it, it would cease to be so pestilential a locality as it is at present.
In case of a war, there would be no difficulty, even now, in our troops
possessing themselves of the whole territory to the foot of the
Cheriagotty hills in the cold season; but as we should have to maintain
some position throughout the year, the top of those hills themselves
would be the only one available, and here, in the heart of an enemy's
country, and cut off from all communication with India, the position of
the garrison would be anything but enviable.

I observed several of the natives of this district afflicted with goitre,
and I was informed that cretinism was also prevalent,--a fact which
proves clearly the fallacy of the old doctrine that these complaints are
attributable to snow-water, for all the water drunk by the inhabitants of
the Terai rises in the Cheriagotty hills, on which snow rarely if ever
falls. This would be strongly corroborative of the correctness of the
idea that malaria is the origin of goitre and cretinism, even if the
experiment which has been tried at Interlacken, of building a hospital on
the hills, above the influence of the infectious atmosphere in the
valley, had not proved completely successful.

The camp which was destined to be our headquarters during a few days'
shooting was pitched in the plain near the village of Bisoleah, distant
about two miles from the borders of the grand jungle. Its appearance was
totally different from those already described; two more regiments were
here in attendance upon the Minister; the men were all comfortably lodged
in grass huts got up for the occasion, and the innumerable host of camp
followers, who on the march had been contented with wrapping themselves
up in their thick cloths, and sleeping in groups round the various fires,
were now engaged in erecting like temporary habitations, forming by these
means a grass village of considerable extent.