they are now of the soil. But they still talk the
Manipur tongue, the language of their forefathers, and
they e mp l o y a
teacher of their
own to teach their
children h ow to
write it. The old
w e a v e r w h o
speaks is a taciturn
and gloomy
man,, a n d th e
b u r d e n of his
t a l k is o f a
d e c a y i n g and
unprofitable i n -
dustry.
“ Twenty years
ago,” he say s ,
looking in th e
dust — “ t w e n t y
years ago, I sold
a hundred putsoes
where now I sell
ten.))
He will vouchsafe
no explanation
; but he knows w o o d - c a r v i n g
it is due to the competition of cheaper Western fabrics,
and the passing away of the royal court.
It is a poor-looking quarter, this famous quarter
