10 



INTERIOR OF THE KHASYAH MOUNTAINS. 



coolies, we were most agreeably benighted in the jungle. The de- 

 scent is very sudden and commences at Nunklow ; the valley, on the 

 brink of which it is situated, being perhaps 2000 feet deep. It is 

 in this valley or on its walls that the finest pines we have seen 

 occur, but even here they do not attain a greater height than 60 

 feet, and perhaps a diameter of a foot or a foot and a half. As Mr. 

 Brown of the Sillet Light Infantry informed me most correctly, many 

 would make fine spars ; but Mr. Cracroft's language in one of the 

 Journals of the Asiatic Society when describing these firs, seems 

 rather overwrought. During our march I picked up a pretty species 

 of Sonerila. A small stream runs at the foot of the descent, by what 

 name it goes I know not. Near the Busta-panee, flowing along a 

 valley about two hours' walk from the last mentioned water. Wallich 

 discovered abundance of his favourite and really splendid Polypodium 

 Wallichianum, which I may accuse with justice of being an additional 

 reason for -our benightment. The stream is really the only respectable 

 river we have seen, or rather the second one that can be called a 

 torrent, the other being the Bogapanee. It boils along, and the body of 

 water is great, even at the season of the year at which we passed it. 

 It has forced enormous holes, frequently round, in the large masses 

 of rock that form its bed, and then in and a few yards beyond the 

 bridge of bamboos by which we crossed, it falls, they say, 70 feet into 

 a fine bason, which however is only partly visible from above. They 

 who have been on the edges of this bason say that the fall is really 

 fine ; it certainly has not much of this when viewed from above, 

 neither can it, I think, even in the rains come up to Mr. Cracroft's 

 description. Moosmai is, apr&s tout I will venture to say, the king 

 of the falls between Terrya Ghat and Ranee Godown. On the farther 

 side of this water, small trees of Cycas first make their appearance, 

 but we had no time now or rather then to examine any thing. 4|s 

 the shades of evening lengthened we quickened our paces, and at last 

 when it became dark, came up with the coolies in a most rugged road, 

 and when it was dark, after stumbling about a good deal, I made 

 my way to the foot of the descent, and reached a small stream, 

 where we made preparations for a halt, and where we passed the 

 night, during which we were treated with a slight shower of rain. 

 As the season was far advanced we all escaped, scot-free, from 

 fever, and reached the Bungalow called Nowgong about 10 o'clock 

 next morning, where we spent the day. 



From this time we were, I believe, all anxious to leave the hills, 

 which had lost all their charms, although the vegetation was still 



