More troubles with Thangal Major--Tit-for-tat--Visit to the Kubo
valley--A new Aya Pooiel--Journey to Shillong--War is declared--A
message to Kendat, to the Bombay-Burmah Corporation Agents--Anxiety
as to their fate--March to Mao.
During the spring of 1885, I had constant trouble with Thangal
Major; the old man was perpetually doing illegal acts. He had lost
his head during my absence in England, and though treated with every
courtesy, he greatly resented being called to order. Some Mussulmans
had complained to Mr. Elliott about the oppression exercised towards
them, and in my absence Thangal was foolish enough to imprison them. Of
course, I heard of it, and insisted on their release, and this weakened
his authority. Again, he, as "Aya Pooiel," i.e. Minister for Burmese
Affairs, greatly resented our not having settled the Kongal case,
and insisted on the authors being punished. We were very good friends
privately, though I always expected further trouble with him. The
Maharajah's ill health also gave me anxiety, as he was no longer the
active man he once was, and was daily falling more and more under
Thangal's influence.
At last matters came to a crisis. On May 23rd, I received a letter from
the Burmese authorities at Tamu, brought by a deputation reporting that
some murders had been committed by Manipuri subjects, and the next
day when the visitors came to see me, they openly accused the Mombee
Kukis of having done the deed. I felt sure that the outrage had been
carried out at the instigation of Thangal Major, as a set-off against
the Kongal case, and I sent for him. He came to see me on May 25th,
and, when I opened the subject, he assumed rather a jaunty air. I
spoke very gravely, and told him that it was a very serious business,
and that an investigation must take place, and that I wished him, as
Aya Pooiel, to accompany me. He replied in a very unbecoming manner,
and began to make all sorts of frivolous excuses, the burden of his
speech being that, as justice had not been done in the Kongal case,
there was no need to investigate a case brought by the Burmese. I was
very calm, and remonstrated several times, but seeing that it had no
effect, I requested him to leave my presence, which he did. I then
wrote to the Maharajah asking him to appoint Bularam Singh to aid me
in the investigation, also reporting Thangal's conduct, and saying
that I could not allow him to attend on me till he had apologised. The
worst of Thangal's behaviour was, that he spoke in Manipuri, and in
the presence of the Burmese messengers, who understood it, instead of
in Hindoostani which no one but myself understood. Thinking carefully
over the matter, I wrote to the Maharajah on May 26th, requesting
him to replace Thangal in the Aya Pooielship by another officer,
suggesting Bularam Singh, as I did not consider it safe to leave him
in charge of the Burmese frontier.
There was the greatest opposition offered to my request, and the
Maharajah made every effort to evade it. It was currently stated by
people in the Court circle that it would be easier to depose the
Maharajah himself, but I remained firm. Meanwhile, Bularam Singh
was appointed to accompany me, and, on June 8th, I left for Moreh
Tannah, near Tamu, halting the first day at Thobal. Before leaving,
I received an apologetic letter from Thangal, and later he called
on me, and made an ample apology, speaking very nicely. I accepted
the apology personally, quite reciprocating his friendly sentiments,
but told him that, having acted in the way he did, I could not trust
him as Aya Pooiel.
I reached Moreh Tannah on June 13th, and was visited by some
Burmese. The next day, I proceeded to the scene of the murder,
and exhumed two headless bodies, and took evidence regarding the
raid. Before reaching Manipur, I heard through some Kukis the most
convincing proofs that the Mombee people had committed the raid, and
at Thangal Major's instigation. I obtained all the necessary details
later on, but the Burmese war prevented my undertaking an expedition
for the release of some Burmese captives who had been carried away
and sold, though I accomplished it later on.
At Moreh Tannah, I obtained some excellent mangoes, the only ones
free from insects that I ever saw on the eastern frontier, those in
Assam and Manipur being so full of them as to be uneatable when ripe,
though beautiful to look at. Here also I had most unpleasant evidence
of the existence of a plant that has the smell of decomposed flesh. I
imagined that a dead body had been buried under the temporary hut I
lived in, till a Manipuri explained matters to me, and showed me the
plant in question.
I reached Manipur on June 20th, and a day or two after wrote to the
Maharajah, calling to mind my letter respecting the Aya Pooielship, and
again requesting Thangal's removal. The next day the old fellow called,
and we had a very friendly interview, and I explained my reasons for
acting as I had done. He seemed convinced, and rose and seized my hand,
and said, "You are right. I understand thoroughly." He then said he
would cheerfully submit, and went away in an apparently excellent
frame of mind. It is said that after this, his son, Lumphel Singh,
a very bad young man, talked him over and urged him to resist, but,
anyhow, he soon after went to see the Maharajah, and recanted all he
had said to me. However, I was determined to persist, and told the
Maharajah plainly that he must choose between me and Thangal, with the
result that he consented, and the Aya Pooielship was given to another.
This struggle caused me great regret, as Thangal had many good
qualities, and but for his having had his own way too much during my
absence in England, would never have lost his head as he did. However,
there was one good result, as I established very friendly relations
with the Burmese authorities, who saw that I wished to be just,
and this stood me in good stead when the war broke out.
During the whole time that the dispute was going on, I had the support
of the Jubraj, who said I was in the right, and most people, I believe,
thought likewise. All the same it was painful to gain a victory over
one who had worked well with me for years, more especially as I felt
that the weakness of our own Government in not insisting on justice
being done in the Kongal case, had given him some justification in
his own eyes, though this was a plea that I could never admit.
In October 1885, I went to Shillong to see the Acting Chief
Commissioner, Mr. Ward, and as he was intending to march through
Manipur on his way to the Naga Hills, I stayed with him, and we all
left Shillong together on November 4th. We left Cachar on November
12th, and halted that evening at Jeeree Ghat, I on the Manipuri
side of the river, the Chief Commissioner and his following on the
British. A short time before dinner--we were all Mr. Ward's guests--I
received a note from him, directing my attention to a telegram,
and asking me to act on it. The telegram was a startling one, and
was to the effect that war with Burmah was to commence, and that our
troops would pass the frontier on a certain date; that there were
nine European and many native British subjects in the employ of the
Bombay-Burmah Corporation in the Chindwin forests with whom it had
been impossible to communicate, and to ask me to make every effort
to let them know the facts, and to do anything I could to assist
them. The matter was extremely urgent, as, if I remember rightly,
the 25th was the day for the troops to enter Upper Burmah, and every
moment was of the utmost importance.
I thought it over for five minutes, and determined on a course of
action, and set to work at once to follow it out. I knew perfectly
well that with the frontier and all roads so carefully guarded, as
I had seen those in the Kubo valley to be, there was absolutely no
chance of a secret messenger advancing ten miles on Burmese soil,
and I therefore resolved to send my letter through the Kendat Woon
(Governor of Kendat), the great Burmese province of which the Kubo
valley was part. I wrote a letter to the European employes of the
Bombay-Burmah Corporation, giving the message I was asked to transmit,
and urging them to make every effort to accept my hospitality and
protection in Manipur. To this letter I appended Burmese and Manipuri
translations, and put them in an open envelope addressed in the three
languages, hoping and believing that, seeing that the contents were
the same in both languages, which they had the means of understanding,
the Burmese authorities would, on the principle of the Rosetta stone,
assume that I had said the same in English.
This done, I enclosed the envelope in a letter to the Kendat Woon, in
which I told him exactly how matters stood, and that in a short time
Burmah would be annexed, and urging him, as he valued the goodwill of
the conquerors, to make every effort to protect and aid the British
subjects in his province. I asked him to deliver the letter, to which I
had appended translations that he might read what I said, and to bear
in mind that any service he might render would be richly rewarded and
never forgotten, while he might rely on my word as his well-wisher;
that a terrible punishment would befall any one who injured a hair of
the head of a British subject. In addition to this, I wrote letters
to the Burmese authorities at Tamu, with whom I was on friendly terms,
begging them, as they valued their lives, and my goodwill, to forward
the letter to the Woon with all possible speed.
This done, I went to dine with the Chief Commissioner, and when he
asked if I had received his note, I told him I had acted on it. Feeling
that I had done all that I could for the best, I took no further steps
at the time than to issue orders to the Manipuri frontier stations,
to give all aid requisite to fugitives from Burmah, and to make
arrangements for their being entertained in Manipur, should they
arrive in my absence.
I heard afterwards that there was great anxiety in Burmah when it was
known that I had communicated with our isolated countrymen through the
Burmese authorities, it being regarded as likely to seal their fate.
I marched to Mao on the Naga Hills frontier with the Chief
Commissioner, and then returned to Manipur, arriving on the 4th,
and on the 5th heard from Moreh Tannah that a European was being
kept a prisoner at Kendat. I wrote at once to the Tamu Phoongyee,
asking him to use his influence to release him, saying that I was in
a position to march to his aid in case my letter had no effect.
On December 9th, I heard that all the Europeans at Kendat had been
murdered, the Queen of Burmah's secretary having arrived with one
hundred regular troops on a steamer and ordered their execution,
and that forty of the Bombay-Burmah Corporation's elephants and all
their native followers had been arrested.
On December 10th, the news of the capture of Mandalay arrived. It gave
immense satisfaction, and it was said that many of the old people,
who knew what Burmah was, were so pleased that they could not eat
their dinners. The Jubraj visited me to offer his congratulations,
and a salute of thirty-one guns was fired.