CHAPTER XVIII.

THE RETURN.

The Dehong and the Tsan-po-Joined by Bowsong - A Surgical Operation- A Painful March- Gomarshee Berries-Recross the Boundary-Ticks-The Negro Again-A Close Shave-Unable to Walk-Welcome Pomeloes-A Herd of Elephants-A Tiger's Serenade— Hair Leeches-Chowsam's Village-Triumphant Entrance— Voyage to Sudiya — Wild Dogs — Circling a Deer — An Assamese Thunderstorm-Huge Hailstones-Welcome Back to Sudiya-Arrival of the Chiefs-Departure for Calcutta-Home.

IT will be remembered that a few miles below Sudiya the Bramapootra divides, one branch flowing from the north, under the name of the Dehong, while the other, flowing from the east, keeps the name of the Bramapootra. Modern geographers, notwithstanding Klaproth's doubtful authority, have pretty well agreed that the Dehong is the continuation of the Tsan-po, a great river of Thibet, but the want of actual observation leaves the question open, with so much uncertainty attached to it as, it may be hoped, will attract the speedy attention of English explorers.

My journey through the Mishmee country had taken me generally parallel with the Bramapootra, which, at Bowsong's village, was not a stone's throw in width. Throughout the whole distance from the Bramakund,

the occurrence of numerous rapids, narrows, and rocks, render navigation out of the question above that point, and nowhere is it too wide to prevent the plaited bamboo ropes-forming the Mishmee bridges-being stretched from bank to bank.

The Mishmees all agree in saying that the river takes its rise at the top of a snowy mountain to the north, about ten days' journey from Bowsong's village, and the old chief, Sengsong, assured me that he had crossed it on foot many a time, a little to the north of Roemah. From this evidence it is quite clear that this branch of the Bramapootra is not the Tsan-po of Thibet, considering that that river takes its rise in the mountains bordering on the north of Turkestan, and explorers will do well to trace the course of the Dehong, if they wish to arrive at a solution of the question as to the course by which the great Thibetan river reaches the sea.

After the Council of Chiefs on New Year's Day, it had been agreed that Bowsong and Samsang, as their deputies, should join me at the end of the first day's march on the return, so that after camping, about three P.M., on the day that we left Sengsong, Bowsong, with his followers, marched into camp; but Samsang had been compelled to remain behind, as Bowsong said, on account of the death of his favourite wife, but I fancy his absence was more owing to the fear of Thibetan anger, at the prospect of his entering into communication with the accursed Palins.

While lying close to the camp fire, groaning with the pain of my ankle, I was struck with the number of our

A Surgical Operation.

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party, now augmented by the presence of the two strange Khamtees and Bowsong. It was evident that unless we made better progress, starvation would shortly overtake us, and this thought nerved me to do what, for several days had appeared necessary, namely, to act as my own surgeon, and open the abscess on my ankle. Neither Chowsam nor Philip had nerve enough to operate, and in my now weakened state I had shrunk from using the knife, but the consideration before mentioned determined me, and, with Philip's assistance, the deed was done, though the surgeon fainted in the act; instant relief was felt by the patient, and he enjoyed a refreshing sleep for an hour or two.

From this time my ankle caused me little pain, but continued fever had affected my spleen, so that I found it impossible to keep down anything but essence of beef. This was a sorry plight in which to begin a march of one hundred and fifty miles, but, in spite of it, I struggled on, and in five days recrossed the Boundary mountain, and again put up with Kaysong for two days, during which I could not sit up.

Matters had now become serious. My spleen was so enlarged, that I was compelled to keep a tight bandage round the waist, fearing to rupture it in some of the falls caused by weakness. A dreadful craving for acids kept me in a semi-state of delirium, occasionally relieved by drinking an acidulated preparation, made from the berry of a tree, called by the Degaroo Mishmees, gomarshee, and by the Mejus, sweshit. The leaf of the tree resembles that of the laburnum; the small brown dry berries,

hanging in bunches, of the size and shape of grape clusters, are coated with a white effervescence of a sweetish taste, but so acid that it absolutely blistered my lips, which became raw from its constant use. The berries steeped in water furnish a pleasant acidulated drink.

The day after we recrossed the boundary, Chowsam despatched five of his men to his village for supplies of food, with which they were to meet us at the Bramakund. Bowsong's followers took their places as porters, and the two strange Khamtees undertook to become my bearers, and from Kaysong's they almost carried me between them.

During the two days' rest with Kaysong, I had an opportunity of changing my clothes, and discovered, with horror and disgust, the cause of a very unpleasant irritation, which had affected several parts of my body ever since entering the Meju country. A number of ticks, such as infest sheep, were literally buried in my flesh; they had grown to the size of a finger nail, and were brown in colour, with two white stripes down the back. While not interfered with, their presence only caused a slight irritation, but when I tried to dislodge them, the pain was intense, and they defied every effort to pull them off. After trying to rid myself of them, I was obliged to call in the assistance of Chowsam, who, amidst peals of laughter, applied tobacco juice which, in a day or two, caused them to drop off. The Mishmee hills are infested with these pests, and all our party had suffered from them, more or less, before I discovered that they had attacked me.

From Kaysong's house, five days' march brought us to the Bramakurd. Nothing particular occurred during the journey, except a display of anger on the part of Chowsam, illustrative of the summary manner in which the Khamtee chiefs deal with their subjects. Two of the coolies-one of them a slave of Chowsam's—were very troublesome. They refused to carry some trifling article, which I had ordered the negro to give to them. On complaining to Chowsam, he made light of the matter, saying, that the negro had conveyed my request in a very insulting manner; whereupon I ordered the negro to carry the articles himself. This led to a great deal of ill-feeling on the part of the Khamtees, who fancied that I was displeased. Words ran high between them and the negro, and my orders to march were disregarded. Instead of proceeding, one of the Khamtees made a cut at the negro with his drawn knife, which the latter only escaped by dodging behind my back. Matters looked serious, and being too weak to enforce my orders in any other way, I drew my revolver, telling Chowsam that unless the disturbance was quelled, I would proceed to stronger measures. The chief, on this, rose from his seat next me in front of the fire, and ordered the Khamtees to be silent, and move off, but his slave, without heeding him, made another attempt to get at the negro. This was too much for Chowsam. He flew into a violent passion, and drawing his keenedged knife, made a sweeping cut at the slave's neck. The man ducked just in time, and escaped with the loss of his hair, which he wore-Khamtee fashion-gathered

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