Nov. 1849. SEIZURE OF Dr. CAMPBELL. 203 



violent, and signed to me to keep quiet. I retained my 

 presence of mind, and felt comfort in remembering that I 

 saw no knives used by the party who fell on Campbell, and 

 that if their intentions had been murderous, an arrow 

 would have been the more sure and less troublesome 

 weapon. It was evident that the whole animus was 

 directed against Campbell, and though at first alarmed 

 on my own account, all the inferences which, with the 

 rapidity of lightning my mind involuntarily drew, were 

 favourable. 



After a few minutes, three persons came into the hut, 

 and seated themselves opposite to me : I only recognised 

 two of them; namely, the Singtam Soubah, pale, trem- 

 bling like a leaf, and with great drops of sweat trickling 

 from his greasy brow ; and the Tchebu Lama, stolid, 

 but evidently under restraint, and frightened. The 

 former ordered the men to leave hold of me, and to stand 

 guard on either side, and, in a violently agitated manner, 

 he endeavoured to explain that Campbell was a prisoner 

 by the orders of the Rajah, who was dissatisfied with 

 his conduct as a government officer, during the past 

 twelve years ; and that he was to be taken to the 

 Durbar and confined till the supreme government at 

 Calcutta should confirm such articles as he should be com- 

 pelled to subscribe to ; he also wanted to know from me 

 how Campbell would be likely to behave. I refused to 

 answer any questions till I should be informed why I was 

 myself made prisoner ; on which he went away, leaving me 

 still guarded. My own Sirdar then explained that Campbell 

 had been knocked down, tied hand and foot, and taken 

 to his tent, and that all his coolies were also bound, 

 our captors claiming them as Sikkimites, and subjects 

 of the Rajah. 



