The Geographical Journal (Journal of the Royal Geographical Society): Volume XII, No. 2 [‎305r] (112/154)

OBITUARY.
199
It is impossible to Avrite the life-history of a man whose whole career was one
of incident and adventure within the short limits that are suitable to this journal;
but I must include an account that has been sent me by Colonel Macgregor, c.b.,
d.s.o., referring chiefly to Woodthorpe’s work on the Assam and Burmese frontier.
Colonel MacGregor writes as follows: “Early in 1875 we were associated together
in the expedition against the Eastern Nagas, to the south of Jeypore, on the left
hand of the Brahmaputra river. These hill men had treacherously attacked a survey
party under Captain Badgely and Lieut. Holcombe, killing the latter, and severely
injuring the former. In this expedition Woodthorpe was ever to the fore, fighting,
reconnoitring, and engineering, and in the taking of the enemy’s position at Ninu
Niau and Sannoa, was of the greatest assistance to the commander of the expedi
tion (the late General Sir J. M. Nuttall, k.c.b.). I well remember how ready he
was to share the contents of his water-bottle with me (when I had finished mine)
in many a steep climb, and in this, as in numerous other ways, he showed his
unselfishness and kindness of heart. In the cold season of 1883-84 Woodthorpe
was employed in the Aka expedition to the north of Tezpur, on the right bank of
the Brahmaputra, and was of the greatest service to General It. Sale-Hill, c.b.,
who acknowledged his indebtedness very handsomely in his despatches. On one
occasion I remember seeing Woodthorpe cross over, by himself, the Maj Boreli
river by means of an Aka cane cradle bridge in order that he might reconnoitre
the opposite bank. It was a most risky thing to do, but “little Woodthorpe”
never paused to count the cost before executing any deed of daring. In the Aka
expedition I had the pleasure of accompanying him in all his reconnaissances,
and we had very exciting experiences. Once (it was New Year’s Day) we had two
Gurkhas with us, and one bad been shot in the neck by an (aconite) poisoned arrow.
Woodthorpe scooped out the place with his pocket-knife and sucked the wound,
and said, ‘ We will see the wounded man through the business ’ (after a hand-grip
we heard the Akas yelling in the wood round us, and thought it was nearly ‘ all
up’). Woodthorpe disposed our little party of four behind two trees, and we
awaited the expected attack ; luckily for us probably, the hill men thought better
of it and dispersed. On another occasion Colonel H. St. P. Maxwell, c.s.i. (the
political officer), Woodthorpe, and I were ascending a hill in single file, when we
heard Akas above us cutting away at the canes and creepers which held together
a ‘shoot’ of rocks. Woodthorpe dashed by me up the mountain-side with the
view of stopping the cutting and saving our party, and he succeeded in doing so.
In the winter of 1884-85 Woodthorpe explored the country to the south-east of
Sadya, in the Upper Assam, and I had the good fortune to accompany him. We
followed the course of the Noa Dihing, and then struck across the mountains
(where, at an altitude of nearly 10,000 feet, we had to wade through snow), and,
descending with four Gurkhas into the fertile valley inhabited by the Bor Kamptis,
finally reached the Namkiu (the western branch of the Irrawadi), and Woodthorpe
practically settled the much-vexed question of the source of the Irrawadi river
(though some of the admirers of the intrepid traveller Prince Henri of Orleans
afterwards gave the prince the entire credit of discovering the source, because he
had crossed the eastern branch of the river). Woodthorpe’s party eventually
returned to Assam over the Patkoi range to the north-east of the Hukong valley,
after many privations and hardships. Woodthorpe was ever cheery and hearty,
and difficulties with him disappeared as if by magic almost as soon as they arose.
On one occasion we were ‘ brought up ’ sharp by a swollen river running deep and
rapid. Under Woodthorpe’s supervision, we made a raft of plantain trees with
creepers to lash the raft together (the only material available), and crossed over
our little party without loss, though the Gurkha soldiers and Khasia coolies A term used to describe labourers from a number of Asian countries, now considered derogatory.