REMINISCENCES OF JUNGLYPUR 211 



There was a sharp walk of about a mile and a half 

 before me, and I took one of the little paths made by 

 grass-cutters' ponies, winding down a glen to the main 

 stream, and finally reached a spot known as the Jdmun 

 Jhira, or "Plumtree Spring," a pretty little sylvan nook, 

 where a shallow pool lay along the flat rocks, whitening 

 them with saline incrustations, and a thread of water 

 trickled tinkling into a jumble of smooth pot-holes below 

 a little waterfall. Hard by, a tiny spring oozed out from 

 under the roots of an ancient tree. Beyond the grey rocks 

 rose the yellow spear-grass, clothing rugged hills that were 

 studded with jungle trees displaying vivid autumnal tints; 

 while far up the narrow glen there hung the distant bulk 

 of the massive heights of Jhakra. Marks of the nightly 

 visits of deer were fairly plentiful in the soft soil and mud 

 bordering the stream, as well as the bath-like mud-wallow 

 of a big stag, called lotdn by the jungle-men. 



Here I investigated the mysteries of the tiffin-basket 

 while the men squatted about the rocks for a smoke. 



On my tendering a cheroot to the Korkus, great was the 

 interest evinced by these simple fellows. Hearing a volley 

 of laughter and chaff, I glanced up to see that the wag of 

 the party had improved on the native method of sticking 

 the lighted cigar through the fingers and sucking from the 

 hands formed into a bowl ; he had quietly appropriated 

 the smoke, as it went the round from hand to hand, and 

 sat demurely puffing it after the manner of the sahibs to 

 the intense amusement of his fellows. 



After a short rest at the Jamun Jhira we took the hill 

 again, and as the bear had been lost sight of, beat a large 

 cup-shaped ravine, called the "Kachanar kkora." This took 

 a long time, but did not produce the bear or anything else ; 

 so, accompanied by the patel of Barhanpur, I climbed out 

 of this "devil's punch-bowl" by a distinctly ticklish ascent, 

 and visited a cave, which necessitated several extremely 

 nasty crawls along the dangerously tilted hillside that 



