or, and none
of any race beyond the borders of China!

From Nampoung to Bhamo is an easy walk of thirty-three miles. This is
usually done in two stages, the halting place being the military station
of Myothit, which is fourteen miles from Nampoung. On leaving Nampoung,
an escort of a lance-corporal and two soldiers was detailed to accompany
me. They were Punjabis, men of great stature and warlike aspect; but
they were presumably out of training, for they arrived at Myothit, limp
and haggard, an hour or more after we did. There is an admirable road
through the jungle, maintained in that excellent order characteristic of
military roads under British supervision. My Chinese from time to time
questioned me as to the distance. We had gone fifteen li when Laotseng
asked me how much farther it was to Santien (Myothit). "Three li," I
said. We walked ten li further. "How far is it now?" he asked. "Only
five li further," I replied, gravely. We went on another six li, when
again he asked me: "Teacher Mo, how many li to Santien?" "Only eight
more li," I said, and he did not ask me again. I was endeavouring to
give him information in the fashion that prevails in his own country.

At Myothit we camped in the dak bungalow, an unfurnished cottage kept
for the use of travellers. The encampment is on the outskirts of a
perfectly flat plain, skirted with jungle-clad hills and covered with
elephant grass. Through the plain the broad river Taiping flows on its
muddy way to the Irrawaddy. One hundred sepoys are stationed here under
a native officer, a Sirdar, Jemadar, or Subadar (I am not certain
which), who called upon me, and stood by me as I ate my tiffin, and, to
my great embarrassment, saluted me in the most alarming way every time
my eye unexpectedly caught his. I confess that I did not know the
gentleman from Adam. I mistook him for an ornamental head-waiter, and,
as I regarded him as a superfluous nuisance, I told him not to stand
upon the order of his going but go. I pointed to the steps; and he went,
sidling off backwards as if from the presence of royalty. Drawing his
heels together, he saluted me at the stair-top and again at the bottom,
murmuring words which were more unintelligible to me even than Chinese.

During the night our exposed bungalow was assailed by a fearful storm of
wind and rain, and for a time I expected it to be bodily lifted off the
piles and carried to the lee-side of the settlement. The roof leaked in
a tho