322 LAST DAYS IN SIKKIM 



made at once I returned to my plants at Darjiling, but 

 expect to be summoned down very soon again now. No 

 opposition of any kind was made to us, and I doubt if there 

 will be any, so you need be under no alarm on my account. 

 Under any circumstances it appeared to me so clearly my 

 duty to undertake the service that I did so without any 

 hesitation and have no fear for the result. Except Campbell 

 and myself no one knows anything of the country, and hence 

 the marching of the troops without good guidance would 

 be most unadvisable. Campbell is so much the aggrieved 

 party that he could not with propriety go to attack the 

 Eajah's country ; I, on the other hand, have no ill-will (nor 

 has C. for that matter), the people, I know, are friendly to 

 and fully trust me, they would far rather make overtures to 

 me than to soldiers with guns in their hands, and with the 

 heartiest desire and determination to bring things to a peace- 

 ful issue if possible, I do hope my presence may be useful. 



The orders at present are to march to Tumlong and 

 occupy the capital, for the Eajah refuses to give himself up 

 or to offer any adequate concessions for his conduct. Many 

 of the people I know from private sources are all ready and 

 willing to come over to Darjiling, and only want our assurance 

 that they will not be molested to grant a peaceful march 

 to our soldiers. This they now have and appreciate. The 

 Dewan has only thirty men to oppose us with and they 

 will not help him, the Eajah has no army nor is he trying to 

 raise one, so that he will probably flee at our approach. 



It is said that the Eajah has sought succour from Thibet, 

 and has received for answer that he has only got his deserts.^ 



^ The expedition was abandoned, because the general, from his experience of 

 the Nepaul campaign, reported the country as 'impracticable for British troops.' 



In 1861 another punitive expedition was organised against the same Rajah 

 for acts of violence and aggression on our territor5^ A staff officer engaged 

 on this campaign wrote afterwards to the Standard (August 13, 1862) apropos 

 of Hooker's military services : 



' In 1859-60, on my way between Calcutta and Darjeeling, I studied Dr. 

 Hooker's most interesting and valuable work, Himalayan Journals, which I 

 found to be a most perfect staflE officer's report, containing accurate informa- 

 tion on every point that could be usefid to the commander of an expedition, 

 regarding hills, valleys, elevations, distances, rocks, soil, trees, vegetation, roads, 

 rivers, bridges, productions, inhabitants, their character, climate, seasons, &c., 

 and accompanied moreover by an excellent sketch map, which the government 

 copied and furnished for our use. 



' For the time that the force was in the field the work was as hard as has 

 ever been performed by any force ; but the rapidity of its movements and the 



