they hold in great abhorrence.
Fermented liquors are in general use amongst
them, and sometimes, especially at feasts,
they drink very hard. The common dress
of the Abors is a coarse, shaggy cloth (made
of the bark of a tree called the adal, and
manufactured by themselves), which is
fastened to a string tied round the loins, and
hangs down in loose stripes, about fifteen
inches long. During the winter, those who
can afford it have a garment resembling a
cloak, made of Thibetan woollen cloth. Caps
made of reeds or cane, partly covered with
skins, or ornamented with stained hair, are
worn by many of the people.

For ornaments, they wear large necklaces
of blue beads, which they esteem very highly,
and which they profess are not now
procurable. They look exactly like turquoises;
and have the same hue of greenish blue. But
a close examination discovers in them minute
bubbles, marking the agency of fire. They
are extremely hard, and can scarcely be
broken with a hammer.

All the Abors are armed with a bow and
a quiver full of arrows. Some of them are
very expert marksmen. In hunting, the
arrows are tipped with a deadly poison, made
from an indigenous vegetable. In the course
of half an hour it proves fatal to the wounded
beast, which is tracked through the forest till
it falls.

The poison is contained in a small fibrous
root, which they tie up into little bundles.
It is prepared by pounding the root, to
powder, and mixing it up with the juice of
the otenga-tree. This makes it adhere to
the arrow-head. They keep the plant a
great secret, and take the effectual precaution
of boiling it before leaving their homes, so
as to destroy all possibility of its being
propagated.

Habituated to a cold climate, and greatly
dreading exposure to the temperature of the
low lands, during the excessive heat of
summer, the Abors descend from the mountains
and visit the markets in the district of
Scinde, when the winter has set in; and
return home before the commencement of the
hot season. They take with them white kid
skins, very beautifully tanned, fowls, fine
large sheep well wooled, ivory, copper-pots,
considerable quantities of the vegetable poison
used for tipping arrows, manjit, woollens,
yarns, and bags of musk. For these articles
they receive in exchange cattle and glass
beads.

Their trade with Thibet consists chiefly
of rock-salt and smoking-pipes of Chinese
manufacture, for which they give, in return,
ivory, musk and poison. Formerly, slaves were
an article of barter with the Abors; but since
Assam—the country from which the captives
were chiefly taken—has been under British
rule, the facilities for carrying on this traffic
in human flesh has been cut off. Well
protected, the inhabitants can no longer be torn
from their homes, sold, and held in bondage.

In Robinson's Assam:
"While many others of the mountain
tribes are superior to the Abors in some
points, very few are found equally ready for
a labour like that of constructing cane
suspension-bridges, of which there are great
numbers over the rapid torrents that intersect
their mountains. The skill as well as
the labour shown in the construction of
these bridges, is really surprising, and is such
as would do no discredit to more civilised
nations. The canes are passed over pegs in
the supporting posts, and separately stretched
and fastened to groups of trees at either
end. There are two strong main suspenders
to each bridge, and on these hang elliptical
coils of cane, at intervals of a few
yards, supporting the footway, which is not
more than twelve or fourteen inches wide.
Elliptics are further connected by canes
running along the sides, protecting the
passenger from danger of falling. But, although
considerable stability is thus given to the
whole structure, by connecting its several
parts, there is still a very unpleasant swinging
and waving during the passage. The
span between the points of suspension is
frequently as much as from one hundred to
one hundred and fifty feet."

The Abors are divided into numerous
independent clans, each of which makes and
administers its own laws. Every male
has a seat and a vote in the general council
of his village. But, although all the
members are on a perfect equality, those
who are possessed of wealth and of talent,
exercise great influence in the deliberations
of the assembly. But they seldom or never
make, it is said, an improper use of their
power, or betray, for the sake of personal
gain, the interests of their country.

An equitable share of public burdens is
assigned to each individual—such as erecting a
new house for any member of the community;
making a feast for the entertainment of strangers;
providing for the means of maintaining
the government, and other public objects.

Respecting the religion of the Abors, but
very little information has been yet obtained.
A malignant demon, believed to reside on
the summit of a conical mountain, called
Regam, and whose abode no living being can
enter, is the deity they adore, and to whom,
are sacrifices periodically offered, to appease
his wrath and propitiate his favour.

MY LADY LUDLOW.

CHAPTER THE NINTH.

AFTER a pause I ventured to ask what became
ot Madame de Créquy, Clément's mother.

"She never made any inquiry about him
again," said my lady. "She must have known
that he was dead; though how, we never
could tell. Medlicott remembered afterwards
that it was about, if not on—Medlicott to