﻿narrative 
  accounts. 
  17 
  

  

  themselves 
  from 
  the 
  sand 
  and 
  water, 
  which 
  but 
  a 
  few 
  minutes 
  before 
  was 
  their 
  

   grazing 
  ground. 
  Villages 
  were 
  wholly 
  vacated 
  and 
  refuge 
  taken 
  wherever 
  

   high 
  land 
  was 
  available. 
  Almost 
  everything 
  is 
  said 
  to 
  have 
  its 
  ludicrous 
  side, 
  

   and 
  in 
  the 
  midst 
  of 
  confusion 
  and 
  the 
  marked 
  panic 
  of 
  the 
  villagers, 
  it 
  was 
  

   amusing 
  to 
  find 
  my 
  cook 
  busy 
  at 
  work 
  preparing 
  dinner 
  within 
  half 
  an 
  hour 
  of 
  the 
  

   occurrence. 
  There 
  he 
  was, 
  as 
  though 
  nothing 
  had 
  occurred, 
  on 
  the 
  plinth 
  of 
  a 
  

   burnt 
  down 
  hut 
  only 
  just 
  above 
  water 
  and 
  surrounded 
  on 
  all 
  sides 
  by 
  it. 
  I 
  was 
  

   very 
  grateful 
  to 
  him 
  later 
  on 
  for 
  not 
  having 
  parted 
  with 
  his 
  wits. 
  

  

  " 
  As 
  the 
  rush 
  of 
  water 
  ceased 
  and 
  order 
  was 
  to 
  some 
  small 
  extent 
  renewed, 
  

   those 
  who 
  were 
  able 
  to 
  do 
  so 
  scrambled 
  to 
  their 
  huts, 
  and 
  brought 
  out 
  boxes 
  and 
  

   bedding, 
  etc., 
  etc., 
  and, 
  with 
  their 
  belongings, 
  encamped 
  on 
  the 
  road 
  for 
  the 
  night. 
  

   At 
  about 
  10 
  it 
  struck 
  me 
  I 
  might 
  have 
  a 
  roof 
  over 
  my 
  head 
  if 
  I 
  got 
  near 
  the 
  

   ferry 
  ghat, 
  as 
  there 
  was 
  a 
  tumble-down 
  serai 
  there. 
  I 
  had 
  gone 
  half 
  a 
  mile 
  when 
  

   two 
  men 
  assured 
  me 
  it 
  was 
  impossible 
  for 
  me 
  to 
  Iprogress, 
  owing 
  to 
  a 
  gap 
  of 
  

   several 
  feet 
  in 
  the 
  road 
  through 
  which 
  water 
  flowed, 
  and 
  across 
  which 
  they 
  had 
  

   just 
  swum. 
  On 
  hearing 
  this, 
  I 
  returned, 
  and 
  with 
  my 
  bed 
  on 
  the 
  road, 
  attempted 
  

   to 
  get 
  at 
  some 
  rest. 
  This 
  was 
  impossible, 
  with 
  the 
  continuous 
  and 
  oft-repeated 
  

   seismic 
  shocks 
  at 
  short 
  intervals, 
  which, 
  whenever 
  the 
  least 
  bit 
  strong, 
  were 
  

   followed 
  by 
  a 
  wail 
  of 
  human 
  voices. 
  Cattle, 
  goats, 
  and 
  dogs 
  formed 
  a 
  goodly 
  

   addition 
  to 
  those 
  resting 
  on 
  the 
  road 
  for 
  the 
  night. 
  At 
  2 
  a.m., 
  a 
  sharp 
  drizzle 
  came 
  

   down, 
  and 
  with 
  my 
  umbrella 
  over 
  my 
  face 
  and 
  a 
  rug 
  over 
  my 
  body, 
  I 
  weathered 
  

   it 
  out 
  till 
  3 
  a.m. 
  when 
  my 
  rug 
  had 
  got 
  wet 
  through. 
  Close 
  by 
  was 
  the 
  resthouse 
  

   well. 
  I 
  now 
  transferred 
  my 
  head-quarters 
  to 
  it, 
  by 
  wading 
  across 
  2 
  feet 
  of 
  water 
  

   for 
  about 
  15 
  yards, 
  and 
  then 
  spread 
  a 
  dryish 
  rug 
  on 
  the 
  masonry 
  platform 
  of 
  

   this 
  well. 
  The 
  well 
  and 
  its 
  platform 
  had 
  both 
  been 
  badly 
  cracked 
  at 
  5 
  p.m., 
  

   and 
  the 
  water 
  had 
  risen 
  to 
  within 
  18 
  inches 
  of 
  the 
  surface. 
  It 
  had 
  a 
  thatched 
  

   covering 
  over 
  it, 
  and 
  this 
  sheltered 
  me 
  during 
  two 
  hours 
  of 
  heavy 
  rain. 
  

  

  "At 
  5 
  A.M. 
  I 
  rose 
  finally, 
  having 
  had 
  a 
  fair 
  night's 
  rest 
  under 
  most 
  extraor- 
  

   dinary 
  circumstances. 
  Having 
  had 
  Chota 
  Hasree 
  at 
  6. 
  I 
  started 
  to 
  walk 
  back 
  to 
  

   the 
  ghat, 
  having 
  learnt 
  that 
  the 
  road 
  was 
  impassable 
  towards 
  Lakhipur. 
  As 
  the 
  

   road 
  was 
  heavy 
  and 
  my 
  syce 
  had 
  developed 
  strong 
  fever, 
  I 
  left 
  him 
  the 
  trap 
  to 
  

   drive 
  in 
  slowly. 
  The 
  whole 
  Trunk 
  Road 
  from 
  Jemadarhat 
  to 
  ferry 
  ghat, 
  which 
  

   I 
  had 
  seen, 
  had 
  cracks 
  running 
  along 
  it, 
  which 
  were 
  in 
  some 
  instances 
  over 
  

   100 
  feet 
  long; 
  in 
  others 
  the 
  earth 
  had 
  subsided 
  for 
  a 
  similar 
  distance, 
  and 
  

   then, 
  again, 
  transverse 
  cracks, 
  depressions, 
  etc., 
  existed 
  all 
  along 
  the 
  road 
  

   at 
  distances 
  of 
  a 
  few 
  feet 
  for 
  miles 
  ; 
  the 
  same 
  thing 
  seemed 
  to 
  have 
  occurred 
  

   off 
  the 
  road 
  side. 
  The 
  villagers 
  stated 
  that 
  they 
  had 
  lost 
  the 
  grain 
  they 
  had 
  

   stored 
  in 
  their 
  houses. 
  On 
  arrival 
  at 
  the 
  ghat, 
  it 
  is 
  scarcely 
  necessary 
  to 
  say 
  it 
  

   was 
  much 
  changed, 
  the 
  river 
  having 
  risen 
  considerably 
  since 
  4 
  p.m. 
  However, 
  

   after 
  getting 
  almost 
  knee-deep 
  in 
  many 
  places 
  in 
  very 
  disagreeable 
  soft 
  sand, 
  

   about 
  which 
  I 
  was 
  hopping 
  for 
  quite 
  half 
  an 
  hour, 
  I 
  got 
  safe 
  on 
  to 
  the 
  ferry, 
  and 
  

   returned 
  to 
  Dhubri 
  at 
  9 
  a.m. 
  Shortly 
  before 
  reaching 
  the 
  ferry 
  ghat, 
  my 
  syce 
  had 
  

   sent 
  word 
  that 
  my 
  horse 
  was 
  drowned, 
  and 
  desired 
  me 
  to 
  return. 
  At 
  the 
  ghat 
  

   another 
  messenger 
  brought 
  me 
  word 
  saying 
  the 
  animal 
  was 
  well 
  stuck 
  in 
  soft 
  sand. 
  

   So 
  I 
  sent 
  back 
  coolies, 
  and 
  much 
  to 
  my 
  surprise, 
  found 
  her 
  none 
  the 
  worse, 
  and 
  at 
  

  

  c 
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  17 
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