Mizoram, 1872: kholel
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BY LONDON: 1873. Indpaedia is an archive. It neither agrees nor disagrees |
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Kholel
About three miles south of No. 9. is the site of the village of Kholel, in which lived Voupilal, and where his tomb is still preserved. Daidoo, Poiboi, and Kholel all acknowledged his sway, and when on his death their inhabitants re- moved to Vanbong, they left the villages standing. A fortnight before our arrival, however, they set fire to them all, probably with a view to prevent our finding any shelter in them on the march.
The path, as is the case along most of the ridges, runs through very open jungle, till it reaches the site of the village, a large bare gravelly spot, on which stood, according to the Lushais, nearly a thousand houses, but of which only a few blackened uprights remain.
Old Kholel, most admirably situated beneath one of the highest peaks of the range, where the narrow ridge, widening as it gradually rises to the hill, affords a site of half a mile in length, and about three hundred yards in width, com- manding a magnificent view of the Muni pur, Naga, and Jyntea hills on the North, and of the Lushai and South Cachar hills on the East and West,
Voupilal's house occupied a space forty yards long by almost fifteen broad, as shewn still by a few uprights and remnants of foundations, and at the south end of its site is the tomb, a carious structure consisting of a platform of rough flag- stones and wood, about seventeen feet square and three feet high. In the centre grows a young banian tree, brought firom below, which seems to be flourishing in its elevated home. The whole is surrounded by tall posts or trunks of small trees, each crowned with the skulls of some animal or animals slain in the chase ; among them are elephants, tigers, metuas, wild-boar, deer, &c.
Of the metua, there are some thirty or forty heads, round or near the tomb, and we also found the head of a Munipuri pony, presented by the new rajah of that country to Voupilal a few years before.
Voupilal’s Tomb
There were two other smaller platforms sur- rounded with skulls close by, but for what pur- pose and with what intention they were erected, we were unable to find out.
On other posts drinking vessels, and wooden fetters used for securing captives, were hung. All are intended for the use of the deceased in the other world, where the animals whose heads surrounded his tomb will evermore be subject to him. No human skulls were dis- covered, although it is known that at least one Naga captive was slain at his death.
Standing about are curiously shaped posts branching out at the top, like the letter Y, and some ten feet high ; these, we were told, were all sacrificial posts, on which metuas and other animals are sacrificed at the death of a chief.
The tomb is visible for miles around ; a black speck, on a long bare yellow ridge, marking the spot where among the ruins of his villages, the mountain breezes for ever moaning over the sad deserted scene, rest the remains of the once powerful Lushai chieftain.
While at No. 9, we were frequently visited by large numbers of Lushais from Chepui and Ting- ridum, bringing in fowls, yams, and eggs for barter, the articles most coveted in exchange being cloth and salt.
A coolie, having no use for his money and being no doubt utterlv tired of his monotonous Com- missariat fare, gave one rupee for a fowl, which thenceforth was established by the Lushais as the standard price, though, of the actual value of the rupee they were entirely ignorant, appre- ciating more highly a few copper coins. A few sepoys who had a supply of the latter, took advantage of it to buy back at about a sixth of their value the rupees which the Lushais had previously received from the officers.
Out of the eight men who went into Cachar with the presents for Poiboi, one, Engloom by name, having no relations among the Lushais, and wishing ultimately to settle in Cachar, re- mained with us throughout the Campaign. This was the only man in our camp who knew any thing at all of the country to the East, or the position of the villages on our intended line of march ; and as we should have, from this point, to trust a good deal to the information given us by Lushais in the villages ahead, it was neces- sary, if possible, to avoid a collision with them.
The Head-Man Of Chepul
On the 14th January, the headman of Chepui, Tington, came in, in a scarlet cloak, a present from the liberal British Government, attended by several villagers. As they approached, they saw some officers looking through telescopes at them, and imagining these to be some deadly weapons, they sat down to see what happened. As nothing did happen, they rose and came on.
Whether from fear, or with the idea of keeping up his dignity, the chief squatted with his back to the camp at every hundred yards. " Whiles he gaed, and whiles he sat, but at last he arrived and had an interview with Mr. Edgar. He merely said he was afraid of our destroying his village and crops, and as usual he was told that, if he and his people behaved properly, no injury would be done to them.
Tington belongs to the Khengti family, which the Lushai chiefs regard as equal in rank to their own. He is said to be a nephew of Vonolel ; but he does not possess any power or influence at all commensurate with his high birth and pedigree.
We may dispose of him in this place by saying that he maintained friendly relations with us as long as our troops occupied the camp (No 10.) close to his village. He paid frequent visits to the officers in charge, and partook freely of the Commissariat rum, on which occasions he was often so overcome that he wept, and trying to fall on the shoulders of his hospitable enter- tainers, would swear eternal friendship in indis- tinct Lushai.
" One touch of nature makes the whole world kin," says a man who, even in his philosophy, never dreamt of Lushais ; and Tington did but comport himself as I have often seen many civilised scions of aristocratic families nearer home doing on some festive occasion, vowing un- dying friendship for the chance companion of the hour ; though I will do both the said scions and the Commissariat department the justice to add that, in the latter instances, that department has nothing to answer for.
Darpong
As the roads in our rear were now passable for elephants, and as nothing, or next to nothing, was known of the route, or the people, or their temper, or the state of their defences, it was deemed advisable to bring up the artillery. Ac- cordingly the two steel guns arrived on the 16th ; the mortar it was found necessary to leave behind, and as things turned out it was never required.
In the afternoon of this day I had a visit from Santong, who wished to see my sketches. I showed him two little ones of Darpong andEution Sing, which he recognised at once. He sat on the floor of the hut, looking at them, laughing occasion- ally, and gently repeating their names at intervals as if he expected to be answered. This he con- tinued doing for about half an hour, and when asked to give back the sketches and portraits, could not be prevailed on to do so till he had called in a Sepoy, who was passing, to share his satisfaction.
In connection with this sketch of Darpong, the following incident illustrates the folly of jumping to conclusions. Several Lushais, having heard that I had a coloured sketch of that worthy gentle- man, visited me, with the request that they might be allowed to see my sketch-book, to which of course I assented, and exhibited it to them. It contained principally little pencil sketches, but at last, on turning a page, a coloured picture appeared to their delighted eyes. ** Darpong," they all cried at once ; unfortunately they made a great mistake, for it happened to be a landscape of an up-country place of pilgrimage, named Hurdwar.
The 22nd arrived on the 13th at N"o. 9, and on the 15th, went down and encamped at the Tuivai, for the purpose of making the road up to Chepui. About the same time, also, Major Moore and Captain Heydayat Ali arrived, bringing their Goorkha and Bhoolia coolies, the remnant who had escaped the ravages of cholera at Chattuck.
Hitherto, the General had been deprived of their services, and the Commissariat had often been hard pushed to keep the supplies up to the front; for while the Kholel sharp-shooters were about, it was impossible to employ the elephants, whose unwieldiness and unmanageableness, when frightened, rendered them useless; but, on the conclusion of the armistice, they were never idle. With the exception of a strong guard at Mynad- hur, the whole of the troops comprising the left column, were at this time distributed at various posts between No. 9 and Tipai Mukh.
A Fine Stream
On the 17th, leaving behind a guard of fifty men of the 22nd under Lieutenant Gordon, the General and staflF, withMr. Edgar and Col. Nutball's wing of the 44th, marched from Pachui, and de- scended to the Tuivai, here still a fine stream — clear and cold, flowing between huge boulders, past shingly reaches, and bubbling over pebbly shallows, ever and anon widening out into still pools, in the clear depths of which were reflected the varied hues of the wooded hill-sides. A small bamboo bridge had been thrown across at a spot where a large stretch of shingle on the left bank narrowed the stream considerably.
On the way down, a great many Lushais had been observed collected in a joom opposite. A few of them went down to the river, and the General drew up his force on the shingle.
Darpong here arrived on the scene, and en- deavoured to persuade the General to halt there for the night, saying that Poiboi would parley in the darkness. These midnight parleys seem to be the usual custom among the Lushais, but it was one to which the General did not feel bound to conform, and the ascent was commenced up the Lushai track.
After a quarter of an hour's climb the joom in which the Lushais had been seen was reached. About two hundred armed with muskets were grouped in the centre, but immediately extended in fighting order. They were all clad alike in the usual grey sheet, with a small grey fillet bound round the head, and a haversack across the left shoulder.
The 44th, as they emerged on the joom, also extended, forming a line facing the Lushais at an interval of about a hundred and fifty yards. The General, with his staff and Mr. Edgar, occupying a spot half way between, directed that Poiboi should come forward.
At some little distance stood a well-dressed yo;ung fellow, and after a good deal of hurrying about and preliminary consultations among the Lushais^ he came forward, accompanied by many others. Mr. Edgar however, suspected, from his manner, tbat he was not a chief, and Engloom, being called up, declared that he was not Poiboi, but a favourite companion of the latter.
Lushai Bridges
On this the meeting broke up, it being ex- plained to the Lushais that the General would have no further dealings either with Poiboi him- self, or any other representative, till he had arrived at Chepui.
The Lushais again endeavoured, by threatening gestures, to prevent the advance, and it seemed as if Kholel was to be repeated here. However, the troops continued the ascent without taking any notice of the Lushais, and reached the village without further opposition.
After a climb from the Tuivai of two thousand two hundred feet up a steep and narrow rocky path, we crossed two or three pretty little mountain streams running over the moss and fern-covered rocks. These were bridged by Lushai structures ; a couple of bamboos, or slender trees, supported on a few frail-looking uprights fixed in the crevices of the rocks below, affording a perilous passage to the booted invaders.
The artillery elephants were got up with much difficulty, and with fearful exertions on their own part, literally having to climb up some places. One practice they had, during any ex- ertion, was peculiarly objectionable in the steep narrow track, I mean the habit of constantly dashing water on their bodies, wetting every one below with a muddy shower.
The column was halted near the village, where a few unfinished houses, intended to form a suburb of Chepui, were hired from the owners, and all the collected firewood purchased. The water supply was also very good, so on the whole we were more comfortable than we had been since the commencement of the campaign. The houses, being new, were free from the rats and fleas which disturbed our rest at the next village. The walls were made of bamboos, split and pressed out flat. The strips, thus obtained, having an average width of six inches, are inter- woven horizontally and vertically, giving a chequered pattern to the walls, exceedingly pretty when new.
Cooking Operations
Bngloom occupied a little hut in the centre. and bad managed to secure a large jar of the Lushai wine, which he was imbibing through reeds with several friendly Lushais. Some of the officers also tried it, and testified their approval by such frequent applications to the jar that Engloom took the opportunity of their superin- tending their camping arrangements to remove it to some place of concealment, and we saw it no more.
We had an opportunity of seeing a Lushai cook- ing operation performed on a fowl by Engloom. Squatting before a huge wood fire, he killed the bird by cutting its head off; and giving a few hurried plucks to some of the largest feathers, he flung the body into the midst of the flames. Snatching it out a second or two after, a few more feathers were plucked, and again it was thrown into the flames. These alternate burn- ing and plucking operations were continued for about six or seven minutes, when the singed and blackened little mass was carried off to be de- voured.
Not far off, another fowl was being roasted for the head-quarters' mess, but the modus operandi differed slightly from that of the Lu- shais. A long piece of wood, passed through the carefully plucked bird, was supported at each end by a small forked stick in front of the bright fire. A kitmutgar, sitting near, turned the piece of wood slowly round and round till the fowl was cooked.
In this camp we were protected from the cold winds and fog during the night and early morn- ing, on one side by the high peak of Chepui, which rose one thousand two hundred feet above us, and on the other side by several wooded knolls, so that, though four hundred feet higher than at Pachui, the minimum temperature during the night was never below 50**.
The troops remained here till the 22nd January ; this delay being caused by the unwillingness of the villagers to point out any route except a very roundabout one by Tingridum ; and some of the troops actually commenced work upon it.
Colonel Roberts, feeling convinced that there must be a more direct road, was untiring in his endeavours to discover it, and at last • success rewarded his efforts.
Visitors To The Camp
Previous to our arrival, all the women and children had been removed, and were concealed in some joom-houses on the hill sides, but before we left they were gradually returning and re- suming their usual occupations. No efforts had been spared to inspire them with confidence, as it was very important to keep on good terms with the villages in the rear. Their sick were treated by our medieal officers, and we heard that some of the wounded from Kholel were there. The villagers visited the camp daily, selling fowls and eggs. The latter were generally found to have been hard boiled.
Paper possessed great charms for them, and they would take newspapers up and walk quietly off with them, not being at all abashed if stopped and made to restore them ; but when a paper was given them, they went proudly away with it sticking up from the back of their turbans (such as wore them) in the shape of a large fan or hood. Green and gold labels off pickle bottles, and brass labels off sardine boxes, found great favour as decorations for their hair knots.
In the meantime the survey party had visited the highest peak of the Chepui hill, and clearing it had erected a tall bamboo survey " mark." It was about thirty feet high, and consisted of three long poles planted in the ground and tied together at the top in the form of a tripod. The top part was closed in with bamboo matting, and a bamboo basket surmounted the whole. These glittering white marks can be seen when the sun is shining on them for very long distances, and it is said were supposed by the Lushais to be effigies of Her Most Gracious Majesty, placed on their hill tops as evidences of her greatness and the power of her army to penetrate where it would.
