140 
MINUTES OF PBOCEEDINGS OF 
sainber stag, lie passed me when fishing, but my gun being at hand, I grasped 
it in time to fire before he reached the sanctuary of the opposite bank. 
His appearance, as he broke cover and bounded across the river from rock 
to rock, was magnificent, his horns laid well back, and his thick ruff of hair 
falling deep down over his throat. I ought to mention that the want of 
water during the “ dry ” portion of this march was severely felt by the Sepoys 
and animals, the day being very hot and close, it killed a noble wolf hound 
dog belonging to a native officer of the Jat Horse. Our next march was 
to Dewagoan, about fifteen miles, no water for about eleven miles, all 
suffering exceedingly in consequence, a tract of country like that of the 
day before, wastes after wastes of dry grass, with stretches of forest, all 
scorched and burned; we passed the body of a dead rhinoceros. When 
we at length did meet with water, there was seemingly no end to rivers 
and brooks, which we had to cross and re-cross some twenty times just 
before arriving at Dootma, a pleasant little village of Mechees. Mr 
Metcalf, near this, had caught six Bhooteas and their wives, of whose 
neighbourhood the villagers had given information. The principal man 
of these seemed to be above the common class, by the deference paid 
to him by the villagers; he had beside the usual straight sword, an English- 
made percussion single barrelled gun, with a flask of Hall's powder and 
a tin box of Joyce’s caps. He was an intelligent man, spoke a kind of 
Assamee Bengalee, and thus, through an interpreter, we got much interesting 
information. The women were remarkable for their ugliness, and, like the 
men, belonged to the order of the great unwashed. 
There were wide open plains (around Dootma), with excellent bustard 
shooting; a tiger carried off no less than three bullocks from the very midst 
of our camp, at night, and we accordingly made up a party to kill him, but 
he broke away by an unguarded spot and escaped. The villagers speak of 
many of these animals being about. 
On information received regarding the existence of a Bhootea guard-house 
called Rephoo Chung, some 20 to 25 miles to the north-west, a party of 110 
Sepoys were ordered to proceed there. Colonel Richardson himself accom¬ 
panying, from whom I obtained permission to go also. 
On the 25th January we left Dootma, and marched 6J miles to a village 
called Goosagoan; it consisted of about sixty houses, and contained a separate 
clump of Bhootea huts, all built on piles, the lower story being used for 
cattle and pigs only. Their little colony was surrounded by a stockade of open 
work, from 13 to 15 feet high; we passed several villages on the way 
with extensive rice fields adjoining. At night the screaming of pea-fowl 
round the village formed a most discordant chorus. 
The next day we passed through four miles of cultivated land, and then 
came the old belt of high grass, tree-jungle, and forest, without the least 
sign of water; when we had completed about twelve miles we emerged upon 
a wide dry river bed—the water having sunk below the surface as before 
explained—in full sight of the mountains which rose about two miles ahead; 
we toiled over the rocks and boulders for about two miles more, when we 
saw perched on a little plateau just above the river, which had a little 
water in it, the stockade and guard-house of Rephoo Chung, around which 
rose some ten high poles with little flags thereon, and nailed on the 
poles were yards of Bhuddist prayers printed on calico, calling upon the 
