1852.] A Journey through Sikim. 421 



" Sidoor" which is frightful to look at, even from this side of the river ; 

 a few days ago a hill side came down bodily into the Teesta two 

 marches above this, and two years ago a whole village Kemam was de- 

 stroyed in this way, and all the people killed ; it occurred at night in a 

 deluge of rain and in a storm. 



I heard from Hooker yesterday; he was on the 24th still at the 

 Donkia pass, and had that day ascended the mountain close to it to 

 20,000 feet, and discovered another Lake the 4th of the Lachoong 

 ones. 



My Lepcha hostess of last night afforded me another trait of domes- 

 tic habits. This morning, I was dressing by candlelight in my end of 

 the house, while she was at her toilet at the other. Having got one 

 of the boys to bring her a cup full of water in the tea-ladle, she com- 

 menced her ablution^. Wetting her hands she each time held them 

 over the fire in the smoke, and then rubbed them over her face and 

 arms. Then dried herself with the lousy chudder of yesterday ; rub- 

 bed her teeth twice with her fingers, and thus ended, " my lady's 

 toilet." 



Singtam, October 2nd. 



Heavy rain all night, which ceased at daylight, but came on again 

 at 6 o'clock. 



Started at 7 in lighter rain, and reached this at noon. Thermometer 

 at 8 p. m. in house 68° ; an easy march in the dry season as to distance, 

 and no great ascents or descents, but just now it is very different ; ge- 

 neral direction north-east, being the course of the Teesta. Crossed 

 the Rung-lok, a small stream, a short distance from Tugvia, and then 

 ascended to the Rungoon Spur along the west brow of which the road 

 runs for two miles through an undulating and cleared country, bear- 

 ing excellent crops of rice and murwa, now ripening. There is also a 

 good deal of grass, and the cows are remarkably fine and numerous. 

 It is well peopled, principally by Lepchas who have good houses, and 

 is in the jurisdiction of the Singtam Soobah, who lives a little farther 

 on at " Rufam," from which we ascended steeply to " Shem," a spur 

 from the Enden mountain, and thence descended to Singtam. The 

 road through the cultivation of Rungoon is ancle-deep in mud, and on 

 the steep descent to this place it was impossible to move alone with 



3 H 



