especially before the Tibetans. But the Bhoteas
were always a queer, and often insolent people, whom
I was long ago tired of trying to understand, and they
might have wanted to show off before their neighbours;
and such was the confidence with which my long travels
amongst them had inspired me, that the possibility of
danger or violence never entered my head.
We went into the hut, and were resting ourselves
on a log at one end of it, when, the evening being
very cold, the people crowded i n ; on which Campbell
went out, saying, that we had better leave the hut to
them, and that he would see the tents pitched. He
had scarcely left, when I heard him calling loudly to
me, “ Hooker! Hooker! the savages are murdering
m e ! ” I rushed to the door, and caught sight of him
striking out with his fists, and struggling violently;
being tall and powerful, he had already prostrated a
few, but a host of men bore him down, and appeared
to be trampling on h im ; at the same moment I was
myself seized by eight men, who forced me back into
the hut, and down on the log, where they held me in a
sitting posture, pressing me against the wall; here I
spent a few moments of agony, as I heard my friend s
stifled cries grow fainter and fainter. I struggled but
little, and that only at first, for at least five-and-twenty
men crowded round and laid their hands upon me,
rendering any effort to move useless; they were,
however, neither angry nor violent, and signed to me
to keep quiet. I retained my presence of mind, and
felt comfort in remembering that I saw no knives used
by the party who fell on Campbell, and that if their
intentions had been murderous, an arrow would have
been the more sure and less troublesome weapon. I t
was evident that the whole animus was directed against
Campbell, and though at first alarmed on my own account
also, all the inferences which, with the rapidity of
lightning my mind involuntarily drew, were favourable.
After a few minutes, three persons came into the
hut, and seated themselves opposite to m e : I only
recognised two of them; namely, the Singtam Soubah,
pale, trembling like a leaf, and with great drops of
sweat trickling from his greasy brow; and the Tchebu
Lama, stolid, but evidently under restraint, and
frightened. The former ordered the men to leave
hold of me, and to stand guard on either side, and, in
a violently agitated manner, he endeavoured to explain
that Campbell was a prisoner by the orders of the
Bajah, who was dissatisfied with his conduct as a
government officer, during the past twelve years ; and
that he was to be taken to the Durbar and confined
till the supreme government at Calcutta should confirm
such articles as he should be compelled to subscribe
to ; he also wanted to know from me how Campbell
would be likely to behave. I refused to answer any
questions till I should be informed why I was myself
made prisoner; on which he went away, leaving me
still guarded. My own Sirdar then explained that
Campbell had been knocked down, tied hand and foot,
and taken to his tent, and that all his coolies were also
bound, our captors claiming them as Sikkimites, and
subjects of the Bajah.
Shortly afterwards the three returned, the Soubah