“EL DORADO.”
“Lovely indeed the mimic works of art,
But Nature’s work far lovelier.”
The march was resumed next morning under the most favourable auspices,
though still in the same methodical order; for although we were no
longer in continual fear of molestation, it was nevertheless incumbent
on those in command to make assurance doubly sure.
News arrived _en route_ that “all was well” in the stockade, and that
there were no signs of any gathering in the immediate neighbourhood.
While traversing one of the last fringes of forest, our ears were
struck with a peculiar droning sound, which seemed to come from our
right. We were puzzled as to whence such a sound could proceed; it
became louder as we advanced, and as we emerged from the forest, the
cause of the disturbance met our astonished gaze.
At the bottom of the valley ran a broad and tortuous river. Rather
to the left lay the stockade on what at first sight appeared to be an
island, though a closer inspection showed that it was connected by a
short, narrow neck with the mainland.
The land, which was under cultivation up to a certain point on either
side of the river, was being irrigated by enormous wheels, curiously
constructed of bamboo, much after the fashion of paddle-wheels; and the
exquisite balance of the axles, combined with the action of the water,
went as near as possible to “perpetual motion.”
As these huge wheels revolved, the bamboo cylinders poured a continuous
stream, the flow of which was regulated by floats, into a trough on
either side, joined by a third, through which it was conveyed to the
fields. There were a number of these wheels on either side the river,
and by means of a dam, the water was turned in any required direction,
with a force proportioned to its breadth. Altogether, I never saw
anything more ingenious.
Beyond the cultivation on the opposite side, the country presented a
still more hilly appearance, and was covered with trees of immense size
and considerable variety. It was a picture of wealth and fertility,
as charming a view as could well be imagined; and when the camp was
pitched near the stockade, man and beast gladly looked forward to a few
days’ rest amid such enchanting surroundings.
Owing to the proclamation issued by the Commissioner, the agricultural
population soon gained confidence and returned to their various
occupations, seemingly only too glad to be allowed to do so.
Buying and selling became the order of the day, bazaars were opened,
and before forty-eight hours had elapsed, a friendly feeling animated
both parties, resulting in mutual confidence. Burmese men, women and
children moved about as if nothing had happened, a little curious,
maybe, and occasionally squatting near the camp, attracted more by the
European soldiers than anything else.
These constituted in their eyes the greatest attraction; and the lady
portion in especial regarded them with unconcealed admiration. Oh, the
sameness of human nature! We all know the dangerous interest that these
uniforms will inspire at home, from the domestic upwards; and here was
the same magnetic attraction far away from civilization among the most
unsophisticated of races.
On the day of arrival, many started off at once to inspect the
stockade; but I curbed my curiosity until the sun was down in the west,
when I knew I could proceed with greater comfort.
The entrance was well guarded, though open to all except the Burmese.
As I have already pointed out, the greater portion of its circumference
was protected by the river, which it consequently commanded above,
below, and across.
No wonder, then, that its original tenants thought themselves secure
against the invader, until the unwelcome news suddenly burst upon them
that we had out-manœuvred them!
In accordance with their customary mode of military engineering, the
face of the stockade presented a curved line of stout timbers driven
into the earth at an angle, and almost touching one another.
Behind, the natural level had been considerably raised, with a view to
putting it above the influence of any abnormal flood.
The inner circumference was lined with wooden and bamboo houses,
around which lay a pile of half cooked food and _débris_, just as the
fugitives had left them.
A gang of men were, however, soon at work clearing a place and
preparing suitable quarters for a permanent garrison.
When I had inspected all this to my own satisfaction, I made my way to
the bamboo bridge which spanned the river a short distance below.
In spite of the alarming manner in which it creaked and swayed, it was
very strong, though, by the very nature of the material of which it
was constructed, adapted only to very light traffic. In the middle of
the stream the water was deep, but so clear that one could distinguish
every pebble on its gravelly bed. The sight of numbers of large fish
darting hither and thither at once aroused my Waltonian proclivities,
and I recollect that some of us tried our hands at the art with
considerable success, though I have unfortunately no record of the size
or species of the fish.
Most of my notes, together with everything else, perished a few years
later in that wretched and disastrous Mutiny; could I but have foreseen
it, I should have elected to remain in this El Dorado, and turned
Buddhist!
An opening at the middle of this bridge afforded a glorious place for
a dive, and, as far as we could ascertain, there were no alligators
about, the water was too clear for these loathsome amphibians,
which—being of the dirt, dirty!—delight in the solitude of a muddy
river bedded with slime and ooze.
From this bridge, which was a favourite _rendezvous_ of an evening,
the view above was exceedingly grand, especially as the rays of the
setting sun streamed along the valley in a gorgeous blaze, the like of
which—and that only on a very small scale—I have only seen at Govilon
on the Usk.
The dangers attending any expedition into the jungle afoot having
been impressed upon the party in general and myself in particular, we
determined to rove in search of that delicate chanticleer once more,
but perched this journey on the backs of elephants. We made up the
same party as before, each with an elephant; but this was a different
affair, inasmuch as a quartet of these animals, advancing in line with
stolid indifference to any obstacle smaller than a large tree, routed
out the game wholesale.
I noticed that the jungle-fowl, partridges and hares swarmed especially
near the edge of the forest, and concluded that they had, with a
creditable eye to the main chance, taken up their abode as near as
possible to the surrounding fields of paddy and other grain.
As there were eight barrels between us, the fusillade was continuous
and the havoc considerable; what it would have been with breech-loaders
I know not; but these were comparatively primitive days, and the
delay consequent upon the process of reloading afforded the birds some
respite.
Nor did every shot take effect, for the undergrowth was thick and
the birds were strong and active; besides which, with the driver
immediately in front, it was no easy matter for any one like myself,
unaccustomed to firing from the back of an elephant in motion, to
shoot in an oblique direction. Still, we managed between us to keep
the larder well stocked during our stay there, though I fear I was more
prominent as a consumer than otherwise.
A cold bird for breakfast was very appetizing; at lunch not to be
despised; and not lacking customers when roasted for dinner.
These excursions were certainly most enjoyable; but there is no rose
without its thorn, and none know the invariable truth of this better
than those who have resided in the East.
In this particular locality grew a rampant creeper, fascinating to
behold, but woe betide the unlucky individual who chanced to shake the
plant while passing underneath it.
Hanging from various points among the surrounding trees, among which
it twists and turns, may be seen large racemes of Papillonaceous
purple blossoms, harmless, except for their unpleasant smell. At
a latter stage, however, when they have podded, the outer surface
becomes covered with fine, brittle hairs, which shower down whenever
the creeper is agitated. Should they lodge on the naked skin, the
irritation becomes maddening in the course of a few minutes, increasing
as one scratches. It is the _Mucuna pruens_ of botanists; in popular
phraseology, cowage or Cow-itch. Strange to say, on this occasion three
out of the four elephants steered clear of this undesirable “thing of
beauty;” the fourth did _not_, and its occupant, Captain H——, the short
one this time—received a dose on the nape of his neck which caused him
to struggle as if he would pull his head off his shoulders.
He would without a doubt have inflicted serious injury on his neck,
had not a native suggested a remedy: if an apothecary’s shop had been
available, we might have found something less disagreeable and equally
oleaginous, the quality on which its efficacy mainly depended. In lieu
thereof, we proceeded to a village where cows were kept, and the remedy
was applied.
The natives have great faith in it here as in many parts of
India. Formerly, it was considered an excellent vermifuge, and was
administered incorporated with treacle, honey or syrup. How the rest of
us escaped the same annoyance was a wonder!
The other drawback to the pleasures of this kind of sport was the
tiring movement, half jolting, half lounging, of the elephant.
Given the choice under ordinary conditions, I had rather walk ten miles
than ride an elephant over two; bad as he is, however, the motion of
a camel is a thousand times worse. There may be camels and camels, but
agonizing are the best.
The stockade having been swept and garnished for the reception of the
men detailed for this especial garrison duty, and friendly relations
having been established with the natives, the elephants conveyed our
equipage over a ford, and the pedestrians crossed the bamboo bridge, to
a point on the other side of the river, where the camp would remain a
few days preparatory to our final departure. This was a diplomatic test
of how our friends would fare when we had marched off altogether.
The surroundings were still more wild and picturesque, the hills were
also more broken, often almost perpendicular, and covered with very
fine timber.
One glen in particular was extremely interesting from the number of
images of Gautama perched on every available rock, it was evidently a
place of resort for the pious aspirants to the true Nirvana, where they
could contemplate in the midst of primæval nature, and far from the
madding crowd. At the same time, I never saw a more likely-looking spot
for a tiger; which would, for a true disciple of Buddha, constitute
rather an advantage than otherwise, affording a good chance of another
transmigration!
There were also a few temples, and excavations, which led—goodness
knows where! Buddhists have at all times shown a preference for
underground temples, as well as a special aptitude for constructing
them.
A huge tree might be seen here and there, or rather its configuration
in _white ash_. For some purpose or other—most probably cooking—a
fire had been lighted at its base, spreading to the tree and rapidly
consuming the decayed wood. The fire would thus smoulder on, until
trunk and branches were consumed and the ash fell _in situ_.
There were other prostrate trunks so completely petrified as to be hard
as adamant; and the steps leading up to one of the temples were carved
out of the fossilized remains of trees. Here, then, there evidently
existed a highly fossiliferous stratum; and it was a source of deep
regret to the Commissioner and myself that time and opportunity did not
admit of further exploration in that interesting locality.
It was interesting to see how silica or iron pyrites can particle
by particle permeate through the interstices of animal and vegetable
tissues, thoroughly reproducing and replacing their lineaments to the
minutest particular. A transverse section of one of these trunks would
present the same appearance as wood—pith, medullary rays and concentric
circles, and from the last named one could obtain a fair estimate of
its age.
Once organized, endowed with sap and a circulation, giving out
oxygen and absorbing carbonic acid, and performing a number of other
functions, it became, under special conditions, nothing but a mould
for the deposit of inorganic material, which permeated its structure by
some almost inexplicable molecular attraction.
Constant wear had so told on these steps, that they were slippery to
a degree; and, armed as we were with heavy boots, great caution was
necessary when descending them.
Being moreover numerous and very steep, a fall would have resulted in
broken bones. The natives could run up and down them barefooted like
so many cats; and were inwardly amused, no doubt, at our awkwardness,
though far too polite to betray such unseemly exuberance in the
presence of the “Lord-High-Chief-Commissioner!”
A most unusual combination of excellent soil and climate, assisted by
so perfect and unique a system of irrigation, stamped the valley as a
place of productiveness out of the common.
In those days, the country at large enjoyed a considerable reputation
for tobacco, which, when cured, was remarkable for its dark colour and
somewhat rank flavour.
I preferred it, however, to what “Trichys” were made of; though I
only smoked the cigars when better were unavailable. The price was
sufficiently tempting to decoy many, and to the officers of the ship
in which I went out, I forwarded several thousand of them at the
apparently improbable cost of a rupee a hundred.
It would be idle to add that the price rose rapidly soon after our
occupation of the country, as everything invariably does in those
places that we merely frequent!
In 1852, Pegu ponies cost Rs. 30; in 1858, Rs. 300 were asked and
given. The fact is, both were novelties; and what Englishman will not
pay a ruinous price for a novelty! I am of opinion that tobacco was not
indigenous to Burmah, for the history of that important plant points
rather to a western origin and a gradual spread eastward; while, with
the single exception of the Manilla, it deteriorates the further we
advance in the latter direction.
A Manilla is, I confess, a choice article; but compared with the
genuine Havannah, the difference is as great as that between a Stilton
and a Dutch cheese. Climate and curing are certainly important factors;
but, even in perfection, they cannot compensate for certain qualities
in the soil, found only in the west.
Nevertheless, this valley yielded at any rate the best to be had in a
country where men, women and children, who cannot get tobacco, smoke an
article composed of very fine chopped wood wrapped in a leaf.
Of grain, the principal was rice, a larger and coarser variety than
that found in India or at Akyab; but we had no opportunity of seeing
it in the fields, as it had long been cut, and they were irrigating for
other crops.
It is the crop of which the Scripture saith, “Cast thy bread on the
waters, and it shall be found after many days.” The ploughman, with
his primitive scarifier and his pair of buffaloes, stirs the mud, while
the sower flings the seed broadcast in his wake. Ere long a green film
is perceptible at the surface; next come the blades and clusters of
flowers on single stalks; finally, the water dries up and the crop
ripens.
With the exception of the plantain, or banana as it is called in
this country, the season for fruit was not. This exception, however,
was sufficiently luscious to make the appetite grow by what it
fed on. It is a fruit that nature has provided with a whole list
of recommendations; it is obtainable all the year round, as the
young shoots spring up of themselves from the rhizomes, causing the
plantation to spread independently; it may be eaten at any time and
with anything; is both cheap and nourishing; and, last but not least,
as soon as the skin has been removed and the downy layer scraped off,
there are no stones, cores, or pips.
Any one who has once made a lunch of bread, butter, cheese, beer
and _plantains_, will, I guarantee, repeat the experiment; only the
_correct_ way of eating the fruit is after the downy covering has
been removed, a process which, while it involves a little additional
trouble, results in a very appreciable difference.
As the longest day must come to an end, so did our sojourn in “El
Dorado” draw to a close, for affairs had settled down sooner than was
expected, and out of regard for economy, it was considered unnecessary
to keep the troops out any longer.
The native contingent was to garrison the place, and in that respect
I wished I had, for a few months at least, been part and parcel of the
same. But, alas! the “white face” cannot change his skin, whatever he
may do as regards his spots.
Once more, then, we made a move in a north-easterly direction this time
to Theyetmyo, where the camp was to break up _in toto_.
We now marched through a more elevated tract of country, neither so
undulating nor so wild as on the other side of “Jordan,” and more
thickly populated as we approached the Irrawaddy.
This march was, compared with what had preceded, naturally a tame
affair, as we were no longer on the tiptoe of expectation. We had
moreover entered the “promised land,” and after having tasted of its
delights, we were going back to the ordinary duties of life.
Marching for six weeks without a specific object is apt to grow
wearisome; the abnormally early hour of rising in semi-darkness; the
noise of tent-peg hammering, and the sudden collapse of the tents; and
the hideous noises made by any camels that happen to be present—all
these conditions are extremely trying. As a beast of burden, the
camel is a very useful creature, and there his qualifications end.
In disposition he is a veritable savage, the process of lading him
requires extreme caution, for with the slightest provocation, or
without it, he will crane his lanky neck and endeavour to bite,
treating any one he can lay hold of much as a terrier does a rat.
Failing to bite, he utters the most dismal sounds imaginable,
proceeding apparently from his very bowels; he kneels down under
protest, and only after much tugging at his nose; and rises with such
a jerk and grunt, that any articles not properly lashed on are hurled
into space. The two periods, therefore, of loading and unloading these
amiable creatures are extremely trying; while for riding, where the
choice lies between a camel and a donkey, I should, unless I were in a
desperate hurry, unhesitatingly choose the latter.
This time we shook hands with the officers of the frontier garrison
from the land side, and were as hospitably entertained as before.
They had heard of our proceedings by means of the organized runners
instituted for the purpose; from this quarter alone could succour have
reached us in case of need. They too must have made a detour, though
but a short one; and after all, a demonstration in front would probably
have sufficed, for the Burmese, finding themselves between two fires,
would have decamped in a stampede.
With but periodical instalments of news to vary the monotony of life
from day to day, the details of our expedition proved very acceptable,
and were devoured with special eagerness by those in whose veins flowed
the love of sport.
Indeed, from what I afterwards heard, leaves of absence were since
spent _not far_ from the recently acquired “El Dorado”! Then indeed the
reign of peace enjoyed by animals and birds in that hitherto favoured
region must have come to an abrupt end. A force greater than their own
invaded their solitudes, once so free from our insatiable propensity to
take life in all its lower forms.
By this time the game has in all probability been scared far away;
and it may, for all I know, be safe to have a picnic where once the
tiger had his lair, or one may wander without even the chance of
a shot through tracts where the shy fowl once strutted in numbers,
consequential and pugnacious as usual.
Maybe too, bungalows and barracks now dot its original outskirts,
where balls and picnics are of frequent occurrence, while shooting and
hunting are the order of the day.
I should certainly, for the sake of comparison, like to see the place
as it now is; a military band, playing perchance at one end of the
stockade, would certainly sound divinely in that valley.
Alas! if I were only a Buddhist, I might be cheered by the hope of
visiting that earthly paradise in another form.
The camp broke up shortly afterwards, and I returned to Prome with our
chief and a few others. We had described a considerable circle during
the past month; little more than a month, and it seemed more like a
year.
In connection with that march, now nearly forty years ago, a somewhat
singular coincidence occurred to me in the summer of 1889 at that
paradise of cricketers, Lord’s. While I was conversing at the
refreshment bar with an acquaintance, the subject of Burmah cropped up,
and I happened to refer in detail to this particular expedition. “So
well do I remember it,” I was saying, “that I could mention the names
of the officers concerned, though I have not come across one of them
since.”
I then proceeded to fulfil this undertaking, and had just named the one
who remained behind in charge of the garrison, when a voice behind me
exclaimed, “I am that individual.”
We had probably met many times before in that enclosure, maybe sat near
one another; but seven-and-twenty years tend to alter _men_; and unless
that keynote had been struck, no recognition would have ensued, as in
the following spring he joined the majority. He was a regular attendant
at Lord’s, and had, he told me, occupied the same seat for many
successive seasons; the following year I looked for him in vain—his
place knew him no more!
He was a keen sportsman and a first-rate shot, and nothing pleased
him better than being left behind at Mendoon, the real name of my “El
Dorado.”