306 KHASIA MOUNTAINS. Chap. XXX. 



it to feed ; nor indeed could we persuade some of our 

 friends that its thin sharp jaws are unsuited for masti- 

 cating leaves, and that these and its prehensile feet 

 indicate its predacious nature: added to which, its singular 

 resemblance to a leaf is no less a provision against its 

 being discovered by its enemies, than an aid in deceiving- 

 its prey. 



We descended rapidly for many miles through beautiful 

 rocky woods, with villages nestling amongst groves of 

 banana and trellised climbers ; and from the brow of a 

 lull looked down upon a slope covered with vegetation and 

 huts, which formed the mart of Chela, and below which the 

 Boga-panee flowed in a deep gorge. The view was a very 

 striking one : owing to the steepness of the valley below 

 our feet, the roofs alone of the cottages were visible, from 

 which ascended the sounds and smells of a dense native 

 population, and to which there appeared to be no way of 

 descending. The opposite side rose precipitously in lofty 

 table-topped mountains, and the river was studded with 

 canoes. 



The descent was fully 800 feet, on a slope averaging 25° 

 to 35°. The cottages were placed close together, each 

 within a little bamboo enclosure, eight to ten yards deep ; 

 and no two were on the same level. Each was built against 

 a perpendicular wall which supported a cutting in the bank 

 behind ; and a similar wall descended in front of it, forming 

 the back of the compartment in which the cottage next 

 below it was erected. The houses were often raised on 

 platforms, and some had balconies in front, which overhung 

 the cottage below. All were mere hovels of wattle or mud, 

 with very high-pitched roofs : stone tanks resembling fonts, 

 urns, coffins, and sarcophagi, were placed near the better 

 houses, and blocks of stone were scattered everywhere. 



