ASAM AND THE NEIGHBOURING COUNTRIES. 393 



fell full ten feet, but he alighted on some bushes, and escaped unhurt. On 

 the bad path we found the want of full light, and indeed, after proceeding 

 some time with imminent hazard of broken legs, and rinding little progress 

 could be made, (the moon was hidden from us by the hill above) we threw 

 ourselves on the ground and were all quite enough fatigued to enjoy sound 

 sleep. At day-light we resumed our retreat, and at an early hour arrived 

 at our former halting place opposite the Halt: here the men rested to 

 eat their ready-cooked meal. 



About twelve o'clock there was an alarm from the rear, of a pursuit, 

 and the musketeers were assembled together. On our arrival at one of 

 the difficult precipices, the alarm was seconded by the appearance of large 

 heaps of stones, ready at the top, for rolling down on unfortunate assail- 

 ants, but it was agreed at the time that the heaps had been recently 

 made. I believe that they had been prepared long before our coming. When 

 we came out on an open spot in the fields, I called a halt, that we might 

 know what sort of enemy we had to deal with, for they must inevitably 

 come up with us sooner or later, and there came one solitary man. He 

 was Riding's son : the information he gave us was, that an hour or two 

 before day-light in the morning, the assembled warriors had invested our 

 position, and concealing themselves in the jungle while advancing from all 

 sides, they at last rushed upon our huts, and to their infinite disappoint- 

 ment, found them empty. I do not vouch for the truth of this story, nor 

 even my belief in it, for I found that Riding's game was now to demand 

 a reward for his interference to preserve our party from utter destruction. 

 We could not collect more on the subject, than that it had been the 

 intention to attempt a surprise by night, if we had accepted Jingsha's 

 invitation to his house, or had that failed, to wait the opportunity of the 

 division of our party, at the crossing place of the great river. We heard 

 also, that the multitude were inclined to retaliate on RtJDiNG when 

 enraged at the discovery of our departure, and we now found that even 



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