THE HIGHER NAEBADA. 3r)9 



have been remarked by every one who has passed by a 

 viUage when they came forth to salute him. 



But to return to our muttons. I arrane^ed with the 

 owners of some of these red dosjs to have a morninij^'s 

 sambar hunting with them, assisted by two capital 

 hounds of my own. Scouts were out before daybreak, 

 and^marked down a herd of about twenty sarabar on a 

 spur which jutted out into the plain from the main 

 range^of hills. This spur was covered with mhowa 

 trees, the deciduous flowers of which have a strong 

 attraction for all sorts of deer, as well as bears and 

 Gonds. The former come lonsj distances at ni^ht to eat 

 the flowers that drop in great profusion as soon as ripe, 

 Bruin, if too late for the feast, having no objection to 

 scramble up and get some for himself. The plan was to 

 send a strong body of beaters round to the neck of the 

 spur, while we were to post ourselves with the dogs 

 where it ended in the plain. I call it plain, but it was 

 so only comparatively speaking. Broken and treacherous 

 *' cotton-soil" it was, intersected by numerous nalas, and 

 about as bad ground to ride over as could well be 

 wished. 



We were wending our way down a somewhat 

 precipitous pathway that led from the village to the 

 scene of operations, when the Gond to whom I was 

 talking dropped behind on some pretence or other, and 

 shortly afterwards we passed one of the primitive altars 

 they erect near almost every pathway. This consists of 

 a platform of hard mud, on which are constructed, of 

 the same material, small models of the necessary im- 

 plements of their simple life, such as a cooking-place, 

 flat plate, etc. Near the platform is a stake planted in 

 the ground, from which project two wooden arms, drilled 

 with holes ; through these a peeled wand is passed, the 



