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women frightened by sight of Hutton on horseback; enquiry concerning a girl taken from Thachumi to Manipur; marriage and brideprice; love matches |
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To Melomi. My pony had met me at Primi so I rode. The sight of a man on horseback was too much for women collecting fuel who threw down their loads and dived frantically into the jungle. |
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When a better Bungalow is built at Melomi it should be put amongst the pine trees at the top of the knoll towards Primi. The present site is a little too near the village. The stable, however, had better stay down below, as there is an open place where ponies can be turned out to graze. Buckets are badly wanted at all these Bungalows. |
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Before leaving Primi one Rutsangchu of Thachumi came to enquire the whereabouts of his sister Zhuteh, who was taken away as a child by one Jamngul(?) or Yangnoi. He went as far as Haujakhup's village (?Khulen) the other day but Haujakhup said that the girl was in another village very far away, so he was afraid and came back. Possibly the President, Manipur State Durbar could get the Sub Divisional Officer of Ukhrul to find out whether Haujakhup really knows where the girl is, so that her brother would go and see her. It must be twelve or thirteen years since she was taken away. |
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When the guard leaves Primi I propose to post Lukinchu to Karami as Muharrir-Chaukidar (as at Mechangbung) on Rs 2/- less than his total pay. |
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Kohoto turned up (from his honeymoon) this evening for an extra months leave, which I gave him. He has had to pay 22 mithan and Rs 300/- cash for Kohazu's daughter. It must be nearly, if not quite, a record price, and if the girl is anything like most of her male relatives, it would be worth paying that much - to be rid of her, but she may take after the two or three decent members of her family that there are, or rather were. Nitoi is the only survivor. It is said to be a love-match - a rare thing among Semas. As Kohoto said, for that sum he could have bought four wives of any other household. |
