Dec. 1849. TENDONG. DEWAN'S ALARM. 233 



distaff; their loom, which is Tibetan, is a very complicated 

 one framed of bamboo ; it is worked by hand, without 

 beam, treddle, or shuttle. 



On the 18th we were marched, three miles only, to 

 Singdong (alt. 2,116 feet), and on the following day 

 five miles farther, to Katong Ghat (alt. 750 feet), on 

 the Teesta river, which we crossed with rafts, and camped 

 on the opposite bank, a few miles above the junction of 

 this river with the Great Rungeet. The water, which is 

 sea-green in colour, had a temperature of 53° 5 at 4 p.m., 

 and 51° 7 the following morning ; its current was very 

 poAverful. The rocks, since leaving Tumloong, had been 

 generally micaceous, striking north-west, and dipping north- 

 east. The climate was hot, and the vegetation on the 

 banks tropical ; on the hills around, lemon-bushes 

 (" Kucheala," Lepcha) were abundant, growing apparently 

 wild. 



The Dewan was now getting into a very nervous and 

 depressed state ; he was determined to keep up appear- 

 ances before his followers, but was himself almost servile 

 to us ; he caused his men to make a parade of their arms, 

 as if to intimidate us, and in descending narrow gullies 

 we had several times the disagreeable surprise of finding 

 some of his men at a sudden turn, with drawn bows and 

 arrows pointed towards us. Others gesticulated with 

 their long knives, and made fell swoops at soft plantain- 

 stems ; but these artifices were all as shallow as they were 

 contemptible, and a smile at such demonstrations was 

 generally answered with another from the actors. 



From Katong w T e ascended the steep east flank of 

 Tendong or Mount Ararat, through forests of Sal and long 

 leaved pine, to Namten (alt. 4,483 feet), where we again 

 halted two days. The Dingpun Tinli lived near, and 



