Burmese Sketches - Khamkoo

BURMESE SKETCHES, ^a^
in great favour with the Chief Queen. But I was extremely
unlucky in the matter of there beino^ certain maids of honour,
who fell in love with me. When Their Majesties heard that I
was the object of the amorous propensities of these maids,
they became wroth. My life was in danger, for, according to
the tradition of the Royal Palace, all maids of honour must
remain in celibacy ; so I had to fiy.
In the early part of 1 245 (1883) 1 reached Sinbyugyun in
the Salin District where my father was Wun before. I found
some of his retainers. They were trustworthy. I explained
to them the object of my flight; and they,in their bluff way,
said :
** Never mind, we shall take care of you. You shall
not die." To baffle identification as much as possible, my
head was shaved, red marks conferring invulnerability were
tattooed on my body ; and my name was changed
Aung Min.
to Maung
At that time, dacoities were just beginning to be rife. I
believe the extreme venality of both the King and his Ministers
was the cause. The Provincial Governorships were farmed
out to the highest bidders, without taking into consideration
the welfare of the people. For instance, say, one Nga Pyu, a
retainer of some high official, wanted to become a JVun, He
said to his master : " I will give you Rs. SP^^> ^^^
Rs- 15,000 to the King. Will you get me a Wun ship under
these conditions ?" The master said : " Yes" and Nga Pyu was
appointed straight away a Wun by the King. Of course,
when he became a Wun he tried his best to refill his purse.
He tried his hand at all sorts of things. He found that the
maintenance of dacoit-bands, with whose spoils he shared,
paid best. But Nga Pyu was not to enjoy his Wun ship long.
Nga Me, who could pay Rs. 20,000 to the King succeeded
him. Besides, bribery to the Ministers, especially to the
Taingda Mingyi, would shield from punishment a criminal who
had committed murder, dacoity, or arson. And thus the
country got more and more out of hand.
But I digress : I said dacoities were just becoming to be
rife then. I became affected by the spirit of the times. I
w^anted to turn a dacoit. In my dreams, I fancied how jolly it
would be to burn, plunder, and harass towns and villages. I
communicated my wish to my father's retainers. They all
said : " It is a very good idea. We will follow you to death."
I then tried to organize a band. I appointed Nga Saing to
be my Lieutenant. He was a swarthy fellow with plenty of