185 1 .] Notes upon a tour through the Rdjmahal Hills. 579 



wooded. A Sonthal although he does clear away the forest in a most 

 masterly style, has the good taste to spare all the useful and ornament- 

 al trees when of any decent size, this always imparts a park-like ap- 

 pearance to the Sonthal clearances. 



At the village of Khulouna, the Sonthals have dammed up a sluggish 

 stream whose bed has thus become a very deep body of water, abound- 

 ing in fish, which has attracted numerous fishing eagles, which we saw 

 busy at their avocation. At this same village, Mr. Pontet has planted 

 a large field of potatoes, in the hopes of inducing the Sonthals to take 

 a fancy to the vegetable, and pay some attention to its cultivation, but 

 no persuasion hitherto used, has been forcible enough to induce the 

 Sonthal to give themselves the trouble to raise this crop, which would 

 meet with ready purchasers in the Bengalis ; they say " We do not 

 want the potatoe." 



At this spot is a small Shola swamp (aschynomene paludosa) but no 

 one makes any use of this useful water plant ; lower Bengal, I imagine* 

 supplying all the wants of the surrounding country. 



The Bungalow at Ghutiari is only five miles from the eastern bounda- 

 ry of the hilly tract. 



Buffaloes from their superior strength, are preferred by the Sonthal 8 

 both for agricultural purposes as well as for draught, to the common 

 grey cattle, which latter animals are readily exchanged with the Hin- 

 dus from the plains, who import buffaloes for that purpose, all the 

 solid wheeled carts if possible are drawn by buffaloes. 



The Sonthal in the construction of his solid wheeled cart, and in the 

 mode of loading it, shows an utter contempt or ignorance of all rules 

 of mechanics ; the cart consists of two wheels, composed of two or 

 three pieces of wood, each put together so as to form a solid wheel 

 three feet in diameter ; these wheels are supported at a distance of 

 four feet apart by a wooden axle, on to which and three feet apart 

 are pegged two long saplings or bamboos fifteen feet in length ; these 

 bamboos forming the whole body of the cart are at the other extremi- 

 ty tied together, and attached to the yoke that rests on the buffaloes' 

 necks. The wheels being at one extremity of the poles, and the other 

 end reposing on the buffaloes' necks as a fulcrum, leaves fifteen feet of 

 unsupported length as the body of the cart, on which are imposed 

 heavy burdens of rice, packed in huge and ingeniously made straw 



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