ASAM AND THE NEIGHBOURING COUNTRIES. 369 



their eyes against the penetrating gas arising from their wood fires. The 

 house we were in had been deserted on account of two or three deaths of 

 members of the Gam's family having happened in it. 



The Gam of Dilling, with his daughter, a young damsel, the calf of 

 whose leg would have measured more in circumference than both mine, 

 came to see the white man : though dignified with rank, their appearance 

 was no better than that of commoners. The lady was highly pleased 

 with a string of red glass beads, and not only gave me a fowl in return, 

 but by informing her acquaintance of the beauty of my wares, procured 

 me other offers of barter. 



Three days we remained confined to this hovel, and on the fourth, the 

 25th October, were well pleased at the prospect of a change; heavy 

 masses of white clouds rolled along the dells below and rising up the hills' 

 face, enabled us to see that on the peaks to the north, snow had fallen in 

 considerable quantity. The sun's influence helped to dissipate the mists, 

 and discovered to us our situation. On the west, we had a narrow glimpse 

 of Asam; to the north, we saw the Brahmaputra deep in its narrow 

 chasm and white with foam — the majestic peak Tliathutheya closed the 

 view in that direction, and on the east, we were separated only by the 

 deep ravine of the Disil rivulet from the large mountain Thematheya. 

 Snow gathers on the summits of both these in the colder months, but on 

 Thematheya it does not remain long. We descended to the bed of the Disu, 

 by a very rugged path, admitting but of slow progress, and traversing 

 the base of Thematheya, we approached the Brahmaputra in a northerly 

 direction — several water-falls were passed, and amongst them, one of 

 singular beauty, though the stream is small : it first shoots clear over the 

 brink of a high rock, which is nearly perpendicular and quite smooth, 

 and then dividing into mist, almost disappears from sight till caught 

 again near the bottom. 



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