334 SIKKIM HIMALAYA. Chap. XIV. 



easily enough, but I, having shoes on, required a hand to 

 steady me. From this point we crossed a lofty spur to the 

 Ratong (alt. 3000 feet), where we encamped, the coolies 

 being unable to proceed further on such very bad roads. 

 This river descends from the snows of Kinchin, and conse- 

 quently retains the low temperature 42°, being fully 7° 

 colder than the Rungbee, which at an elevation of but 

 3000 feet appears very remarkable : it must however be 

 observed that scarcely anywhere does the sun penetrate to 

 the bottom of its valley. 



We encamped on a gravelly flat, fifty feet above the 

 river, strewn with .water- worn boulders, and so densely 

 covered with tall Artemisice, gigantic grasses, bamboo, 

 plantain, fern, and acacia, that we had to clear a space in 

 the jungle, which exhaled a rank heavy smell. 



Hoar-frost formed copiously in the night, and though 

 above the sun's rays were very powerful, they did not 

 reach this spot till 7 '30 a.m., the frost remaining in the 

 shade till nearly 9 a.m. ; and this on plantains, and other 

 inhabitants of hot-houses in England. 



Hence I ascended to Yoksun, one of the most curious 

 and picturesque spots in Sikkim, and the last inhabited 

 place towards Kinchinjunga. The path was excessively 

 steep and rocky for the first mile or two, and then 

 alternately steep and flat. Mixed with many tropical 

 trees, were walnuts of the common English variety ; a 

 tree, which, though planted here, is wild near Dorjiling, 

 where it bears a full-sized fruit, as hard as a hickory-nut : 

 those I gathered in this place were similar, whereas in 

 Bhotan the cultivated nut is larger, thin-shelled, and the 

 kernel is easily removed. We ascended one slope, of an 

 angle of 36° 30', which was covered with light black mould, 

 and had been recently cleared by fire : we found millet 



