﻿5i NARRATIVE OF A ROUTE 



told me that, if T would fend fome cowries, it was 

 probable we might get a little grain;* but nothing elfe 

 fuitable to our wants. This I had provided for, and 

 fent him again J when, after two hours, he returned 

 accompanied by two of the villagers, who were almoft 

 naked, but were armed with bows and arrows, and a 

 hatchet each. They brought with them about ten 

 feers of Chenna gram.* I prefented them a piece of 

 red cloth, with which they feemed well pleafed; and, 

 returning to their huts, they foon afterwards brought 

 me a preient of three fowls. One of thefe was of 

 the reverfed feather tribe; and my people immedi- 

 ately called it the hupfy moorgky, or Caffre fowl. 

 The panic which, on our arrival, the mountaineers 

 had been imprefied with, having now fubfided, I 

 afked the two men, if they would accompany us a 

 part of our next day's journey. They appeared to 

 be fomewhat alarmed at the propofal, but confented. 



Feb. 8th. We had proceeded about a mile when the 

 two mountaineers joined us. Their delay had been 

 occafioned by the cold; for having no clothes, and 

 being abundantly fupplied with fuel from the woods, 

 the had fat round a fire during the night. They came 

 armed, as on the preceding day, with bows and 

 arrows, and a hatchet each; the "latter of which they 

 ufed with much dexterity in lopping the jungle for 

 us. About two miles from the Guttaiui river, we 

 came to a very fteep and rugged defile, called Bild- 

 warry Gaut; but the road, after defcending it, conti- 

 nued good as far as the Bejool river; on the fouth 

 bank of which we encamped. We had paffed in our 

 track two little dwellings of the mountaineers, who, 

 notwithftanding our efforts, united to thofe of the two 

 men who accompanied us from the laft village, to ap- 

 peafe their alarm, had immediately fled. 



The 



* A kind of pulfe with which horfes are iifually fed in Hindooftan. 

 (Ciccr arietinum, Lin. J T\itfccr is a meafure weighing about two pound*. 



