TO THE COURT OF AYA. 
423 
live village, about twenty months ago, by a party 
of Burmese, belonging to the army of the Chief 
Maong-kayd. About six thousand persons, in¬ 
cluding men, women, and children, were seized 
about the same time. We were all taken away 
from Cachar.—We were treated with great ri¬ 
gour ; we were chained two and two,—got very 
little food,—were made to carry heavy loads on 
the march. Women, with infants at the breast, 
and who, on this account, could not carry loads, 
had the infants snatched from them, their heads 
chopped off before them, and their bodies thrown 
into the rivers. I have witnessed murders of this 
description twelve or thirteen times myself. Old 
and sick persons, who could not carry burthens, 
were often killed by the Burman soldiers; and 
their loads, which consisted of plunder, were di¬ 
vided among the other prisoners. The reason 
that so many persons were seized was, that the 
Burmans sent numerous parties throughout the 
country, who surprised and surrounded the vil¬ 
lages, making prisoners of the inhabitants. All 
the prisoners were afterwards collected and 
marched off together. After arriving in Ava, 
we were dispersed all over the neighbourhood, 
three hundred being sent to one place, four hun¬ 
dred to another, and so on. Another native of 
Cachar, by name Tareef-gah, and myself, effected 
