Page:Notes of a journey across the Isthmus of Krà.pdf/8

 The guide, and a man carrying a white flag on a tall thin bamboo, take the lead in the procession; behind these, at a distance of 500 or 600 feet, a red flag is carried by another man, and at the same distance behind him, comes the first elephant with the surveyor and his interpreter. Alongside of this elephant walks the man whose duty it is to give the names of places, &c., &c. The chronometers are slung to the middle of a light bamboo, fitted with legs at a short distance from each end, and protected from the sun by mats covered with several thicknesses of white cloth. Each chronometer is carried directly in advance of the leading elephant by two men, so always under the eye of the surveyor, who should never lose sight of them for one moment. On long journeys four men are allowed for each chronometer, so that they can relieve each other when tired.

After the surveyor's elephant comes his assistants' elephant few portable instruments, chain, tape line, and large umbrella. Next in turn come the elephants carrying the heavier instruments, baggage, &c., and these are followed by those of the servants and the provision department. The elephants of the government official in charge of the Expedition, with his followers, come up in the rear, and complete the procession.

The female elephants are the best to ride on, and the males for carrying luggage. These jolly old wags—for wags they are in their way—move steadily on at the rate of two and a half statute miles per hour. This is the natural pace of the Siamese elephants, and they will keep it up with wonderful precision, for six or eight hours, if they are in healthy condition and fed before starting.

Beware of baby elephants and those ejecting oil from their ears; the former are intolerable nuisances, and the latter are dangerous.

I will now resume my notes from Ooay Sie which is a small village with a wat or temple, situated on the banks of a narrow stream running into the Bay of Sawe, and distant from it about one and a half miles. The Expedition remained here one night,