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Rail journey from Borjan to Furkating |
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I was up before 6 a.m. & we breakfasted early before starting off for the Plains. I was carried on a dhoolie, kindly provided by Mr. Thomson, & Mills & Thomson walked to rail-head of a small branch line which runs to the colliery. We were to have gone onto the Sibsagar Road by trolley, but a special train had been arranged for us, & we travelled the few miles in that, with some of our staff. The coolies had taken on the loads overnight. The train took us to Sibsagar Road station. The sudden change from the Hills to the Plains was very marked & caused a curious feeling. Thomson returned to Borjan by the local train, & Mills & I waited for a long time for a train to take us to Furkating. When it arrived, at about midday, our loads were put on board; Mills & I had a large compartment to ourselves, & the dobashis & others occupied 3rd. class coaches. We lunched on sandwiches & bananas & had tea at Mariani. We passed many tea-plantations and extensive padi-fields & small patches of jungle. I saw many kites, drongos, padi-birds, cattle egrets, cormorants (large & small), whinchats, vultures & rollers. Arrived at Furkating at about 4 p.m. We disembarked & the coolies (Nagas from Angami villages) took the loads on at once. Ponies met us, but Mills & I elected to walk the 3.5 miles to the bungalow at Gorunga. It was dark when we arrived. Choruses of jackals struck up after sundown. Kites, Brahminy Kites & Flying Foxes were flying around. We had splendid views of the Naga Hills ranges all day, extending from the north Konyak country to the Angami hills, with the Phom & Sema highlands in the distance. Jackals howled round the bungalow all night. |
