402 
llECOLLECTIONS OF A JOURNEY 
in a direction nearly south-west : the route now lay nearly 
east-south-east. * 
Shortly after crossing the Maskilia-ganga, the country 
became a little more open. On each side of the pathway 
there was a range of high hills; th^t on our right was 
much broken, remarkably rugged, and peaked. Many of 
the peaks were composed of masses of granitic rock, with 
scarcely enough of soil upon them to support vegetation. 
The range on the left was more distant, and less broken, 
than that on the right. 
The entire face of the country through which we tra-^ 
veiled to-day was covered with forest-trees and low jungle. 
We did not observe a single paddy-field, or even a spot of 
ground capable of being cultivated with that grain. At 
very distant intervals we saw marks of the cultivation of 
natchenny {Cynosurus Cctrrocanus) on the acclivities of the 
adjoining hills, which seemed more to display the density 
of the mountain-forest, than to relieve the sameness of the 
prospect of interminable woods. 
Far elevated upon the sides of the neighbouring hills 
we sometimes remarked a hut. A few jagery- trees {Caryota 
urens) generally grew close adjoining to the huts. On in^ 
quiry, we learned that the inhabitants of these alpine abodes 
constructed their huts upon spots of difficult access, in the 
hopes of thereby escaping the ravages of wild elephants, 
These animals spread complete ruin and devastation when 
they enter a field under crop. Their strength enables them 
to destroy even fruit-trees, which they do by pushing them 
over, and feeding upon the branches. They are particu^ 
larly fond of the leaves of the jagery-palm. Elephants 
have an astonishing sagacity in discovering deposits of grain. 
Nothing can prevent their plundering the grain when it is 
pnce discovered. The mud-huts of the natives are too frail 
to present an irppediment of any consequence. To gain his 
