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Train journey from Dimapur |
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Luckily I woke up at 2.15 a.m. & heard the train whistling as it approached the station. I leapt up & dashed off to find the 'bearer' & Nikrihu. I shouted the place down, as I did not know where they were, & eventually they crawled sleepily out of one of the huts in the compound. By dint of cursing & chasing them I managed to galvanise them into activity & managed to get the luggage rushed down to the station, the train having been in some time. It was a very near thing. The Station-master, like everyone else was half-asleep, so I had my goods bundled into the compartments, there being no time to weigh or pay for the luggage, & no one sufficiently awake to claim the freight. Very cold night again. Arrived at Lumding Junction at about 5.30 a.m. It was quite dark. I transfered to the "Hill Section" train on the Assam-Bengal Railway, & had breakfast at the station. The train left at 6.30 a.m. I travelled with a young tea-planter, who was good company, & also with a telegraph official. I lunched off biscuits & bananas, as I did not like the look of the regular lunching-place at Lower Haflong Station. It is said to be very bad, & certainly looked it. The first 110 miles from Lumding Junction is over the "Hill Section", very slow going, with heavy gradients. It took more than 10 hours to do the 110 miles! Fine jungle scenery. I saw some Huluks quite near the railway & heard others. Also saw some large Hornbills with black central tail-feathers. Arrived at Badapur (the junction for Sylhet) at about 4.55 p.m. & changed into another train with through carriage to Chandpur. Train left at 5.30 p.m. & arrived at Kilawra at 7.30 p.m. I dined there & left at 8.15 p.m. I saw among the very varied lot of natives around, some Kukis, who were carrying bullet-bows, for shooting clay pellets. |
