Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1882-09-29
A HINDOO BOAT RACE.
characteristics Of Aquatic sport In In
dlan:Waters.
From the Burman. ]

From the Burman.]
At last there is hush and every eye is
turned up the river. The boats turn and
come drifting down there is minute of
backing and fussing about to get them straight
and the bows level, and shen, with loud
shout, they are off by mutual consent. A
roar comes from the crowd all the way down
the banks to the grand stand, and then swings
back again like wave on the fiat sea sand.
Served by their magnificent boat and their
younger strengt pyan-oung crew jump
OH WIN the let.lNe :, Stinle to draw away
until halfway vaN .o'I.e course, where they
are clear and have bi, Of daylight to spare
The hackers of Peacock are wild with tri-
umph, but the Tohn Kga party are perfectly
composed, and declare that things could not
be going better.
a quarter of mix I'm home old Koh-
kyahgyee lets out yell. and though there is
no apparent quickeninE-5f the stroke, the
las las |na remained iua nu"n suddenly saHs diss
appears, The 1meSs. a.. Flowers creeps
steadily up to tkc Peacock's thwart
Dung Zahn, the Myan-oung bow,
sees the cnemy's boat u the first time since
the start, aud few is later the nose of
the Three Fair " lows in front. In
coherent col, 1l!,I shoYl pair, encouragement
huu uellSnt IeVery throat. Olu
women tear IL moIJ I3rcanty hair and work
Ee W 1acs s.r si 1g hs%sslses sn as were ss in
needless @ less of the mdi;n Il spashng I that viii viii
run their silken sklrs forever young men
and boys rush up Ia their necks in .sa,er and
yell with frcnzied ragcrness, for it is only a
few lengths to the winning post, and Thohn-
kwa leads by foot. Old % Ohm can stand
it no longer for the last minute he has been
shaking all over, as if he were in palsy, and
his tongue and throat are as parched as if
they were choked with lime. He rCshcs for
ward with his hands in the air and shrieks,
"fouk kya' in key that cuts through the
din like u steam whistle. "Youk kya !" the
cry is taken up; "Youk kya bahtha." every
mothers son of you the Peacock. the
Flower sway lay lay row for your lives ;
row for your unvanquished name The two
boys fling their paddles from them and rise for
the struggle, the wink of an eye too 500 and he
will miss his grasp; the fine of finger too
late and thero will be nothing to seize, A
great hush fall, on the vast crowd as il all
were stricken dead and then both men dis
appear in the water, clinchlng apparently
simultaneously at the rattan. An agonZng
five seconds and then Dung Zahn comes to
the surface brandishing the rattan on high /;
the Thohu Kwa bow felt the scratch Of it
on his palm rs it disappeared through the
tube
The scene that follows is beyond descrip-
,ion. The victorious crew spring up TO
dance, but the relief is inadequate and they
can only escape frenzy by plunging into the
river. 90 Ohm tucks up his waist-cloth and
dances round In mad delight till his stiff old
legs will bear him no longer. Pompous old
fellows caper and plunge and shout. Young.
er men can only relieve their feelings by
plunging themselves down aud rolling about
| wildly in the mud. Girls who at ordinary
times would hardly dare to raise their eyes
to look about them dance and shgut in ecs.
tasy, and their married guardians Join in the
rout, while the bands from the villages round
about strike up, and the professional dancers
who came 10 perform in honor Of the victors
are fain to look on as their intended audience
go through unprecedented figures.