1853.] Notes upon a Tour in the Sikkim Himalayan Mountains. 547, 



A troop of red monkeys were gambolling and shouting in the trees ; 

 their voice is quite different from that of the common red monkey of 

 the plains. 



Three quarters of an hour after leaving Goke we crossed the 

 Teryook stream at its junction with the Euramam river, and after 

 travelling along the banks of the noisy, boiling and foaming Eummam 

 for an hour more, we crossed to its left bank by a very frail and 

 dangerous cane bridge of about 300 feet span, and commenced the 

 steep ascent of Chakoong. "We now stood in the Eajah of Sikkim's 

 territory. 



The Eummam immediately above the bridge comes tearing round 

 a sharp corner of the mountain, and with one bound dashes over a 

 group of gneiss rocks. The trees dipping their branches into the 

 very water, the lofty forest-clad mountains on all sides, from 

 whose very bosom, the river appears to dash at once, the roar and 

 noise of the water — altogether present as pretty a picture as can be 

 well imagined. 



After a toilsome ascent of several thousand feet through forest trees 

 and through several clearances planted with cotton, we reached two 

 Lepcha huts, where we were most kindly received and invited to 

 shelter ourselves from the burning sun, and to partake of the delici- 

 ous " chee" or acidulous infusion of the Murooa (Eleusine), which is 

 always presented in a joint of a bamboo, from which receptacle it is 

 sucked up through a hollow reed so cut at the sides as not to permit 

 the small grains to pass up into the mouth. The liquor resembles 

 in taste, dilute Hock or Sauterne, and is very refreshing. It is 

 slightly intoxicating, and is seldom seen above 6,000 feet elevation. 



The huts of the Bhotia and Lepcha reminded me of the huts of 

 the Hajmahal hill tribes. Having no caste, no great secrecy is 

 sought for in the construction of the house, which consists of one 

 large room thirty or forty feet square, raised upon wooden posts, 

 the walls, roofing, beams, rafters, flooring, and fastenings being all 

 composed of bamboo ; the thatch is of grass. There are generally 

 two or more fire-places in the room composed of loose stones upon a 

 mound of earth, the whole retained in position by a square fender 

 of bamboo. 



In the house we visited, there were two women, many children, 



