NATURALIST IN INDIA. 31 



place for the climate-worn European, who may seek to restore 

 his health by its pure and invigorating air. I spent a delight- 

 ful day toiling over these rugged ravines, and after a hard 

 scramble at length gained the camp, and was reclining on my 

 couch, when a soldier rushed into the tent, to inform me that 

 one of his comrades was drowning in a pond close by, and no 

 one could attempt to save him, in consequence of the dense 

 weeds which covered the surface. On repairing to the spot 

 we found the poor fellow in his last struggle, manfully 

 attempting to extricate himseK from the meshes of rope-like 

 grass that encircled his body ; but, to all appearance, the 

 more he laboured to escape, the more firmly they became 

 coiled round his limbs. At last he sank, and the floating 

 plants closed in, and left not a trace of the disaster. After 

 some delay, a raft was made, and we put off to the spot, and 

 sinking a pole some 12 feet, a native dived, holding on by the 

 stake, and brought the body to the surface. I shall never 

 forget the expression of the dead man's face — the clenched 

 teeth, and fearful distortion of the countenance, whUe coils 

 of long trailing weeds clung round his body and limbs, the 

 muscles of which stood out, stiff and rigid, whilst his hands 

 grasped thick masses, showing how bravely he had struggled 

 for life. Such was the end of Private John Malony. He had 

 been the life and soul of the detachment with which I sailed 

 from England ; and used to keep his companions in roars of 

 laughter, on many a dull evening on shipboard, with his 

 merry Irish songs. 



The descent from the Deccan plateaus into the plains 

 brought us into a very different climate. The thermometer 

 rose from ft5° to 92° in tents ; this, however, was little, com- 

 pared with the miseries of an over-crowded vessel. The 

 fatigue and discomforts of the officers and men were great, 



