PURNEAH CHUTTOOR. 
449 * 
This was the last place from which the bearers of the Rajah 
of Mysore were to convey me ; but to avoid any mistake I had 
written to Mr. Ravenshaw, the Collector of Canara, to station boys 
from this place, hence to Mangalore : they were not however ar- 
rived ; I therefore set off at six o'clock, with the Rajah's boys. The 
ascents and descents were so frequent and steep, that I was kept in 
continual alarm, lest they should throw me down. Before it was 
quite dark I reached the banks of a river, on the other side of 
which was a large assembly of people. On passing I was received 
by a most respectable man, the Aumil of the district, attended by 
several other natives, apparently of consequence. His nazur of 
fruit was the most plentiful I had yet received, and, in addition to 
the usual articles, consisted of walnuts and pine-apples. He was 
very well mounted and armed, and showed me, with great appear- 
ance of satisfaction, a certificate of Colonel Stevenson, that he had 
been most active and useful in the suppressing of Dundeah's rebel- 
lion : I regret that I forgot his name. He attended for some 
distance, and on departure left a large guard of sepoys to protect 
me. Here I was rejoiced to meet the bearers from Mangalore. As 
we advanced the scenery became more wild, and the road so un- 
jeven, that though the bearers were excellent, they were frequently 
obliged to rest themselves, for we were now entering the defiles of 
the chain of mountains, that separates the table-land of Mysore from 
the low country of Canara and Malabar. It was two o'clock in the 
morning when we reached Purneah Chuttoor, a distance of twenty 
miles. This place is at the summit of the Bessely Gaut, the most 
southern of the whole. 
March 7.— At three in the morning I began to descend this cele- 
VOL. I. 3 m 
