SCENE IN THE TEMPLE.

263

times to shelter and food as long as they conduct themselves properly.

The floor of the temple is generally of brick covered with

a hard white

cement, and the walls of the temples are frequently adorned with fresco

paintings representing incidents in the

lives of Gau

dama Buddh, as

related in the

Zahts, the fa

vourite one being the Jataka of Naymee, where he is represented as a white ghostly figure in a cha

riot, passing through the eight hells and the six heavens of the Dewahs. The punishments depicted as happening to various evil

doers in

in the

hells make one's

flesh creep.

Other pictures

portraying the

Punishments in the Buddhist hells.

occupations of daily life, the different nationalities seen in

the country, and even sepoys and British soldiers, besides

264

BATHING THE IMAGES.

civilians with great tall hats or enormous sola-topees, adorn the walls of some of the temples.

Groups of women and children are squatting about on the floor. Neighbours who have not met for a time are chatting together in an ordinary tone of voice. Youths and maidens are joking together, or having a quiet flirtation. Here an aged woman, telling her beads and mumbling her prayers, presses her hands together, and lifting them above her head, inclines her body in a low bow to the great image of Buddha, till her head and hands are pressing the floor. There a mother with her little child on her knee, closes its tiny palms on the stalk of a flower, and teaches the infant how to worship the great lawgiver Buddha.

Presently the abbot, or one of the elderly monks, commences in a monotonous tone to read one of the sacred books, which, being written in Pali, none of the women or children can understand. The service being over, the ceremony of bathing the images commences. All rise to their feet, and the men carry the smaller images into a miniature temple of bamboo, that has been erected in the grounds. When they are all arranged, the women gather around, and each one, taking her basin, dashes the water over the images, which are too sacred for a woman's hand to touch.

The missionaries told me that the images are likewise drenched with water in times of drought, when the rice crop is being injured for want of rain. Only the year before, the chief of Zimmé, accompanied by his retinue of princes and attendants, ascended to the temple of Loi Soo Tayp, and had the images removed from the building into the grounds of the pagoda. Then the pagoda and images were thoroughly doused with water, to awake the attention of the spirits of deceased monks that were domiciled in them, to the wants of the people. Another day a procession of a hundred monks visited the temple for the same purpose. Finding these spirits obdurate, or too somnolent to be of use, the execution of some convicts was hastened in order to propitiate Poo-Sa and Ya-Sa, the guardian, rain-producing genii of the hills, so that they might allow more water to flow down the streams for irrigating the fields. It is evident that the

THE WARMING OF BUDDH.

265

people believed that these tutelary spirits were hankering after their former diet, and had perhaps forgotten their promise to Gaudama when he visited their haunts.

Another peculiar ceremony occurs, according to Dr M'Gilvary, at the full moon of the fourth Ping Shan month, which usually falls in January. It is called by a name signifying "The warming of Buddh." About daylight, bonfires are kindled in the temple grounds, at which are assembled a larger number than usual of worshippers. It is the cool season of the year, when the mornings are uncomfortably cold; but no one dares to warm himself by the bonfires on that morning. They are sacred to the spirits of deceased monks inhabiting the images of Buddh, and are kindled for their especial benefit. When the fires are lighted, incensetapers are taken by the priests, who go inside of the temple, prostrate themselves before the images, and invite them to come out and be warmed by the sacred fires. It is a sham invitation, however, so far as the images are concerned, as they are not carried out; but the spirits of the poor cold deceased monks are presumed to gladly accept it.

The greatest fun of the Water Festival at the New Year happens amongst the young people. Young men and maidens dash water over each other at every chance they have; little boys, with squirts and syringes, are in their glory; and every one is soon drenched to the skin. No one thinks of changing his clothes, and the fun continues day after day during the festival, amidst stifled screams and shouts of merriment. It is the hottest time of the year, and nobody catches cold; and no one would care to get through the three days with dry clothes! for the wetting is looked upon as a compliment.

Notwithstanding the great heat, the thermometer for three hours in the day marking 101° in the shade, we rambled about amongst the crowd, visited the monastery, pagoda, and temples, watched the fun and the fireworks, and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. In the grounds of the pagoda were two fine bells, hanging in beautifully carved belfries. The bells had the usual pieces of stag-horn lying close to them. After completing their orisons, it is customary for the devotees to

strike the bell thrice with the deer-horn, in order to awaken the attention of the guardian spirits, and every one else, to the fact of their having done so.

The next morning we were off early, and continued for nearly eight miles down the valley of the Meh Wung, through an extensive rice-plain, to the eastern entrance of the city of Lakon. On our way we passed near ten villages, and crossed a stream, which is known as Huay Bau Kyow (the Stream of the Ruby Mines). I therefore presume that rubies have been found near the source of this stream. Before reaching the city, we noticed a chain of high hills commencing to the east, each link either separated from the others or divided by merely undulating ground. They are certainly isolated from any other range, because the Meh Mau, which we had followed down from our last pass, after draining their eastern sides, enters the Meh Wung some miles below the city.

The eastern entrance of the city is distant 53 miles from Zimmé, and is protected by brick walls 15 feet high, which enclose a courtyard 40 feet long and 30 feet wide, entered by strong outer and inner gates. A brick wall of the same height extends round three sides of the city; while the western side is simply protected by a palisade the former wall having been destroyed by the encroachment of the river, which skirts the north and west sides of the city.

After proceeding for three-quarters of a mile through the town, we left it by the western gate, and halted near the bank of the river at the house of Chow Don, the Siamese Assistant Judge, who had kindly placed it at our disposal.

CHAPTER XXII.

LAKON AND LAPOON DATE FROM THE SIXTH CENTURY-DESCRIPTION OF LAKON A CHRISTIAN JUDGE-LAW AND JUSTICE -PUNISHMENTS COMMUTED TO FINES-LEGEND OF THE DIPPED PRINCE-LEGEND OF LAKON A MODERN JOKE-LEGEND OF THE RING LAKE-THE GOD OF MEDICINE THE ASWINS MENDING AN OLD MAN-ORIGIN OF QUACKDOCTORS-A SIAMESE DOCTOR-THEORY OF DISEASE-MEDICINES174 INGREDIENTS IN A DOSE-DRAUGHTS FOR THE POOR, PILLS FOR THE RICH-MEDICINES BY PAILFUL-EMPIRICS-BELIEF IN DEMONS AND WITCHES-MODE OF PAYMENT BY THE JOB-NO CURE, NO PAY— FEE TO THE GOD OF MEDICINE-PRIESTS TO THE DEMONS-SACRIFICES -CONTAMINATION FROM LEPERS-SMALLPOX AND VACCINATIONFILTHY DWELLINGS AND FURNITURE-NO PILLOW-CASES OR SHEETSKILLING BUGS-VILLAGES ON THE MEH WUNG-DR NEIS'S SURVEYKAREN CHRISTIANS-REV. D. WEBSTER-DR CUSHING ILL-EAGERNESS FOR WORK-MALARIOUS FEVERS-NUMEROUS KARENS IN BRITISH SHAN STATES-TRADE OF LAKON-VISIT THE CHIEF-CHEAP LABOUR FOR THE RAILWAY-GREAT HEAT-BURST OF THE MONSOON.

LAKON (Lakhon, Lakaung, Lagong, or Nakhon Lampang), the capital of a Shan State of the same name, is said to have been built on the site of an old Lawa city by Aindawa Raja, the younger son of Queen Zamma Dewah, who was raised to the throne at Lapoon A.D. 576. The queen is said to have been the daughter of the king of Vieng Chang, formerly a powerful kingdom in the basin of the Meh Kong, and the widow of a prince of Cambodia. It is a double city, part being built on either side of the river, and is the most important Ping Shan town to the south of Zimmé. The palace is in the section lying along the east bank; and the city with its suburbs is said to contain a population of about 20,000 souls, a hundred of whom are Chinese.

Like Lapoon (Labong or Lamphun), the State of Lakon