1S83.] S. E. Feal^Mies of a trip up the Dllimg. 11 



of the elephant catcher's stockade, ditch, and rampart, male in the time of 

 Purundur Sing the last king of Asam, 1830 or so. Close by, the men 

 found on a little hill top a grove of tenga trees, limes, shadocks, oranges, 

 and citrons, and I measured a nahor tree 10 feet girth at 12 feet up and 

 some 45 to first branch, the stem straight as a pipe, near by also were huge 

 mekais, or Dipterocarpi 12 feet in girth and 100 to first fork. 



For a considerable distance around the Pung, the jungle was a perfect 

 maze of little paths of clean white sand, and one could easily get lost. 

 Here, while two of the men were collecting dry logs for the camp fire, they 

 espied some animal, and at once stalked it among the paths, taking it for a 

 deer, soon, however, they became aware that it was stalking them, and that 

 it was a remarkably fine tiger. Both sides simultaneously discovering that 

 the other was not a deer, decamped in opposite directions, I went out 

 but of course only saw the track, which measured 19" in circumference. 

 As night closed in, the usual uncanny jungle noises broke out, the '' Koot- 

 Koot," or " Boot-Boot," of the large land Lizard or Gui up to 6 feet at 

 times, in the twilight depths has a peculiarly unearthly sound, and the 

 large owl called " Hiindu," also has a sort of moan about the " Hundu'^ it 

 utters. The three calls are by the pair^ and not one bird, this can be often 

 verified as they now and then sit in different trees, first 1 then 2 and 1 

 again. The clear scream, or yell, of the *' Mor Sorai," is another of those 

 weird sounds that night birds seem to delight in, and it favoured us several 

 times, despite the firebrands flung towards it. 



Next morning we had breakfast ere starting, and at 10 a, m. all the 

 loads were tied and we got off, but I had to make my servant mark out our 

 track among the paths by small fragments of paper dropped behind, for the 

 Dak to come by. We soon entered a remarkably fine forest, trees of 100 feet 

 to first branch, and 13 feet girth, not uncommon, and smaller ones pretty 

 close. The undergrowth, largely ferns, canes, and herbaceous jungle on a 

 sandy soil, the latter very red among the little hills we soon entered, the path 

 going at times over, or among the knolls and up stream beds. Here and 

 there Tokii palms, Lirestona JenJcinsia^ rose to what all estimated as fully 

 50 feet, the huge fan shaped leaves spreading out above as a sort of green 

 canopy. The Dak soon overtook us, thanks to the pieces of paper, and 

 without which the men would have been " tried" all night fasting, and 

 appeared (perhaps) at Dum Duma next day. At dusk we camped at the 

 Powai having again made a very short stage purposely. 



Starting about 8 a. m. next morning we very soon reached Makum on 

 the Dihing, where we breakfasted, and I stayed some time getting stores 

 and information. In the afternoon we proceeded again and camped at a 

 small Duonia village called " Tora Kusi," as I heard that men from *'Bor 

 Kamti" were there. 



