302 THE SECOND HIMALAYAN JOUENEY 
Mountain Chumalari. I was four days away ; it is amongst 
the main ranges East of Sikkim and leads to Choombi from 
this ; though only of the same height as Kongi'a Lama, 
this, the Kankola, was heavily snowed, and indeed from 
14,700-15,000 feet we were on snow the whole way. It 
took two days from hence to reach Tunkra ; headache and 
fatigue prevented my botanizing much on the travelling 
days, therefore I camped at 15,000 feet and made a full 
Flora at 14-16,000 feet, wholly different from the Kongi'a 
Lama Flora at the same altitude. 
Immediately above 15,000 feet there is far more rock 
and snow with vast piles of debris than anything else. 
This road is very rarely travelled, and then only by an 
occasional coui'ier from the Eajah, when at Choombi, to the 
N.E. quarter of Sikkim. 
Having no tent we slept on the gi'ound, a gi'eat precipice 
om- only shelter from the rain and snow. It was cm'ious 
to waken in the morning and see the broad snowy faces of 
lofty mountains staring at you, the bright sunbeams dancing 
on theii' rosy peaks, and all within a few yards of you. 
Unfortunately the weather was extremely bad and always 
is so on this range. At sunrise it was invariably brilliant 
and clear, and I then hastily sallied out to a high place to 
take views, angles, and bearings. From such heights the 
prospect of the whole Kinchin group w^as superb beyond 
all powers of description ; there was an exuberance of snow, 
and as the clouds of night rise and reveal peak after peak, 
with cliffs, domes, and tables of snow, it really conveyed the 
idea of a forest of mountains. At 8 o'clock clouds form, 
and before 9 a.m. every object far or near, is va'apped in 
thick fog, and you are fortunate if you can gain a glimpse 
of the sun with the sextant to make out your time and 
position. At 10 a.m. rain always commenced, and lasted 
with sleet or snow till sunrise of the following morning. 
Our camping ground was of course very cold, and the little 
sticks of firewood, for which we had to send down 2000 feet, 
were so wet, that with this, and the diminished oxj^gen of 
the air, it w^as very difficult to keep up a fire. I often 
think on these occasions of passages in your lectures, with 
keen appreciation of your tact and power in riveting the 
student's attention ; how often do I remember your Life 
