568 Notes upon a tour through the Rdjmahal Hills. [No. 7. 



hill streams met with on this march have a most pleasing effect upon 

 the Indian traveller, who is generally doomed to dry water courses and 

 drier roads. 



The village of Burwa, where I halted, is under a small gneiss hil- 

 lock ; which together with its small patches of cultivation are buried in 

 a pretty forest. 



Observing a tuft of straw tied to a tree in the jungle I enquired of 

 the manji the meaning or use of it, he informed me that whenever a 

 Sonthal is desirous of protecting a patch of jungle from the axes of 

 the villagers, or a patch of grass from being grazed over, or a newly 

 sown field from being trespassed upon, he erects a bamboo in his 

 patch of grass or field, to which is affixed a tuft of straw, or in the 

 case of jungle some prominent and lofty tree has the same prohibitory 

 mark attached, which mark is well understood and strictly observed 

 by all parties interested. 



On my arrival at the village, the whole female population came out 

 with their families to see the elephants and white faces. Amongst the 

 party of lookers-on was a very pr.tty young Sonthal girl, she did not 

 belong to this place but had just arrived on a visit from her own vil- 

 lage, and as she recognised many of her old friends she saluted them in 

 the following manner ; running up to her newly discovered friend she 

 threw herself down on her knees and laid her head upon the feet of 

 the saluted ; who in return stooped down and spreading her two hands 

 over the kneeling girl carried them with the tips of her fingers turned 

 in towards the palm of the hand to her own head, where she held them 

 until the pretty visitor rose from her kneeling position, when they 

 immediately commenced talking, examining each other's bracelets, 

 hair-combs and other ornaments. This graceful salutation was repeat- 

 ed to each female acquaintance in rapid succession. Upon my at- 

 tempting to sketch a few faces the whole party decamped ; the know- 

 ledge of the dislike of the Sonthal to have his face drawn I subse- 

 quently turned to a good account, as I was always able at any given 

 moment to disperse a crowd that had become troublesome by merely 

 producing a sketch book and pencil ; the hill men and women on the 

 contrary will upon being asked throw off their clothes, sit or stand in 

 any posture to have their likenesses taken. 



In the afternoon I entered a thick forest of assan and chironji at 



