258 Visit to the Hills near the Soobanshiri River. QNo. 160. 



anxious to meet them, and had not invited them to an interview : but here 

 they were, and I could not decline it; so putting a bold face on the matter, 

 I took a seat under a tree and gave them an audience. After having 

 explained my object in visiting these hills, and thanked them for their 

 civility in coming to meet me ; very much to my surprise, instead of any 

 objections being raised, they gave me a most cordial and pressing invita- 

 tion to proceed to their villages too, saying as I had come as a friend to 

 visit Tema, it was not fair that the honor should be conferred on him 

 alone ; they too were most anxious to entertain me, and would gladly 

 provide every thing necessary. One of their villages, that in which the 

 principal Gaum resides, was an easy march from where we stood. 

 They did all they could to induce me to go, overruling all my objections 

 as started. I had only supplies for three days, — they would provide 

 every thing. At last I said it would be improper for me to go to their 

 village without bringing with me some presents to bestow on their 

 wives and daughters to cause them to remember my visit. That of 

 the few things I had brought of this description, had been disposed 

 of, or were bespoke, and were I now to go empty-handed to visit them, 

 they would all say that I had bestowed many marks of favor on 

 Tema's people and to them had given nothing. I therefore could not 

 now go ; but if all turned out well, and they behaved themselves pro- 

 perly on their next visit to the plains, they should receive a visit from 

 me at another season intended for them, as my present visit was for 

 Tema. With this they appeared satisfied, and only further begged that 

 I would excuse the old Gaum coming to meet me in another Gaum's 

 village, which would be derogatory to his dignity, and allow him instead 

 to pay his respects at Siploo Mookh, or on the road down. This was 

 so ruled, and thus quietly ended the conference with the ferocious 

 Sonroks. Bini Gaum's village which we now entered, is situated on 

 one of the low hills under the Moyur mountain ; the houses are 

 long, and raised considerably on posts of cleft timber, indiscriminately 

 constructed on the top or side of the hill, but the level of the floor- 

 ing is tolerably well preserved by varying the height of the sup- 

 porting posts. It contains only ten dwelling houses ; but as each 

 house holds an entire family, including brothers and their wives, and 

 married sons and their children, each may on an average contain about 

 twenty individuals. The situation of the village is very beautiful. The 



