276 EAST NEPAL. Chap. XII. 



into Sikkim, east over Singalelah, but was disappointed : if 

 there had ever been one, it had been closed since the Nepal 

 war ; and there was none, for several marches further south, 

 which would conduct us to the Iwa branch of the Khabili. 



Khabang is a village of Geroongs, or shepherds, who 

 pasture their flocks on the hills and higher valleys during 

 summer, and bring them down to this elevation in winter : 

 the ground was consequently infested with a tick, equal in 

 size to that so common in the bushes, and quite as trouble- 

 some, but of a different species. 



The temperature rose to 72°, and the black -bulb thermo- 

 meter to 140°. Magnolias and various almost tropical trees 

 were common, and the herbaceous vegetation was that of 

 low elevations. Large sugar-cane (Saccharum), palm (Wal- 

 UcJria), and wild plantains grew near the river, and Rhod. 

 arboreum was very common on dry slopes of mica-slate 

 rocks, with the gorgeous and sweet-scented Luculia gra- 

 tissima. 



Up the valley of the Tawa the view was very grand of a 

 magnificent rocky mountain called Sidingbah, bearing south- 

 east by south, on a spur of the Singalelah range that runs 

 westerly, and forms the south flank of the Tawa, and the 

 north of the Khabili valleys. This mountain is fully 12,000 

 feet high, crested with rock and ragged black forest, which, 

 on the north flank, extends to its base : to the eastward, 

 the bare ridges of Singalelah were patched with snow, 

 below which they too were clothed with black pines. 



From the opposite side of the Tawa to Khabang 

 (alt. 6,020 feet), I was, during our march southwards, 

 most fortunate in obtaining a splendid view of Kinchin- 

 junga (bearing north-east by north), with its associates, 

 rising over the dark mass of Singalelah, its flanks showing 

 like tier above tier of green glaciers : its distance was fully 



