dministrator, but a
gentleman of considerable business ability and a remarkable organizer. A
writer who, passing through in 1894, was indebted to Mr. Roberts for
many kindnesses, found that the only adverse criticism he could make of
the missionary was in respect to his knowledge of horses. My experience
is that in the whole of the Far East there can be found no more capable
pioneer missionary, and his friends in America should pray that Mr.
Roberts may be spared many years still to control the work on the
successful mission field in which he has spent so much of his labor of
love for the Kachins.

Kachins form the bulk of the population in the extreme north of Burma.
To the west they extend to Assam, and to the south into the Shan States,
as far even as latitude 20 deg. 30'. By far the largest proportion of them
live in Burmese territory, but they also extend into Western Yuen-nan,
though nowhere are they found farther east than longitude 99 deg..

Man Hsien is the last yamen place before reaching the British border. I
crossed the river Taping from Manyueen, being shown the road by a Burmese
member of the Buddhistic yellow cloth, who was most pressing that I
should stay with him for a few days. Again did I get a fright that my
manuscript would never get into print, for my pony, Rusty, probably
cognizant of the fact that he, too, was finishing his long tramp, nearly
stamped the bottom of the boat out, and threatened to send us down by
river past Bhamo quicker than our arrival was scheduled.

The large official paper given to one's military escort from point to
point was here produced for the last time, and great ado was made about
me. Reading this document aloud from the top of the steps, when he came
to my name the mandarin bowed very low, called me Ding Daren[BG] (a sign
of highest respect), asked if I would exchange cards, and then lapsed
unconsciously into profuse congratulation to myself that I should have
been born an Englishman. So far as he knew, I could be assured that the
existing relations between the administrative bodies of his contemptible
country and my own royal land were of a nature so felicitously mutual
and peaceful--in fact, both Governments saw eye to eye in regard to
international affairs in Far Western China--that he felt sure that I
should arrive at the bridge leading into Burma without personal harm. He
then, with a colossal bow to myself and a gentle wave of his three-inch
finger-nail, handed