THE HIMALAYAN OBJECTIVE 251 



The supreme objective of the Himalayan journey was to 

 reach the snows. Between these and the deep, humid valleys 

 of the lower Sikkim lay a whole botanical world, with a range 

 equal to that from the tropics to the pole. There also lay the 

 secret of the Himalayan geography. It was still generally 

 believed that the vast line of snow peaks on the northern 

 horizon formed a continuous ridge, the axis of the chain and 

 the water-parting between India and the Tibetan plateau, in- 

 stead of being but bastions at the southern end of cross ridges 

 projecting from the true dividing range. From one of the 

 icy passes in this region traversed by the traders from Lhassa 

 there would be the possibility perhaps of entering, at least of 

 surveying, the forbidden land and determining in this quarter 

 the elevation of the great central plateau. 



Travel itself would not be easy. The rude paths, alter- 

 nately plunging into deep valleys and scaling precipitous moun- 

 tain spurs 5000 feet or more, only to descend again, were con- 

 stantly liable to destruction by torrential rains and mile-long 

 landslides ; rushing streams had to be forded or crossed on 

 frail bridges of swinging bamboo. Forests where a way had 

 to be pushed or hacked through dense vegetation pestilent 

 with leeches and noxious insects, would be exchanged for 

 bare rocky denies at breathless altitudes where only a few 

 poverty-stricken herdsmen lived and where the Indian carriers 

 suffered from the fierce winds and freezing nights. But the 

 greatest difficulty arose from the political situation. No place 

 could be better than Darjiling for acquiring information from 

 native travellers, but as regards permission for a European 

 to travel, he writes on April 28 : 



I fear that even Lord Dalhousie's influence will not enable 

 me to accomplish my wish of visiting the snows. I have 

 written to him, however, on the subject. 



The much involved situation is set forth in a letter to Lady 

 Hooker, June 10, 1848 : 



My prospects of visiting the snow are somewhat faint. 

 The Sikkim Eajah, whose territories were once the prey of 

 the Nepalese, was replaced on his throne by us, who thus 



