The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1888-12-21
OPIUM INTOxlCATION.
strange Things seen nv European
Traveller In Assam.


The Assamese dearly loves opium;
20 him ii is life. What matters il il
his awakenings are unpleasant; or that
his vitality il weakened; or that he is
on the path TO premature senility,
wretchedness and early death? Moth
ing. "lIoi-yoi-oiI shrieks the opium
seller, and presently from the rice
fields and villages the "hoi-yoi-oi" Is
taken up. and anon. one by one, the
opium drinkers flock 80 the opium
sellers bamboo hut.
1t is evening in Assam, and about
the flooded rice fields thick vapor is
rising, impregnating the air with its
warm malaria-laden moisture. Ener-
waiting indeed is the same climate OF
Assam; and the wretched Assamese,
with his inveterate love for the poppy.
juice, adds but too surely TO its bane-
ful influence. Down by the opium
sellers hut squat the opium drinkers.
while their eyes roll strangely and
their pa-ched tongues loll ovt in very
uneasy fashion indeed. This far they
managed to drag their debilitaied
forms, aud no further can they 60 un.
til the soul rcviving elixir has been
drunk OF.
The opium seller weighs out the
presently it is dissolved in brass YES
sci OF water Excited. eager looks
greet those who are tardily-oh, how
tardily it seems to the opium drinkers!
preparing the mass. When ready il
is OF "A dark brown color, OF the con-
sistcncy and appearance OF English
porter. LET me have it!n "Mel"
Me- yell the now thoroughly excited
mob. Rapidly IL passes from hand TO
mouth, and smiling, ghastly smiling
faces, show how satisfied they all are.
Ii is the Assamcsc opium drinkers es-
cape from purgatOry- weak, spir-
itless and enervatcd existence to tho
seventh heaven OF bliss As the drug
takes effect the victim dozes of into
kind OF rcvcric. Surrounding objects
assume "A weird cct-bamboo for
ests, banana bushes, rice fields and viii
lagos; the whole panorama OF land
scape before them is no longer mis-
cradle reality, the scene OF their daily
toll, but an ever-changing kaloido-
scope, the beauty OF which Is beyond
the comprehension OF n sober mind.
Such, at least, is absorption given by
one OF r'.c opium drinkers.
Our party, now thoroughly intoxi-
Gated with opium fumes, lie about in
sprawling attitudes. In the first stages
OF intoxication all are smiling, and
their lips move in rapid speech; for
one hears an incoherent jabbcring go
ing on, broIcn occasionally by loud
chuckle from one OF the party. This
unseemly hilarity wakes up for mo-
ment the other opium drinkers; and
they, after an angry look taward the
noisy one, soon relapse into Their coma
tose state. A few OF this party who
had evidently been indulging freely
fell Immediately into heavy sleep.
ont Of which they did not wake until
the night was far advanced.
A rather amusing incident occurred
while sat watching them; The opium
drinkers had taken up position on the
high road, probably because it was
tolerably dry and the inclosure
around the opium sellers hut
whore they usually sat-had
got flooded during the recent
heavy rains. a cart caravan OF tea
from a neighboring tea plantation
happened 10 come ~ while the opium
drinkers sat squatting on the road.
Vainly the cart-drivcrs called on tho
opium drinkers TO move out OF the
way. So they reluctantly got of their
perch, and. taking the opium drinkers
bodily up, deposited them in "A shallow
pool OF water on the road. Those
wretchcd opium-drinkcrs wallowed for
awhile in the puddle, and not feeling
quite comfortable in the water, merely
dragged their befuddled carcassos up
on 20 the bank, and there resumed
their dreaming again as If nothing had
happened. ! Learned while | watched
them, too, tha, the opium-drinker has
an instructive dread OF drunken man
l mean one drunk on ,spirituous
liquors; for party OF coolies who had
been drinking in ueighboring bazaar
came up while / sat there and
literally frightened the wits out
OF the opium-drinkcrs The coolies,
who seemed 20 know something
OF the opium drinkers antipathies,
plagued them for awhile and then
went away. laughing heartily at the
other drunkards.
Toward midnight one by ono they
awoke out Of their trance, and, shivcr-
ing with the cold-for the night air
had cooled somewhat-they made for
their respective villages. As / watch
cd them crawling home through tho
rice fields. their forms STOPPING, and
their attcnuated bodies besmearcd with
the mud in which they had been roll
ing, ! thought the moon could scarcely
shine on more miserable objects.
Such scenes may be witnessed By the
traveller any evening all over Assam.
II Is sad state OF things truly, and II
not rcmedicd the Assamese race will