Himalayan Journals, vol 2 by J. D. Hooker (great reads TXT) 📖

it lay in great fields twenty or thirty feet thick; while to the north, the mountains all appeared destitute of snow,

with grassy flanks and rugged tops.

Drizzling mist, which had shrouded Tukcham all the morning, soon

gathered on this mountain, and prevented any prospect from the

highest point reached; but on the ascent I had an excellent view up the Zemu, which opened into a broad grassy valley, where I saw with the glass some wooden sheds, but no cattle or people. To reach these, however, involved crossing the river, which was now impossible; and I reluctantly made up my mind to return on the morrow to Zemu Samdong, and thence try the other river.

On my descent to the Thlonok, I found that the herbaceous plants on the terraces had grown fully two feet during the fortnight, and now presented almost a tropical luxuriance and beauty. Thence I reached Zemu Samdong in one day, and found the vegetation there even more gay and beautiful: the gigantic lily was in full flower, and scenting the air, with the lovely red rose, called "Chirring" by the Tibetans.

Neillia was blossoming profusely at my old camping-ground, to which I now returned after a month's absence.

Soon after my arrival I received letters from Dr. Campbell, who had strongly and repeatedly represented to the Rajah his opinion of the treatment I was receiving; and this finally brought an explicit

answer, to the effect that his orders had been full and peremptory

that I should be supplied with provisions, and safely conducted to

the frontier. With these came letters on the Rajah's part from Tchebu Lama to the Lachen Phipun, ordering him to take me to the pass, but not specifying its position; fortunately, however, Dr. Campbell sent me a route, which stated the pass to be at Kongra Lama, several

marches beyond this, and in the barren country of Tibet.

On the 5th of July the Singtam Soubah arrived from Chola (the Rajah's summer residence): he was charged to take me to the frontier, and

brought letters from his highness, as well as a handsome present,

consisting of Tibet cloth, and a dress of China silk brocaded with

gold: the Ranee also sent me a basket of Lhassa sweetmeats,

consisting of Sultana raisins from Bokhara, sliced and dried apricots from Lhassa, and Diospyros fruit from China (called "Gubroon" by

the Tibetans). The Soubah wanted to hurry me on to the frontier and back at once, being no doubt instigated to do so by the Dewan's

party, and by his having no desire to spend much time in the dreary lofty regions I wanted to explore. I positively refused, however, to start until more supplies arrived, except he used his influence to

provide me with food; and as he insisted that the frontier was at

Tallum Samdong, only one march up the Lachen, I foresaw that this

move was to be but one step forward, though in the right direction.

He went forward to Tallum at once, leaving me to follow.

The Lamteng people had all migrated beyond that point to Tungu, where they were pasturing their cattle: I sent thither for food, and

procured a little meal at a very high price, a few fowls and eggs;

the messenger brought back word that Tungu was in Tibet, and that the villagers ignored Kongra Lama. A large piece of yak-flesh being

brought for sale, I purchased it; but it proved the toughest meat I ever ate, being no doubt that of an animal that had succumbed to the arduous duties of a salt-carrier over the passes: at this season,

however, when the calves are not a month old, it was in vain to

expect better.

Large parties of women and children were daily passing my tent from Tungu, to collect arum-roots at the Thlonok, all with baskets at

their backs, down to rosy urchins of six years old: they returned

after several days, their baskets neatly lined with broad

rhododendron leaves, and full of a nauseous-looking yellow acid pulp, which told forcibly of the extreme poverty of the people.

The children were very fair; indeed the young Tibetan is as fair as an English brunette, before his perennial coat of smoke and dirt has permanently stained his face, and it has become bronzed and wrinkled by the scorching sun and rigorous climate of these inhospitable

countries. Children and women were alike decked with roses, and all were good-humoured and pleasant, behaving with great kindness to one another, and unaffected politeness to me.

During my ten days' stay at Zemu Samdong, I formed a large collection of insects, which was in great part destroyed by damp: many were new, beautiful, and particularly interesting, from belonging to types

whose geographical distribution is analogous to that of the

vegetation. The caterpillar of the swallow-tail butterfly (Papilio Machaon), was common, feeding on umbelliferous plants, as in

England; and a Sphynx (like S. Euphorbiae) was devouring the

euphorbias; the English Cynthia Cardui (painted-lady butterfly) was common, as were "sulphurs," "marbles," Pontia (whites), "blues,"

and Thecla, of British aspect but foreign species. Amongst these, tropical forms were rare, except one fine black swallow-tail.

Of moths, Noctuae and Geometrae abounded, with many flies and

Tipulae. Hymenoptera were scarce, except a yellow Ophion, which lays its eggs in the caterpillars above-mentioned. Beetles were most rare, and (what is remarkable) the wood-borers (longicorns and

Curculio) particularly so. A large Telephora was very common, and had the usual propensity of its congeners for blood; lamellicorns

were also abundant.

On the 11th of July five coolies arrived with rice: they had been

twenty days on the road, and had been obliged to make great detours, the valley being in many places impassable. They brought me a parcel of English letters; and I started up the Lachen on the following day, with renewed spirits and high hopes. The road first crossed the Zemu and the spur beyond, and then ascended the west bank of the Lachen, a furious torrent for five or six miles, during which it descends 1000

feet, in a chasm from which rise lofty black pine-clad crags, topped by snowy mountains, 14,000 to 16,000 feet high. One remarkable mass of rock, on the east bank, is called "Sakya-zong" (or the abode of

Sakya, often pronounced Thakya, one of the Boodhist Trinity); at its base a fine cascade falls into the river.

Above 11,000 feet the valley expands remarkably, the mountains

recede, become less wooded, and more grassy, while the stream is

suddenly less rapid, meandering in a broader bed, and bordered by

marshes, covered with Carex, Blysmus, dwarf Tamarisk, and many

kinds of yellow and red Pedicularis, both tall and beautiful.

There are far fewer rhododendrons here than in the damper Zemu valley at equal elevations, and more Siberian, or dry country types of

vegetation, as Astragali of several kinds, Habenaria, Epipactis,

dandelion, and a caraway, whose stems (called in Tibet "Gzira") are much sought for as a condiment.* [_Umbelliferae abound here; with

sage, Ranunculus, Anemone, Aconites, Halenia, Gentians, Panax, Euphrasia, speedwell, Prunella vulgaris, thistles, bistort,

Parnassia, purple orchis, Prenanthes, and Lactuca. The woody

plants of this region are willows, birch, Cotoneaster, maple, three species of Viburnum, three of Spiraea, Vaccinium, Aralia, Deutzia, Philadelphus, rhododendrons, two junipers, silver fir, larch, three honeysuckles, Neillia, and a Pieris, whose white blossoms are so full of honey as to be sweet and palatable.] The Singtam Soubah and Lachen Phipun received me at the bridge (Samdong), at Tallum, and led me across the river (into Cheen they affirmed) to a pretty green

sward, near some gigantic gneiss boulders, where I camped, close by the river, and 11,480 feet above the sea.

The village of Tallum consists of a few wretched stone huts, placed in a broad part of the valley, which is swampy, and crossed by

several ancient moraines, which descend from the gulleys on the east flank.* [I have elsewhere noticed that in Sikkim, the ancient

moraines above 9000 feet are almost invariably deposited from valleys opening to the westward.] The cottages are from four to six feet

high, without windows, and consist of a single apartment, containing neither table, chair, stool, nor bed; the inmates huddle together

amid smoke, filth, and darkness, and sleep on a plank; and their only utensils are a bamboo churn, copper, bamboo, and earthenware vessels, for milk, butter, etc.

Grassy or stony mountains slope upwards, at an angle of 20 degrees,*

[At Lamteng and up the Zemu the slopes are 40 degrees and 50 degrees, giving a widely different aspect to the valleys.] from these flats to 15,000 feet, but no snow is visible, except on Kinchinjhow and

Chomiomo, about fifteen miles up the valley. Both these are

flat-topped, and dazzlingly white, rising into small peaks, and

precipitous on all sides; they are grand, bold, isolated masses,

quite unlike the ordinary snowy mountains in form, and far more

imposing even than Kinchinjunga, though not above 22,000 feet

in elevation.

Herbaceous plants are much more numerous here than in any other part of Sikkim; and sitting at my tent-door, I could, without rising from the ground, gather forty-three plants,* [In England thirty is, on the average, the equivalent number of plants, which in favourable

localities I have gathered in an equal space. In both cases many are seedlings of short-lived annuals, and in neither is the number a test of the luxuriance of the vegetation; it but shows the power which the different species exert in their struggle to obtain a place.] of

which all but two belonged to English genera. In the rich soil about the cottages were crops of dock, shepherd's-purse, Thlaspi arvense, Cynoglossum of two kinds (one used as a pot-herb), balsams, nettle, Galeopsis, mustard, radish, and turnip. On the neighbouring hills, which I explored up to 15,000 feet, I found many fine plants,

partaking more or less of the Siberian type, of which _Corydalis,

Leguminosae, Artemisia, and _Pedicularis, are familiar instances.

I gathered upwards of 200 species, nearly all belonging to north

European genera. Twenty-five were woody shrubs above three feet high, and six were ferns; [Cryptogramma crispa, Davallia, two Aspidia,

and two Polypodia. I gathered ten at the same elevation, in the

damper Zemu valley (see chapter xix, note). I gathered in this valley a new species of the remarkable European genus Struthiopteris,

which has not been found elsewhere in the Himalaya.] sedges were in great profusion, amongst them three of British kinds: seven or eight were Orchideae, including a fine Cypripedium.

The entomology of Tallum, like its botany, was Siberian, Arctic types occurring at lower elevations than in the wetter parts of Sikkim.

Of beetles the honey-feeding ones prevailed, with European forms of others that inhabit yak-droppings.* [As Aphodius and Geotrupes.

Predaceous genera were very rare, as Carabus and Staphylinus, so typical of boreal regions. Coccinella (lady-bird), which swarms at Dorjiling, does not ascend so high, and a Clytus was the only

longicorn. Bupretis, Elater, and Blaps were found but rarely.

Of butterflies, the Machaon seldom reaches this elevation, but the painted-lady, Pontia, Colias, Hipparchia, Argynnis, and

Polyommatus, are all found.] Bees were common, both Bombus and

Andraena, but there were no wasps, and but few ants. Grasshoppers and other Orthoptera were rare, as were Hemiptera; Tipula was the common dipterous insect, with a small sand-fly: there were

neither leeches, mosquitos, ticks, nor midges. Pigeons, red-legged

crows, and hawks were the common birds; with a few waders in

the marshes.

Being now fairly behind most of the great snow and rain-collecting

mountains, I experienced a considerable change in the climate, which characterises all these rearward lofty valleys,