TIBET FEOM DONKIAH PASS 308 
of Linnaeus, and of what you have not reahsed for many a 
year, that it is 
The sweetest of pleasures under the sun 
To sit by the fire till the ' praties ' are done. 
Eesuming his course up the precipitous valley of the 
Lachoong, he left Lachoong village on August 29, and in two 
marches mounted 6000 feet to Yeumtong, where a week was 
spent among the mountains. Here his long patience was 
further rewarded. On September 7 a new friend arrived in 
the person of his old opponent, the Lachen Phipun, who, having 
now, as he said, ascertained that the Tibetans were entirely 
indifferent, offered to act as guide still northward up the valley 
to Momay and the Donkiah Pass. Momay, at 15,362 feet, 
with its great yak pastures, the highest in Sikkim, proved to be 
an ideal place for observations of all kinds, and eking out two- 
third rations with what could be obtained in the village, the 
party stayed here till September 30. On the 9th they went to 
the Donkiah pass, 18,466 feet, and in order to obtain a still 
wider view over Tibet, Hooker scrambled up the mountain side 
another 1000 feet, an ascent made a second time when he 
revisited Donkiah later with Dr. Campbell. The climb eclipsed 
in altitude Humboldt's famous climb on Chimborazo, and this 
record of over 19,000 feet, as well as three peaks or passes of 
18,500, held the field till the brothers Schlagintweit in 1856 
reached the height of 22,230 feet on Kamet. 
This stage of the expedition is well described in the following 
letter : 
Lachoong River, Thibet Frontier (i.e. Momay) : September 13, 1848. 
From the top of the Donkiah Pass I had a most splendid 
view for 60 miles north into Thibet — first of extensive plains, 
dunes, and low rocky hills utterly barren and red from the 
quantity of quartz, tinged with oxide of iron, which form 
the hills north of Kongra-Lama ; beyond that again, and 
as far as the eye could scan, were ranges of rocky mountains 
sprinkled with snow and of comparatively moderate eleva- 
tion. From Kongra-Lama at 16,000 feet the view was 
wretched enough, but from hence, no language can convey 
an idea of the horrible desolation and sterility of the scene ! 
