﻿J)^ NARRATIVE OF A ROUTE 



March ytii. In the evening the clouds began to 

 afcend, and the day broke next morning with a clear 

 {ky ; but the country being wet. and the Taiy river 

 quite hlied, we were compelled to poftpone our 

 march. 



March 8th. This morning a Co-whitr came in 

 from Lojfah^ a village about Hvc cofe diltant, and re- 

 ported, that clofe to Mahtin, at the bottom of the 

 large hills, he faw the mangled bodies of a man and a 

 bullock, who appeared to have been recently killed 

 by tigers. I found, on inquiry, that the traveller 

 was a villaj^er coming with his bullock, loaded with 

 grain, to Maktin^ and that the accident happened juft 

 as he was terminating his journey. Upon aflving the 

 Cowhiers if they ufed any means to dellroy the tigers, 

 thev replied, that the wild beaih were fo numerous, 

 that they dreaded, if one were to be deftroyed, the 

 reft would foon be revenged upon them, and upon 

 t'.ieir cattle; and would undoubtedly depopulate the 

 country. He added, that the inhabitants of Mahtin 

 make certain offerings and facrifices, at flaied periods, 

 to Bhavani, on Mahtin Dey^ for her protettion from 

 wild hearts, upon which they rely for prefervation ; 

 and he rem.arkcd to me, that the man who had been 

 killed, was not an inhabitant of their village. I could 

 not forbear a fmile at the credulity of tliefe moun- 

 taineers. 



We had now experienced rain, more or lefs, for 

 twenty-two days; the weather was ftill cold, but the 

 air^ clear and fliarp; and, as far as I could difcover, 

 the fall of rain was not conlidered as unufual at this 

 fealon in that part of the country. 



From the time that we had entered Corair, I had 

 obferved a great variety of very beautiful flowering 

 fhrubs, which appeared new to me; but not poflfeffing 

 fufficient botanical know ledge to decide to what claffes 



of 



