118 Narrative of a Journey to Cho Lagan, fyc. [July, 



subdued and annexed to the Raj of Kumaon under the Gorkhas. The 

 Dangnung is a good sized Yankti, with several Sangas thrown across it 

 for the intercommunications of the village, which lies on both sides 

 of the stream ; and a bridge over the Kunti river connects Nabhi 

 with Ronkali. An immense flood of debris brought down by the 

 Dangnung, and by a huge landslip from Sildu, the mountain imme- 

 diately north of it, has driven the Kunti river close under an ad- 

 vancing spur of the opposite mountain, here a wall of bare rock, the 

 passage round which is rather precipitous, but not particularly difficult 

 or dangerous, the road being built up with some care. Indeed it has 

 appeared to me all along that the Chaudans and Byans Bhotias have 

 their roads and bridges in much better order than the Jwaris, and the 

 natural difficulties of Upper Chaudans are perhaps greater than those 

 of Jwar, always excepting the road from Milam to Dung, an impractica- 

 ble landslip, than which nothing can be worse. 



Two miles more along the river bank lead to our encampment on 

 Mangdang, a small level under the mountain Chachala, cultivated 

 by the people of Rongkoli ; opposite is Relakang, a similar hamlet of 

 the Nadhiyal, at the foot of a low hill spur which advances into the 

 valley from the monntain Shangdoli, well wooded with Pine and 

 Birch. This hill and a huge rocky mountain Nahl, on the right hand, 

 intercept further view up the Kunti valley north-west. 



This day was cloudy, but without rain. Thermometer at A\ p. m. 

 56° ; boiled at 192», elevation of Mangdang 11,750 feet. 



26th September. — Morning fair, Thermometer at sunrise 47 . 



Down the valley is a very fine view of the great snowy mountain 

 Api, and as we ascend towards Kunti, the Peak of Nampa is dis- 

 closed adjoining Api on the north-east, the whole an immense mass of 

 pure snow, without-flaw for a mile of vertical height, and now beauti- 

 fully illumined by the rising sun. I have not yet seen such a fine spe- 

 cimen of perfect snow on the face of the Himalaya. Half a mile from 

 Mangdang the road crosses the Nahl Yankti, a small stream from the 

 mountain of that name ; on the opposite side of the river is Ganka, a 

 stream rising in a glacier under a snowy mountain. The valley of the 

 Kunti now contracts in width, the lower slopes of the mountains on 

 both sides leaving little or no level ground at the bottom. The road 

 goes along the east bank of the river, over steep and rough accumula- 



