278 EAST NEPAL. Chap. XII. 



along its course, is certainly north-west, with a dip to north- 

 east, the flexures of the river, as projected on the map, 

 deviate very widely from these directions. 



The valley of the Khabili is very grand, broad, open, and 

 intersected by many streams and cultivated spurs : the road 

 from Yamroop to Sikkim, once well frequented, runs up its 

 north flank, and though it was long closed we determined 

 to follow and clear it. 



On the 11th of December we camped near the village of 

 Sablakoo (4,680 feet), and procured five days' food, to last 

 us as far as the first Sikkim village. Thence we proceeded 

 eastward up the valley, but descending to the Iwa, an 

 affluent of the Khabili, through a tropical vegetation of 

 Pinus longifolia, PhyllantJius Emblica, dwarf date-palm, &c. 



Gneiss was here the prevailing rock, uniformly dipping 

 north-east 20°, and striking north-west. The same rock 

 no doubt forms the mass Sidingbah, which reared its head 

 8000 feet above the Iwa river, by whose bed we camped at 

 3,780 feet. Sand-flies abounded, and were most trouble- 

 some: troops of large monkeys were skipping about, and the 

 whole scene was thoroughly tropical ; still, the thermometer 

 fell to 38° in the night, with heavy dew. 



Though we passed numerous villages, 1 found unusual 

 difficulty in getting provision, and received none of the 

 presents so uniformly brought by the villagers to a stranger. 

 I was not long in discovering; to my great mortification, that 

 these were appropriated by the Ghorkha Havildar, who 

 seemed to have profited by our many days of short allow- 

 ance, and diverted the current of hospitality from me to 

 himself. His coolies I saw groaning under heavy burdens, 

 when those of my people were light ; and the truth only 

 came out when he had the impudence to attempt to impose 

 a part of his coolies' loads on mine, to enable the former to 



