An old acquaintance--Monetary crisis--A cure for breaking
crockery--Rumour of human sacrifices--Improved postal
system--Apricots and mulberries--A snake story--Search after
treasure--Another snake story--Visit to Calcutta--Athletics--Ball
practice--A near shave.
We had not been dull in the Naga Hills, still less in Manipur, for
I was always interested in native life. Something to vary one's work
was constantly occurring.
One day some men in Shan costume came and asked me for a pass to enter
Burmah. I inquired who they were, and one said he was the Chowmengti
Gohain. I remembered him fourteen years before, at Sudya, in Assam,
when he was but a boy. He was the son of a Khampti chief, long since
dead. I asked him if he remembered me, and after a minute or two,
he did. I managed to keep up a conversation in Singpho, though I had
not spoken it for many years, and have never done so since. He was
going to Mandalay to marry a daughter to the king.
Time went on fairly smoothly. I was occupied all day long, and used to
talk for hours to the ministers and others who came to see me, while my
wife looked after the house and children, and taught the Naga girls to
knit and sew, and other useful things. When the weather grew too hot,
we migrated to Kang-joop-kool, and enjoyed the change. About this time
much dissatisfaction was caused by speculators in the capital hoarding
"sel," the coin of the country. The usual rate at which they were
exchanged for the rupee was 480 = 1 rupee, but there were occasional
fluctuations; large sums were paid in rupees, but the amount was
always reckoned in sel. Consequently, when the latter were hoarded,
a man having only rupees in his possession found their purchasing
power greatly diminished. On this occasion, almost all the "sel" in
circulation were collected in a few hands and a panic was the result;
the bazaar was in an uproar, and business ceased. I spoke to the
Maharajah on the subject, and represented the very great injury to
the country that would inevitably result if immediate steps were not
taken to rectify the mischief done, and urged him to issue a large
quantity of sel. This he did, and the exchange which had gone down
to 240, at once rose to 400, and at this rate he fixed it, and so it
remained all the time I was in Manipur.
Our Naga boys, though intelligent and willing to learn, were careless
and often worse, as in playing and fighting with each other, they broke
much crockery, and the loss was serious, as it took months to replace
it. I threatened in vain, as I could not bear to make the poor lads
pay. At last, in desperation, I hit upon a remedy; I said that the
next time anything was broken, the breaker should pound it up to a
fine powder with a pestle and mortar, and mix it with water and drink
it. This threat had some effect, but at last one day the old cook
brought up Murumboo, our musalchee (i.e. dishwasher) with a vegetable
dish in pieces, broken, as usual, in play. I said very severely,
"Very well, grind it to powder in a pestle and mortar, and then you
shall mix it with water and drink it." So Murumboo sat for hours in
the sun, pounding away. At last it was reduced to a fine powder, and I
told him to mix it with water and drink it in my presence. Of course,
what I had foreseen, happened, all the other servants headed by the
old cook, Horna and Sultan, came up and humbly begged that he might
be forgiven this time, a request which I graciously acceded to, and
Murumboo went away very penitent. The result was excellent, as for the
future I hardly lost any crockery. Poor Murumboo; he served me well,
and became an excellent cook and got a good place when I finally left.
The summer and autumn passed quietly, except for a rumour that human
sacrifices had been offered up, though no actual complaint was made. I
believe the report to have been true. I had seen enough of countries
where within a few years they had been undoubtedly offered, to know
that such things did occasionally happen among ignorant people, where
appeasing evil spirits is a common custom. I took such precautions
as effectually prevented any recurrence of this horrible practice.
One reform carried out was in our postal arrangements. When I first
arrived, the post, which came in every other day, frequently took eight
days to reach us from Cachar, a distance of 132 miles. By altering
the system, I reduced it to a maximum of four days, though it often
came more quickly, and by constantly hammering at all concerned,
I achieved the triumph of a daily post delivered in less than two
days from Cachar before I left.
Once when riding between Manipur and Kang-joop-kool, I saw, in passing
a small bazaar, a woman selling apricots. I made inquiries about them,
and was told that they had existed from time immemorial, but that they
would give me a violent internal pain if I ate them. I did try them,
raw and cooked, but the statement was quite true, nothing made them
agreeable, and I did suffer pain. They were probably introduced from
China in early days, and having been neglected had degenerated. They
blossom in January. I tried Himalayan apricots, and the trees throve
wonderfully, but could never, while I was in Manipur, learn to blossom
at the right time. They blossomed as they were accustomed to do in
their native country, that is three months too late, and the fruit was
destroyed by the early rains. Perhaps they have by this time adapted
themselves to the climate. I introduced Kabulee mulberries and they
did well, but those in the valley grew long like the Indian variety,
while those at Kang-joop-kool were shaped like the common European
mulberry, and very good to eat.
Another time when out riding in the evening, I witnessed a strange
sight. I was near Kooak Kaithel when I saw a large number of sparrows
assembled on the road in front, and perched on a clump of bamboos near;
others were constantly joining them, and numbers were flying to the
spot from all sides. They first joined the assemblage on the road,
and then flew up to and around the bamboos, which were already covered
with the first-comers. I asked one of my mounted orderlies what it all
meant. He said that a snake was concealed among the bamboos, and that
the birds were come to see him and try and drive him out. Whatever be
the explanation, it was a very interesting sight, and I never at any
time saw such a large number of small birds together. Once when riding
along this same road, but farther on, in company with Thangal Major,
I happened to see a deep hole freshly dug in the side of a hill,
apparently without any object. I asked him what it was dug for, and
he replied that it was probably some refugee returned to the land of
his ancestors, who had dug it, in search for treasure buried during
the Burmese invasion by a relation, who had left an exact description
of the spot as a guide to any of his descendants who might return. He
said that there were many cases of this kind. I used to hear the same
story many years ago in Assam where the truth was never questioned,
and many were the tumuli that bore the marks of having been opened by
searchers "for buried gold." I never knew of an authentic case of the
kind in Manipur, but doubtless old Thangal could tell of many such;
possibly he had shared in the proceeds.
I have just related a story of birds attacking a snake, and I
may as well tell another story in which one of his tribe was the
aggressor. When returning from my cottage at Kang-joop-kool, after
a day spent there in October, I saw an enormous python poised up
on the high embanked road with its head erect, and body and tail in
coils on the slope, ready to spring on some young buffaloes grazing
near; it must have been at the lowest estimate thirty feet long and
of proportionate thickness. I was too near, and riding too fast, to
stop my pony, so gave a loud shout, and urged him to speed, and the
snake turned itself back and fell with a crash into a morass by the
road side, and I saw no more of it. I spoke to Thangal Major about
it, and he told me that pythons were known to exist about the place
where I saw this. I once shot a young one on the Diphoo Panee river,
near Sudya, which measured nine feet, and a sepoy of my old regiment
shot one near Borpathar fifteen feet in length.
Several very deadly snakes abound in Manipur, notably the "Tanglei"
and the "Ophiophagus," a terrible looking creature, eight to twelve
feet in length. No house is safe from snakes, and in the old Residency
one fell from the roof once in my bedroom, from where a few minutes
previously the baby's bassinette had hung, so the child had a narrow
escape. I never dare let the children play alone in the garden for
fear of their being bitten.
The extreme loneliness of Manipur, and the necessity of leaving my
wife and children quite alone sometimes, made me very anxious to get
some trustworthy English nurse for her, but we quite failed in doing
so. In this emergency, one of her sisters volunteered to come out,
which was a great help and relief. As I had to go to Calcutta to see
the Viceroy in December, we asked her to meet us there. We left Manipur
on November 27th, 1878, and returned on January 23rd, bringing her
with us. Kohima was occupied by the Political Agent of the Naga Hills
(Mr. Damant), in November, and before leaving for Calcutta I had some
correspondence with him, and, at his request, sent my escort--then
consisting of Cachar Frontier Police; men, for service qualities in the
hills, far superior to the Native Infantry I had--to his assistance.
In Calcutta, I met Sir Steuart Bayley, who had been lately appointed
Chief Commissioner of Assam, and had interviews with the Viceroy,
Lord Lytton, and the Foreign Secretary, Mr. (now Sir Alfred) Lyall.
Early in 1879, there was some discontent on account of the dearness of
rice, owing to a deficient crop, but there was no real anxiety, as the
stock of rice in hand was sufficient. I remember that during that time
I was rather scandalised at hearing that the old Ranee had gone off to
Moirang on the Logtak lake for change of air, accompanied by a retinue
of over one thousand persons. Many people had been employed for weeks
past in building a little temporary town for their accommodation,
and all for five days' stay. I remonstrated with Thangal Major at
this useless waste of resources at a time when food was scarce, and
told him that he ought to prevent such thoughtlessness. He told me,
and I believe sincerely, that he greatly regretted it, and promised
to use his influence to amend matters, but said what was perfectly
true, that if he gave good advice, there were plenty of people quite
ready to offer the reverse, and contradict his statements. I often
thought what an advantage it would have been, if we had insisted on
all authority being in the hands of one powerful minister responsible
to us. Under a strong man like Chandra Kirtee Singh there would have
been some difficulty in arranging it, but under his weak, though
amiable and intelligent successor, Soor Chandra, it would have been
easy, and would have saved us one of the most painful and disgraceful
episodes in our history.
Almost every day brought some exciting news from the frontier. One
day, an incursion by Chussad Kukies on the Kubo side; another, an
outrage committed by Sookti Kukies. Then a little later a report that
the Muram Nagas were restless. All these reports came to me at once,
and I had to decide what was to be done. Occasionally an expedition
was the result, regarding the conduct of which I gave general
instructions. Sometimes late at night a minister came to me in a high
state of excitement at some outrage on the Burmese frontier, in which,
of course, every one, from the Court of Mandalay downwards, was said
to be implicated. Anything against Burmah was readily believed, and
not without reason, perhaps, judging from past history, and I had,
on the spur of the moment, to decide on the policy to be adopted,
and calm down and convince my impulsive visitor.
Manipur is a great place for athletics, and some fine wrestling is to
be seen there. Athletic sports are regularly held at stated periods,
sometimes for Manipuris, at other times for Nagas. At the last there
are races run by men, carrying heavy weights on their backs. At the
conclusion of these exhibitions of strength and skill, four Manipuris,
dressed in Naga costume, executed a Naga war dance. This I always
thought the most interesting part of the performance, showing as
in many other cases, the tacit acknowledgment of a connection with
the hill-tribes surrounding them. It always reminded me of the
same connection between the Rajahs in the hill tracts of Orissa,
Sumbulpore and Chota Nagpore, and their aboriginal subjects. I am
rather inclined to believe that in the case of Manipur some of the
customs point distinctly to the Rajahs being descended from, or having
been originally installed by, the hill-tribes, as was notably the
case in Keonjhur one of the Cuttack Tributary Mehals. To this subject,
however, I have already referred.
During each cold season, I insisted on the Manipuri troops being put
through musketry practice with ball cartridge, and often attended
for hours together, with the Maharajah, to see how the men acquitted
themselves. Sometimes the firing went on all day, the targets being
erected at one end of the private polo ground in the palace, with a
mountain of rice straw in their rear to catch stray bullets. Sometimes
the bullets went through everything, and one evening, as my wife
and myself with the children, were taking our evening walk, we had
ocular demonstration of this, as a shot passed close to my second
boy's (Edward) head. I spoke to Thangal Major about it, suggesting
that the pile of straw should be made thicker, but only elicited the
reply, "Of course, if you go in the line of fire, you must expect to
be shot." This reminded me of my early days in Assam, when my old
regimental friend Ross shot another friend out snipe shooting. The
latter complained, but all the satisfaction he got from Ross was,
"Well, you must have been in the way."