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but their hair, which is raven black and generally very abundant, is worn in a large chignon on the top of the head, and fastened with large silver pins highly ornamented. They also wear earrings or rather solid discs of gold or silver, not pendant, but fixed in the lobe of the ear, which is completely slit and not merely pierced. As bracelets they wear heavy rings of gold and silver. The precious metals for these ornaments are obtained from the rich gold and silver mines which are found in the hills forming the boundaries of Burmah on the north, and the manufacture of jewellery is a monopoly of the chiefs, who are the gold and silversmiths of the village, and derive considerable profit from the exercise of their handicraft.

The costume of the men consists of a close-fitting jacket of white cotton, with tight long sleeves rolled up over the wrists, and buttoned down the chest; a piece of checked cotton cloth secured round the waist, and several yards in length, is looped up between the legs, giving somewhat the appearance of Turks' trousers, while a very white strip of cloth is twisted and tied round the head in the shape of a puggaree, with the ends sticking up over the forehead, the hair being twisted into a knot on the top of the head. The men also wear earrings and bracelets like the women. As arms they carry a heavy knife of splendid temper and as sharp as a razor, made from the steel manufactured in the Khamtee country on the north of Burmah. The blade is about eighteen inches in length, increasing in width from the handle to about two inches at the point, which is square. The

Khamtees are inveterate traders, and to their industry Northern Assam is much indebted for the best rice and vegetables, especially potatoes. Although the chief is lord of the soil, the whole community till it on the cooperative system, the chief having his portion allotted to him; after which the produce is equally divided between each house, according to the number of hands in it who have helped in the cultivation. As slavery is an institution among them, well-to-do Khamtees never labour. Besides the common land small plots are also cultivated by individuals. Free-born people also possess numerous herds of tame buffaloes and oxen used for tilling the ground, and also as a means of barter with the Mishmees.

All the grain produced by a village is kept in public storehouses always built on the river bank, so as to be near water in case of fire; and the chief's man of business, or tax collector, attends at one of these houses at daylight every morning to serve out the paddy to every house, a member from which attends to receive the daily supply, and the produce of all grain sent to market from these stores is accounted for by the chief, who distributes it pro ratâ among the different houses.

As a rule, all the free men are hunters, very few of them doing manual labour, and in this they are very expert, both on land and water, handling a boat among the rapids in an unrivalled manner. They are also the soldier guardians of the clan, as well as the merchants who trade with the Assamese, and other tribes; while the older men, who are beyond leading such an active life, assist the chief as counsellors of the community. In

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physique, the Khamtees are superior to any of their neighbours, and conspicuous for their light complexions. Their national characteristic seems to be an exceeding restlessness. Where unchecked, predatory habits are the delight of the warriors, and the murderous readiness to use their knives makes them much dreaded, while their mode of warfare, which consists of early morning surprisals, with fire and sword, has caused them to gain a deserved name for treachery.

As I had been so successful with Chowsam during our carousal over night, I determined to leave him next morning, before he had time to change his mind; and we had just finished stowing the dugout, when he and three of his principal men arrived. I greeted him cheerily, and he replied with a good-natured shake of his head, and an observation that I had been too many for him and his elders the night before. He pressed me to stay another day or two, but I declined, as I had much to do in Sudiya, where I would await his arrival. My real object was to avoid giving his elders a chance of arguing the expediency of their chief undertaking the journey. Finding me determined to start, he walked down the river bank with me, and, on arriving opposite his house, a number of women came out, bringing quantities of fowls, pork, rice, honey, and sweetmeats. Having stowed these, I shook hands with my host, who again asked if I was determined to go through the Mishmee country, and, on my telling him that with his aid I feared nothing, he replied, 'Good; I will meet you in Sudiya on the tenth day of the next moon.' So we parted, and I returned to Sudiya to wait the appointed time.

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CHAPTER XII.

THE TENGA-PANEE.

Native Officials-Chowsam's Terms-Return to Tenga-panee-Pleasant Reception-Bachelors' Quarters-The Priest and his Omens-Attacked by Monkeys-Torchlight Fishing-A Pastoral Visit Our Coolies-The Departure-The Medicine Chest-Farewell Addresses-My Elder Brother.

TRUE to his promise, Chowsam appeared in Sudiya on the appointed day, November 13, but declined final arrangements until the arrival of the Commissioner.

The chief's behaviour was mysterious. Whenever the subject of the Mishmee country was touched on, he shook his head, and changed the conversation. This conduct was puzzling until the cause was discovered. Chowsam spent a good deal of time in the bazaar, in company with a Native official, whose duty it was to look after the tribes; and Philip, to whom I had confided the task of finding out the influences at work on Chowsam, soon discovered that the Native officials were averse to a European visiting the Mishmees, the fact being that they have considerable influence among the tribes, and are not, perhaps, very scrupulous in using it. Having made this discovery, I remained inactive till the arrival of Captain Gregory, on the 23rd of November. Before

I had seen him, Chowsam came and declared that it would be impossible for him to accompany me, as a man named Harden, the chief political Native officer, had assured him that, in the event of anything happening, the Government would not take notice of it. Under these circumstances, to travel among the tribes would be 'walking against the knife.' The chief was unmistakeably alarmed. This interference of the Native officials, by publishing me as a man out of the pale of Government protection, would obviously prove fatal, if unchecked. I at once paid Captain Gregory a visit, and explained matters to him. He could not interfere, or give Chowsam any guarantee of protection, but his evident friendliness and sympathy inspired Chowsam with confidence, and after our interview, I invited the chief to my quarters for the purpose of having a talk. I reminded him that the murder of Messrs. Crick and Bourie, the two French missionaries, a few years before, had been avenged on the Meju Mishmees. If such steps had been taken in the case of men who were not Englishmen, how much more would the Government be likely to avenge the murder of our party of eleven British subjects? This argument settled the matter, and I proceeded to conclude arrangements with the chief. For his services as guide and Mishmee interpreter, and the expenses of the journey to Thibet, I gave him four hundred rupees, and secured to his family, in case of his death, the sum of five hundred rupees. I also paid in advance two months' pay, at thirty rupees per month each, for six of his men as porters. By this plan