VI.] THE SOUTHERN MONGOLS. 189 



by which the Murrain Nagas explain the fact that they alone 

 have two hereditary chiefs, a greater and a lesser. 

 A former chief had two sons, the younger of whom, inj^Siends." 

 being the greater warrior, wanted his father to give 

 him the succession. But, being afraid of the younger and unable 

 to deprive the elder of his birthright, the aged chief bethought him 

 of a way out of the dilemma. Having first instructed the elder 

 to go and secretly bring home the head of some foe, he summoned 

 both and sent them on a similar expedition, on the understanding 

 that he who brought in the first head should be heir. The elder 

 of course came back first with the head he had already secured 

 and hidden in the neighbouring bush. But the younger still 

 insisting on his claim, a compromise had to be made by which 

 both should succeed, one as the big, the other as the little chief 

 and so it has been ever since. 



It is noteworthy that the Manipuri are also devoted to the 

 game of polo, which Capt. R. C. Temple tells us they play much 

 in the same way as do the Baltis and Ladakhis at the opposite 

 extremity of the Himalayas. Another remarkable link with the 

 " Far West " is the term A7/<?/, which has travelled 

 all the way from Persia or Parthia through Afghani- 3^*^ 

 stan to Nagaland, where it retains the same meaning 

 of clan or section of a village, and produces the same disinte- 

 grating effects as amongst the Afghans. In Angamiland each 

 village is split into two or more Khels, and "it is no unusual 

 state of affairs to find Khel A of one village at war with Khel B 

 of another, while not at war with Khel B of its own village. The 

 Khels are often completely separated by great walls, the people 

 on either side living within a few yards of each other, yet having 

 no dealings whatever. Each Khel has its own headman, but 

 little respect is paid to the chief: each Khel may be described 

 as a small republic 1 /' There appears to be no trace even of a 

 iirga, or council of elders, by which some measure of cohesion is 

 imparted to the Afghan Khel system. 



From the Kuki-Nagas the transition is unbroken to the large 

 group of Chins of the Chindwin valley, named from 

 them, and thence northwards to the rude Kakhyens 



1 Dr Watts, loc. cif., p. 362. 



