﻿145 NAflRATIVE OF A ROUTE 



dav to Nuggong. The Mahratta Aumil at Beejoor 

 readily relieved our guides, and congratulated me on 

 my efcape from the mountains and jungles in which, 

 he faid, fo many of his people had been loft, and 

 never more heard of. He informed me, that even the 

 Brinjaries, who never ventured among thefe Goands^ 

 until the moft folemn proteftations of fecurity were 

 given, had in many inftances been plundered. The 

 Bcrar Rajah, however, was much indebted to thefe 

 travelling merchants for having conciliated, and, in 

 fome degree, civilized a number of thofe wild people: 

 for the traffic which they carry on among them, parti- 

 cularly in fait and fugar, had introduced a tafte for 

 luxuries, which many of them now could not eafily 

 dil'penfe with. This had alfo induced them to be 

 more induftrious in collefting the produce of their 

 jungles; fuch as lac, iron ore, and other articles for 

 barter; and had neceffitated their affording proteftion 

 to the Brinjaries. In the courfe of this traffic, which 

 had now lafted about twenty-five years, the defire of 

 the Goands for fait and fugar had confiderably in- 

 creafed; and tended more to their civilization than 

 anv other means : for before they had tafted or ac- 

 quired a reliffi for thofe articles, no man could ven- 

 ture among them; and he affured me, that it had 

 a more powerful effecl than the whole force of the 

 Mahratta arms, in rendering them obedient to their 

 government. 



Soon after leaving Beejoor, w^e began gradually to 

 defcend, and on our arrival at Nuggong, we found the 

 country fo parched, that forage could not be pro- 

 cured; which compelled me to feed my cattle on the 

 leaves of the Banyan tree,* and to increafe their al- 

 lowance of dry grain. The price of grain had very 

 much increafed iince we had left Byragur ; but was 

 not now to be bought at more than eight feers for a 

 rupee. A report having reached this place, that, in 



the 



* Ficus Bergalenfis, 



