Pueblo chieftain., 1922-01-15


navigation OF this, the Irrawaddy Flo
tilla company, and the point from
I which this river freight is carried into
China by little mules. Some of it goes
over 800 miles. Our cargo was cotton
twist which came from England In
bales and was divided into small
/ bundles Of about 10 lbs each. two OF
which make the load They average
about nfteen miles a day. An American
whom met had Just como in. ten
each mule. about four dollars for the
journey. or 40c per day. He was earned
in a sedan by coolies all the way.
Bhamo itself is an old town and once
I belonged to China and she has not
quite given up all claim to it The
Baznor or market place is a most in
teresting place not only for Its fruits
and vegetables but its people and their
peculiar dress. But what found most
| interesting was = Chinese temple over
awful figures OF men carved in wood
/ who attend on either side OF the
Budda. Not far from here in the Jungle
are the best Jade mines In Burmah
and Mr.. kohn II authority for say
ing the greatest on earth and he has
story of q rich Chinamsn pho paid
100000 RS for q boulder that looked
| most promising and when opened was
nothing Tho trip down from Bhamo
to Mandalay 10 made In lees than two
days and that part Of the scenery is
the best for there arc two. what they
are pleased TO call defilss. one IS miles
long and the other about II miles, the
! latter being . real deflle for the hills
come down to the waters edge.
ss5 feet. whore they used to push po-
litical prisoners off into the river.
Here and hereabouts and up the trtbu-
| taries are where the great teak for
ests are. They were in bloom and .
pretty sight they were, quite dis
, est trees. In these woods and 3ungles
are still elephants. tigers. rhinoceros.
| leopards deer. monkeys and many
other animals. A man offered to md
me herds OF elephants and q tiger
within twelve miles Of the river. saw
a number OF monkeys in the trees As
We passed by. 1t was early morning
, as We sighted Mandalay Hill from the
north. Tho greatest perfect bell 10
about eight miles up the river. 1t. ID
inches in diameter At the tip and
weighs 30 tons. It was cast about l7s5
A. D. and II rich in legend and story.
1t is near the ruins Of the greatest
pagoda ever begun. The pasoda IL
| $50 by $50 feet and about 1o7 feet high.
Of solid brick. Five thousand people
| worked seventeen years in tho build
ing and then IL was abandoned be-
cause fortune teller told the king
he would die the day 1t was COM
pieted. An earthquake made great
in it to build city but they will not
be used for these people get merit by
| wasting labor and material. Mandaiay
Hill is Just north OF the city and is
1000 feet high and on the top IL a
gated iron covered stone stairways
leading to II and when the sun shines
on that iron roof and tho thermometer
says 81 in some protected shade one
thinks It is 1877 as you toll upward.
"one step enough for me-" But you
sarths children punish themselves
here and promise a credit balance
hereafter. SO nothing 10th went to
the top and had a prayer offered in
front Of beautiful gilded and be-
| spansled peacock. another in front OF
In front Of the great standing Budda.
30 feet high and gilded. yet another
| in front Of q smaller one where for
| few coppers I got two paper prayer
hags and was given 4 chattie OF water
to throw toward but not on the Budda.
wish I might have that prayer in
American lanEuagea nd II could put In
| to It in the cadences, the infections. the
earnestness. am sure II would move
multitudes. and tho whole Of it with
| u sbldhi anu bEliie LOT tWo CtltS All
paxodas that are inhabited are
bedcnizened with besgars. MANNED.
aged. blind and professional but here
one can give more Joy and set more
| smiles for less money than any place
on earth. Give "A begGar a piece and
II Is content. give him an anna and
It will want more. To those OF my
friends who come to Burmah I will
say. buy 12s pice for rupees and
give freely and verify you shall have
your reward. Before arriving at the
top there is another pasoda now being
who had been there 81 years and il
building, enlarging. identifying and
decorating It, spending millions of
rupees and yet never asks for one. He
meets the traveller with smile. 4
chair at a table is offered. pitcher
Of clear water. an orange or sweet
lemon. banana and small dish of
| sweets II set before you and you arc
handed book in which you are sup
posed to write your Impressions, then
! himself and man who could talk
some English and OF course there is a
box where no one would want to put n
| pice. But there Is a sad side to that
climb for on the way arc scores of
girls most OF them young. carrying
bricks on their heads. counted 90 on
one girl, but most OF them had but
IS and when ] tell you some OF those
| steps arc one foot high you may rcalizc
what energy It takes. But II is bred
| in them for an hundred generations
Offering to Buddn' and therefore
they do II laughinRly and willingly
Convince a mind that II is doing for
n Deity and tho best is given. The
| view from the top quite compensatcs
for the labor. Tho city TO the south
is forest OF trees with here and
there a pagoda showing above. Just at
the foot are two gilded pagodas with
more than two hundred little ones
wall that Is now Fort Dufferin and tho
moat with water surrounding II, the
rice fields to the east and southeast
and the blue hills in the distance, tho
great Irrawaddy river to the west
southwest and north and beyond that
tho hills where nearly every peak.
every depression AMI canyon has n