ASAM AND THE NEIGHBOURING COUNTRIES. 345 



The rapids are very numerous ; they are invariably situated where a 

 large deposit of stones encroaches on the river. The most formidable one 

 encountered by us was that at the mouth of the Suhatu, a branch which 

 separates from the main river eight miles below the Kund, forming an 

 island of about fourteen miles in length. The fall at any single rapid 

 seldom equals five feet, which is carried off in a distance of from fifty to 

 two hundred yards ; the violence of the current at the principal channel of 

 the Suhatu Mulch was such that we could not attempt the direct passage, 

 but passed by a circuitous route across the main river, with the sacrifice 

 of much time, to a small channel on the eastern side. 



The Karam, up which our course lay, falls into the Suhatu nearly 

 four miles above its mouth. Here though very much disinclined to part 

 with our boats, we were convinced of the necessity of leaving some of them, 

 and even with such of the smaller as we retained it proved difficult to 

 advance up the minor stream. It was often found necessary to open a 

 passage up a shallow by removing stones from the bottom. Our route, 

 while the boats remained with us, was generally through the jungles on 

 the bank ; but such a survey as, under these circumstances, I could make, 

 I did ; estimating the distance according to time, and taking what bearings 

 the closeness of the jungles permitted. A Perambulator would be battered 

 to pieces, and the objection to a chain would be the necessity of wading 

 across every two or three hundred yards, and the want of open ground 

 which frequently occurs. The only sign of population that we saw on our 

 journey were parties of priests (Khamtt) moving from one village in the 

 jungles to another. We were obliged to relinquish our boats entirely where 

 the Karam, being formed of two branches, has scarce any water in the dry 

 season at places Avhere it is choked by a collection of stones. We found 

 the Luri Gohains village, of ten or twelve houses only, and their culti- 

 vation scarcely equalling their need ; it was at the base of a low hill, which 



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