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near-accident on march to Lumbui |
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Woke up 5.30, bath 6., breakfast 7.15, marched 7.45. Coolies Tunkrul (sic) Nagas. (23) Disreputable lot, & included one grandfather. Mrs Duncan, Michivam, head clerk, Jemadar and all hands & the cook walked the best part of 2 miles down the road with us. Long, dusty march, past 2 villages where the population came out to show vaccinated babies, and down an open hillside by a watercourse-cum-short cut to the river. Had elevenses by the bridge, or rather on second bridge, & Col. Taylor & the little lumbu went off to fish. Mrs T. & I went on up the hill. Hellish steep, & Mrs. T. felt it very much. Hot & little shade all the way. Col. T. caught us up after a mile or two, and we were not far from the top & Mrs T. was riding George when he stumbled, throwing her. By the mercy of heaven he fell inward, throwing her on the road instead of down the Khud, and she escaped with a shaking and gravel scratches. Col. T. got a bad fright. She would have been badly hurt if she had gone the other way. |
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Continued to Lumbui, where we were met by 2 elders and escorted to the bungalow, one of the world's most awful hovels. Open eaves, thatch overhead, cracking walls & (25) foul earth floor; 2 small rooms & a living-room. Baths, & up to village about 5 o'clock. People neither so picturesque or polite as Tuinem, and most of the men squatted about and stared. Bench & mat set out for us with red cloth, but crowd pressed very close, and untethered buffaloes in street not very keen on us. Priceless woolly puppy frightfully interested in Col. T's white tennis shoes, studied them for hours and finally challenged them to a fight. Was then so stuck up it growled at the wrong (26) end of Pongsey who was squatting over the medicine chest. Pongse didn't think it funny. |
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Gorgeous sunset. Took a few photos in crowd, but light not good. |
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Reached Lumbui at 1.55. 13 mile march, less 1 mile short cut. |
