616 Lieut. Kittoe's Journey through the Forests of Orissa. QJuly, 



from the pass near Kalleapal to that to the southward of Buddaum pa- 

 har near Jushpur, in which case the present dawk road would be left 

 entirely to the left (or north), and Keunjurgurh, where the Raja resides, 

 would be left about eight miles to the southward, thereby all trouble 

 to us, and annoyance to the Raja, would be at an end, for in verity, it 

 appeared that the great desire to prevent the road passing through 

 or near the gurh, was the great cause of all the mischief which had 

 arisen ; the Raja's dewan, who had come with a letter of compliments 

 from his master, was overjoyed when I assured him that such was the 

 case. 



There being no hut available in the miserable hamlet of 

 Kuddoogurh, I was obliged to take shelter under a small tree (for there 

 were none of any size) ; the day was exceedingly hot, therefore I 

 suffered a great deal. I felt very uneasy both for my own safety and 

 that of my followers ; we had the very worst of water, nearly putrid, 

 and the cholera was sweeping away hundreds. The Raja had two 

 days previously lost his mother, his eldest son, and a nephew by that 

 dreadful scourge. We were all too much fatigued to be able to march 

 again in the evening, so we passed the night where we were. 



The Raja sent all kinds of supplies his town could afford, and in- 

 sisted on my accepting all as my feast ; I thought it prudent to humour 

 him, for my offering payment would have been looked upon as un- 

 friendly. 



1st June. Having resolved on making a long march to the banks of 

 the Byeturm, where I was sure of getting good water, I broke ground 

 at 2 a. m. The road was good but very tortuous leading from village 

 to village, sometimes to the north of the true line, at others to the 

 south ; the country is high and undulating, with many rocky emi- 

 nences of grey granite which in many places protrudes through the 

 surface, having the appearance of extensive pavements ; there appears 

 to be (generally) but a very thin stratum of soil for there are but few 

 trees of any size, the most common is the pullas {Jbutea frondosa) and 

 a large shrub with a pretty white blossom, having an overpowering 

 sweet odour which the natives are very fond of, they put it in 

 their hair and through their ear-rings. 



I travelled by many comfortable looking villages on my way ; the 

 proportion of jungle to cultivation is perhaps as five to one. The 

 largest village I passed through was Phoolkonlaie,* about two miles 

 before reaching camp. This place is a Sassun or Brahmun colony, 



* It was from this place that I was driven back by sickness in January of the pre- 

 sent year. 



