1875.] J. Butler — Rough Notes on the An g ami Nagas. 313 



was cut down in broad daylight, within a few paces of a Masonry Guard 

 House, filled with an armed detachment of his companions. In the second, 

 six out of seven elephant-hunters were cruelly massacred ; and in the third, 

 a village almost within hail, and certainly within sight, of the Guard House 

 above-mentioned, was attacked and plundered at about 9 A. M., eight persons 

 being killed on the spot, and two children carried off, one of whom the Nagas 

 subsequently cut to pieces on their retreat, on finding themselves pursued. 

 At this juncture, we find our local officers frankly declaring that our rela- 

 tions with the Nagas could not possibly be on a worse footing than they 

 were then, and that the non-interference policy, which sounds so excellent 

 in theory, had utterly failed in practice, and urging therefore that it was 

 necessary to adopt more vigorous measures. Yet notwithstanding much corre- 

 spondence that passed upon the subject, when all kinds of schemes, possible 

 and impossible, were discussed and re-discussed, nothing more appears to 

 have been done until 1865. In this year, a recurrence of fresh forrays 

 led the officer in charge of North Kachar to represent that the safety 

 of his sub-division was in jeopardy, and it was then that the Government 

 were at last moved into giving their consent to the deputation of an 

 European officer who was to effect a permanent lodgment in the country ; 

 and Samaguting (or more properly Chimukedima) was again occupied 

 by us in December 1867. Since the date of this measure being carried 

 into effect, our chief object here, namely, the protection of our lowland 

 subjects, has been most completely attained, and I think I may safely 

 say, that the prestige of our Government was never held in higher esteem 

 by our turbulent highlanders than it is at the present moment. This result 

 is due, in a great measure, to the invariable success, attending our nume- 

 rous exploration expeditions during the last six years, and the complete 

 collapse of every attempt that has been made to prevent our progress, or 

 subvert our authority, during that time. Still, notwithstanding these very 

 satisfactory results, I grieve to say that intestine feuds with all the horrors 

 that accompany their progress are as rife now as ever they were, and it re- 

 quires no great foresight to predict the possibility — I may even say th.ejpro- 

 hability — of our sooner or later being compelled to take another stride 

 in that inevitable march of progress, in that noble mission of peace, which 

 seems to be our predestined lot wherever the Anglo-Saxon sets foot. Much, 

 very much has already been done by our most just and patient Government, 

 to induce these savages to amend their ways, to convert their " spears into 

 ploughshares", and to live in peace and harmony with all men. But it 

 cannot of course be expected that the predatory habits, and head-taking 

 customs of long generations of anarchy and bloodshed will be abandoned 

 in a day, and we have hence got much earnest work before us, ere we 

 can look forward to the completion of our task. The snake has been 



