a little to the delta at its mouth.

Very often crossing the mouth of these tributaries you may see a
framework of bamboo, over which fishing-nets are spread as the river
rises, and in the pools of slack water which lie at the mouths of the
forest creeks a great collection of logs lie floating. These logs have
been cut in the forest long before, and have gradually been collected
at some such convenient spot, where a large number of natives are
busily engaged in building them into one of those huge rafts so
constantly met with on the river. These rafts have a long journey
before them, and constantly grounding as they do, no ropes would hold
them together through all the wear and tear of their weeks upon the
water, so instead of ropes rattan is used. This is a peculiarly long,
tough, and flexible cane, which grows all over the forests, and is
often a hundred yards or more in length. The logs are mostly of teak
(about which I will tell you more presently) and pyingado or
iron-wood, which is so heavy that it sinks in the water, and
consequently rafts of bamboo are first built, and beneath them the
pyingado logs are slung.

An interesting place is Bhamo, the last station for the river steamers
and close to the frontier of China. The town is more Chinese than
Burman in character, though on the banks of the River Taiping are the
remains of pagodas and other buildings of purely Burmese origin.

Then, again, there are other defiles on the river beside the one I
have already described, and many other points of interest which I
might mention. Thabeitkyan, the landing-place for the ruby-mines,
three days' journey inland; the rocky island with its monastery and
pagoda, whose priests are said to be able to tame the fish in the
river, which they feed by hand; the great bell at Mingoon, or the
water-side fair at Shwegu, and a host of others. It would be
impossible for me to tell you about everything of interest that the
Irrawaddy has to show, but perhaps I have said enough to give you some
little idea of how beautiful and interesting a river it is.

CHAPTER VI

VILLAGE LIFE

Leaving the river, let us go ashore at one of the many villages on its
banks, and see how the Burmese live.

Our steamer lies alongside of the bank while the cargo is being
landed, and its fuel of eng-wood is put on board. This is hard work,
and is generally done by girls, who are paid by piece-work, and
generally lose no time in the operation. Bal