1883.] S. E. Peal — Notes of a trip up the Diking. 13 



Moko, near Nthem, and camped on the sands near the little Singphu 

 village, where I found the remains o£ a large bund running due north to 

 the sources of the Dibru, some 12 miles off the bund being called the 

 " Pangori Gor." The ditch was to the eastwards and none of the villagers 

 could tell anything about it, or the meaning of its name, though attributing 

 it to the Ahom Rajas. In the early morning ere the fog cleared off, we 

 were much amused by watching a large troop of the common "Bandor'* 

 monkey, collected on the opposite banks and gradually all swimming the 

 river, a couple of hundred yards above us. The river being at its lowest 

 and about 100 yards over. There were about 200 of them, and the very 

 smallest crossed on their mother's shoulders, holding on to the head. 



Many of them on our shallow side seemed to leave the water reluctant- 

 ly, it was warmer than the air, by some degrees, and all scampered about 

 on the sands to dry themselves. After some bargaining for fowls, eggs and 

 rice in exchange for opium, we started on. The plan, being to draw 

 entirely on local supplies where they can be procured, which saves those in 

 store. 



At '' Paka-i-ling" where we camped again early, the river takes a bend 

 past some sandstone ledges with a very deep pool. On the wide flat sand 

 were the tracks of elephants, wild and tame buffaloes, tigers, leopards, aud 

 several cats, otters, lizards, turtle, large and small, the eggs being found, 

 deer of three kinds, i. e., horse deer or Sambur, Horina, and Huguri, or 

 hog deer, monkey and bird tracks also crossed. Even insects left their 

 mark, for in the drier portions near the bank the sand was quite pitted by 

 the ant lion. 



The following day we reached the Kerim Pani at 11 a. m. camping at 

 Bisa, a little way up-stream. Formerly this dried suti was the main one, 

 but for some ten years or so the water now comes down the M'ganto. 



As there seems to be confusion arising as to the names of the rivers 

 here — I may state that the term " Buri," as applied to Dihing from Brah- 

 maputro up ends here, the upper portion of this river is simply Dihing^ 

 and the " no Dihing" is only that portion that broke out some years ago 

 and flows to Sadia, 



At Bisa I was obliged to stay several days waiting for another boat, 

 the village consists of about 16, more or less dilapidated sheds, of the usual 

 pile-platform type. Formerly it was of considerable importance as the 

 residence of the Singphu chief " Bisa Banka," or Bisa Gam, and since his 

 death in 1878, the place is of less moment. 



The late chief's head wife, has now adopted as husband, Chauing son 

 of Latua, one of Banka's brothers, and he is called " Gam." Eventually 

 there may be a dispute as to who is to be Gam, as the late chief's son 

 Ohautong is now growing up and will be a smart lad. While here, my visit 



