of bamboo, and
thatched with grass, and having a very poor appearance. The public
buildings and the houses of the great officers were constructed of
planks, and tiled; but were heavy and tasteless, and it was only
upon the innumerable pagodas, in and around the town, that any care
seemed to have been bestowed.

He had wondered much at the numerous pagodas that they had seen,
near every town and village, as they passed up; but the officer had
informed him that these were all private property, and that it was
considered the most meritorious of actions to erect one;
consequently every man who had means to do so built a pagoda, large
or small in proportion to the sum that he could bestow upon it. On
Stanley's remarking upon the great number that were in ruins, the
officer replied that it was considered so much more meritorious an
action to build a pagoda than to repair one that, after the death
of the founder, they were generally suffered to fall into decay.

For some days the prisoners were taken out, every day, and marched
about the town for some time, so as to afford the population ocular
proof of the victory gained by Bandoola. The place in which they
were confined was small and filthy but, at the end of a week,
Stanley was taken out and placed in a room by himself; and here the
officer who had had charge of him paid him a visit, an hour or two
later.

"I have expressed to the court," he said, "the wishes of the
general, and have had permission accorded for you to receive
different treatment from the others; partly because you are an
officer, but principally because the general thinks that you may be
made useful to him. I have informed the officer of the prison that
you are to be at liberty to walk about in the city, when you
please; but that to protect you from violence, an officer and two
soldiers are to accompany you, so long as you may think such a
precaution necessary. I have ordered a dress of our fashion to be
brought to you as, otherwise, you could not go into the streets
without being mobbed."

Stanley expressed his gratitude to the officer for obtaining these
indulgences, and the latter replied:

"I acted upon the orders of the general, but it has been a pleasure
to me; for I see that you are a young man of merit, and I have
learned much from you about your people during the journey; and
have seen that, foolish as they have been to undertake to match
themselves against us, there are yet some things tha