Mizoram, 1852: Tuitu
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BY LONDON: 1873. Indpaedia is an archive. It neither agrees nor disagrees |
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Tuitu
We may now accompany the head-quarters on the onward march for the rest of the cam- paign, as a passing reference to events occurring in rear is all that will be necessary.
All the wounded were sent in to Tipai Mukh on the 1st of January, to be attended at the dep6t hospital there.
Captain Harvey with his Sappers left Tuibum on the 4th for Pabarchung ; and encamping near its 8ummit| commenced work upon the road. Colonel NuthaU with his Goorkhas went into a beautifiil little stream called the Tuitu, on the other side of the hill, and worked backwards to meet the Sappers.
The General and staff left Tuibum on the 6th, and halting at the Sapper camp for the night arrived at Tuitu (No. 8.) early on the morning of the 7th.
The Tuitu runs along a deep and narrow valley, separating the Kholel range from Fabarchung. It is a clear stream, with firm sandy and stony bed, its banks clothed with bamboo, and a tall graceful feathering reed.
On the way over Pabarchung a very good view of the Yanbong hills was obtained, and many more villages and innumerable jooms became visible. These had been concealed from other and nearer points of view by the denseness of the forest, but now we could see the whole eastern face of the hill. The elevation of the camp of the Tuibum was seven hundred feet, the height of Pabarchung three thousand seven hundred feet, and the Tuitu, at the point we crossed it, about one thousand five hundred feet.
On the 8th the Sappers having come up, the whole moved on to the site of a deserted village, called Daidoo, on the Kholel ridge, and were suc- ceeded at No. 8 by the 22nd N. I.
The path led us through deserted jooms up a steep and narrow spur. As we ascended, leaving the region of bamboo behind, the jungle became more open, only grass and a few low shrubs growing between the tall trees. Wild helio- trope and cocoa-nuts, and other flowering weeds, abounded along the path.
Daidoo
The troops arrived at Daidoo between two and three, p.m., and a spot being fixed on for a camp, everyone was soon busy — some searching for water, others building huts. The water was found after a great search, but yielded a very in- sufficient supply.
This village had been deserted for some two years, and the stream was choked up with dead leaves, old bamboo, ashes, mud, &c., and though attempts were made to improve it by cleaning it and constructing small troughs, yet the result was far from satisfactory.
The sky had become clouded during the march^ and there was no doubt that we should have rain, which came down heavily about six p.m., and lasted through the night.
Time and the friendly bamboo both being wanting, the huts were not successfully con- structed and the rain came through in every part. Very few had been fortunate enough to get mai- chaus constructed, and almost everyone passed the greater part of the night in a swamp of sloppy blankets and grass.
About seven o'clock next morning the rain and mist cleared off, and the sun came out warm and bright, accompanied by a keen strong wind, blowing right across the ridge on which we were encamped; and availing ourselves of these two beneficent agencies, our wet clothes and soaked blankets were hung on ropes and stretched firom tree to tree, and soon dried.
Two theories were held by rival parties in the camp, as to the best way of stretching a waterproof sheet, whether outside over the leaf roof or inside under it. The theories were put to the proof on this occasion, and resulted in the triumph of the first named, though some continued, against their better judgment, to adhere to their old plan.
It must be evident, or ought to be, that the sheet put outside keeps the water from penetrat- ing through the leaves, conducting it off the slop- ing roof to the ground outside, while, if stretched inside, no matter how tightly the stretching is done, the rain, unless the sheet is arranged at a very steep slope indeed, soon finds its way through the leaves, and passes and collects grad- ually in the sheet, which becomes a reservoir of water, liable on the slightest incautious touch to discharge its contents in every direction within the hut.
Protection Against Rain
It is not a pleasant thing in a dark night, as I found by experience, to have to get up about two a.m., and stand under the dripping roof, to empty out a gallon of icy-cold and dirty water, which has bagged the sheet down to within a foot of one's head. One occupant of our hut, doing this without proper caution, sent the whole of the collected water in a gush on to an unof- fending fellow sleeping next to him, who, having taken the precaution of putting his sheet outside, would have otherwise remained dry throughout the night. At the very best, the inside arrangement, even if it does not carry all the water on to the bed of the sleeper beneath, makes the ground within the hut wet.
The next day, the 9th January, Mr. Edgar's scouts informing him that a better supply of water was to be found at Pachui, another de- serted village about a mile off on the same range^ the General and staff with the 44th marched to that place, leaving the Sappers at Daidoo to com- plete the road between Pachui and the Tuitu.
After his arrival at Pachui (known officially as No. 9), Nura Sinpanu's muntri, and Rution Singh, an emissary from Sukpilal, came in. The latter is a Hindustani, formerly a cooUe in a tea-garden, who deserted to the Lushais some years back, and has since acquired some influence among the Western tribes, which he is supposed to have frequently exercised to our prejudice.
They said that Khalkom was ill, and that Sukpilal had gone to see him, but that they would come in at once if the General would for- give the delay.
They were sent back with the reply that, if they wanted to see the General at Pachui, they must come in at once, as the march would not be delayed on their account. The Khalkom villages were said to be three days' journey from No. 9,
Darpong also arrived with the letter he was to have taken to General Nuthall. He said that, in consequence of some ill-treatment Foiboi's mes- sengers to General Nuthall had met with at the hands of the Munipuris, the Lushais were afraid to take this letter. Mr. Edgar considered this story to be false, and believed that the real reason for their not taking the letter, was the fear that it might contain an order for an immediate attack on the Lushais.
Camp at Pachul
The camp at Pachui was admirably situated, as it not only commanded the road to the Tuivai, and southern portion of the valley and villages of New Kholel, but also the country to the west, where stood Khalkom's villages. At the same time it covered the communications with Tuibum.
It was therefore determined to halt here, while trying to bring the Western tribes to terms, and collecting sufficient supplies to march rapidly on Poiboi's village, if he should eventually declare against us, and oppose our advance against Lalbura.
The onward road was at first to have been made along the Kholel ridge, without going near Poiboi; but we were told that a good route to Lal- buralay through the country of the Poibois, and as there was a scarcity of water along the former, and Poiboi's intentions were so exceedingly doubtful^ the General felt it necessary, in order to secure his communications, to pass through that chiefs territory, and a road was accordingly commenced down to the Tuivai.
Poiboi had, on several occasions, expressed to Mr. Edgar his friendly feelings towards us, and his displeasure at the conduct of his cousins. Still it was not to be forgotten that it was against his own relations that the arms of the left column were directed ; and as he could at any time him- self assemble a large number of fighting men, he was informed that he must give a most satis* factory guarantee of his perfect neutrality.
Pachui is, as before mentioned, in the kholel range, and the hill of Chepui just opposite to it. A deep valley intervenes, through which flows the Tuivai, some two thousand feet below, the eleva- tion of Pachui camp being about three thousand eight hundred and fifty feet above sea level. On the slopes of Chepui were visible the two large villages of Chepui and Tingridum, the most northerly of Poiboi’s villages.
Kholel Range
After Colonel Lister's Expedition in 1869, the Lushais withdrew their villages further south, leaving a large belt of jungly hiUs between them- selves and our most southern cultivated tracts, and established what they called guard- villages, CDmmanding the approach from our frontier to their chief villages. Daidoo and Pachui were the guard- villages to the chiefs residence in Old Kholel, which will be described further on ; and Chepui and Tingridum were the guard-villages to Poiboi's country, and his residence at Chetam ; the range on which the latter is built being con- cealed from our view at Kholel by the lofty inter- vening range of Lengteng.
The Kholel range consists of a series of lofty peaks connected by narrow ridges. The peaks increase in height towards the south ; the highest we reached, from which we observed angles, &c., was five thousand two hundred feet.
The Tuivai flows on three sides, separating the range from Momrang on the south, and Yanbong on the t^est ; nearly opposite No. 9, the Tuivai flows out from the eastern hills under Tingridum.
The climate here was delightful, pleasantly warm during the day, with a refreshing breeze blowing over the hills. The only drawback was the heavy fog which frequently rose from the river during the night, and did not disperse till about ten in the morning. It was worse than rain, penetrating everywhere ; and condensing on the interior of thereof, it kept up a continual dripping from every blade of grass or pendent leaf.
A great protection against this mist were thick muslin mosquito curtains, made like a tent from the sloping sides of which the water ran off, and beneath which was to be found the only dry spot in the hut. The evenings were clear, star-lit, and cold — the average minimum temperature during the night being forty-four degrees.
When the mist did not trouble us in the early morning, the scenery was magnificent. On both sides the mist lay in the valleys like a sea of the softest wool, stretching away for miles, marking out each spur and ravine on the mountain sides like well defined shores. The peaks of the lower ranges stood up like little islands, while currents of air below dashed the mist against the steep out- running spurs, like mimic breakers against some
bold headlands. The hills extended far away to the west, rising range upon range, purple and blue, till the sun, appearing above the bluff mass of the Surklang, lighted up the mountain sides with the most brilliant tints of orange and green, and changed the cold blue of the cloudy sea beneath, into all the varied and delicate tints of mother of pearl, while over all hung the canopy of clear lilac and gold of the morning sky. Such a scene requires a much more eloquent pen than mine to do justice to it, or even to convey any idea of its exceeding beauty.
" I cannot paint The cataract, the tall rock, The mountain, and the deep and gloomy wood, Their colours and their forms."
