58 Capt. H. J. Walton on the 



I marched up from Darjeeling through Sikhim, crossed the 

 Kangra Lama Pass (17,200 feet), and joined the Commission 

 on September 2-ith. 



Khamba Jong is a Tibetan fort about fifteen miles from 

 the frontier. It is situated on the top of a rocky hill, some 

 300 feet high. There is a small village at the foot, in a 

 sheltered corner of which there are about half-a-dozen 

 stunted willows — the only trees in the district. The sur- 

 rounding country consists of an undulating plain covered 

 with low wormwood scrub and coarse grass. The Himalayas, 

 with the conspicuous peaks of Mount Everest, Kinchen- 

 junga, and Kinchenjau, close the view to the south. A 

 chain of low hills forms the northern boundary, separating 

 the Khamba Jong plain from the valley of the Tsang Po 

 (Brahmapoutra) River. This plain is watered by several 

 small streams, and there are some moderately large lakes 

 within a few miles of Khamba Jong. The mean elevation 

 above sea-level is 15,200 feet. 



During the summer months the climate is pleasantly 

 warm and a fair crop of barley is grown ; but in the autumn 

 and winter the plain is swept by strong winds, and by the 

 beginning of October there are sharp frosts at night. By 

 the end of that month the winter arrives in earnest, and owing 

 to the severity of the climate and to the absence of food, 

 birds are then very scarce, with the exception of Lammer- 

 geyers and Ravens, which appear to be cmite impervious to 

 the cold. 



I left Khamba Jong in the middle of December, and 

 marched in a rather leisurely way through Sikhim to Gantok ; 

 thence I proceeded over the Yak La Pass (about 14,500 feet) 

 into the Chumbi Valley. This is a narrow valley stretching 

 southwards in the form of a wedge for about fifty miles from 

 the Tibetan plateau. It extends from the Tang La Pass to 

 the foot of the Jelap La Pass, and lies between Bhutan and 

 Sikhim. It has always been claimed by the Tibetans as 

 part of Tibet, and has hitherto been the chief trade-route 

 between Bengal, Gyantse, and Shigatse. The valley is 

 watered by the Amo Chu River ; its altitude varies between 



