Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1882-12-04
What | Saw One Night in
India.


being over, I had a months leave of
absence from my regiment, at that
time occupying the lonely fort of
Chanda, the capital of a district of
the same name subject to the Nah
rattas, and some eighty-seyen miles
distant from Nagpor, which was in
deed the nearest station to us where
the sight of a British face or the
sound of a British voice could delight
our eyes or ears. Chanda, situated
amongst jungles, and overlooked by
the remote Gond hills, continued but
a short time to be garrisoned by the
Honorable Company's troops; pre-
vailing fever made it unhealthy, and
frequent visitations from cholera of
a singularly fatal character, led to
its evacuation. But in 1920, when
we were sent there to protect the
surrounding country from the ag
gressions of migratory bands of
marauders-the remnants of the
broken-up Pindaree and Gond arm
ies-prosperous was that officer
deemed who, by any circumstance
apart from death or dishonor, was
prevented from joining his corps
within the seven miles of wall that
enclosed the old struggling city and
fort of Chanda. The produce of the
district consists principally of rice,
millet, pulse, and some sugar-cane !;
but the agricultural classes possess
also large iocks of goats and sheep
and from the milk of COW and buffalo
great quantities of ghee, or clarified
butter, are prepared for market.
The ghee, which, in its best condi-
ton, and when fresh, is white and
firm as curd, and perfectly inodorous,
is far superior to the rancid butter
and lard of European kitchens, and
is carefully packed into huge dubbers,
or kegs of hardened leather, and thus
conveyed for sale to the towns and
villages in the neighborhood. Scarce
ly knowing whittier to direct my
course, in the total want of any OBJ
iects of interest within convenient
distance, / resolved on making a
shooting excursion towards Nagpore !;
and if wearied of myself and my gun,
| decided on remaining at that gay
station for the full period of my
leave. About twelve miles from
Chanda there was a small village
called Bassim; thither, then, 1 for
warded my tent and regimental over
night, intending to ride out there the
next morning with two comrades,
who, like myself were anxious to
verify the reports that had reached
us of the prolific nature of the ada
cent jungle in the provision of game.
We accordingly reached Bassim to
breakfast. and found it very prettily
imbedded in a series of woodland
tracts rather than jungle; nor were
our sporting expectations baffied, for
we found so many birds-from the
pea-fowl that supplied the founda-
tion of our soup at a late dinner, to
delicate floriken and stately bustard
that when on the following morn
ing they bade me ''God speed" l
made up my mind to remain where |
was for another day OF two.
The beauty of those woodland
tracts, as. in the diminished glare of
July sun, l wandered amongst them
that afternoon, could not be surpass-
ed in the whole range of sylvan seem
cry. On leaving my tent, pitched in
a little grove of mangoes near the
village, | told my domestics not to
expect me before dusk aud having
ascertained that no tigers lurked
amongst the Businesses of the near
] forest-in which, heIe and there,
large patches of cultivated land, re-
deemed from the jungle, proclaimed
the gradual progress of agriculture
/ fearlessly plunged into tract of
bush, which, having neither the den
sity of large trees nor the intricacy
of close-creeping underwood, was in
nowise sombre or menacing. 1t was,
in fact, more like the long-neglected
park of a gentleman's residence in
some woodland country and fire.
| quent open glades of grass, whose
verdant hues were becoming renovat-
| ed from the first showers after the
hot months, were beautifully, if ir.
regularly, intersected by tiny brooks
rocks of small size, but of quaint
shape, Enthusiastically covered by par
asite plants and snug dells, whence
now an antelope, and next hare
and again a scowling, cowardly by
ena darted out. / carried a fowling
piece, as in duty bound, but truly
made little use of it at any time, an(
on this occasion rather considered i
an circumference, for / felt great
er inclination to scramble about il
search of wild plants and their fruit
, and flowers, than to attack the peace
! full inhabitants of the wild wood.
: At length, fairly wearied' | fun!
myself down beneath glorious tre
of the wild fig or Ficus glomerata, il
( the axilla of whose dependent branc
: grew clusters of crimson fruit
Alas like the apples of the Dea
Sea, they but feasted the eye; TO
though they turned not to flashes o
+I,a l;,, -, 7 found tha,,, ,,raunaut wit