april — june, 1857.] over the Annamullay Mountains. 91 



line of march, obliged us to remain till daylight. At six we start- 

 ed, but half an hour was lost in rinding where the ponies could get 

 over. The river being formed of blocks almost square, with spaces 

 between them one foot or so broad, and from two to four feet deep 

 the most dangerous footing possible for horses ; but favored here 

 again we got over without accident, and were clear of the reeds on 

 the river bank by half-past six. 



The country we travelled through from this point is undulating, 

 and the forest, like the generality of what we traversed yesterday, 

 of fine trees with thick underwood. The soil rich, and the air in 

 the shade cool and pleasant. The direction of our march was from 

 east to north east, and the trees had all the fresh marks of the 

 smuggler's knife till we had travelled an hour and thirty-five mi- 

 nutes at the rate of three miles an hour, at this point a path ran to 

 the eastward, but the guide had doubts as to our horses being 

 able to descend a pass to which it led. This pass is called the Ka- 

 la Kumama ; leaving this track we turned to the N. E. and had no 

 longer the fresh knife marks on the road side. The path however, 

 was well defined, and is evidently used by smugglers on some occa- 

 sions. 



We saw here the first teak we met with, and the forest belongs 

 I believe to the Cochin State. At half-past eight, we halted for a 

 few minutes on the banks of the Yeddapara, a considerable river, 

 of indifferent water, about 2 J feet deep where we forded it. This 

 stream was very unlike in character to the Oracumbum, and be- 

 spoke a more level country. The bed being sandy and the current 

 slow. This water runs to the westward, like all that we have 

 hitherto crossed, showing that we had still to turn the highest 

 ground of the range. The underwood here is chiefly young bam- 

 boo from the seed, which by my guide's account has been in the 

 ground about 9 or 10 years. The age at which the bamboo flowers, 

 seeds, and dies, is very differently given, but it cannot be less, I 

 believe, than 30 years. I have seen several jungles of this plant 

 come to maturity and die, but till now I have had no opportunity 

 of seeing the crop rising again from seed. A great extent of bam- 

 boo jungle at the foot of the Koondah ghaut died down four years 



