growing at an elevation of 17,000 feet, far above
the limits of the Kosturah. The female and young
male are very good eating, much better than any Indian
venison I ever tasted, being sweet and tender.
Mr. Hodgson once kept a female alive, but it was very
wild, and continued so as long as I knew it.
Two of my Lepchas gave chase to these animals, and
fired many arrows in vain after them: these people
are fond of carrying a bow, but are very poor shots.
We descended 3000 feet to the deep valley of the Yalloong
river which runs west-by-south to the Tambur, from
between Junnoo and Kubra: the path was very bad,
over quartz, granite, and gneiss, which cut the shoes
and feet severely. The bottom of the valley, which
is elevated 10,450 feet, was filled with an immense
accumulation of angular gravel and debris of the above
rocks, forming on both sides of the river a terrace
400 feet above the stream, which flowed in a furious
torrent. The path led over this deposit for a
good many miles, and varied exceedingly in height,
in some places being evidently increased by landslips,
and at others apparently by moraines.
Illustration—TIBETAN CHARM-BOX.
Yalloong valley — Fiud Kanglanamo pass
closed — Change route for the southward
— Picrorhiza — View of
Kubra — Rhododendron Falconeri —
Yalloong river — Junction of gneiss and
clay-slate — Cross Yalloong range —
View — Descent — Yew —
Vegetation — Misty weather —
Tongdam village — Khabang — Tropical
vegetation — Sidingbah Mountain —
View of Kinchinjunga — Yangyading village
— Slopes of hills, and courses of rivers
— Khabili valley — (Ghorkha
Havildar’s bad conduct — Ascend Singalelah
— Plague of ticks — Short commons
— Cross Islumbo pass — Boundary
of Sikkim — Kulhait valley —
Lingeham — Reception by Kajee —
Hear of Dr. Campbell’s going to meet Rajah —
Views in valley — Leave for Teesta river
— Tipsy Kajee — Hospitality
— Murwa beer — Temples —
Acorus Calamus — Long Mendong —
Burning of dead — Superstitions —
Cross Great Rungeet — Boulders, origin
of — Purchase of a dog — Marshes
— Lamas — Dismiss Ghorkhas —
Bhoteea house — Murwa beer.
On arriving at the bottom we found a party who were
travelling with sheep laden with salt; they told us
that the Yalloong village, which lay up the valley
on the route to the Kanglanamo pass (leading over
the south shoulder of Kubra into Sikkim) was deserted,
the inhabitants having retired after the October fall
of snow to Yankutang, two marches down; also that
the Kanglanamo pass was impracticable, being always
blocked up by the October fall. I was, therefore,
reluctantly obliged to abandon the plan of pursuing
that route to Sikkim, and to go south, following the
west flank of Singalelah to the first of the many
passes over it which I might find open.
