Arxount of the Kcoklcs or Lunctas. 2l 



of the deity; when the inhabitants of" several neishbourino- 

 parahs (if on friendly terms') often unite, and kill~gyais and 

 all kinds of animals^ on which they feast, and dance and 

 tlrink togcvher for several days. They have no professed 

 ministers of religion, but each ador-es the deity in such 

 manner as he thinks proper. They have no emblem, as 

 of Sheem Sai/k, to represent the Supreme Being. 



The Kookies having no coins among them, but such as 

 find their way' from the plains, for the few necessaries thev 

 want they barter t'heir produce with the Choomeeas, who arc 

 the medium of connnerce ; and on these occasions the Choo- 

 meeas are never allowed to enter their parahs, but are obliged 

 to remain at a certain distance, whither the articles of ex- 

 change are brought-, such i-s their extreme jealousv of ad- 

 mitting any strangers within their parahs, as already no- 

 ticed. They frequently visit a Mug chief, commonly known 

 by the name of the Comlahpore rajah, who is settled amon<'- 

 the hills in the southern parts of this district, and to whom 

 they make themselves understood from the similarity of lan- 

 guage. They can give no account of the country to the 

 eastward of their hills ; but they have a tradition that it is 

 aii oj5en level country, like the plain of Chittagong. The 

 Kookies are a great terror to the Bengalees seUled on the 

 borders of the jungles in the Runganeeah and Aurunjrabad 

 districts ; and a particular annoj'ance to the wood-cutters, 

 whose business leads them far into the forests, and whom 

 they have frequently surprised and cut off. Whenever an 

 unfortunate event of this nature has occurred, it has always 

 been remarked, that the Kookies carry nothing away from 

 the slain but their heads, and such salt as they may have 

 with them. They stand so greatly in awe of (h-e-arms, that 

 the report of a single nuisket will put a whole party to flight ; 

 on this account the rajah of the Choomeeas, who is so "im- 

 mediately in their neighbourhood, keeps in his service a 

 number of Pthluwans, or men with fire-arms : but, not- 

 Withstanding, his people have been obliged to abandon se- 

 veral places by the depredations committed by the Kookies. 

 Though the rajah is upon terms of friendship with some of 

 the tribes, yet, in the course of their njigrations, these are 

 succeeded by others that he knows nothing of, and of whose 

 approach even he is ignorant until his people are cut off: 

 he is thercl-ore under the necessity of being constantly pre- 

 pared to repel these attacks, which, from being always made 

 ;,'! the niiiht, it is impossible to guard against. 



'i he lollowing is a specimen of the Kookie language: 



Mf'cpa Mau, 



J3 i Noonaoo 



