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Raja comes to the Residency; Hooli festival |
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Was told by Thomson's baboo that the Raja was coming to return our call. Informed him that I did not take it as a compliment & should not meet him. [He] came about 9 or 10 o/c & Butler who had intended following the same course eventually did see him. He tried the ruse of drawing me over by sending twice once to see my sketches & again the bird skins, but I sent them over by a servant. He went off at last & we got breakfast about 12 o/c. Tangal Major came over to tent with Thomson to look at map & talk over the route we were to follow going out to the boundary. I could see very plainly that he did not wish us to proceed by the direct route for when I recommended the Laimakhong valley, he said there was no road beyond the lime kilns & tried to prove it by Pemberton's map who does not it is true shew any beyond that point. However I said there were roads in every direction & I was going by Laimakhong. To which Tangal said he was going by the Eeril. The fact is they do not wish it known that we are after all going up on the boundary after it has been given out that the Raja had forbidden our advance on that side. In the evening Ogle & I went up to Chinga mukka, to observe & I to sketch. Got a good panorama to the north over 180o. It was the first night of the Hooli festival & little huts had been erected all along the sides of the roads, round which were set up long bamboos on which were tied a number of little bundles of straw & white pendant flags. Young boys with a few elders were getting these ready & placing little tables with red cloths on them. After finishing work on our return when it had got dark all these were set on fire & were blazing up on all sides. The boys & men were shouting Hari bol ! In front some of the larger men were dancing & beating large tambourines & gongs. |
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Butler seedy again with the old fever. This was our last day in Imphal, on the next (15th March) things were all packed & the usual difficulties about the distribution of loads & men were got over and we all got under weigh about 1 am [sic]. In the early morning I started to take a sketch of Imphal & the valley from the Langol hill & did not get back until nearly 12 o/c but with a very good one. After the things had all gone off & while Thomson & Butler had gone to see the peace between Munipur & the Kamhows concluded, but which I did not go to as it would have been inconsistent after refusing to see the Raja on the previous day, I made a sketch of Col T's bungalow and about 3.30 started. The thanna of Susukameng was farther than I had anticipated, so that we did not get in until after the moon rose from behind Noopitel. Found the camp on the banks of the little stream from the back of Nongmaiching. Munipuris civil, bringing milk & giving good guides the next day. |
