ASAM AND THE NEIGHBOURING COUNTRIES. 429 



of the path there, or .that this is the less circuitous route. Both rivers 

 flow into the Namlang, and the distance of their mouths is less than a mile. 

 This was a most uninteresting day's journey, for we were surrounded 

 by heavy fogs and mists, which prevented our seeing thirty yards. We 

 went through the usual description of bamboo and tree jungle — on the side 

 of the hill, above the Namsali, the mud was ankle-deep, and the leeches 

 innumerable— fine tall nettles too, growing in the most abundant luxuri- 

 ance, added to the number of our annoyances. Near the end of our march, 

 the utmost exertion of the strength of our guides was necessary to force 

 their way through the entangled jungle \ no traces of a path existing. 



We halted at the deserted Mishmi village of Alelh, to which our guides 

 had belonged, situated at the point of junction of the Namsali with the 

 Namlang, the people have been chiefly removed to the Tungon rivulet, 

 under the influence of the Singfos. We found around the ruined houses 

 a great quantity of wild raspberries of a large size and sweet flavor. 



At starting from Aleth, our guides were literally obliged to cut their way 

 to the Namlang, which we soon came out upon ; it was a very pretty little 

 river, thirty or forty yards broad, and running with a slow smooth current, 

 excepting when a rapid here and there occurred. Low hills formed its banks 

 on both sides. We proceeded along the edge, sometimes on the boulders 

 and sometimes knee-deep in the water, to some perpendicular cliffs, and 

 then through the jungles above, which are more abundant in leeches than 

 any place hitherto seen. Every six or eight hundred paces, a fresh 

 collection of thirty or forty might be plucked off the ankles ; but the profuse 

 bleeding which they cause is not sufficient to reduce the swollen feet of our 

 followers, who are suffering so much that it is only wonderful that they 

 can get on as well as they do. Lieutenant Burlton was among the rest 

 seized with a paroxysm of fever on the march : several of the Singfos were 

 also sick. I have omitted to mention, that I had again sent people back with 



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