Page:Lord Amherst and the British Advance Eastwards to Burma.djvu/212

 his Rání, and three hundred attendants came flying through Subáthu on their journey through Náin. Thirty of the latter died; one poor man expired in the bazaar.'

The following quotations give one some idea of what people went through in those days, and with what courage they faced their difficulties:—

'After much deliberation we resolved to proceed this evening on our journey, avoiding as much as possible the sun, living as carefully as possible as to diet, and not sleeping in the infected air.... We accordingly set out at 4 o'clock and travelled over high, steep, and almost inaccessible mountains, the sides of which in many places were absolutely perpendicular. The scenery was magnificent, but alas, there were human beings dead and dying scattered on the road, without aid or remedy or a friend to soothe them in their agony or to close their eyes. We proceeded to Bhor, the first stage, and did not arrive till after dark. There being no moon it was perfectly impossible for the bearers to see their way, and it was certainly the most dangerous road that can be imagined. We went to bed much fatigued.... We unanimously resolved to return to Subáthu, and started soon after 2 o'clock in the morning, and arrived at 7, shocked and distressed at the wretched scenes of the dead and dying in the fields and roads.

'In the midst of all this Lord Amherst received answers from Mr. Wynn and Sir George Robinson accepting his resignation, but regretting it, and urging him to change his mind. ' On every side come terrible reports. The natives are sacrificing to the gods with music and tomtoms.'

On June 21 they are all at breakfast when one of the suite is taken ill, and by midnight all hope is at