d on a high platform. The women were
dressed in the extreme of Burmese fashion, having long pink silk sarongs
tightly drawn around them, jackets and long sashes, and with flowers in
the hair. They appeared in the dancing and the singing, while the two
men furnished the dialogue. The music was anything but melodious, and
the talking we could not understand; but from the applause of the large
number of spectators gathered around, we assumed, however, that it was
funny. The movement of the dance was very slow and measured, as had been
all the dancing we had witnessed in the Orient. The effect was rather
spectacular, seen in a dim light, with trees for a background. Whenever
a dance of this kind occurs, it soon gets noised about, and large
gatherings of people arrive, and they group themselves around, sitting
always on the ground and observing a profound silence except when they
applaud.

[Illustration: _A national dance at Mandalay_]

Near our hotel was an English Wesleyan mission, directed by the Rev. Mr.
Bestol. A friend and I visited it, and found it very interesting and
cheerful,--the home of the missionaries, and the assistant teachers who
supervised the boys' and girls' school, and the dormitories. They seemed
to be doing a very good work. On the occasion of our first call, they
had all gone on a picnic, quite after our usual Sunday-school fashion.
We also heard of other missions of merit.

At 5 P.M. we left our hotel for the landing of the Irrawaddy Flotilla
Company to pass the night on the steamer _Siam_. We were now on a model
river vessel for three days. The scenery was varied and picturesque. At
points from the water's edge there were terraced slopes of vegetation,
trees of many kinds and hues, the dark green foliage alternating with
the light green of the graceful bamboo, while creepers and flowers
peeped out here and there, also clumps of toddy palms rearing their
lofty heads, while the ever-prevalent pagoda glistened white or golden
through the branches. As the steamer carried freight, occasional stops
were made, and this gave variety to the scene.

We arrived at Pakoku about 4 P.M. and anchored for the night. The shore
was lined with piles of bags, boxes, and other usual accessories.
Natives were seen in all directions with a new array of articles, some
bearing baskets suspended from bamboo poles across the shoulders, while
bullock carts and other primitive vehicles, together with the variety of
style an