54 A narrative of our connexions with [Jan. 



village did not lie far off. By this I took the bearings of those places 

 I have entered in the map, and much reliance therefore cannot be placed 

 on their exact position, yet it will give a tolerably correct idea of the 

 whole country. As far as the eye could reach to the south the hills 

 appeared to be of the same uniform appearance as those we were on, 

 and to have been at some time or another under cultivation ; amongst it 

 we could discern several cleared patches pointing out the habitations of 

 some of the independent Garrows. At the time I was making my ob- 

 servations the atmosphere, which is always more or less husky and obs- 

 cure at this season of the year, was tolerably clear, and calculating that 

 as a crow might fly I was then 25 miles from the plains, and that my 

 visible horizon was limited to 1 5 miles beyond, my knowledge of the 

 country may be supposed to extend half the distance across the promon- 

 tory of the Garrow hills, yet I could discover no sterile precipitous rocky 

 mountains which the Garrows wish us to believe are the features of the 

 independent Garrow country, and I believe they merely do so to give 

 us a false idea that the country is inaccessible. As far as I could see 

 the hills presented no greater obstacles to the construction of a good 

 road from Rungtoopara into the independent Garrow country than those 

 we had already surmounted, through which as good a mail coach road 

 might be constructed as through any of the mountains of Wales. 



From Rungtoopara to Ripoogiri is a distance of six miles. The road 

 winds along by the side of the Rungi river, and thence over a small hill 

 till it meets the same stream a few hundred yards from the last named 

 village. The lands for miles around had been cleared for cultivation, 

 and our march was far more cheerful than any of the preceding, as we 

 had a fine view of the surrounding country. I had heard that the 

 Ripoogiri Garrows had barricated the road in several places and planted 

 it thickly with " Panjees," or sharp bamboo spikes, but as I could not 

 find out the exact position of their ambuscades, I persuaded the Garrow 

 chiefs who volunteered to act as guides to head the party and shew us 

 the route, knowing full well that long before we reached these places 

 that they and their followers would drop to the rear. They preceded 

 the detachment about forty yards, marching in battle array. Each man 

 armed alternately with a Lumbaree and bamboo shield, and spear and 

 shield, and in the attack they form file, the latter fighting over the 

 shoulder of the former. We had marched in this manner about 4 



