l6 THE FORESTS OF UPPER INDIA 



of course. The dressing being of the extemporary order, 

 is soon got through, as the more serious bath and toilet 

 come before the bara haziri, after morning's duties are 

 over. 



The first outlook from the tent is cheerful across the 

 hillside terraces and glades, where brawling streamlets 

 abound. The kakur, or barking deer, is out for his morn- 

 ing feed upon the tops of the tender wheat, which springs 

 on the terraced lands. His yellow coat contrasts with 

 the bright green of the young com. The kahj pheasants, 

 with their blue-black plumage and silvery drooping tails, 

 are picking under the oaks. The native assistant-sur- 

 veyor, Gaitul Singh, and a gang of coolies, are ready 

 with Hght axes and pegs and hoes to commence the day's 

 work, which consists in levelling and laying out the line 

 of road. The road must be of a gradient not greater 

 than 3 feet rise in loo, and 30 feet wide for cart traffic. 

 The utmost skill and ingenuity are required to take ad- 

 vantage of every spur and ridge so as to zigzag upwards ; 

 and with hills of a very steep and ravine-cut nature, and 

 several thousand feet to be mounted, it is needless to 

 observe that the turns and winds of the road, following 

 the contours of ridge and valley, will be exceedingly 

 perplexing. With levelling instruments and pegs it was 

 necessary to run many trial lines before determining 

 which was best. In some places, after following easy 

 slopes with favourable soil for cutting out the line, like 

 a step or terrace on the mountain-side, there appeared 

 in front an impossible precipice too steep and dangerous 

 for any road ; and the work of levelling and pegging out 

 a new trial line up another spur and ridge had to be gone 

 through, till eventually the best route was found so as 

 to avoid heavy cutting or dangerously loose precipices. 

 The sandstone strata, dipping to the east at a high angle. 



