412 MEMOIR OF A SURVEY OF 



He had repeatedly been on trading excursions to the Khana Deba's 

 country, distant ten days' journey over snowy mountains the whole way, 

 there, he says, on descending from the height, the sources of two rivers 

 are found, one running to the west, which he was informed is the Dihong, 

 and the other to the south. The Khana Deba's village is called Powa. 



The old man always persisted that he travelled eastwards over the 

 snowy mountains ; if, however, he were mistaken— and that, in fact, he 

 went nearly north, there would remain no difficulty in reconciling this with 

 the former statement. 



I now prepared to accomplish my long projected expedition to the 

 Khamti country, on the Irawadi, and looked with anxiety at the snow 

 on the mountains whenever a fair day permitted a view of them, waiting 

 till the quantity should be so far reduced that they might be pronounced 

 practicable. It must be recollected that the time of rapid thaw is not 

 that for crossing in safety, and that the scanty clothing and naked feet 

 of the natives of the plains, make them very unfit people to encounter the 

 hardships of a passage through very heavy or extensive snows ; both these 

 reasons probably influenced my Khamti and Singfo acquaintances to urge 

 my putting oif the trip to the proper season. 



I had left it to the LtjRi Gohain to make such arrangements as 

 appeared to him necessary to insure success, and he considering it only 

 proper to have with us some Kkdku (Singfo, ) Chiefs of responsibility, 

 who might become our guarantees in case we should move through 

 any part of the independent territory of that tribe, fixed on the son of 

 the Gam of Lalora, and a relation of the same family, named Tansan- 

 tong, as both well fitted for it, and willing to undertake the office. These 

 two, with their followers, were to add about fourteen to our number: the 

 Tao Gohavn, and one or two more Khamlis of rank from Sadiya, with 



