HIGHER RACES 53 



free and unrestrained. They have, too, a reputa- 

 tion for honesty and truthfulness. 



More vigorous, capable, and virile than the 

 Lepchas are the Nepalese, who, migrating from 

 Nepal, are found in great numbers in this region. 

 They are more given to agriculture than the 

 Lepchas, and are thrifty, industrious, and resource- 

 ful. Though excitable and aggressive, they are also 

 law-abiding. 



Less numerous but prominent inhabitants of this 

 region are the Bhutias, who consist of four classes ; 

 Bhutias, who are a mixed race of Tibetans and 

 Lepchas ; Sherpa Bhutias, who come from the east 

 of Nepal, the word sher merely meaning "east"; 

 the Drukpa or Dharma Bhutias, whose home is 

 Bhutan; and the Tibetan Bhutias from Tibet. 

 They are strong, sturdy men, merry and cheerful. 



These Lepchas, Nepalese, and Bhutias are all 

 of Mongolian origin, and therefore have the dis- 

 tinctively Mongolian appearance. But besides 

 these, in Darjiling and on the tea-gardens are to be 

 found Bengali clerks, Marwari merchants from 

 Rajputana, Punjabi traders, Hindustani mechanics, 

 and Chinese carpenters. And in addition to all 

 these are British Government officials, tea-planters, 

 and a continual stream of visitors from all parts of 

 Europe and America, who come to Darjiling to 

 view the snowy range. 



So that in this small region may be found repre- 

 sentatives of every grade of civilisation and a great 

 variety of types. And what an amount of Beauty 

 as distinct from mere prettiness there is to dis- 

 cover in even the rough local people may be seen 



6 



