| caption: |
difficulty of buying supplies; guns at Joboka |
| text: |
49. We encamped below Longting, intending to go through that village to Joboka next day. In the evening, some men who came down from Longting told us that war was raging between them and Joboka, and that the path between the two villages was impassable, owing to pit-falls, panjies, and other obstacles, and that our only way was round by Bor-Utu. I was annoyed at this, as our supplies were running short, and, willing as the Nagas seemed to be to assist us, they actually had no rice to give away. The story as to the impracticability of the Longting route was corroborated the next morning by some Bor-Utu men, who said also that Joboka had done no cultivation last season, having been too much occupied in fighting, and therefore could not help us with supplies. The bad weather seemed likely to necessitate a stay at Joboka of two or three days; so, after weighing the matter carefully, I decided to go at once into Senua, whence, "flying light", and taking sufficient supplies from the godown there to be independent of the Nagas, we could easily visit Joboka. The men of Longting and both Bor- and Horu-Utu told us that Joboka had a large supply of firearms, which made it impossible for them to cope with the men of Joboka, and they were very importunate that we should put them all on an equal footing, either by giving the Utu men guns, or by depriving the Joboka men of theirs; they did not care which, as in either case a fair fight would be the result. |
