266 THE FORESTS OF UPPER INDIA 



the parapet and effected a lodgment on the wall, fighting 

 hand to hand with swarms of the Rani's sepoys. The 

 postern gate in the tower was then opened, and Sir Hugh 

 Rose came in. The young subaltern of Royal Engineers 

 who was first over the parapet, using his revolver and 

 sword to good purpose, as described by Major Baillie, 

 an eye-witness, was my brother, now Major-General 

 C. E. Webber, C.B. 



Our route lay southward towards Lalitpur, where 

 forests are more prevalent, with rocky ridges rising out of 

 the plain, and much ravine country covered with low 

 thorny scrub, also wooded flats along the Betwa and 

 Dhasan rivers, where teak and sal exist and other forest 

 trees ; many of which have been hacked about and muti- 

 lated by the natives, but a good deal is capable of growing 

 good timber. There are some very curious ruins in the 

 forest, near the Betwa river, of the deserted ancient city 

 of Orchha. At one time this was a considerable place, 

 with a fine wall abutting at each end on the river, and 

 partly on an island, now overgrown with jungle. It is 

 uninhabited, the Rajah and his people having removed 

 elsewhere. It is now a city of the dead, judging by the 

 immense number of Mohammedan graves to be seen in 

 the ancient cemetery. They are neatly constructed of 

 white material or stone, aU facing the same direction (east 

 and west). The Orchha jungles are the property of the 

 Rajah, and fine teak timber is found in considerable 

 quantity. The stream in the dry season is fordable, 

 but in the rains it is a big river, running between banks of 

 a good height, and impassable. 



The Government, since the annexation of the country, 

 had been very neglectful as to the forests, not only allow- 

 ing the villagers to cut down their own timber recklessly, 

 but permitting the entire area of forest, of which there 



