| caption: |
possibility of terracing at Punglomi; punishment fines and carrying obligations |
| text: |
25th To Zekwera. A tiresome tour of five miles over spurs of Paona in and out of nullahs on a very stony path to Punglo, which I counted, and then up to the small Kuki village on Paona, a gruelling climb in the sun, thence on up to the bridle path where I ate my lunch under an umbrella tied to a spear and huddled over a fire of sticks in a heavy shower of cold rain. About sixteen miles to the bungalow, (which was dirty and in charge of a perfectly useless chaukidar), but it seemed more. I was not in till 4 pm. |
| text: |
There is magnificent land for terracing at Punglo, if water can be got to it, and I have sent the demonstrator to look at it and see. The village are willing to try terraced cultivation. I was surprised at starting to find 3 or 4 people turn up from Golomi to carry. I asked why it was then that they ran away when called before and discovered that that was when they had to carry punishment loads for joining in the Gaidhiliu agitation. They seemed rather glad to have the chance of earning a few annas, and on the way I met those who had taken on my tent coming back with loads of millet which they had bought with the proceeds. |
| text: |
There is a stone which is unlikely to slip and block the road in the 28th mile. It had better be blasted, I think and put over the edge in pieces. |
| text: |
I asked Punglomi why they had paid cash instead of rice at Henima. They said that they had paid all the rice they could and having no more to make up their quota of punishment, took the equivalent in cash. They asked to have their revenue reduced again to Rs.2/- and to have their gun returned. |
| text: |
Paona has been established on its present site for over 30 years. It was assessed at a punitive rate when the bulk of the village migrated to Chalkot and the rump refused to go, preferring to stay where they were and pay treble rates. They might now revert to normal rates. |
| text: |
Numbers of Pulomi (Kenoma) in here with all sorts of requests and cases and a filthy noise in the neighbourhood which lasted till morning. These Pulomi people shout and argue exactly like Aos when they are full of victuals drink and argument. |
