A History of Assam c12.156

c12.156

“Asses, camels and horses are rare and difficult to procure in this country. As affinity of species is the cause of fellowship, those timid asses, viz., the Assamese, express a great desire to see and keep donkeys, and by reason of their own asinine nature, buy them at high prices; and they are eager beyond limit to look at that marvel of creation, the camel! They are greatly frightened by horses, and if they catch one, they hamstring it. If a single trooper charges a hundred well-armed Assamese, they all throw their arms down and run away, and if they cannot flee, they put their hands up to be chained as prisoners. But if one of them encounters ten Musalman infantrymen, he fearlessly tries to slay them and succeeds in defeating them. The Assamese