ASAM AND THE NEIGHBOURING COUNTRIES. 379 



course of the evening giving rise to the supposition that an alarm had 

 been given. The party had been lying in wait for the approach of night, 

 and their cowardice is apparent from the circumstance of their actually 

 leaving on the ground some of their weapons, when first struck with the 

 idea that the village was alarmed, they commenced a hasty flight. Their 

 use of poisoned arrows is in character with their treacherous and dastardly 

 mode of warfare. 



The boulders in the Luri are generally of sienitic granite — on the 

 ascent of the mountain we found gneiss passing to mica slate. 



Mosha, as usual, killed a hog, and was rewarded in return with a 

 suitable present : he expressed his readiness to accompany me if I were 

 pleased, and of course he was invited, as I considered it advantageous to 

 throw some responsibility on a Mizhu, residing near the Tains. The 

 great length of his house, and the number of skulls ornamenting it, 

 bespeak him a rich man. 



We were joined, very much to my satisfaction, by GHALtJM and my 

 Btirman, who had been lame and obliged to halt, by marching over so 

 much rock. 



We started early the next morning, understanding that we had a most 

 laborious march before us to the next place, where water could be found — 

 our course was still east, but we had left the Liiri, which is from the 

 south-eastern mountains. The ascent of the next mountain we found very 

 difficult and fatiguing for some hours, very steep through, having forest; 

 latterly, it was more in steppes where a sudden ascent is followed by 

 a long gentle slope or nearly even ridge; at the summit of our high ridge, 

 I got a very good observation of the sun's meridian altitude, and once or 

 twice in the way up, we enjoyed partial views of the tract behind us. 



