The necessity of having to support his theories with facts seemed to him unreasonable. "But," he objected, "I can see they are lazy." The Burman is lazy. That is enough said. What have facts to do with it? He did not say this, but undoubtedly he was thinking it. However, at last he did find what he considered a fact.
"You remember, when we rode into that village the other day about noon, the number of men we saw sleeping in the veranda?"
"True," I said.
"Does not that show it?"
"Suppose," I said, "you had got up at four o'clock in the morning and worked till ten, in the fields, would you not require a rest before going out at three o'clock again?"
"Do they do that?" he asked.
"You can find out for yourself if they do or not," I answered.
He looked at me doubtfully.
"But," he objected, "it is notorious."
"So is the fact that the standard of living in Burma is very high. How do you reconcile the two? Laziness and comfort. The comfort is evident and real, perhaps the laziness is only apparent."