Identifier: travelsincentral02mouh (find matches)
Title: Travels in the central parts of Indo-China (Siam), Cambodia, and Laos : during the years 1858, 1859, and 1860
Year: 1864 (1860s)
Authors: Mouhot, Henri, 1826-1861 Mouhot, Charles
Subjects: Mouhot, Henri, 1826-1861
Publisher: London : John Murray
Contributing Library: University of Connecticut Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: Boston Library Consortium Member Libraries

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ately, wereall the contents, consisting of instruments, and bottles ofspirit of wine containing serpents and fishes. Poukiean is a smaller village than Chaiapume. I metwith a friendly reception from the governor, who hadjust returned from Korat, and had heard of my intendedjourney. Poverty and misery reign here; we cannot findeven a fish to purchase; nothing but rice; and as soonas my faithful Phrai is on his legs again we shall leavethe place. Tine-Tine attracts the most attention. The peopledo not, as we pass, cry out first, Look at the whitestranger, but A little dog! and every one runs to seethis curiosity. My turn comes afterwards. In these mountains the Laotians make offerings tothe local genii of sticks and stones. The same chain of hills which, from the banks ofthe Menam, in the province of Saraburi, extends on oneside to the southern extremity of the peninsula, on theother encircles Cambodia like a belt, runs along theshores of the gulf, and forms a hundred islands; stretches
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Chap. XVII. THE ELEPHANT. 125 directly northwards, continually increasing in size, andspreading its ramifications towards the east, where theyform a hundred narrow valleys, the streams flowingthrough which empty themselves into the Mekong. The rains had commenced on my second entranceinto Dong Phya Phai, and I was greeted by a perfectdeluge, which continued with intervals of two or threedays; but this did not stop me, although I had to passthrough a country still more to be dreaded than thisforest, and where no one goes willingly. In all this mountainous region elephants are theonly means of transport. Every village possesses some,several as many as fifty or a hundred. Without thisintelligent animal no communication would be possibleduring seven months of the year, while, with his assist-ance, there is scarcely a place to which you cannotpenetrate. The elephant ought to be seen on these roads, whichI can only call devils pathways, and are nothing butravines, ruts two or three feet dee

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