HUME'S BARRED-BACKED PHEASANT 179 



the men began to howl and throw themselves at my feet, but of course I shrugged my 

 shoulders. I could not understand what was passing, but I knew well that my old 

 friend would not hurt a fly, and was quite content to let him play his own game. I 

 found out later that what he had said when he pretended to be so furious was this : 

 ' You scoundrels, how many Manipuris have you not killed in old times, when you came 

 as fugitives, and we ought to have killed you ? I it was who was Governor down here, 

 who induced the Maharajah to spare your lives; now the first time His Highness 

 desires a small service of you, you treat his sacred orders with insolence, you, you dogs ! 

 You shall die ! Here, seize those two and shoot them to begin with ! ' 



"All began to cry and howl and throw themselves on the ground, but the old 

 gentleman was not to be appeased, and I really became nervous, for eight men with 

 loaded Enfields (which they did not in the least know how to use, but which they were 

 brandishing in the most terrifying manner) were dangerous. 



" Guessing that he wanted a stepping-stone down from his high horse, I then came 

 forward and suggested that, if they once went off for the pheasants and brought some 

 within a week, their lives might be spared. He appeared to receive the suggestion with 

 great deference, but most unwillingly, and walked backwards and forwards saying in 

 their language, as I afterwards learnt : ' No, they shall die ; they are only fit to be shot, 

 dogs ; still, his Excellency is His Highness's guest ; it is as though the Maharajah 

 himself spoke, but they ought to be shot. Well, never mind, I will shoot them the 

 next time they give the smallest trouble.' Then he turned to them and said that 

 at my request he would spare them if they went off then and there and brought the 

 pheasants. 



" Instantly they agreed to go ; there was no more hesitation, and in half an hour 

 they were off", laughing and chuckling and vociferously chaffing the two who had been 

 seized for execution, and who, although they fully believed that they had been within an 

 ace of death, equally treated the matter as a most amusing adventure. Indeed, they 

 went off in such high spirits that I suspected that they had seen through the joke, and 

 that we should see no more of them, but the Envoy told me not to fear. He said : 

 ' These are not men, they are mere animals ; unless you frighten them you can get 

 nothing done ; they always meant to go ; all this has been done in the hopes of getting 

 something more out of us ; they are in high delight now, because they can easily get the 

 pheasants without any real danger, and though they have failed to extort more, what you 

 promised them at first is to them what a crore would be to you ; they never saw so much 

 money in their whole lives ! ' 



" Sure enough, within the week they returned with one beautiful fresh skin and one 

 perfectly uninjured bird in a cage, both unfortunately males. According to their account, 

 the first day they began trapping they were scented, their scouts driven in, and they had 

 to fly. This was probably true, because, as they were to be paid a large sum per bird, 

 once they were on the ground they would assuredly not have contented themselves with 

 securing only two. Being therefore probably true, it was out of the question to think of 

 sending them back again, and for the nonce I had to be satisfied with the two birds. 



" When I exhibited the skin at the capital the Maharajah was delighted. Neither 

 he nor any one there had ever seen the bird, and he has kindly promised to procure me 

 more, and especially to get me females. Now that I have shown that the bird does 



