The cliffs of soft sandy formation show in an
interesting manner how the action of rain supplements
that of the great river in widening its borders. The
action of miniature falls is here well marked, the cliff
C L IF F S N EAR Y EN AN -G Y A U N G
sides being Cut into pinnacles which look like stalactites.
The whole surface is scoured with the prints of water.
In places the cliffs look as if they had been sliced with
a razor, in others as if the whole front of them had been
brutally torn away, as a bear tears away the flesh
from a man’s face, exposing the grinning bones. One
talks of human interest, but the war of nature is of
terrible fascination when the eye has once learnt to look
for it.
This is the order of the landscape here where it
overlooks the swirling river— cliff, watercourse, cliff,
watercourse, cliff, large watercourse, a village ; and so
again. It is only where the large streams come down
that there is space for a settlement. There are no
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villages in Burma more charmingly placed than these
that lie transverse to the river, between Minbu and
Yenan-Gyaung. And many of the patches of swelling
down and trees in cluster on the eastern bank are
English in their suggestion. One might suppose, as
one goes by, that some skilled gardener had been at
work here, preparing a park for an English gentleman.
Yenan-Gyaung as I approach it is like every other
village here in its natural site, but O on a ^greater scale ;
and distinguished, since it is a town, by white and gold
. CL IFF S
pinnacles of pagodas and dark monastery spires ; and
by serried lines of long-boats and white flats under the
cliflts, where the oil steamers call. The river is mightily
spread out here, and looks at sunset like a purple sea.