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
spent their first three years' service in hospital! I am sure that
something of the same kind might have been said of those who came to
the Naga Hills before the headquarters were removed to Kohima.
Captain Butler, recognising the unsuitableness of Samagudting for
a station, had recommended the removal of the headquarters to Woka,
in the Lotah Naga country, and about sixty-three miles from Kohima. I
spoke to him on the subject, and pointed out the superior advantages of
Kohima as a central position, dominating the Angami Naga country. He
quite agreed with me, but said he had advocated Woka as being nearer
the plains, nearer water carriage, and altogether a more comfortable
situation, especially for the officers. I went into the whole subject
most carefully, and before leaving the Naga Hills I thought it right to
record my opinion in a memorandum to the Government of Assam. This I
did, pointing out as forcibly as I could the very superior advantages
of Kohima, and urging most strongly that it should be adopted as our
headquarters station in the Naga Hills. As I was only the officiating
agent, I could not expect my views to carry as much weight as Captain
Butler's, but convinced as I was, I was bound to state them. The
question was not settled for some years when Kohima was the site
selected, and it has ever since been the headquarters station.
I had never got over the attack of fever I had in April, and as
the rainy season advanced, and we were for days together enveloped
in mist, I had constant attacks, with other complications, and as
Captain Butler was coming out in November, and the doctor strongly
recommended me to go to England again, I determined to apply for
leave. My friend Needham had gone on leave to Shillong, so I could
not think of starting till he returned. He was due at Samagudting
early in November, and I prepared to leave then. It was with most
sincere regret that we made arrangements for starting. We had got
used to the discomforts of the place and had been very happy there
and liked the people, and felt that they liked us; the cold weather
too was just beginning and everything around us looked beautiful.
I had determined to march straight through the forest to Doboka, and
thence take boat down the Kullung river to Gowhatty. It was a dreadful
march to undertake, along a mere track untraversed by any European for
years, but my wife liked the idea of it, and it was shorter than the
route viâ Nigriting. On November 6th, we reluctantly said "good-bye"
to all our kind friends at Samagudting and marched to Dimapur, where
we halted next day to get all our things into order. Some of the
chiefs of Samagudting accompanied us so far on our way and bade us a
sorrowful adieu on the 7th. One old fellow took quite an affectionate
farewell of our baby Dick. When I saw him again in 1879, he was blind,
and one of his pretty little girls was dying.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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