12 THE HIGHLANDS OF CENTRAL INDIA 



of the plains, who ploughed their fields by night with 

 swords and matchlocks tied to the shafts of their ploughs, 

 or purchased peace by heavy payments of blackmail. 

 Vast areas of the country that had been reclaimed by 

 their industry were again abandoned to the jungle and the 

 wild beast ; and only round the walls of fortified villages, 

 within which the people and their herds could retreat in 

 time of need, was any tillage maintained at all. 



In the year 1818 this unheard-of anarchy was ter- 

 minated by our final success against the Marathas, and 

 the extermination of the Pindari bands. But we entered 

 on the possession of our new territories to find them 

 almost desolated by a quarter of a century of the utter 

 absence of government, with the hill population frenzied 

 by the excitement of a life of plunder, and branded with 

 the character of " savage and intractable foresters." The 

 Sagar and Narbada territories, as the northern half of the 

 country was then called, were acquired by us in full 

 sovereignty after this war. The southern portion remained 

 nominally the territory of the feudatory Raja of Nagpur, 

 but had long been under British administration when, in 

 1854, it too was annexed on failure of heirs. The Gavil- 

 garh hills, in the extreme south-west, formed part of the 

 Nizam's territory of Berar; but that also has for many 

 years been under British management. 



With the establishment of a strong government the 

 hill-men soon proved how greatly they were mahgned 

 when described as " savage and intractable." Since they 

 first came under our rule there has not been an outbreak 

 among them of the least importance; and, on the con- 

 trary, they have long since gained the character of being 

 a remarkably submissive and law-abiding people. The 

 chiefs were early secured in their feudatory position, with 

 the full proprietorship of such territories, both in the hiUs 

 and in the plains, as they could establish a title to ; and 

 for many years they were left almost to themselves in the 

 management of their internal afiairs. Our early adminis- 

 trators were too fully occupied with the work of restoring 

 prosperity in the open country to have much time to 

 spare for the Gond and his wildernesses ; and thus we find 



