CHAPTER XVII.

THE COUNCIL OF CHIEFS.

Mine Host-Killing a Yak-Mishmee Marriages-The Price of a WifeCeremonials-Social Laws-Religion-Philip and the Thibetans-The Khamtee Traders—Respect for the Chief—Our Officials—Assemblage of Chiefs-Bowsong's Oration-Difficult Questions--A Dangerous Dilemma-Pacific Conclusion-Deputation of Chiefs to Sudiya-Peace with the Mejus—Road-making-Brick Tea for Thibet-Sengsong-True Hospitality-Rifle Practice-A Lucky Shot-My Lame Ankle-The Soothsayer's Prescription-Homewards.

BOWSONG'S household were astir early the following morning, busily preparing a feast for a number of the Meju chiefs, who had signified their intention of being present at a general council in the evening. Mine host was evidently a great man in his own country. He stood about five feet six inches, with a herculean frame and a countenance expressive of the keenest intelligence, but his eyes being very small and bright gave him a look of cunning not altogether pleasing, while thin closely compressed lips spoke of cruel determination; but his face was singularly expressive, and an exact index of the feelings, hostile or amiable, by which he happened to be influenced.

He greeted me most hospitably on entering the strangers' room, and told Chowsam, with the air of a

lord, that he was going to kill a yak in honour of the English Queen, and to celebrate the arrival of the first English guest that had honoured his village.

The slaughter of either bullock, yak, or mhitton amongst the Mishmees is a rare occurrence, and only takes place on the most important occasions, such as deaths, marriages, &c. The slaughter is always performed with great ceremony. The animal, with a halter round its neck, is held by a slave, while the men of the house with drawn knives form a circle round it, the women and children standing in a group at a respectful distance from the men. Then, amidst a solemn silence the chief or head of the house steps forward with his large Thibetan knife, and calmly surveying the animal for a few minutes, with a sudden tiger-like spring, delivers a frightful cut on its loins, apparently paralysing it. The chief then retires, and all the men rush in and with horrible yells hack and hew at the wretched beast until it falls with piteous groans, and long before life is extinct lumps of the quivering flesh are cut off and thrown to the women and children, who scramble for the warm bloody pieces, and, amidst frantic shouts of delight carry them to the house, where they are boiled for the feast. This ceremony is a ghastly spectacle, and sickened me, especially when Chowsam informed me that prisoners are killed in this way, and that the unfortunate missionaries, Crick and Bourie, had been surrounded and hacked to death in a similar

manner.

The ceremony of killing the yak took place about seven in the morning, and by nine o'clock several chiefs

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235

had arrived, and a large gathering sat down to the feast. I was too unwell to join in the revelry; indeed, the I sight of the Mishmees handling and tearing at huge lumps of parboiled flesh was too much for me, and it was with the greatest difficulty that I managed to eat a roasted egg.

The whole day was one continued feast. Chiefs and their followers kept dropping in at intervals until the walls of the strangers' room appeared like an armoury, decorated with their spears which were placed against them.

My ankle was now so bad that I had done the last day's march on a couple of crutches. A large abscess was forming under the ankle bone, and every movement caused indescribable agony; under these circumstances I could only lie down and observe my companions while they conversed.

Bowsong was most communicative, and during the day I learnt from him a great deal about the manners and customs of the Mishmees. The chief's youngest brother, a youth some eighteen years old, asked during breakfast if I was married, and receiving a reply in the negative, he sympathised with me, saying that he was not married either, as he had not yet got enough heads as a dowry for his bride. This remark led to Bowsong's telling me something about Mishmee marriages.

The ceremony is highly original. Women are priced at from fifty to five hundred heads, and a large family of daughters are very valuable, especially if they be well favoured. When the eldest son and heir of a family

has made his choice he speaks to his father, who undertakes to treat with the young lady's parents, and thereupon considerable bargaining takes place between the two families; if the coveted fair one be very beautiful it sometimes takes months to complete the bargain. When, however, this matter is settled, the young man pays his future father-in-law a visit, taking with him a number of heads as part of the purchase-money, which he hands over to the old gentleman, and is then allowed to court the young lady, whose heart he seeks to gain in the first place by making her father a present. After this visit the young woman's father pays the lover's family a visit, taking to his future son-in-law a present equal to the number of heads received. If, after this visit, all are mutually satisfied, the young man takes the rest of the bargain-money to the father-in-law, who thereupon hands over the daughter, giving her as a dowry a share of the heads paid for her. Until they have become the parents of grown-up children, the men and women never eat meat in each other's presence, nor can a man (except on very solemn occasions) eat meat in a father-in-law's house. This peculiar custom when a man has many wives (and he always keeps as many as he can afford) often prevents him from eating flesh in any house in the village save his own. Poor younger sons have to work very hard for a wife, for they get no help from their father, but have to trade sometimes for years before they can bring their wives home to a house of their own; but on payment of a part of the purchase-money the youth may marry and visit his wife at her father's house,

though she and her children can never leave it until every head is paid. This custom is a great stimulus to the young men in their musk-hunting and trading excursions, for until they pay for their wives they hold no position, and their wives and children have to work for the benefit of the wife's family.

The two most important ceremonies of the Mishmees are undoubtedly those attending deaths and marriages. In the case of sickness a soothsayer is called in and he generally prescribes the sacrifice of fowls or pigs, according to the state of the patient. These sacrifices he orders as a propitiation to the demon who is supposed to be instrumental in causing sickness. When death ensues, particularly in the case of a chief, mhittons, pigs, and fowls are killed without stint, and all the old men and women feast to their hearts' content, hospitality being considered a great virtue. They eat in honour of the departed, talking the while of his great and good qualities. The body is burnt after two days and the ashes collected and placed in a miniature house, erected close to the family residence. This unique tomb is then surrounded by some of the skulls collected by the chief during his lifetime, which serve as a monument to his past hospitality, while the rest of his treasures are divided amongst his sons, the son-and-heir taking the lion's share. When there are no sons the skulls go to the nearest male relations. The eldest son takes the title of gam, or chief, and holds a yearly feast in honour of his deceased father, which is considered one of the most sacred observances amongst them.