218 TUMLOONG. Chap. XXVI. 



received them. Our guards were reduced to one Sepoy 

 with a knife, who was friendly ; and a dirty, cross-eyed 

 fellow named Thoba-sing, who, with the exception of 

 Tchebu Lama, was the only Bhoteea about the Durbar 

 who could speak Hindostanee, and who did it very imper- 

 fectly : he was our attendant and spy, the most bare- 

 faced liar I ever met with, even in the east ; and as 

 cringing and obsequious when alone with us, as he was to 

 his masters on other occasions, when he never failed to 

 show off his authority over us in an offensive manner. 

 Though he was the most disagreeable fellow we were ever 

 thrown in contact with, I do not think that he was there- 

 fore selected, but solely from his possessing a few words of 

 Hindostanee, and his presumed capability of playing the spy. 

 The weather w T as generally drizzling or rainy, and we 

 were getting very tired of our captivity ; but I beguiled 

 the time by carefully keeping my meteorological register,* 

 and by reducing many of my previous observations. 

 Each morning we were awakened at daybreak by the 

 prolonged echos of the conchs, trumpets, and cymbals, 

 beaten by the priests before the many temples in the 

 valley : wild and pleasing sounds, often followed by 



* During the thirty days spent at Tumloong, the temperature was mild and 

 equable, with much cloud and drizzle, but little hard rain ; and we experienced 

 violent thunder-storms, followed by transient sunshine. Unlike 1848, the rains 

 did not cease this year before the middle of December ; nor had there been one 

 fine month since April. The mean temperature, computed from 150 observations, 

 was 50° 2, and from the maximum and minimum thermometer 49° 6, which is a 

 fair approximation to the theoretical temperature calculated for the elevation 

 and month, and allows a fall of 1° for 320 feet of ascent. The temperature during 

 the spring (from 50 observations) varied during the day from 2° 4 to 5° 8 higher 

 than that of the air, the greatest differences occurring morning and evening. The 

 barometric tide amounted to 0'091 between 9*50 a.m., and 4 p.m., which is less than 

 at the level of the plains of India, and more than at any greater elevation than 

 Tumloong. The air was always damp, nearly saturated at night, and the mean 

 amount of humidity for ninety-eight observations taken during the day was only 

 0*850, corresponding to a dew-point of 49° 6, or 5° 2 below that of the air. 



