Oct. 22nd.—­Cloudy:  during the night we were much annoyed by heavy gusts of wind sweeping down the river.  Left our encampment at 7.5, and struck into the jungle, the porters still continuing along the course of the river; after crossing some rising ground we reached a path, which is tolerably good.  Our course lay about N.E.; we crossed over some low hills, and after marching for about an hour and a quarter, came upon the Koond Chasm, or great defile; of which, however, from the thickness of the jungle, we had no view.  We then descended a very steep, but not very high hill, and came upon the Koond; of which nothing is at first seen but large masses of rock strewed in every direction.  We were accompanied by a number of Jingsha Gam’s people, and in the evening we were visited by Tapan Gam himself, with a train of followers.  This man assumes the sovereignty of the Koond.  We encamped immediately under the Faqueer’s Rock, which is known to the Mishmees by the name “Taihloo Maplampoo.”  The south bank is wooded to its brink, but not very densely:  it is excessively steep, and in many places almost perpendicular.  The strata composing it is partly limestone, lying at an angle of 45 degrees, and in many places at a greater one.  The scenery is picturesque and bold:  on either side of the river are hills rising abruptly to the height of a few hundred feet, but the hills are continued longer on the north side.  From the Rock the river seems to run W.N.W. for a quarter of a mile, and then bends to the S.W.  The breadth of the bed is a good hundred yards, but the stream at this season is confined to the fifty yards near the south bank, the remainder being occupied by rocks in situ, or boulders and sand:  the edge of the N. bank is occupied by stunted Saccharum.  The appearance of the water is characteristic, of a greyish green tinge, giving the impression of great depth.  It is only here and there that it is white with foam, its general course being rather gentle.  It is in various places encroached upon more or less by the rocks forming its bed, some of which are quite perpendicular.  A little to the west of the Faqueer’s Rock there is an immense mass of rock in the bed of the river, between which and the south bank there is now very little water and no current.  The rocks are generally naked; here and there they are partially clothed with Gramineae, and a Cyperaceous-looking plant, something like an Eriophorum.  The river, a short distance beyond the Deo-panee, takes a bend to the north; at the point where it bends there is a considerable rapid.

[Bramakhoond and Faqueer’s Rock:  p26.jpg]