112 DIARY OF A SPORTSMAN NATURALIST 



we smoked, talked and watched the beautiful scenery of 

 the Hill Tracts as reach after reach of the great river opened 

 out before us, bearing upon its bosom long rafts, often thirty 

 yards in length, consisting of great logs, bamboos, canes, 

 etc., cut in the forests to the north and now on their way to 

 the southern markets. 



The next day we descended somewhat in dignity ; only 

 small dug-out boats could proceed further up the river 

 owing to the prevalence of sandbanks and other obstacles. 

 Behold, therefore, the Ruler of the Country seated solemnly 

 in the centre of a dug-out canoe-like vessel, with a strip of 

 bamboo matting fixed over the centre to afford some 

 protection against the sun, rowed or poled or dragged up- 

 stream by the boatmen, whilst an orderly squatted in the 

 stern. This was all in the way of passengers the craft could 

 accommodate with comfort and safety. We had a fleet 

 of these dug-outs. I occupied No. 2, and the tiihn- 

 basket and two native servants No. 3. The rest of our 

 enormous retinue, for the Commissioner, even on a combined 

 duty and sport expedition such as the present, always 

 travels in style, occupied the remainder of the fleet, which, 

 before we had gone very far, was strung out over at least a 

 mile of river. 



I had been anxious for the Commissioner to come up at 

 this season to witness the enormous destruction being 

 committed by the wholesale burning of the forest, done 

 yearly by the occupants of the scattered villages in the 

 outer hills and by jhumers elsewhere. The former fired the 

 forest with the object of getting a crop of young grass as 

 soon as the first rains fell for the pasturing of their 

 miserable herds of wretched cattle and goats ; their 

 buffaloes were good, but the rest of the animals — a 

 type of the poorest. The jhumers burnt the forest in 

 order to provide areas on which to raise their crops with 

 a minimum of trouble and labour. We saw enough of this 

 burning that day to convince the most sceptical of the 

 wasteful damage being done. At times the smoke was 

 blown so densely across the river that we could not see 

 twenty yards in front of us. At others large sandbanks 

 necessitated our coming close into the shore above which 

 the whole hill-side was blazing, where the heat added to the 

 rays of an already very powerful sun was terrific. About 

 one o'clock, on rounding a bend, I perceived to my rehef, 



