272 EAST NEPAL. Chap. XII. 



" Teeta," and used as a febrifuge : the present was that 

 of Picrorhiza, a plant allied to Speedwell, which grows at 

 from 12,000 to 15,000 feet elevation, and is a powerful 

 bitter, called " Hoonling" by the Tibetans. They had 

 with them above 100 sheep, of a tall, long-legged, Roman- 

 nosed breed. Each carried upwards of forty pounds of salt, 

 done up in two leather bags, slung on either side, and 

 secured by a band going over the chest, and another round 

 the loins, so that they cannot slip off, when going up or 

 down hill. These sheep are very tame, patient creatures, 

 travelling twelve miles a day with great ease, and being 

 indifferent to rocky or steep ground. 



Looking east I had a splendid view of the broad snowy 

 mass of Kubra, blocking up, as it were, the head of the 

 valley with a white screen. Descending to about 10,000 

 feet, the Abies Brunoniana appeared, with fine trees of 

 Rhododendron Falconeri forty feet high, and with leaves 

 nineteen inches long ! while the upper part of the valley 

 was full of Abies Webbiana. 



At the elevation of 9000 feet, we crossed to the east 

 bank, and passed the junction of the gneiss and mica slate : 

 the latter crossed the river, striking north-west, and the 

 stream cut a dark chasm-like channel through it, foaming 

 and dashing the spray over the splintered ridges, and 

 the broad water- worn hog-backed masses that projected 

 from its bed. Immense veins of granite permeated the 

 rocks, which were crumpled in the strangest manner : 

 isolated angular blocks of schist had been taken up by the 

 granite in a fluid state, and remained imbedded in it. 



The road made great ascents to avoid landslips, and to 

 surmount the enormous piles of debris which encumber 

 this valley more than any other. We encamped at 

 10,050 feet, on a little flat 1000 feet above the bed of the 



