| caption: |
permanent coolies set to clearing jungle; visit to Sitekemah, comment on impregnability; coolies arrive from Sepamah |
| note: |
inaccurate spelling in the original text |
| text: |
19th February, Monday. Seeing no signs of the Sepamah's men coming in this morning, I took my 22 permanent coolies out and set them on to work to clear the jungle on the spur of the Setekemah hill leading towards Sepamah and then took a stroll off towards Sidumah, a small village situated on the same range as Sitekemah. |
| text: |
In the afternoon I walked over to the village (Sitekemah) and found that it contained 72 houses, 26 belonging to the Meramah and 46 to the Thevomah Clan. The village is naturally so strongly fortified that a very little artificial aid would render it almost impregnable, but the Sitekemah men like the Samagutingeas (and indeed like all the Chakhromah Nagas) are a poor pot bellied race never likely to give us much trouble. |
| text: |
The constable I had deputed to Sepamah came in this evening with the Chiefs of the village and I was delighted to hear that 55 men had accompanied them and were all encamped in the valley below ready to commence work tomorrow morning, so that business is satisfactorily settled. |
