before they had quite recovered, Dr. Roland 
 seized the victorious warriors by the collars, and by main 
 force wheeled them round and launched them in the 
 direction he wished them to go, following in hot haste 
 in their steps. Meanwhile, in beginning my flight, my 
 eye fastened on the doctor's precious note and sketch book, 
 every leaf of which I knew lie valued at a " king's ran- 
 
144 PERILS BY LAND. 
 
 som," lying in the grass, where it had been unheedingly 
 dropped. The impulse seized me to swerve aside and to 
 pick it up. Lucky it was I did so ; for at the instant I 
 stooped, a three-pronged spear hurtled over my head, and 
 my nearest pursuer, who had made a prize of my rifle, 
 stumbled over me and came crashing to the ground. 
 Seizing the gun, I continued my flight, being now last 
 in the race. Down we went pell-mell, leaping over 
 rock and stump, and tearing " like mad " through briers 
 and lianas, with a yelling crew at our heels, and a shot 
 occasionally whizzing past us. Our late practice in hill- 
 climbing stood us in good stead, but how we ever 
 reached the bottom without broken necks or limbs, I 
 could never understand. In the boat, with a broad grin 
 on his face, stood Yung-wan the guide, to the unutter- 
 able astonishment of Tom and Hannibal. We spent no 
 time in explanations, but, leaping into the boat, pushed 
 well out into the current before our pursuers reached the 
 shore. We had lost bar^acre and batro;arre animals, and 
 part of our ordnance, but had saved sweet life and 
 liberty, and bore away no scratch from the battle beyond 
 what the thorns had inflicted. 
 
CHAPTER XII. 
 
 PERILS BY WATER. 
 
 T first, however, our safety did not seem so well 
 
 assured. We were followed along the slopes 
 
 and brow of the hill by the whole " rebel 
 
 army," and shots, some of them, no doubt, from our 
 
 own captured guns, fell about us in the water. We 
 
 lay down flat in the boat, so as not to afford a target, 
 
 and thus escaped injury, though two of the bullets 
 
 actually struck the craft and caused ugly leaks. After 
 
 a little the firing ceased. The boat seemed to slide with 
 
 the stream with a new impetus, and a hoarse roaring 
 
 that we had heard for some time became louder. The 
 
 enemy on shore sent up a triumphant shout, and I raised 
 
 myself and looked around. We had drifted for more 
 
 than a mile from the scene of the late encounter, and the 
 
 river was swinging round a curve, and entering one of 
 
 those gorges with sheer walls of rock of which we had 
 
 already seen too much. 
 
 There was only an hour of daylight left as we shot 
 (coo) X0 
 
146 PERILS BY WATER. 
 
 into this dark portal. The current was already turbid 
 and strong, and deeply coloured with the red clay from 
 the hills. The tall cliffs threw their shadows on the 
 water, which looked like a rolling torrent of blood. Way 
 of escape there was none, for the rocks on either side rose 
 so smoothly and perpendicularly that a squirrel could not 
 have climbed to the top. Ahead was a broad line of 
 white, and the roar of the tumbling flood became so loud 
 that we had to shout in order to make our voices heard 
 by each other. For aught we knew, it might be a 
 cataract with a sheer plunge of a hundred feet to which 
 we were hastening helplessly ; but Yung- wan, who 
 seemed perfectly aware of what lay ahead, signified to 
 us that these were only " rapids," and we gathered more 
 confidence. We had pulled well into the centre of the 
 stream, and now saw before us a dark opening in the 
 line of foaming and tossing water ; and for this we 
 struggled literally for dear life. In a second or two, and 
 before we could properly collect our thoughts, we were 
 on the edge of it — an inclined plane of water, glassy with 
 exceeding swiftness, while on either side the angry 
 stream poured over a ledge of rocks seven or eight feet 
 in height. I remember the idea curiously occurring to 
 me, as we sped down the smooth slope with the swiftness 
 of an arrow, that it was like the bit of unbroken water 
 that one often sees between the snowy tops of a line 
 of breakers. Next moment I was holding on to the side 
 
PERILS BY WATER. 147 
 
 of the boat with all my might, as it heaved and rocked 
 and spun round and shipped quantities of water in the 
 boiling pool below the rapids. With much ado, and 
 mainly by the skilful steering of Yung-wan, we managed 
 to sheer clear of the whirlpools and rocks. And then 
 " again we urged our wild career ; " for new rapids, and 
 reefs, and boiling caldrons, and contending currents 
 followed, mile after mile, in uninterrupted succession. 
 The thunder of the falling water was constantly in our 
 ears, and we were wet through with the spray from the 
 rapids. The boat sometimes was quite unmanageable. 
 It polkaed and waltzed, and curvetted like a horse rebel- 
 ling against a tight bridle, in the eddies, in a way that, 
 might have seemed comical from the shore, but to us 
 appeared in quite a different light. Then, as the current 
 caught it, it would bound forward, like a steed with 
 loose rein, until another eddying pool would bring it up. 
 At last there seemed some little prospect of 
 smoother water. For half a mile we had had no rapids, 
 only a swift current beaded with foam, that churned 
 against its banks, and was broken here and there by 
 ripples from a submerged rock. We were busy bailing 
 out the boat, which was half filled with water, when we 
 became aware that another danger lay in store for us. 
 The walls of the canon contracted, and the stream, 
 narrowed to half its former breadth, rushed like an 
 enormous mill-race down a steep, confined channel, 
 
148 PERILS BY WATER. 
 
 interrupted by rocks and cross currents. A glance at 
 the prospect ahead told us that the boat in its present 
 condition would certainly capsize if wo attempted to 
 shoot these formidable rapids on board of it. In almost 
 less time than it occupies to tell of it our measures were 
 taken, under the directions of the doctor and Yung- wan. 
 We stripped off our clothes, wrapping in them the gunSj 
 our slender stock of ammunition, and the note-books, for 
 protection against the wet. Already we had fastened 
 short lengths of rope to the gunwale of the boat, in 
 anticipation of an upset. At the head of the rapids, as 
 the crazy craft began to tilt and rock in the surf, each, 
 keeping a firm grip on his little cable, slipped over the 
 side into the wild chafing torrent. 
 
 Away we went at "express speed," borne like chips on 
 the troubled stream, first down into a deep trough, as if 
 we were about to search the stream to its bed, and then 
 heaved up on a ridge of water, like a huge wave. The 
 boat kept a pretty even keel, for we acted on either side 
 of her like outriggers, and the 'velocity of our course 
 seemed to keep our heads well above surface. But once 
 or twice a sudden swerve of the craft sent me for a 
 second or two completely under water. As we rose out 
 of another hollow and crested the last watery ridge, I 
 caught a momentary glance of a seething mass of foam 
 below me, and beyond that a wide pool in which eddies 
 were circling and masses of water were welling up like 
 
PERILS BY WATER. 149 
 
 great boils, as the river prepared to take a more gentle 
 flow through a more open country. It was the bottom 
 of the rapids and the end of the canon — safety and 
 deadly peril in conjunction. Instinctively my fingers 
 closed like a vice over the rope, and next instant the 
 light of day was shut out. There was a singing and 
 buzzing in my ears, as the waters closed over my head, 
 and my whole faculties seemed to be concentrated into 
 " holding on." 
 
 I could only have been a little time under water, yet it 
 seemed an age, during which I was in desperate conflict 
 for my life with the evil spirits of the Mekong, before I 
 again raised my head above the surface and looked 
 round. The boat, full almost to the gunwale with water, 
 was turning slowly round in the pool below the rapids. 
 The doctor and Hannibal were shouting my name and 
 that of Tom from the other side of the craft, and I was 
 able feebly to respond. The Shan guide, also, I saw 
 near me. But where was Tom, gallant, honest Tom ? 
 The rope by which I saw him clinging a few seconds 
 before was hanging limp beside me. Had the cruel flood 
 of the Mekong sucked him down ? and was that warm, 
 noble heart already growing cold in its unfathomed 
 abysses ? A great lump rose in my throat, and the scene 
 swam round me till I felt as if I could lose my own hold 
 and sink after my dear companion. A shout from trusty 
 old Hannibal recalled me to my senses. He had struck 
 
150 PERILS BY WATER. 
 
 out from the boat, and was making his way by vigorous 
 strokes towards the foot of the falls. Looking in that 
 direction, I thought a dark object showed itself for an 
 instant in an eddy, and again disappeared. Powerful 
 swimmer as he was, it was with great difficulty Hannibal 
 made headway through the surface currents and still 
 stronger undertow. At length he dived. Striving with 
 all our power to prevent the boat from drifting away 
 from the spot, we waited breathlessly, but for a long 
 time in vain. "We were giving way to despair, when 
 the black woolly head of Hannibal emerged some distance 
 below us. He seemed to be supporting something, and 
 he gave a signal for help. Before we could reply, Yung- 
 wan had left us, and was making his way through the 
 water like a fish by short rapid strokes. I was barely 
 able to retain my hold ; but the doctor cleverly guided 
 the boat toward the group. Tom was unconscious, but, 
 we hoped, alive. The guide had relieved Hannibal of 
 the care of him, for the worthy negro was completely 
 exhausted by his exertions. Fortunately the stream 
 bore us of its own accord behind the shelter of a big 
 rock, and we managed to scramble on shore. Our first 
 care was given, of course, to Tom, and we had the 
 exquisite pleasure, after a few minutes, of seeing him 
 open his eyes, look round on us in a bewildered way, 
 and then, with a faint smile and a gleam of his old fun, 
 ask " which of us had fished him up." 
 
F 
 
 q 
 
 PERILS BY WATER. 151 
 
 We had barely strength to secure our boat ; and then 
 we cast ourselves down on the rocks, supperless, and 
 without troubling ourselves to look for a softer resting- 
 place, humbly thankful that we had all come safe out of 
 such terrible peril. The sun was only setting, and on 
 referring to the doctor's watch we found that only 
 thirty-five minutes had elapsed since we entered the 
 gorge. In that time we calculated that we had run 
 seven or eight miles, and descended nearly a hundred 
 feet. 
 
 We questioned the doctor whether he had ever shot 
 so dangerous a passage in his canoeing experiences in the 
 Hudson Bay country. He was not sure but that he 
 had ; " but never," he added, pointing to our boat, " in 
 so clumsy a tub as that." 
 
CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 SWAMPS, SHANS, AND SAVAGES. 
 
 HEN I awakened next morning I was in a 
 terribly battered and bruised state. I had 
 slept the sleep of exhaustion, and had not 
 felt the sharp corners of the stones digging into my 
 ribs and the " small of my back," or noticed the 
 attentions that the mosquitoes and other insects had 
 paid to my prostrate form, and now I smarted for these 
 hours of oblivion. I rubbed my eyes vigorously and 
 looked about me. It was some time before I could 
 realize where I was, and I had a confused notion, partly 
 arising from a loud booming in my ears, that I had 
 gone to the bottom of the falls and never come up. 
 
 One thing at least was clear, we were no longer in 
 China — at least in the China we had seen beyond the 
 rapids. There the country was open, settled, and cul- 
 tivated. The sights and sounds were sometimes so 
 familiar that one might fancy he was in the midst of 
 an English landscape. Everywhere there were signs of 
 
SWAMPS, SHANS, AND SAVAGES. 153 
 
 long occupation, a busy and civilized people, and a 
 climate that knew the changes of summer and winter. 
 Now, all at once we were introduced into the heart of 
 an untrodden wilderness. The hills drew back from the 
 river, leaving between them and the margin room for a 
 jungle, marshy in some places and rocky in others, com- 
 posed of bamboos and other tropical plants, woven into 
 a dense mass by creepers and by high grass and under- 
 growth. Some tall trees, mostly palms, rose above the 
 thicket, and their long plumes showed like standards and 
 pennons above an army. More open forest began at 
 the foot of the hills, and stretched up to the summits of 
 the lower spurs. All was wild, luxuriant, tropical. For 
 aught we could see, the presence of man had never dis- 
 turbed this solitude, and certainly there was no path for 
 him on land, except by cutting a lane through the rank 
 vegetation. The only movement was that of the coppery- 
 coloured flood that rolled past, flecked with foam, and 
 the only sound was the dull roar of the cataract, that 
 seemed to rise and fall as we listened. 
 
 We were not long in discovering that there was 
 plenty of life about, though it was not visible at first 
 sight. Our earliest move was to the river brink for a 
 dip. Hannibal took a fine header from the bank, and 
 I was watching his dusky body as it moved through the 
 water, while preparing to follow him, when his face 
 appeared above the surface, his eyes almost starting 
 
154 SWAMPS, SHANS, AND SAVAGES. 
 
 from his head with terror. He climbed with extra- 
 ordinary alacrity upon one of the rocks that strewed the 
 margin, just as a long snout emerged from the stream, 
 and a pair of ugly jaws, armed with formidable teeth, 
 snapped viciously within a yard of him. It was a 
 crocodile ; and we soon found that the river swarmed 
 with these hideous reptiles, so that henceforth we were 
 more cautious in the times and places selected for 
 bathing. 
 
 " No life ! " cried the doctor, echoing a remark I had 
 made a minute or two before. " Take care that there 
 is not a great deal too much life for your comfort. Just 
 look at Tom's face and neck. I am sure I could count 
 the marks of the stings and bites of at least a dozen 
 different kinds of insects, to say nothing of the leeches 
 that have been feasting on the parts of his nether limbs 
 that his tattered trousers don't cover. Shall I classify 
 them for you, Master Wilson ? There's a red pimple on 
 the bridge of your nose, now. Its size and colour show 
 that a soldier-ant must have been visiting you in your 
 dreams — " 
 
 " I should like to classify them and dissect them too," 
 said Tom, looking round fiercely in search of his tor- 
 mentors. " The flies and ants and hornets and spiders 
 and the rest are bad enough, sir, but the leeches are the 
 most abominable wretches. Why, I have shifted my 
 place several times, and on each occasion a score of these 
 
SWAMPS, SHANS, AND SAVAGES. 155 
 
 little demons have gone for me at once. Here they 
 are, you see," pointing to several small black creatures, 
 the thickness of a stalk of grass, that were making 
 towards him with a curious somersault movement, 
 " actually tumbling like clowns on the sawdust, in their 
 haste to suck me dry." 
 
 " They must smell the blood of an Englishman, like 
 Giant Blunderbore," I suggested, picking off an intruder 
 which was making its way into my own boot. 
 
 " Talking of Blunderbore," said Tom, " I am glad that 
 we have dropped out from among the Chinese, even 
 though we have fallen among leeches." 
 
 " I am not at all sure whether we will not drop into 
 China again as we advance," remarked the doctor " But 
 what has Blunderbore to do with China ? " 
 
 " I must confess, sir," replied Tom, with a look of 
 penitence, " that I felt like an ogre all the time we were 
 there. It was very wrong, I know, but I had an inclina- 
 tion to send my foot through their houses and kick 
 them all over the place. They were so small and 
 flimsy and toy-like, they seemed only set up, like ' Aunt 
 Sallies,' in order to be knocked down. Then the people, 
 with their queer, shiny, yellow skins ! I don't know 
 whether their faces looked more comical when they 
 were young and smooth, or when they were old and 
 creasy. And oh, their funny topsy-turvy ways of doing 
 things ; and those ridiculous pigtails !" and here Tom 
 
156 SWAMPS, SHANS, AND SAVAGES. 
 
 fairly burst into a fit of laughing, in which, I am 
 ashamed to say, we joined him. " Several times the 
 idea struck me to seize a dozen of them by these pig- 
 tails, sling them over my shoulders, and carry them off 
 to my castle, like one of the giants in the story-books. 
 But it was the conceit of these people that took away 
 my breath," continued the young man, amusement giving 
 way to wrath. "Why, they looked at us as if it were we 
 who were the barbarians and the guys. Do you remem- 
 ber that old fright of a mandarin we met the day before 
 yesterday, sir, with the big glass button on his hat, and 
 nails like birds' claws ? He stared at you like an owl 
 through his great goggle spectacles, as if he were ever 
 so much wiser and more learned than you." 
 
 " So, perhaps, he was," said the doctor severely. "And 
 it would have been worth while having a peep through 
 these Chinese spectacles. It would take down the 
 conceit of all of us, Master Tom. No doubt you look 
 as absurd and frightful in their eyes as they do in 
 yours, and who knows whether they have not as much 
 reason ? Do you know what I overheard the mandarin's 
 daughter say, whom you seemed to think a good deal 
 less ridiculous than himself ? " 
 
 " I don't know," said Tom with some curiosity. " I 
 thought she looked my way." 
 
 " She said, ' How like a devil he looks ! ' ' 
 
 " That was too bad of her," said Tom in an aggrieved 
 
SWAMPS, SHANS, AND SAVAGES. 157 
 
 voice. " I don't know why she should have said 
 that." 
 
 " Because their notion of ugliness includes blue eyes 
 set under straight brows, a well-developed nose, and red 
 hair." 
 
 " But my hair is not red," argued Tom. 
 
 " But that whisker for which you are looking 
 out so anxiously promises to be of that hue. We 
 must not be censorious on other people's tastes and 
 manners. I have no doubt that every look and move- 
 ment of ours offended the old mandarin's sense of pro- 
 priety ; for he is one of the great literati, and has all 
 the wisdom of the Celestials at the end of those long 
 finger-nails of his. If he had understood English, he 
 would have had something to say to you, Tom, about 
 your use of slang," added the doctor, as a parting shot, 
 and to bring the colloquy to an end ; for our frugal 
 breakfast, mostly plucked from the trees growing about 
 us, was now over, and it was time to think of resuming 
 the voyage. 
 
 The Mekong had now spread out to a breadth of half 
 a mile, and was a magnificent river, with a strong, deep 
 current. We could hardly believe it was the same 
 stream that we had found contracted between precipices 
 and plunging over rocky ledges just above. We had 
 several times, it is true, to career down rough and 
 broken bits of water, which a day or two ago would 
 
158 SWAMPS, SHANS, AND SAVAGES. 
 
 have seemed dangerous, but after our late experience we 
 thought this mere child's play. Our boat also was 
 better able to encoimter these passages ; for we had 
 given it as thorough an overhaul as we could, plugging 
 up the holes and calking the seams with the tough 
 fibres of the leaves of a species of palm, which Yung- 
 wan pointed out to us, and which Dr. Roland was of 
 opinion might form an important new substance for 
 rope manufacture. 
 
 Indeed this portion of our journey was that in which 
 we had most leisure and opportunity for studying the 
 natural history of the strange lands we were exploring. 
 Dropping down-stream with the current, which bore us 
 on swiftly, yet not so fast as to prevent our noting the 
 objects of interest on the bank, the doctor was continu- 
 ally on the outlook for new facts in botany and zoology, 
 to store up in his note-books, which gradually swelled 
 out almost to bursting. I need not say that we enthusi- 
 astically seconded him in his researches, so that the 
 boat voyage was full of enjoyment and instruction, 
 though it had also its discomforts. The insects that 
 had been so prompt in making their calls on our arrival 
 in this region never left us ; but we became inured to 
 their attacks, and we learned from the doctor to extract 
 comfort and information out of miseries. He discoursed 
 of the curious habits and wonderful intelligence of our 
 tormentors, — pointing out to us a huge spider, lurking at 
 
SWAMPS, SHANS, AND SAVAGES. 159 
 
 the bottom of an ingeniously-constructed trap, closed by 
 a hinged door, that he held half open with his foot, 
 while he enticed his unwary prey within by a sweet 
 fluid with which his den was smeared ; or a long train 
 of ants, each bearing a fragment of leaf, and marching 
 in military order, under the direction of their generals, 
 colonels, and captains, who gave orders by a touch of 
 their antennae to those of lower ranks, while their 
 scouting parties were thrown out in front, in order to 
 give warning of danger. He showed us other varieties 
 of ants that lived by fighting and slave-hunting, com- 
 pelling their weaker brethren to quarry and build for 
 them, and even to notice the baby-ants and feed the 
 lazy old tyrants of parents ; and still other kinds that 
 actually kept " dairy cattle " — little green insects that 
 sucked the juices of the wood and leaves, and who were 
 regularly " milked " and watched by their masters. A 
 hundred things that would have escaped our attention, in 
 the water, among the grass, and on the trees, were pointed 
 out to us by our kind teacher and friend. Little bits of 
 bark, or lichen, or stick turned out, on being examined, 
 to be beetles, or bees, or locusts, or spiders ; and crumpled 
 and withered leaves, on being approached, spread gor- 
 geous wings of purple, scarlet, and blue, and sailed away 
 in the shape of butterflies, or disappeared out of view 
 with a spring that betrayed them to be crickets in dis- 
 guise. Often the doctor made us land, in order that he 
 
160 SWAMPS, SHANS, AND SAVAGES. 
 
 might possess himself of some now or peculiar orchid or 
 fern,growing, perhaps, far out on some overhanging branch; 
 and no conservatory could have shown a more brilliant show 
 of blossom, fruit, and foliage than our boat sometimes did. 
 We had to be cautious, however, in our botanizing ; 
 for, not to speak of the thorns that stabbed like 
 poniards, and sharp-edged blades that cut like razors, 
 there were scorpions and other venomous creatures 
 lurking among the leaves, and it was difficult to dis- 
 tinguish a serpent coiled round the stem of a tree from 
 the twisting roots and branches of the vines and other 
 creepers. In the river we had plenty of opportunity for 
 studying the water-tortoises and snakes — some of the 
 latter beautifully-marked slimy things — that swam with 
 their heads at the surface with a slippery ease that made 
 the flesh creep. The crocodiles were only too familiar, 
 and we could not afford to waste powder and shot on 
 them ; and the lizards we did not mind, even when they 
 were as big as young alligators. It was curious, how- 
 ever, to watch the little " dragon-lizard," as it spread its 
 membraneous flippers like wings, and sprang nimbly from 
 branch to branch in chase of the insects on which it fed. 
 We saw plenty of noisy troops of parrots, macaws, 
 hornbills, pigeons, and other birds of gorgeous colour and 
 harsh voices ; and the monkeys were such constant 
 attendants upon us at our halts, and kept up so incessant 
 a chattering, that they soon became a nuisance. 
 
SWAMPS, SHANS, AND SAVAGES. 161 
 
 As to the nobler forest animals, we did not see much 
 of them. The doctor shot two fine deer, but we only 
 got a distant sight of a rhinoceros breaking his way- 
 through the bamboos in a great hurry to get out of our 
 sight. A buffalo, with a magnificent pair of horns, who 
 was enjoying himself by rolling in a muddy pool, got wind 
 of us as we were stalking him, and we did not think it 
 worth while wasting one of our few remaining cartridges 
 in a long shot. A troop of wild elephants that we came 
 upon might have yielded something to our " bag," but it 
 happened that our larder was full at the time — the river 
 yielded us several varieties of capital fish — and we had 
 no desire to kill these splendid creatures for the mere love 
 of slaughter. On the other hand, we would gladly have 
 put a bullet through any tiger or leopard had they 
 come our way, but they prudently kept out of sight, 
 though I daresay the" jungle contained many of these 
 " big cats." 
 
 We were not long in discovering that the country was 
 not, as we had at first supposed, uninhabited. At the 
 close of our second day on the river we sighted a little 
 thatched hut, some distance back from the river bank, 
 and set on high piles, apparently to preserve it during 
 the floods, while a small skiff was drawn up on shore. 
 Not knowing what reception we might have, we took 
 care to avoid notice, passing down the stream under 
 sneiter of a wooded island, and camping on another 
 
 (690) 1 i 
 
162 SWAMPS, SHANS, AND SAVAGES. 
 
 rocky island for the night. Next day we came upon 
 more huts, some of them standing solitary on their 
 perches in the marsh, like long-legged herons, while 
 others were drawn together into little villages. The 
 natives were out upon the river in their boats fishing 
 with spear and angle ; and after much parleying we 
 came to an understanding, and ventured to pay them a 
 visit. The men were almost entirely naked, but their 
 chests and legs were tattooed in elaborate patterns, and 
 their manner of wearing their hair in a round tuft on 
 the crown of the head, the rest being shaven, was pro- 
 bably considered by them ornamental. The women 
 wore bright-coloured pieces of cloth, and were adorned 
 with a profusion of beads and silver anklets, bracelets, 
 and necklaces. We were soon good friends with 
 these simple wild people of the river, who were very 
 different from the ferocious savages who had hunted us 
 among the mountains. They were timid and slow- 
 minded, and looked at all the marvels we had with us, — 
 our guns, for instance, — with a kind of stupid wonder, 
 contenting themselves with setting them all down as the 
 results of magic. Nothing took their fancy so much as 
 the large nails in the soles of the boots worn by the 
 doctor, and they got the notion that here lay the charm 
 by which we were able to do all the incomprehensible 
 things that we showed them. 
 
 One afternoon when our chief had lain down, after 
 
SWAMPS, SHANS, AND SAVAGES. 163 
 
 a hard forenoon's work, for a siesta, on the bamboo 
 bench in one of the huts, while we rested under a huge 
 banyan tree close by, Hannibal startled us by jumping 
 up declaring, in a great fright, that he had seen " foah 
 niggahs " steal into the shanty. We thought he must 
 have been dreaming, but hurried with him to the en- 
 trance, and there sure enough was a group of natives 
 around the still sleeping doctor, pointing out to each 
 other, with awe and admiration, the rows of nails in the 
 stout shoes, while one stooped down and, with a scared 
 face, ventured to scrape one of the mysterious objects 
 with his nail. A shout from Hannibal caused him and 
 his companions to spring almost to the roof of the hut, 
 and their tufts of hair to stand almost erect with 
 dismay ; while the doctor sat up, and rubbing his eyes, 
 asked what it was all about. Hannibal was terribly 
 indignant at the liberty that had been taken with his 
 master's person ; but the latter only laughed. 
 
 Our naked hosts were not savages in the strict sense 
 of the word, for around their houses were some plots of 
 cultivated ground, and they reared large numbers of 
 poultry. After their lights, too, they were followers of 
 the faith of Buddha ; and near each village there was 
 a wretched shed, open on three sides to the winds of 
 heaven, with a patch of reed thatch hanging over it like 
 a ragged umbrella, and this we found was their apology 
 fur a " pagoda." Further down the stream we reached 
 
164 SWAMPS, SHANS, AND SAVAGES. 
 
 structures more worthy of the name, and the surround- 
 ings changed again as rapidly as in a transformation 
 scene. Again the landscape became of the " willow 
 pattern." Towers of stone and pagoda roofs glimmered 
 far up the heights among the woods ; the lower slopes 
 were laid out in terraces, where sugar, tobacco, cotton, 
 and the poppy plant were grown ; and the flat ground 
 beneath was occupied by " paddy fields," divided and 
 watered by innumerable canals and ditches. Little 
 bridges, carved with quaint figures of impossible ani- 
 mals, crossed these streams, and they were lined with 
 willows, poplars, and here and there a wide-spreading 
 banyan, from beneath which the painted walls of 
 cottages peeped, while poultry pecked and pigs grubbed 
 in the courtyard around. The rice-harvest was now 
 ripe, and the fields were full of busy, dapper little 
 figures, all shaven and pig-tailed, gathering in the 
 yellow grain, and heaping the straw into stacks like 
 our hayricks at home. It actually seemed as if the 
 doctor's prophecy had come true, and that we were 
 slipping back into China. 
 
 These busy harvesters, however, were not Chinese, 
 though they had borrowed most of their civilization 
 from the Flowery Land, and we were now where the 
 word of the imperial ruler of Pekin had little weight. 
 Some tame elephants that moved to and fro, carrying 
 large burdens, and groups of hump-backed cattle, re- 
 
SWAMPS, SHANS, AND SAVAGES. 165 
 
 minded one of India rather than China. Strange- 
 looking pyramids of stone, ending in a spire, that re- 
 called pictures we had seen of Burmese and Siamese 
 buildings, rose near the villages. We were actually in 
 a district of the secluded Shan State of Kiang-mai, 
 which is claimed by the King of Burmah as part of his 
 dominions, though his title is disputed by the Emperor 
 of China, while the natives are generally able to 
 maintain their independence against both these poten- 
 tates. 
 
 This information we got from Yung-wan. who was 
 quite at home among his countrymen ; and I believe 
 that it was through his influence that we were able to 
 come and go unmolested, and received so much kindness. 
 We soon saw a hundred points of distinction between 
 them and the Chinese. They were gayer in manner 
 and more gaudy in taste ; and, apart from the differences 
 of feature and language, we could at once tell a China- 
 man among a group of marketing people by his plain 
 dark-blue or white raiment, contrasted with the gorgeous 
 hues of crimson, purple, and green worn by the Shan 
 ladies and gentlemen. As for the " phoonghees," or 
 priests, their flame-coloured robes almost blinded one 
 with their splendour. The Shans were more bold and 
 open in speech, and, we thought, walked with a freer and 
 more manly gait. They seemed also more truthful, 
 and more cleanly in their persons and houses, than the 
 
166 SWAMPS, SHANS, AND SAVAGES. 
 
 Celestials, which is not saying much ; and as hospitable 
 and good-natured, which is saying a great deal. 
 
 It may be that this favourable impression arose simply 
 from our efforts to understand and sympathize with the 
 people ; for the doctor had made us thoroughly ashamed 
 of our prejudices, and Tom admitted that he had not 
 felt in the least degree a return of his " oerish " humour. 
 
 However that may be, we had certainly much reason 
 to be grateful for the kindness we received at a time 
 when we stood sorely in need of attention ; for each of 
 us had a touch of fever, as a result of our sojourn in 
 the marshes, and we were detained for over a week in 
 one of the largest of the Shan villages, which from its 
 size might almost have been called a town. We chafed 
 at the delay, to the great surprise of our entertainers, 
 who had no idea of the value of time, and, like other 
 Orientals, were never in a hurry. But the interval was 
 not ill spent, for we had an opportunity of studying 
 the curious collection of people of different races that 
 gathered every third day to market, and which embraced 
 not only many tribes of Shans, but Chinese traders in 
 copper, salt, and precious stones ; sleepy-eyed Laotians, 
 bringing fruits and spices from the regions further down 
 the river ; Burmese pedlers, with Manchester prints and 
 Birmingham hardware for sale ; natives of Siam and 
 Anam, and savages in all stages of nakedness and every 
 pattern of tattoo. 
 
SWAMPS, SHANS, AND SAVAGES. 167 
 
 From this point, Yung-wan informed us, there was a 
 route that would bring us to Mandalay, or to the British 
 possessions on the Lower Irrawady. We had engaged a 
 crew of canoemen to carry us up a tributary which here 
 falls into the Mekong. It was impossible, however, we 
 found, to start until we had taken part in the great 
 annual festival in celebration of the ingathering; of the 
 rice-harvest. I will not venture to describe the barbaric 
 scene, — how the flags flaunted, and the gongs crashed, 
 and the trumpets blared ; how the adults feasted and 
 revelled, and the young people danced and scattered 
 flowers, and the phoonghees scattered incense and walked 
 in procession, followed by the heavy-footed elephants 
 bearing the emblems of the bounteous harvest. But I 
 will always have a picture in my mind of the broad, 
 magnificent river, as we saw it between the stems of 
 bamboos and the leaves of palms and other tropical 
 plants, illuminated by the torches of hundreds of boats 
 that passed backwards and forwards on its waters, while 
 the songs of the rowers reached our ears in a wild and 
 weird chorus. It was the last glimpse we had of the 
 mighty Mekong. Next morning we started westward, 
 before the mists had risen from its surface, on the last 
 stage of our weary wanderings, which would land us 
 again, we hoped, among our dear countrymen. 
 
CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 A CANOE VOYAGE UP-STREAM. 
 
 T last there seemed some prospect of our being 
 able for a time to " take things easy." Our 
 rest at the Shan village had been very grate- 
 ful to us ; but somehow we had got so accustomed to 
 be moving onward, that even our short halt had seemed 
 a deplorable waste of time. Our thoughts were now 
 all bent on home, and the way before us was still long 
 and rough and beset by dangers. The canoe voyage 
 was a new experience, and in some respects one of the 
 most pleasant we had yet had. We had movement and 
 progress — for our two slim little crafts, propelled by the 
 dexterous strokes of the native boatmen, slipped through 
 the water like fish ; and at the same time we were re- 
 lieved of the distressing toil that had hitherto taken up 
 almost the whole of our energies. Our prows were point- 
 ing westward ; the doctor told us, after consulting the 
 pocket-compass which had so often been our " guide, 
 philosopher, and friend," during the journey, that a 
 
A CANOE VOYAGE UP-STREAM. 169 
 
 straight line drawn in the course we were pursuing 
 would, as nearly as he could calculate, carry us to the 
 shores of " Merrie England" itself. 
 
 The thought inspired us with a wild wish to seize the 
 paddles and put on a " spurt " for the old country ; we 
 felt as if we could have flown over the hills and forests 
 and waste places that intervened between us and the 
 friends who were no doubt anxiously looking for news of 
 us, and probably had, by this time, given us up for lost. 
 But when we had made a practical trial of our proficiency 
 in paddling, we were not long in discovering that we would 
 best consult our own comfort and the rapid progress of 
 the voyage by leaving the work entirely in the hands of 
 the native canoemen. Dr. Roland could ply a paddle 
 almost as skilfully as the Canadian pioneers, in whose 
 birch-bark canoes he had ascended and descended many 
 a stream in the great North-West. Hannibal's powerful 
 arm was a splendid ally when " a long pull and a strong- 
 pull " was required. But each had to admit that he 
 was beaten hollow by the under-sized, spindle-legged 
 canoemen whom we had engaged, and who seemed to 
 have no more flesh on their bones than would make a 
 respectable supper for one of the crocodiles that eyed us 
 greedily from the water. These men had been inured 
 to this work from infancy, and had passed their whole 
 lives on the rivers and creeks. Their paddles struck 
 the water with a finely-measured beat, while each sinew 
 
170 A CANOE VOYAGE UP-STREAM. 
 
 of their muscular frames, which were almost free from 
 the encumbrance of clothes, stood out like whip-cord. 
 
 Away we skimmed like swallows up-stream, then, 
 making excellent " time," while a beaded line of foam 
 streamed away in our wake, and the " whish" of the 
 canoes, as they sped through the water, sounded like an 
 accompaniment to the musical but rather monotonous 
 chant sung by our boatmen. In the leading boat was 
 the doctor, and with him Yung-wan and myself — the 
 little Shan guide eagerly explaining and answering the 
 questions of our chief as to the nature of the country 
 ahead. Tom and Hannibal were in charge of the second 
 canoe. The weather continued delightful — perhaps too 
 warm in the mid-day hours for what would be con- 
 sidered pleasant picnicking at home ; but we had got well 
 seasoned now to extremes of warmth and cold, and the 
 sun could hardly blister our faces and hands to a darker 
 hue than they already bore. There were few indications 
 of that break-up of the harvest weather and approach 
 of winter which was one of our chief inducements in 
 hurrying out of this country ; and the rain and hail 
 storms, which were certain to overtake us if we waited 
 for another week or two on the eastern side of the great 
 range of hills for which we were bound, still held off. 
 
 We could therefore sit in our boats and enjoy the 
 grand panorama which passed before us on either bank of 
 the stream, and watch leisurely the strange aspects of 
 
A CANOE VOYAGE UP-STEEAM. 171 
 
 life in Further India which every new bend of the river 
 revealed to us. The tributary of the Mekong on which 
 we were voyaging would in Europe be considered an 
 important stream ; yet on our return home we found 
 that not one of the maps of this country which we con- 
 sulted so much as indicated its existence. The French 
 expedition under Commander Lagree had left the main 
 river some distance 1 below the point where this affluent 
 — which we found was called the Me-Hem — entered 
 it ; and Captain M'Leod and the other English travellers 
 who have penetrated a little way into this almost un- 
 known region had also followed quite a different line 
 from that we were now pursuing. 
 
 The current in these lower reaches was deep and 
 smooth, and pretty free from sand and mud banks, 
 though occasionally our rowers had to exercise all their 
 skill to avoid running on shoals. Many of the inhabi- 
 tants on its banks appeared to make their living by 
 fishing. Their tiny canoes were continually darting 
 across from bank to bank, or floating past us with the cur- 
 rent ; and judging from the quantities of queer-looking, 
 brilliantly-coloured fish which we saw lying at the bot- 
 tom of the boats, they appeared to meet with excellent 
 sport — as likewise did the vast flocks of cranes, pelicans, 
 ibises, and other birds, that congregated on the trees or 
 swam about us in search of prey. Though we had taken 
 care to supply ourselves with rice and other stores for 
 
172 A CANOE VOYAGE UP-STREAM. 
 
 the journey, at the village below, we did not disdain to 
 vary our fare by occasionally making a meal of the 
 slimy-looking finny creatures which the hospitable fisher- 
 men offered to us ; or of a brace of wild ducks, when we 
 could secure that luxury without a waste of ammunition. 
 But I must confess that there was no tid-bit which we 
 relished so much as a broiled haunch r> £ iguana, which a 
 venerable-looking native headman presented to us with 
 many salaams; and our sensations when the doctor the 
 same evening pointed out to us, on a branch, one of the 
 great, ugly, warty lizards, whose rich, juicy flesh we had 
 found so appetizing, were decidedly " queer." 
 
 From all the signs we saw around us, a numerous 
 population occupied this portion of the valley ; and fish- 
 ing was by no means the only or even the chief em- 
 ployment of the population. The land for a considerable 
 distance back from the river-bank was cleared of forest, 
 and heavy crops, chiefly of rice, had just been reaped 
 from it. Native hamlets, pagodas, and sharp-pointed 
 pyramids, which are so puzzling a feature of the archi- 
 tecture of this country, peeped out from the midst of 
 fine groves of nut-bearing and other fruit trees. Here 
 and there were houses of larger dimensions, with gardens 
 and bath-houses opening out upon the river — doubtless the 
 seats of Burmese mandarins, Shan chieftains, or wealthy 
 Chinese merchants. Flocks of well-fed cattle were to 
 be seen, and now and then a domesticated elephant ; but 
 
A CANOE VOYAGE UP-STREAM. 173 
 
 the work of the farm here, as in British India, seemed 
 to be chiefly performed by the buffalo. Large boats 
 passed us laden with rice, maize, buckwheat, and other 
 kinds of grain, or with piled-up cargoes of vegetables 
 and fruit for the markets on the Mekong. In some of 
 these vessels we saw Burmese pedlers seated by their 
 packages of cloth, crockery, and hardware goods, for 
 the most part, probably, of English manufacture, which 
 they were conveying down-stream, in order to be ex- 
 changed for the products of China and the Shan coun- 
 tries. I noticed with surprise among the wares of these 
 travelling merchants an article which seemed to be 
 guarded with peculiar care. It was none other than an 
 empty pale-ale bottle ; and I think that even the most 
 ricricl of water-drinkers would have hailed with delight 
 the sight of an object so common — perhaps too common — 
 in the old country, had he come upon it in so out-of- 
 the-way a locality as the valley of the Mekong. 
 
 I questioned Dr. Roland about it. 
 
 " There is no accounting for tastes," he replied. 
 " I understand that empty beer bottles have been the 
 'rage' for some time among the nobility and gentry of 
 this part of the world. No great man's reception-room 
 is thought properly furnished unless a pint bottle is stuck 
 up on the place of honour. All the shrines of Buddha 
 round about hero have secured at least one of these 
 familiar specimens of English glass-work. The chief of 
 
174 A CANOE VOYAGE UP-STREAM. 
 
 the Shan principality through which wc arc travelling 
 has lately been made happy by being able to complete a 
 set of a dozen of these bottles, which are ranged in a 
 line behind his throne of state, under the great brazen 
 gongs and the elephants' tusks which he esteems, next to 
 Bass's labels, as among his most precious and wonderful 
 possessions. It seems that these bottles and labels are 
 believed here to represent the highest efforts of art as 
 practised among our benighted countrymen, and to be 
 executed with infinite labour and with the aid of 
 magic." 
 
 " What ridiculous people ! What a funny craze !" 
 I remarked. 
 
 "Did you ever hear of the 'china craze' at home?" 
 asked the doctor, with some sarcasm in his tone. " I 
 forgot, however — -there is one heirloom belonging to 
 the prince which he values more even than his beer 
 bottles. He is said to be the possessor of a magnificent 
 gem. On the question whether it is a diamond, or a 
 ruby, or an amethyst, or a sapphire, authorities differ ; 
 but all agree that it is a jewel which has no peer in size 
 or in brilliancy in these parts. The place where it is con- 
 cealed is kept a profound secret. If the prince's suzerain, 
 the King of Burmah, got an inkling of its whereabouts, 
 it would not be long in changing hands, for that despot 
 lays claim to all the precious stones that are found in his 
 dominions. Rumour has it that he would barter even 
 
A CANOE VOYAGE UP-STREAM. 175 
 
 his white elephant — which you know lias an official 
 rank in the state only second to the king himself — for 
 the Prince of Kiang-tong's jewel." 
 
 "Do you think there is any truth in the story?" 
 asked I. 
 
 " That is more than I can say," rejoined Dr. Roland. 
 " There is nothing impossible about it, and the country 
 we are about to enter has been famous in all ages for 
 its abundance in precious stones. I questioned Yung- 
 wan, from whom I had most of the information I have 
 given you, but he seemed disinclined to say much about 
 the big brilliant, or, indeed, to talk at all on the subject 
 of diamonds and diamond-mines. He peeped about him 
 restlessly all the time we were speaking, as if he were 
 afraid somebody might overhear us. I suspect that he 
 has got into trouble at one time or other about smug- 
 gling jewels, and is afraid that some one will recognize 
 him and rake up his old fault. They tell me that these 
 Burmese packmen often carry much more valuable wares 
 across the mountains than Manchester cottons, or even 
 empty Bass and porter bottles — tiny little packets con- 
 cealed about their persons containing gamboge, saffron, 
 cardamoms, sandal-wood, and other precious drugs, spices, 
 and dyes, or — who knows ? — some gem of great price 
 that has escaped the vigilant eyes of the Royal Proprietor 
 of the Mines of Rubies and Sapphires. But," pursued 
 the doctor, " as our dear old Scotch friend, Mr. Marshall, 
 
176 A CANOE VOYAGE UP-STEEAM. 
 
 would have said — I wonder what he is doing at this 
 moment, Bob ! — this talk of princes and precious 
 stones is ' neither here nor there.' We must put off our 
 visit to his Highness of Kiang-tong — whose capital, Yung- 
 wan tells me, is about a day's journey distant on our left 
 — until our next trip into Further India. We have no 
 time to spare at present to look on the glories of his 
 crems or his row of bottles, or to listen to his £rand 
 orchestra of drums, gongs, cymbals, wind and string in- 
 struments, and Chinese swivel-guns. As for our friends 
 the Burmese pack-merchants, I suppose you know what 
 makes their presence here most significant to us ?" 
 
 " Because," said I, " it shows that there is a track in 
 this direction leading to British territory." 
 
 " Yes," my patron rejoined ; " and a well-beaten one ap- 
 parently. I regard the portion of our route we are now 
 entering on as a very important and interesting one. 
 The dividing chain between the Mekong and the Salwen 
 River has never been crossed by any European in the 
 latitude where we now are. It is a spur thrown off by 
 the Himalaya, and runs down almost continuously from 
 Thibet, where we crossed it a few weeks back, to Singa- 
 pore, on the Strait of Malacca. It is almost unexplored, 
 as I said ; but you can see that a considerable trade is 
 carried over its passes between the countries to the east 
 and those on its western side. An excellent opening for 
 British commerce misrht be found here. You remember 
 
A CANOE VOYAGE UP-STREAM. 177 
 
 the strange-looking brown masses that you saw exposed 
 in the bazaar on the river, and which was sold in slices 
 to customers ?" 
 
 " I fancied it might be cheese, sir," said I. " But I 
 did not look at it closely, because it didn't appear nice." 
 
 "Cheese !" cried the doctor, highly amused. "Why, 
 man, that was tea — fermented tea. A budding planter 
 like you, Bob, should not have made a mistake like 
 that, more especially as the plant is of the Assam and 
 not the Chinese variety. It is grown on the drier hilly 
 parts here ; and the leaf is reduced to a half -fermented 
 state, and packed into ' bricks.' The Burmese and the 
 natives fry it in oil, and use it as a kind of dessert. It 
 is the Great treat here next to iguana flesh. There are 
 cotton and tobacco plantations, and the silk-worm is cul- 
 tivated. The red clay that you saw is the famous stick- 
 lac out of which the Chinese, by a process that is kept 
 a strict secret, mould their marvellous lac-ware. It is 
 made of the ash of a kind of wood found in these forests. 
 But still more important, I think, are the signs of min- 
 eral wealth that are visible on every hand. You must 
 have noticed how plentiful copper ornaments and imple- 
 ments are ; the very shares of the ploughs are made of 
 copper. I have seen specimens of iron ore that are the 
 richest I ever examined. There are also said to be mines 
 of gold, silver, tin, antimony, and cinnabar, not to men- 
 tion the diamond-diggings." 
 
 (690) 12 
 
178 A CANOE VOYAGE UP-STREAM. 
 
 Though I half suspected that Dr. Roland was partly 
 poking fun at me, I own that this talk of hidden and 
 untold wealth had a strangely exciting effect on me. I 
 had visions of us all returning from our travels like 
 Aladdin or Sinbad, with our pockets bulging out with 
 precious stones. 
 
 " Couldn't we have a look about us for the diamond- 
 mines — as we are here ?" I asked in a tone that I fear 
 betrayed my foolish and eager thoughts. 
 
 " No, Bob," answered my kind friend, laying his hand 
 on my shoulder. "The 'Arabian Nights' are all at an 
 end. The Valley of Diamonds and the Enchanted Cave 
 are nowhere in this neighbourhood. My duty is to 
 bring you safe and sound through the dangers into 
 which, against my will, I have led you. As we cannot 
 now-a-days employ a roc, genii, or a fiery griffin to 
 take us up by the girdle and carry us over the tops of 
 the mountains, but must plod most of the way on our 
 legs, we have no time to spare for looking for diamonds, 
 when we are more likely to catch fever. There is 
 something far more valuable, however, which we may 
 find in the direct path of duty." 
 
 "What is that, sir?" 
 
 " What would you say if we were to discover the true 
 ' trade route to China,' about which so much has been 
 written for generations past, and in quest of which so 
 many regularly organized expeditions have set out in 
 
A CANOE VOYAGE UP-STREAM. 179 
 
 vain ? I think," added the doctor, returning to his 
 half-bantering tone, " if we bring back news of two new 
 routes to the Flowery Kingdom, we will be entitled, not 
 only to the thanks of the Geographical Society, but to 
 those of the British Chambers of Commerce. But here 
 at last come our friends, in time to break off this long 
 harangue." 
 
 The conversation had taken place as we sat in our 
 canoe in a still reach of the river, just above a place 
 where it ran for a couple of hundred yards in a swift 
 and rather broken current, which we had had no little 
 ado in ascending. Yung-wan had gone to arrange for 
 our taking up our quarters in a pagoda which rose close 
 to the river-edge, and our crew had stretched themselves 
 on the bank to rest after their exertions, leaving the 
 doctor and me in charge of the boat. The second canoe, 
 which was deeper in the water than ours, had fallen 
 some distance behind ; but just as we were beginning to 
 get a little anxious for its appearance, we saw our com- 
 panions in the gathering evening light beginning to take 
 the current — it could hardly be called a rapid — with a 
 will. On they came handsomely, the canoemen plying 
 their paddles with all their might, and shouting their 
 accustomed chorus until silenced by lack of breath. For 
 some seconds the boat appeared to remain stationary, 
 the vigorous strokes of the paddlers barely enabling it 
 to hold its own against the violence of the stream. Then 
 
180 A CANOE VOYAGE UP-STREAM. 
 
 we heard Tom's voice endeavouring, in very bad time 
 and tune, I admit, to raise " Rule Britannia " for the 
 encouragement of his boatmates. The measure, however, 
 was too slow, and the effect was not what it doubtless 
 would have been had the crew been British tars. At 
 last Hannibal struck in with one of the maddest and 
 merriest of his " plantation dance " ditties, and the men 
 responded to it as if electrified. " Hand over hand " the 
 boat came up, breasting the current and sending the 
 spray flying from its bows, and soon it was securely 
 moored beside our own 
 
CHAPTER XV; 
 
 A HALT m A PAGODA. 
 
 UN G- WAN now approached with the news 
 that he had arranged everything amicably 
 with the monks ; and as it was now quite 
 chilly at night, even in these tropical latitudes, we lost 
 no time in removing ourselves and our baggage to the pa- 
 goda. Ever since leaving the Mekong we had made some 
 Buddhist " Kyoung " or temple our halting-place for the 
 night, and in every case we had received kindly entertain- 
 ment. These religious houses, indeed, serve the purpose of 
 public inns in this country. The phoonghees, or priests, 
 we found very different personages from their brethren in 
 Thibet. Harsh fanaticism and savage zeal for the faith, 
 which, perhaps, were fostered by the bleak prospects and 
 biting arctic air of those lofty plateaux, did not well 
 accord with the soft genial clime into which we had 
 now descended. These phoonghees were lazy, easy-going 
 people, who allowed their vows to sit very loosely upon 
 them ; and if they were quite capable of cheating and 
 
182 A HALT IN A PAGODA. 
 
 lying, they had clearly no mission for persecution like 
 the lamas. Their features and even their garb indicated 
 a milder temperament, and the very structure of the 
 temples — light and airy, fantastically painted and gabled, 
 and built of bamboos neatly joined together — presented 
 the greatest possible contrast to the blind, gloomy, prison- 
 like cells of stone in which the inmates of the lamis- 
 saries hide themselves. They were probably no better 
 than they should be, and many of them, no doubt, led 
 dissolute lives, but it could at least be said in their favour 
 that they did not neglect the golden virtue of hospitality. 
 The old chief phoonghee, who now met us and 
 escorted us to our sleeping -places for the night, was 
 particularly gracious and comnmnicative. He told us — 
 what the aspect of the country during the last few hours' 
 sail had led us to anticipate — that beyond this point, and 
 until we reached the boundary of Burmah proper, we 
 must not expect to find any more Buddhist monasteries 
 with doors open to weary travellers. The cultivated 
 land along the banks of the stream had gradually grown 
 narrower, and patches of virgin forest now and then 
 had intervened between the rice plantations. Instead 
 of the marshes and alluvial plains lower down, hilly 
 ridges began to hem in the valley and to throw out 
 spurs to the banks of the stream. That evening's experi- 
 ence, too, had taught us that, in the most literal sense, 
 our course would no longer be one of " smooth sailing." 
 
A HALT IN A PAGODA. 183 
 
 The worthy chief phoonghee was pleased to take 
 great interest in our journey — clue perhaps to sundry 
 little presents which we made him, not to mention the 
 respectful manner which we invariably adopted towards 
 these spiritual guides and the symbols of their national 
 faith ; and he concerned himself much about the lack 
 of intellectual nourishment such as his order afforded, to 
 which we would be condemned during our sojourn among 
 the " savages." It troubled us much more, however, to 
 learn that there was a prospect of our suffering from 
 bodily hunger during the remainder of the journey ; 
 also, that we need no longer expect to find any pro- 
 tection in the "passport" — cut in Burmese characters 
 on a slip of bamboo — which the doctor, by the expenditure 
 of some of the last of his Indian rupees, had secured 
 before setting out on the canoe voyage from the official 
 who represented the Court of Mandalay. The important 
 question of the means of transport was then discussed in 
 all its bearings, Yung- wan, of course, acting as inter- 
 preter between us and our host. It seems that it was 
 the practice for travellers bound westward to leave the 
 stream at this place and hire mules, ponies, or oxen for 
 the transmission of themselves and their bau'^aofe across 
 the passes, under the protection of a guard. The 
 circumstances at the present moment, however, were 
 peculiar. The fighting that was going on within the 
 Chinese frontier between the Imperialists and the 
 
184 A HALT IN A PAGODA. 
 
 Mohammedan insurgents had unsettled the whole region. 
 Large numbers of the Chinese population had fled across 
 the border, which was within about a week's march from 
 where we now were, and had thronged into the Shan 
 villages to escape the impending massacres. Some of 
 these refugees had found shelter in the very monastery 
 under whose roof we were sitting. Rumours had come 
 down within the last day or two that the Emperor's 
 troops had defeated and scattered the rebel host, who, it 
 was thought, would not unlikely also flee across the 
 frontier for refuge. 
 
 This was rather disquieting news for us ; we had no 
 wish to stumble again on Akbar Khan in our travels. As 
 the Chinese were again bundling up their effects and 
 making preparations to return to their homes, baggage 
 animals were scarcely to be had. The friendly old 
 phoonghee also warned us that, if we followed the ordin- 
 ary bridle-route leading to Mandalay and the Irrawady, 
 we would be likely to land ourselves in trouble as soon 
 as we reached the territory where the King of Burmah 
 bears absolute sway, as Englishmen were at present in 
 peculiarly bad odour with that monarch and his subjects. 
 His advice was, that if we were determined to push on, 
 we should continue to ascend the Me-Hem river as far 
 as we could, and then endeavour to cross the mountains 
 on foot, taking our chance of the " savages," who were, 
 after all, more to be trusted than a Burmese miard. But 
 
A HALT IN A PAGODA. 185 
 
 he considered that we ought to settle ourselves com- 
 fortably where we were for a few months until more 
 peaceful times should return, and in the interval he 
 should have time to thoroughly discuss with the doctor 
 the question of the duration of the " sixty-four great 
 Cycles of Time," the vanity and misery of human life, 
 and the illustrious virtues of the great Buddha, on all of 
 which topics he hoped to convert his guest to his own 
 way of thinking. 
 
 Dr. Roland, of course, declined, with many expressions 
 of thankfulness, this courteous offer. Even if we had 
 had time to waste, I fear that the prospect of having to 
 listen to the worthy old phoonghee's long and misty 
 " explanations " of his religious views would have made 
 us flee the hospitable roof of the kyoung, or at least 
 have made us often take advantage of that excellent rule, 
 inscribed among the two hundred and twenty-seven 
 Precepts of the order, which directs the monk " not to 
 preach the law to one lying down, unless sick." It was 
 settled, however, that, as to the route we should pursue, 
 we should follow his advice, which was urgently supported 
 by Yung-wan, and still more effectually by the discovery 
 that pack-animals could not be got at present for love or 
 fur money. 
 
 As we had again before us the prospect of " roughing 
 it" for weeks to come, we indulged ourselves next morning 
 with a few hours' extra rest; and the head of the kyoung 
 
186 A HALT IN A PAGODA. 
 
 and his assistants conducted us over their establishment, 
 pointing out with especial pride the little images of 
 silver, brass, marble, or jade, often with gems set in the 
 place of eyes, the lamps, candlesticks, fans, and other 
 offerings presented by the devout to the pagoda, among 
 which we were amused at observing the inevitable empty 
 beer bottle, a greasy tobacco pouch that had probably 
 found its way to the shores of Further India in some 
 sailor's pocket, and other equally humble and vulgar 
 European articles. More interesting to us was the library, 
 where we found a goodly collection of the sacred writ- 
 ings, mostly written in the ancient Pali language, intro- 
 duced hither, with the religion, from Ceylon, and inscribed 
 on palm leaves, ivory tablets, or plates of copper, bound 
 together by cords. There were other manuscripts, from 
 which Dr. Roland was, by great favour, allowed to make 
 extracts and notes. By-and-by a troop of demure little 
 lads, with shaven heads, filed in for their daily lessons 
 — for these kyoungs are the public schools as well as the 
 places of entertainment in these countries — and we took 
 our departure. The yellow-robed monks accompanied 
 us to the river-bank, and warmly bade us farewell ; and 
 we parted from them with a much more kindly feeling 
 towards the Buddhist priesthood and faith than we had 
 acquired in the highlands of Thibet. 
 
 Again afloat on the stream, we soon discovered that 
 its character and the appearance of the surrounding 
 
A HALT IN A PAGODA. 187 
 
 country were rapidly changing. From a slow-flowing, 
 navigable river, it was becoming a brawling mountain 
 torrent ; and the banks, no longer level and cultivated, 
 were overhung by high cliffs and dense masses of forest. 
 Still reaches of water were found at intervals, but these 
 were becoming more rare. There was yet plenty of 
 water for our canoes, but our upward course became a 
 strenuous, unremitting struggle with the current. Often 
 we had to land, and with ropes drag our canoes by 
 main force up some piece of rushing, broken water which 
 the paddlers could not face ; and sometimes it was found 
 necessary to haul our light craft on shore, and carry 
 them bodily to the smoother water above the rapids. 
 This was not an easy task ; for where the bed of the 
 stream was uncovered, it was strewn with great masses 
 of rock, and where the forest approached close to the 
 water's edge, it was next to impossible to cut and trample 
 a way through the dense jungle and high grass. Now 
 and then we came upon a native hut or two, of very 
 humble construction, surrounded by a small clearing. 
 By their features and dress, or rather want of dress, we 
 recognized the owners of these shanties as the "savages" 
 of whom the phoonghees had given us so unfavourable 
 an accoimt. But we found them mild, inoffensive people ; 
 and perhaps, as is the case elsewhere, they are regarded 
 as barbarians merely for the reason that they are of alien 
 race and customs. As Yumr-wan did not understand 
 
188 A HALT IN A TAGODA. 
 
 their dialect, we did not profit from their counsels so 
 much as we might have done ; but we gathered from 
 their gestures that there was danger about — whether 
 from man or from wild beasts we could not make out 
 — and that we should keep a strict watch against sur- 
 prise. 
 
 The country grew more wild and broken, and also 
 more beautiful. The forest around us especially became 
 of grander proportions. Where high cliffs did not hem 
 us in, the tall trees rose like a wall on either hand, 
 shutting out the sky, except where the course of the 
 stream opened up before us a vista, which frequently 
 revealed glimpses of the lofty, saw-like peaks of the 
 mountain mass to which we were bound, and which now 
 seemed wonderfully close at hand. Or I might compare 
 the towering trunks and overhanging foliage of these 
 noble trees to the columns and roof of a stately and 
 solemn cathedral aisle. Only here everything was of 
 Nature's workmanship, and she displayed a variety of 
 form and gorgeousness of colouring in her work which 
 man cannot hope to approach. The stems and branches 
 of the trees were draped with the most beautiful mosses 
 and ferns. Some were of tiny and delicate structure, 
 while we saw specimens of a kind of " staghorn" fern, 
 whose fronds were four or five feet in length. Magnifi- 
 cent orchids also attached themselves to the bark ; and it 
 is impossible to describe the richness and brilliancy of the 
 
A HALT IN A PAGODA. 189 
 
 tints displayed by this the most splendid of all the 
 orders of flowering plants. High aloft, where the 
 sunlight glimmered on the tops of the monarchs of the 
 forest, many species of tropical birds fluttered about and 
 repeated their calls to each other, the grating harshness 
 of their notes being strangely in contrast with their 
 gorgeous feathers. Sometimes a little sun-bird or some 
 other bright-plumaged creature would dart down after 
 an insect into the gloom of the forest below, the metallic 
 gleam of its crest and throat shining like a spark in the 
 darkness. Troops of monkeys also gambolled about at 
 a safe elevation, and seemed to take immense interest 
 in our movements, leaping along from branch to branch 
 by our sides, and occasionally scurrying down the trunks 
 in order to take a nearer view of the intruders through 
 the leaves or between the rocks. The slightest gesture 
 on our part sent these scouts darting like lightning up 
 again among the higher branches, where they joined 
 their mates in angry screaming, chattering, and expostu- 
 lating, which, I daresay, if it could have been interpreted, 
 Would have made us heartily ashamed of the impropriety 
 of our conduct. The heavy thud of a large nut on the 
 ground told us that, if we were to venture on shore, the 
 monkey objections to our presence would be hammered 
 into our stupid human skulls in a more impressive way. 
 Radiant butterflies, with the most elegantly formed 
 wings and lovely markings, fluttered over the stream, or 
 
190 A HALT IN A PAGODA. 
 
 hovered from flower to flower on the hanks. In the 
 evening, moths that rivalled their noonday-loving brethren 
 in beauty came forth ; and the burnished, scaly coats of 
 innumerable species of insects of the beetle tribe fairly 
 blazed in the shadow. Nowhere had we seen tropical 
 nature under such alluring aspects, and never had we 
 had such opportunity of adding to our knowledge. But, 
 alas ! we could only gaze longingly and pass on. No 
 time could now be spared for botanizing or for insect- 
 collecting ; and we did not know what unseen dangers 
 might be lurking for us in the thicket. The labour of 
 forcing our way up-stream occupied almost our whole 
 energies ; and the touches of fever from which each of 
 us suffered also impaired our enjojmient of the scenery. 
 
 Our canoes " brought up " in a little pool in the 
 stream, where the deep reach of water was surrounded 
 by steep cliffs screened by masses of vegetation so dense 
 that only here and there the dark rock revealed itself 
 behind the curtain of green. Graceful trees, many of 
 them bearing fruit, others covered with blossom, grew in 
 the most inaccessible places, and their leaves and branches 
 were reflected in the calm surface of the pool. Climb- 
 ing-plants crept and wound themselves everywhere, and 
 wove the whole into one matted web of greenery. A 
 lovelier spot we had not yet reached in our travels ; and 
 we rested a little to enjoy the scene, and finding the 
 place suitable, decided to camp here for the night. 
 
A HALT IN A PAGODA. 191 
 
 " Wouldn't they give us something if we could cany 
 off this scene bodily and set it down in Kew Gardens ? " 
 remarked Tom admiringly. " Why, it would take the 
 scientific fellows weeks, I suppose, to classify the new 
 plants. And wouldn't stay-at-home folks stare ? They 
 have no notion of the splendid things that there are in the 
 world, and they won't believe us when we tell about them." 
 
 " And wouldn't we give something for a glimpse, even 
 for a second or two, of the sights that every day meet 
 the eyes of those 'stay-at-home' folks that you speak of 
 so scornfully ? " asked Dr. Roland. " I am sure that for 
 a sprig of hawthorn, for the scent of an English meadow 
 with daisies and buttercups, or for a sight of a breezy hill- 
 side covered with gorse and fragrant with heather and 
 thyme, you would gladly surrender all this gorgeous 
 blaze of green and gold, if not even your supper." 
 
 Hannibal, who was engaged in preparing our well- 
 earned meal, by dexterously cooking over the embers a 
 couple of jungle-fowl, looked up and shook his head. 
 But Tom and I clapped our hands approvingly ; and the 
 doctor proceeded, — 
 
 " These gaudy hussies of flowers that stare at us so 
 impudently are no more to be compared with the shy, 
 sweet wildings at home than the croaking, screaming 
 dandies of parrots overhead are to be likened to our own 
 larks or thrushes; ay, Tom, or your mandarin's daughter 
 to one of the girls of our tight little island.'' 
 
192 A HALT IN A PAGODA. 
 
 " I have often wished myself," said Tom, " that we 
 might come across a good honest nettle or bramble. 
 Still, sir, you must allow that this is very grand and 
 beautiful." 
 
 " Very beautiful indeed," returned the doctor ; " though 
 to my mind freshness and sweetness and simplicity are 
 best. Come ; we are not so badly off after all. Here 
 is Hannibal with our fowls done to a turn. I think we 
 will find these as palatable as if they were home-grown 
 poultry — which are supposed to be the descendants of 
 this wild breed — and to have quite a 'gamey' flavour in 
 addition." 
 
 Yung-wan, who had been absent for a couple of hours, 
 now approached, nimbly making his way towards us 
 through the undergrowth and over the rocks. He had 
 been out on the scouting duty in which he had 
 shown himself so skilled, and he reported that above 
 us, at a distance of little more than a quarter of a mile, 
 was a village inhabited by Shans and Danoos, a tribe 
 speaking a broken dialect of Burmese. After carefully 
 reconnoitring, he had ascertained that the inhabitants 
 were peaceable and well-disposed, and he had arranged 
 with the headman for our obtaining quarters for the 
 night. 
 
 Having finished our meal, we again proceeded up- 
 stream, and reached the village as night was closing in. 
 Just a week had elapsed since we had left the Mekong. 
 
CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 A TRAMP THROUGH THE FOREST. 
 
 E slept soundly on the hard matting spread for 
 us in the guest-chamber of the headman's 
 house ; but next morning we were early 
 astir. The first thing that was made plain to us, was 
 that we must now bid adieu for the time to our canoeing 
 experiences. For the last stage or two the river- 
 journey had seemed to us rather more toilsome and 
 troublesome than a march by land. Where we were not 
 straining against the current, we were carrying our boats 
 and baggage over stock and stone — " thorough bush, 
 thorough brier." And such bushes for denseness, and 
 briers for the length and sharpness of their thorns ! On 
 the whole, wo were not disappointed to find that, beyond 
 this point, it would bo impossible at this season of the 
 year to make any progress by water. 
 
 The village when; wo wore now resting was one of 
 the halting-places of the traders, who on their land 
 
 journeying here struck the river and followed its banks 
 (090) 13 
 
194 A TRAMP THROUGH THE FOREST. 
 
 for some distance on their way to the mountain passes 
 and to Burmah. We, of course, assumed that we 
 should pursue the same track, more especially as the 
 headman declared that the only known crossing-place of 
 the range lay in this direction. Yung-wan, however, 
 took our leader aside, and assured him that he knew of 
 a much safer and more suitable path, which could be 
 reached by ascending a small stream that fell into the 
 Me-Hem at this spot. Certainly the outlook in the 
 direction pointed out by the guide was not very inviting. 
 The banks of the little tributary, which was hardly larger 
 than a brook, were clothed with thick primeval forest, 
 which looked as if it had never been trodden by human 
 foot ; while a well-defined path led up the main valley, 
 and the wood there appeared to be much more thin and 
 penetrable. The doctor, however, had complete confi- 
 dence in our guide's faithfulness and skill. The stories 
 of refugee bandits and rebels from Chinese territory 
 having sought shelter in this wild district were repeated 
 to us in more definite form. They were supposed to be 
 lying in wait to pounce upon any party venturesome 
 enough to attempt to cross the pass, and for several 
 days no one had dared to make the journey. All things 
 considered, we thought it preferable to take our chance 
 of being lost in the forest and eaten up by wild beasts, 
 rather than run the risk of falling again into the hands 
 of Akbar Khan and his associates. 
 
A TRAMP THROUGH THE FOREST. 195 
 
 The headman of the village expressed great astonish- 
 ment when he heard of our resolve. He assured us that 
 the jungle paths in the direction in which we proposed 
 to go all ended within a few miles of the spot where 
 we stood, and were only used by hunters. Nothing was 
 known of the forest-covered country beyond, except that 
 it extended to the foot of mountains that were, quite in- 
 accessible. In his view, the only alternatives were, re- 
 maining where we were, or returning by the road whence 
 we had come. Yung-wan, however, continued confident, 
 and the doctor obdurate to all the arguments of the 
 " local authority." We shouldered our guns and knap- 
 sacks — very light they were, as beseemed people setting- 
 out on such a journey ; but the doctor's note-book, which 
 I had rescued " under fire," was not forgotten — bade 
 farewell to our friends of the village, and to our boat 
 crew, who had proved such willing and trusty workers, 
 and plunged into the dark and lonesome forest. 
 
 It was some time before the silence and monotony of 
 our surroundings began to impress themselves upon us. 
 We were rather elated at being once more our own mas- 
 ters. Again we were thrown entirely on our own re- 
 sources, and our spirits rose as we thought that we were 
 dependent on onr own legs and wills, and not upon the 
 whims of a tropical toiTent, for the route we should pur- 
 Bue. Not that we had much choice in the matter of a 
 road. Numerous paths, indeed, led through the bamboo 
 
196 A TRAMP THROUGH THE FOREST. 
 
 jungle and grass immediately surrounding the village 
 fields ; but the tracks piercing the taller forest beyond 
 were hard to rind and difficult to follow. It is true that 
 we could not stray far either to the right hand or the 
 left ; generally we were hemmed in by walls of inter- 
 twined stems, branches, and leaves, sometimes composed 
 of saw and razor edged grasses and barbed thorns, so 
 thickly set that there hardly seemed room for a snake to 
 wind its way through. That serpents did manage to pay 
 visits to the pathway, we had frequently unpleasant re- 
 minders ; and we had to keep a sharp watch lest we 
 should place a foot on some slimy poisonous wretch that, 
 on hearing our approach, was slowly trailing himself into 
 cover, looking all the more wicked and ugly, we thought, 
 for the rainbow sheen on his scaly hide. A much 
 greater obstacle, however, was found in the fallen branches 
 and twisted roots that stretched across the path, and 
 over which we were continually stumbling, while a cold 
 shudder would run through one as the thought occurred 
 that at last a snake had been trodden upon. Spiders' 
 webs, as big, as Tom remarked, as " small cables " — or 
 at least, almost of the thickness of cotton thread — ex- 
 tended across the pathway, and were strong enough to 
 give a sharp blow when we incautiously ran our noses 
 against them in the obscurity. The proprietors of these 
 oigantic cobwebs we often noticed lurkincr among the 
 leaves by the wayside, and watching, like patient fisher- 
 
A TRAMP THROUGH THE FOREST. 197 
 
 men, for what fortune might bring into their nets. Great, 
 bloated, wicked-looking ogres they looked, with bodies 
 as large as walnuts, and sprawling legs six inches in 
 length. "We had little difficulty in believing the stories 
 that travellers have told about tiny sun-birds building 
 their nests in the abandoned webs of these monsters. 
 
 Our track seemed to have been more trodden by wild 
 beasts — elephants, rhinoceroses, and other bulky creatures 
 — than by man. It brought us by-and-by to the banks 
 of the little stream whose valley we were ascending ; and 
 after following it for some distance, it turned again into 
 the woods. The trees gradually became of larger dimen- 
 sions, and the undergrowth disappeared. We were in 
 the primeval forest, where the axe of the wood-cutter 
 had never sounded. We could breathe more freely, for 
 we were no longer hedged in by grass and jungle. The 
 trodden path grew more and more faintly marked, and 
 at length was lost. We could pursue our way in any 
 line we chose ; for, in spite of the air-roots and 
 climbing-plants that hung around each giant of the 
 forest, like the guys and ratlins about a ship's mast, 
 passage seemed to be indifferently open to us in every 
 direction. The mighty stums of different species of 
 palms and other trees, measuring sometimes thirty or 
 forty feet in girth, towered aloft to a height that strained 
 our eyes when we looked up. We felt mere insects in 
 size as we wound around and between these immense 
 
198 A TRAMP THROUGH THE FOREST. 
 
 trunks, or like a party of Liliputians who had wandered 
 into a forest of Brobdingnag. Twilight gloom and 
 solemn stillness reigned here, though a storm might be 
 raging without, or the sun of the tropics shining ver- 
 tically down on the thick mass of foliage overhead. 
 Here and there a gleam of sunshine found its way down 
 through the branches, like a ray from a bull's-eye lan- 
 tern, scattering bright flecks of light on the boles and 
 roots of the great trees, or on the sodden, leaf-strewn 
 ground over which we marched. At intervals a patch 
 of blue sky might be seen overhead. This was where 
 some hoary veteran of the forest had fallen in the ranks 
 from old age and decay at the roots, and lay prostrate 
 on the ground, or hung suspended by the innumerable 
 lianas and lialines that united it with the other trees, 
 which, one might fancy, were in the act of lowering 
 their old companion slowly into its grave. When we 
 reached one of these prostrate stems, we were glad to 
 make a halt for rest, and also to examine the rare and 
 lovely things with which it was generally covered. The 
 rough bark was a kind of " mosaic work " of lichens, 
 mosses, and ferns, and each high branch that had caught 
 the sun had been made the adopted home of delicate 
 flowering parasites that would have stocked a conser- 
 vatory. Beetles and other boring insects with shiny 
 coats of mail had perforated the rotten wood in all direc- 
 tions : and in the midst of our most interesting inves- 
 
A TRAMP THROUGH THE FOREST. 199 
 
 tigations, we were sometimes put to ignominious flight 
 by the colonies of ants that had taken possession of the 
 decaying trunk. Still more unpleasant were the atten- 
 tions which sundry black, wriggling scorpions seemed 
 anxious to bestow on us when we disturbed them in 
 their quarters under the bark or the leaves ; and once I 
 checked my hand just in time, as I was about to examine 
 a beautiful object, which turned out to be the green and 
 spotted body of a small poisonous snake. It was clear 
 that among the tree-tops, a hundred and fifty feet over- 
 head, there was a world of life, full of movement, light, 
 and colour ; and we were tempted to wish that we had 
 wings like the birds, or nimble limbs like the monkeys, 
 that we might spend our time up there instead of crawl- 
 ing through the dismal shades below. 
 
 On leaving these sunny spots, the gloom of the forest 
 seemed deeper than before, and the utter solitude and 
 sameness of the interminable vistas of trees confused and 
 depressed us. Yung-wan, however, was perfectly in his 
 element. He picked out the easiest way with unerring- 
 instinct, and had apparently complete confidence in his 
 power to guide us through this labyrinth. A haunting- 
 fear that we were being watched or tracked, however, 
 seemed to possess him. He glanced suspiciously around 
 him for signs of (Linger ; and often made us halt, in 
 order that he. might make a detour back upon the way 
 we had come, and discover whether we were being fol- 
 
200 A TRAMP THROUGH THE FOREST. 
 
 lowed. Yung-wan, since his adventure with the rebels, 
 had got " ambuscades on the brain." Nothing occurred 
 to justify these precautions ; and, for ourselves, we felt 
 certain that it was impossible that any enemy could have 
 been tracking us up without revealing ere this time some 
 sign of his presence. 
 
 Hitherto we had come across very few of the big game 
 of the region. Plenty of foot-tracks and other signs of 
 elephants, tigers, and rhinoceroses had been observed, but 
 we had only caught momentary glimpses of these large 
 animals in the flesh. This was perhaps lucky both for 
 them and for us. We had no wish to expend our small 
 remaining stock of ammunition in shooting them for 
 mere sport ; and so long as other sources of food supply 
 held out, we were well enough satisfied that the wild 
 beasts should give us a " wide berth." Now the guide 
 halted at a small rivulet with steep rocky banks, which 
 ran like a deep gash through the forest. There was a 
 crossing-place over the stream which bore marks of 
 having been often used by the heavy forest animals. 
 Yung-wan listened intently, and made a sign for us to 
 remain perfectly still. Was the mysterious " enemy " 
 about to make his long-expected spring on us ? We 
 hearkened attentively, but for some moments heard noth- 
 ing except the rushing of the brook. At last we thought 
 we heard a sound of snapping branches, and the noise 
 soon became quite distinct. Under Yung-wan 's direction 
 
A TEAMP THROUGH THE FOREST. 201 
 
 we concealed ourselves carefully behind a mass of rocks 
 and shrubs near the ford, and awaited the issue. The 
 sound of breaking twigs and heavy footfalls drew nearer ; 
 and now and then came a grunt or a trumpeting note 
 that alone would have told us that a troop of elephants 
 was approaching. Soon the broad forehead of an enor- 
 mous " tusker " appeared. His trunk was carried high 
 in air, and he proceeded deliberately and carefully to re- 
 connoitre the position before advancing. The elephant 
 stretched out his long proboscis to right and left, and 
 blew great clouds of steam from it with a dissatisfied air. 
 Evidently he scented danger — perhaps, like our guide, 
 he was troubled in mind about ambuscades — but could 
 not make out where it lay. Had he known that four 
 guns were bearing upon him at a distance of not many 
 yards away, he would have been even more ill at ease. A 
 breeze was blowing down the ravine, and we had taken care 
 to ensconce ourselves to leeward of the crossing-place, so 
 that he could not get the " wind" of us. After flapping 
 his ears doubtfully, and taking a nervous glance around 
 with his small eyes, he made up his mind that the fancied 
 danger was a delusion. His body emerged from out 
 the thicket, and as lie leisurely picked his way down the 
 broken bank and across the stones forming the bed of 
 the rivulet, we had a capital view of him. A splendid 
 fellow he was, standing at least ten and a half feet high, 
 and bearing an enormous pair of tusks. Close behind 
 
232 A Tit AMP THROUGH THE FOREST. 
 
 him came two female elephants, and a young half-grown 
 male, and another female, with her " baby," brought up 
 the rear. It was only a small family party whose 
 passage we were privileged to see, and we looked on 
 with interest, but without seeking to disturb them. It 
 was curious to watch the attention bestowed on the baby 
 elephant by its mother, and the anxiety she showed that 
 it should keep pace with the elder members of the party. 
 It exhibited some reluctance to descend to the brook, so 
 she gently pushed it from behind with her trunk, and 
 then carefully guided its stumbling steps up the other 
 slope. 
 
 When the last of this interesting group had disap- 
 peared into the forest, and before the cracking of branches 
 that marked their progress had ceased to be heard, we 
 resumed our march. We began to discover that small 
 streams running through deep gullies at right angles to our 
 course formed a feature of this forest country. Between 
 these water-courses the ground heaved up in ridges, 
 which became steeper and higher as we advanced. The 
 wood here was not so dense and high as that which we 
 had passed through, and presently we reached a glade 
 on the summit of one of the ridges which gave us a 
 prospect of what lay ahead. The country around us had 
 the appearance of a tossing sea of forests, that rose in 
 higher and hio-her billows until it seemed to roll itself to 
 the foot of a lofty precipitous mountain wall, that ex- 
 
A TRAMP THROUGH THE FOREST. 203 
 
 tended, as far as our eyes could see, right across our path, 
 and was now so close at hand that, with the sun beginning 
 to set behind it, its shadow already fell on us. We could 
 see, where the green ocean of verdure dashed itself against 
 these cliffs, that masses and lines of trees climbed high 
 up among the rocks, like the spray of a broken wave ; 
 but above, all looked " dark, substantial, black," in the 
 fast-descending twilight. 
 
 We were too tired to discuss the problem of how this 
 formidable obstacle was to be surmounted ; so we made 
 ourselves comfortable where we were, and in a few 
 minutes were sleeping the sleep of exhaustion and of a 
 good conscience. The morning, perhaps, would bring 
 more lmht and better counsel. 
 
CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 THE LOST CITY. 
 
 HE morning, however, did not bring us all the 
 comfort that we could have wished. The 
 first object that caught our waking eyes was 
 the great wall of mountains standing before us grim and 
 immovable. Its aspect was indeed changed from that 
 of the previous evening, for the sun was now shining 
 brightly on its scarred and wrinkled front. " Beaked 
 promontories " ran out from the main mass of rock, and 
 its sides were ploughed with deep ravines. Some of these 
 might possibly afford a passage by which the crags might 
 be scaled, but they did not look promising at a first view. 
 
 " I suppose this is the outer buttress of the Tanen- 
 Toung-gyee Mountains," said the doctor, after a quiet 
 survey. " I should like to know how Yung- wan pro- 
 poses to get us across." 
 
 The guide was engaged in his usual preliminary round 
 of inspection, and we could see him on an elevation some 
 little distance off carefully scanning the landmarks. 
 
THE LOST CITY. 205 
 
 " I wonder that the Shans and Burmese should take 
 the trouble to invent so long and ugly a name," remarked 
 Tom, whose dissatisfied mood was probably explained by 
 his having had no breakfast. " I should not be surprised 
 at any enormity that the Chinese or the Thibetans would 
 commit in the matter of names ; but our friends down 
 below are easy-going, sensible people, and really ' Tanen- 
 Toung-gyee' is too absurd a title to give to their principal 
 range of mountains." 
 
 " I think we might get over the name, if we could 
 only get over the fact," answered the doctor quietly. 
 " I am afraid that is only the first step in the 
 ascent that we see opposite to us ; and if there are 
 many like it, our muscles and our patience will be well 
 tried before we get to the top. But why this sudden 
 gush of tenderness towards the Shans and the Bur- 
 mese, Tom ? Is it because in your present famished 
 state you are fondly remembering the lean chicken and 
 the mess of rice which you helped to consume at the 
 headman's hospitable board yesterday morning ? An 
 active young man of healthy appetite like you should 
 not be above breakfasting on fruit, when nothing better 
 is to be had ; and at this moment I have my eye on the 
 very choicest fruit that the tropics can produce." 
 
 "Where?" cried Tom, jumping to his feet, while the 
 other members of the "expedition" also showed sudden 
 alacrity. 
 
206 THE LOST CITY. 
 
 The doctor pointed to some tall trees, of a different 
 tint of green than those immediately surrounding them, 
 on the slope overhanging the stream below us. In a 
 few minutes, by scrambling and slipping down the steep 
 bank, and at the cost of sundry rents in our already 
 ragged clothes, we were standing under the shade of the 
 grove that had allured us from afar. The prevailing 
 tree had a stately, tapering stem rising to a height of 
 over a hundred feet, and surmounted by a shapely 
 dome of leaves. At that great height we could descry 
 dusky masses of fruit of most tempting appearance 
 glimmering among the branches. There was no need, 
 however, to climb so high to reach them, even if the feat 
 had been within our power, for the fruit was ripe, and 
 the ground was thickly strewn with bronze-coloured 
 globes larger than oranges. Dr. Roland picked up a 
 specimen and handed it to Tom ; but no sooner had that 
 young hero removed the tough, leathery rind, and carried 
 a portion of the creamy pulp under his nose, preparatory 
 to conveying it to his stomach, than an expression half- 
 puzzled, half-disgusted came over his features. He with- 
 drew the tempting-looking morsel from his lips, and 
 looked reproachfully at our leader, as if he suspected 
 that a practical joke was being played on him. 
 
 " Eat it up, man," said Dr. Roland. " Never mind the 
 smell — or the stink, if so you choose to consider it." 
 
 Tom, impelled by a keen appetite, again boldly ap- 
 
THE LOST CITY. 207 
 
 proached the fruit to his lips ; and immediately on 
 tasting it, his expression changed to one of ineffable 
 enjoyment. 
 
 " "What is it, sir ? " asked I, who, with Hannibal, now 
 became anxious to try the experiment in which Tom 
 Wilson was finding such absorbing satisfaction. 
 
 " It is the durian," our friend replied, " the undisputed 
 monarch of tropical fruits. I had no idea that it grew 
 in so high a latitude as this, though it is common enough 
 in the Malay Peninsula, to the south of us. But try it 
 for yourselves." 
 
 None of us seemed to receive exactly the same im- 
 pression of the taste of this regal fruit, but all agreed 
 that it was delicious and indescribable. As the rich 
 pulp, of the consistency and appearance of custard, melted 
 away in our mouths, we seemed to detect all the fruity 
 juices and flavours that had ever visited our palates 
 combined into delectable union. The strangest thing 
 about it, however, was the peculiar, half -fragrant, half- 
 putrid odour that assailed our nostrils. If the palate 
 was more than satisfied, the nose was more than dubious 
 about the merits of this luscious banquet. 
 
 " Well, lads, what do you think of your breakfast ? 
 J I as pear or pine-apple or peach any chance with this 
 quintessence of sweets ? " asked the doctor. 
 
 " Certainly not," said Tom enthusiastically. 
 
 "Except in one respect," I ventured to add. 
 
208 THE LOST CITY. 
 
 " Ah, yes ! to be sure there is that queer smell. A 
 traveller has compared it to the stench of a bad sewer 
 as felt through a perfumed pocket-handkerchief." 
 
 " I think there is more of the sewer than the perfume 
 about it." 
 
 " Perhaps there is,' : was the doctor's response. " Well, 
 Bob, there is nothing quite perfect in this world. Even 
 the durian has its weak point ; but after all it is an 
 exquisite fruit, and almost worth, as somebody has said, 
 the trouble of making a voyage to the East in order to 
 taste it. The rich dinner-givers in London would give 
 a handsome sum for that fine ruddy fellow you hold in 
 your hand ; but it will not endure being carried half so 
 far.''" 
 
 " What would the bench of Aldermen give to be sitting 
 under this tree ! " said Tom, waxing eloquent, as he pro- 
 ceeded to divest another durian of its stiff, burnished 
 skin. " The Lord Mayor himself, I believe, would leave 
 his chair and his calipash and calipee, and exchange his 
 robes of scarlet for my ragged jacket, if he could only 
 get into my shoes this instant. I appeal to this hon- 
 ourable assembly. I address you, sir, and my learned 
 friend Mr. Robert Brown, and the honourable and gallant 
 namesake of the illustrious Carthaginian general ; and I 
 ask if you can imagine a more tranquil spot, or a more 
 perfect picture of enjoyment." 
 
 The orator was interrupted by a rough and sudden 
 
THE LOST CITY. 209 
 
 push administered by the doctor's hand, that sent him 
 and the durian rolling over and over for two or three 
 yards. A second after, a great round mass from the 
 branches overhead fell with a heavy thud, and made a 
 deep dint on the very spot where the self -satisfied youth 
 had been seated. Had he not been thrown so uncere- 
 moniously off his balance, he would certainly have been 
 stunned, perhaps seriously hurt, by the heavy fruit fall- 
 ing from so great a height on his head. 
 
 o o o 
 
 We lost no time in moving away from this attractive 
 but rather dangerous spot. Yung-wan was signalling to 
 us from the ridge above, and as he was eager to make a 
 start, we were, half an hour later, again trudging up-hill 
 and down-hill, through brake and forest, at the heels of 
 our little guide. 
 
 Some change was now made in the direction we were 
 pursuing. Instead of making straight for the high 
 mountains we had seen in front, Yung-wan " edged oft"" 
 a little towards the south. A long day's march lay be- 
 fore us, and we were soon tired enough of toiling up the 
 narrow valleys of mountain streams, varied only by stiff 
 climbs over hilly spurs covered with jungly forest and 
 down into the stony bed of another torrent. Each time we 
 caught a peep through the thicket of the range, it loomed 
 a little higher and nearer ; but considering how close at 
 hand it looked on the previous evening, it appeared des- 
 perately hard to reach. If they had not seemed so solidly 
 (coo) 1 4 
 
210 THE LOST CITY. 
 
 planted on their foundations, one might have fancied 
 that the mountains were fleeing as we pursued, and that 
 we were only making up on them after a long stern-chase. 
 We now entered a wider valley, between hills that 
 could be made out to be spurs thrown off directly by 
 the main range. Something else caught our attention, 
 but for some time we hesitated to credit our own eyes. 
 Could these chisellings on the rocks and these hewn 
 slabs, forming a kind of broken causeway underfoot, 
 actually be signs of the presence and handiwork of man 
 in the heart of what we had believed to be an unexplored 
 wilderness ? But the races that now inhabit this region 
 have neither the inclination nor the skill to construct the 
 works whose remains we saw scattered about us. Their 
 efforts at house architecture are represented by flimsy 
 huts of bamboo, bound together by ratans, or at most 
 wooden temples for their idols, covered with grotesque 
 carvings. Their roads are mere trails through the 
 forest, for which, probably, they were originally indebted 
 to elephants and buffaloes. But the race who had con- 
 ceived and executed the vast labours with which this 
 lonely valley was strewn, must have been of the " sons of 
 Anak " — people with a purpose, belonging to an earlier 
 age and to a higher civilization than their degenerate 
 successors of to-day. The doctor had little doubt, from 
 an examination of the remains, that we had stumbled 
 on the ancient site of a settlement of that mysterious 
 
THE LOST CITY. 211 
 
 people, the Khmers, whose ruined cities and temples, 
 buried in the depths of the forests of Cambodia and 
 Siam, are among the chief marvels of the East. 
 
 Excited by our discovery, "\ve pushed rapidly on, in 
 spite of the guide's injunctions to be cautious. The 
 causeway which we followed, though crumbling away 
 and broken in many places, and with long grass 
 and shrubs growing in the interstices of the stones, 
 afforded a more smooth and easy road than any we 
 had trod for many a long day. The traces of ancient 
 occupation and decayed grandeur grew more numerous. 
 Everything bore the impress of extreme antiquity ; and 
 from all we saw, no one might have visited this forsaken 
 spot for a thousand years or more. The massive slabs 
 of stone under foot were worn with the friction of water. 
 Masses of earth and crumbling bricks had slipped down 
 the sides of the valley and obstructed the path. Heavy 
 blocks of stones, which had evidently formed the founda- 
 tions on which the brick superstructure had been built, 
 still for the most part held their positions, though in 
 some places the site of the ruins was nearly obliterated 
 by dense masses of thorns and creeping-plants. These 
 works had, from their position and form, been built 
 for defensive purposes ; and when they were entire, and 
 manned by the energetic race that had constructed them, 
 no enemy could possibly have approached their strong- 
 hold. There were many places in the valley and on the 
 
212 THE LOST CITY. 
 
 hills that confined it which were suited for cultivation, 
 and before scrub and forest were allowed to oversow 
 the rich soil of this district, it must have supported a 
 teeming population. 
 
 Clambering over a pile of masonry, we came in full 
 view of an amphitheatre of cliffs, enclosing in their 
 embrace the ruins of the " Lost City." The tall, sombre 
 crags were beginning to cast long shadows, and beneath 
 them was a chaos of huge mounds and walls, shattered 
 and tottering towers, broken monuments, and colossal 
 statues that had been hurled from their pedestals, and 
 above which now waved mournfully the dark plumes 
 of a rank jungle vegetation. These thorns and evil 
 weeds were now the only traces of life in this once busy 
 scene, and they only deepened the feeling of utter 
 desolation which it produced on our minds. As we 
 advanced into the midst of the ruins, our amazement 
 and our sense of oppressive loneliness increased. We 
 passed through long and wide courtyards, paved with 
 brick and stone, and strewn with fragments of beautifully 
 carved columns and capitals, and bas-reliefs of gods and 
 warriors and dancimr-uirls. Leading; from these were 
 flights of broad steps, now dismantled and broken, and 
 overgrown with weeds, and spacious avenues lined with 
 o-io-antic fio-ures of man and beast. Here the head of a 
 sculptured elephant or the grinning face of a stone tiger 
 or dragon peered out from under the overhanging 
 
THE LOST CITY. 213 
 
 branches, and a few paces further the form of a giant 
 lay prone among the rubbish, with his great club, broken 
 short off, lying beside him. What struck us much was 
 the contrast which the rude design and execution of 
 these misshaped monsters presented to the delicacy and 
 taste of the ornaments with which the buildings were 
 covered. Further on, confused piles of masonry, the 
 ruins of former palaces and temples, blocked our way. 
 Underneath, some of the doorways and chambers were 
 almost complete ; but nearly all the towers had fallen, 
 and the great blocks of granite and ironstone were tilted 
 and poised in every conceivable position. The giant 
 creepers that grew between the stones, and clung and 
 twisted with their long roots and branches over the 
 buildings in every direction, like the twining bodies of 
 boa-constrictors, had helped to complete the ruin. There 
 had been more, however, than the hand of man and of 
 time engaged in the work of destruction. It looked as 
 if some terrible earthquake had shaken down the sacred 
 fanes on the heads of the worshippers, and buried the 
 proud lords of this mysterious city under the ruins of 
 their palaces. 
 
 We sought shelter in a spacious chamber in what 
 appeared to be the principal temple, which had risen close 
 beneath the brow of the rock, and resolved to delay till 
 the morrow making a close examination of the ruins. 
 It was some time, however, before our excitement and 
 
214 THE LOST CITY. 
 
 the strangeness of our surroundings would allow us to 
 sleep, and we talked long into the night, chiefly in 
 unprofitable conjectures as to what manner of people 
 they had been who had raised these wonderful struc- 
 tures, and what kind of life they could have led in 
 this secluded valley, before the mysterious calamity had 
 occurred that drove them forth from the shelter of their 
 cyclopean walls. The beasts of the night also seemed 
 to have all awakened and to be calling to each other 
 with weird howlings and shrieks, and great bats flitted 
 about our room with an eerie sound. One could have 
 imagined that the spirits of the ancient inhabitants had 
 been aroused out of their long sleep, and were questioning 
 one another as to the strange visitors from the world of 
 the living who had invaded their city of the dead. 
 
 We were early afoot in the morning, however, and 
 made considerable progress in taking measurements of 
 the ruins. We found them even more extensive and 
 elaborate than we had supposed on the previous evening. 
 The temple especially in which we had passed the night 
 had been a stupendous and beautiful structure. We 
 ascended the remains of an outer staircase of stone, and 
 thus getting on the top of the ruined edifice, made our 
 way with difficulty and danger, sometimes along the 
 crumbling edges of walls, and through vast dilapidated 
 halls, till we found ourselves close to the rock which 
 formed part of the precipice that girded in the valley. 
 
THE LOST CITY. 215 
 
 The other members of the party were a little in front 
 of Hannibal, who lingered behind to peep into some 
 dark corridors that attracted his notice. A shout of 
 alarm from the negro brought the rest of us to his side. 
 His eyes were rolling nervously in their sockets, and as 
 soon as he could get breath he whispered, in terrified 
 accents, that he had seen the form of a man disappear 
 down a gloomy passage which seemed to lead away into 
 the interior of the building. 
 
 This was disturbing news, and Yung-wan's yellow 
 face, I thought, turned to a wan ash colour with alarm. 
 We questioned Hannibal closely as to what he had really 
 seen, as he seemed to be a little confused, and we knew 
 that, though brave as a lion in other respects, he was 
 not above the influence of superstitious fear. 
 
 "Sawum plain, Massa Doctah," he protested earnestly, 
 " saw um clear as mud." 
 
 " Why didn't you catch hold of him ? " 
 
 " Hi ! flopped out o' sight, right b'hind dat dar wobbling 
 t'ing," answered Hannibal, still in a state of great excite- 
 ment, and pointing to a hideous stone griffin which 
 guarded the low entrance of the passage. " Couldn't 
 have ketched hold o' a ghost anyhow ! " he added re- 
 proachfully. 
 
 " What was he like ? Was he in the native dress ? " 
 
 " No ; not like de niggah fullahs round yere — 'spect- 
 ably dressed man like myself." As honest Hannibal's 
 
216 THE LOST CITY. 
 
 cotton jacket was now a thing of shreds and patches, 
 and his knees and brawny calves revealed themselves 
 freely through his trousers, his notions of being " respect- 
 ably dressed " were not extravagant. 
 
 " Have you ever seen anybody like him before ? " 
 
 " No, Massa Doctah," returned the negro, slowly pon- 
 dering, as if he were recalling one by one the features of 
 the mysterious stranger, and trying to find resemblances. 
 " Nebber seen anybody a bit like him." 
 
 "Would you know the face if you were to meet it 
 again ? " 
 
 " No," said Hannibal gravely, scratching his wool ; 
 then brightening up a little, " I wouldn't know de face ; 
 but I would know de bach, if I met it" 
 
 " Then you saw only his back ? " 
 
 " Only de back, sar," was the reply received by the 
 astonished doctor, while we could not help bursting into 
 a laugh at this result of the cross-questioning 
 
 Meantime a light had been kindled, and we stooped 
 and entered the dark portal, under the outstretched 
 wings and yawning jaws of the griffin. It was not a 
 corridor after all ; only a recess in the wall, which con- 
 tained nothing except a few large vampire bats, which 
 came flapping against our light with a suddenness that 
 made our hearts jump to our mouths. At the farther 
 end, however, was a wide crack, where the walls had 
 been rent apart, and it was just possible that a man 
 
THE LOST CITY. 217 
 
 might have squeezed himself through this opening. We 
 tried the aperture by turns, and it was found that only 
 Yung-wan's supple form could by any possibility get 
 through. If any one evilly disposed towards us were 
 in hiding on the other side, the guide would have been 
 completely at his mercy had he attempted alone to ex- 
 plore the dark chamber with which the " crack in the 
 wall " seemed to communicate, and we would have been 
 unable to render him any aid. 
 
 It was thought best, therefore, not to prosecute the 
 search further ; and it seemed so improbable that another 
 human being could be in this hidden spot besides ourselves, 
 and so hard to believe that anybody could escape by the 
 narrow cranny in the wall, that we almost succeeded in 
 persuading one another, and even Hannibal, that he 
 must have mistaken the flutter of a bat's wings for the 
 vanishing form of a man. The incident had, however, 
 made us all uneasy ; and M r c became more eager to leave 
 the " lost city " behind us than we had a little ago been 
 to explore all its secret recesses. 
 
 Rising above the other ruins were the remains of what 
 had once been a lofty tower of singular proportions. 
 A great part of it was still standing, shattered and 
 crumbling, but strong even in its decay; the grotesque 
 carvings with which the outer walls were covered for 
 the most part still retained their positions. It was Dr. 
 Roland's opinion that this was probably the greatest of 
 
218 THE LOST CITY. 
 
 the " high places " in which the idolaters who built the 
 pile had worshipped, as it was their custom to have the 
 " holy of holies " in their temples as near as possible to the 
 light of day and the influence of the stars. To this part 
 of the ruins the guide led us, and proceeded to wind his 
 way upwards through dusty galleries and narrow stair- 
 cases, where the only light sometimes was what trickled 
 in by apertures in the walls and roof, and where we occa- 
 sionally had to crawl on hands and knees to surmount 
 the heaps of rubbish. Rather unexpectedly, we emerged 
 into the daylight on a platform on the side of the moun- 
 tain. Near us was a low doorway in the cliff, and into this 
 Yung-wan dived without hesitation. Of course we had 
 to follow. Stooping low, in case we should strike our 
 heads against the projections on the roof, we slowly 
 groped our way upwards through the rock-hewn passage 
 for what appeared a terribly long space of time. Then 
 again we greeted the light of the sun, on a second plat- 
 form much higher up the cliff than the first. Here we 
 found steps cut in the rock, which ascended in zigzags 
 towards the summit of the mountain. A heavy block of 
 stone lay close to the dark portal from which we had 
 emerged. Yung-wan made a narrow examination of the 
 ground, and appeared reassured by what he saw ; and, at 
 his request, we assisted in rolling the boulder against the 
 mouth of the archway. 
 
 Pausing now for a little, to fetch breath, we began the 
 
THE LOST CITY. 219 
 
 ascent of the mountain. Though the steps were deeply 
 cut, and our hold made secure by iron pins which had 
 been driven into the rock at the more dangerous places, 
 this part of our task was no easy one. As the least 
 robust of the party, I had several times to rest a few 
 minutes to get my " wind," and to take another look 
 down upon the marvellous and mysterious scene we were 
 leaving. 
 
 " Come away, Massa Bob," said trusty Hannibal, reach- 
 ing out a hand to help me along. " Jest think you're 
 gwine upstairs to dinnah." 
 
 " It must be dinner in a light-house then, or at the top 
 of a factory stalk," put in Tom. 
 
 " Say we are climbing the steps of the temple of Fame 
 at once," cried Dr. Roland, who was, with the guide, 
 some paces ahead. " Forward, lads ! here is the top of 
 the mountain in sight at last." 
 
CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 THE GREAT SAPPHIRE. 
 
 AN you make out yet whereabout we are, 
 and whither we are going ? " asked Tom. 
 " No, Tom," replied Dr. Roland, knitting 
 his brows, on which for several days an expression of 
 anxiety had sat, which did not escape our notice. " No, 
 I can't make it out — exactly," he repeated, as he put 
 away his pocket-compass, which he had been consulting 
 as he narrowly scanned the hills and valleys around and 
 below us. 
 
 Nine days had elapsed since we had left the Mekong — 
 six spent in canoeing on the tributary stream, and three 
 in marching on foot through the jungle and forest; but 
 judging by our worn frames and tattered clothes, it 
 might have been supposed that we had been as many 
 months on the tramp. We were literally in rags ; and 
 this was a serious matter, when the chill, broken weather 
 was setting in, and when we had again ascended into 
 cold, high mountainous regions. The journey had been 
 
THE GREAT SAPPHIRE. 221 
 
 toilsome and monotonous, — on the river, constantly 
 struggling against the current, or hauling our canoes by 
 main force up the rapids, and since our water voyage 
 ended, a no less desperate tussle through the dark, dense, 
 tangled thickets, and by a track that seemed to lead us 
 continually up-hill. 
 
 " As far as I can make out," proceeded the doctor, 
 after a pause, " our guide has left the valleys that might 
 be expected to bring us to the passes leading to the 
 Sahven river, and is carrying us directly to the steepest 
 parts of the dividing range, with what object I cannot 
 imagine." 
 
 " Do you not think, sir," I asked, " that there has 
 been something mysterious about Yung-wan's behaviour 
 from the very beginning ? You remember how reluc- 
 tant he was to join us, and how eager he has been since 
 to bring us into this quarter ? " 
 
 " I would answer for his good faith with my life," 
 said Tom hastily. " And well I might, for I owe mine 
 to him and to Hannibal." 
 
 " I would too, sar," struck in the negro. " Dere is no 
 harm in dat coloured man, Massa Doctah and Massa Bob. 
 He quite right all frew." 
 
 "I do not doubt it," the doctor rejoined; "neither, I 
 am sure, does Bub. What I have noticed is that he has 
 some scheme in his head that he has not yet divulged to 
 us. He seems in constant fear of being watched and 
 
222 THE GREAT SAPPHIRE. 
 
 surprised, though the hill-folks hereabout have been 
 quite friendly. You observed in what a hurry he was 
 to dismiss our canoeinen, and the precautions he took, 
 by doubling and returning on his path, to discover if 
 they were following us. To-day he has been more 
 excited and suspicious than ever, especially since wc 
 heard the rumour in the village where we made our 
 mid-day halt that the rebel army in Yunnan had been 
 scattered, and that some of the refugees were supposed 
 to have fled for shelter to these mountains. And now, 
 after his hard day's march, he has climbed up to the 
 brow of the hill above to reconnoitre the position, and 
 see if there are no spies about." 
 
 "Have you not asked him, then, sir, what he has in 
 his head ? " 
 
 " I have, but got no satisfactory reply. He insists 
 that this is the only route. The fact is," proceeded the 
 doctor, after a few moments' thought, " I have not been 
 anxious to turn away from the line we are now following. 
 I believe we are on the eve of the greatest discovery 
 our journey has yet yielded. Look at these heights." 
 
 We turned towards the quarter indicated by our 
 leader — the only direction in which we could see beyond 
 the limits of the little glade where the guide had left us. 
 We were now high above the level of the plains, and 
 had left behind us the tropical jungle, but coppices of 
 oak, birch, and bracken, growing amid rocks stained 
 
THE GREAT SAPPHIRE. 223 
 
 white with lichens, shut out the landscape on three sides 
 of us. On the remaining side there opened up a pros- 
 pect of dark valleys and of wooded hills rising to meet 
 a lofty range of mountains, whose peaks, standing out 
 grandly to the south-westward, reared themselves in 
 columnar masses, grouped together like the tubes of some 
 stupendous organ, or showed like vast lines of broken 
 wall capped by fragments of towers and overlooked by 
 domes and truncated cones, tilted this way and that, as 
 if the whole were in the act of tumbling into ruin. So 
 strange and wild was their appearance, that we had diffi- 
 culty in persuading ourselves that we were not looking 
 upon a fantastically-shaped cloud that had formed itself 
 in the evening sky. A cold wind blew from these un- 
 scalable heights, which were necked with snow, and we 
 had already had a warning of the harsh climate of the 
 mountains in a shower of sleet. The doctor explained 
 to us that these rocks bore on their slopes the traces of 
 what he called " igneous action." They had been thrown 
 up, perhaps from the bottom of the ocean, when the 
 earth was heaving and bubbling with intense heat, and 
 it was possible that the fires that had formed them were 
 not yet extinct. We had seen many signs of recent 
 volcanic action, having crossed several brooks of warm 
 or tepid water close by ice-cold streams, and having this 
 very evening found a sulphur spring, so hot that we 
 could not bear to keep our hands in it. 
 
224 THE GREAT SAPPHIRE. 
 
 " I should not wonder," said Dr. Roland in conclusion, 
 " if we came upon a real, live, smoking volcano. It has 
 often been conjectured that an active volcanic region 
 would be found hereabout. It will be a feather in our 
 cajDs if it has been reserved for us to discover it." 
 
 He was interrupted by Yung-wan, who appeared 
 scrambling down the face of the rocks with the activity 
 of a cat. The results of his survey had evidently pleased 
 him ; for, along with the suppressed excitement in his 
 face, there was an air of triumph in the way he signalled 
 to us to begin the ascent at once, as soon as he was 
 fairly in view. He had satisfied himself apparently that 
 there were no spies about ; for instead of creeping 
 cautiously up under cover, as on his first ascent, his only 
 anxiety was now to get rapidly to the top. We followed 
 him, wondering what was about to happen next, and 
 hardly able to keep the guide in sight, so steep and 
 rugged was the way. After half an hour's tough work 
 we crested the ridge, and could see not only what lay 
 beyond, but the whole country around us. As the doctor 
 had already guessed, we were on the summit of one of 
 the highest of the spurs thrown off from the dividing 
 ran^e between the Mekong and Salwen rivers. Looking 
 behind us, we saw the ridge on which we were standing 
 and a number of parallel ridges stretching away east- 
 ward, with steep valleys between, towards low, hot lands 
 by the river. In front and on both sides of us was the 
 
THE GREAT SAPPHIRE. 225 
 
 majestic central chain, of which we had now a fuller 
 view; and almost at our feet was a deep, desolate gorge 
 that appeared effectually to bar our way. Beyond this 
 gorge, and far away among other peaks, at a distance 
 of probably thirty miles, was an object that instantly 
 riveted our notice — a cone with a light blue vapour 
 rising from its summit — a veritable volcano ! 
 
 Yung-wan looked on impatiently, while the doctor 
 noted as carefully as possible the position of the smoking 
 crater, and we spoke excitedly about our discovery. He 
 even muttered a word or two to the effect that the "fire 
 nat " would be angry at his home being looked at, and 
 might do us an injury. He wished to call our attention 
 to something much nearer at hand — the mountain, in 
 fact, of which the ridge we were standing upon formed a 
 part. It was a huge mass of naked brown rock, rising 
 some three thousand feet above us, and therefore pro- 
 bably nine thousand feet above sea-level. Its base must 
 have been many miles in circuit, and its summit had 
 that appearance of a long ruined wall that we observed 
 in other giants of the range. It looked, in fact, as if 
 the top had been blown off by some terrific explosion, 
 which had strewn the fragments of the mountain over 
 all the neighbouring slopes. 
 
 " And I have no doubt that is exactly what has hap- 
 pened," said the doctor, to whom I ventured to impart 
 this notion. " Some time or other there must have been 
 
 (690) J 5 
 
226 THE GREAT SAPPHIRE. 
 
 a fearful outburst of smoke and flame up there, and the 
 air would be filled with fiery ashes and sulphurous 
 fumes." 
 
 " It must have been warm times up here then," said 
 Tom. " It would have been worth while seeing the 
 flames belching up hundreds of feet into the air, and 
 red-hot rocks raining down into the o-orsje there." 
 
 " Hardly worth the risk, Tom," said the doctor. " We 
 will find it quite quiet now, I fancy — only an extinct 
 crater, with perhaps some water at the bottom. I can- 
 not imagine what in the world Yung- wan wishes with us 
 up there, but I am glad we are to have the chance of 
 seeing down the vent. — Time to turn in, boys," he added, 
 looking at the clouds and at his watch. 
 
 Of course it would have been out of the question to 
 have besam the ascent that evenins;, so we kindled a fire 
 and made ourselves as situs: as we could for the night 
 under the shelter of some gnarled and stunted trees. 
 To tell the truth, our quarters were not very comfortable. 
 Eain and sleet began by-and-by to fall, and the wind 
 rose, and moaned and howled and sobbed among the crags 
 
 7 O O 
 
 and hollows of the mountain. We were barely able to 
 keep the fire of green wood alive in the wind and wet, 
 and it gave out much more smoke than heat. The cold, 
 raw air pierced to our bones ; and as we sat shivering on 
 the sodden ground and huddling together for warmth, 
 we cordially agreed that we would gladly exchange our 
 
THE GREAT SAPPHIRE. 227 
 
 present chilly camping-place for one in the swamps be- 
 low, even with the mosquitoes for company. Our only 
 consolation was, that away on one spot of the murky 
 horizon we saw a yellowish glare, which must come from 
 the volcano — " our volcano," as we already began to 
 call it. 
 
 Daylight at length broke, and we rose and stretched 
 our cramped limbs, to which our thin damp clothes still 
 clung. Breakfast did not occupy us long, for Hannibal 
 had nothing better to offer than the cold remnants of a 
 bustard, knocked over on our yesterday's march and partly 
 devoured at last night's supper. The mountain did not 
 look any more inviting in the gray morning light ; and 
 I never felt less inclined or able to devote myself to the 
 cause of science than on this occasion. Hannibal glanced 
 nervously at the smoking cone in the distance, above which 
 a dark cloudy shape now hovered, like one of the " gins " 
 of the Arabian Nights. Though as bold as a lion when 
 man or beast was in question, he was not above super- 
 stitious fears. The events of the night had shaken him, 
 and Yung- wan had tried to beguile the time by telling in 
 his broken English some horrifying tales of the baleful 
 power of the nats of the mountains, and of the "beloos" 
 or demons of the wood — monsters with iron teeth and 
 nails, and eyes like live coals. 
 
 " Dere's miffing to fear, Massa Tom," ho said to Wilson, 
 whom he had taken under his special protection since 
 
22S THE GREAT SAPPHIRE. 
 
 the adventure at the falls. Tom's teeth were chattering 
 with cold, and Hannibal, whose own voice was quaking, 
 thought it his duty to inspire his youthful companion 
 with courage. " If one of dem ghosts come for us, he'll 
 have to go away pretty quick. Massa Doctah is not de 
 man to put up with nonsense from dese sort of folks, I 
 tell you." 
 
 " Oh bother !" said Tom peevishly. "Do you think I 
 am shaking for fear, like yourself, Han ? I declare if 
 these stories of Yung-wan's have not made your wool 
 stick on end. Why, man, it must have been some tiger 
 glaring at him from a thicket that he took for that pre- 
 posterous ' beloo ' of his, and his nats were nothing more 
 or less than vapour, like that above the burning moun- 
 tain there. There's nothing to fear, Master Hannibal," 
 he concluded, giving the worthy black a resounding slap 
 on the back. 
 
 Nevertheless the party were not in high spirits when 
 they began to climb the mountain, the exception being 
 the guide, who seemed to grow secretly more elated with 
 every yard of progress we made. The reader has heard 
 enough by this time of hill-climbing, and need not be 
 troubled with an account of this weary part of our day's 
 work. The sun blazed out ; and to make up for being 
 half-frozen over-night, we were now half -roasted. The 
 slopes were steep and rugged, and it was not easy to find 
 a way over the black and brown rocks, the heaps of 
 
THE GREAT SAPPHIRE. 229 
 
 scoriae and ashes, and the streams of cooled lava, marking 
 the track of some former overflow of superheated 
 materials from the burning pit in the bowels of the 
 mountain. Rough grass, ferns, and some other plants 
 grew in tufts, but hardly in sufficient quantity to help 
 us much in our ascent ; and a fine volcanic dust found 
 its way into our eyes, nostrils, and mouths, and almost 
 suffocated us. The sun had passed the meridian when we 
 halted on the top, in what seemed a sterile, blasted plain 
 strewn with ashes, cinders, and masses of black, fused 
 rock, like refuse from some vast furnace. In the centre 
 was a wide and deep depression, and approaching the 
 edge cautiously we peeped over into the abyss. It was 
 a great pit, of oblong shape, perhaps a mile in length 
 by a quarter of a mile in width, and surrounded by 
 nearly precipitous rocks, except on the side opposite to 
 us, where there was a gap in the walls of the crater. 
 Once this void had belched up smoke and flame and red- 
 hot ashes, and the mountain had trembled with the 
 shocks and echoed with the din of the terrible struggle 
 within it; but the silence of death and utter desolation 
 was now on the scene, and the gray gleam of water 
 five hundred feet below us showed that a lake occupied 
 the bottom of the vent. 
 
 We worked our way with much difficulty round to 
 the gap I have spoken of, and after a perilous descent 
 we stood on the margin of the lonely tarn. A stream 
 
230 THE GREAT SAPPHIRE. 
 
 of water of a yellowish-red colour escaped from it, and 
 flowed through the cleft and down a gloomy ravine 
 beyond. We were now on the western side of the 
 mountain, and the guide confirmed by a nod the doctor's 
 opinion that this water must help to swell the flood of 
 the Salwen. So dark and sinister was the scene, the 
 black and blasted crags hemmed us in so closely and 
 frowned on us so threateningly, that I could not help a 
 feeling of mysterious awe and almost terror stealing 
 over me, or wonder at the superstitious natives believing 
 that this was a place where the evil spirits had peculiar 
 power. We seemed utterly cut off from every other 
 living thing, in a spot which had more of the features 
 of the nether world than of the fair and sunshiny earth. 
 The dark lake before us looked as if it were never visited 
 even by the winds of heaven, though there was a kind 
 of troubled movement on its surface — probably indicating 
 the position of the springs — that made my flesh creep. 
 About three hundred yards from us, and close under one 
 of the cliffs, was a little island — a pinnacle of bare 
 rock rising a few feet above the surface. The water 
 must have been of profound depth, for on flinging in a 
 stone quite close to the margin, we noticed the bubbles 
 rising at the spot for nearly a minute. 
 
 As we were thus engaged we heard a splash close 
 by us, and found to our surprise that Yung-wan had 
 divested himself of his clothes, had plunged into the 
 
THE GREAT SAPPHIRE. 231 
 
 lake, and was already swimming towards the island. 
 Breathless with wonder and suspense, we watched him 
 as he made his way to the rock. He did not remain 
 there long, turning almost at once to regain the shore. 
 It was not till he was within a few yards of us that 
 we observed that he was in a state of extreme distress. 
 With much trouble we succeeded in hauling him on 
 shore, where he immediately sank down exhausted. 
 He held out his right hand, which had been tightly 
 clenched, towards the doctor, and opening it, disclosed a 
 bluish-coloured pebble, in the form of a rough crystal. 
 More puzzled than ever, Dr. Roland took it from him 
 and examined it, while we no less narrowly scanned our 
 chief's face. We saw breaking into it some of the 
 excitement which wo had noticed for some days past in 
 our guide. He uttered an exclamation, and Yung-wan, 
 forgetting his prostration, started to his feet. 
 
 " Why," cried the doctor at length, " this is a sapphire, 
 and, I should think, one of the very finest and largest 
 in existence ! It must weigh five hundred carats at 
 least. The man who possesses this is a prince." 
 
 He handed us the gem to look at. It was larger 
 than a pigeon's egg — a crystal of six sides, terminating 
 at each end in a six-sided pyramid. A pale blue shone 
 through the roughened outer surface ; but there was a 
 chip on one of the sides, disclosing a lovely cerulean 
 tint, mate! ling one of the softest and deepest shades of 
 
232 THE GREAT SAPPHIRE. 
 
 the evening sky, and with a brilliancy of its own. It 
 was a gem of the " first water," only inferior to the 
 diamond itself in value ; and one could not look at it 
 without the heart beating with pleasure in its extreme 
 radiancy and beauty. 
 
 Dr. Roland handed the brilliant back to its owner ; 
 but Yimg-wan refused it, signifying that he meant it 
 as his offering of gratitude to his benefactor — the fee 
 for having had his life preserved. This, of course, the 
 doctor would not hear of ; and the guide was compelled 
 reluctantly to take the gem back again into his keeping. 
 He was now, if possible, more anxious to leave the lake 
 than he had been to reach it ; and sharing in his eager- 
 ness to escape from this forbidding place, we hastened 
 down the bank of the stream, and entered the defile, 
 amid the cratherincf shadows. 
 
CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 LOST. 
 
 OR some time we hastened on, hardly drawing 
 breath to exchange a word with each other, 
 as we slid or climbed over the blocks of 
 lava and basalt with which the bed of the stream was 
 paved. You would have said, had you seen us, that we 
 were fleeing in panic, with all the host of evil genii of 
 the mountains at our heels. And, in truth, we did feel 
 like those heroes of the old romances, when they had 
 borne away some potent ring or charm from an enchanted 
 castle, and knew that the incensed magician was busy 
 summoning his familiar spirits and working his wicked 
 spells in order to bring down trouble and disaster upon 
 them. It seemed as if a secret danger were brewing for 
 us up by that "uncanny "-looking lake, and that our safety 
 lay in getting quickly away from its lonely and desolate 
 shores. There were more substantial reasons for pushing 
 on, however. We had no desire to pass another night 
 high up the mountain ; and hunger was making impor- 
 
234 LOST. 
 
 tunate calls upon us, which we had no hope of satisfying 
 in that cold, deserted region behind us. 
 
 We had at last to come to a halt ; for not only were 
 Ave exhausted by fasting and severe exertion, but the 
 darkness was gathering in so deeply that we could no 
 longer pick our way. We were fortunate enough to find 
 some nuts and berries on the shrubs that again began to 
 line our path, — and still better, a cool, fresh spring of 
 water ; for we did not dare to drink the sulphury- 
 looking fluid by our side that ran down from the lake. 
 The pool also yielded a few " fresh- water oysters ;" so 
 that our meal, though not enough to appease our 
 ravenous appetite, was perhaps better than we had any 
 right to count upon. 
 
 We had now time to hear the guide's story of the 
 finding of the great sapphire, and Yung-wan, after 
 carefully reconnoitring the ground to see that there 
 were no listeners near, had no hesitation in satisfying 
 our curiosity, as far as his limited power of expression 
 in English and Chinese went. He told us that he 
 belonged to this part of the country, or rather to the 
 district on the eastern side of the mountain we had just 
 crossed. He had been engaged at the famous ruby and 
 sapphire mines of the King of Burmah, which lay some 
 distance to the westward of where Ave noAV were ; but 
 finding that any treasure he found Avas immediately 
 seized upon by the myrmidons of His Golden-footed 
 
LOST. 235 
 
 Majesty, the " Proprietor of the Mines of Rubies, Gold, 
 and Silver," as he proudly styles himself, he left these 
 profitless diggings in disgust, and made his way towards 
 his home. Passing through the jungles near the mouth 
 of the stream we were now following — which he told 
 us fell into the Salwen little more than a day's journey 
 ahead — he fell upon a spot which his experience of 
 ^em-workings told him was a likely place to find 
 precious stones. He set to work to sift the gravel and 
 sand with such tools as he could lay hands on, and ere 
 long he came upon several small rubies and topazes. 
 Thus encouraged, he went on secretly digging for several 
 days, until he was rewarded by turning up the magnifi- 
 cent gem which we had seen. 
 
 His first feeling was one of stupefaction, then extreme 
 elation, but lastly fear. How should he dispose of 
 this treasure, which might make him the greatest and 
 wealthiest man of his tribe, but was more likely to 
 bring him trouble, or perhaps death ? He dared not 
 return to Burmah. The English he did not at that 
 time know; and, besides, the country of the Red 
 Karens, the sworn and deadly enemies of his race, lay 
 between them and him. On the other hand, Chinese 
 traders were in the habit of passing through his native 
 country, and he knew them to be great dealers in jewels 
 and stones of price. He resolved to make his way into 
 China, and there find a merchant for the great sapphire. 
 
236 LOST. 
 
 But here also there were dangers to be encountered. The 
 frontiers were in the hands of lawless bands of robbers, 
 and there were rumours of insurrection having ajrain 
 broken out. A single unarmed man like himself would 
 be certain to be plundered, and probably murdered. He 
 must hide his gem, and bring a merchant to it who 
 should have strength enough at his back to carry it off 
 in safety. Then he bethought him of the lake in the 
 crater. There could be no safer hiding-place ; for apart 
 from its secluded position, none of the natives of the dis- 
 trict would venture near the spot, out of terror for the 
 supernatural beings that were supposed to lurk there. In 
 fear and trembling he ascended to the haunted tarn, and 
 hid the sapphire in a cleft of the rocky islet in the 
 centre. Then he made his way to China, which he reached 
 almost naked, having been stripped by brigands of the 
 lesser gems he had brought away with him, and barely 
 escaping with his life. At the city of Yunnan-fu he 
 had found a merchant whom he had convinced of the 
 truth of his story. The scheme finally concocted was 
 that a trading-party should be organized, and should 
 start, as if proceeding by the usual direct trade route 
 to Mandalay, with Yung-wan as guide. When they 
 had reached the neighbourhood of these mountains, the 
 Shan would lead them to the place where the sapphire 
 was concealed ; and it was hoped that through his in- 
 fluence, and by the aid of bribes, his tribe would be 
 
LOST. 237 
 
 engaged to form a strong convoy in carrying the gem 
 to China. In the party, as it turned out, was one of 
 the conspirators who were secretly engaged in stirring 
 up the Mohammedans to revolt, and this man, Yung- wan 
 suspected, had got an inkling of the true object of the 
 journey, and had betrayed them into the hands of his 
 ferocious leader, Khodja Akbar Khan. Had he not es- 
 caped, their intention, he believed, had been to spare his 
 life, and to induce him by torture, threats, and promises 
 to reveal the hiding-place of the sapphire. In Yung-wan's 
 opinion, the spies had never once taken their eyes off 
 him ; and one of the first faces he noticed among the 
 party who surprised us at the ferry on the Mekong, 
 was that of his traitorous companion. Since our ap- 
 proach to the hiding-place of his treasure, and especially 
 after hearing the report that stragglers from the broken 
 rebel bands had been seen in the neighbourhood, his 
 suspicions of spies dogging his steps had redoubled. 
 Again on his knees, and almost with tears, he besought 
 the doctor to take the sapphire. He had not, he vowed, 
 once slept soundly or had a moment's case of body or of 
 mind since the hour when its fatal beauty first gleamed 
 upon him like a star in the dark bosom of mother 
 earth. 
 
 Dr. Roland gently explained to him that it was out 
 of the question to accept such a gift at his hands. 
 '•'Besides,'' he added, with a smile, "it" it has been such 
 
23S LOST. 
 
 a burden on you, my friend, it is hardly an act of kind- 
 ness to wish to roll it over upon me. But I will tell 
 you what we will do. If you choose to guide us 
 thither, we will go with you to the spot where you 
 unearthed the sapphire. Who knows," he added, turn- 
 ing to us, " but we may each come away laden with 
 gems, as if we had come out of Aladdin's cavern." 
 
 To this the guide joyfully assented, telling us that 
 the place was only a few hours' march from our direct 
 route to the British border. Then we resigned our- 
 selves to sleep, after arranging to keep a strict watch 
 in turns during the night. Nothing happened to disturb 
 us, except that towards morning Hannibal roused us, 
 and declared with great earnestness that he had seen a 
 dusky shape watching us, and that it immediately dis- 
 appeared from sight. 
 
 " Saw um flop right down b'hind dat dar bush, sar," 
 he insisted, wiping the cold sweat from his brow, with 
 his eyes rolling in his head ; but he could give no other 
 account of the apparition, except that it was as " big as 
 a bull " and had eyes " like live coals." 
 
 Tom thought we ought to " blaze away a bit " at the 
 shrub before approaching it, and I was inwardly of the 
 same opinion, but the doctor pointed, as one excellent 
 reason against " blazing away," that we had just one 
 rifle cartridge left. He stepped quietly up to the bush, 
 followed by the rest of us, when we found that though 
 
LOST. 239 
 
 it loomed so big in the foggy light, it could not have 
 given cover to a catamount. We had a hearty laugh 
 at Hannibal, which was none the less loud because 
 he infected some of us with his half-superstitious fears, 
 and scathing were the sarcasms as to how his " bull " had 
 found shelter behind a few twigs of willow. 
 
 When day had fully broken, however, and our march 
 was resumed, we found that we had not wholly shaken 
 off the feeling of disquiet that had crept upon us from 
 the moment that the sapphire had come into our charge. 
 The scenery of the ravine through which we were 
 wending was weird and oppressive hi the extreme. 
 The black, gaunt walls looked as if they had been 
 scathed with fire, and plant and animal life seemed to 
 be timorously venturing back into the valley after some 
 terrible catastrophe that had laid it waste. We met 
 with hot, bubbling sulphur springs ; little water-courses 
 that trickled down the rocks — the waters tinged with 
 white, green, purple stains, and exhaling powerful gases ; 
 and basins from which puffs of steam and jets of water 
 rose at regular intervals. 
 
 Yung-wan now told us, in an awe-stricken whisper, 
 something that added nut a little to our sense of alarm. 
 On his last visit here, these snorting demons, as he 
 firmly believed them to be, had not been nearly so 
 active and violent. The stream that escaped from 
 the crater and ran down the gorge was then a mere 
 
240 LOST. 
 
 dribblet ; now it ran in a powerful current, that rose 
 above mid-leg when we forded it, and we even fancied 
 that it was stronger both in smell and in force since 
 yesternight. But the most remarkable thing was what 
 he told us about the crater-lake. When he had dipped 
 into it on the occasion when he had concealed the 
 sapphire, the water had a pleasant, hardly sensible 
 warmth. On swimming to the island on this last visit, 
 he had crossed spots where water was welling up so 
 hot that he could scarcely bear it, and it was this that 
 had relaxed his powers and weakened his strength so 
 much that he was barely able to struggle back to the 
 margin. Even at the edge we had found the tempera- 
 ture to be somewhat more than tepid. We remembered 
 with dismay the signs of greater activity we had 
 noticed in the burning cone to the southward ; and 
 from some words that the doctor let fall, we gathered 
 that an explosion of the volcano might occur at any 
 moment, though, on the other hand, it might linger on, 
 " getting up steam," for a month. 
 
 Was it the glamour of the great sapphire that made 
 us start and listen at every little sound we heard in 
 the jungle — the snapping of a twig, the rustling of a 
 branch, or the fall of a handful of earth from the rocks ? 
 We were more nervous and fearful in this forsaken dell 
 than we had been when surrounded by savages or 
 by bandits, or when plunging down the rapids of the 
 
LOST. 241 
 
 Mekong. We " felt " danger rather than saw it, like 
 men who, in the darkness, know that some malign thing 
 is watching them, without being able to tell what or 
 where it is. And yet, apart from the faint noises I 
 have mentioned, and which may probably have been 
 caused by some deer, or monkey, or bird, absolutely 
 nothing disturbed the profound and deathly solitude. 
 
 The gorge widened a little as we advanced, leaving 
 room for stunted trees on both banks, but the pre- 
 cipitous walls continued as high as before. Our mid- 
 day rest was taken at a spot where the jungle began 
 to be more tall and dense. We were talking over our 
 plans in a less elated tone than might have been ex- 
 pected from people who had just " come into a fortune " 
 — which, perhaps, might be explained by the fact that 
 we had had nothing to eat since the morning — when 
 the call of a bush-turkey was heard in the thicket not 
 far off, and it fell musically on the ear of hungry men. 
 Yung-wan, who was skilful in stalking this sort of 
 game, stole into the jungle, armed only with a stick, 
 and of course having his long knife stuck into his belt in 
 case of coming suddenly upon a tiger or a panther, while 
 we kept perfectly still in our places. After a pause the 
 call was repeated a little further off; and then another 
 interval of silence was startlingly broken by a loud 
 shriek for help. We sprang to our feet. We heard 
 
 sounds of scuffling, trampling, and breaking of branches. 
 two) i Q 
 
242 LOST. 
 
 as if a terrible struggle were going on, and we dashed 
 through the thick undergrowth of thorns, the creepers, 
 and the air roots, in the direction of the noise. All 
 was quiet again when we reached the spot, except that 
 we could hear the sound of retreating footsteps already 
 some distance off. But our thoughts were soon wholly 
 absorbed in an object on the ground. It was the 
 body of the guide, motionless and covered with blood. 
 The doctor bent over him, examined the wounds on 
 his back and chest, and felt his pulse. Then he 
 looked at us with an expression of face we under- 
 stood too well. Yung- wan was dead ! He had evi- 
 dently been surprised from behind, and a mortal wound 
 had been inflicted on him before he could defend him- 
 self; but he had had time before being overpowered 
 to draw his knife, which he still held firmly clenched 
 in his hand. He had not fallen alone, for a few 
 paces off we found another bloody and lifeless form 
 extended on the damp earth and leaves. It was that 
 of a swarthy man, of the Chinese type of features, but 
 wearing the white turban and other tokens of having 
 belonged to the army of rebel Panthays. The doctor 
 and Hannibal thought they had noticed his face in the 
 group that surrounded the insurgent leader on the 
 occasion of our capture ; but Tom and I had to admit 
 that the countenances of these people were so much alike 
 that we could scarcely distinguish one from another. 
 
LOST. 243 
 
 We had no doubt, however, that this was the man about 
 whom poor Yung- wan had told us, who had joined him 
 in his first expedition and afterwards turned traitor ; and 
 we had not much difficulty in guessing who was the 
 accomplice who had escaped. 
 
 On searching, we found that Yung-wan's girdle, in 
 which, as we knew, the sapphire had been concealed, 
 had been rudely torn open. The gem was gone ! The 
 knowledge also of the mine of precious stones, from 
 which we had promised ourselves such untold wealth, 
 had perished with its discoverer ; for who could now 
 guide us to the secret spot where he had found this 
 fatal treasure ? Little, however, did such reflections 
 trouble us at first. We thought of the faithful, devoted 
 fellow who had been our companion through so many 
 dangers and hardships — of his unfailing courage and 
 patience, his touching gratitude, and of the deep debt of 
 thanks that we owed him in return. It was with sad 
 and full hearts that we bore him to a cavity in the rocks, 
 in lieu of a better sepulture. Beside him wo laid the 
 corpse of his assassin, and we rolled a large stone over 
 the hole as a defence asainst the vultures. 
 
CHAPTER XX. 
 
 FOUND. 
 
 HEN the mournful duty was over, other ideas 
 took possession of our minds. Anger suc- 
 ceeded to sorrow. We were filled with 
 hot and fierce indignation against the cowardly villain 
 who had so treacherously murdered our cheerful and 
 kindly little guide, and we determined to track him down. 
 It was scarcely possible that he could have doubled 
 back without our seeing him ; and besides, his obvious 
 way of escape was down-stream. So we resumed our 
 route with fresh vigour, keeping a sharp look-out to 
 right and left for the fugitive. It seemed at first as if 
 he had eluded us ; but on reaching a more open part 
 of the defile we came upon signs that showed us that 
 we were in the right track, and gave us hopes that in 
 spite of his start we would soon come up with the 
 assassin. Drops of blood stained the stones — a proof 
 that the man we were pursuing had not come scathless 
 out of the struggle It was singular, and we could not 
 
FOUND. 245 
 
 help remarking upon it even as we hurried on, that our 
 journey in unexplored lands should be ending as it had 
 begun, in a life-and-death chase through a rocky ravine. 
 But how different were the circumstances ! Then we 
 were fugitives, fleeing for our lives before a band of 
 naked savages ; now we were messengers of vengeance, 
 following hard on the steps of our wounded enemy. 
 
 By-and-by we came in sight of him labouring pain- 
 fully along over the boulders and through the brush- 
 wood in front. As we rapidly gained upon him, he 
 cast a glance at us over his shoulder like the glare of a 
 hunted tiger. It scarcely surprised us to recognize the 
 face of Khodja Akbar ; and he appeared to know that 
 the fates had pronounced against him, for his dark 
 features were convulsed with impotent fury and hate. 
 At this part of the valley there was a spot where it 
 was just possible to climb up the crags to the level 
 above ; and his eye seemed to measure the distance 
 between us and him, in order to judge whether he had 
 time to avail himself of this loophole of escape. He 
 must have decided that he had not, for without pausing 
 he continued his flight down the valley. 
 
 We must now, according to what we had learned 
 from poor Yung-wan, be quite close to the Salwen, 
 which here, as throughout its course, flows in a confined 
 and narrow channel. Before entering the main river, 
 however, the small stream we had been following cast 
 
246 FOUND. 
 
 itself over a steep cliff in a turbid waterfall. Above the 
 fall the crags hung higher and grimmer than ever ; while 
 aloft, fine forest trees, including the magnificent teak 
 for which this region is so famous, spread out their 
 branches almost over the cascade. Khodja Akbar, with a 
 lead now of little more than a hundred yards, crept along 
 the sides of the cliffs, until he reached a yawning gap, 
 close to the falling water, and crossed by a single tree- 
 trunk, which had to all appearance fallen accidentally 
 into this position from the forest above. He stepped 
 across with wavering steps, and then seizing the end of 
 the log, he strained all his force to hurl it from the 
 rock. At this moment, and several times before, the 
 doctor might, of course, have shot him dead ; but he 
 shrank from taking the life of a fellow-creature, even 
 one caught red-handed, in this way, and to expend 
 our last cartridge on the deed. The heavy trunk 
 would not be moved, and the fugitive turned again 
 for flight. We had approached within a few yards 
 of this natural bridge, when I felt the solid ground 
 tremble, and then heave like the deck of a ship 
 at sea. Thinking that a portion of the rock was 
 about to give way, I instinctively clung to the bushes 
 near me. There was a brief pause, and then a violent 
 shock, two or three times repeated, and to my confused 
 senses the crags about me seemed to rock and reel ; 
 larcre fragments detached themselves from the cliffs and 
 
FOUND. 247 
 
 fell crashing to the bottom, and a loud splash announced 
 that a mass of ponderous size had fallen into the water 
 beneath, while a dull muffled sound like distant thunder 
 reached my ears. 
 
 All this may have occupied only a few moments, but 
 it appeared to me that at least a couple of minutes had 
 elapsed before I had collected my scattered wits, and 
 looked about me, dazed and giddy as if just recovering 
 from a stunning blow. The tragic events of the last 
 few hours — the assassination, the burial of the victim, 
 the pursuit of the murderer — had driven from our minds 
 all recollection of the danger that threatened us from 
 the awakening volcano behind us, and this earthquake 
 shock bewildered us at first by its unexpectedness. 
 Almost the fir.^t thing I observed clearly was that an 
 impassable chasm now barred our advance — the tree 
 that crossed the chasm had been shaken from its place 
 and was floating in the pool beneath. A mocking laugh 
 from Akbar the Kashgaree, as he passed from sight 
 round a projecting crag, told us that he also perceived 
 that pursuit in this direction was hopeless. 
 
 There was nothing for it but to " hark back " to 
 the spot where, as I have before mentioned, the cliffs 
 seemed scalable. "With infinite trouble the whole party 
 succeeded at last in reaching the summit of the rocks. 
 "We found ourselves amid dense and lofty forests that 
 almost covered the country in front as far as our view 
 
248 FOUND. 
 
 extended, heaving and sinking, according to the irregu- 
 larities of the surface, like a vast sea of green. The 
 teak tree, with its stately trunk and great pendulous 
 leaves, that have so often been compared to the ears of 
 an elephant, predominated ; but there were also many 
 varieties of palms and other plants of the tropics, beau- 
 tiful for their flowers or their foliage, or valuable for 
 the fruits, dyes, gums, drugs, and spices that they yield. 
 Within easy reach we descried the valley of the Salwen 
 lying like a deep trench across our way, just as we had 
 seen it in Thibet three or four hundred miles higher up, 
 when we had been slung across its restless waters on a 
 slim rope. Its banks now, instead of being naked and 
 gaunt, were clothed with dense verdure ; but they looked 
 scarcely less savage. We knew, however, that when we 
 had reached the farther shore we should have left the 
 limits of the absolutely unknown behind us, and that 
 a few comparatively easy stages more would bring us 
 among our fellow-countrymen, for whose homely faces 
 and voices and home-like ways we were longing with 
 an energy that only those who have sojourned like us 
 in far and savage countries can understand. 
 
 We followed as closely as we dared the edge of the 
 cliffs, occasionally peering over to see if any traces of 
 Akbar were to be detected in the gorge below. Unex- 
 pectedly we came in sight of him, resting on a rock not 
 far beneath the waterfall. The pain of his wound had 
 
FOUND. 249 
 
 overcome him, or he had met with some obstacle in 
 front which he could not pass ; or perhaps he imagined 
 that he was now safe from farther pursuit. We could 
 almost have dropped a pebble upon the spot where 
 he sat ; but he had evidently no suspicion that we were 
 so near to him. 
 
 As we leaned over the cliffs, discussing in low earnest 
 tones what means we should take to bring our enemy 
 to bay, a noise which we had heard for some minutes, 
 and taken for the distant roar of a waterfall, smote 
 more loudly on our ears. Every moment the volume of 
 sound increased, and it seemed to be approaching us 
 rapidly, and from the direction of the upper end of the 
 valley. As we listened, it swelled into angry, terrible 
 notes, that filled the air with foreboding and alarm. We 
 looked at one another, already half conjecturing the 
 truth before the doctor told us, by sign rather than by 
 word, that the earthquake must have rent wider the 
 gap in the mountain above, and that this must be the 
 escaping waters of the lake in the crater that were 
 hurrying towards us down the gorge. Khodja Akbar 
 also had heard the sound, and had started to his feet. 
 The fierce feeling of anger and desire for vengeance 
 which had inspired us during the last few hours seemed 
 to pass away when we saw the poor, wounded wretch 
 exposed to so appalling a doom. There was one parti- 
 cular part of the cliffs where, with our help from above, 
 
250 FOUND. 
 
 it was just possible for him to reach a place of safety. 
 We shouted to him at the highest pitch of our voices, and 
 eagerly signalled to him where he should go. He turned 
 towards us, but he could not or would not understand 
 our meaning. Perhaps it was already too late, for the 
 flooded stream was already thundering down the rocky 
 channel in ponderous brown masses. The doomed man 
 shrieked some words — a prayer or an imprecation — 
 which were lost in the noise of the torrent. Ho shook 
 his fist at us, and something gleamed an instant in his 
 hand. Was it the knife with which he had slain his 
 brother man ; or was it the great sapphire, for the sake 
 of which he had steeped his hand in innocent blood ? 
 I cannot tell ; for at that instant the main body of the 
 flood reared itself above the rocks at the fall, like a 
 chafed and angry lion, with a tawny mane of rushing 
 waters streaming behind it. Another moment, and it 
 had leaped down with a mighty roar on its solitary 
 victim, and the body of Akbar was tumbling and toss- 
 ing amidst the wreck of uprooted trees and broken 
 reeds that were hurrying down to the " Valley of the 
 Shadow." 
 
 There is not much of the story of our journey left for 
 me to tell. We turned away horror-stricken from the 
 scene we had witnessed ; yet soon there came a feeling 
 of intense relief, for the constant strain of suspense and 
 
FOUND. 251 
 
 suspicion that had weighed upon us so long as we were 
 under the shadow of the volcanoes, with the great 
 sapphire in our charge, and an unsleeping enemy near 
 us, was now removed. We reached the huts of a party 
 of teak-cutters and rafters, kindly people that entertained 
 us hospitably while we rested to recruit and to prepare for 
 resuming our journey. Some attempts we made convinced 
 us that it was hopeless to expect to discover poor Yung- 
 wan's sapphire-mine. After waiting until the flood had 
 abated, we proceeded down the swift Salwen for several 
 days on one of the timber-rafts that descend to the sea 
 even from this distance up the river. We had plenty 
 of dangerous experiences in shooting rapids and sli pping 
 past rocks, but nothing that we were not by this time 
 well inured to. Then came vexing delays ; for there 
 were alarming rumours that a hostile tribe had formed 
 a stockade on the river, and the raftsmen would not 
 proceed until they were certain that the way was clear. 
 We determined to leave the stream, and, hiring a party 
 of guides and porters, proceed over-land to the border of 
 British Burinah, now close at hand. 
 
 On the third morning we were marching through a 
 jungly forest of " toddy palms" and bamboos, when the 
 alarm was given from the front that there was a tiger 
 in the path. Sure enough we found a great yellow 
 brute growling and snarling, on the opposite bank of a 
 marshy stream, over the body of a deer which he had 
 
252 FOUND. 
 
 brought down, and was loath to leave. Dr. Roland 
 was about to fire — we had replenished our stock of 
 ammunition from our friends on the river — when the 
 sharp crack of a rifle resounded in the wood, and the 
 tiger rolled over, clawing and tearing up the ground 
 with his huge paws. 
 
 " You've done it this time, Sandy," said a hearty 
 voice in the beloved tono-ue of our native England. 
 " Right through the ear, too, as I am a living man." 
 
 " I think the shot might have been worse," said an- 
 other voice in slower and more deliberate tones, in which 
 might easily be detected the accents of one born to the 
 north of the Tweed. " But what could the beast mean 
 by glowering across the burn in yon way ?" 
 
 Two stalwart figures, clad in half-military, half-sports- 
 man dress, with white " puggerees" and leggings, came up 
 to the spot where the tiger lay. Our surprise was nothing 
 to theirs when we hailed them in their own language. 
 And truly strange tatterdemalion figures we must have 
 seemed as we emerged with our native followers from 
 the brake, with our sunburned features, unkempt locks, 
 and ragged jackets. Our new friends were Lieutenants 
 Alexander M'Leod and Henry Verney, of the Royal 
 Engineers. They had been sent out on the duty of 
 marking ofF the frontier between the Karen tribes and 
 the country claimed by independent Burmah, and having 
 completed their task, had set off on a hunting trip 
 
FOUND. 253 
 
 beyond the borders before returning to their station, 
 when good fortune cast them in our path. I will not 
 repeat what these kind officers said when they heard 
 the story of our adventures. I know they made Tom 
 and me blush till our faces tingled, with their praises of 
 what they were pleased to call our gallantry and forti- 
 tude, and shook our hands and slapped our backs with 
 their heavy palms until it needed all our fortitude to 
 prevent us from wincing. But we knew all the time — 
 and told them so, only they would pay no heed to us — 
 that we had really no credit for what had been clone, 
 having merely done our best to obey orders, and that to 
 Dr. Roland, along with faithful Hannibal, the honour and 
 glory of the journey really belonged. 
 
 That night we slept under canvas, in a clean ham- 
 mock, after a warm and abundant meal, thus suddenly 
 coming into the enjoyment of three comforts to which 
 we had long been strangers. This was nothing, how- 
 ever, to the delight of being again with friendly, hos- 
 pitable people of our own nation, and of hearing news 
 from home in our sweet mother tongue. We knew 
 that our trials were over, and that wo had got back 
 again within the pale of civilized life, with the first 
 glimpse we got of Lieutenant M'Leod's red whiskers and 
 his companion's ruddy cheek. 
 
 A fortnight later wo were in Rangoon, the capital 
 and chief port of British Burniah. I need not narrate 
 
25i FOUND. 
 
 these later stages of our journey, which was through a 
 country pretty well known already. The sights of 
 Rangoon itself the reader will not thank me to describe, 
 for it is a place visited by hundreds of British ships 
 every year. To tell the truth, I have a very indifferent 
 remembrance of them ; for after our severe fatigue and 
 privation, the whole party suffered from reaction, and 
 for many days were hardly able to stir about. Our 
 first duty, of course, was to send a message to Mr. Mar- 
 shall and to our relatives at home, who, we found, had 
 long given us up as lost. It was settled that we should 
 not return to Assam, but proceed directly to England to 
 recruit from the effects of our sojourn among the grim 
 deserts of Thibet and the poisonous marshes of the 
 Mekong. 
 
 One morning we stood on the deck of the steamer at 
 the chief outlet of the Irrawady. We had bid good-bye 
 to all our kind friends in Rangoon, and were about to 
 set sail for " home." Tom and I were looking over the 
 bulwarks watching the smooth current of the noble 
 stream, covered with large and small craft, that we had 
 crossed when it was little more than a mountain torrent, 
 and the level green banks, with the roofs of pagodas, 
 churches, and villas rising above the trees, so strangely 
 in contrast to the wild and desolate scenes through 
 which we had seen it flow near its source. Dr. Roland 
 was close behind us, with Hannibal beside him, giving 
 
FOUND. 255 
 
 the finishing touches to the packing of his master's 
 luggage. The doctor caught the last remark — some- 
 thing that Tom or I had said half -seriously and half- 
 jocularly to the effect that, notwithstanding all the 
 weary miles our feet had trodden, and the untold wealth 
 we had had in our grasp, we were leaving these shores 
 empty-handed. 
 
 "Empty-handed!" he echoed. "What do you call 
 empty-handed ? That case that Hannibal is strapping 
 contains treasures worth — if the world only knew its 
 real value — all the gold-mines in Burmah. There are 
 specimens there that will make some of our men of 
 science open their eyes." 
 
 " If we could have brought away the sapphire, wouldn't 
 they have opened them wider still ?" Tom slyly ven- 
 tured to say. 
 
 " And even if you were empty-handed," the doctor 
 proceeded, without paying attention to the interruption, 
 "you are not empty-headed, or it is your own fault. 
 Think on the rare and beautiful things that Nature has 
 shown to you — the grand and mysterious secrets she 
 has trusted you with, as the reward for visiting her in 
 her solitude. Think of the knowledge of strange races 
 and lands and customs you have learned, not through 
 the medium of books or of teachers, but at first hand. 
 Above all, boys, I think the trials and dangers we have 
 come through together must have taught each one of us 
 
256 FOUND. 
 
 priceless lessons that we shall not forget to our dying 
 day — lessons of faith and hope, of fortitude and manli- 
 ness, of mutual forbearance and patience and helpful- 
 ness. Our pioneering in Further India has made us a 
 few years older, but it has made us many years wiser." 
 
 Then the steam- whistle sounded, and our vessel got 
 under way for England. 
 
 THE END. 
 
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