396 MEMOIR OF A SURVEY OF 



of regular troops ,who might keep the villagers in some awe, while guarding 

 our boats and effects at the Glial ; I had also fifteen musketeers of the 

 Khamtis, to accompany us if we should be able to advance. 



We arrived (Lieutenant Burlton was now with me) at Singaru 

 Ghat, without any remarkable occurrence on the way, and immediately 

 sent Agakong (a Mishmi Chief, resident on the Dihong) to the Membu 

 village, to show the before-mentioned stone, and remind them of their 

 invitation. He brought back one of the two influential men of the 

 place, with information that we were expected at the village, and 

 that they should be happy to see us. In the mean time, people had been 

 with us from Padu village, to express the wishes of the Gam and com- 

 monalty of that place, that we would remain on the sand-bank where we 

 were, and there receive their visits, and hold a grand conference, which 

 the Abors seemed to understand as the only reasonable purpose of our 

 coming, or, at any rate, as the only admissable mode of communicating 

 our intentions. 



We held to our first resolution, but before we could set out the next 

 day, more messengers arrived from Membu to inform us, that they were 

 aware of the endeavour made by the Padu people to detain us, and 

 begging that we would pay no attention to them. This manoeuvring exhi- 

 bits the difficulty of treating with people who do not acknowledge one 

 common head; but, on the contrary, are all jealous of one another, and 

 united only in cases of general application to the common welfare. 



We started, and marched two hours through a dense tree jungle by 

 a path admitting, as usual, but one man at a time : we then came out 

 upon a fine patch of cultivation, extending four or five miles, and passing 

 through a part of it, we entered a path eight or ten feet wide, and per- 

 fectly even, which continues in a direction nearly north to the Shiku. 



