236 NATIVE TASTE FOE ORNAMENT. en. ix. 



chequered patterns in black and white, reminding Hooker 

 of fabrics made by the Lepchas in Sikkim. 



We had scarcely started to descend the valley when it 

 began to sleet. As soon as we reached the village below, 

 this turned to rain, which continued with little intermis- 

 sion throughout the day. The halt for luncheon offered 

 little attraction to any of the party, and was curtailed as 

 much as possible. It is a proof of the variety of the 

 vegetation, that although we had already twice passed 

 through the valley, and made considerable collections, we 

 noticed on this occasion two or three plants growing 

 close to the path which none of us had before seen. 



A little anxiety was felt as to the ford in the river ; 

 and in truth it was a piece of good fortune that the 

 weather had been so cold, and that snow instead of rain 

 had fallen on the mountains. A slight rise of the stream 

 must make the ford impassable. We might have made 

 our way on foot along the E. side of the valley, though 

 this appears pathless below the ford, and discovered some 

 way for passing the stream lower down ; but our baggage 

 and precious collections could scarcely have followed that 

 way, and practically we should have been prisoners for 

 several days. As it was, the water at the ford was no 

 higher than usual ; the increased supply from the lower 

 slopes was doubtless compensated by the cutting off of 

 the drainage of the upper region, now deeply covered with 

 snow. 



Soon after crossing the stream, we were met by 

 Abraham, dressed in his best, who in this valley assumed 

 quite a lofty air. He informed us, with a tone of great 

 elation, that the country people took him for a sherreeff, and, 

 had come out to ask a Jew for his blessing. The path was 

 in places very slippery, and it was impossible to travel 

 fast, and so it happened that the daylight was beginning 

 to fade when we returned to our camp. This displayed a 

 doleful spectacle. After more than twenty-four hours' 

 rain the piece of flat ground which we had selected was 



