The romantic East: Burma, Assam, & Kashmir - Khamkoo

BHAMO AND THE IRAWADI 59
mountains thirty miles away
as the crow flies.
The metal cart-road is
nearly sixty-two miles
long, and there is a dak bungalow about every
ten miles. But there are short cuts by bridlepaths,
reducing the distance to about fifty miles, so
that the journey can be easily done by pony
in
two days.
Below Thabeikkyin the river narrows and the
hills close in on both sides, and half way to Kabwet,
twenty-five miles from Thabeikkyin, the third (or,
as some call it, the first) defile is entered. Mau is
only five miles below Kabwet, and Kyaukmyaung
ten miles further down, and we cast anchor the
second evening about seven o'clock at a village
near the latter place. The steamer carried a
search-light, and the boys at the landing took a
huge delight in stripping themselves and dancing
about naked in its rays. The Tamil boys in
Southern India played similar pranks, with the
addition of indecent gestures, as we passed them
on the railway.
The next morning we passed Ngasingu 250
miles from Bhamo, Sheinmaga 25 miles below,
and 35 miles more brought us opposite Mingon.