It was a wearied journalist who sought his little bed, With twenty Burma telegrams all waiting to be read. Then the Nightmare and her nine-fold rose up his dreams to haunt, And from those Burma telegrams they wove this dismal chaunt:— 'Bethink thee, man of ink and shears,' so howled the fiendish crew, 'That each dacoit has one long name, and every hamlet two. Moreover, all our outposts bear peculiar names and strange: There are one hundred outposts and, once every month, they change. If Poungdoungzoon and Pyalhatzee today contain the foe, Be sure they pass tomorrow to Gwebin or Shway-my-o. But Baung-maung-hman remember, is a trusted Thoongye Woon, The deadly foe of Maung-dhang-hlat, Myoke of Moung-kze-hloon. Poungthung and Waustung-chung are not at present overthrown, For they are near the Poon beyond the Hlinedathalone; While Nannay-kone in Ningyan is near Mecakaushay, But Shway-zet-dau is on the Ma, and quite the other way. Here are some simple titles which 'twere best to get in writing In view of further telegrams detailing further fighting:— Male, Myola, Toungbyoung, Talakso, Yebouk, Myo, Nattick, Hpan-loot-kin, Madeah, Padeng, Narogan, Mo. Pakhang, Samaitkyon, Banze, Mine-tseil, Mine-the-Kulay, Mantsankin, Toungbain, Bompan, Aeng, Naung, Banza, Kan-sauÂmya . Kteepauts, Salung, Enlay, Yindan, Nwa-Koo, Mahan-gyee-kin, Kek-kai , Nat-lone, Salay, Toung-lone, Yihon, and lastly Tsin.' It was a wearied journalist—he left his little bed, And faced the Burma telegrams, all waiting to be read; But ere he took his map-book up, he prayed a little prayer— 'Oh stop them fighting Lord knows who, in jungles Deuce knows where!'
Choose another poem