CHAPTER XIX 



JUNGLES IN CENTRAL INDIA AND BUNDELKHAND 



In January, 1866, my duties as Forest Surveyor of the 

 North-West Provinces led me to the districts of Jhansi 

 and LaHtpur, where my instructions from the Secretary 

 to Government, North - West Provinces, Pubhc Works 

 Department, were to explore all the forests to be found, 

 and make a forest survey of them on the scale of 4 inches 

 to the mile, showing the area under timber, and giving a 

 schedule of the number of trees per acre, first, second, 

 third, and fourth class, and other information. The 

 railway was not then completed to Gwalior, and travelling 

 was by night by dak gharry from Agra to Gwalior. 



I arrived at the cantonment of Morar, a wide-spreading, 

 neatly laid-out station of the British army, with beautiful 

 straight roads shaded by bright green mango and other 

 trees, barracks and bungalows peeping among the foliage. 

 The stern old fortress of Gwalior is visible, dominating 

 the extensive native town. It stands on a rocky table- 

 mountain some 200 feet above the level, rising sheer up 

 out of the plain, on all sides a solid perpendicular wall of 

 rock, only accessible by the zigzag road cut in the face 

 of the hill, where, perched upon the top, stands the cele- 

 brated old gateway in the fort, surmounted by blue 

 enamelled domes glistening in the sun. That this appar- 

 ently impregnable fortress has been twice taken by British 



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