On clear days there was a lovely view of Bombay and
the sea with the bright sun shining upon it. The scenery everywhere
was grand and bold. We made several excursions in the neighbourhood,
and I found the natives, or jungle people, very interesting.
On the 23rd we left Matheran. We started early in the morning for Narel,
walked down the steep descent from Matheran, then rode. We arrived hot
and a little tired at Narel station, and the train came in at 10 a.m. We
mounted the break, and much enjoyed the ascent of the Highlands, arriving
in about three hours at Lanauli on the Bhor Ghat. At Lanauli we found a
fairly comfortable hotel, though it was terribly hot. What made the heat
worse was that most of the houses at Lanauli were covered with corrugated
-iron roofs which were bad for clothes, as they sweated rusty drops all
over the room, which left long stains on one's linen and dresses. I
came away with everything ruined. The air was delicious, like that of
Sao Paulo or Damascus in the spring.
The next morning we were up and off at dawn to the Karla Caves. There
was brought to the door at dawn for Richard a jibbing, backing pony, with
vicious eyes, and for me a mangy horse like a knifeboard, spavined, with
weak legs, and very aged, but nevertheless showing signs of "blood." On
top of this poor beast was a saddle big enough for a girl of ten, and I,
being eleven stone, felt ashamed to mount. However, there was nothing
else to be done.
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