478 A Journey through Sikim. [No. 6. 



made a very steep ascent of 500 feet through a thick forest of Pines, 

 at the top of which we suddenly issued on a wide and steep expanse 

 of grass thickly studded with Anemones, asters, beautiful purple 

 Primroses, and a profusion of blue and yellow flowers which all 

 combined exhibited the gayest sheet of vegetation I had ever seen. 

 For the first time I now realised the pleasure I had so often derived 

 from reading accounts of the beauties of this sort to be met with, in 

 the upper and inner regions of the Himalaya to the westward ; and 

 which are quite distinct from those which characterise the lower and 

 outward ranges in both quarters of the chain. 



The ascent continued through this loveliness to the top, and then 

 Chateng itself, which is a broad spur from the Takcham mountain, 

 spread out before us in undulating terraces for more than a mile 

 square. Clumps of Pines adorned it like a noble park, and over- 

 topping it to the north-west the suow-clad summits of Takcham shot 

 into the sky to the height of 17,000 feet. 



The views from Chateng are as fine as itself is beautiful. To the 

 south and east a long reach of the Lachen river foams along with 

 numerous cascades dashing into it from either side. From the west 

 a torrent and waterfall come pouring down for 2,000 feet through an 

 avenue of noble Pines ; and to the north is the valley of the Lachen 

 apparently terminated by a snow-topped mountain 12,000 feet high, 

 which divides the valley of the Lachen proper from that of its western 

 feeder the Zemu. Chateng would be an incomparable place for a 

 residence in the rainy season if it was even tolerably accessible from 

 the south, which it is not at present. The climate is much drier than 

 that of Darjeeling. Hooker found the fall of rain and humidity of 

 the atmosphere much less in the country above Choongtam, than in 

 the lower part of Sikim. 



Yeunga, October 8th. 



Started at 8 a. m. : descended from the lovely Chateng to a torrent 

 flowing into the Lachen from the west which we crossed ; ascended 

 thence toward the village of Lachen through a forest of noble Pines, 

 and along a good road, the under jungle of the forest becoming more 

 and more scanty as we advanced, the soil dry and sandy. Suddenly 

 round the end of a beautifully wooded spur we came in full view of 

 the village of Lachen, also called Lamteng, an exceedingly pret:y 



