CRUELTY OF THE CORANNAS. | oo 
some of the people to accompany me, we ascended to 
the top which presented a plain. On one side stood a 
few forsaken villages, the disorder of which afforded 
evident marks of having been sacked by the ma- 
rauding parties, by whom the whole of this country 
has been pretty well depopulated. The houses had 
in them the furniture and utensils usual to the country, 
and a few melons (makatani). The inhabitants 
seem to have fled with precipitation, so that they 
were not able to take any of their goods with them. 
The whole presented ideas of horror and devastation. 
Perhaps the inhabitants may have fled to some other 
part of the country, but the probability is that they 
have been murdered, otherwise they would return 
and take possession of their property. 
15th. In the afternoon of this day we dis- 
covered three persons, walking along a precipice 
near the summit of the mountain nearest to which 
we had halted. We beckoned to them to come 
down, but they regarded us not. We then sent 
aman up to them, to invite them to come down, who 
having told them who we were, and what was 
our object, was able to prevail with one of them to 
accompany him to our waggons. The account he 
gave of the state of the country was truly distressing. 
‘Seldom,’ said he, ‘do we see horses or waggons, 
but with those that have hostile intentions, and two 
commandos passed only two days ago. The Co- 
rannas have got our cattle and our substance, and 
D2 
