Ngaba (8)

This translation of Ngaba covers the text starting from the last paragraph of page 9 (see previous post for the scanned image) and continuing to the top of column 2, page 10 (until the red line in the scanned text below).

Translation:

As for the Nationalist Association, the leader was called Garuda.  Being called Garuda, Ngaba was not able to distinguish whether it was the world of humans, the world of spirits, the world of ogres or the world of purple sunbirds.  What he did know was that Phyo Dote sometimes called himself Garuda.  Was Doctor Ba Maung a royal minister? a king? Since Phyo Dote had gone [to town], [he] had formed a force called the Poor People's Party with a group of people who did not work hard for a living.  Now, [he] had combined together with them [and] had become "Thakin Phyo Dote".  Phyo Dote did not have any concrete occupation.  When the police came to the rice fields, he [Phyo Dote] would follow them around.  When it [came time] to say "It is the month of Dazounmon when the [annual] land survey is conducted," the one who carried the wire roll behind the land survey inspector was Phyo Dote.  And when the alcohol [sellers] were arrested, Phyo Dote would join together with the Intoxicants Officer.  Sometimes, after having gone to town, while speaking against the town govenor for the farmers' revolution, the town governor would be afraid of his [Phyo Dote's] Thakin name and as though conceding defeat would give him a package.  Either way, every time Phyo Dote arrived at Ngaba's hut [he] would finish off about forty or fifty eggs.  And a [he] would catch and tie up at least one rooster.  Now, as for the issue of tenant farming, after that one time with U Tha Gaung, because there had been no conflict and he had happened to say to Phyo Dote that "[he] could not spend two and a half kyat", Ngaba had taken on a grudge by Phyo Dote.  As much as it was only a grudge, still Phyo Dote went to the village headman's house and charged [Ngaba] with a case of violating his [Phyo Dote's] land.  The village headman knew that Ngaba was honest.  However, because Phyo Dote was a thug leader, while knowing that that the charge was false, [the village headman] urged Ngaba to accept a settlement of [paying] five kyats in cash as compensation, so as to please Phyo Dote.  With that village headman, as much as this village had not even once before been injust, correctly or incorrectly, after being at peace from danger, Ngaba had incurred the evil of [a fine of] five kyat in cash.  Was he [Phyo Dote] not satisfied even with that?  Wait and see.  At one time, in the compound of U Thawpita's monastery in the area near the well, [Phyo Dote] had verbally harassed and planned to rape my [Ngaba's] wife.  U Thawpita had midly shouted [at Phyo Dote] and [Phyo Dote] was publicly shamed. [Phyo Dote] tyranised.  [Phyo Dote] persecuted.  It was such a great world that [Phyo Dote] prevailed.  Now was it said that he had become of Thakin leader?