CHAPTEE XVII 
TO THE KHASIA MOUNTAINS 
This, the fourth and concluding expedition, lasted nine months. 
A start was made on May 1, 1850. A six weeks' boat journey 
took them down the (northern) Mahanuddy, an affluent of 
the Ganges, across the great delta at the head of the Bay of 
Bengal, then past Dacca, and by the course of the Ganges, the 
Bramahputra, and the Soormah to Chattuc an-d Punduah at 
the foot of the Khasia Hills. From this point first elephants 
and then an army of 110 coolies conveyed the travellers and 
their belongings to Churra, on the mountain tableland, on 
June 12. On September 13 they left for the eastern part of 
the plateau, and on November 17, having made an exhaustive 
collection, including 2500 species of plants and 300 kinds of 
woods, descended to Cachar, beyond Silhet. Lack of time and 
tribal warfare prevented entrance into the botanically unex- 
plored valley of Manipur. 
Cachar was left on December 2 for Silhet, where four days 
were spent, and Chattuc, whence on the 9th a fortnight of 
boat brought them to Chittagong. Here a botanical excursion 
was made to the north, and plants were collected apparently 
unknown since Eoxburgh's time. But the higher hills were 
inaccessible, for the head-hunters w^ere very active, and had 
taken thirty heads from one Bengali village the week before. 
Setting out again by boat on January 16 they reached Calcutta 
on the 28th, and leaving on February 7, arrived once more in 
England on March 25, 1851. . 
The first part of this eastward journey, what with the bad- 
ness of the boats and excessive indolence of the crews, a ther- 
332 
