34
the people in the tola are all Punkhas (an inferior caste of Gonds). The first that
died had been across the Nerbudda to some village, and was taken ill after his
return; it then spread over the hamlet, and the 10 deaths occurred m a lew days.
122. Koomhar, —a village on a trap bill, rising precipitously above the road ;
population about 200; water-supply from a deep puckha well below the village.
No cholera. A traveller died under a peepul tree on the road close under the
village.
123. Chamarwara,—a small village 11½ mile from Narraingunj ; popula-
tion 34. Deaths from cholera, 9 ; water-supply from a small jeerah on blacksoil
below village, now 2½ feet of water and mud, in the hot weather nearly dry; they
can only get water by scraping out the mud daily. Deaths—4 women, 3 boys,
2 girls, 7 to 8 years old.
Deoree,—a small village ½ mile from Narraingunj; population 130. Eight
deaths. Water-supply from a small stream.
124. Narraingunj,—a village on the Balai river, situated on the right bank,
which is here about 80 feet high and very steep ; the bed of the river is about
100 yards broad, and a mass of black basalt ; the banks are of clay, with a thin
layer of blacksoil overlying. There is a fair stream running in clefts of the rock,
but it is sub-divided in many little streamlets, and the river can be crossed with-
out wetting the feet. Above the ford is a large pool, extending a mile up the river
and very deep ; from this a large portion of the poorer people draw their drink-
ing water; the people also bathe here, and the banks are defiled. In the village
is a large pucka well, 42 feet deep, and containing 1½ foot of water; from this well
all the better class of people drink water. Among those who used the well water
no cases of cholera occurred, but among those who drank water from the river
6 deaths occurred--2 men, 2 women, and 2 children,
125. Pateyrah,—a village a mile from Narraingunj, on the right of the
road, situated on the slope of a trap hill; population 200; water-supply from a
pucka well, bore through blacksoil and clay ; water now 25 feet from surface,
in the rains it rises to about 2 feet; the well is on cultivated ground, at some dis-
tance from the village. One death from cholera—a girl 12 years of age, who had
been to another village for work, and returned ill.
126. Dunwahi,—a Gond village, rather more than a mile on the right of the
road. Near the 25th milestone from Jubbulpore there is a well under a tree
with a good supply of water; there is no dwelling or building of any kind, but
the place is much used as a stopping place for travellers ; from this point of the
road the path leads off to Dunwahi. This village is situated on trap rock under
the hills, encircling a considerable space of open level ground; the soil of this
glade is blacksoil, but chiefly uncultivated, and covered with long dry grass ;
there is no other village near. The sole water-supply of the village 3 consists of
a small spring issuing from an excavation in the nodular trap ; the pool into
which the water issues is three or four feet in diameter, totally unprotected, in fact
a mere puddle, the ground all round muddy and fouled by cattle ; the water was
thick and muddy, containing an abundance of young frogs and water insects ;
bubbles of air rising from the former, and disturbing the mud, were visible every
instant ; the depth of water and mud together was 10 inches; 'in the hot weather
it would be nearly dry ; the people say that then they only get water by scraping-
out the muddy bottom with the hands and letting a little fresh water trickle in
The population in 1866 was 106. Cholera broke out on the 26th of May, and
12 deaths occurred. The following is an account of the out-break given by the
people:—Thikor, a Gondnee, went one morning some distance into the jungle
to the Hingna river to catch fish. In the evening she returned with what she had
caught, and cooked it for the evening meal for herself and family, consisting of