CHAPTEK XIII 



TO DARJILING I THE FIRST HIMALAYAN JOURNEY 



IT was a weary journey by palki from the Ganges to Darjiling. 

 Whole days were wasted in trying to secure bearers. Fre- 

 quently none were ready though arranged for with the Post, 

 and those who had already come a stage were obdurate to 

 ' praying, promising, and protesting, bribing and bullying.' 

 Once Hooker had to walk while the men carried the empty 

 palki till they met certain return bearers of a previous party. 

 ' People may say what they like/ he exclaims feelingly to Miss 

 Henslow (April 9, 1848), ' about the " mild Hindoo " and all 

 that sort of thing ; they have their good points, but being led 

 by kindness or generous treatment is not amongst them ; they 

 never thank you and, overpay as much as you like, they growl. 

 Highlanders cannot be worse.' 



At Darjiling began a new phase of life in India, and with it 

 a deep and lifelong friendship with a very remarkable character. 

 Brian Hodgson, administrator and scholar, had won equal fame 

 as Eesident at the court of Nepal and as a student of Oriental 

 lore. Known to English science as the best Indian zoologist 

 and the donor of the Hodgson natural history collection at the 

 British Museum, he was yet ' far better known as an Oriental 

 linguist, Ethnologist, and Geographer/ Dismissed from his 

 responsible post against the wish alike of the Nepalese and the 

 Government officials by the petulance of Lord Ellenborough, 1 



x The Earl of Ellenborough (1790-1871) was Governor- General of India 

 1842-44, in succession to Lord Auckland, after twice being President of the 

 Board of Control. By the irony of fate, his purpose being ' to restore peace 

 to Asia,' he spent his time waging wars of punishment against China and 

 Afghanistan and of annexation against Scinde. His unpopularity with all 

 classes except the army was due to his vast self-sufficiency and disregard for 

 others' feelings and interests. 



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