478 Lieut. Kittoe's Journey through the Forests of Orissa. [June, 



method is this, a few small pieces of the rock are put into a wisp of 

 damp rice straw along with some lighted charcoal, the wisp is then 

 wound up into a ball as tight as possible and tied to a string, by which 

 it is kept swung smartly round until the lime is ready, this the burn- 

 ers know by the state in which the wisp appears. This practice I have 

 observed elsewhere in use in burning the limestone nodules (Kunkur) 

 for the same purpose. But to return to the falls — I could not see much 

 by torch-light though I had several, the glare of which added to the 

 magical appearance of this truly romantic spot ; a cold breeze blows 

 down from the upper falls, which the guides assured me never ceased 

 all the year round. There are several fabulous stories connected with 

 the spot, and a large serpent is said to inhabit one of the caverns, which 

 is not however improbable.* 



I felt very much inclined to halt and pass a day here, but the rains 

 having commenced, it would have been dangerous to prolong my stay in 

 jungles, I therefore returned to camp where I found the merchants in at- 

 tendance together with the Raja's people; the former seemed little inclined 

 to listen to any terms short of payment in full of their exorbitant de- 

 mands ; the latter urged the inability of their master to pay more than 

 250 Rupees out of 3,000 with an I. O. U. for the balance when he 

 should return from Cuttack with his bride, and, what to him was per- 

 haps more valuable, her dowry. 



I should here observe that there are many Mussulman and other 

 merchants who come from Benares and Cuttack with indifferent horses 

 and inferior merchandize of kinds, which they pawn upon the ignorant 

 grandees of these outlandish places ; they give long credit on promise 

 of interest, and consider themselves lucky if some few years afterwards 

 they realize the amount of purchase money, which from its exorbitant 

 nature, renders ample remuneration for the trouble and delay they 

 are subjected to, sometimes having to wait for several months together, 

 being put off with repeated promises of payment, and as many plausi- 

 ble excuses for non-payment, till at last an order is given them upon 

 the farmers of one or more villages who may be in arrears to their 

 lord ; from these the merchants screw as much as they can, the amount 

 of which, of course, very much depends on their power and temper, and 



* Mr. Motte in his Narrative describes an enormous serpent called Nagbunse, which is 

 worshipped some where near Sumbulpur, see p. 82, Asiatic Annual Register, Vol. 1. 

 I have been told that this reptile is still in existence, and that the diamond washers 

 make offerings, if they neglect which, they suppose their search will be fruitless. 



