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T H E N U L L.1M U L L A.Y § . 



from the level water for 700 feet or more, as the steep sides of 

 the valley. So steep is the rising up of the beds on 

 either side, that it would be utterly impossible to get into the 

 valley above the fall from below, except by scaling the 

 vertical wall over the pool, or by coming from outside over 

 either of the ridges bounding the main valley. 



Very long ago, some old Brahmin or Saniasi came to this 

 place, and was equally struck with the grandeur of the 

 scenery according to his light, and the suitability of it for 

 a place of pilgrimage ; so he made a beginning of the small 

 pagoda which is built at Nemilly Goondum, some way up, 

 the side of the hill, where, probably, there is a finer view of 

 this physical feature and the valley beyond, only I was too 

 tired to go up to the temple to see. Indeed, I would have 

 given much to have rested here until the next day, especially 

 with that climb back up the ridge in the hot sun before us, 

 but there was neither food nor shelter. 



We were, however, fortunate in finding the path which 

 we had lost at the top of the ridge, and so ascended much 

 more easily than we expected ; but, it was dark when we got 

 back to our camping ground of the night before, and there 

 were some six or seven miles to be got over before the new 

 ground could be reached. 



North-ivest road to Mantyconda. 



Our road was tolerably clear for some distance (we had 

 lit up some bamboos as torches, though there was soon no 

 need of these, as the moon shone out in a short time) where 

 it traversed a fine open forest of large trees and bamboos, 

 with the usual accompaniment of long dry grass ; and as, at 

 times, we came to a diverging path,there was the now- wither- 

 ed branch, which our guide had left lying on the road to 

 warn us from straying. 



There was, to me, something very grand and mysterious 



