1849.] Journal of a trip to Sikim. 513 



liver, that he has every morning in the cold weather !" Come, thought 

 I, this is coming a little too far north of my zoology, but I was wrong ; 

 a brass basin was brought from the stable half full of raw blood, and 

 bits of liver, the man dismounted, unbitted his nag, and the beast ate 

 the horrid mess with evident pleasure, and seemed quite used to it. 

 This is always done in Thibet, while the horse is growing, by those who 

 can afford to do it, and it is said to greatly increase the fire and endur- 

 ing power of the animal. 



When travelling, animal food, fresh or dried, is always given, and on 

 this diet the condition is maintained under the severest work. In the 

 warm season oil and eggs are substituted for the blood and liver. " Will 

 you sell me the Hubshee colt, Dewan Sahib V " No, I cannot," he 

 replied. " He, and that little bay are dedicated to the gods ; but the 

 mare in foal, and the chesnut are for sale." The gods have much the 

 best of the Dewan's stable, and he takes good care of, and good work 

 out of their property. It is the usage in Sikim to consecrate some 

 animals of all sorts belonging to you (except the dog) and these are 

 never sold nor given away, so that I cannot buy the young Hubshee,* 

 which is a very good one. 



The Dewan's huntsmen, and dogs have been out to-day for deer but 

 it is a blank day. They started early to the brow of the hill just above 

 our encampment, which is 1500, or 2,000 feet higher, and covered 

 with a thick forest of palms, plantains, bamboos, and other tropical 

 plants, and they beat it all down to the river without a find. The 

 day before I returned from Tukbrum, they were more successful in the 

 same locality ; they drove a Rutwa right through the sleeping place of 

 my guard, into and across the Teesta, the men and dogs followed on 

 the bamboo raft used at the ferry, he took to the hill, but they hunted 

 him again in the river, which he recrossed ; and was killed on landing. 

 I had mince collops of the haunch yesterday, which were delicate, and 

 fine-flavored. The dogs all give tongue, when they are close upon the 

 chase ; but out of a pack of a dozen it is reckoned good if more than 

 a couple give tongue upon the scent. In the warm whether the deer 

 when driven to take the water often swim down for miles, keeping the 

 middle of the stream, and thus escape their pursuers, but in the winter 

 they cannot stand the cold of the water and rarely do more than cross 



* Hubshee, African, so called from the curly hair of this sort of poney. 



