we

hair, were ushered in by the some experience in that sort of chaprassi. Both of them put thing, and therefore we have their right hands up with the come to offer arms to the Great palm over the ear. This was Royal Government, so that the their notion of a British salute, Germans may be quiokly deand did not mean that they feated and exterminated." were hard of hearing or had “Arms !” said Captain Kirkearache.

wood. “Do you mean wesCaptain Kirkwood recog- pons, or do you mean a band nised the first of them im- of the young men of your mediately.

" Hallo,

duwa, village ? We can't take them what's brought you here? I just now.” haven't been able to get up to “No, Great Lord, but we your village for a long time have heard from Chinese oaranow. We're very busy. Any vans passing along the valley serao about now? or sambhur? road, the road your Lordship I should like to come up again knows very well, that the Gerfor another shoot, but it oan't mans have great supplies of be done just now."

weapons, and that they have “I do not know about the been violently resisting the deer, thakin. It is not that. troops of the Great Royal We have heard that you have Government. . Therefore a war, that the Great Royal have brought arms to offer Government is punishing some to the Great Royal Governdisorderly Germans. That is ment through your Lordship. why we have come.

Bat the people at the frontier Captain Kirkwood cheoked fort did not understand. They himself in

inolination told us that no one with arms to laugh. "What? You may pass along the roads. We haven't come to enlist, have knew that very well, but we yon? I am afraid there is no put it down to their ignoranoe room for more men in the of virtuous intentions. Kachin Company. It's full up. Therefore my subjects have In fact there is a good long gone back across the frontier, waiting list, and anyhow there and have taken the guns with is no change of service for them; but the arms are there them, or for me, worse luck. beyond dispute. Then I and The company won't be moved the pawmaing, the little duwa from here unless there are of the village on the northern looal troubles."

slope, came with all possible “It is not that, Great Lord,” haste to inform your Lordship said the chief eagerly. “But of our purpose and of the we have heard that the Ger- oiroumstances.

We ask you, mans, who are a race of dacoits, Great Lord, to issue orders thieves, robbers, and murderers, that the weapons shall be have made a raid into the ter- brought along here, so that ritory of the Great Lord, and the Royal Government troops are stealing maoh property and may atterly destroy the Gerdoing much mischief. We have mang."

an

our

Captain Kirkwood felt in- off with him Ja Taung, a olined to laugh, but he had oon- girl who had many lovers in siderable experience of Kachin the village. We went after sensitiveness, so he remarked him, but we lost the tracks and gravely, “That is very patriotic it was not for many weeks of you. Bat what do you know afterwards that we heard that of the Germans? Have you &

Have you a he had gone north and had blood-fead with them?" sold Ja Taung as a slave, near

“Have we not a blood-fead ? the head-waters of the East The whole village has a debt river. Ja Taang's brother is against them, and there are one of the men who are waiting many villagers

who have at the Fort with the gans for special private debts. Does the Great Royal Government your Lordship know the Ger. He wants to go on with bis mau Maya (Meier)? You must gun himself to fight the Gerknow him. He stayed at our mans and kill Maya. He has village shortly after the time three notches on his bamboo when your Lordship came up staff marked against Maya." to inquire into the disturbances “He kidnapped a girl, did which had occurred in the Pum- he? But what else did he do? shih village over the closing of When he asked me for a passthe forests and the stopping of port, he said he was studying the outting of trees and bam the history of the Kaching. I boos. You remember that remember him now quite well,” after you had finished your said Kirkwood. inquiry you came over the “There was nothing that he Administrative Line to my did not do. He said he was place to shoot some of the studying all the races of the forest oreatures.'

earth, and he specially wanted “Of oourse, I remember very to find out about the ancient well. Was he a short stout races on the frontier between man with a yellow moustache, China and Burma and their and & knapsaok strapped on manners and eustoms. He had his baok ?"

man with him who spoke “Yes, he was a man like Chinese, and all the Kaohins that, but he was chiefly noted near the frontier can underfor his bad manners, for the stand Chinese, so he was able way he took overything and to talk freely. This man of his paid for nothing, and for the was a bad man too. He had evil way in whioh he spoke. been a little teacher with the Ah, but he was ounning. Just missionary whom your Lordwhen we had determined to ship seized and sent away seize him and hand him over because he had been selling to the Royal Government, or gans to the Chinese and others. to out him down if he re- They were not muoh use these sisted,” the duwa looked side- gans, for they were all shoveways at Kirkwood with some- behind guns, and when the thing like a smirk on his face, supply of oartridges was done "he disappeared, and he carried they could not be used any

Was

more, because the people could Royal Government. Hebenot load them the way our longed to another government guns are loaded.”

which did not trouble itself But there was not about paltry things. He said he muoh harm in asking about would give us a large present the old legends of the Kaohins. when he went away. And he I often do that myself, and talked much with Chinese you have not got a blood-feud smugglers who came over from against me, have you?" Möngmyen to sell salt and buy

“It was the way he did it,” opium, both of whioh are very said the duwa exoitedly. “He profitable beoause they are was very insulting to the spirit illegal.” mon. He laughed at their "Oh, he did that, did he? stories and never took the He was evidently & mean trouble to write them down, sooundrel. But what else did whereas your Lordship always he do? How long did he listens and makes notes in a stay? Your village is a fine book and very often says he village, duwa—sixty or seventy has heard something of the houses at least, but it would same kind in other villages. not take him long to get all But besides that, he was al. the stories he wanted and to ways wanting what he oalled buy all the now bags and specimens of our clothes, and clean clothes you had." he never would take old clothes. Kirkwood

convinced He always wanted new ones, that there was more to be and especially he wanted em- told yet. broidered shoulder-bags. Now “I don't know how long he our women often go and sell stayed - 8 month, I should

- & those in the bazaar and get think." The duwa looked money to buy rice. But Maya testily at his companion. never paid anything, not even “How long did he

he stay, for the food which the little pawmaing?' teacher demanded for himself The pawmaing hitched up and for his master. I repre. his waist-cloth and began sented to him many times that counting on his fingers : this was not the Royal Govern. "Three times to the Na-lông ment oustom, neither was it bazaar he went, and four the oustom of our race. The times to Kutkai bazaar. There Burmans used to do it in the are three days between them, Shan villages in the valleys, and the bazaars held but even they did not demand every five days. He must to be fed free for more than have been over twenty-four or ten days, and they never oame twenty-five days, because he to our villages in the hills. The did not go to Kutkai the first Barmese were muoh too afraid bazaar day, and he missed of us for that. They were not another because he had drunk fond of the hills. Bat Maya too much shiru [millet beer] only laughed. He said he did the night before. Twenty and not acknowledge the Great five- and two or three days VOL, CCVII, -NO, MCCLVI.

3L

are

yes, it

when he first oame

The headman looked at him must have been twenty-nine queerly, and glanced sideways or thirty days.”

at the pawmaing, and checked “What on earth did he do his flow of talk, “I do not all that time? He must have think that I should tell your been very fond of your village,” Lordship. Your Lordship said Kirkwood.

would be angry. But it was “He was always looking not our fault. We did not about for plants, and told us know what he was saying many times that we did not until the interpreter, the little know the useful things we had teacher, told us. Then we in our country. He said he could not stop him." had found some wild tea- “Go on. Tell me the whole bushes, and he certainly made story. It is enough to show experiments with wild indigo that you were not to blame that the Chinese dye their that you have come to see me olothes with, And then he now. Tell me what it was the was a way for two nights with German said. You need not a Chinese caravan that halted be afraid that it will annoy me at Na-lông - and then there or disturb me. You are more was the girl Ja Taung. He likely to get praise.” brought her presents from the “You must remember, Great bazaar: Berlin wool and son- Lord, that as I have said before, densed milk and ship tobacoo this Maya always talked to us and sardines and looking- as if he were speaking to pariah glasses. And at night he dogs or buffaloes. He was a always talked a great deal. very rude man. He said alAt first he came to my house ways," the duwa hesitated for and sat in the front room & moment,_"he said the Great with the little teacher, and Royal Government smoked and drank and said wioked government, and opmany wicked things. After- pressed everybody with cannon wards he went to other houses, that fire from very far away, and

to the bachelor and balls that break into pieces huts."

when they fall, and make as “What do you mean, 'talked much noise then as when they many wioked things'?” asked are fired out of the gun. He Kirkwood with sudden inter- said : You Kaching used to be est. He had been leaning back lords of the hills. You used in his chair, listening resign- to make the valley people edly to the duwa's disserta- supply you with what you tions. There had been a good wanted, and they had to pay deal of talk about unrest over to be protooted. Now the the border in China and on Great Royal Government will the fringe of Tongking, but he not let you fetoh oattle when had had no idea that German you need them, from villages enterprise had gone so far as which have

more than is to talk sedition among the wanted, and they will not let Kaohing.

you sell liquor and opium to

W88

even

you, and

when my

Burmans and Shans. And who do not know how to fight when you travel across the properly, and have not got border they will not let you proper guns, and would not carry arms with you, you who know how to use them if you have carried dhas since you had them, But if

you are wise were infants. They treat you you will not allow the English just as if you were conquered, Government people to come and you are not conquered. near And they do more than that country people come to turn in the places where they stay out the whole crew of them, and govern the people. They you will make your petty small shut up the forests, and say attaoks on the English. You you must not out down trees can't do much, of course. and sow orops. If you do you Nobody expeots ignorant will be punished. And when savages like you to do much, you have a quarrel with some- but you will distraot the atbody who has done you some tention of the English and harm, they say you must not prevent them from sending all go and attack him, as a right- their troops against us as they minded free man ought to do. would like to do. They cannot They say you must go and resist properly in any oase, and bring a case in court. Do you are sure to be all killed. But know why they do that? It if you help in your own small is because they want you to way, my king, who is the All

feeg. Gradually Highest king, will note what they will get all your money, you have done, and he will and your young men will probably let you do a lot of not know how to fight, and things in the old way_as you the English, they will come used to do before the English and take your lands just as oame. They pretend that they they have taken the lands of are very powerful, and they the villages nearer the plains. did not want to let me come And then you will all become to see you, but they were not slaves and will have to do able to prevent it, for here I whatever they bid you, and am you see, and out of pure you will have to pay taxes, friendliness for you and pity which is a thing not to be for your grievances I give you endured by people who have this advice. I expect you will lived here sinoe the mountains worship me as a benefactor began, That is what the Eng. when the time comes, and it lish do everywhere, he said. won't be long of coming. Yes, And that is why some day, he in a year or two you will dewent on to say, perhaps soon, clare that I must have been a perhaps after a few years, the spirit-obild, and you will make All-Highest Lord of my country a myth of me like Shippawn is going to punish them and Ayawng, your first ancestor, take their country from them. according to your old men's I know you cannot do much. tales! That was what this You are poor wretohed oreatures thief of the world said, and a