1839.] the Naga territories of Assam. 465 



on the road who threatened him ; Ram Doss however went on with 

 Bahoota and the interpreter, and met 200 men armed with spears, who 

 attempted to obstruct the passage, but Ram Doss pushed on, and they 

 retired. Ram Doss said they belonged to Ikkaree, and that that chief 

 had sent word to say, he would give us grain if we went to his 

 village, but that he would not, or could not, send it, (as he had pro- 

 mised to do) if I did not move forward. My chief object being 

 accomplished, viz. that of settling affairs amicably, and discovering the 

 locality of these brigands, moreover having found the exit to Assam, 

 via Sumoogoding, and deeming it a rather dangerous experiment 

 remaining any longer in a country where the roads ran chiefly in 

 the beds of rivers sure to be stopped up in the rains, which had 

 already commenced on the upper parts ; doubting also the word of 

 Ikkaree to supply us with grain, and the consequent likelihood of a 

 quarrel had we gone to his village, I determined to return. 

 ********* 



We had not a grain of rice for that day, so I marched off towards 

 Sumoogoding, where it was most likely we should get provisions, that 

 village being in communication with Toolaram's Cacharee subjects at 

 Dheghna, leaving a message to the two chiefs Impaisjee and Ikkaree to 

 the effect that, as they had taken oaths not to molest the Honorable 

 Company's subjects I should not trouble their villages, and hoped they 

 would attend to their oaths. We left camp at 9 a. m. and by a very 

 good path reached Cheremee at 11 a.m. it being about five miles from 

 Tukquogenam. It is a small village of about fifteen houses, situated 

 upon a middling sized hill ; the silly people assembled to prevent our 

 going into their village, armed with spears, little imagining that one 

 volley as they stood would have blown them of their hill. We 

 pacified them, and got a little rice, but it not being enough, I threa- 

 tened them if they did not bring more to camp, to return. From 

 the hill several other villages were pointed out to the east, but I did 

 not observe them, Papamee, and Jingpen were among their names. 

 The great range seemed to take a turn to the south of east from 

 beyond Tukquogenam. The directions of Moongjo and Sookamjo 

 were also shown, the former a village of Ikkaree's, consisting of five 

 hundred houses, and the latter belonging to Impaisjee of eight hun- 

 dred houses. 



Leaving Cheremee we descended to a small river bearing the Naga 

 name of Ompoa; we continued down its bed for about a mile, and then 

 encamped on its left bank in a newly burnt jungle, opposite the 

 village of the same name, which stood about a mile off on a hill, and 

 was hid by the tree jungle. In the valley we were in the huts had 



