Arizona silver belt., 1888-12-29
BANDITS OF BURMAH.
RoeUEs WHO ANolNT THEMSELVES
 WITH cocoANUT OIL.

Some Exciting Adventures with the "Da-
 coits"-HOw the Bands Operate-slip-
 pefy and Dangerous Customers-Inci-
 dents of a NIght-Religious Traits.
 Burmah resembles Italy and Greece in one respect It is a land of brigands. These robbers are called ''Dacoits,' and, like their European brethren, work in bands or com panies having chief with absolute authority, heutenants and other subordinate officers. They are daring, rapacious and cruel, setting no value on human life and exposing their own fearlessly. They resemble the European banditti in their wise policy of keeping good friends with the peasantry and toiling people. They thus insure supplies, for which they pay literally, and gain the earliest intelli- gence of any pursuit by the government troops. The Dacoits do not take any prisoners to their fastnesses to be ransomed; they simply lay their hands upon all the valuables they can carry away with them, a1S. move of with great rapidity. One band Ol-~lat1ug in the country neer To1ngboo numbered about 800 men, under the leadership of Ming loung, a cool, cunning and brave chief. He had some royal blood in his veins, being re lated to the king reignirg at the time at Mandalay.
 They go upon these expeditions in per tectly nude state, having previously rubbed themselves well over with cocoanut or se- same oil. They proceed with their wholesale robbery in perfect silence, the only light they carry being the inevitable cigar or large cigarette, which each one smokes. As they enter house they puff away, and hold the lighted end to ascertain the exact where abouts of any article they desire to carry off. Should any one awaken and attempt to re- sist or raise en alarm, be or she is speedily dispatched with the keen dha, or knife, they all carry; but should any general alarm be raised and decided resistance made, then retreat is ordered, and the party clear off in as quick order as possible. There being few roads, properly so called in Burmah, retreat is in consequence easy for the thieves, who know every intricate footpath in the jungle.
 A numerous band of Dacoits once, under the leadership of Mingioung, had the au- dacity to make @ raid upon the European can torment in Pegu The night of the raid was dark and stormy, it being the commencement of the rainy monsoon, CT season. Every thing was thus favorable to their design; ab- sence of proper guards, and pitchy dark atmosphere, faintly and fitfully illuminated here and there by the few oil lanterns sus- pended occasionally ct the entrances of the bungalows. Every one had retired to rest and all was quiet by midnight. At about 1 a ra. the stiffness was broken by the dis charge of firearms. Several pistol shots rang out through the silence of the night, and in short time shouts, excavations, etc, were heard, putting the whole cantonment in a state of Uproar. Some of the young fellows started for the barracks and brought down a detachment of troops, furnished with Ian teras, to make thorough investigation of tho cause of the disturbance Nothing, how ever, was discovered, nor cly persons found to 5o near the cantoaTnent, although several asserted that DGcoits Lad paid them visi5 and that one or more of them was shot. After posting a proper guard, nothing fur ther was done until daylight came.
 n tho morning, by the side of the road, a couple of hundred yards from the canton ment, were found the nude, tattooed bodies of two Brmans, headicss, however, for, ac- co-ding to the invariable l. bit of the Dacoits, they behead any of the band who may be k.Ied during foTay, or so seriously wounded as to Do incapable of escaping. BY their method of mutlation the individuality of t!io ro6i5ers was lost. As the Dacoits have aee1t5 in tho various cities for the disposal Of their stolen goods, who gre sworn mem bers Of the band, and who ostensibly pursue honest vacations in life, such aS sbroif5 tosaters), golds1niths, merchants, et,., it zrould inevitably tend to betray them and iaiure their "business" were any of their k..iied and wounded left behind them to be recognized by their captors. When an ex- -asive raid is contemplated every member C. tss band is liable to be called upon to s-:.-re a5 tho summons of the chief. These cl.avers therefore gave no clue to the iden- i.. Of the perpetrators of the outrage, it rle7ely let US know that a party of Dacoits i:.. been lot loose among US, and not any o:'ri5iaary Indian housebreakers.
 The incidents of the night were as follows: I young merchant and physician shared c bungalow between them. The former was ey.aEened By the doctor, who was shouting: ,ITal,e ID! ThieTesI' and who ct the same t..re made tremendous cut with Q sGber at s7ro dusky forms dInly seen escaping by the window. The doctor, wEo was an athletic Ecot Of some six fees Gour inches in height, declared that he split one fellows skull clean o9en. On striking a light they discovered tint their shotguns, Tiles and ammunition were gone: their Colts army revolvers were eyen taken from under their pillows. Itwas tho raaladroitness of ore of the robbers which caused their detection. He let a bit of hot cigar ash fall upon the doctors face as be was tickling that Eentleman with feather to make him shit his position in the bed, so as to allow the rascal to take the revolver from under the pillow. The doctor arose at once, but was too late to save his Colt, for, before be could ezSricate himself from the rlusquito bars, the thief was of with it.
 The young merchant had not been awal- ened until reused by the doctor. The thief who had him in hand had performed the tickling with too much adroitness and judg- ment. Several other bungalows had been entered and completely sacked of every valuable Arms of all descriptions, ammuni- ton, uniforms, money, silver drinking cups, rings, breastpins and other trinlcts-all were carried off. One of the sufferers said he had dreamed he had seen persons smoking in his bedroom, but did not awaken to realize that it was no dream, but an actual occurrence, until too late. The houses are easy of en- trance, as the walls prove no obstacle to the Dacoits, armed with their keen, heavy bladed dhas, sharpened to a razorlike edge. They simply cut hole in the wooden or wattled bamboo walls, near the floor, and creep in. Once inside they always open a window in case they are compelled to make a nasty exit. The whole cantonment would doubtless have been plundered but for the catastrophe which put them all to flight.
 With all their ferocivy and penchant for appTopriating other peoples goods, Dacoits are extremely religious, trait not uncom- 1aon with some civilized thieves. They often build pagodGs to propitiate their deity, and SO obtain a short cut to Neibhan, fully be- ieving that they cen by such acts of piety gain a speedier entrance into Gaudama's