Upon reaching Kam Peng Pet
Kam Peng Pet (diamond wall) was passed on our way. This at one time was an important city in Siam's history. There are the ruins of some old temples built of squared slabs of laterite, which is abundant in the district, and there are many fortifications now in ruins. Explorations in this district would disclose many facts of great interest in connection with the history of Siam. M. Tak (Raehang), the most important town on the Me Ping between Chieng Mai and Paknam Po, is growing in extent and importance every year. The town is on the left bank of the river, which here is upwards of two thousand feet in width. The Governor's house is of brick and mortar, and usual wooden houses and grass shanties on raised platforms stretch for upwards of four miles, straggling along the bank and interspersed here and there with brick-and-mortar temples. There are about twenty thousand inhabitants in this district, and, as is the custom, the bulk of the inhabitants live near the Governor. In other parts of the district the villages are poorly built, some of them
consisting of only two or three houses. At one time Raehang was
a portion of Chieng Mai, and was given as a dowry to some subordinate prince, from whom passed under the direct control of Bangkok.
There is not much rice cultivated
in Raehang. The fields for supplying the town are on the right
bank of the river, which owes its importance to its geographical
position. It is within seven days' journey of Maulmain. One
meets a number of Burmese pedlars dispersed over Siam, travelling
to Sokathai, Pitsunalok, or Pechai on the Nan River and thence
to the valley of the Mekawng to Luang Phrabang, Chiengkan, Nawngkai.
They positively swarm over the valley of the Mekawng. They are
met with everywhere, selling their stock of brass buttons with
the Queen's head stamped on them, knives, matches, needles, and
countless other things. With the proceeds of their sales they
buy an elephant, raw silk, or gum-benjamin, and these they take
back to Burmah. There is an excellent path to Chieng Mai which
elephants can follow, arriving there in nine marches. The telegraph
line is along the path.
The Governor, an old friend
of mine, was absent on my arrival, but the second Governor was
there. A keen explorer himself, he has always been interested
in our work and given great assistance to us. I was not a stranger
in Raehang. Some years previously, I had been working in this
district in the month of March, the thermometer marking 110 degrees.
I then knew nothing of the language or people, and for the first
time in my life had a violent attack of fever, which nearly cost
me my life. After going through some extraordinary experiences,
I got into Raehang with very great difficulty, more dead than
alive, where fortunately there was a timber trader, Mr. Stevens,
under whose kind care recovered completely.
We were delayed a few days,
changing boats, and have engaged a crew of Lao, who are excellent
punters or polers, the only way in which a boat can be propelled.
The poles are of strong bamboo, tipped with an iron prong about
an inch long, which enables a better hold to be obtained on the
trunk of a tree or on a rock. Walking down the board on the side
of the boat the "poler" turns his face up stream and
then throws forward the pole. As soon as he feels the bottom,
he presses on the end of the pole with his shoulder and advances,
stooping as low as he can, to the prow of boat. There are usually
three polers employed who follow one another in rapid succesion,
and thus keep the boat constantly in motion.
We are soon on the way, and
on the very day on which we start, we notice rather a curious
sign of the times in the despatch of a full-sized billiard-table
to Chieng Mai. After crossing broad reaches of sand, with hundreds
of teak logs high and dry, we come ti the Nam Wang, a large tributary
of the Me Ping on which are the towns of Wang, Lakawn Lampang,
and Tern, each the centre of an active teak trade. At Ban Nah
we take in a supply of ropes and make preparations for ascending
the rapids. Here the mountains begin to close on the river which
now narrows, and the scenery every day becomes more beautiful.
We find a number of bullocks crossing the river and making their
way by a very difficult route to Maulmain. This suggests the
thought whether, even ten years ago, the people of the country
were not more actively engaged in trade than now? The trade that
has increased is in the hands of Europeans, Chinese, and Burmese,
but it seems to have passed away from people of the country.
Continued
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