Mizoram, 1872: Difficulty In Collecting The Muskets
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Difficulty In Collecting The Muskets
About four o'clock the force fell in to return to camp — Mr. Edgar repeating big terms once more outside the gate on leavings and stating that the muskets must be given up and the fines paid within twenty-four hours. Three of the head-men returned with us.
It was a beautiful afternoon, the soft breeze playing among the oaks and rhododendrons, as we waded on our way down the hill to the pretty little valley beneath. When we neared the camp the sun was setting, and the tall trees and low hillocks cast long purple shadows over the golden surface of the plain.
The next day several parties were sent out in various directions to search for villages. Several were seen, but all at great distances.
From the heights to the east of Chumfai, we could see the open smiling valley .of the Teo, and if time had permitted, it would have been worth while following its course in order to settle the question as to its really being the Koladyne itself, or simply an affluent of that river.
During the day portions of the fine were brought in, but the General refused to receive anything till the muskets were all delivered. The Lushais promised they should all be produced daring the night.
The Lushais in the village, who possessed weapons of their own, were naturally averse from losing them, and cast lots as to whose should be given up. This did not always meet the case though, for as soon as the lot fell upon a man, he straightway disappeared into the jungle, taking his musket with him. All this, as the head-man complained, prevented the tale of mus- kets from being speedily completed. However, during the night they were all collected, and with the fine imposed upon them, were received into camp The three muntris who were to accompany us as hostages, were also chosen at the same time.
Halt At Chumfal
Although all the terms which could be imme- diately enforced had been complied with by the villagers, and nothing more remained for the force to accomplish, yet it was decided to halt one day longer in Chumfai, partly to impress the Lushais with the idea that we were in no hurry to depart, and could have remained longer if we had chosen; but principally because our work had been done in less time than was anti- cipated when we left Chelam, and by marching on the 20th, we should not have been able to signal to General Bourchier on that night from Chumfai, as he had been informed, by telegram, we should do. So it was decided to remain till the morning of the 21st, sending up rockets from one of the highest peaks east of Lungvel, and marching, on the 21st, to the summit of Murklang to send further signals from that hill.
Portions of the fine, such as the fowls, pigs, &c., were distributed among the officers and men, and were very acceptable as a change after the tinned mutton and salt pork, which, also, at this period, were running rather short, as, in- deed, had been the case once or twice before; and if we had not occasionally been able to get a few small tins of stores down by the dak, we should, more than once, have had nothing but rice during the day. Pickles were generally procurable; but regarded as the staple of diet for several days, they pall upon the least fasti- dious taste.
I must do the Commissariat Officers the justice to say that, amid all their troubles and anxieties, they invariably received complainants with the greatest politeness. The suaviter in modo was never wanting in their godowns, though the mutton in tins occasionally was.
We were much amused at reading, in a home paper about this time, a letter from the Secre- tary of some Soup Society, complaining that an old pauper woman had refused to eat some Aus- tralian mutton he had given her, as being unfit for human food, and had returned it without thanks. We occasionally wished, when in a more than usually British grumbling mood, that this estimable old lady could have been placed on the Committee in Calcutta, when the question of rations was being considered, before starting the Expedition. Perhaps, though, as the Com- mittee merely had to decide what others should eat and drink, she might not have expressed her opinion so forcibly.
A Trick Of The Coolies
The coolies once, bringing up some rum to the front, drank half of it, and filled up the casks with water. This was brought to the notice of the Commissariat Officer thus. He had just come in from a long march, and was sitting down in camp, waiting for the coolies and ser- vants, when an officer offered him some rum and water, which he accepted. He tasted it, said it was " very weak," and asked to see the rum bottle. He put it to his lips, and without wink- ing drank the contents, the owner's allowance for several days, nearly all off. Then handing it back to the officer, he said, with a suave little motion of the head:
"Ah, dear me I dear me! oh yes! I see, you carry your rum and water ready mixed, Well I well! a very good plan."
However, he was astonished to hear that this bottle had only just been filled from a Com- missariat cask, and inquiry resulted in the dis- covery of the coolies’ malpractices.
The fact of the plunder taken at Monirkhal being found in Lalboora's villages was very satis- factory ; for though Mr. Edgar had long been cer- tain of it, still others, and some high in authority, had doubted if the Left Column was taking the right direction for finding the principal offenders.
Mr. Edgar learnt from the head-men that all the Lushais considered that " this village of Vonolers gave the signal for every raid; even for those conducted by independent chiefs ; and that the plunder taken in the last raids had all been taken first to Chumfai, and then distributed among the other villages." In the afternoon the gunners were sent up the hill fixed upon as the best from which to fire off the signals, and made their arrangements for the evening.
The Lushais in camp were allowed to accom- pany them to witness the spectacle; and when at last, about eight o'clock, the blue lights burned and the rockets went up, these unwashed Lushais expressed their admiration with exactly the same cries of “•Oh! Oh!" by which our own great un- washed at home are in the habit of evincing the satisfaction with which they behold a beautiful display at the Crystal Palace. No response was elicited from the dim and misty hills -where General Bourchier was supposed to be, and the Artillery returned after waiting a sufficient time for the other column to reply.
The Tragedy At Port Blair
During the evening came the first rumours of the terrible tragedy at Port Blair which we could scarcely believe, but which were afterwards too fully confirmed.
Many of the staff-officers had the honour of being personal friends of the late Viceroy, but even those who had not, knew that in him they had lost one who took the greatest and most kindly interest in the welfare of all engaged in the Expedition, an interest evinced in a most flattering telegram which the General had received on the subject of the successes of the 25th and 26th, concluding thus,
“•Telegraph direct how you are.”
This was only one out of many little proofs that he was watching attentively the progress of the Expedition, and not unmindful of the fate of those who were trying to make it successful. The calamity which the whole country was then deploring, cast a gloom over the termination of the campaign, and considerably lessened the anti- cipated joyousness of the homeward march.
The next morning, amid much calling upon their gods, with many signs of rejoicing on the part of the Sepoys, and probably no less to the satisfaction of the Lushais, our troops commenced the return march.
Looking at them from the heights above, the line looked like a long serpent gradually uncoiling itself from the camp, soon extending nearly the whole length of the valley,' and creeping slowly over hillocks and along the level plain ; a column of smoke from the fired camp proclaiming the de- parture of the rear-guard.
We camped that evening on Murklang, and further signals were sent up, also without any response. The villagers came out and mixed with the Sepoys with the greatest confidence, and brought out materials for huts. These could only be very hastily constructed, and most of us rigged up waterproof sheets and tarpaulins as little tents. A heavy shower of rain fell about nine P.K., but fortunately did not last long.
Pears of The Natives
But little more remains to be chronicled; the return march was made over the road and through the villages already described. The villagers at Tulcheng came out in crowds to greet us as we passed, but at Chelam great anxiety was visible among the people* This was caused by the failure of Colonel Rattray to induce Poiboi to appear in camp, and, consequently, they feared that the General would carry out his threat of destroying their villages.
They came into camp on the day the troops halted there, and besought him to spare them, saying should he still adhere to his resolution they would bring in their women and little children also to fall at his feet and pray for mercy.
The General yielded to their prayers. He felt, as indeed did everyone, that after our camp had been allowed to remain close to their villages for so long without any annoyance, and the coolies and dak guards had daily passed to and fro without any molestation from the Lushais, it would be an ungenerous, as well as an ungrace- ful, act to burn their houses on our departure, especially after Poiboi's promise to be faithful to us. His refusal to see the General in person, the latter attributed, and no doubt rightly, to the ab- ject fear of an unreasoning boy.
The troops halted one day at Chelam to allow the wing of the 42nd, who had been holding the camp, to go ahead, taking with them the sick and weakly.
Everyone was happy in the idea of returning, and the long steep marches were as nothing to what they had been during the advance. Of the Sepoys and coolies, who were well, it might be said that,
" Up the mountains sides they'd press, Nor with a sigh their toil confess."
This was not the case with those unfortunates upon whom the hard work, long continued, had told severely, and who not only with sighs but deep groans expressed their feeling of toil, as, relieved from all loads, they yet crawled on with the greatest difficulty, each day adding to their number and filling the doolies with men not able to walk.
