My Experiences in Manipur and the Naga HillsJohnstone, James, Sir
History
My Experiences in Manipur and the Naga Hills
Johnstone, James, Sir
Manipur (India) -- Description and travel; Naga Hills (India) -- Description and travel
After leaving Chingsow, we marched through a pretty country, part of
our way lying along a high ridge with a precipice on one side, and a
deep ravine on the other, and we finally halted in a stream far below
our last camp. Every march was a succession of steep ascents and then
equally steep descents into narrow valleys. It was most exasperating
sometimes to see how needlessly an ascent was made over a high ridge,
when a path of no greater length could have been made round it.
On the 17th, I encamped beside a river where I was visited by many
Tankhools, including children, who crowded round me fearlessly. The
people were a fine race, but almost inconceivably dirty, some of them
seemed grimed with the dirt of years. There were plenty of fine pieces
of terrace cultivation. It was very curious to find that among the
Tankhools there seemed to be a universal belief that they originally
sprung from the "Mahawullee," or sacred grove in Manipur.
On March 18th, we reached Chattik, a fine village on a ridge from
which we had a splendid view, including the Chussad villages. As
I had done all I had come for, and wished to see a new country,
I determined to march back straight to Manipur across the hills. It
was not the beaten track which lay by Kongal Tannah, and no one in
my camp knew it, but I felt sure it could be found, and old Bularam
Singh cheerfully agreed. We started on the 19th, and after passing
a village that had been plundered by the Chussads, we halted after a
sixteen-mile march, during which I was badly hurt by a bamboo which
pierced my leg. On the march we passed some terrible-looking pits,
12 feet deep, and about 3 or 3-1/2 feet wide with sharp stakes at the
bottom. They are meant to catch enemies on the war path, or deer,
and are placed in the centre of the roads and covered lightly. God
help the poor man or animal who is impaled in these horrible pits
and dies in agony, for no one else will.
On the 20th, we halted at Pong, after an interesting but tiring march,
during which we crossed the summit of a high range at 7100 feet,
covered with forest, and small and very solid bamboos. The descent
was through a noble pine forest with trees that must have been two
hundred feet high. It rained heavily, and when we halted I should
have had a miserable night of it but for the care of the Manipuris,
who built me a comfortable hut, and went away smiling and cheerful
to cook their food, though they looked half drowned. Never did I see
men work better under difficulties. Owing to them I had as nice a
resting-place as a man on the march could want, and an hour after I
had an excellent dinner.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account