12 S. E. Peal — Notes of a trip up the DiUng. [No. 1, 



These soon made their appearance, and I learned they had only lately 

 come over from the upper Irawadi or Mlikha, together with some 

 " Kunungs." Two of these latter I was glad to see and found them as pale 

 or paler than the Kamtis, colour as near as possible 33 to 45 of M. Broca's 

 scale. Hair straight and cropped a la Mishmi, no arms with them, and not 

 tattooed. Though dressed like Kamtis in a white dhoti or waist cloth, and 

 another round their shoulders, there was an unmistakably " Noga" cut about 

 one of them, and it was some time ere I could detect that it lay in the 

 way the hair was cropped. Later on I saw a good many more of them, 

 and so far, they seem to unite the Noga groups to the south, with the 

 Mishmi and Abor groups of hill men to the north of Asam, but their 

 colour is paler than either. At the camp fire I learned a good deal regard- 

 ing them, and the route they had travelled. 



Next day we made the Kamti village of " Bor Phakial," the head 

 quarters of the small colony of Buddhist Shans in Asam, and which I des- 

 cribed on my last visit.* I here found that the party of Kamtis over from 

 Mung Kamti on the Mlikha or upper Irawadi, were staying at the 

 " Munglang" Kamti village just below, so I went to see them, finding also 

 several other Kunungs who it seems had come over in the same party, to 

 see the wonderful country where all their daos went to. None of these 

 Kunungs, and only one of these Bor Kamti men had ever seen an Euro- 

 pean. The information gained now was added to subsequently, and may 

 be summarized further on. 



At Bor Phakial I had many enquiries as to where I was going this 

 year, all the better informed men at once declared it either too late or too 

 early to attempt to reach " Mung Kamti," and that beyond Khomong on 

 the Dihing three days east of the Dapha Pani I could not go (before April 

 at least) as the snow had now fallen on the ridges of the water parting 

 beyond, called on our maps, Phungan Bum, and occasionally by them 

 *' Bongan." The party, indeed intended to wait till April for this 

 reason. They also represented my party as too numerous, and this 

 I found true, for while it might not be difficult to procure cleaned rice at 

 villages en route, for six or seven persons, it would not be so easy to get it 

 for 12 or 14 without waiting a day. This determined me to reduce my 

 party and 6 men were sent back, leaving me 5 load carriers, my servant, self 

 and two boatmen or guides. These- latter and a canoe I secured, and with 

 them started up-stream the next day ; the loads in the boat and the men 

 going along the banks and sands, were crossed by the canoe at the deep 

 pools. All hands assisted the boat at the rapids. As on last trip, we 

 camped at the Tirapmiik, where the regular Noga hill route to Burma 

 over Patkai emerges, via Kherimgams village. Next day we went on to 

 • Vol. L, Part II, 1881, A. S. B. 



