202 EAST NEPAL. Chap. IX. 



Limboos and Khass-tribes of Nepal, who inhabit the 

 lower region. We daily passed parties of ten or a 

 dozen Tibetans, on their way to Mywa Guola, laden with 

 salt ; several families of these wild, black, and uncouth - 

 looking people generally travelling together. The men are 

 middle-sized, often tall, very square-built and muscular ; 

 they have no beard, moustache, or whiskers, the few hairs 

 on their faces being carefully removed with tweezers. They 

 are dressed in loose blanket robes, girt about the waist 

 with a leather belt, in which they place their iron or brass 

 pipes, and from which they suspend their long knives, chop- 

 sticks, tobacco-pouch, tweezers, tinder-box, &c. The robe, 

 boots, and cap are grey, or striped with bright colours, and 

 they wear skull-caps, and the hair plaited into a pig-tail. 



The women are dressed in long flannel petticoats and 

 spencer, over which is thrown a sleeveless, short, striped 

 cloak, drawn round the waist by a girdle of broad brass or 

 silver links, to which hang their knives, scissors, needle- 

 cases, &c, and with which they often strap their children 

 to their backs ; the hair is plaited in two tails, and 

 the neck loaded with strings of coral and glass beads, and 

 great lumps of amber, glass, and agate. Both sexes wear 

 silver rings and ear-rings, set with turquoises, and square 

 amulets upon their necks and arms, which are boxes of 

 gold or silver, containing small idols, or the nail-parings, 

 teeth, or other reliques of some sainted Lama, accompanied 

 with musk, written prayers, and other charms. All are 

 good-humoured and amiable-looking people, very square 

 and Mongolian in countenance, with broad mouths, high 

 cheek-bones, narrow, upturned eyes, broad, flat noses, and 

 low foreheads. White is their natural colour, and rosy 

 cheeks are common amongst the younger women and 

 children, but all are begrimed with filth and smoke j added 



