Tired as I was, it was long past midnight before
I slept. The zayat was open to the night, and sheltered
me only from the dew, but I was grateful for the
shelter it gave me. The stars shone brilliantly in the
rich dome of the sky ; all my camp lay in deep slumber.
The night was still, but for the never-ceasing music of
the stream ; and it seemed to me, as I lay alone, awake,
as if my spirit, disembodied, had been caught up by
some mystic influence, into the very heart of life. I
have never felt this sensation in a civilised environment.
The next morning I made another early start, and
saw the sun come, up over thé hills, throwing' long
shadows across the. dew-laden kwins. There was one
small climb, and then steady marching along the Taung-
salé, which gradually widened into a river as I went.
I had to cross it many times, to my discomfort, and to
that of the little fat policeman who had to carry me.
It flows in a direction which is opposite to that of the
Bilin, the May-wine, and most of the other streams
along this road, and I knew from this that I had finally
crossed the watershed. I met a caravan of . elephants
and Burmans going to Muang-Lem ; men, women,
children, and a baby elephant. The Burmans shekoed
and made obeisances of respect from their high wicker
panniers, and looked distinctly relieved at meeting an
Englishman on the. path of their exodus. It was not
such a far-away land after all.
By two o’clock I came to the village of Kyaung-Wa,
and knew that I was back in Burma. The zayat, or
rest-house, though plain, was of the substantial Burmese