ney, and may settle down; but
whether here or elsewhere I have not yet made up my mind."

"You will have to go to the war," one of the old men said. "There
is scarce a day that one of the war canoes does not stop here, to
see if there are any able-bodied men. They have taken eight, and
they will assuredly take you."

"Then I shall get a boat," he said, "and take to fishing. The war
cannot last long, and I shall do my best to keep out of the way of
the war canoes, until it is over. If any of you have a boat to
sell, I will buy it."

"I will sell you mine," the old man said. "Both of my sons have
been taken to the war, and I am too old to work it myself. It is a
good one; my sons made it only last year.

"Whom have you with you?"

Stanley had remained a short distance off, while Meinik was talking
to his friends.

"He is an old man I joined along the road," he said. "He is a
skilful fisherman; and he has agreed to go with me, if I can get a
boat.

"Is there an empty hut?"

"Yes, six of them. Of course, when the men were taken they carried
off the wives and children, as usual, as hostages for their
conduct."

Meinik nodded. He felt no surprise, as it was the custom in Burma
to hold the women and children of all the men going to the war, as
guarantees that their husbands would not desert or show cowardice
in battle. In either event their relatives would be, at once, put
to death.

"My companion is tired," he said. "We walked all night, so we will
cook some food and he will sleep."

They at once took possession of one of the empty huts, which was
just as it was left by its proprietor. One of the women brought a
brand or two from her hearth. An earthen cooking pot was filled
with water and placed above it, and a few handfuls of rice dropped
in. Two or three snakes, cut up into small pieces, and some pepper
pods were added; and then Meinik went out, talked to his
acquaintances, and arranged for the purchase of the boat. Stanley
watched the fire.

In an hour, Meinik returned.

"The boat is a good one," he said, "and the nets in fair order. I
have bought them for two pounds of lead; and have promised that,
when the war is over and the man's sons return, it is to be free to
them to buy it back, at the same price."

After eating their meal, they both lay down and slept until late in
the afternoon. Then Meinik bought an earthenware pot, and a flat
slab of the same material for making a fire on; some peppers an