DARJEELING TO TONGLO. 163 
at the huge tambourine gong, near the foot of the plank on which I lay. 
When tired of this, which lasted for ten minutes, one of them went to the 
altar, took up the thigh-bone, and drew far from dulcet strains there- 
from, and, when tired of that, took a spell at the conch till his cheeks 
ached. I cast a rueful look at my companion, Mr. Barnes, whose eyes, 
little less sleepy than mine, were fixed on the door, by which the Lama 
entered, marching with solemn gait, bare-legged and dirty-faced, his 
closely shorn head covered with a square Tartar red cap, a loose gown of 
red cloth girt round the middle, and under-garment of questionable 
colour, possibly once purple. He muttered, groaned, and uttered such 
extraordinary sounds, that we were fairly aroused, and, huddling on my 
cloak, I watched his proceedings, which, if not very interesting (still 
less edifying), are novel to a European. Fetching a little bag from 
one end of the room, he turned the quilt-covering of the settee and 
squatted down cross-legged, still groaning forth his prayers in a most 
deprecating voice. Reversing the egg-cup. in the basin, he filled it 
with water, and, after the disposal here and there of other waters from 
the jugs and on the table, drew a curious little bell from his bag, beat 
it with the donge, or rang it, then took off his beads, and with the 
other hand counted them as he prayed. “Maliva, O Maliva," he 
uttered, in a most agonized tone, scattered water about the room, 
refilling the platter each time, and adding a few grains of rice. After 
a due sprinkling, the remaining water was thrown away and the bell 
resumed ; also a larger one, as big as an ordinary dinner-bell, very 
handsome, with idols all round the mouth and sides: this he rang 
violently, growling, squeaking, praying, snapping his fingers, and 
clapping his hands; then restoring the little bell and symbol, &c. to 
the bag, they were hung up again. Fire was next brought, and put 
in an open censer, with juniper ashes, and placed outside the window, 
the grateful smoke being wafted in; he then resumed praying with the 
big bell, and, after a tedious repetition of similar ceremonies, cleaned 
his water-pots and cups, threw all the remaining water out of the 
window, and retired, greatly to my relief; for the noise of the bells 
was intolerable in the early morning, and much worse than the thigh- 
bone, conch, or gong. Fervid as the devotions appeared, to judge 
by their intonation, I fear the Lama felt more curious about us than 
was proper under the circumstances; and when I tried to sketch him, 
his excitement knew no bounds, he fairly turned round on the settee, 
x 2 
