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Journey back
to Bangkok
We descend
to M. Ngan. The signal on the river is at an elevation of
4,867 feet above mean sea-level; the climate is delightful. We immediately
ascend a high peak, Dawi Sam Sum, 8,710 feet above mean sea-level.
The climb through the heavy forest is delightful; on every hand
there are beatiful ferns and flowers. There are some enormous cedars
called Mai Le Le; the girth of one was 17 feet 6 inches,
and another 14 feet 6 inches, each 10 feet from the ground. There
was a strong cinnamon smell in the forest, but I could not find
any of the trees. The partridges were numerous, and I bought three
decoys, which I liberated; two of them had been prisoners for years,
decoying their fellows, but they appreciated liberty, and were off
with lightning speed. The top of the hill is a great granite block,
this being on the main watershed.
With men is
a man who was my guide in 1884 from M. Pang to M. Ngan.
He is a brother-in-law of the Governor of M. Ngat, who with
his five sons, the youngest five years old, were murdered in the
previous year by Pia Chanta Tep , the Governor of M. Mawk.
The wives and daughters were taken to Chao Kunnti at Tatom, and
this man redeemed his sister and niece for ninety rupees. The sister
has since died, but the niece is living in M. Ngat. As this man
knows M. Ngat, I send him with Nai Heng to go to a hill called Pu
Sai Lai Leng to clear it and erect signals.
An excellent
signal was erected on the granite rock. Smiles fixed it every ingeniuously
and so firmly that it stood throughout the season and braved many
storms.
After acrossing
the Nam Chan and coming among thepines, many trees are girdled.
They are afterwards cut in lenghts of about a yard, and rolled into
the water to provide firewood. Rounding a spur the whole valley
of M. Ngan came in view; it was very beautiful. The bare
slopes of the hills in their diffirent shades of green, and the
numerous paths at vertical intervals of two feet, were traced out
as regularly as contours. I ask the old man with me, who is over
sixty, what they are? He answers: "Paths made by buffaloes
and bullocks when grazing." I tell the old man it is a beautiful
country. He warms to the subject, and says: "Yes, I was born
here; my father, grandfather, and all before me, as far as I know,
were born here. Those old fortifications that are seen all round
are beyond the memory of man, for my grandfather knew nothing about
them, but those lines that you can trace along the side of the hill
were once cart roads for bringing fuel to Ngan. Those traces
of old fields in terraces on the hills were once planted with 'garden'
rice. There we made reservoirs by binding the streams, and channels
led the water to the fields. Once the country was crowned with a
happy and prosperous population; but they are all gone, and the
glory of the land is departed."
On March the
18th we said good-bye to beautiful Ngan. The path led over
Pu Mieng, which was once covered with gardens of Mieng
or tea; here I have no doubt that the Chinese plant would thrive.
After crossing the watershed the beautiful country is left behind,
and we descend rough country covered with jungle to the valley of
the Nam Mo. An elephant-driver met with a bad accident; he
was carrying rice to M. Mo, and the elephant feel on a steep
path which with the recent rains had been made very slippery. I
met the governor of M. Mo, who was on his way to drink the
water of allegiance at Chieng Kawng, and urge him to return
as soon as possible, as his absence would be awkward. The Nam
Mo has on its right bank precipitous lime-stone cliffs. We encamped
at the Ban Mung, where there is some excitement about a man-eating
tiger, a man having fallen a victim to the brute about ten days
ago, being the fourth man he has killed. I hire the men in security,
while we barricade our tents. The night is too dark and rainy to
do any good by sitting up.
The valley
of the Nam Mo is rough and very jungly. M. Ngat is
in an excellent position and with a regular Puann-like appearance,
but it has been completely deserted since the murder of the Governor
and his sons, and the beautiful rice-fields lie idle. The hills
surrounding are well-wooded and teem with game. There is a beautiful
pheasant called Nok Ang Kawt , which has a call like the
yelping of a dog. I here met with the traces of a herd of elephants.
We pushed on to the head of the Nam Mo, and ascended Pu
Sai Lai Leng, 9,059 feet above mean sea-level. It is a magnificent
peak, and was cleared by Nai Heng. There are two varieties
of rhododendrons in blossom, they have red and white flowers. There
are also a number of orchids; two kinds are pretty, with a white
heart and five pink petals, the others are all white.
The haze is
dense and our prolonged stay on the mountain is awkward, for our
provisions have run short, so that we were entirely out of them.
The peak being an important one, as it was then a boundary point
between Annam and Siam, and moreover, the point from
which the eastern boundary started, it was necessary to finish the
work on it as completely as possible. But from day to day we anxiously
waited for the impenetrable haze to clear, until on the 22nd of
April we were at last able to finish the observations. I sent some
men down to Ban Na Ngawi, at the northern base of the hill,
to purchase rice, while the rest went back to M. Mo. Some
of the Na Ngawi men came up, they are ordinary Lao
under the administration of Annam. They showed me how the
boundary then ran between Annam and Saim, and the
village was under M. Sen, which was once part of Puann, but
that M. Pavie some years ago made the present division.
I expected
to get a grand view even as far as the sea, but mountains intervened
and they seem to extend to the sea-shore. One grand peak, Pu
Huatt, 8,175, I think could be seen from the sea-shore, thus
only a few more peaks and I might have reached the Gulf of Tonquin.
But I had to turn back, and, most fortunately, considering what
has since happened, I continued the triangulation to the Me Nam
Kawng.
Our journey
were now more difficult, the paths were very slippery, and we had
daily showers; the leeches swarmed in some places. We passed the
main watershed, which was still granite; a strange feature is that
not for to the east the line of graniteleaves the main watershed.
We passed through M. Mawk, another pretty spot with old fortifications,
all but deserted. Going along the Nam Mang was difficult
, the river was much swollen, and as the crossings were frequent,
it was dangerous for the men carrying loads. Their troubles were
however over when we reached Ban Tinun on the 4th May.
As the rains
had set in, it was not advisable to have too many men knocking about
over the hills, so I sent Smiles down the Me Chan to prepare
and measure a base-line across the M Kawng. I ascended Pu
Mun and Pu Kap and completed observations there. On this
latter peak among the stones of a little brook a strange creature
was captured. It was like a lizard,about twelve inches long , with
a shield like a tortoise on the back and stomach; the tail which
was about four inches long was, as the people said, that of an alligator.
The neck was long and the head broad and hard. The creature was
unable to draw its head under the shield, but its neck was completely
protected. It escaped in the darkness. The men said they had not
seen one before.
On the 1st
of June, accompanied by Nai Heng, we started for Pu Pang.
The first part of the ascent was numerous tracks of elephants and
rhinoceros. There are two kinds of the onehorned rhinoceros; they
are valued for their horns, the most valuable being distinquised
by a protuberance on the under side. Cinnamon is plentiful is this
region.
As we ascend
our difficulties begin. The rocks are oolite, and in some cases
so weather-worn as to assume almost the form of swaying rocks, even
potholes are met with. The streams are red with ferric oxide. Presently
we find ourselves fairly launced into difficulties. The rocks rise
above the surface to perpendicular heights all round, and often
are we brought to a standstill while the men are looking for passages
through the walls of rock. Our only means of egress is sometimes
through dark passages over yawning chasms, or by scaling other rocks
with ladders hastily made from twigs and roots, to find when the
top is reached we must hastily retace our steps, as progress is
impossible, there being nothing but perpendicular walls all round.
Add to this the fog which was constantly hanging around, shutting
out the view ahead of us, and then daily rain, and it will be understood
that our forward progress towards the hill-top was slow. At last
we reached Pu Pang, 6,085 feet above sea-level, the souther face
of which was a sheer precipice of from three to four thousand feet
drop into the valley of the Nam Twai, which is a Colorado in miniature,
but the precipitous rocks at its head are in every way as formidable
and even more so than those of the canons of the Colorado. Nevertheless
there are those who with ropes and ladders, at considerable risk
to themselves, scale the rocks for bee-hives which are very plentiful
on the rocks.
From Pu
Pang there is a magnificent view, and in the valley of the Nam
Twai can be seen some old abandoned fields, the site of a Chinese
settlement called M. Twai, in the days of Wieng Chan's
prosperity. The strain on the men in getting here was very severe;
my unfortunate Madras servant, who was suffering from some pulmonary
complaint, died, the constant wet proving too much for him. The
poor fellow was buried on the hill.
After completing
the obeservation on Pu Pang, which has a large cypress as
a signal tree, I push on over rocks and through fog to Pu Kata,
6,906 feet above sea-level, but beyond this I cannot go, for between,
there are sheer perpendicular precipices. So Pu Lawek must
be abandoned as it is too late in the season (15th June). These
are difficult peaks to climb at any season, as they are nearly always
enveloped in fog, all the winds of heaven beating against their
exposed perpendicular sides. The supply of water again would always
be a trouble. In the rocky rivines the water may be heard deep down
in the recesses, but it is not seen, or can it be approached ; we
got our supply from the daily rain.
I left the
hill and came down the Nam Nia to the Me Kawng, and
there on the 17th of June for the first time I heard of the trouble
that was coming on Siam, and that the French had claimed the whole
country to the Me Nam Kawng . A good deal of excitement prevailed.
I also got orders to return immediately to Bangkok. I set
about completing the work, but unfortunately the base- line was
awkwardly placed, and when I was on the hills connecting it, I was
able to see only one signal on Pu Sing, and that only from
one point, Pu Pang.
I made an attempt
to measure a base-line, but the water was rising fast and we had
to make the whole lengt in some places by swimming, so that no measurement
could be made. I finished the observations on Pu Sing; the
observations for latitude and azimuth are sufficiently accordant
with the values deduced from the triangulation. I had reluctantly
to give up the work; my intention was to recess at Nawng Kai,
and when the rains ceased continue the work which I meant to carry
round Siam, settling once for all the geographical limits
of the kingdom, for in spite of officious European busy-bodies it
is important to know the limits of a country before undertaking
elaborate and necessarily costly surveys.
Some future
day I hope the connection will be made from the south by the Me
Kawng, when an excellent base can be measured on the line Kuting
Pu Ngu.
At Keng
Sadawik on the Nam Kawng there was a settlement of Roman
Catholics under a priest, a native of Chantabun; he belonged
to a mission the head-quarters of which were at Lakawn Panom.
He had no authentic news, but believed there was trouble, as numbers
of soldiers in boats went down the river. He said there were some
who proclaimed that as soon as the French came to the Me Kawng,
all the Christians would be murdered. Prince Phrachak, however,
who personally went to Lakawn Panom, reasured the missionaries;
this was well, as Siam is the only country in the world where
Christians have not been persecuted for their religion. We hurriedly
went up to Nawng Kai on the 6th of July, where we received
the greatest kindness from Prince Phrachak.
To return to
Bangkok via Khorat was out of the question, as the
whole valley of the Me Nam Kawng was under water, and I could
reack Bangkok more readily by Paklai and Utaradit.
We therefore went up the river to Paklai. The river being full,
the rapids were not distinguishable, and we crept along the banks.
At Paklai we met some elephants returning to Utaradit, which we
hired for twenty rupees an elephant. In eight easy marches we reached
Utaradit, which is a busy place and usually crowdedwith boats. It
is near the shrine Phra Ten and a distributing centre for trade
routes going to Phre, and Sawantalok (the ancient
Sanchawali), and Sokatai. The story of this last place is very interesting,
the people relate it as follows: Chao Apai Kamani became
a hermit and lived on Kao Luang, west of Sokatai. The granddaughter
of Phra Nak, the prince of serpents, came from the ground and changed
herself into a beautiful woman, remaining with the hermit-king for
a week. When they parted, the King gave her a ring and silk turban
as tokens, and arranged that on a certain day he would come with
all the women of Sokatai and take her in procession to his capital.
When the day arrived he went as he had promised, but there was no
beautiful princess, and the King returned in anger to the capital.
The timereckoning of serpents and men differed by a day, and the
serpent, now a beautiful woman, arrived with her child next day,
and not seeing the King with the promised retinue, in her turn grew
angry, and saying that although a king he was not to be trusted,
she turned herself back into a serpent, and carried the child and
the tokens to the cell of the hermit.
There were
two huntsmen in the forest who, being overtaken by thirst, determined
to seek the abode of the hermit-king, arguing that unless there
was water in the vicinity he could not have lived there. They accordingly
went thither and were astonished to find the child with the ring
and turban. They adopted the child in the year Buddha Sakarat
1240 , about A.D. 697.
When the child
was ten years old, there was a ceremony in connection with the child
were among the spectators, and the child observed that the top was
leaning and would fall in a certain direction, which immediately
happened. This circumstance was brought to the knowledge of the
King, who ordered the huntsmen and the child to be brought into
his presence. When he heard the hunters' story, he recognized the
boy as his child, and gave him the name Arun Warachakuman.
About this time Phra Chao Kum Pu Chat (angels' cloth) was
the King of Kumm Pa Cht (Cambodia), and Sokatai was
tributary to him. The prince told his father to renounce his allegiance,
as Sokatai was now a powerful country. The King of Cambodia
then sent a sacred man, Kom Dam Din, one who could dive through
the earth, to seize the young prince. The prince, who was about
thirteen years of age, was in the monastery sweeping the grounds,
when the Kom, who had dived through the earth, made his appearance
inquiring for the young prince. The young prince changed him into
a block od stone, the remains of which are still to be seen in Sokotai,
and whenever they can the inhabitants clip off pieces as charms
against all evils. The prince grew up and married the daughter of
Phya Patama Rat , King of Sanchawalai.
The King of
Sanchawalai, accompanied by his brother Phra Rita Kuman,
then went in a thirty oared boat to the land of the Chinese; their
presence there caused an eclipse of the sun. The Emperor of China
sent to inquire the cause of the darkness, and Khun Kioamat
reported the arrival of two Siamese princes. At was then known that
according to prophecy two Siamese princes would put in an appearance
to ask in marriage the daughter of the Emperador of China. The Emperor
gave his daughter to be the wife of the King of Sawantalok and presented
him with half his seal of state, and a thousand men were sent to
accompany the princess to her new abode. The men settled in Tao
Turin, above M. Kao in the Sawantalok district, where
there are fields of kaolin; they manufactured pottery, and so did
their descendants after them, until the art was lost after the Burmese
incursions. The brother Phra Rita Kuman married Nang Amarika,
a daughter of the King of Chieng Mai.
Captain Gerini,
of the military college, will some day write an accurate history
of the ancient capitals and temples of Siam, which must be very
interesting.
We took boat
to Pichai and Pitsanalok and reached Bangkok on the
6th of August, 1893. The French had forced the passage of the river,
and their gunboats anchored in Bangkok.
When I felt
Bangkok in December, 1890, the King was in excellent health. When
I returned three years later, he was quite shattered, the intense
excitement of the previous month having broken him down. Siam
look helplessly to England for support that never came, and England
committed a blunder that she will have to wipe out in blood. A clever
enemy has fastned on the flank of India, and the not far distant
future will make manifest the deplorable blunder of not acting energetically
when so little would have averted all the trouble. The so-called
"rights," are the rights of a great country living on
the traditions of its chivalry, in opposition to a small and practically
unknown one.
There are those
who say my labours have been useless, but I beleive I am justified
in thinking these criticisms arise from ignorance. The work performed
by the handful of Siamese who were with me, for the physical endurance
displayed, and the excellence of the results obtained, is unequalled
by the work of any other department, and this in itself is great
praise. It is true a great part of the country over which our recent
labours were carried on has been annexed by France; still the work
is not lost, it remains as a record of rights. As well may it be
said that nothing should be done in Siam because the absorption
of the country by France looms in the distance. Unless England awakens
to the danger, it will not be long before France will have established
herself as another thorn in the side of the Indian Empire; witness
the words M. Pavie said when persuading Captain Borrey, of the Inconstant,
not to ascend the river to the palace; "A great country like
France can, by expending men and money, take a small country like
Siam any day. I mean to possess the country without the expenditure
of men and money."
The issue rests
with England. The heads of the Siamese Government know perfectly
well they cannot resist France, and while they may be willing to
sacrifice there lives in the defence of thier country's independence,
they know full well what the final result will be.
Other parts of the journey:
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