But here at Mrit it was again assailed by a furious storm, which darkened the heavens and shook the timbers of the ships, brigs, and gallies. Márong Máháwángsá resorted to the former expedient, and having got upon the top of the stern, drew his bow called Prásá Sámpáni Gámbárá and shot his flaming arrow, saying, - speed arrrow and slay Girdá. But Girdá avoided it, by making it glance off his plumage. Enraged, he pounced upon three more of the ships and vessels, and carried them off as he had done with the rest, in spite of the firing and shouting of the crews, for these vessels were also destroyed. Rájá Máháwángsá, in furious passion, shot another arrow towards the heavens, whereupon the arrow was changed into a bird named Jintayu, which gave chase to Girdá. But Girdá vomited fire on Jintáyu, and consumed him. Girdá now kept aloof in the mountains, dreading the supernatural endowments of Márong Máháwángsá. Next morning the remnant of the fleet sailed away from Mrit, and after some days came in sight of Sáláng, in the sea called Táppán. Here having cast anchor abreast of the Island, the Ambassador sent a party on shore to ask permission for the Chief or Rájá to wood and water, but the Prince's vessel with other ships stood on down the Coast, by rounding the point of the Island. (g)
About a day and night after the Prince left Sáláng and
[footnote]
cured myself at Mergui when it was taken by the British forces. This Digest purports to have been compiled by order of Phrá Sí (Sú) Mút a Prince of the Royal line of Siam in the year 1591 of the Sakarat era or A.D. 1048 - and to have been given in 1596 of the same Era A.D. 1053, to Chow Phraya Intha [?] Wangsá, who went as general of the Siamese troops when they invaded Tenasserim. M. D'Anville thought that the Bersolie of J'lotemy might imply Mergui.(2) Europeans frequented Mergui about the close of the 17th Century, and the English had a Port here in 1687 A.D. but the settlers were nearly all murdered. In 1793 the Siamese yielded and ceded ot Ave the whole Coast of Tenasserim south to Fak Chan, which last is not the boundary to the south betwixt the British and Siamese territories.
(1) Indra (2) D'Anville's (g) The Author is very clear in this part of his description of the voyage. Salang, then peopled it seems, is the Siamese name for [?Junkerylon] - and this is yet employed by the surrounding maritime nations. It is probably a correction of Serlan - or Serindeb or Selandine, all names, according to Bryant, of Ceylon. It was then, as it is now, a Siamese possession, and was conveniently situated for the Buddhist Priests of Ceylon, who were accustomed to pass over the Peninsula to Siam. I could not however find, when I was there in 1824, any ancient temples of Buddhá. In the adjourning Siamese Province of P'hungá the Buddhist Priests are in numbers, very disproportionate to the populations.
If Girdá had attacked the Prince at this bluff southern point of Sáláng, he might have been pretty sure of his quarry. When making the same course from Mergui in a small brig in 1825 we were very nearly lost on the same point. We were on our last tack, and only cleared the towering rocks by a
