152 KHASI HILLS. 



Imbedded iu the mass, and almost as constant an ingredient in the 



T • , J composition of the rock as any of the other mi- 



Ivon occurs imbed- ^^ i ■^ j 



'^'^^- nerals, occur small crystalline grains of titanifer- 



ous iron, which, from their abundance locally, give the rock a very 

 spotted aspect. They are not equally distributed, being absent or com- 

 paratively absent in the harder concretionary masses, and abundant in 

 the adjoining softer portions of the rock. There is no vein of this ore, 

 but it occurs freely disseminated, and associated with the other minerals. 

 It appears, on the whole, to be more abundant near to the junction of 

 the granite with the overlying rocks than elsewhere. As yet no exca- 

 vations have been made to any depth sufficient to enable an opinion to be 

 formed, as to whether the presence of this ore continues in depth 

 or not. 



The simple mode of extracting this ore from the granite, adopted by 



the Khasis, is to loosen the soft and partially de- 

 Mode of extraction. 



composed granite, with a long iron rake, and 

 suffer the loosened masses and sand to fall into a running stream below, 

 by which the disintegrated particles are still further separated, and the 

 lighter minerals being carried away, the heavier portions including all 

 the iron ore remain, to be again more carefully separated by repeated 

 washings. In this process, the softer portions only of the rock being 

 removed, the huge lumps and masses of harder consistency, being 

 deprived of their support, fall and remain heaped around in the great- 

 est confusion, gigantic monuments of former workings. In many places 

 through the hills, huge piles of these great blocks, now perfectly over- 

 grown with moss, bear testimony to the industry of the natives in former 

 times. Some are of immense size, and the accumulation of these masses, 

 occasionally grouped in the most fantastic form's, gives a strikingly- 

 characteristic feature to the scenery of the granite country. The accom- 

 panymg sketch of the valley of Nonkrim, will give some idea of the 

 great size and confused heaping of these blocks. (Fig. 16.) 



