72 THE HIGHLANDS OF CENTEAL INDIA 



as soon as possible, as we had already walked about 

 seventeen miles, and the sun was almost set. The road 

 now lay over a hard and gently undulating sandy soil, 

 crossed by many small streams running swiftly in their 

 rocky beds. Immense trees of the dark green Harra 

 {Terminalia Chehula), the arboreous Jaman (Eugenia 

 Jambolana), and the common Mango dotted the plain 

 in fine clumps; and altogether the aspect of the plateau 

 was much more that of a fine English park than of any 

 scene I had before come across in India. By and by, 

 through the vistas of the trees, three great isolated peaks 

 began to appear, glowing red and fiery in the setting sun 

 against the purple backgroimd of a cloud-bank. The 

 centre one of the three, right ahead of us, was the peak 

 of Mahadeo, deep in the bowels of which lies the shrine 

 of the god himself; to the left, like the bastion of some 

 giant's hold, rose the square and abrupt form of Chau- 

 radeo ; while to the right, and further ofi than the others, 

 frowned the sheer scarp of Dhiipgarh, the highest point 

 of these Central Indian highlands. 



We had little leisure to enjoy this splendid view, how- 

 ever, for a blinding rain, accompanied by thunder and 

 lightning, now came on; and some distance still inter- 

 vened from the village when we were compelled to seek 

 shelter in a grove of trees. Fortunately there was among 

 them a large hollow banyan tree, within which we all 

 found shelter, including "Quail" and "Snipe," who I 

 forgot to say were of the party, and had revelled in spur 

 fowl all the way up. 



I sent on the two guides to the village to procure us 

 some firewood and water; for I determined to encamp 

 here, rather than go further, and probably fare worse, 

 among the unknown disagreeables of a Korku village. 

 A swampy hollow lay betwixt us and the village, and after 

 we heard the guides go splashing through this and dis- 

 appear in the darkness it was full two hours before we 

 heard them floundering back again with three or four 

 Korkiis carrying bundles of sticks, grass, pots of water, 

 and the various natural productions which have always 

 to be procured from the village where camp is pitched. 



