He was waiting at the ghat when the boats docked, he a tall and slender man with small, bright eyes and a drooping moustache. He was wearing typical Singpho clothes and a silk robe, brought from Burma. His head was wrapped in a band like a turban. Dangling from his shoulder were a typical red Singpho bag and a long sword, with its ornate hilt decorated with tiger teeth. The ghat was teeming with men, women and children. Eyes shining with curiosity, they were looking at the boats and the boatmen, especially at the strange clothes that Robert was wearing. After the introductions were over, Robert was escorted to Bisa Gaam’s residence.

Before venturing out on this journey, Robert had contacted Bisa Gaam a number of times. He was aware that if he entered the Singpho kingdom without prior permission, anything could happen. The area, consisting of both hills and plains, was interspersed with dense forests. Between the forests were patches of cultivated land. Robert looked around curiously. The fields were being cultivated by people who had been brought here as slaves from Assam. Although Robert noted the people and the peculiar houses on stilts that he saw everywhere, his mind kept drifting to the tea. Tea had become a popular drink throughout Europe. As China had monopoly over tea, European traders were at the mercy of the Chinese, who kept a tight grip on the business. Foreigners were not allowed inside China. They had to conduct all their transactions from the place allotted to the foreigners in the port area, outside the walled city of Kwangchow. The European traders were at a severe disadvantage, as the Chinese were not willing to exchange tea for anything but silver. The European tea traders, therefore, had to transport large quantities of silver, braving pirates, on their long oceanic voyages. The East India Company was looking for alternatives to break out of this impasse. The Company had flooded the Chinese market with opium produced in India. Many Chinese had become addicted to opium and this allowed the British to reclaim a sizeable percentage of the silver they had paid for tea. But the Chinese emperor had imposed a ban on the import of opium, putting the East India Company in a quandary. It had become extremely important that the Company explore the possibility of cultivating tea outside China. Maniram’s account of the Singpho beverage therefore filled Robert’s head with impossible dreams. If the beverage turned out to be tea, not only would the Company’s problem be solved, Robert would also become a rich tea trader!

Robert and his company reached the royal courtyard in the middle of the village, where a special dance to honour the guests was performed by a group of men and women in colourful costumes. Afterwards he was taken to the ‘sang ghar’ while the gunners remained below. Robert was seated in the front room, meant for guests. Bisa Gaam and Robert sat facing each other on the beautifully decorated wooden floor, each man accompanied by his interpreter. Standing behind Robert was his slave Deodhan.