86 
BOOT A N. 
ceremony. They were conducted by a senior of their order, styled 
Gooroobah, who led the procession, carrying an iron pot, suspended 
by a chain to the end of a long wand, and smoking with various sorts 
of aromatic woods: all the rest followed in his train, forming a long 
line, which reached from the palace-gate beyond the bridge. They 
were all uniform in their appearance, with the head, legs, and feet 
bare. Their dress was extremely simple: it consisted of three pieces; 
a philibeg hanging nearly as low as the knee, a short vest of woollen 
cloth, without sleeves, and over the whole, a large oblong mantle of 
deep crimson cloth, folded round the body in an artful, but apparently 
negligent, and easy manner. It was first passed across the breast, then 
under the left arm behind the back ; it was permitted to descend from 
the shoulders to the feet, and the other end w r as collected and thrown 
to rest upon the left shoulder; the right arm was left bare, and uncon- 
fined, but might be occasionally drawn under the mantle, which ad¬ 
mitted also of being lifted up, to cover the head: the left arm lay across 
the chest, and in the right they carried their rosaries, scanning their 
beads as they walked along with dexterous rapidity- 
The unsightly tumour to which I alluded, known in Bengal by the 
name of Gheig , and Aubi. and which in Bootan is called Ba, or Ke Ba, 
the neck swelling , forms itself immediately below the chin, extending 
. from ear to ear, and grows sometimes to such an enormous size, as to 
hang from the throat down upon the breast. The same disorder is 
known to prevail in many parts of Europe; in Italy, near the Alps; 
Stiria, Garinthia, the Ukraine, and the Tyrol; it is distinguished by 
the name of Goiter. It is particularly observable among the inhabitants 
