Elmore bulletin. [volume] (Rocky Bar, Idaho) 1889-1906, 1889-11-02
OPIUM iNToxlcArloN.
Strange Things seen by European
Traveller In Assam.


The Assamese dearly loves opium;
TO him Il Is life. What matters It II |
his awakenings are unpleasant; or that |
his vitality In weakened; or that he Is |
on the path 10 premature senility, |
wrctchedness and early deathp Moth |
ing. "Hoi-yoi-oir' shrieks the opium |
seller, and presently from the rico
fields and villages the .'hoi-yoi-oi' is
taken up. and anon. one by one, the
opium drinkers flock 10 the opium
sellers bamboo hut.
II is evening In Assam. and about
the flooded rice fields thick yapor Is
rising. impregnating the air with its
warm malaria-laden moisture. Ener-
waiting indeed IL the same climate OF
Assam; and the wretched Assamese,
with his inveterate love for the poppy
juice. adds but too surely TO It's bane-
sellers hut squat the opium drinkers.
while their eyes roll strangely and
their parched tongues loll ovt In very
uneasy fashion indeed. This far they
managed to drag their debilitaied
forms. and no further can they go un-
Ill the soul-reviving elixir has been
drunk of.
The opium. seller weighs out the
drug, eager hands clutch at 1t. and
presently ii is dissolved in brass ves-
sci OF water. Excited. eager looks
greet those who are tardily-oh. how
tardily II seems TO the opium drinkers!
preparing the mass. When ready 1t
Ii Of dark brown color. OF the con-
sistency and appearance OF English
porter. Let me have itr MEL"
"Mei' yell the now thoroughly excited
mob. Rapidly 1t passes from hand to
mouth. and smiling. ghastly smiling
faces, show how satisfied they all are.
II is the Assamese opium drinkers es-
cape from purgatory weak, spir.
itless and enervated exis tence TO the
seventh heaven OF bliss. As the drug
takes effect the victim dozes of into IA
kind OF reverie. Surrounding objects
assume weird aspect-bamboo for
ssts, banana bushes, rice fields and viii
lages; the whole panorama of land
scape before them Is no longer mis-
erable reality, the scene OF their daily
/ toll, but an ever-changing kaleido-
scope, the beauty of which is beyond
the comprehension of sober mind.
Such, at least. is description given by
one OF the 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 jnbbering go-
/ ing on. broken 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 toward the
noisy one. soon relapse into their coma
lose state. A few of this party who
had evidently been indulging freely
fell Immediately into a heavy sleep,
out 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 np position on the
high road. probably because II was
tolerably dry and the inelosure
around the opium sellers hut
where they usually sat-had
got flooded during the recent
heavy rains A cart caravan OF tea
from neighboring tea plantation
happened To come up while the opium
drinkers sat squatting on the road.
Vainly the cart-driyers called on the
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 shallow
pool of water on the road. Those
wretched opium-drinkers wallowed for
awhile In the puddle, and not feeling
quite comfortable IN the water. merely
dragged their befuddled carcasses up
ON TO the bank. and there resumed
their dreaming again as IL nothing had
happened learned while ] watched
them. too. that the opium-drinker has
AN instructive dread of drunken man
i mean one drunk on .spirituous
liquors; for party of coolies who had
been drinking In neighboring bazaar
came up while ! sat there and
literally frightened the wits out
OF the opium-drinkers. The coolies
who seemed TO know something
OF the opium drinkers antipathies,
plagued them for awhile and then
went away. laughing heartily at the
other drunxards.
Toward midnight one by one they
awoke out OF their trance. and. shiyer
ing with the cold for the night ail
had cooled omewhat--they made foi
A their respective villages. As ] watch
ed themscrawling home through tn,
rice fields. their forms STOPPING. anc
their attennated bodies besmeared 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 tn,
traveller any evening all over Assam
II Is sad state OF things truly. and |
not rcmedied the Assamese race vii
speedily die out. 81 James Budget
|
The Sweets of Life.