J 839.] the Naga territories of Assam. 457 



of about sixty houses, on the top of a very high hill joining the great 

 range. I went into their village, the people were a little frightened at 

 first, but afterwards they came round to look at the singularity of our 

 dress and difference of colour. They were very much astonished at 

 the whiteness of our cloths, they indeed are in a most primitive state 

 of nature ; the road went at the back of their village. We halted 

 about an hour afterwards on the banks of a small stream having 

 passed the Unggrongrow river at the base of the hill the village stands 

 on ; it falls in the Tamakee, at a distance of one day's journey from 

 the village in question. The distance to-day was only six miles, owing 

 to some of our Semker coolies (who had joined us at Kareabonglo) 

 having run off on the way. 



February 23d. Left at 8° 5' a. m. by a tolerable path, and entered 

 the great range which we had hitherto skirted, and went up and 

 down hill till we suddenly diverged from the continued forest to a 

 most noble opening, which disclosed to our view an extensive valley 

 surrounded by partly cleared mountains, with topes of firs, these 

 were in solitary groups and in ravines ; the large village of Beren ap- 

 peared on the summit of a high mountain across the valley. The 

 encampment of the Shans was visible on a knoll below the village, 

 On arriving nearer to what we supposed to be cleared ground, we 

 found extensive wastes of low grass, such as is met with in the Kas- 

 syah hills. Winding over several ravines, and passing a river flow. 

 ing south, we met the Mohurrir, Ram Doss, and a party of Shans who 

 had come out to meet and warn us to keep together, as the Angamees 

 had the night before attacked them and wounded one man, and were 

 prowling about in parties to catch stragglers. 



On further inquiry, I was sorry to find that it was through their 

 own very great neglect, and to their total inattention to the warning 

 I had given them, to keep their bayonets fixed on guard and sentry 

 duties, that one of the party, the Shan sentry, was speared in the leg. 

 1 believe there were ten or twelve Angamees about the camp, and two 

 of them crawled up through the grass at 12 p. m., and actually spear- 

 ed the sentry who was sitting down, and most probably asleep. 

 After being speared he attempted to fire his fusil, but the powder 

 being damp it missed fire, whereupon he had time to butt him, but 

 the Naga forced himself away and ran off; the second sentry came up 

 and fired, but missed ; had the bayonets been fixed, the fall of the 

 Angamee would have been inevitable. I found the camp built on 

 the remains of an old circular fort, erected formerly by Raja Krishna 

 Chunder of Cachar, who was driven out of the country by famine, 

 after losing one or two men by the spears of the Angamees ; he came 



