8 DESCRIPTION OF THE COUNTRY. 



Sometimes you pass through hollows, drea- 

 ry and dismal, exciting in the traveller sensa- 

 tions not the most pleasing. The idea imme- 

 diately occurs of their being the haunts of ti- 

 gers, the prints of whose feet he will actually 

 see in the sand, yet rarely have a view of the 

 animals themselves as they are rerrarkably 

 wary, and on hearing the least noise skulk into 

 the thick cover, or behind some bush or rock, 

 where, being themselves concealed they see 

 every thing which passes, and from this their 

 hiding place, often rush unexpectedly on the 

 weary traveller. 



At every village near the ghauts are statior- 

 ed Ghautwars who accompany traveller 

 through the ghauts. They have a strange jp- 

 pearance being generally covered with the 

 skin of a tiger, leopard, or some other aninal, 

 and carry with them a bow and arrows crna-^ 

 men ted with peacock's feathers, or a cow's tail, 

 a large shield also ornamented, a spear or a 

 Match-lock-gun and Sword. These peopb 

 give the travellers confidence, but very little 



