Page:Notes of a journey across the Isthmus of Krà.pdf/10

 Ban Taa Ko is a small hamlet on a very narrow snakefied river, about five and a half miles from the sea, surrounded by small area of paddy land, and a number of isolated hills of fantastic shape.

On the following morning we started from here in our usual order of march, and in four hours reached the left bank of the Langsuen river, nearly opposite New Town, the residence of His Excellency the Governor. Having crossed the river, we took up our quarters in a tamneap, or bamboo shanty, prepared for us near the Governor's house.

This day's march was somewhat more eventful than the preceding; more open country, with patches of cultivation, gardens, villages, and peculiar looking hills rising abruptly from the plain were met with. An accident, which nearly terminated fatally, to one of the Chinese cooks of the party, is worthy of mention. One of my elephants, a large powerful beast with long tusks crossed near the middle, like the letter X, was very unruly and savage, owing to oil exuding from his ears. He had been the cause of one or two rumpusses before, so I took the precaution of loading him last, and keeping him a respectable distance from the other elephants on the march.

On this occasion he was apart from the rest walking quietly, when the unfortunate cook came into the track a short distance ahead of him. The mawchang, or elephant driver, warned the cook to get out of the way as quickly as possible, but the cook, out of sheer bravado, took no heed of this friendly advice and walked leisurely along. Suddenly the elephant went full speed for him, and with his tusks, tossed the poor Chinee high in the air after the most approved pancake fashion; down he came on the tusks again, when the next effort of the enraged animal dexterously landed the gored, bruised, and unhappy celestial head-foremost into the bushes on the side of the track. The furious beast again made for him, but missing the place of his concealment, rushed madly into the jungle overturning every thing completely off his back, and seriously injuring the unlucky rider into the bargain. It was not until the following day he turned up with his elephant and goods in a sorry plight. The