TRACTS OF COUNTRY ON THE KXSTNAH. 135 



cannot help asking yourself, why, in the place of the 

 few Chen cho wars' huts, there is not a rich and populous 

 village. It is situated in the head of a large valley. A 

 maidan of about 50 acres, dotted, with fine banian and 

 mangoe trees and a dry tank — about 60 acres, in extent — all 

 beyond jungle, bamboo and timber. This is the first time in 

 12 years that the tank has become dry, although there is a 

 breach in the bund. 



On enquiring why this beautiful country was not culti- 

 vated, I was told that people were afraid of coming here to 

 live, on account of fever. It has become feverish in the 

 last 30 years. Formerly it was healthy : there was a 

 town at Peddacherro, and there are the ruins of 

 a stone fort. Notwithstanding the fever, the Lumbadies 

 have many Pentahs in the neighbourhood. I observed, 

 however, when their women and children came to the tank 

 for the scanty supply of water which the little wells they 

 had dug in the bed of the tank afforded, that a great many 

 of them had the pot-belly of old fever subjects, and I had 

 many applications for medicines to cure hopelessly indurated 

 spleens, which showed in the wasted attenuated frames as 

 big as foot-balls. 



From Peddacherro I again penetrated the jungle, and 

 marched north-north-east to a fortified hill, called Gazzel- 

 condah ; the road was not practicable for laden bullocks and 

 was almost a continuous descent. We halted in a nullah 

 full of wild mangoe trees. There was a Pentah in the 

 neighbourhood. From thence I proceeded to the river, a 

 further distance of 4 miles, the road continuing to descend 

 to the river's edge. I saw no timber of any size. Course 

 of the river from south-west to north-east. 



The banks of the Kistna here form a much more gradu- 

 al slope than I have before described. The country on the 

 other side of the river appeared open and almost devoid of 



