| caption: |
Chapter Twelve. Towards Unknown Country |
| caption: |
a detour on way to Chongtore |
| text: |
The next evening we were to camp at Chongtore, and Mills and (112) I decided to make a detour over the hills to visit some of the more remote villages, while the column took the direct path. There was no need for an escort, and leaving the column we climbed steeply for a short way to the village of Holongba, lying with its rather miserable grass-thatched houses irregularly scattered over the ridge. None of the Survey Parties of former years had touched Holongba, and we were therefore the first Europeans to cross the threshold of the village. The villagers were not at all shy, and even the women, entertaining their unusual guests with gourds of rice-beer, seemed quite at ease and unaffected. The houses were smaller than Konyak houses, and by the light of smouldering fires the furniture seemed poorer and people's faces thinner. On these wind swept mountains of the higher ranges the country has none of the affluent look of the lower regions and the life of the people seems to be much harder. Holongba, and many of the other villages across the frontier welcomed Mills with obvious pleasure. |
