GENERAL ir

reed-like variety of the same plant. When not in his
this also reposes in his haversack along with his "t
small gourd to hold the water which has been impregnated
with nicotine in the pipe of his wife or sweetheart. A little of
this evil-smelling concoction he takes into his mouth from time
to time and, having kept it there a few minutes, he spits it out
and declares that it has a stimulating effect. In his haversack
you will also find his knife, the wooden sheath tied to one of
the shoulder straps so that the handle is always convenient to
his hand. The blade is about four or five inches long and
nearly an inch wide at the handle, but comes to a sharp point;
the edge is straight and ground like a chisel.

The dress of the chiefs is the same as that of the common people,
except on occasions of ceremony, when they wear dark blue
cloths, with red lines of a particular pattern, and plumes, made
of the tail feathers of the king-crow, in their hair knots. These
plumes are very much prized and are kept most carefully in
bamboo tubes with leather caps. The cloth referred to above
can also be worn by anyone who has given certain feasts, as
described later on.

Dress in War-time.—When the Lushais were fighting us in
1892 I was much struck by the whiteness of their garments. The
men who ran away from the stockades as we rushed them were
always dressed in nice clean coats and cloths, and crowds of
similarly attired warriors used to assemble every morning just
out of range and challenge us to come and fight. I was told
that it was considered the correct thing to come properly dressed
when there was fighting on hand, but a raiding party I once came
across was dressed far more suitably. A single cloth wrapped
tightly round the waist, a haversack protected by a bear or
tiger skin guard over one shoulder, and a fighting dao or dah
over the other, and a gun in his hand completed each warrior's
equipment. It will be seen from the above description that the
Lushais are not fond of dress, and this is another point in which
all Kuki clans differ from those of Naga stock.

Special Attire.—A man who has earned the title of
" Thangchhuah " (v. Chap. IV, 9) is allowed to wear a cloth of
a certain pattern and those who have killed men in war have
special head-dresses, known as " chhawndawl" and " arke-ziak."