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that this god needed appeasing and sacrificed in December 1927 the sacrifice
being preceded by that at TELIM which took place a month previously. I noticed
on the front main post of the house facing MIGREM's that chalk numerals in
Assamese script "No. 11" I accordingly asked Migrem what he had done with
his skills when the Dunaia Census Enumerators were in the village. He replied
that the enumerators has stayed a night at SINGNANG and during their
stay in the village he had concealed the skulls. Returned to camp at 15 hours
and saw the principal's in the Lisen slave affair. The boy emphatically refused
to leave his present quarters and as he was obviously well cared for and his
adoptive mother and sister (and the rest of village confirmed their statement)
asseverated that he was not in any way a slave though the son of a slave woman
long since dead, but a free boy of their household property, I considered no further action to be necessary.

T. E. FURZE.
Political Officer, Sadiya Frontier Tract.

———

No. 79.
No. 1832G./XIX-11, dated Sadiya, the 28th January 1932.
From—T. E. FURZE, Esq., M.C., I.P., Political Officer, Sadiya Frontier Tract,
To—The Chief Secretary to the Government of Assasm.

In continuation of my letter No. 1678G., dated the 5th January 1932, I have the honour to report that Monka Lungri and Kemwih Lungri Gaonburas
surrendered to me, during my recent tour at Punyang village. They were tried
and acquitted on the charge of abetment of theft but convicted under section 188,
Indian Penal Code and ordered together with their adult male villagers to undergo
a period of 2 weeks' punitive labour on the roads in addition to the month's
work already earned by them for their participation in human sacrifice. They
and their villagers have been clearly given to understand that any further instances of non-co-operation in the arrest of rail thieves will lead to condign punishment
being inflicted on them.

———

No. 80

No. 1978G./VIII-3, dated Sadiya, the 12th February 1932.
From—T.E. FURZE , Esq., M.C., J.P, Political Officer, Sadiya Frontier Tract,
To—The Chief Secretary to the Government of Assam.

In continuation of my report of December 22nd, 1931, I have the honour to
say that I have now concluded my enquiries into the cases of human sacrifice at
the villages of Bhuban, Rangwil and Hitboh, the results of which have have been detailed in my tour diary for January 1932.

At Hitboh village it was established that the sacrifice there had taken place considerably before Government orders prohibiting the custom had been promul-
gated. With this exception, the other sacrifices were all found to have taken place
after Mr. O'Callaghan's orders and the offending villagers have been ordered to
undergo punitive road work for the period prescribed by Government, as also the
villagers attending the sacrifices.

The question of utilizing to the best advantage this large supply of labour
caused me a good deal of anxiety, as the geographical features of this long narrow
stretch of country are such as to render the construction of one graded track which
would be generally useful a matter of considerable difficulty, while on the other
hand a series of unconnected tracks would be of little permanent value.

After examining various possibilities I decided that the best solution of the
difficulty would be to connect the North Tirap River post and the South Tirap
River post by a graded track via Manmao, thence along the Eastern bank of the
Namchik River to Satam and Punyang and so over the Namchik Tirap Divide.
and down to the the South Tirap post. Such a track would render accessible all the
Rangpang villages concerned in human sacrifice and would also make regular

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patrols between North and South Tirap posts easy to maintain. The Commandant
who was consulted agreed with me that the opening of such a track would be of
real value from the Assam Rifles point of view. I have accordingly commenced work thereon.

The first section to Manmao is already completed and the North Tirap Post which is at present situated in the Lakhimpur Frontier Tract is in course of being
moved to a new site on the Namchik River below Manmao. I have devided the
proposed track into three sections and should a good feasible alignment be found
which is of cousrse not yet certain, but which I trust will be the case, work will
begin at once.

The three sections are as follows: —
(1) Manmao to Satam village,
(2) Satam village to the pass over the Namchik-Tirap-divide--
(3) Namchik-Tirap divide to South Tirap post.

By borrowing from Local Fund stocks I have been enabled to send out
additional tools and once a satisfactory trace has been cut, the work should progress
quickly. Mr. Lambert has been sent out to arrange for the smooth flow of Naga
labour and to see that no delay takes place in getting down to work.

If no hitches occur I trust that this track will be completed before the Naga
Hills platoon is withdrawn, usually towards the end of April.

———

No. 81.

Extracts from tour diary of the Political Officer, Sadiya Frontier Tract, for the month of January
1932.

*****

January 16th.—Phyngyak camp to camp on the River bank of the Tirap River
below Lungechang village arriving at 11 hours. Here I met Mr. Lambert who has
been sent ahead to arrange for the putting into this camp of the necessary rations
for our tour and for a trip he is to undertake in the Moglum country. On his way
up he had a bad attack of fever necessitating his camping out for a couple of nights
in the Lungebang Jhums, whether he was helped into the present camp. He is
only just fit again. The incidence of fever has always been extraordinarily heavy
both among Assam Rifles and coolies in these hills and there can be no doubt as
to their unhealthiness—which to a great extent accounts for the miserable physique
of the majority of the Nagas. Their villages are, of course, well sited on high
spurs, whereas our posts owing to lack of water have usually to be sited in the
valleys near the Tirap or Nimchick Rivers.

At this post I interviewed the Goanburas of all the Moglum villages and those
of Bhuban (Yogli) and Rangran who had assembled to meet me.

They were all given copies of the orders regarding human sacrifice and slave
dealing, their thumb impressions being taken on an office copy as an acknowledg-
ement that had heard and understood the meaning of the Parwana. Halted at Tirap
camp.

January 17th.—Left camp at 7 hours for Bhuban village for holding a local
enquiry into the human sacrifice that took place here. The single accused Dangbom
Yogli and the Gaonbura Thisom Yogli were brought along under escort. Reached
the village at 9½ hours and proceeded with the enquiry. It transpired that this
sacrifice took place in November 1929 and the story told, which had the apperance
truth was as follows. Dangbom's father had purchsaed a slave for the performance
of sacrifice sometime before the prohibitory orders were issued but refrained from
holding the sacrifice in obedience to Mr. O'Callaghan's proclamation. He soon
after died and then in quick succession 6 other members of the household were
taken ill and died. Dangbom then determined to carry out the sacrifice before he
and the remaining members of the household were exterminated by the evil spirit.
He was made the more certain that it was a human sacrifice that the spirit demanded
by the fact that the very old male slave purchased by his father for the ceremony
had survived when his father and 6 other hale and hearty members of the family
had all been taken. The executioner in this case has since died and both portions
of the skull were found in Danbom's house. After Dangbom had duly cremated
these— a proceeding which took a long time owing to the heavy rain which took a