CHAP. xii. JOURNEY THROUGH THE FOREST. 319 



travelled on through the forest for about four hours, when we 

 descended to Irihitra, a small Avood-cutter's station, consisting 

 of four or five houses. Here we halted for breakfast, and 

 then continued our journey through a dense forest of large 

 and ancient trees, enlivened occasionally by tree ferns, or the 

 graceful areca palms. 



The road here was frightful, — the soil stiff clay, with deep 

 holes of mud and water. Our way was sometimes covered 

 with water, but more frequently up and down steep slippery 

 ravines, requiring detours on account of the gigantic trees 

 which had fallen across the track. The clayey sides and rocky 

 portions of the ravines were sometimes so steep that my 

 position was almost upright, and it frequently required ten 

 or twelve men to get the palanquin up and down, I was not 

 well enough to walk, but I frequently requested the bearers 

 to halt and rest, which they did once or twice, when I got 

 out, and they sat down in a comparatively level spot, for about 

 ten minutes. I certainly felt, while the men were toiling up 

 the rugged ascent, that there was some ground for the late 

 Kadama's remark, that he had two generals, viz. Greneral 

 Hazo, forest, and General Tazo, fever, in whose hands he 

 would leave any invading army, — for an army could make 

 but slow way through such a country as this. I could also 

 readily imagine why, in 1816, some of Captain Le Sage's 

 men should have throAvn themselves on the ground, declaring 

 they would die rather than attempt to proceed farther. It 

 would require more than a lifetime to make even a passable 

 road through this region. I afterwards made a rough sketch 

 of the road, and photographed the palanquin and bearers. 



We were yet in the forest when the sun went down, 

 but we still kept on, walking along the course of a stream. 

 Grleaming lights at length indicated oiu- approach to the 

 sleeping place, and, in answer to the shouts of our men, 

 torches of bamboo cane were soon afterwards brouc^ht to 



