They will be expecting no one, and we shall come upon them by surprise; then they will run into the bushes, thinking that you must have many more troops behind you.

No, it is not likely that they will have many guns; they would throw them away when they fled, partly to run faster through the forest, partly because most of them will be making off to the villages, hoping to lie concealed until the war is over; while if they had guns in their hands, it would be known that they were deserters, and they might be seized and sent across the river to Bandoola, or up to Prome." They rode some fifteen miles before dark, and then took up their quarters in a village.

The few old men, women, and children inhabiting it fled, at their approach; but when Meinik went to the edge of the jungle, and shouted out loudly that they need not fear, for that no harm would be done to any of them, and good prices would be given for food, two or three returned and, finding the statements to be true, one of them went into the jungle again, and brought the others back.

Fowls and eggs were brought into the hut that Stanley occupied, and a good supply of grain for the horses was also purchased.

Thus, Stanley was able to avoid breaking into the small stock of provisions they had brought with them.
The inhabitants of this part of Burma were a tribe known as Carians.