618 Lieut. Kittoe's Journey through the Forests of Orissa. [\July, 



from next camp to the Raja. This was sad want of faith, and a 

 clear demonstration of the poor opinion they have of European inte- 

 grity. I tried to ascertain the amount which the Raja had paid, but 

 could not get at the real truth, though it was evident it must have 

 been much ; I repeated my assurances that there was no chance of the 

 road passing near Keunjur, and stated that the Raja would be very 

 wrong if he gave a single farthing more, and I requested that he would 

 complain of any person who might in future make any such demands. 

 The vakeel complained loudly of the trouble, expense, and hard- 

 ships, their master and his ryots had been put to, by the constant 

 cutting of jungle, and exploring and opening new roads by the post- 

 master's moonshis; however much exaggeration there may be, it is 

 evident that these worthies have certainly much abused their power, 

 and have lived (together with their servants) gratis on the fat of the 

 land, I resolved on putting a final stop to this source of annoyance, by 

 requesting the Raja to refuse to do any thing more, unless he received 

 positive instructions from the proper authorities. 



At sunrise I commenced my march towards Gorapursa, a dawk 

 station twelve miles distant ; I first crossed the Byeturni which was 

 fast rising, and was attended to the opposite bank (the boundary of 

 Mohurbhunj) by the vakeels and their followers, who were then 

 dismissed, I reached Gorapursa at 10 a. m. ; the country I passed over 

 had a gradual rise the whole way with several light undulations, 

 there appeared to be much heavy jungle to the right of the road, 

 but in its immediate vicinity there is a fair proportion of clear and 

 cultivated land. I passed one large village called Sukroori two miles 

 before reaching that of Terenti, where there is a dawk station ; from 

 thence to Gorapursa there is one continued forest of small trees and un- 

 derwood, the distance is about seven miles, and Terenti above six from 

 the Byturni ; four miles beyond Terenti I crossed the Krere Bundun 

 river, this water was about two and a half feet deep, and running very 

 rapidly, the bed is gravelly and the banks exceedingly steep. 



I encamped under a noble banyan tree and passed a pleasant day, 

 for the air was very much cooled by the previous night's rain, the 

 country in the immediate vicinity is also high and tolerably open, ne- 

 vertheless it is dreadfully unhealthy ; there is a guard of a native 

 officer and thirty men from the Ramgurh battalion stationed here, it 

 suffers much, there are seldom more than one-third of the men fit for 

 duty, the rest being laid up with fever ; I found the native officer to be 

 a very well informed man, he was very attentive to my wants and 

 gave me much valuable information ; I got him to write a letter to the 

 Raja of Kcunjur at my direction, touching his offer of bribes, and sent 



