1853.] Notes upon a Tour in the SiJckim Himalayah Mountains. 627 



cal underwood seemed to take them by surprise. One old man 

 carried a pot of tobacco and water in his hand, with which he con- 

 tinually anointed the leeches as they crept upon his naked legs, 

 the first application caused the animals to roll off as if in agony. 



At 2 p. m. after a very fatiguing march we arrived at two Lim- 

 boo huts, perched up about 1,000 feet above the river, and command- 

 ing a fine view down the stream, which here turns off the east, flow- 

 ing between the Pemionchi and Catsuperri mountains. The northern 

 flank of Pemionchi is much less steep than its southern or Kullait 

 river-side. Looking up the Eungbi, nothing is visible but a deep 

 dark forest-choked glen, down which the Eungbi could be heard 

 roaring. Near Eungbi we saw a very beautiful waterfall, the fall was 

 only twenty -four feet in height, but the arrangement of the rocks 

 and forests and the numerous streams into which the Ml was broken, 

 quite made up for its small height. 



We put up for the night at a Limboo clearance where the Soobah 

 of the Eungbi valley resides, and where, upon our arrival, he was, in 

 honour of the harvest, keeping up great festivities. The whole popu- 

 lation amounting to about ten men and four or five women besides 

 children, were all more or less intoxicated ; it was a long time before 

 we could get a hearing on account of the music and dancing, shout- 

 ing and screaming that was going on inside the principal house ; at 

 last they all tumbled out, and the soobah, a good-natured creature, 

 at the head of the party, led us away to a nice house, which was 

 forthwith swept out and cleaned and a fire lighted for us. Two 

 bamboos of chee, a fowl, milk and rice were sent from the banquet, 

 upon which we regaled ourselves, our sixteen attendants formed a 

 grand addition to the party who were with much cordiality invited 

 to see the dancing and to partake of chee, which they did with a will ; 

 for before midnight the whole of them were fast asleep and very 

 drunk. 



I sent my compliments across to the soobah to say I should like 

 to see what was going on ; he forthwith came himself, conducted us 

 into his fine house, where there were about thirty men and women 

 sitting on the ground, hot chee was being served round to every one 

 and in the middle of the room a young girl highly excited and most 

 fantastically dressed was dancing to the beat of several drums. The 



4 L 



