Travels in the central parts of Indo-China (Siam), Cambodia, and Laos : during the years 1858, 1859, and 1860 . that I am the only stranger who has comewithout suffering from it more or less. These people lovethe deep shade of the pathless woods, which they donot trouble themselves to cut down; but if they cling totheir country, they do not to any particular locality, forif they meet with any inconvenience in their neighbour-hood, or if any of their family die of fever, they raisetheir camp, take their children in baskets on their backs,and set off to make a settlement elsewhere; land is notwa
Travels in the central parts of Indo-China (Siam), Cambodia, and Laos : during the years 1858, 1859, and 1860 . that I am the only stranger who has comewithout suffering from it more or less. These people lovethe deep shade of the pathless woods, which they donot trouble themselves to cut down; but if they cling totheir country, they do not to any particular locality, forif they meet with any inconvenience in their neighbour-hood, or if any of their family die of fever, they raisetheir camp, take their children in baskets on their backs,and set off to make a settlement elsewhere; land is notwanting, and the forest everywhere alike. These tribes are nearly independent, although the Cam-bodians on one side, and the Laotians and Annamites onthe other, levy on the villages near them a triennial tributeof rice and wax. The King of Cambodia does not wantthe will to treat the Stiens as he did the Thiames, in orderto people some of his desert provinces. The inscription placed—alas ! so vainly—on our publicedifices is here, notwithstanding slavery, the motto of the r2 244 THE SAVAGE STIENS. Chap. Drawn by M. Bocourc, from a Sketch by M. STIEN. people, and its sincerity is evidenced in their use words; they act. If there is abundance at onehouse, the whole village shares in it, and when scarcityprevails, which is often the case, all alike suffer. They work admirably in iron and ivory, and some tribesare noted, as in Annam, for their hatchets and thebeautiful workmanship of their sabres. Their drinking-vessels are rude, but of their own manufacture, and thewomen weave and dye the long fine scarfs which theywear, the best of which are often valued at the price of anox. They cultivate rice, maize, tobacco, various kinds ofvegetables, and fruit-trees, such as bananas, mangoes, andoranges. Every person of any substance possesses several Chap. X. EICB CULTIVATION. 245 slaves, and a field, always at some distance from thevillage, and very carefully
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