1839.] Lieut. Kittoe's Journey through the Forests of Orissa. 615 



May 31st. I resumed my march at twilight, and did not reach 

 Kuddoogurh till past 11a. m. On first starting, there was a gradual 

 ascent from the river, the path passing through thin j ungle along the base 

 of some small hills to my left (north), the country to my right was 

 open and undulating, with many villages and much cultivation ; the 

 high hill of Keunjur, called Baghtunga, was right in front; to the 

 westward rose the beautiful range of hills I had just left ; — the land- 

 scape was truly beautiful. Some of the smaller hills are cultivated 

 to their very top, apparently with cotton, which ought to thrive well 

 in such soil. 



Having reached a pretty village called Coomiri, midway up the 

 northern edge of this beautiful village, I had to turn to the northward 

 and descend into a deep glen, then to re-ascend a rather steep slope 

 strewed with masses of iron clay and iron ore, from thence I passed 

 through a thin forest over a succession of undulations and ascents, more 

 or less steep and difficult, up the north-west face of the mountain. The 

 path, which is very narrow, after winding round it descends for one 

 and a half miles inclining first to the eastward, again to the north- 

 ward of east ; it is excellent for the whole descent, but it is only three 

 feet wide, and is neither calculated for carriages nor cattle, nor for a 

 dawk road, I was therefore at a loss to find a reason for Mr. Babing- 

 ton's servant having ever recommended it for the dawk to travel by ; 

 on reaching my camp I was very angry with the man, which led to 

 an attempt on his part to explain why I had been thus deceived and 

 harassed, — suffice it to say that I discovered that there had been much 

 chicanery on the part of the Raja's people as well as the postmaster's, 

 it was this very ghat that poor Capt. Abbott had refused to travel 

 over, and well he might. 



Having travelled compass in hand, making occasional sketches, I 

 found that I had been led twenty-two miles, (from Bullera,) in a 

 course which proved to be nearly semicircular, instead of a direct line; 

 it was evident from my observations at Kuddoogurh that I should have 

 continued nearly due east from Bullera, 1 should then have come 

 direct upon one of the dawk stations called Kalleapal and have conti- 

 nued along the dawk road, the direction of which is very straight as 

 far as Gorapursa in Mohurbhunj. 



I had a fine view of the surrounding country from the top of the 

 mountain, the Buddaum pahar (hill) of the Baumunghatti range 

 (fifty miles east) was distinctly visible, the country between it and the 

 Keunjur hills is tolerably level except to the north towards Katkarin- 

 jeh, where the old road used to run, there are numerous hills in 

 that direction; it was quite evident that the road must be mack direct 



