84 THE SINGPHOOS. 



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THE SINGPHOOS. 



The Singphoos, or Tartars, who came originally from 

 Japan, possess an extraordinary degree of energy, and 

 suffer not so much from opium ; however, they do not 

 give themselves up to the habitual use of it. In the in 

 terior of the country all is disorder ; chief is against 

 chief, and clan against clan. It is the same on the west 

 ern frontier, bordering Assam. But on the borders of 

 Assam they are given to plunder ; and prior to the Brit 

 ish taking Assam, they used to rush down on her, and 

 sweep away her people and cattle, and, man and beast 

 alike, they sold to the people in the interior ; and so the 

 Singphoos, being in possession of slaves, thought it 

 slavery to work. Consequently, there never was enougli 

 of provisions to last for the whole year, and when their 

 supply would be exhausted, they then sought in the 

 woods for yams, the soft top of the bamboo, and other 

 vegetables of a similar kind ; or they would watch from 

 behind a tree a whole day to get a pot shot at a pig or v a 

 deer, for they had but little powder, and their ball was 

 a hammered piece of iron, and they could not afford to lose 

 either by missing fire. Elephants they shot with a poi 

 soned dart, fired from a gun. The poison was a root 

 called bee, which they pounded, and put on the dart ; the 

 dart was twelve to fourteen inches long. The tusks 

 they took away and sold ; the body was useless. Their 

 religion was blood for blood. I heard of a young man 

 who killed a neighbor in a fight. He had to flee from 

 the murdered man s relatives ; but two of them followed 

 him several months until they found him out at Suddea, 

 watched him at night until they found where he con 

 cealed himself to sleep, and fell upon him and killed him 



