94 
Visit to the Siccirn Mountains. 
[March 
steepness, and the river, which takes a bend at the place, washes its foot; the 
surface as even and unruffled as that of a lake. It is evidently of great depth, and 
is full the people say, of fish. We could have wished to have halted here instead 
of at Dimali-gdla, but were obliged to make our wishes bend to circumstances. 
A little beyond this the Rainbong river joins the Balasan from the left. The road 
continues in the bed of the latter, crossing again to the right bank by a similar rude 
bridge to that before described, and then ascends the steep face ol the mountain. 
This^ was the most fatiguing part of the stage, and occupied us 40 minutes. At 
Nagri-long-jok, elevated 2718 feet, the road branches off to Nagri stockade, 
where we bad a detachment formerly from Titalya. Our path was now level for 
some distance, f r with easy descent along the face of the mountain. We had a less 
confined view of the country too, than when groping in the river bed ; yet we could 
see no villages, nor any thing in fact but thick forest, which seemed to overspread the 
country in every direction. Here and there a small cleared tract was visible, hav- 
ing a but in the middle; but these efforts to overcome the exhuberance of nature 
seemed, like man himself, to bear no proportion to the vast, features ot these moun- 
tains. Gradually descending, we again found ourselves in the bed of the Balasan, 
which we crossed a third time, on a bridge exactly like the two former. Alter 
proceeding in the bed a few hundred paces, we crossed back again, and bad then 
about a mile and a quarter of very unpleasant road, through a thick jungle of the 
small bamboo ; the ground very uneven and wet, and covered with decayed leaves. 
A fifth crossing of the river was then effected, and we found ourselves, on ascend- 
ing the bank, at SAmdong. This was rather a fatiguing march, having occupied us 
five hours. 
Samdong, though elevated 2751 feet, is scarcely superior to Dimali-gdla as a halting 
place. On the side of a steep mountain, and surrounded with thick jungle, there is no 
seeing any thing beyond a few yards, while the quantity ofeven ground is extremely con- 
fined. The place is rather dreary looking, I confess ; and weliad an unfavorable day to 
contemplate it, as it began to rain immediately on our arrival. But we were comfort- 
ably housed, and we pleased ourselves with the idea that we should here really 
start for DArjiling, as our Lepcha porters were here to come into play, and the 
Bengalis be discharged. Accordingly, being informed that the Rdjah’s dewiin, 
(as they called a dirty Bhdtia with a silk dress,) was waiting to pay liis respects, Mr, 
Grant ordered him to be admitted, and we immediately entered on business. A 
smart little Lepcha, in a scarlet vest or cloak, something like the Spanish poncho, 
acted as interpreter, and afforded us some amusement by the pertinacity with 
which he prefaced every’ speech, however short, with the never varying declaration 
of Ghulam bintee kurta , khudawand mulk dp ka, bur up ka hukmse, &c* Arc. ; after 
which he would conclude perhaps by refusing to give us half a dozen porters. 
They r began by aking us the intention of our journey, to which, instead of replying 
by T any mystification, Mr. Grant at once declared the full aim and object of our 
mission. \Ve thought it might simplify and cut short the negociation by r satisfying 
them, that nothing was in contemplation from which they could by any r possibility 
extract any cause for alarm. But with those accustomed to tortuous and crooked , 
methods of arriving at their object, such openness perhaps does not advance one 
much. Unaccustomed to the thing themselves, they cannot understand the object of 
practising it; and, as is always the case with weak minds, what they cannot under* 
stand or fathom, they are sure to suspect and feai\ The royal ambassador testi- 
fied considerable alarm, and exhibited the only visage (to do the people justice) in 
which any thing sinister or disagreeable was observed. Like all diplomatists, lie 
seemed never tired of telling lies ; and assured us in the strongest terms of the re- 
spect and deference his master felt forithe British Government all the time he was mak- 
ing a difficulty of allowing us to proceed a step farther. He wished for time, being 
apparently aware that time , like knowledge, is power. He declared we had hurried 
too much, though his lazy master had actually had nearly a month’s notice of onr 
approach. All his excuses and protests we set aside at once, and told him plainly 
that if by morning we were not furnished with porters to proceed to Darjiling, we 
would retrace our steps, and leave him and his Raja to explain their neglect and in* 
civility the best way they could. Mr. Grant was very mild but firm, aud as he ap- 
peared to have inspired them with favorable impi'essions, what he said had the more 
weight. After a little more delay they declared we should have as many as could be 
got together by morning. In a short time, nearly a dozen able bodied fellows can# 
to examine and prepare the loads, and we were not a little pleased to find that we 
iiad some prospect of seeing Darjiling. Eight annas a stage was agreed to, as 
eir daily hire, not including return j and taking into consideration the severity 
