482 A Journey through Sihim. [No. 6. 



declivities around it, while ponies with brood mares, and a few cows 

 graze on the flatter ground of our encampment. The village consists 

 of 20 wretched stone hovels with low pitched shingle roofs, over 

 which a covering of pine bark is laid, the whole being held down by- 

 rows of stones two feet apart. The shingles and battens are made of 

 the wood of the various kinds of pines, and are prepared all along 

 the valley above Lachen — or Lamteng — for home use, and for export 

 to the -Thibetan stations of Geeree, Kambajong and the city of Digar- 

 chi. The favourite size for shingles is 4 feet by ] . The interior of 

 the houses corresponds in wretchedness with their exterior. The 

 people sleep all huddled together on planks laid on the ground, and 

 have no furniture of any sort : the fire is lighted on the floor, with 

 upright stones placed in triangles for the earthen cooking pots, and 

 for the large earthen tea pot which is always on the hob. Dirt, 

 smoke, tattered garments which are never changed, and faces which 

 are never washed, are the invariable characteristics of the Lachen 

 Bhotias. Men and women dress alike in loose woollen wrappers 

 with very long sleeves, woollen caps and boots. The men carry a 

 small brass tobacco pipe in the girdle which they are constantly smok- 

 ing, and rarely carry arms of any kind. They are very dark in com- 

 plexion, but it is more the darkness of colliers than of the tint of the 

 skin, and is probably the result of sitting over smouldering sheep- 

 dung fires, and of engrained dirt ; for some of the children are almost 

 rosy. 



Tungu, October \0th. 



Halt here to-day as the morning was cloudy with drizzling rain, 

 and our intended visit to Phaloong and Kanchanjhow would have been 

 useless in such weather. Having seen these places we purpose mov* 

 ing on to the Pass of Kangra Lama, which is about 12 miles up the 

 valley, and at the head of it. 



We have had some very good and clean made yak milk butter from 

 the village, and we have replenished our larder by slaughtering a 

 young yak, the condition of which is very promising. 



The Bhotia who sent it came to beg for one of the feet with which 

 to pacify the mother at milking time, and carried it away with him. 



October l\th. 



Drizzling rain all yesterday, last night and this morning ; so that 



