It was midnight when the over-wearied foreigner was roused from his slumbers by the calls of the faithful Ko Shway-bay.
“Teacher, teacher, you are wanted!”
“Where?”
The man lowered his voice almost to a whisper; but, putting his hands to each side of his mouth, sent the volume of sound through a crevice in the boards. “At the Sah-ya’s.”
“Who?”
“I do not know, Tsayah. I only heard that the cholera was in the house, and the teacher was wanted, and so I hurried off as fast as possible.”
In a few minutes the missionary had joined his assistant, and they proceeded on their way together. As they drew near the house, the Burman paused in the shadow of a bamboo hedge.
“It is not good for either of us, that we go in together; I will wait you here, Tsayah.”
“No, you need rest; and I shall not want you—go!”[go!”]
The verandah[verandah] was thronged with relatives and dependents; and from an inner room came a wild, wailing sound, which told that death was already there. No one seemed to observe the entrance of the foreigner; and he followed the sound of woe till he stood by the corpse of a little child. Then he paused in deep emotion.