Geographical Journal (Journal of the Royal Geographical Society): Volume VIII, No. 5 [‎20r] (42/154)

JOURNEY ROUND SIAM.
445
mats, silk, and salt, would the value of their trade be enough to justify
a flotilla of steamers on the Mekong ?
It was May 9, and the rainy season had begun, when I left the river
at Paklai and struck across country to Nan and Chiengmai. I travelled
now at the head of a train of twelve elephants, and, as the season was
advancing and the streams getting full of water, we hurried on, marching
generally from dawn to dusk, with frequent changes of elephants. The
country is exceedingly rough and hilly between Paklai and Nan, and
the roads are mere mountain paths, more often than not only the rocky
beds of streams. It was marvellous with what patience and skill the
A STREET IN KORAT.
ponderous elephants carefully toiled up precipitous ravines as steep as a
staircase, and slid down fearsome inclines with all the facility of trained
acrobats.
What a trumpeting and bellowing of content there was from these
tired and footsore elephants, as we halted for the night and unstrapped
from their backs their howdahs and burdens; and what bustle, con
fusion, and shouting there was every morning getting them loaded
again at the earliest break of dawn ! Life then was reduced to a daily
worry of packing and unpacking, as everything had to go into handy
form to fill up the small recesses of the howdah. But once on the
march, safely hoisted upon the back of my unwieldy Jumbo, I was
comfortable for the day. The rain might fall in torrents, as it generally
did, or the sun come out with blinding glare, but I was secure under
No. Y.— November, 1896.] 2 h