AN EXPLOKATION IN THE FAR EAST. 425 



neighbouring jungle, growing thin and weak, and at hast 

 sank down helpless in a water-pool, where he had gone 

 to bathe his miserable body. Then a neighbouring 

 Thakiir came and fired all day into him from his match- 

 lock, two bushels of bullets being taken from his carcase 

 after he expired. 



He had another story, of a " loathly worm " that 

 haunts the forests of the Uprora country — slimy and 

 horrid like a great caterpillar, a cubit and a half in 

 thickness, and dull gray in colour, with a scarlet head, 

 to look upon which was death. Many had seen it, but 

 none had lived to tell the tale. On pressing him as to 

 the source of the accurate portrait of the monster he 

 had drawn for me, since all who had seen it had died, 

 he was at no loss for a reply. The Thakur of Uprora 

 was travelling, with an attendant behind him, when at 

 the crossino; of a stream the latter called out, " What is 

 that great slimy caterpillar-like monster with a scarlet 

 hear!, etc.?" on which his master warned him not to 

 look at it, and did not do so himself. He was too late, 

 however, for the servant was dead in a few moments. 



Evening after evening I sat on the highest point of 

 the hill listening to the incessant music of the "myriad 

 crickets " that seemed to permeate every nook and 

 cranny of the hill and its covering of trees, and gazing 

 over the vast forest prospect spread below. To the 

 south the open plain of Chattis'garh from which we 

 had come, to the north the o;reat grreen wilderness of the 

 elephant country, dotted here and there with isolated 

 hills. A long valley led up into this region from the 

 foot of Laafagarh, in which a few specks of village 

 clearings could be seen. Everywhere else was utter 

 waste. Far to the west a pink promontory glowed 

 hazily in the setting sun. ' That was Amarkantak, the 



