dy or dry rice, grain, Indian corn,
coracan, with sweet potatoes, cassava, onions, yams, chillies, as also
cotton-plants. I was surprised to find that the cultivators had only a
temporary occupation of the ground. It is called chena cultivation.
Pumpkins, sugar-cane, hemp, yams, as well as grains and vegetables, are
grown. A number of families obtain a licence from the government agent
of the district to cultivate a plot of ground in this way for two years,
and no more.

A day or two after this, emerging once more from the forest, we found
ourselves approaching a village of mud-huts, of different sizes--one of
them, built round an open court-yard, had been prepared for our
reception, the rooms having been hung with white cloths by the head
washerman of the place, whose official duty it is to attend to visitors.
The rooms had each but one small window, or hole rather. They all
opened into the court. They kept out the air, but certainly no sun
could get in. Such a building is the usual habitation even of chiefs.
Some have handsome carved furniture, both tables and chairs, and
cabinets, while their wives and daughters are decked in flowing robes
and ornaments of gold and precious stones.

Scarcely had we taken up our quarters in our new abode, when the head
man of the place and some of the chief villagers came in due form to pay
their respects to Mr Fordyce. They said that they understood that he
was accompanied by some renowned sportsmen, to whom they could offer a
magnificent opportunity of displaying their prowess. We pricked up our
ears as Mr Fordyce translated this. The neighbourhood was infested by
a huge rogue elephant, whom none of these people could succeed in
killing. He was not the only one, as many other rogues frequented the
tank where he was usually seen, but he was by far the most mischievous.
He would walk into fields at night and eat up the corn, and even into
gardens and consume the vegetables; several times he had pulled down
huts to get at corn stored within them, and once he had upset a cottage
and very nearly destroyed the inhabitants. He had besides killed
several people--some of whom he had met by chance, and others who had
gone out to kill him.

Nowell was not at all daunted by these accounts, and told Mr Fordyce
that he had made up his mind to try and kill the rogue. I begged to
accompany him, and Mr Fordyce said that he would go and keep us out of
mischief. We had our two Moor-men