294 THE SECOND HIMALAYAN JOUENEY 



till May 25. His itinerary gave him six marches further 

 to the snows, but two months were to pass before he reached 

 the Kongra Lama. 



It is worth recording, as an instance of his consideration for 

 the people he was among, that he now resolved to forgo one 

 of the most attractive parts of his programme, in the belief, 

 afterwards dispelled, that the Sikkimese might suffer if he 

 crossed the passes. Accordingly he tells his mother (May 24, 

 1849);: 



It is my intention to proceed to the top of both of the 

 Passes, without crossing, which the Kajah has forbidden ; 

 and though I dispute his authority to give such a prohibition, 

 I cannot act in defiance of it and cross the Passes in secret. 

 Thibet is the Headquarters of the Sikkim people's Church, 

 and, if through any act of mine the Passes were to be closed, 

 I should inflict upon the natives what they would consider 

 a serious injury namely, the shutting of their Church Door. 

 It is most reluctantly that I give up the intention of crossing, 

 especially as the Eajah's own order and other circumstances 

 convince me that I could do so if I chose, and that no one 

 has power to hinder me, for the first Chinese village is distant 

 two days' marches on the other side of the Border. How- 

 ever, I have plenty to do on this side, and if by crossing I 

 should throw any effectual impediment in the way of my 

 Sikkim investigations, I should be a great loser by it. 



At Choongtam he was forced to divide his party again, 

 leaving there all but fifteen. Three marches further, at 

 Lamteng, there was another week's delay and very short com- 

 mons, meagre supplies taking twenty days to come from Dar- 

 jiling over the bad roads. On June 23 came news that a large 

 convoy had been driven back by landslips, but there was promise 

 of another coming, so that on the next day he did not hesitate 

 to move forward one march to Zemu Samdong, the bridge 

 of the Zemu, a large tributary on the west bank of the Lachen. 

 Here his guide, the local headman, or Lachen Phipun, alleged 

 the Tibetan frontier to be. Not knowing which of these 

 streams was the real Lachen, and having no crossing of a river 

 marked here on his route, Hooker resolved to wait at least 



