84 THE HIGHLANDS OF CENTEAL INDIA. 



Vertical scarps of the red sandstone which forms the higher 

 plateau began to rise into view at every turn of the path, 

 which now plunged into narrow and gloomy glens, following 

 the boulder-strewn bed of a small stream. The dried and 

 yellow grasses and naked tree stems of the lower slope gave 

 place to a green vegetation thickly covering the soil, and in 

 places almost meeting overhead. The moist banks of the 

 stream were covered with ferns and mosses, and the clear 

 sparkle of the little brooks appeared singularly refreshing after 

 our long walk up-hill in the heat of a sultry and lowering day. 

 The baggage-pony found considerable difficulty in scrambling' 

 over the boulders that now began to block the road ; and we 

 relieved him by putting about half of his load on the two 

 guides. After scrambling thus along the sides and bottoms 

 of ravines for some miles, steadily rising at the same time, we 

 suddenly emerged through a narrow pass, and from under the 

 spreading aisle of a large banyan tree (from which this pass 

 gets its name of the Bur-ghat), on to an open glade, covered 

 with short green grass, and studded with magnificent trees, 

 which I found was the commencement of the plateau of 

 Puchmurree. 



Heavy masses of cloud had now gathered overhead, and 

 large drops of rain began to fall, betokening, as it proved, the 

 coming of one of the short but severe storms to which these 

 hills are liable at this season. The village of Puchmurree was 

 still some miles distant, and we hurried along over the now 

 almost level plateau to get shelter as soon as possible, as we 

 had already walked about seventeen miles, and the sun was 

 almost set. The road now lay over a hard and gently undu- 

 lating sandy soil, crossed by many small streams running 

 swiftly in their rocky beds. Immense trees of the dark green 

 Harra (Terminalia Chebula), the arboreous Jaman (Eugenia 



