176 THE FORESTS OF UPPER INDIA 



tree almost over the path. Two of the cooHes fell to 

 the earth and groaned with terror. Nearly every tree 

 near the top bore marks of lightning, being scored and 

 barked from top to bottom. We instinctively hastened 

 forward and down the steep descent, though all were dead- 

 beat, and some left their loads and fled. Luckily there 

 was a village some two miles from the summit called 

 Migla, where our march ended ; and the time taken to get 

 there was a record one. The villagers had a great dread 

 of that pass, and we were lucky to get all safe across. 

 It seemed to be a favourite point for attracting the electric 

 fluid, and to camp there would have been most imprudent. 

 There are often high places which seem to be regular 

 lightning conductors ; and it is important before choosing 

 the site for a house in the hills to study carefully the course 

 of the thunderstorms and consult the natives, who know 

 the bad spots, and generally have some rude temple or 

 heap of stones erected to ward off the evil influence of 

 the fairies or devtas which are the spirits of the mountains. 

 Thunderstorms often are seen and heard down in the 

 depths of the valleys far below the level of the observer, 

 but luckily these are not so dangerous as those which occur 

 on the higher points. Thus, in the village below this 

 summit the inhabitants had never heard of anyone being 

 struck or any damage done by lightning ; but on the pass 

 many had been killed, and cattle were not driven to the 

 jungle adjoining. We came to camp in a fairly open 

 valley, where were broad fields of Indian corn in terraces 

 all along the sides of the hills, the projecting spurs, which 

 had comparatively level tops, being all cleared and ter- 

 raced and cultivated. This was a large village of very 

 industrious poor people, and not a yard of ground which 

 could be reclaimed and terraced had been overlooked. 

 Their houses, all of stone, were clustered together, and the 



