"Just as they were making their finest appearance, an English steamer with despatches from Calcutta came up the river at full speed against the strong current. The Burmese were not accustomed to this sort of thing, and evidently knew nothing about the heavy swell that a big paddle-steamer makes. It caught the flotilla broadside on, between the ship and shore, and capsized every boat in it; the men saved themselves by swimming, but the whole lot of flags, gongs, muskets, swords, and other paraphernalia of Burmese war went to the bottom of the river. We laughed heartily at the ludicrous incident, which should have taught the Burmese that their war-boats are no match for an English steamer, even before she fires a gun." [Illustration: NATIVE HOUSE NEAR THE RIVER.] The scenery of the river was not much unlike that of the Yang-tse in China, except that it was more tropical, and the foliage and verdure generally were more luxuriant. Wherever there was a forest the trees were large, and overspread with climbing plants and orchids; then for long distances the banks were covered with tall grass that would conceal an elephant walking through it, and for this reason it was called "elephant grass" by the officers of the steamboat. Villages of bamboo were reasonably abundant, some of them large and compactly built, while others were small and straggling. There were plantations of bananas and other tropical fruits, and sometimes they were so large and luxurious as to make a ready explanation of the very low price of these products of the soil in Burmah. If a man does not become weary of the monotony, he can get along very cheaply in this country by living on bananas alone. The steamer made short stoppages at several villages, and finally rested for an hour or more at a place called Myanaong. This gave Doctor Bronson and the boys an opportunity to go on shore to see what the town contained. [Illustration: A BURMESE TEMPLE.] There were crowds of natives in gaudy costumes, and nobody seemed to be actively employed. One man who spoke a little English offered to conduct the party around the place, and his offer was readily accepted. He led the way to a temple or pagoda with a curious arrangement of terraces and peaked roofs that can only be described by a picture. There was a good deal of gilding and yellow paint in the ornamentation of the building, and on the corners of the terraces there were staffs or poles with bells that jingled in the wind. As before stated, the large bells in Burmah have no tongues, and are rung by sticks of timber swung against them, but the small ones that hang on the roofs of the temples are better off. When the breeze is blowing they keep up a perpetual tinkle by no means unpleasant.