Mizoram, 1872: Vonolel’s Tomb
This article is an extract from
BY LONDON: 1873. Indpaedia is an archive. It neither agrees nor disagrees |
Contents |
Mizoram, 1872: Vonolel’s Tomb
The next day, February 17th, the force marched about four miles to the other end of the valley, where on some long broad spurs of a high hill stood Lungvel, the village of Vonolel. This village we found deserted, and it had the ap- pearance of having been so for some time, the houses being in a tumble-down state. It had been a very large village, and was said to have contained a thousand houses, but only about half that number were remaining when we arrived. We found Vonolel's tomb on an open elevated spot — a similar erection to Voupilal's tomb, al- ready described. This, however, was more elabor- ate and in a better state of preservation, and the posts around, kept in their places by a horizontal bar, supported a perfect forest of horns and heads. Inside the tomb a broken Burmese idol was placed in state, and in the centre was a post bearing a very large metua skull, from one of the horns of which a human head and arm, re- cently cut off, were suspended, and beneath, just outside the tomb, we found a foot.
The unfortunate whose head and limbs these were, we afterwards learned was one of the Soktes killed in the attack on Chonchim two days before. The eyes had been torn out, the skull smashed, ^ and shot-marks and spear-cuts disfigured the face, which in life must have been a very pleas- ing one. A doctor with us went up to inspect the head, and exclaimed with the greatest in- dignation :
“•What confounded brutes!" “Humane man, pleasing trait in a doctor," was the thought that suggested itself to his hearers, till he further enlightened them as to the cause of his humane anger.
- They have actually smashed the skull, and I
would have given anything for it for my museum."
In fact all the medicos with us were quite as eager for Lushai skulls as any Lushai could have been for theirs ; though, in the interests of civili- zation, the Lushais' heads would have reposed in glass cases on velvet cushions probably, while those of our friends would have been elevated on poles exposed to the wind and the rain.
The General’s Address
When all the troops had come up, they were formed up in a hollow square in front of the tomb, and the British flag was hoisted on a tall, bare tree — "on a spot where British flag had never before fluttered in the breeze."
The General addressed his little force in a few well-chosen and appropriate sentences; telling them that at last the goal had been reached, and we stood in Vonolel's stronghold. Then thanking them in behalf of the Queen and Viceroy for their admirable behaviour throughout, he concluded by saying that little more remained to be done before the force would commence the homeward march.
At the close of this address three hearty cheers were given in the true British fashion; then the Sepoys invoked their gods in their peculiar manner; and. the shouts of triumph must have struck terror into the hearts of the Lushais who crowded the village of Vonolel's widow on a high neighbouring hill, whence from afar they could watch the invader, and must have impressed those who still counselled opposition with the futility of resisting this confident foe. .
While the troops were drawn up before the tomb they were photographed by Captain Cookesley, who was afterwards engaged in taking a photograph of the tomb when the village was fired. The Sepoys told off for this duty lighted the lower houses to windward first, contrary to orders, and poor Cookesley suddenly found him- self surrounded by the flames, and had a narrow escape from losing all his apparatus.
The tomb was not destroyed, but the head and arm of the Sokte were removed and buried, and I trust he is happier in consequence.
The troops were withdrawn to the valley below, and encamped there along the banks of the little stream flowing through it, which rises in the hills near the village. This camp was in a very pleasant spot, dry, open, and grassy, under large bare trees; the ground beneath being covered with their withered leaves. The whole scene reminded one strongly of some woodland landscape at home in winter time, especially in the early morning, when the hoar-frost still lies white upon leaf and grassy blade.
Building Operations
The village and the grassy mounds supplied us with plenty of materials for hutting ourselves very comfortably. A great many excellent planks were found in the houses; and one officer, on the principle of doing as the Lushais do, erected a stockade of planks round his little sleeping- place, and decorated the entrance with a huge metua head, a little monkey's skull also grinning between the horns.
While these building operations were going on, the head-men of Chonchim came into camp, but were refused an audience till they could give up some of the plunder taken from Monirkhal, &c.
During the evening, a policeman's musket, pouch, and coat, the coat of a Sepoy of the 4th N.I. killed at Monirkhal, and some brass vessels were brought in and delivered up, with a promise that other articles should follow.
The head-men were then told that the General intended to visit their village next day, and they would be required to attend in camp beforehand to bear the terms imposed upon them, and to accompany the General to the village.
Scattered about near our camp, we found several curious stones about six feet long. Each of the latter was generally rudely carved with a figure of a man holding a dao and spear, with a gourd and metua head near. On one stone about fifteen little figures were cut, holding hands, as if “*going round the mulberry bush," or some similar dance.
I could not find out if these were graves; I believe they were not, but only a kind of com- memorative stones.
The next morning, the 18th February, the head-men appeared in camp, and the terms decided on by the General and Mr.Edgar in consultation, were stated to them.
Firstly — If they were unable to produce Lal- boora (who was said to have taken refuge among the Pois), three head-men of the village should accompany the column as hostages as far as Tipai Mukh.
Secondly — That they should agree to receive agents of Government in their villages when de- manded.
Thirdly — That they should restore all firearms taken at Monirkhal and the Nudigram ; and if , they were unable to collect the full number of twelve at once, that they should give up that number of their own weapons, which could after- wards be re-exchanged.
Fourthly — That they should deliver as a fine, a war-drum, a set of gongs, large and small, an amber necklace, two large tusks, four metuas, ten goats, ten pigs, fifty fowls, and twenty maunds of husked rice.
The head-men were also informed that in case these two last conditions were not complied with before the morning of the 20th, their village would be attacked and destroyed. They at first declared they were too hard, and Darpong, flying into a passion, said he wished to go home.
The General replied that the head-men might take their choice between submission and the destruction of their village; and told Darpong he was quite at liberty to go home if he wished. This brought him to his senses, and he did not go Soon after this, the General, taking with him one hundred and fifty men, ascended the hill towards Chonchim. On the way we met some more of the head-men, who turned back with us. As we approached the village, we could see a large number of armed Lushais standing outside a stockade, on the open crest of the hill above. They shouted at us, and made various hostile demonstrations.
The Goorkhas were at once extended in skir- mishing order, and advanced steadily, with sloped arms, up the steep ascent, which was very thinly wooded. At the same time, the head-men, evidently fearing a collision, ran on in front of us, calling out as they unwound turbans and sheets, and waved them wildly over their heads as they fled on up the hillside. Their words, and, probably, the determined manner in which the Sepoys advanced, not heeding in the slightest the Lushai muskets pointed at them, had the desired effect ; and, as we advanced, the Lushais retired within the stockade.
Passing through this, a short walk brought us to the village, also strongly stockaded. Both stockades bore the marks of the fight of a few days before ; the outer one being broken through in one or two places, where the Soktes had forced an entrance, and the stockade round the village itself was pierced with many bullet-holes near the gateway.
Parley with The Head-Men
On the path we saw a large blood-stain, and in the ravine below lay the corpse of a Sokt6. Arrived at the gate, we found all the Lushais had withdrawn inside and shut it, and were ranged along the stockade as if to defend it.
A parley ensued between the head-men and the General, who drew up the troops facing the stockade. The danger of another scrimmage did not, even then, seem quite past; but, at length, the General and officers with him, and twenty Sepoys were admitted.
The muskets had been concealed as if by magic, and all the houses were shut up. The women and children had been removed to the jungles, and below the village, guarding the approach to their place of concealment, we could see two armed Lushais pacing to and fro with all the regularity and steadiness of a British sentry; shewing in their grave and anxious faces their sense of a great responsibility.
We remained in the village about three hours, while Captain Badgley surveyed from a very favourable open spot, at the highest part of the village, the surrounding country; a confused sea of hills on all sides, among which it was exceedingly difficult, from this point of view, to recognise our old friends of the more northerly part of the country.
We could see far away to the west the high hills of the Howlong and Syloo tribes, where General Brownlow was doing battle with his re- fractory chiefs ; and we hoped that he might be able to see our signals.
While Badgley was surveying, and the General and Mr. Edgar were explaining their terms, and the necessity for compliance with them, to the head- man and the serious-minded portion of the com- munity, the younger ones, with a happy care- lessness of all negotiations, were making great friends among the invaders, with whom they had been within an ace of exchanging shots scarcely an hour before.
Reputation of Madame Rachel
These men were much astonished at the fair- ness of our skins. The "world-wide fame of Madame Rachel" seems to have penetrated even to this remote corner of the globe ; perhaps even some of " the swift-pacing camels " have visited Chumfai (and we have the authority of the Graphic for believing that camels can climb the Lushai hills, all opinions of Indians to the contrary notwithstanding) " for the purpose of collecting the rare flowers and simples (over and above those found at home), so necessary to the art of "beautifying for ever."I say the lady's fame seems to have reached even the Lushais, as they evidently thought it was to some such art as hers that we owed the comparative fairness of our faces and hands. They made signs to us to turn up our sleeves, when loud were their cries of amazed delight at finding that the skin above our wrists was actually whiter than our hands. Even then some of the most sceptical were not satisfied that the white would not come off, till they had rubbed it well with wet fingers, examining the latter after the process very care- fully.
The Lushais were much pleased with the simple process of lighting a pipe or fuel by means of a burning glass ; and after a short time, to show them one was the signal for the instant production of pipes which had gone out. They themselves generally carry a rough flint and steel, and small pieces of rag in a small bamboo box.
They could not understand how the fire was brought down, and often put out their hands to feel the burning power of the glass when focussed upon them. After submitting to the experiment for a few seconds, they invariably drew back suddenly, with an exclamation of pain and sur- prise, intensely gratifying to their friends who had already tested the power of the burning-glass.
I have mentioned that the Lushais are not a tall or bearded race, and one of the officers, who was gigantic in stature, with a long thick beard, was looked upon by them as a most wonderful being. It was intensely amusing to see them stealing up behind him. one by one, when they thought his attention was engaged with something in front, and, stretching up one hand and arm at full length, stand on tip-toe while they tried to reach the level of the top of his helmet. Sometimes by a sudden and judicious application of his elbow he sent them sprawling, much to the amusement of those who had accomplished their object without detection. Others measured the length of his beard on their arms.
Beheading-Block
When pointing out a hill or other distant object, the Lushais give vent to a curious long note, gradually dying away, to express something very far off, before mentioning the name of the hill, &c., very much as I have heard Scotch friends of mine on similar occasions say —
That hill far awa-a-a-ay."
In the open space above referred to, we saw the stump of a large tree used as a beheading-block, there were traces on it of a recent execution, brains and hair, and the villagers explained by signs that the Sokte, whose head they pointed to on the distant tomb, had been executed there, and showed us a small stick with which his eyes had been prised out.
They appeared to view the whole as a most praiseworthy performance, and indeed the treat- ment of traitors and prisoners in our own country, in ages when the English were regarded as being much more enlightened than the Lushais are now, was often very little, if at all, better than theirs.
