420 A Journey through Sikirn. [No. 5. 



It does not appear to be more than half the size it is at Bansong : 

 hence the Ryote which is the only affluent of note between this and 

 Bansong must be a large one ; it drains the Chola portion of the 

 eastern snowy range, and is formed by three streams, the Dik, Ryote, 

 and Runjung. Thermometer at Bhalak in the shade 78°. Ascended 

 steeply from the river to about 300 feet and came along the Phajigam* 

 village and terrace thence to Akurthung, which we reached at noon, a 

 flat terrace about a mile long, whence we descended by a precipitous 

 and dangerous path to the Rungrung, running west, and crossed it a 

 few yards above its junction with the Teesta. 



This crossing is without doubt the worst place I have ever been 

 over. From the top of an immense round rock up to which you 

 climb on hands and knees, three bamboos are laid across the torrent 

 at an acute ascending angle to the opposite precipice. This attained, at 

 the imminent risk of falling into the torrent, you get to zigzag bam- 

 boos which are hung by slips of dry creepers against the face of the 

 rock for you to walk on ; then there is a net work of knotted creepers 

 spread over the face of the precipice by which you get to the top of a 

 ledge or the first story of the ascent. From this there is an erect pole 

 with notches cut in it, then a bamboo ladder, next another notched 

 pole of 22 steps, which stands in a gully of the rock and over which a 

 streamlet trickles, and lastly you have to crawl up the head of this 

 dripping gully to reach the top. The whole ascent arranged in this 

 singularly ingenious, but very dangerous manner, must be above 200 

 feet. It needs a steady head, and firm tread to manage it. The 

 smallest slip would be fatal. The rivetting of the attention had, I 

 found, quite exhausted me when I reached the top. We all got up in 

 safety, an hour's march from this brought us to Tugvia. Our general 

 direction has been north, road distance, say 15 miles. 



On the west bank of the Teesta opposite this, and north of Goreh 

 is the Mani, a feeder of the Teesta, then " Sidoor" a Lepcha village, 

 next " Munkiang," and north of that the run, another western feeder 

 of the Teesta which rises from the Kim mountain. 



The mountains hereabouts are very precipitous and composed of 

 clay schist ; land-slips are common. There is a recent one above 



* Phajigam, or " Sandy plain," there is whitish clay slate debris doing duty for 

 sand, but the plain is not perceptible. 



