of the Old World. 339 



course parallel to the crest of the ravine, taking care 

 not to go too close to the edge, as the turf was 

 smooth and slippery, and in some places we might 

 have fallen several thousand feet before reaching 

 the ground. 



We now entered a forest of gigantic teak-trees, 

 so dense that the rays of the sun never penetrated 

 and the light resembled faint and dubious twilight. 

 None but those who have explored an Indian forest 

 could have any conception of the depth of gloom and 

 strange silence that pervades these solitudes. Emerg- 

 ing from the dense forest-jungle that covered the 

 high ridge along which our course had hitherto lain, 

 we descended through a rocky gorge into a beautiful 

 valley clothed with short luxuriant emerald-green 

 grass, through which a softly-murmuring stream of 

 clear pellucid water glided smoothly along until it 

 plunged over a jutting cliff, when, bounding from 

 ledge to ledge, it formed a succession of foaming 

 cataracts, and at last, rushing in its headlong course 

 down the almost perpendicular slope of the mountain, 

 swept over the scarped precipice at the head of the 

 ravine in which we had built our hut. 



We made our way to the first fall, and lying flat 

 upon the ground, crawled to the edge of the precipice, 

 and peeping cautiously over, we beheld a scene which 

 amply repaid all our toil. The glowing plain of the 

 low country lay stretched like a map before us some 



z 2 



