450\)18-5

[ For teeenels, 2 Me nearer, troatily neome baste! nat be. pewter, |

1-18-45 Mand I spent the day at an English logging camp located 4 miles
directly east of LEDO, APO 689. This juhgle camp is owned by an English
concern but is operated by a ee of native Hindus, Nagas, Gurkhas and poss-
ible Muslims. Approximately 40 elephants supply the animal power required to
snag in the monstrous logs and load them on the small flat cars, A small gage

railroad leads to the main trunk line of the branch, connecting at

. Apparently this jungle canp is not too old as evidenced by the

 

newness of the construction activities of the camp, the uncompleted railroad
route and the temporary housing accommodations of the few Indians who remain at
the site. Through the kindness of the fellows of communications, messing
at the hospital we were graciously taxied to , the starting point of
our elephant safari. A short wait here until two Indians appeared who were

to operated the deisel engine. While tarrying Mr Das passed on his way to
work. Mr Das is responsible for checking the logs as they are placed on the
train. It was through the son of Mr Das's brother that I originally was in-
formed of the elephants. This 16 year old son is one of the most remarkable
and pleasant Hindus I have ever met. He has a most unusual personality, so
friendly and cheerful. Each week end he travels 60 miles from where he teaches
school to this camp to visit with his father and family. If all Indians were
only half as brilliant and possessed with such pleasing personalities as this
boy this country would be a leading nation today, pointing out to me the pot-
ential possibilities of its develpping into an acceptable society and civil-
ization, This cahp has nothing of the aggressive and overbearing personality
of the general run of Indians of the higher social level. Mr Das rides to
work in a hand propelled push cart sitting like a king as it were upon a throne
with three Indians manning the mechanical propulsion of the cart from the rear
seat. While this means of transportation is slow it is nevertheless much
faster than the deisel engine.

During our short wait we also observed the iorkers on their way to the