180 EAST NEPAL. Chap. VIII. 



azimuth compass and stand, geological hammer, bottles 

 and boxes for insects, sketch-book, &c, arranged in com- 

 partments of strong canvass bags. The Nepal officer (of 

 the rank of Serjeant, I believe) always kept near me with 

 one of his men, rendering innumerable little services. 

 Other sepoys were distributed amongst the remainder of 

 the party ; one went ahead to prepare camping-ground, and 

 one brought up the rear. 



The course generally pursued by Himalayan travellers is 

 to march early in the morning, and arrive at the camping- 

 ground before or by noon, breakfasting before starting, or 

 en route. I never followed this plan, because it sacrificed 

 the mornings, which were otherwise profitably spent in 

 collecting about camp ; whereas, if I set off early, I was 

 generally too tired with the day's march to employ in any 

 active pursuit the rest of the daylight, which in November 

 only lasted till 6 p.m. The men breakfasted early in the 

 morning, I somewhat later, and all had started by 10 a.m., 

 arriving between 4 and 6 p.m. at the next camping-ground. 

 My tent was formed of blankets, spread over cross pieces 

 of wood and a ridge-pole, enclosing an area of 6 to 8 feet 

 by 4 to 6 feet. The bedstead, table, and chair were always 

 made by my Lepchas, as described in the Tonglo excursion. 

 The evenings I employed in writing up notes and journals, 

 plotting maps, and ticketing the plants collected during 

 the day's march. 



I left Dorjiling at noon, on the 27th October, accom- 

 panied by Dr. Campbell, who saw me fairly off, the coolies 

 having preceded me. Our direct route would have been 

 over Tonglo, but the threats of the Sikkim authorities 

 rendered it advisable to make for Nepal at once ; we there- 

 fore kept west along the Goong ridge, a western prolonga- 

 tion of Sinchul. 



