CHAP. XV. j 



J " BITCH arj: 



221 



me, that when tliey got there the house was inhabited, and 

 not a aingle article removed However, oii hearing they 

 had come to clean and take possession, the occupants 

 made a move, l>nt with a good deal of grumbling, which 

 made me feel rather uneasy m to how the people {reuerally 

 might take my intrusion into their village. The next 

 morning we took our baggage on three pack-hoi'ses, and, 

 after a few break-downs, arrived abont noon at onr des- 

 tination. 



After getting all mj things set straight, and having made 

 a hasby meal, 1 determined if possible to make friends wiih 

 the people. I therefore sent for the owner of the honse 

 and as many of his aciuaintances as liked to come, to have 

 a " bitchara," or talk. "When they were all seated, I gave 

 them a little tobacco all round, and ha^dng ray boy Baderuon 

 for iuterpreter, tried to explain to them why I came there ; 

 that T was veiy sorry to turn them out of. the house, but 

 that the Kajah had ordered it mther than build a new one, 

 which was what I had asked for, and tlieu placed five 

 silver rupees in the owner's hand as one month's rent, I 

 then assured them that my being there would be a benefit 

 to them, as I should buy their eggs and fowls and fmit ; 

 and if their children wovild bring me shells and insects, of 

 which 1 showed them specimens, they also might earn a 

 good many coppers. After all this had been fully ex- 

 plained tn them, with a long talk and discussion between 

 every sentence, I conld see that I had made a favourable 

 impression J and tliat very aftenioon, as if t^^ test my 

 promise to buy even miserable little snail-shells, a dozen 

 ckQdren came one after another, bringing me a Tew speci- 

 mejia each of a small Helix, for whicli they duly received 

 " coppers" and went away amazed but Rejoicing. 



A few days' exjdoratiun made me well acquainted vnth 

 the snrronndmg country. I was a long way IVoru the road 

 in the forest which I had fii-st visited, and for some distance 

 round my house were old clearings and cottages. I found 

 a few good bnttertlies, but beetles were very scarce, and 

 even rotten timber and newly-felled trees (generally so 

 productive) here produced scarcely anything. This con- 

 vinced me that there was not a sutTicient extent of fore^st 

 in the neighbourhood to make the place worth staying at 



