h troops there to oppose him."

Descending the river they coasted along until they arrived, early
in March, at Chittagong. They found that great alarm reigned there.
In January, Bandoola, the greatest military leader of the Burmese,
who was known to have been one of the most strenuous supporters of
the war policy at the court of Ava, had arrived at Aracan and taken
the command of the troops collected there, and had brought with him
considerable reinforcements.

A wanton outrage that had been committed by the Burmese showed how
intent they were upon hostilities. Owing to the unhealthiness of
the islet of Shapuree, the sepoys stationed there had been
withdrawn; and the Company's pilot vessel, Sophia, was ordered to
join the gunboats off that island. Four deputies from the Burmese
court arrived at Mungdoo, on the opposite shore; and these invited
the commander of the Sophia to come on shore, in order that they
might talk over with him, in a friendly way, the situation of
affairs. He unsuspectingly accepted their invitation and landed,
accompanied by an officer and some native seamen. The party were at
once seized and sent prisoners to Aracan, where they were detained
for a month, and then sent back to Mungdoo.

This wanton insult was followed by a formal declaration of war, by
the government of India; and a similar document was issued by the
court of Ava. The force at Sylhet was reinforced, and that in
Chittagong increased. It consisted of a wing of the 13th and of the
20th Native Regiments, and a battalion of the 23rd, with a local
levy, amounting in all to some 3000 men. Of these a wing of the
23rd, with two guns, and a portion of the native levies were posted
at Ramoo, which was the point most threatened by an invasion from
Aracan.

It was in the north that hostilities first commenced, a force
moving into Assam and driving the Burmese before them. Several
sharp blows were dealt the enemy and, had it not been for the
setting in of the wet season, they would have been driven entirely
out of Assam.

"I think, Stanley," his uncle said, after he had been a short time
at Chittagong, "you had better go up to Ramoo, and see about
matters there. Of course, until the Burmese move we cannot say what
their game is likely to be; but it will be as well to get the
stores ready for embarkation, in case they should advance in that
direction. If they do so, get everything on board at once; and you
can then be guided by circumstan