EIGOUES OF CAPTIVITY 317 



know that the Eajah purposely circulated the tale of his 

 having compassed our destruction, and that it was believed 

 in India. Now, we have, happily, no cause for apprehension, 

 but every reason to hope that our captivity is drawing to 

 a close. 



My durance here has been somewhat of the vilest. 

 Certainly the Sikkimites have left no way untried of making 

 Campbell and me as wretched as possible. We are not allowed 

 to stray ten yards from this miserable hovel in which we 

 are immured, and we are debarred all correspondence and 

 the power of laying our complaints before our own Govern- 

 ment, or even before the Eajah. These people actually 

 converse in lies, they think in lies and I verily believe 

 that any appeal they may make to their own consciences 

 is answered by a lie. Their utter mental degradation and 

 distortion are inconceivable. I speak of the Bhotea authori- 

 ties. The Lepcha population are a better set ; they sym- 

 pathise with us and show us many a little kindness by 

 stealth. The Lamas, too, who are somewhat more enlightened 

 than their rulers, are coming forward to a man, and repre- 

 senting to the Eajah the peace and comfort in which they 

 lived under Campbell's sway ; also that the Eajah is literally 

 breaking his own head, for that when this outrageous conduct 

 is answered, (as it must be and resented) by an appeal to 

 arms, these people will assuredly come off second best. They 

 have no muskets, their bows they handle very awkwardly, 

 their long knives will be useless against Artillery. These 

 warnings have already alarmed the Eajah, especially as 

 we echo the same tale ; he would be thankful now to be 

 rid of us, but how to do so is the question ! He has com- 

 mitted himself fatally by the violence used towards our 

 persons ; and as to the complaints he alleges against Camp- 

 bell's public acts, the Superintendent, already appointed 

 at Darjeeling, pursues, and will pursue, the same line of 

 conduct, nor could Campbell alter if he would. 



You would have been highly diverted by our schemes, 

 especially for corresponding with one another ; for Campbell 

 and I were confined separately and debarred all commu- 

 nication. My Lepcha boys were so clever that we never 

 failed to get little wisps of paper conveyed to and fro between 

 us. Now that we are together we get on much better, and, 



