The Kajee waited upon me in the evening; full of importance,
having just received a letter from his Rajah, which
he wished to communicate to me in private; so I accompanied
him to a house close by, where he was a guest, when
the secret came out, that his highness was dreadfully
alarmed at my coming with the two Ghorka Sepoys, whom
I accordingly dismissed.
The house was of the usual Bhoteea form, of wood,
well built on posts, one-storied, containing a single
apartment hung round with bows, quivers, shields,
baskets of rice, and cornucopias of Indian corn, the
handsomest and most generous looking of all the Cerealia.
The whole party were deep in a carouse on Murwa beer,
and I saw the operation of making it. The millet-seed
is moistened, and ferments for two days: sufficient
for a day’s allowance is then put into a vessel
of wicker-work, lined with India-rubber to make it
water-tight; and boiling water is poured on it with
a ladle of gourd, from a huge iron cauldron that stands
all day over the fire. The fluid, when quite
fresh, tastes like negus of Cape sherry, rather sour.
At this season the whole population are swilling, whether
at home or travelling, and heaps of the red-brown
husks are seen by the side of all the paths.
Illustration—SIKKIM LAMAS WITH PRAYING
CYLINDER AND DORJE; THE LATERAL FIGURES ARE MONKS
OR GYLONGS.
CHAPTER XIII.
Raklang pass — Uses of nettles — Edible plants — Lepcha war —
Do-mani stone — Neongong — Teesta valley — Pony, saddle, etc. —
Meet Campbell — Vegetation and scenery — Presents — Visit of Dewan
— Characters of Rajah and Dewan — Accounts of Tibet — Lhassa —
Siling — Tricks of Dewan — Walk up Teesta — Audience of Rajah —
Lamas — Kajees — Tchebu Lama, his character and position — Effects
of interview — Heir-apparent — Dewan’s house — Guitar — Weather
— Fall of river — Tibet officers — Gigantic trees — Neongong lake
— Mainom, ascent of — Vegetation — Camp on snow — Silver fire —
View from top — Kinchin, etc. — Geology — Vapours — Sunset effect
— Elevation — Temperature, etc. — Lamas of Neongong — Temples —
Religious festival — Bamboo, flowering — Recross pass of Raklang —
Numerous temples, villages, etc. — Domestic animals — Descent to
Great Rungeet.
On the following morning, after receiving the usual
presents from the Lamas of Dholing, and from a large
posse of women belonging to the village of Barphiung,
close by, we ascended the Raklang pass, which crosses
the range dividing the waters of the Teesta from those
of the Great Rungeet. The Kajee still kept beside
me, and proved a lively companion: seeing me
continually plucking and noting plants, he gave me
much local information about them. He told me
the uses made of the fibres of the various nettles;
some being twisted for bowstrings, others as a thread
for sewing and weaving; while many are eaten raw and
