ular, as it showed
the enormous strength of the animal as well as his great intelligence.
He took up on his tusks a log of teak, the native wood of this country,
as hard as hickory and much heavier, and, with the aid of his trunk,
stood with it at attention until every camera fiend had taken his
picture. Then his driver made the huge beast move a large log of teak
from a muddy hole by sheer force of the head and neck. The animal
dropped almost to his knees, and then putting forth all his strength he
actually pushed the log, which weighed about a ton and one-half, through
the mud up to the gangplank of the saw. Then he piled several huge logs
one upon the other, to show his skill in this work.

Leaving this yard the party walked about a half-mile through trails,
with marshy land on each side, to the big government timber yard. Here
were thousands of logs which had been cut far up in the teak forests of
the interior, dragged through the swamps of the Irrawaddy by elephants,
then floated down the great river to Rangoon. All the logs in this yard
were marked with a red cross to signify that they belonged to the
government. Down by the river shore, where the ground was so soft that
their feet sank deep into the slimy mud, were five elephants engaged in
hauling logs up from the river to the dry ground near the shore.

The chief object of interest in Rangoon is the great Shwe Dagon pagoda,
which dominates the whole city. Its golden summit may be seen for many
miles gleaming above dull green masses of foliage. This pagoda is the
center of the Buddhist faith, as it is said to contain veritable relics
of Gautama as well as of the three Buddhas who came before him.
Thousands of pilgrims from all parts of Burmah, Siam, Cochin-China,
Korea, Ceylon and other Oriental countries visit the pagoda every year
and their offerings at the various shrines amount to millions of
dollars. The pagoda differs absolutely from the temples of Japan and
China in form, material and the arrangement of lesser shrines; but its
impressiveness is greatly injured by the presence of hundreds of
hucksters, who sell not only curios and souvenirs of the pagoda, but
food and drink.

The pagoda, which is about two miles from the business center of
Rangoon, is built upon a mound. The circumference is thirteen hundred
and fifty-five feet and the total height from the base is three hundred
and seventy feet. It is constructed in circular style, its concentric
rings