The possession of a white elephant of which the King of Siam was very fond was the pretext for a sanguinary war between the rival monarchs. The King of Burma offered large sums of money for the animal which was considered to be remarkably intelligent; but, on being refused, resolved to capture it by force. In reality the sight of two nations in mortal combat for the possession of an elephant is no more to be marvelled at, than the spectacle of European rulers causing the slaughter of thousands of men for the possession of some useless fortress. The Burmans invaded Siam with a large force, and laid siege to the capital where they expected to meet a long and stubborn resistance. In order to spare the lives of his soldiers, the leader bribed certain traitors who rendered him master of a town by purchase rather than by conquest. The King of Siam became the vassal of Burma. The Queen and her children were exiled to Pegu from which event the rulers of Pegu have taken the title of "Prince of the white elephant" since one of these creatures had been the occasion of a war leading to such glorious results. After the death of the conqueror his son named _Prunginiko_ succeeded to the throne. His first act was to demand the tribute which the King of Siam had agreed to pay. But the latter said, that he acknowledged no master. On this refusal, the Burmans sent a punitive expedition, under the command of a subordinate officer, to take vengeance on the faithlessness of his vassal. The Siamese Monarch, terrified by this invasion, gave him to understand that if the King had come in person, there would have been no difficulty in rendering his dues, but that under the circumstance he was unable to comply without compromising his dignity in receiving orders from a subordinate. The haughty Burman replied that his vassal Kings as well as the meanest slaves were expected to obey his behests.