July, 1840. FALLING KOCKS, See. 79 



liostess' hospitality was too exigeant for me, but the 

 others seemed as if they could not drink enough of the 

 scalding tea. 



We were suddenly startled from our repast by a noise 

 like loud thunder, crash following crash, and echoing through 

 the valley. The Phipnn got up, and coolly said, " The 

 rocks are falling, it is time we were off, it will rain soon." 

 The moist vapours had by this time so accumulated, as to 

 be condensed in rain on the cliffs of Chomiomo and Kin- 

 chinjhow ; which, being loosened, precipitated avalanches 

 of rocks and snow. We proceeded amidst dense fog, soon 

 followed by hard rain ; the roar of falling rocks on either 

 hand increasing as these invisible giants spoke to one 

 another in voices of thunder through the clouds. The 

 effect was indescribably grand : and as the weather cleared, 

 and I obtained transient peeps of their precipices of blue 

 ice and black rock towering 5000 feet above me on either 

 hand, the feeling of awe produced w T as almost overpowering. 

 Heavy banks of vapour still veiled the mountains, but the 

 rising mist exposed a broad stony track, along which the 

 Lachen wandered, split into innumerable channels, and 

 enclosing little oases of green vegetation, lighted up by 

 occasional gleams of sunshine. Though all around was 

 enveloped in gloom, there was in front a high blue arc of 

 cloudless sky, between the beetling cliffs that formed the 

 stern portals of the Kongra Lama pass. 



