374 THE HIGHLANDS OF CENTRAL INDIA. 



clearing on the mountain-side, pitching his neat habi- 

 tation of bamboo wicker-work, like an eagle's eyrie, on 

 some hill-top or ledge of rock, far above the valleys 

 penetrated by pathways ; and ekes out the fruits of the 

 earth by an unwearying pursuit of game. Full of 

 courage, and accustomed to depend on each other, they 

 hesitate not to attack every animal of the forest, in- 

 cluding the tiger himself. They possess a most deadly 

 poison wherewith they tip their little arrows of reed ; 

 and the most ponderous beast seldom goes more than a 

 mile, after being pierced with one of these, without 

 falling. The poison is not an indigenous one, but is 

 brought and sold to them by the traders who penetrate 

 these wilds to traffic in forest j^i'oduce. I believe it 

 to be an extract of the root of Aconitum ferox, which 

 is used for a similar purpose by some of the tribes of 

 the eastern Himalaya. The flesh is discoloured and 

 spoilt for some distance round the wound. This is cut 

 out, and the rest of the carcase is held to be wholesome 

 food. Their bows are made entirely of the bamboo, 

 " string " and all ; they are very neat, and possess 

 wonderful power for their size. A good shot among 

 them will strike the crown of a hat at fifty yards. 

 Their arrows are of two sorts ; those for ordinary use 

 being tipped with a plain iron head, and feathered 

 from the wing of the peafowl, while those intended for 

 poisoning and deadly work have a loose head, round 

 which the poison is wrapped, and which remains in the 

 wound. These poisoned arrows are altogether remark- 

 ably similar to those used by the Bushmen of South 

 Africa. Their axes are also of two sorts — one, like the 

 ordinary axes of the Gonds, for cutting wood, and the 

 other, a much more formidable implement, called a 

 tongid, with a long semicircular blade like an ancient 



