CHAPTEE IX. 



THE SAL FORESTS. 



Head Streams of the Narbada The Mandla Plateau A Prairie Country 

 Character of the Uplands Scenery Climate Scanty Population Gonds 

 Bj'gas Their retired Habits Poisoned Arrows Courage of the Bygas 

 Patriarchal Institutions A singular Race The Byga Medicine Man 

 Tiger Charming A pleasant Custom Byga Seers Religious Senti- 

 ments Destruction of Sal Trees The Dammer Resin Traffic of the 

 Bygas Character of the Sal Forests Forest Products Lac Dye Tusser 

 Silk A grazing Country Value of Cattle Prospects of the Country Its 

 Resources Causes of Backwardness Wanting Population Distance of 

 Markets Malaria Advantages of the Tract for Settlers European Colo- 

 nisation Field for Enterprise A Missionary Attempt Land Jobbing 

 Prospects of Missions Wild Animals The Red Deer Its Habits Variety 

 of Game A Christmas Party Beating with Elephants A Tiger Shot 

 Flying The Halon Valley A Mendicant Killed by a Tiger Stalking the 

 Red Deer Kill a Stag A Run at a Hind A Wild Elephant Singular 

 Freak Range of Wild Elephants Tigers Roaring at Night A remarkable 

 Serenade Large Herds of Red Deer The Wild Buffalo. 



Above Mandla, the valley of the Narbada opens out into a 

 wide upland country, the main river, between this and Jub- 

 bulpur, joined by few and unimportant tributaries, here 

 radiating like the fingers of a hand, and draining the rainfall 

 of an extensive triangular plateau, known as the Mandla dis- 

 trict. These converging valleys rise in elevation towards the 

 south', where they terminate in a transverse range of hills, 

 which sends down spurs between them, subdividing the drain- 

 age. The valleys themselves also successively rise in general 

 elevation, by a step-like formation from west to east. Furthest 

 to the west, that of the Banjar river possesses a general height 



A A 2 



