| caption: |
heavy drinking after dance and discussion of treaties |
| text: |
(34) After we have watched the dance for some time and I have taken numerous photographs, we go back to our camp while the Panso people go on dancing into the dark evening, finally to the light of a huge fire. Enormous quantities of madhu are consumed and at night I see Monkokutem, the gaonbura of Chingmei, stagger into the camp utterly drunk. What happened to Chingmak is especially funny. He too was watching the dance and then had many another drink in Panso. At this feast he acts as a peace envoy. Treaties between Panso and Nokhu and god knows how many other villages are discussed and decided upon and it was quite late when he came home, his nose glowing. When put on the spot by Nokhu in the morning as to his political activities, he declared ignorance on all and was most astonished when others told him of the peace plans he had outlined. |
