338 THE HIGHLANDS OF CENTEAL INDIA 



thatched hovels clustering against their walls witness to 

 the poverty of the diminished niiniber of its modern resi- 

 dents. As the temples of the old faith have suffered decay, 

 so, too, has the religion itself; and orthodox Hinduism 

 has over aU this country been extensively displaced by a 

 deism, planted less then j&f ty years ago among the Chamar 

 inhabitants of Chattis'garh by a prophet of their own race. 

 It is, like the Buddhism of old, an uprising of the down- 

 trodden low castes against the tyranny of Brahmanism, 

 its leading principles being abjuration of priestdom and 

 caste, and substitution for the Brahmanistic pantheon of 

 the worship of one God, whom they call Sal Ndm, or the 

 " True One." 



Lying in a low hollow between surrounding eminences, the 

 foul water-tanks, fetid with the slime of centuries, breed 

 among the people of Eatanpiir every sort of loathsome 

 disease; and everywhere the hideous leper, and sufierer 

 from elephantiasis, are seen stalking gloomily about in 

 the shadows of these decaying groves. I was myself 

 destined to share iu the pestilence that is rapidly depopu- 

 lating the place. Coming in heated from our ride, and 

 the tents not having arrived, I was foolish enough to 

 throw myself down on a string beadstead I found under a 

 tree and go to sleep, and in the evening found myself over- 

 taken by a sensation which I did not recognise. It was 

 fever, but not that of malaria I had become accustomed 

 to. Next morning I marched, though very ill, ten miles 

 to the next halting-place ; and the day after, being much 

 worse, was carried on six miles further. After tossing 

 about all night I suddenly felt reHeved from the burning 

 fever, and became aware of a fine crop of small-pox pustules 

 on my feet. This promised to be the end of my exploration ; 

 but, as I had been duly vaccinated, I hoped the attack 

 might be a light one, and determined not to return to the 

 station while a hope remained of accompHshing my desire 

 to see the elephant-country. It was very hot where we 

 now were; but about seven miles further on rose a high 

 conical hill, crowned by an old fortress, called Laafagarh, 

 which seemed to possess an elevation of at least 3000 feet ; 

 and as, on inquiring about it, I found there was shade and 



