196 THE NON-LUSHEI CLANS CHAP.

successfully, to have the guilty couple married forthwith, a
penal price being put upon the bride. All the women in the
village, married or single, are perfectly at the pleasure of the
Rajah, and no voice would be lifted against him for cohabiting
with any of them, the only prevention being a sense of immor-
ality and an understanding among the royal families of the
whole tribe generally that such conduct is infra dig.; indeed,
there is little temptation, for the Rajah may have as many
wives as he likes or can keep, both polygamy and concubinage
being in common practice, female slaves living generally in the
latter condition with respect to their masters."—Stewart's
" Notes on Northern Cachar," pp. 45-48.

This description is still fairly accurate, but the gradual break-
ing up of villages, coupled with the increased control by Govern-
ment and State officers, has lessened the power of the chiefs
and modified custom to a considerable extent. Lieutenant
Stewart gives the following account of how the people hunted
before guns were common among them :—

" The Kookis are great hunters, and are passionately fond of
the sport, looking upon it, next to war, as the noblest exercise
for man. They kill tigers, deer, and smaller game by means of
poisoned arrows. The bow is a small one made of bamboo, and
very slightly bent, the string being manufactured of bark.
The arrow, the head of which has a barbed iron point, is about
18 inches long, being drawn to the chest and not the ear,
and therefore delivered with no great force, the destructive
effect lying chiefly in the poison. With such an instrument the
great art in hunting lies in stealthily approaching the animal
near enough to deliver the arrow with effect, and in following
it -up after being wounded to the spot where it is found lying
dead. In this the Kookis excel, being able to prowl about the
jungle as noiselessly as tiger-cats, and being equal to North
American Indians in distinguishing tracks. Tigers are also
killed by spring bows with poisoned arrows set in the jungles
and by poisoned panjies planted in their paths.

" Elephants are slain in great numbers by the Kookis wherever
they are to be had, not only the tusks but the flesh being
highly prized. Parties of 20 and upwards go out in pursuit of
them at a time When some recent elephant track is discovered