﻿THE 
  EPICENTRAL 
  TRACT. 
  157 
  

  

  origin. 
  In 
  reply 
  to 
  an 
  enquiry 
  of 
  my 
  guide 
  I 
  was 
  informed 
  that 
  there 
  

   was 
  no 
  pool 
  here 
  before 
  the 
  earthquake. 
  

  

  The 
  next 
  case 
  was 
  at 
  Sinya. 
  East 
  of 
  the 
  village 
  a 
  patch 
  of 
  allu- 
  

   vium, 
  at 
  the 
  bottom 
  of 
  a 
  small 
  valley, 
  which 
  had 
  been 
  taken 
  into 
  

   cultivation 
  and 
  made 
  into 
  rice 
  fields, 
  was 
  flooded 
  to 
  a 
  depth 
  of 
  3 
  or 
  4 
  

   feet, 
  evidently 
  by 
  an 
  alteration 
  of 
  the 
  general 
  slope 
  of 
  the 
  valley. 
  

  

  The 
  third 
  was 
  at 
  the 
  village 
  of 
  Kanrut, 
  again 
  in 
  a 
  valley 
  with 
  

   an 
  alluvial 
  bottom, 
  partly 
  converted 
  into 
  ricefields. 
  Here 
  the 
  plain 
  

   had 
  been 
  submerged 
  for 
  about 
  half 
  a 
  mile, 
  and 
  the 
  old 
  ricefields 
  

   could 
  be 
  seen, 
  covered 
  by 
  water 
  about 
  4 
  feet 
  deep. 
  

  

  It 
  will 
  be 
  seen 
  that 
  the 
  changes 
  here 
  are 
  on 
  a 
  much 
  smaller 
  scale 
  

   than 
  in 
  the 
  north-eastern 
  Garo 
  Hills, 
  but 
  they 
  are 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  cha- 
  

   racter, 
  and 
  the 
  recurrence 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  conditions 
  in 
  this 
  region 
  lends 
  

   great 
  support 
  to 
  the 
  supposition 
  that 
  similar 
  features 
  would 
  be 
  ob- 
  

   served 
  in 
  the 
  intermediate 
  country, 
  which 
  it 
  was 
  not 
  possible 
  to 
  visit. 
  

  

  Besides 
  the 
  direct 
  and 
  conclusive 
  evidence 
  of 
  permanent 
  defor- 
  

   mation 
  which 
  have 
  been 
  detailed, 
  I 
  was 
  able 
  to 
  collect 
  certain 
  evi- 
  

   dence, 
  of 
  less 
  value, 
  pointing 
  to 
  changes 
  of 
  level, 
  as 
  inferred 
  from 
  

   changes 
  in 
  the 
  appearance 
  of 
  the 
  landscape. 
  

  

  The 
  first 
  of 
  the 
  places 
  where 
  such 
  evidence 
  was 
  noted 
  was 
  at 
  

   Mao-phlang 
  on 
  the 
  road 
  from 
  Shillong 
  to 
  Cherrapunji, 
  where 
  

   Mr. 
  Evans 
  informed 
  me 
  that, 
  after 
  the 
  earthquake, 
  he 
  noticed 
  a 
  

   considerable 
  change 
  in 
  the 
  appearance 
  of 
  the 
  hills 
  to 
  the 
  west. 
  In 
  

   part, 
  the 
  statements 
  were 
  general 
  and 
  might 
  be 
  attributed 
  to 
  imagin- 
  

   ation 
  or 
  defective 
  memory, 
  but 
  two 
  definite 
  facts 
  can 
  hardly 
  be 
  

   explained 
  in 
  this 
  manner. 
  

  

  Beyond 
  Mao-phlang 
  is 
  another 
  mission 
  settlement 
  at 
  Mairang,and 
  on 
  

   such 
  occasions 
  as 
  the 
  missionary 
  there 
  visited 
  Mao-phlang 
  a 
  look-out 
  

   for 
  the 
  arrival 
  of 
  the 
  party 
  was 
  naturally 
  kept 
  by 
  Mr. 
  and 
  Mrs. 
  Evans. 
  

   Before 
  the 
  earthquake, 
  I 
  was 
  informed 
  that 
  only 
  a 
  short 
  stretch 
  of 
  

   the 
  road 
  was 
  visible, 
  where 
  it 
  rounded 
  a 
  spur 
  at 
  about 
  3 
  miles 
  off; 
  

   the 
  crest 
  of 
  an 
  intervening 
  ridge 
  hiding 
  the 
  road 
  before 
  it 
  came 
  out 
  

   round 
  the 
  next 
  spur. 
  Now 
  a 
  much 
  longer 
  stretch 
  of 
  the 
  road 
  is 
  

  

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  '57 
  ) 
  

  

  