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Chapter One. The Naga Hills |
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lookout posts and carvings and views |
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Tall posts propped up against the edge of the steps carry the platforms that serve the Naga as lookouts. Like rows of swallows, the young men often perch on these airy scaffolds, each clutching his tall bamboo mug filled with the inevitable rice-beer. High above the yellow roofs and the fantastic gable carvings of the houses and the bamboos that tremble in the slightest breeze, you have a magnificent view of the country, over the bright green of the forests belts and the shining gold of the rice fields, which, if (11) the spirits are gracious, will fill the great store-baskets in the autumn, guaranteeing a carefree life for the whole village and unlimited quantities of rice-beer until the next harvest. |
