958 Granges 'Expedition into the Naga Hills. [No. 106. 



Lotahs and Dewansas, but more particularly of the former, whom they 

 call Chokannew, aad the latter Choquennew. The Dhunsiri river con- 

 tains gold of a dark colour. I succeeded in procuring a few grains, 

 through means of a gold-washer I took up with me, but the quantity 

 procured held out but little inducement for him to continue washing 

 on his own account. The depth of the river was not sufficient in the 

 cold season to admit of canoes reaching Dhemapore, though no doubt 

 they can do so at other seasons of the year. The breadth of the river 

 within its banks up there is 160 feet. There are many deep holes in 

 different parts of it, which contain many descriptions of very fine fish, 

 and the Cacharees kill great numbers of them with a poisoning creeper 

 they call '' Deo Bihy' which they bruise and wash in the waters. 



Having received intimation that no grain had arrived at Mohong 

 since my leaving it, and the quantity I had brought on with me 

 not being sufficient to authorize my moving forward (only a day's 

 grain being in camp), I returned to Mohong to urge on the large 

 quantity which had been despatched from Raha in November, but 

 which from unforeseen difficulties had been detained at Sil Dhurmpore. 

 I reached Mohong in two days, and returned to Dhemapore on the 17th, 

 and grain arriving on the 19th, I was enabled to start from Dhemapore 

 on the 21st, but not having a sufficient number of coolies to take 

 the whole of the party on, I was obliged to leave the Assam Militia 

 which had arrived from Jorhat behind, to follow me up when I sent 

 back the coolies for them. The distance from Dhemapore to Su- 

 moogoding I should say, in a straight line, would be about fifteen 

 miles, but by the route I followed, not less than twenty-two or twenty- 

 four miles, which I accomplished in 2^ days. 



Having built a stockade independent of the villagers, and part of 

 the Jorhat Militia having arrived under their Subadar, I left them in 

 post here to guard any grain that might come up, and quitting Sumoo- 

 goding on the 2nd February, reached Razapamah or Jykamee that day, 

 the distance being but six miles. We did not pursue the route followed 

 by Captains Jenkins and Pemberton, but descended to the southern foot 

 of the Sumoogoding ridge, and went along the stony bed of the Desem 

 Unurue, or Kooki river, till we reached the eastern base of the low ridge 

 on which Razapamah or Jykamee is situated. As we reached the village 

 which stood about a quarter of a mile from the river Keruhee, an influen- 



