17 
1872.] S. E. Peal — Visit to the Naga Hills. 
We were now treated to unlimited discourse, several speaking at once, 
sometimes in Asamese which we could understand, and often in Naga which 
we could not — chiefly as to how the Rajah had heard of us, and wished to 
look on us as “ brothers”, that I had been some three or four years so near and 
had never visited him before. The Raj ah spoke of the difficulty which his people 
often had in getting grain, and that they then relied to a great extent on 
several villages in the plains. We in fact heard that in the Rajah s house 
alone was there any considerable quantity of grain from last year s crop. 
Some little stress was laid on our passing “ their Duars,” and we could plainly 
see that they had but vague ideas regarding their position. We were in- 
vited to behold the power and grandeur of the Rajah of Banpara, whose 
sway extended over several mountains and four villages, i. e., Banpara, 
Longhong, Und, and Nokrong, while neighbouring Royalty often was con- 
fined to one, and whose warriors were literally countless, at least by Naga 
numerals. 
We were then asked to perform a few miracles, in a general way, with 
which we immediately complied, firing our revolvers into a large tree stem 
close by. My friend led ofl' steadily, and when I began he reloaded 
and kept it up and put five more from my revolving carbine. This was a good 
beginning, and there was a great deal of wind expended over it in ‘ wah- 
wahing it was considered awful. He then drew fire from heaven, or rather the 
sun, through a lens of the binoculars. And no amount of persuasion would 
induce a Naga to hold his hand under the focus. Matches were enquired 
after, and seemed to yield endless jabbering, when struck. I happened to 
strike one on my waistbelt having nothing hard enough near, and I after- 
wards heard that they thought I lit it by simply touching my skin, and that 
my deota must be a “ knowing devil.” A magnet attracting or repelling a 
needle, even from underneath the paper it lay on, was ‘ dawai,’ medicine, 
and seemed to astonish less than I had expected. 
_ An inspection of the house was then suggested, and it seems the correct 
thing to sit in audience for a time at one end and then walk through to the 
other, letting off a few polite ejaculations en route. 
The house must have been 200 feet by 50 at least, though perhaps in 
the centre not over 30 feet high, from the floor. Like most of them, it was 
built two-tliirds on the rock, and one-third continued out level by a chang, 
where the ground fell considerably, and supported on posts. This last is 
the audience end, and had in this case no gable wall, the roofing being semi- 
circular, so as to keep out wet. For the first 50 or 60 feet where the floor rested 
on posts, it was like a huge barn inside, and had no partitions, the large Jack 
posts shewing well in three rows, one down the centre, and one each side at 
about 15 feet. Some of the Marolis, or horizontal beams, (wall plates of the 
builder) were enormous, fully a foot or a foot and a half thick at the but end, 
3 
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