1855.] Notes on Northern Caehar. 651 



the serpent and fierce as the tiger. They conduct their approaches 

 with every circumstance of stealth and wariness, prowling in the 

 jungles for days in the vicinity of the village they intend to attack, 

 if it is too strong to be carried by a coup-de-main, watching for an 

 opportunity when the inhabitants may be completely off their 

 guard. When resistance is expected, their general time for an 

 onslaught is just before day-light. The village is fired and the 

 savages rush through it massacring the inhabitants as they at- 

 tempt to escape from the flames. When, however, plunder is the 

 object of the foray (the more common reasons being long estab- 

 lished feuds, and among young warriors generally only the am- 

 bition to distinguish themselves), and the attacked party are 

 greatly the weaker, the village is boldly entered in broad day, 

 every soul except those reserved for slaves being put to the sword, 

 their heads together with the plunder being carried off as tro- 

 phies, and the village fired on departure. In the retreat, laden 

 as they are with plunder, they march with the greatest celerity, 

 making it quite impossible for regular troops to follow them, 

 did even the nature of the ground permit. Bad as the com- 

 munication is among the hills, the Angamies do not trust to its 

 channels, but plunging into the densest jungles, follow the tracks of 

 wild beasts, and the courses of small streams, reaching their homes 

 without fear of being overtaken. 



The Angamies have not only displayed great enterprise in war, 

 but they are also remarkable among the tribes for their love of 

 commerce. Many of them find their way down to the marts in 

 Caehar and Assam, some proceed as far as Gowhatti, Sylhet and Dacca, 

 and some have even gone as far as Calcutta in pursuit of trade. 

 They bring down from their hills, ivory, wax, and cloths manufac- 

 tured from the nettle fibre, and take up in exchange salt, brass wire, 

 shells, gunpowder, &c. &c. They fully appreciate the superiority of 

 fire-arms over other weapons, and have succeeded in providing them- 

 selves with a«considerable number of muskets, which they use with 

 effect. Their other weapons are the spear and dhao, the former a 

 most formidable instrument with a broad blade, and sometimes as 

 many as three or four barbed prongs down the sides, the haft being 

 ornamented with goat's hair, dyed red, bound round it. In defeuce 



