A
SKETCH OF ASSAM:
WITH
SOME ACCOUNT OF THE
HILL TRIBES.
BY AN OFFICER
IN THE HON. EAST INDIA COMPANY'S
BENGAL NATIVE INFANTRY
IN CIVIL EMPLOY.
With Illustrations from Sketches by the Author.
LONDON:
SMITH, ELDER AND CO., 65, CORNHILL.
1847.
PREFACE.
To those accustomed only to the comforts of civilized life, or to the
traveller who is indifferent to the beauties of scenery, the monotony,
silence, and loneliness of the vast forests of Assam, will present
few features of attraction; but as the country offers a wide field of
discovery, and so many interesting enquiries remain to be prosecuted
in regard to the numerous wild tribes by which it is inhabited,
it is hoped that the present brief outline of the condition of the
people will not prove altogether uninteresting.
The chief object of the following pages is to make Assam better known,
to remove some prejudices which exist against it, and preserve the
memory of many remarkable scenes. The narrative of the principal
events has been compiled from official documents, with the knowledge
of Government; but the Author has expressed his own unbiassed opinions
on many interesting subjects with which he became acquainted during
a residence of some years in the Province. Much more might have been
described, but the few authenticated facts now put forth will probably
suffice, from their novelty and interest, to amuse the reader until
greater leisure and further experience enable the Author to present
a more comprehensive work.
TO
MY FATHER,
WHOSE EARLY TUITION, URBANITY, LEARNING, AND EXAMPLE, ENCOURAGED ME
AT THE COMMENCEMENT OF LIFE TO RELY ON MY OWN EXERTIONS,
THESE WANDERINGS AND REFLECTIONS IN A WILD, UNCIVILIZED, FOREIGN LAND,
Are Dedicated
WITH THE GREATEST VENERATION,
BY HIS
AFFECTIONATE SON.
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.
Garrow warrior to face Title.
Map of Assam to face page 1
View of Gowahatty 5
Omanund Island 6
Queen silkworm, &c. 14
Vampire, or fox bat, &c. 18
Leaf insects 19
Assamese plough 26
Buffalo heads to face page 27
Buffalo shooting 28
Assamese harrow 37
Singphoo bow and arrows, and helmet to face page 59
Abor cane helmets 112
Mishmee dog-skin caps 117
Assamese gentleman, and Meree woman to face page 134
Nagas 149
Angamee Naga warrior 159
Naga mode of disposing of the dead 163
Booteah servant 189
Booteah Rajahs 195
Kuppah Choor Akhas 207
Dufflahs 213
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER I.
Appointed second in command of the Assam Light Infantry--Journey
to Assam, Goalparah, and Gowahatty--Trip to Seebsaugur in a
canoe--Boats and dangers--Seebsaugur and Saikwah described--The
tribes--An Assam cottage--Unwelcome intruder--Climate of Assam
page 1
CHAPTER II.
Travels and residence in North-Western Assam--Description
of Burpetah in the rains--Vampire, or fox bats--Leaf
insect--Seclusion of villages in the jungles--Country
abounds with wild animals--Number of deaths, and damage done
to crops--Native mode of killing a tiger--Conflagrations of
jungles--Danger therefrom to travellers--Cultivation of high and
low lands--Number of crops--Primitive mode of husbandry--Irrigation
by cacharies--Country inundated--Population and condition of the
people--Law on slavery 16
CHAPTER III.
Forests and grass jungle--Tigers, elephants, buffaloes,
rhinosceroses, pigs and deer--Field sports by Europeans--Native
practice of destroying animals with poisoned arrows--Effects of
poison--Wild elephants caught with a noose in Assam--Secured
in a Kheddah or enclosure at Chittagong--Net revenue of
Assam--Disbursements--Industry--Opium--Slavery--Conclusion 27
ACCOUNT OF ASSAMESE TRIBES.
The Khamtees: their subjection of Suddeah and Saikwah--Their defeat
and expulsion--Re-establishment of their authority at Suddeah and
Saikwah--Intrigues and disaffection to the British Government in
1820--Captain Charlton placed in charge of the Khamtee chiefs at
Suddeah and Saikwah, 1834-35--Attempts of the Khamtees in 1837-38
to subvert British authority--Their insurrection in 1839, and
attack on the post at Suddeah and repulse--Death of Lieutenant
White--Expulsion of the Khamtees from Assam--Their submission
and pardon--Character and habits of the Khamtees 39
The Singphoos: their country, population, chiefs and clans--Their
dislike of British powers--Their subjection in 1826--Terms
of treaty--Feud between two rival chieftains--Submission
and subsequent flight of the Duffa Gaum--Disaffection of
Tengapanee Singphoos--Tour of the political agent--Fresh
disturbances--Character of the country and people--Their religion,
customs, and condition--Capabilities for commerce--Government
experiment in the woollen trade--Boundary of Assamese and Burmese
territories 59
Muttucks: their origin and religion--Severely persecuted by Seba
Sing--Revolt under Luckme Sing--Get possession of the capital,
and make Luckme Sing and all his court prisoners--Ramakant Bor
Deka ascends the throne--Re-action in favour of Luckme Sing, who
is restored--Barbarous punishment inflicted on Ramakant Bor Deka,
his brother, and father--General massacre of the Muttuck chiefs
and their followers--Rebellion of the Moa Mareyas--Expulsion
of Rajah Goureenath, who solicits the assistance of the British
Government--Captain Welsh sent with one or two battalions--Replaces
Goureenath on the throne--Rajah Kumalepur invades Muttuck, but
unable to obtain permanent possession--British Government annexes
the whole of Muttuck to the district of Luckimpoor--Husbandry the
chief occupation of the Muttucks--Tea plant indigenous--Exertions
of Major Jenkins in promoting its cultivation 91
The Bor Abors, Abors, and Merees: their localities and
origin--Ornaments of the women--Martial spirit of the
Abors--Destitute of beards--Ignorant of reading or writing--Void
of delicacy and cleanliness in their habits--Little known of the
Abor country--Failure of Lieutenant Wilcox to ascend the Dehong
river 110
The Mishmees: divided into distinct clans--Their
characteristics--Attire and ornaments of the women--Mishmees
unrestricted in the number of wives--Inordinately fond of
smoking--Very superstitious--Mode of settling disputes--Cane
bridges--Feud between the Tain and Mezhoo Mishmees--Trade between
the Lamas and Mishmees--Articles of barter and of produce--Names
and number of followers of the chiefs 115
The Dooaneahs: their origin--Nature of the country--Expert
pioneers, but not of martial spirit--Strongly addicted to the
use of opium 126
The Assamese: conquered and subjected to vassalage
by the Ahooms--Mode of government--System of
collecting the revenue--Conquered by the British in
1825--New system of taxation introduced--Abundance of
gold--Gold washing--Natural products--Diet, clothing,
&c.--Dwellings--Marriage--Betrothment--Marriage
feast and presents--Breach of promise--Servitude for
wives--Divorce--Slavery--Distribution of salt--Slavery--Ahoom
dynasty--List of the last kings of Assam--Cruel punishments 127
The Nagas: their general features and characteristics--Missionary
efforts by the American Baptists--Naga Government--Treatment of
strangers--Omens--Husbandry--Salt wells--Mode of warfare--Ceremony
of tattooing--Mode of revenge--Naga customs--Funeral
ceremonies--List of the Naga tribe 149
The Garrows: the tallest and most powerful of all the hill
tribes--Savage custom on the death of their relatives--
Description of the Garrow women--Culture of cotton--climate 179
The Cosseahs: an athletic race, but indolent--Murder of
Lieuts. Beddingfield and Burlton--Chief product, potatoes 182
The Booteahs: extent of the Bootan hills--Population--Captain
Pemberton's description of the Booteahs--Exactions and
mal-practices of the Bootan rulers--Weapons 185
The Sath Booteah Rajahs of Kooreahparah Dooar in Durrung: the
mountains where located--Kalling and Booree Goorma Dooars--
Tyranny of the Booteahs towards the Dooars--Kalling Dooar
annexed to Assam--Kooreahparah Dooar--Exactions of the Sath
Rajahs--Advantages of British Government 191
The Char Dooar, or Sheergawn and Rooprae Booteah Sath Rajahs:
names of the principal chiefs--Yearly amount of black mail
levied by them--Murder of Moodhoo Sykeah 199
The Thebingeah Booteahs: quarrel between them and the Rooprae
Booteahs of Char Dooar--At the present day not numerous, but
peaceable and inoffensive--Sum allowed them by the British
Government in lieu of black mail 202
The Huzaree Khawa Akhas: reside in the mountains north of
Burgong--Formerly very powerful, but now acknowledge the
supremacy of Taggee, a Kuppah Choor Akha Chief 204
The Kuppah Choor Akhas: always looked upon by their neighbours as
a ferocious band of banditti--Depredations by Rajah Taggee--His
incarceration by the British, and subsequent liberation--Resorts
to his former lawless practices--Massacre of the Goorkha
Sipahees--Taggee, in 1842, voluntarily surrenders to the British,
who again liberate him on his swearing allegiance--He is pensioned
with four other chiefs 206
The Dufflahs: divided into innumerable clans--Very uncivilized,
and formerly very troublesome--In 1836-37, consent to forego
their depredations on receiving a fixed sum from the British
Government--List of Dufflah chiefs, and the amount of pension
paid to them 212
A SKETCH OF ASSAM.
CHAPTER I.
Appointed second in command of the Assam Light Infantry.--Journey
to Assam, Goalparah, and Gowahatty.--Trip to Seebsaugur in a
Canoe.--Boats and Dangers.--Seebsaugur and Saikwah described.--The
Tribes.--An Assam Cottage.--Unwelcome Intruder.--Climate of Assam.
In November, 1840, being then on duty at Mynpooree in Upper India,
with my regiment, in which I filled the office of Interpreter and
Quarter-Master, I had the honour of receiving from the Governor-General
of India the appointment of second in command to the Assam Light
Infantry. Regimental duty amongst our earliest military companions has
its charms, but there is not an officer in the East India Company's
service, be his attachment to his comrades and the sepoys under him
ever so strong, who does not hail with joy the day that gives him
comparative freedom, especially when that freedom is accompanied
by the proud emotions ever attendant upon the possession of higher
command. Accordingly I was much elated at the distinction that had
been conferred on me; nor were my pleasurable sensations diminished by
the circumstance of the future scenes of my service lying in a country
that I had already once visited, and regarding which I felt an uncommon
degree of interest. Bidding my friends farewell, therefore, I quitted
Mynpooree, marched to Futtyghur, and thence embarking in a native boat
upon the Ganges, proceeded to Dacca by the ordinary route, reaching
the station in the latter end of December 1840. At Dacca, engaging new
and more commodious boats, I again set out on my journey to Assam, and
entered the Burrampooter river near the military station of Jumalpore,
and arrived at Goalparah, the entrance to Assam, in nineteen days.
The military station of Goalparah is situated on the left bank of
the Burrampooter, on the summit of an oblong hill three hundred feet
high, commanding one of the most magnificent views of the Bootan
and Himalaya Mountains, partially covered with snow, that can well
be imagined. There are (or were at the time of which I write) three
bungalows (ground floor cottages) on the small space of table land
on the hill, occupied by the officers attached to the district. From
its elevation, many are disposed to claim for the hill the enviable
title of "the Sanitarium of Assam," but however just its pretension to
salubrity may be, the same degree of credit cannot be extended beyond
this isolated spot. Many parts of the division are so inimical to life,
that the mortality both of Europeans and natives, equals, if it does
not exceed, that in any district in Assam. The noxious exhalations from
the Garrow hills and woods seem more deadly than the climate of the
Northern Dooars, of which few persons resident there can long resist
the depressing effects. Unless endowed with great stamina, life is here
frequently extinguished by jungle fever in the course of a few days.
The town of Goalparah, consisting of about seven thousand
inhabitants, is built wholly of mats, grass, bamboos, and reeds,
at the foot of the hills, and as the adjoining country is a low,
swampy level, interspersed with slight elevations, it is subject to
annual inundations. The chief traders are Kyahs, merchants from the
western parts of India; and at no place in Assam is there a more
extensive and lucrative trade carried on in cloths of English and
Indian manufacture; rice, mustard-seed, cotton from the Garrow hills,
manjeet, and other articles.
A three months' residence at the station of Goalparah in 1837,
rendered a prolonged stay unnecessary on the present visit. An
absence of three years had produced few changes in the condition
of the people or the appearance of the buildings, excepting in the
house I formerly occupied, which had been suffered to become a heap of
ruins. One vestige of the débris, however, gratified my self-love. A
little glass window-frame, made with my own hands, still survived the
destruction of time and the elements, and vividly recalled to memory
the difficulty I had overcome in endeavouring to admit light into my
little dwelling. Such a luxury as window glass being unknown at the
remote station, I had purchased some of the small looking-glasses which
always abound in the Indian bazaars, and, removing the quicksilver,
converted them into window panes.
Leaving Goalparah, six days were occupied in reaching Gowahatty
by water. In Gowahatty, the metropolis of Assam, I perceived a vast
change; many buildings of brick had been erected and the foundation of
a church laid; numerous native shops evinced increasing prosperity,
and much had been accomplished towards rendering the station more
salubrious by the removal of jungle and the construction of many
beautiful roads. The best and largest bungalows at Gowahatty are
all on the banks of the Burrampooter, and the view of the river,
the islands, temples, and verdant foliage of the trees forms perhaps
one of the most picturesque scenes to be met with in India.
The native town of Gowahatty is built entirely of bamboos, reeds,
and grass. To the south an extensive marsh almost surrounds the whole
station, and the contiguity of many old tanks, choked with jungle,
coupled with the vicinity of the hills on every quarter except the
north, renders this town, in spite of the improvements already alluded
to, one of the most insalubrious in Assam. In the cold season, from
the 1st of November to the 1st of February, the fogs at Gowahatty are
extremely dense and heavy, and last frequently until ten or eleven
o'clock in the day; but it is generally admitted that this state
of the atmosphere is by no means unfavourable to health. The rainy
months of June, July, August, and September, are here always trying
to Europeans, as the moist heat has a much more depressing influence
than the rains of the Western Provinces of India.
Nearly two months having been passed in boats on the river, from
Futtyghur to Gowahatty, I became anxious to reach the end of my journey
by a more expeditious mode than that of tracking up against the stream
a few miles every day. I accordingly quitted my budgerow and embarked
in a canoe formed of a single tree hollowed out. It was forty-eight
feet long, and three feet wide, ten feet of the length being covered
in with a small mat roof, as an apology for a cabin. In this I felt
by no means uncomfortable, though I had only a little more room than
served to enable me to lie down at full length.
The solitariness of my position, only enlivened by the song of eighteen
merry paddlers, pulling from morning till night, at the rate of forty
or fifty miles a day, against a rapid stream, was perhaps the worst
part of the story. The scenery, if not positively devoid of picturesque
beauty, wearied me from its monotonous character. Sand-banks, woods,
and hills, unvaried by the residence of man, or the slightest token of
civilization, constituted its leading features. Occasionally a boat
might be encountered, but, excepting from the rude salutation of the
wild crew, the screaming of wild fowl, and the loud crash of falling
banks, prostrating lofty trees in the bosom of the river, not a sound
was heard to relieve the pervading solitude. But, altogether, the
velocity of the trip, with the désagrément of limited accommodation,
was a good exchange for the comforts of a budgerow, and the tediousness
of its pace.
Passing the healthy and pretty stations of Tezpore and Bishnath,
I arrived at the mouth of the little stream Dikhoo, in nine days,
and, mounting an elephant, rode through a dense tree and grass jungle
to Seebsaugur, distant twelve miles from the Burrampooter. It was a
bitterly raw, cold, wet day; but a blazing fire on the floor in the
snug reed and grass cottage of an acquaintance, soon erased from my
memory the inconvenience of the previous ten days' exposure.
In the rains, the Burrampooter river resembles a sea, extending for
many miles over the country. In the dry season it will be found in many
places more than a mile wide. The current in Upper Assam, above Dibroo
Ghur, is much more rapid than the Ganges river, and far more dangerous;
from the river being strewed with immense trees, which are whirled down
the stream with awful impetuosity, threatening instant destruction
to the boat so unfortunate as to come in contact with them. For this
reason, the canoes of the country being more manageable, and even if
filled with water, too buoyant to sink, much less risk is incurred by
travelling in them than in the comfortable budgerow, or large native
boat of Western India, roofed with straw. The canoe has also another
advantage, in case of a storm, as it can in a few minutes be dragged
on shore and remain in perfect safety till the toofan has passed
over. The confinement, however, and constant reclining posture are
almost unbearable in the hot weather; and there is a painful sense of
insecurity from the streams and rivers in many parts of Assam swarming
with crocodiles. Natives, when bathing, are not unfrequently seized
by crocodiles, and I have heard that one of these amphibious monsters
has been known to seize a paddler unsuspiciously sleeping in the front
part of the boat: which is not improbable, as the sides of a canoe
are only six inches or a foot above the water. Such occurrences,
however, are too rare to justify the fears that are entertained;
but their rarity, considering the great numbers of crocodiles
on the banks, is nevertheless a marvel. In the Chawlkhawa river,
opposite Burpetah, I have seen basking in the sun on the sand banks,
as many as ten crocodiles at a time; and upon one occasion, a heap
of one hundred crocodile's eggs, each about the size of a turkey's
egg, were discovered on a sand bank, and brought to me; I found on
blowing them, that they all contained a perfectly formed crocodile,
about two inches long, which would have crept forth after a few days'
farther exposure to the sun.
The flesh of the crocodile is like that of fish, emitting the same
odour, and partaking of the flavour of the coarsest of the finny
tribe. After skinning a small crocodile caught by a fisherman
in his net, one of my native servants made a curry of the flesh,
which is consumed by some low caste men in Assam, as well as in
Western India. The eggs of crocodiles and river turtle are esteemed
delicacies. Upon the merits of the flesh of the turtle I need not
expatiate. I have frequently endeavoured to shoot the crocodile, but
if they be not almost invulnerable, they contrive to elude capture;
for when wounded they manage to get into the river, and either escape
to recover, or die out of sight. It never was my fortune to kill and
secure more than one, which was upwards of twelve feet in length. He
was mortally stricken with one ball.
The station of Seebsaugur merits little notice. It is a low, flat
country, subject to inundations. There are several large artificial
tanks, and one or two fine old Hindoo temples, in and about the
station. The fort of Rungpore, built of brick on the opposite side of
the Dikhoo stream, is quite in ruins; and of the old city of Rungpore,
not a hut is now in existence: all the inhabitants being now apparently
located at Seebsaugur, which, from having become the residence of
the civil officers in charge of the district, will in a few years,
in all probability, be a populous, thriving town. After a few days'
residence at Seebsaugur, I again set out in a small boat on the
Burrampooter; passing the new station of Dibroo Ghur, the residence
of the Political Agent of Upper Assam, and other gentlemen connected
with the manufacture of tea, I ascended the dangerous rapid formed by a
ridge of stones extending almost across the river, a little below the
junction of the two rivers, Dihong and Dibong, with the Burrampooter,
and in seven days from Seebsaugur, arrived at the end of my journey,
Saikwah. Here I assumed the command of three hundred men, and two
six-pounders.
The site of Saikwah, the north-eastern frontier military post
in Upper Assam, is on the south bank of the Burrampooter; on low
ground, intersected by numerous streams and surrounded with dense
high tree-jungle, having the Bisnacorie and the Saikwah streams on
the west and east, and the Burrampooter on the north. For the comfort
of the troops, a space of about one thousand square yards has been
cleared of jungle. In the vicinity of, or a few miles distant from
Saikwah, there are some small villages inhabited by tribes denominated
Dooaneahs, Moolooks, Kesungs, Jillys, Mishmees, and Meerees who,
from their wild habits, prefer the jungles to the plains. They grow a
scanty supply of rice, kullie (a species of vetch) and Indian corn;
the whole of which is generally consumed in a few months, leaving
them to depend for the remainder of the year on leaves of the forest
kutchoos (a kind of arrow-root) and wild yams. Saikwah was selected
as a military post in 1839, immediately after the station of Suddeah
on the opposite or north bank had been surprised and burnt by the
neighbouring tribes. It is eighty miles distant from the Patkoe
mountains, separating Assam from Burmah; but it is by no means so
desirable a station for the health of the troops as the deserted
post of Suddeah, in an open plain of six miles in extent. The object,
however, of the change of locality, was to enable the Light Infantry
to afford protection to the tea-gardens in Muttuck from the sudden
aggressions of the numerous wild, fierce, border tribes. In this
respect it has answered; hitherto, few depredations having been
committed, though insurrections have been frequent.
The trade of Saikwah consists of ivory, wax, and a little cotton;
the amount of ivory sold in the bazaar, the shopkeepers informed
me, averaged annually about six hundred pounds. A more desolate
place than Saikwah can scarcely be imagined. It is surrounded by
fierce and treacherous tribes, who occupy a most impenetrable tree
and grass jungle, and whose endeavours are perpetually directed
to the annihilation of the troops. At first, the hourly patrol's
grand rounds and alarms allowed me little rest or ease, but the
alertness of the troops in getting under arms at night to repel any
meditated attack, soon obliterated from my mind all apprehension of
surprise. The Assam Light Infantry wish for nothing better than an
opportunity of contending with the Singphoos, or indeed with any of
their treacherous neighbours (whom they hold in the utmost contempt)
in a fair battle in the open country; but in the jungles they find
it almost impossible to come in contact with their foes.
A few days after my arrival at Saikwah sufficed to plaster my
mat-and-grass cottage with mud, and with the assistance of the
Sipahees, a chimney for a fire-place was soon constructed, with bricks
and mortar obtained from old buildings at Suddeah; then putting
in a glass window, I was enabled, in comfort and solitariness, to
pursue my usual vocations in all weathers. In this secluded retreat,
every incident, however trifling in itself, acquired an importance
which induced me to note it in my tablets. On one occasion, about
eight o'clock at night, sitting by a snug fireside, my attention was
arrested by the approach of an unwelcome visitor making his way in
at the door. Taking up a candle to ascertain who or what was forcing
ingress to my dwelling, I beheld a python, or boa-constrictor, about
six feet long, steadily advancing towards me. In my defenceless
position it may be imagined that safety depended on immediate
flight; and the monster thus speedily gained entire possession of
my habitation. It was, however, for a few minutes only, that he was
permitted to remain the undisturbed occupant of the abode; for my
servants quickly despatched the intruder with a few blows inflicted
with long poles. An apothecary, who had long been attached to the
Assam Light Infantry, assured me that pythons, or boa-constrictors,
were very numerous in our vicinity, and of an immense size, some not
being less than fifteen or eighteen feet in length. I had evidence
of the truth of the statement; a skin, fifteen feet long, being
subsequently brought me by the natives. I caused it to be tanned and
sent to England. Small serpents were often met with. On one occasion
the apothecary brought me two boa-constrictors of about four feet long,
which he had found on a table curled up amongst some bottles in the
same room where his children were sleeping. In all probability the
lives of the infants were saved by the musquitto curtains preventing
access to the bed. Boa-constrictors are exceedingly fond of rats,
and on this occasion they had evidently been in search of their prey.
As my cottage had not the usual white cloth ceiling suspended,
insects, snakes, and vermin frequently descended from the roof into
the rooms; but by keeping the house free of baggage and well swept,
contact with them was avoided. The reader will suppose an Assam
mat-hut to be a dreary kind of residence; but I can assure him, the
logwood fire on a hearth one foot high, in the centre of the room,
with a small window cut high in the wall for the escape of the smoke,
is by no means devoid of cheerfulness.
The general characteristic of the climate of Upper Assam is excessive
moisture. Rains fall heavily and frequently in March, April, and
May, and continue to the middle of October; and from this time till
February the atmosphere is cool and pleasant. As the bordering hills
of Assam, both on the north and south, are peopled by a variety of
tribes differing from one another in aspect, language, and customs,
I have, in later pages, briefly depicted each class; mingling personal
description with a narrative of as much of their respective histories
as circumstances have put it in my power to offer.
TABLE.
Showing the number of days required for a Budgerow to proceed from
Calcutta to Suddeah, or Saikwah in Upper Assam, from October till
1st June:--
No. of days.
From Calcutta to Dacca 12
From Dacca to Goalparah 19
From Goalparah to Gowahatty 6
From Gowahatty to Tezpore 6
From Tezpore to Bishnath 3
From Bishnath to the mouth of the Dikho river, 12 miles
distant from Seebsaugur 6
From Dikhoo Mookh river to Dibroolghur 7
From Dibroolghur to Suddeah or Saikwah 6
--
Total days 65
Excepting with a westerly wind during the rains, the navigation of the
Burrampooter river is tedious, uncertain, and dangerous, from falling
banks, floating trees, a rapid current, and no tracking ground: the
jungle extending to the edge of the river. In Assam a canoe is the
safest and most speedy mode of travelling.