326 THE HUNTING GROUNDS 



which amply repaid all our toil. The glowing plain 

 of the low country lay stretched like a map before 

 us some thousands of feet below, and we could 

 trace the winding course of the Bowani river for 

 some scores of miles as it gleamed in the rays of 

 the sun like a silver thread. To our right, rose a 

 grand amphitheatre of frowning heights, every por- 

 tion of which, save only the scarped face of some 

 perpendicular cliff, was covered with primeval forest, 

 and far off could be discerned the fringed outline 

 of more distant ranges, blue and indistinct in the 

 fading light of departing day. It was a landscape 

 of transcendent beauty, which has left a vivid im- 

 pression on my mind, for perhaps the gorgeous sun- 

 set, which gilds all eastern scenery with a beauty 

 peculiarly its own, may have rendered this more 

 charming, by casting those rich golden tints upon 

 the lofty peaks and rugged cliffs whicn the painter 

 loves to throw over his picture. 



The day was fast drawing to a close, and it was 

 time to think of preparing our bivouac for the 

 night, so we selected a rising ground for our en- 

 campment, under the lee of a huge boulder of moss- 

 covered rock, flanked by two strange-looking trees, 

 whose dark dense foliage, gnarled branches, and 

 tortuous roots, reminded us much of those ancient 

 yews that are so often met with in the country 

 churchyards of old England. This arcadian nook 

 was embellished by natural parterres of orchideous 

 plants, wild camellias, rhododendrons, and other 



