CHAT. XII. 
JOURNEY THROUGH THE EOREST. 
319 
travelled on through the forest for about four hours, when we 
descended to Irihitra, a small wood-cutter’s station, consisting 
of four or five houses. Here we halted for breakfast, and 
then continued our journey through a dense forest of large 
and ancient trees, enlivened occasionally by tree ferns, or the 
graceful areca palms. 
The road here was frightful,—the soil stiff clay, with deep 
holes of mud and water. Our way was sometimes covered 
with water, but more frequently up and down steep slippery 
ravines, requiring detours on account of the gigantic trees 
which had fallen across the track. The clayey sides and rocky 
portions of the ravines were sometimes so steep that my 
position was almost upright, and it frequently required ten 
or twelve men to get the palanquin up and down. I was not 
well enough to walk, but I frequently requested the bearers 
to halt and rest, which they did once or twice, when I got 
out, and they sat down in a comparatively level spot, for about 
ten minutes. I certainly felt, while the men were toiling up 
the rugged ascent, that there was some ground for the late 
Eadama’s remark, that he had two generals, viz. General 
Hazo, forest, and General Tazo, fever, in whose hands he 
would leave any invading army,—for an army could make 
but slow way through such a country as this. I could also 
readily imagine why, in 1816, some of Captain Le Sage’s 
men should have thrown themselves on the ground, declaring 
they would die rather than attempt to proceed farther. It 
would require more than a lifetime to make even a passable 
road through this region. I afterwards made a rough sketch 
of the road, and photographed the palanquin and bearers. 
We were yet in the forest when the sun went down, 
but we still kept on, walking along the course of a stream. 
Gleaming lights at length indicated our approach to the 
sleeping place, and, in answer to the shouts of our men, 
torches of bamboo cane were soon afterwards brought to 
