| caption: |
Chapter Five. Heathens and Baptists |
| caption: |
ruined bachelor's hall in Ao village of Chantongia |
| text: |
(46) The bachelors' hall overlooking the Ao village of Chantongia was a depressing sight. Rain dripped through holes in the roof, and the rooms once used as dormitories by the youths of the village now stood empty and deserted. Like some huge antediluvian monster, the gigantic log-drum lay in the centre, filling more than half of the building. Would its powerful voice ever resound again over the hills? The radiant crowd that dragged it into the village with solemn songs and joyous cheering belongs to the past! Gone are the merry feasts, when young and old alike assembled in the morung round the great pots of sweet rice-beer. Gone are those days, perhaps never to return. |
