﻿FROM CHUNARGHUR TO YERTN AGOODUM. 119 



the country is drained into the Godavery ; having 

 hitherto perceived the little rivers and nullahs running 

 eaftward, and falling into the Mahanuddce. From 

 Conkair to this place (a diflance of about forty miles) 

 not a fingle habitation had occurred, which could 

 with propriety be denominated a hamlet. I had in- 

 deed obicrved a hut or two, here and there, with fmall 

 fpots of land fomewhat cleared, where the GoandshdiA 

 cut down the trees to within three feet of the ground, 

 and having interwoven the branches fo as to fence 

 their plancations againft the attacks of wild beafts, had 

 removed the intervening grafs and creepers, to make 

 room for the cultivation of a little maize, or Indian 

 corn. 



April ioth. This morning, as the party was 

 moving off, the Goands., who had been brought out of 

 the village by the Rajah's people to ferve as guides, 

 "were no fooner delivered to us, than they began to 

 make very defperate attempts to get av/ay; in moft of 

 ■which they fucceeded. The Rajah's men alledged, 

 that it was from fear; but to me it appeared to pro- 

 ceed from knavery, and an inclination to quarrel; 

 for, when we had moved on a little way, a large body 

 of Goands, armed with fpears, furrounded a loaded 

 bullock that was coming oflp the ground a Itttle later 

 than the reft ; and, if I had not fent back a party to 

 the affiftance of the people in charge of it, there ap- 

 peared to be little doubt but they would have carried 

 it off. A man alfo, who had dropped feme part of 

 his property, and had returned the day before to look 

 for it, was no more heard of; which convinced me 

 that he had been cut off by thefe wild favages, who 

 appear not to be wanting in inclination to fight, when 

 plunder is in view, and who ufually add murder to 

 their depredations. • 



April 12th. We reached the Conkair Rajah's 

 frontier; and I had fcarcely gone beyond it, when 

 intelligence was brought me of a large body of 



H 4 men 



