unless the court of Ava sued for peace, a united advance was to be
made on the important town of Prome.

Chapter 11: Donabew.

Stanley Brooke did not accompany the land column, as the general
said to him, two days before:

"I have been speaking with General Cotton, and he said that he
should be glad if I would attach you to his staff, until the force
unites again. Not one of his staff officers speaks Burmese and,
although he has two or three interpreters with him, it will be
better, if Bandoola sends in an officer offering to surrender, that
he should be met by a British officer.

"In the next place, it may be necessary for him to communicate with
me and, assuredly, with your experience of the country, you would
be able to get through better than anyone else. I do not apprehend
that there would be any great danger, for we know that every
available fighting man has been impressed, by Bandoola; and the
passage of our column will completely cow the villagers lying
between us and the river.

"I suppose," he said, with a smile, "that you have no objection,
since it will save you a long and, I have no doubt, a very
unpleasant march; and you will also obtain a view of the affairs at
the stockades at Pellang and Donabew."

The land column started on the 13th of February, the water column
on the 16th, and the detachment for Bassein sailed on the following
day. Stanley was delighted at being appointed to accompany the boat
column. The march through the country would present no novelty to
him, and it was probable that the land column would encounter no
serious resistance until, after being joined by General Cotton's
force, it advanced against Prome. His horses went, with those of
General Cotton and his staff, under charge of the syce and Meinik.

The one steamboat kept, at the start, in rear of the great flotilla
of boats so that, in case of any of them striking on a sandbank, it
could at once move to her assistance, and pull her off. The scene
was a very bright one as, in all, upwards of a hundred craft, of
various sizes, proceeded together. In front were half a dozen
gunboats; next to these came the two sloops of war; followed by the
rest of the boats, proceeding in irregular order. There was very
little stream, for the rivers were now quite low and, although the
flat country was still little more than a swamp, the rains in the
hills that supplied the main body of water to them had long since
ceased. The ships'