459 
1862.] Journal of a trip in the Sikkim Himalaya . 
eel by a bridge made of saplings ; hence we ascended the Rinehing- 
poong bill/the lower part of which is rocky and steep, but the upper 
portion is less so, and the road a made one and good. Passed a good 
deal of millet cultivation, and stopped with a view to procure some of 
the well known beverage made from the millet seed, called “ Murwa,” 
but the villagers all ran away. We reached llinchingpoong about 
12.45 P. m. and pitched our tent immediately above the site of the 
field entrenchment occupied last year by Dr. Campbell and Captain 
Murray’s party of sappers, A few trenches, broken planks, pieces of 
posts strewed about, and the skull of a Bhootia pierced by a bullet, alone 
mark the spot, where our countrymen, the year previous, withstood the 
treacherous attack of twenty times their own number. If this portion 
of Sikkim should ever become British territory, this hill is deserving 
of particular attention, as possessing great capabilities for the formation 
of a winter sanitarium. The southern extremity of the hill is about 
7000 feet, but the northern, where the village site exists, is not more 
than 5,600 feet, and the temperature is much milder than that of 
Darjeeling. The soil is deep and rich, mica schist entering largely 
into the composition of the hill. It has several good perennial streams, 
a large pool of water, and broad terraces on all sides. Carriage roads 
might easily be constructed. The distance from Darjeeling by the 
lower road is about thirty-five miles. Wheat, millet, rice, buck wheat, 
&c., are culivated. Crabb apples, raspberries and cherry trees were 
observed, the latter in full blossom, whilst most of the other trees 
were shedding their leaves. The daphne or paper-tree also grows 
here, likewise oak, magnolia, birch, chesnut, walnut and many other 
forest trees. 
There is a Goompa at this place well worth seeing, the Llama 
belonging to which died nine months ago. 
The Llama’s widow and relatives brought us a present of four bam¬ 
boo tubes of hot “ Murwa,” and later in the evening eggs, rice, milk 
and fowls ; and in the morning more rice for sale, also eggs, milk and 
millet seed. Our encampment, which was in the midst of very high 
wormwood, swarmed with hairy caterpillars, which crawled over our 
beds and up the sides of the tent, and were very troublesome. 
The morning was very fine, and having breakfasted early, we were 
ready for a start, but delayed on account of the coolies who had no 
rice till this morning’s supply arrived. 
3 o 2 
