nmarried, they wear no head-dress, but have their hair cut in
a black mop with a deep fringe to the eyebrows. If married, their
head-dress is the same as that of the Shan women--a huge dark-blue
conical turban. Morality among the Kachin maidens, a missionary tells
me, is not, as we understand the term, believed to exist. There is a
tradition in the neighbourhood concerning a virtuous maiden; but little
reliance can be placed on such legendary tales. Among the Kachins each
clan is ruled by a Sawbwa, whose office "is hereditary, not to the
eldest son, but to the youngest, or, failing sons, to the youngest
surviving brother." (Anderson.) All Kachins chew betel-nut and nearly
all smoke opium--men, women and children. Goitre is very prevalent among
them; in some villages Major Couchman believes that as many as 25 per
cent. of the inhabitants are afflicted with the disease. They have no
written language, but their spoken language has been romanised by the
American missionaries in Burma.

We camped within five miles of the British border at the Chinese fortlet
of Settee, a palisaded camp whose gateway also was hung with heads of
dacoits. A Chinese Shan was in command, a smart young officer with a
Burmese wife. He was active, alert, and intelligent, and gave me the
best room in the series of sheds which formed the barracks. I was made
very comfortable. There were between forty and fifty soldiers stationed
in the barracks--harmless warriors--who were very attentive. At
nightfall the tattoo was beaten. The gong sounded; its notes died away
in a distant murmur, then brayed forth with a stentorian clangour that
might wake the dead. At the same time a tattoo was beaten on the drum,
then a gun was fired and the noise ceased, to be repeated again during
the night at the change of guard. All foes, visible and invisible, were
in this way scared away from the fort.

Hearing that I was a doctor, the commandant asked me to see several of
his men who were on the sick list. Among them was one poor young fellow
dying, in the next room to mine, of remittent fever. When I went to the
bedside the patient was lying down deadly ill, weak, and emaciated; but
two of his companions took him by the arms, and, telling him to sit up,
would have pulled him into what they considered a more respectful
attitude. In the morning I again went to see the poor fellow. He was
lying on his side undergoing treatment. An opium-pipe was held to his
lips by one comra