26 S. E. Peal — Bcport on a visit to tlte [No. 1, 



heard before, and that Nagas inhabited the hill ranges around on the 



west. 



At night we had again a large audience, the men and boys seated 

 round the camp-fire, the women and girls in a circle standing outside. I 

 was asked all sorts of questions about my country and people, the Queen, 

 railways, and steamers, on which Mimg had been dilating more or less. 



Next morning after eliota hazri, I started eastwards with my orderly 

 and a couple of Nagas, and got into &jhum on the eastern flank of our hill, 

 from whence I obtained a fine view. At noon we returned and had 

 breakfast and after a rest, I made an outline sketch of the Namtsik valley, 

 and then saw a fine sunset. I also fired a few rounds from my revolver, at a 

 mark, to the delight of the young men, who cut out all the bullets at once 

 from the old stump. Some eight or nine Kessa* Nagas came to the village 

 from the other side of Patkai, and were pointed out to me. They were, I 

 could see, in various ways somewhat different to the Nagas I was among. 

 Paler in colour, more ugly and sinister in looks, destitute of arms or of orna- 

 ment, and each wore a large wrap of bonrhea cloth. They also did not 

 tattoo. It was difficult to communicate with them, as only one or two 

 knew a few words of Singphu, and their " Naga" was also very different. 

 The Sonkap headman and others told me they belonged to a tribe who 

 sacrificed human beings, and, as this was news to me* I took some pains to 

 get it confirmed by them. The Nagas replied by explaining that it was 

 done as an old custom, to secure good crops when there was likelihood of 

 failure, and not through wantonness, and that they explained this to the 

 victims, men and women, captured or bought, who were tied to a stake, 

 and killed, as far as I understood, by a cut across the abdomen transversely 

 in some way. It would be very desirable to verify this on the spot, and, 

 if it proved true, endeavour to suppress the practice of such a custom at 

 our doors. 



The entire Naga question must be taken up sooner or later and 

 properly settled, or it will be a source of constant trouble to us. We have 

 had very fair success with the Aryan populations of India, but seem to 

 fail signally among non-Aryans. Dr. Hunter's remarks regarding such 

 races are worthy of the most careful attention. They seem to need a com- 

 bination of the autocratic and patriarchal, — an essentially Personal as 

 distinguished from a Departmental Government, with its cloud of Babus, 

 a race mortally detested, by the Nagas and such like tribes (and with 

 reason). This indispensable element of personal regard our Government 

 seems to systematically ignore, the most potent tie which can connect us 

 with these people is frequently and recklessly severed, with results that 



* Nagas on our side of Patkai are called "Hijud Nagas," or cooked, i. e., civi- 

 lized, those on the Burmese side are Kessa = Kutcha, or raw. 



