A HERD OF ELEPHANTS SURROUNDED 149 



selves in the mud, and were not affected like the carp species. The dis- 

 covery of this peculiarity caused my men much grief, and some who told 

 me that those fish had " only one bone in them," and that " all the rest 

 was meat," were quite depressed. I think they almost felt inclined to 

 punch a small elephant coolie's head who provokingly showed, with Loth 

 his outstretched arms, how long some were tiiat he had seen. 



On the 4th January news came from Suddar Ali of his having sur- 

 rounded the ele];)hants he had gone after on the 1st. The provision-boats 

 had not come up yet, so, as I was getting anxious, I despatched two men 

 on a raft down the Chengree to meet them ; and leaving Sergeant Carter 

 with the bulk of the elephants to bring on the supplies when they arrived, 

 1 started on the 5th at 7 o'clock to join Suddar Ali, and marched with six 

 elephants till 4 p.jl, about twenty-one miles, when we camped. The jungle 

 for the most part of the way — our path skirted the Chengree — was fine 

 open forest that had never been cut, except near a large Jooma settlement 

 called Gasban, which we passed about 12 o'clock. The trees were so tall, 

 and the shade so high and close, that nothing more than a skull-cap was 

 necessary, the sun being unable to penetrate the dark forest. 



Soon after starting we heard a solitary elephant in the cover by tlie 

 path-side ; he squeaked and trumpeted on winding our elephants, but did 

 not show himself, having M'inded us also. 



In this part of the hills there were very few inhabitants ; Gtisban was 

 the only settlement for many miles round. The people of the hills are 

 all called Joomas by the dwellers in the plains ; but this is a term which 

 merely signifies people who cultivate by jooming, or clearing forest-land 

 for a year or two, and then abandoning it in favour of fresh land. The 

 people were of several tribes — viz., settlers from Arracan, Chuckmas, Mugs, 

 Tipperahs, and to the east the dreaded Kookies, or Looshais. Of these 

 castes the Chuckmas appear to have more claims to be called aboriginal to 

 the Chittagong hills than the others, though the Kookies (Looshais) are abo- 

 riginal in the eastern portion. I "WTite under correction however, as I knew 

 nothing of the languages and could not learn much from the people, of whom, 

 moreover, we saw very few except at Gasban. 



The one thing alwut which there seemed no doubt at all was, that the 

 Kookies terrified the rest out of their seven senses, or had done so till 

 recently, by occasional raids to the westward, when they are represented to 

 have put to the sword everybody but such women as they carried off into 

 captivity. It resulted from this that large tracts had been abandoned from 

 time to time by the Joomas, when the Kookies, who seem to be a fine, war- 

 like race, were hard upon them. Within the last few years, however, the 



