482 



better adapted for banditti, being covered by thick forests, inter- 

 sected by deep ravines, and encompassed by hills. 



Having escaped all difficulties we arrived at our tents, pitched 

 near the village of Tandlah, in a pleasant country, with plenty of 

 cattle grazing in the meadows, and peasants reaping an abundant 

 crop of barley. It belonged to Bihtn Sihng, rajah of Jaboo, of 

 the R ha tore tribe of Rajpoots, Avho paid us a visit in the evening, 

 with a number of attendants, in a better style than we had ex- 

 pected ; among them were several respectable Patan, Scindian, 

 and Arab officers. The rajah was a heavy corpulent young man, 

 about five-and twenty years of age, well dressed, and covered with 

 ornaments, particularly several gold chains round his neck and 

 across his shoulders, with a profusion of rings and bracelets. 

 During the evening I had numerous applications for advice and 

 medicines, which, for the credit of the embassy, I distributed libe- 

 rally to all who required assistance. 



We proceeded early on the 4th of April to Pitlabad, a stage 

 of fourteen miles; the first part through a hilly country, but nei- 

 ther so high nor rocky as those we had lately passed. The soil in 

 the valleys resembled finely sifted black earth, generally covered 

 by long dried grass, thinly scattered, with trees resembling the 

 birch. We then ascended two lofty hills, in immediate succession, 

 and, from an extensive plain on the summit, commanded a tine 

 view of the country we had lately traversed, a tract of fifty 

 miles in length, and fifteen in breadth; generally lost to all the 

 purposes of cultivation ; a cover for wild beasts, and the abode of 

 cruel banditti. A sneeession of hill and dale brought us from 

 thence to Pitlabad, once the mart of Malwa, and one of the most 



