678 Lieut Kittoe's Journey through the Forests ofOrissa. [August, 



in the shape of a man's foot, others of the hoof of a cow, all have 

 been improved by human skill, and the priests assert that the former 

 are the marks of Ram and Seeta's feet; and the latter those of "Nandi" 

 the bull of Siva. 



In examining the nature of the rock and of the shingle bed, I dis- 

 covered beautiful specimens both of the common and of the precious 

 green serpentine, the natives say it is washed from a small hill above 

 Jushpur, it is a most beautiful mineral and would make very elegant 

 mantel-piece ornaments ; I sent a man to bring me a large quantity, but 

 he never returned. 



From Jushpur I marched through an interminable forest for four 

 days, being misled by the roguery of the zemindar, and the obstinacy of 

 my guard and other attendants. I passed the site of many large 

 villages, and over vast tracts of grass, elephant-high, growing on land 

 where once luxuriant crops had smiled, but all is now a wilderness. 



The forest has no underwood, every inch of the land could be cultiva- 

 ted. I left this wilderness, at Sukroori a large Sassun village near the 

 high road, and which I have mentioned in a former page, it belongs to 

 a junior branch of the Mohurbhunj family styled " Burkonwur," who 

 hold the purgunnah of their kinsman the Mohurbhunj Raja. 



We had the misfortune of being overtaken by rain (which set in 

 on the 12th January,) the first march from Jushpur. We had great 

 difficulty in procuring supplies, and were much tormented by the chi- 

 canery of the Zemindarsy who were evidently acting under the Raja's 

 orders ; the rain fell daily, not a dry spot could be found, consequently 

 every person suffered more or less, sooner or later ; we were more for- 

 tunate at Sukroori where there was good ground and plenty of shelter. 

 The natives of the country seemed to take it very coolly, they always 

 construct bowers under shady trees in the centre of which they set fire 

 to huge logs of dry or rotten wood, which are kept constantly burning ; 

 at night, all hands sleep in a circle round the fire with their feet towards 

 it, few have any clothing beyond a small piece of cloth, which answers 

 at once the purpose of a dhoti, a covering sheet, and a bag to tie up 

 their store of rice. I am inclined to think that there is a virtue in the 

 dense smoke which is kept up, that it dispels malaria. 



We halted three days at Sukroori, but the rain not clearing, I deemed 

 it expedient to order a move and marched to Gobindpur, the place 

 where I had encountered the fearful tornado on my march from 

 Sumbulpur, thinking it better for my followers at any rate, to have 

 the advantage of the good water of the Byeturni, I was however mis- 

 taken, the incessant rain caused almost every person in camp to catch 



