280 TO DAEJILING : FIRST HIMALAYAN JOURNEY 
To my amazement, I found myself on the walls, in a flowered 
coat and pantaloons, hat, spectacles, beard and moustache, 
drawing in a note-book, an Angel on one side offering me 
flowers and a devil on the other doing homage ! I never 
laughed so much in my life, and the Lamas' artists were 
pleased beyond measure that I recognised the likeness.^ 
So, with the warm hospitality of the Lamas and four 
drenching days' march to Darjiling, 
ended [he writes] my journey, without slip, accident, or the 
loss or hurt of a single man of my sometimes very numerous 
party. In Sikkim I have not spent an unquiet hour, except 
on the coolies' account, in the snow. I carried neither gun 
nor pistols, arms nor keys, and lost nothing whatever. From 
the simple people, Bhoteas and Lepchas, I have met every 
attention and kindness, and very pleased they will be to 
see me again, though, should the Rajah oppose, fear may 
deter them from coming near me ; that I do not anticipate, 
however. A more interesting country for tourist, artist, 
naturalist, and antiquarian can scarce be found, and it was 
untrodden in any walk previous to my visit, and I have 
but flitted over the surface. 
The only untoward incident at the outset of this march had 
been the unruliness of the fourteen Bhotea cooHes, who plun- 
dered the stores, resisted their Sirdar and the Ghurkas, and 
iinally made off on the seventh day of the journey, from the 
summit of Tonglo, their place being taken, after some delay, 
by a few weh-behaved Ghurkas from the Nepalese villages. 
Then everything that could be dispensed with was sent back 
to Darjiling, and the reduced party went on its way. 
This was troublesome for the moment, but not serious, and 
the note of satisfaction re-appears in the words : 
I have not lost or broken a single instrument during my 
journey, though I have had 8 thermometers in daily use, 
2 barometers, 2 chronometers, o compasses, a sextant, and 
' Artificial Horizon. I consider this quite a feat — always 
remembering the roads to be of the worst, and that 50 men 
were bustling about me all day long. 
1 Tlicio drawings, uufortunatelv, arc no longer extant (.see ii. -171). 
