DELAY AND HUNGER 295 



till sufficient supplies arrived, though both wet and hungry, 

 learning the difference between a fowl and a chicken — ' of the 

 latter I eat bones and all, of the former I cannot.' Hunger, 

 he also declared, made it a special martyrdom to science when; 

 instead of eating a curious fruit called Gundroon, a polite 

 present from the Eani, he put some aside to be sent to Kew.^ 

 Four weeks were spent up the Zemu, trying vainly to reach the 

 head of the valley and the clearer Tibetan skies ahead, for the 

 report of a pass in that direction was probably a deliberate 

 blind. Large collections were made, for the grassy hills 

 swarmed with rare plants, and were sent down the valley to 

 be dried. Even so, the persistent wet destroyed much, and 

 he laments to his father ; 



Alas, one of my finest collections of Rhododendrons sent 

 to Darjeeling got ruined by the coolies falling ill and being 

 detained on the road, so I have to collect the troublesome 

 things afresh. If your shins were as bruised as mine tearing 

 through the interminable Rhododendron scrub of 10-13,000 

 feet you would be as sick of the sight of these glories as 

 I am. 



It was a rough time, but produced no ill effects, though 



a hole in the rock or a shed of leaves is very often my 

 residence for days, and my fare is just rice and a fowl, or 

 kid, eggs, or what I can lay my hands on — no beer or 

 luxuries. 



The great encouragement was that no other explorer had 

 seen so much of the unknown Himalaya, or with results to 

 be compared with his. 



On the 28th and 29th came the Phipun's attempt to hustle 

 him off with a rabble of threatening followers, which Hooker, 

 supported only by his dog. Kinchin, entirely disconcerted by 

 a show of unconcern, backed with plain speaking. 



At the first alarm the coolie headman, Nimbo, Hooker's 

 one courageous follower, took three lads with him down the 



1 Dispyros Kaki, Linn. The note by Hooker with the specimens in the 

 Kew Museum is as follows : ^ Fruit called Gundroon by the Bhotheas. Good 

 eating dried in this state. Imported to Sikkim from Lhassa.' 



