398 MEMOIR OF A SURVEY OF 



ascent. In the middle is the " Moraug," a large building which serves 

 as a hall of audience and debate, as a place of reception for strangers, and 

 as a house for the bachelors of the village generally, who, by their laws, 

 are not entitled to the aid of the community for the construction of a 

 separate dwelling. It was intended that we should lodge here, but the 

 effect upon our olfactory nerves of certain appendages of convenience, 

 was so appalling, that we made good a very hasty retreat from it, and we 

 had luckily received hints from the LtfRi Gohain on this subject, which 

 had induced us to bring our small tent. 



The houses are not of that great length which I have described as a 

 peculiarity in those of the Mislmii country. The first evening there was 

 no great crowd, and we observed the women and the people returning at 

 a late hour from their occupation in the fields, but there were enough 

 present to give us no little annoyance from their unceremonious manners 

 of satisfying their curiosity, which, however, we endured patiently. One 

 fellow sat down suddenly and proceeded to pluck off my shoe, the stocking 

 excited his astonishment, but finding it not so easy to get that off, he satisfi- 

 ed himself by touch that it was absolutely the fact, and then proclaimed to 

 the wondering crowd that I had positively five toes shut up in the narrow 

 space of my shoe. At night, we were surrounded and much plagued by men, 

 women and children, whom we only got rid of by promising them that, the 

 next day, they should indulge their curiosity to the full ; indeed the next day 

 appeared, when it came,* to be an allotted holiday for this special purpose, 

 and our situation was worse than that of unfortunate wild beasts at a fair, 

 in as much as that we had not the advantage of cages and bars to keep 

 our annoyers at arm's length ; our people were all suffering and complain- 

 ing, for they could not command that slight portion of respect which was 



* The village boys, at the first dawn of day, are made to go the round of the place, warning 

 sleepy folks, that it is time for labors to commence. 



