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the weight rested. Others were again engaged husking paddy by 

 pounding it in a wooden mortar, and preparing dough from the 

 flour of a sort of millet which is cultivated in these hills, I am told. 

 I did not see the standing crop ; but, judging from the seed, it is the 

 ragee of the Deccan. The process of kneading was peculiar. The 

 flour is first mixed with til oil in a mortar and worked into the 

 consistency of paste, the lump of dough is then hurled with some 

 considerable force against a post erected for the purpose, and pulled 

 out in a long roll on the opposite side, this is coiled up again, 

 and the process continued until the required homogeneity has been 

 attained. A little jaggery is sometimes added, and the bread is not 

 at all unpalatable. By 9 a.m. the men commenced to make their 

 appearance, but the old Tswabwa slept on undisturbed. For the 

 last two hours I had been roaming about within and without the 

 stockade, adding to my collection of plants and insects, some of 

 which were known to me, and others not. I was now challenged by a 

 young fellow to shoot against him, he having been told by Achee- 

 noung that I was the better shot, which he did not believe. The 

 mark selected was the stem of a young Rombax about fifty yards off. 

 He requested that I take the first shot, which I did and missed, my 

 ball striking a tree nearly in line, but a yard or two behind the right 

 one. This delighted the lad immensely, and he prepared for his turn. 

 First discharging his gun in the air, which he said had been loaded 

 some days, and could not be depended on, he re-loaded with great 

 care, then resting the barrel on the stump of a tree, after an aim of 

 some three minutes, fired, and hit ; springing to his feet he danced 

 in and out of the crowd, brandishing his gun over their heads, and 

 challenging the world ! This firing brought Acheenoung out, and 

 hearing of my defeat, pluckily backed me again for a charge of 

 powder and bullet : this time I was victor, which led to a quarrel 

 and the drawing of swords, for the boy was so disappointed that 

 he lost all control of his temper, and commenced to abuse Achee- 

 noung, who wrenched the gun from his hands and threatened to 

 shoot him with his own weapon; men, women, and children now 

 joined in the dispute, which was ultimately settled by us both hav- 

 ing to contest for the palm a third time. I endeavoured to miss, 

 and as for my opponent, he was far too excited to go anywhere near 

 the mark ; thus peace was soon restored, and the crowd who, but a 

 few minutes before, were ready to have committed blood-shed, 

 were now all good humour and smiles, chaffing us both immensely 

 for our bad shooting.* 



* The Kakhyens manufacture their own gunpowder, and always give a preference to the wood 

 of trees yielding an open grain ; this is exactly the reverse of our ideas, the closer-grained and 

 more woody trees being preferred in England, especially the Salix family. 



