432 MEMOIR OF A SURVEY OF 



strong palisade. The intermediate plain was all cultivated, with a good 

 path through it, improved by putting down boards at all the broken places. 

 We passed a third village on the road. A very respectable house was given 

 us to remain in, built to serve the purpose of a town hall, furnished all 

 round with a boarded seat, and raised high on strong posts. The fame of 

 our white faces and musical boxes attracted to us an immense crowd 

 the moment of our entry, who disposed themselves, as many as they 

 could, in the hall above, and many more under the Machdn, or mounted 

 on the bamboo walls — but they were perfectly well behaved. In the 

 evening, the Raja's two nephews and brother arrived in some state, 

 accompanied by a few musketeers, and little Chinese gongs, to announce 

 their arrival; they were equally polite with our former conductors, 

 handsomely dressed, and tine looking men. They wished us to proceed 

 another very short stage on the 18th, to the Palanseng Gohains village, 

 that we might, after our fatiguing march, suffer as little as possible 

 in the remaining portion of our journey. They appeared to feel great 

 anxiety in the question whether we should be induced to take part 

 in their wars with their neighbours of Mihig Khamti. We made them 

 presents of scarlet Cloth and muslin turbans, with which they were much 

 gratified. 



We remained the next day, according to their request, and had the 

 same sort of employment in entertaining the great men with sights of our 

 apparatus, of which our guns and pistols most excited their attention. 

 Our people were still complaining of their sores and swollen legs ; indeed, 

 several had been left at the first village, who were actually unable to come 

 on, and it had become my turn also to fall sick. The mode of providing 

 our party with food was, to quarter them two together in a family, who 

 announced the hour of meals. To the N.W. we could perceive the snowy 

 mountains at the source of the Namlang, but this was the only direction 

 in which the view was not limited by high hills. 



