496 A Journey through Sikim. [No. 6. 



were both glad to lie on the ground, cold as it was, till 6 o'clock, when 

 the tents came up. 



As we lay shivering, the Thibetan guard, which had accompanied 

 our baggage from Kangra Lama, came marching in. It consisted of 

 an officer and fifteen men, dressed in ragged blue cloth cloaks bound 

 round the waist with yellow girdles, cloth boots of various colours — 

 red, green and blue, and black felt caps ; each man carried a load of 

 clothes and a matchlock strapped across his back, from which pro- 

 jected a forked rest, like antelope's horns ; a bow and some arrows 

 with an old cartridge pouch completed their equipment. 



The Dingpun, or officer in command on the part of the Chinese 

 government at Lassa — and the Lt. of the Kambajong Soobah — a 

 civil officer — brought up the rear, mounted on yaks with high saddles 

 over which, and under, a quantity of bedding, warm clothes and other 

 articles were stowed in the bunchiest and least military fashion possi- 

 ble. These officers did not carry any arms. The Dingpun was dressed 

 in green with a large orange-coloured cap, in the crown of which was 

 a round brass button, the sign of his rank. He was not five feet high ; 

 he was sixty years of age, very fat, dark-complexioned, smiling and 

 very greasy ; his countenance was a picture of indecision and imbecility, 

 and he did not belie it in any way. I shall however say no more to 

 his discredit. I wish him most heartily a long life and great promo- 

 tion in the ragamuffin band to which he belongs, with the happiest 

 reminiscences for gratifying us as he has done on this occasion. The 

 guard is to accompany us to the Donkiah Pass, and see us fairly out 

 of Thibet, so that we may now expect to part very good friends, and 

 I hope we shall do so. 



We are pitched inside the kraals, or square enclosures of loose stone 

 used by the migrating yak herds of Thibet for pitching their black 

 tents in, and our people are crowded round large fires of yak dung, the 

 only fuel this country affords. These fires give a great deal of heat, 

 but are attended with interminable and intolerable smoke, and are not 

 at all suited for cooking. The flavour of all roasted, toasted and gril- 

 led articles is disagreeable, and it is very difficult to get any thing 

 fully cooked where the boiling point of water is so low. 



This may be one reason for the Thibetans always eating their animal 

 food dried and raw, instead of cooked as we do. I am very headachy 



