228 THE FORESTS OF UPPER INDIA 



The work was soon commenced of carefully surveying 

 the whole extent, marking the boundaries of the various 

 reserves, following the courses of streams, and ascertain- 

 ing the character and quantity of the timber growing. 

 To traverse the jungle elephants were necessary ; and the 

 camp was moved daily, and pitched in open glades and 

 elevated situations where found. 



The native offtcial in whose charge the forests had 

 hitherto been, called the sarbarakhar, accompanied the 

 survey party, and acted as guide and assistant. He 

 was a gentleman of polished manners, plausible, and ready 

 with every information on the subject of his charge, 

 but, unfortunately, its correctness proved to be generally 

 unreliable. He did not quite enter into the spirit of 

 forest conservation, and believed that such a scheme was 

 a fanciful innovation, inconsistent with his own emolu- 

 ments. However, the sahib would find out for himself 

 that the jungles were quite worthless — dangerous, indeed, 

 to enter, from the deadly fevers there prevalent and from 

 wild animals. Tigers, leopards, and bears were wont to 

 commit depredations, springing on men and beasts ; and 

 were there not great herds of wild buffaloes concealed 

 in the long grass, whose ponderous size and huge spreading 

 horns rendered them impossible to resist when they 

 charged down on unwary travellers ? He had terrible 

 tales to tell of these savage monsters, called arna bhainsa ; 

 but he had never seen any, and God forbid that he ever 

 should. We started for the jungles, leaving civilization 

 and the bazaar, with forebodings of evil. 



My first experience of the Gorakhpur camping was not 

 an agreeable one. The cold weather climate seemed 

 perfection — bright sun by day and a cool, still air at night, 

 when the sun went down in a golden glow with crimson 

 glory. The bright, clear atmosphere became cold and 



