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order. Besides which were numerous other plants unknown to 

 rue, but form part of my collection. The valleys presented large 

 paddy clearings, the soil was black and cracked to a depth of a 

 foot or so, reminding me of the fields met with in Berar and other 

 parts of India, where this class of soil is thought peculiarly adapted 

 to the growth of cotton. Tapaw (over twenty miles from Ah-chay), 

 the village fixed by the Amat for us to sleep at, was reached by 8 p.m., 

 but I found we were not expected and the people not only refused 

 us shelter, but declined allowing us to encamp anywhere near 

 them ; not even did they make an exception to the Kakhyens of our 

 party. I was greatly put out at this piece of rascality on the 

 part of the Amat, for all my followers were knocked up with the 

 hard day's march, and the women threw down their loads and 

 declined to move another step. Hesitation was out of the question, 

 for the Kakhyens were in a very excited state, brandishing their 

 swords about in the most wild manner, and threatening our lives 

 in case we did not leave at once ; any attempt at resistance must have 

 resulted in bloodshed, and fortunately my Burrnan peons, seeing 

 the danger of opposition, shouldered the loads themselves and 

 marched off with them at a much brisker pace than even I had wish- 

 ed ; for anything like a retreat from fear, I thought, might stimulate 

 the Kakhyens to put their threat into execution. I tried in vain, 

 however, to establish self-possession and order, but the further we got 

 from the village the more rapid the pace became, until I found a gene- 

 ral bolt was contemplated, and had to bring the leader to the halt by 

 a threat of a bullet in his back if he did not stop. Our escort had 

 already deserted us, and apparently had come to terms with the peo- 

 ple of Tapaw; we had to bivouac for the night in the forest, and 

 miserable enough we were ; it poured in torrents till early morn, 

 so that it was impossible even to light fires to keep ourselves warm, 

 nor had we a dry thing to put on, when the rain ceased. 



299. Tuesday, 10th February 1874. — Thermometer 54° at 6 a.m. ; 

 at early dawn I served brandy all round, and took a strong nip my- 

 self, which did us all a deal of good no doubt ; we found ourselves 

 covered with blood from leech bites, and some of the beasts were still 

 adhering to us ; there were two varieties of the anelides, — the small 

 black one, and the larger sort with yellow stripes on either side. It 

 had often occurred to me that murrain may be produced by these 

 animals which, perhaps, are swallowed by the cattle when grazing. 

 All attempts to kindle a fire — (now that the rain had ceased)— to dry 

 our kit proved unsuccessful, for the wood was too wet. Just as we 

 were preparing to start, and had divided the four loads amongst six 

 of us, — for I had arranged to carry my own collections, — our escort 

 and female coolies, accompanied by some men and women of 



