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Chapter Three. An Orgy in Stone |
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by narrow gauge railway to edge of Konyak country |
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A narrow-gauge railway connected Simaluguri with Naginimara, and from there it was only four miles to the colliery of Borjan on the fringe of the Konyak country. At Borjan we were welcomed by G. Castles, the hospitable manager of the colliery, and in the following twelve months Castles' bungalow appeared to me the very essence of civilization. Here -- only a few days' march from (29) the villages where I slept in Naga houses or a stuffy tent, drank coffee-coloured water, ate red sticky rice, and was devoured by hosts of mosquitoes -- was a mosquito-proof bungalow with electric fans, bathrooms, wireless, and good food. It required not a little self-restraint to stay away, often for months at a time, but I shall never forget Castles' hospitality which I enjoyed on more than one occasion. |
