ELEPHANT TITLES. 313 of whom was his writer, to Bangkok with him, and my servants soon went off to the bazaar, leaving me alone in the house. The third chief of Zimmé, hearing of my return, called to pay me a visit, which proved as amusing as my interview with the father of Chow Nan. On calling on Mr and Mrs Martin, they invited me to dinner the next evening; and Mr Martin expressed himself willing to accompany me on my next journey, and believed that Dr M'Gilvary had made up his mind likewise to do so. This was indeed good tidings, and I at once accepted the proposal. I am indebted to this gentleman for a very interesting diary that he kept for me during the journey. I then visited Mr Wilson, and in the course of conversation he told me that when journeying three days by boat above Kanburi, on a western branch of the Meh Klong, a river that empties into the east of the Gulf of Siam, he came across a Bau Lawa village containing thirty houses, and the people said there were three or four of their villages in the neighbourhood. The villages could be reached in one and a half day by elephant from Kanburi. This was interesting, as it shows how far south the villages of this tribe extend. The next day Dr M'Gilvary returned, and Mr Gould, the British consul, arrived in the afternoon. I found that an order had been issued by the Chow Che Wit, the head chief, precluding elephants from leaving the district, so I went to the palace with Dr M'Gilvary to obtain permission to hire some for my intended journey to Moung Fang. The chief was out, but luckily we met him in the city, driving slowly in his carriage, and accompanied by many attendants. On his giving us the necessary permission, we called on the Princess Chow Oo Boon, who kindly consented to lend us six of her finest elephants. These were honoured with names: Poo Hot, Poo Kao, Poo Hao, Ma Ap, &c. The largest ones were over nine feet in height. The dinner at the Martins' proved a great success: beautiful orchids and flowering creepers, daintily and tastefully arranged, ornamented the table, and the courses were so admirably designed and cooked, that one would have thought a cordon bleu had had control of the kitchen. There could 314 A PRESENT OF CIGARS. be no doubt that the lady of the house was an excellent housewife, and on this occasion had not only superintended and assisted in the cooking, but had herself arranged the table. If I had been a believer in magic, I might have imagined that Mrs Martin was the owner of Aladdin's ring, and had used it for our benefit. Next day I called on Mr Gould, and had a long chat with him. Had I been possessed of the annals of my family, like the chief of Kiang Hai, I would have certainly called for them, and inscribed his name there in capital letters as a benefactor, as he gave me, joy of joys to a smoker, fifty excellent cigars, which were a great treat to me, for mine had been finished for some weeks, and I had been forced to regale myself with country-made cigars and cigarettes, which are certainly not remarkable for an enjoyable aroma or a pleasant flavour. CHAPTER XXVI. LEAVE FOR MUANG FANG-THE TEMPLE OF THE WHITE ELEPHANTSTRAINING ELEPHANTS - EVENING SERVICE IN A TEMPLE LEGEND OF WAT PRA NON-SNAKE AND SIVA WORSHIP-CARAVANS-STICKLAC TREES NOT CUT DOWN-THE 400 FOOTPRINTS OF BUDDHA-WILD TEA-VISIT TO SHAN LADIES-LOW DRESSES-RULES OF HOSPITALITY -- CHAUM DISEASE WORSHIPPING THE MANES-A ZYLOPHONE-IMPLEMENTS OF EXPECTANT BUDDHA · STRAINING WATER - LEGENDS OF LOI HAUT AND LOI KIANG DOW-THE PALACE OF THE ANGELS-DEMONS CANNOT HARM CHRISTIANS-CHRISTIANITY A GREAT BOON-ACCIDENT TO ANEROID-A VICIOUS ELEPHANT-FOOT-AND-MOUTH SNARES FOR DEMONSA PANORAMA OF HILLS — SOURCES OF THE MEH PING AND MEH TENG-A RIVER PASSING UNDER A MOUNTAIN MUAN HANG AN ANCIENT LAKE-BASIN RIVAL CLAIMS OF PING SHANS AND BRITISH SHANS OR NGIO- THE UPPER DEFILE OF THE MEH PINGA MOONLIGHT SCENE ENTANGLING DEMONS AT THE MAPPING THE FRONTIERA CHINESE FORT-LOI PA-YAT PA-YAI · ON the afternoon of May 7th everything was packed, and after collecting together at Dr M'Gilvary's we started, crossed the river above the bridge, and halted for a few minutes at the dispensary to load a large tent that Dr Peoples had kindly placed at our disposal. We then proceeded along the broad road that skirts the city on the north as far as the White Elephant Gate, and then turned northwards along the White Elephant road, which is 35 feet wide, and kept in excellent order. A quarter of a mile from the city we passed Wat Chang Peuk, the temple of the White Elephants, which contains two whitewashed life-sized images of the front, head, shoulders, and fore-legs of these animals. Each stands under a 316 EVENING SERVICE IN A TEMPLE. masonry arch closed up at the back; one faces the north, and the other the west. Fresh grass and flowers had been placed by devout passers-by in the curve of the elephanttrunks. These effigies, as well as those of two ogres, and a Russi in the grounds of the Wat Hluang at Zimmé, were erected as a protection to the city in 1799. Half a mile farther we passed a beautiful temple decorated with red lacquer, and profusely gilded, which had been lately built by Princess Chow Oo Boon. The mai chalau trees, which are numerous, were in full blossom, and many beautiful orchids were suspended from the smaller trees. At 3 miles from the bridge over the river, which I now mile from, we halted for the night at Wat Pra Non, the temple of the reclining Gaudama. Our march after leaving the city skirted the rice-fields of the Zimmé plain on the west. As we passed the elephant stables of the Zimmé chief, I noticed the mode in which they train a refractory animal. He is confined in a pen barely large enough to admit his body, constructed of two strong post-and-rail fences, like the parallel vaulting-bars at a gymnasium. Between these, which are slightly inclined towards the front, the elephant is squeezed, and then enclosed and forced to be obedient. The abbot of the monastery, who had held his post for thirty years, courteously allowed us to occupy an outbuilding of the temple. On going to the evening service we found the great, richly gilded image of Gaudama reclining on its right side, supporting its head with its hand, and covered by a star-spangled canopy. The image was fortyseven feet in length. The walls, ceilings, and pillars of the temple were tastefully decorated with gilt on a red lacquer ground, resembling the rich Japanese wall-papers now in Vogue. The monotonous chant of the monks, and the great taper candles alight before the image, reminded me of a service in a Catholic cathedral. After the service I asked the abbot whether there was any history attached to the monastery; and in reply, he related the following legend: "During the existence on earth of the third Buddh, he came and lodged under the LEGEND OF WAT PRA NON. 317 great mango-tree, near whose former site this temple stands, when a Yak, with the usual ogre propensities, not knowing that he was a Buddh, came to attack and devour him. On learning his mistake, the Yak made obeisance, and the Buddh gave him his blessing. One of the Yak's teethYak's teeth are as large as wild-boar tusks-fell out, and the Buddh presented him with a handful of his hair, and told him to place it in the hollow of the tooth, and bury it in the Hoo Nak, or dragon's hole. The Yak then requested Buddh to preach a sermon for his benefit, but he refused, saying: "Another Buddh will come at some future time and do so." Having said this, he departed on his merciful mission to the universe. When Gaudama the fourth Buddh came, he rested on the mango-tree, which had fallen down from age. On the Yak approaching to devour him, Gaudama remonstrated with him as the former Buddh had done, and told him that he was a Buddha. The Yak refusing to believe this, as the former Buddh was of enormous size, and Gaudama was small, Gaudama by his aiswarya (supernatural power derived from accumulated merit) expanded to the size of the former Buddh. After the Yak had worshipped, and received Gaudama's blessing, another of his tusks fell out, and after having some of the Buddh's hair placed in it, was buried, like the first one, in the dragon's hole. On the Yak asking Gaudama to preach him a sermon, he consented to do so if the Yak would build him a place of shelter, and fetch him some cool water. The Yak, calling two other friendly ogres to help him, at once made the sheltering-place; and proceeding a little distance to the south-east of the site of the monastery, dug the deep pool which is known as Nong Luang Kwang, and brought water for the Buddh to bathe and drink. Gaudama then preached a sermon, and foretold that the Yak in a future existence should be born chief of Zimmé, and the two friendly Yaks should be born kings of Siam, and their descendants should reign for many generations. When the prophecy was fulfilled, the Yak, who became in his after-existence King of Zimmé, built the great reclining |