though Tchebu Lama looked brisk and confident, we
were extremely anxious; scouts were hourly arriving
from the road to the Great Rungeet, and if our troops
LEPCHA SEPOYS. TIBETAN SEPOYS IN THE BACK-GROUND.
had advanced, the Dewan might have made away with
us from pure fear.
One morning' he paid us a long visit, and brought
some flutes, of which he gave me two very common
ones of apricot wood, from Lhassa, producing at the
same time a beautiful one, which I believe he intended
for Campbell, but his avarice got the better, and
he commuted his gift into the offer of a tune, and
pitching it in a high key, he went through a Tibetan
air that almost deafened us by its screech. He tried
bravely to maintain his equanimity, but as we preserved
a frigid civility, and only spoke when addressed, the
tears would start from his eyes in the pauses of conversation.
In the-evening he came again; he was
excessively agitated and covered with perspiration, and
thrust himself unceremoniously between us on the
bench we occupied. As his familiarity increased, he
put his arm round my neck, and since he was armed
with a small dagger, I felt rather uneasy about his intentions,
but he'ended by forcing on my acceptance a
coin, value threepence, for he was in fact beside himself
with terror.
Next morning Campbell received a hint that this
was a good opportunity for a vigorous remonstrance.
The Dewan came with Tchebu Lama, his own younger
brother (who was his pony-driver), and the Lassoo
Kajee; who had for two months placed himself in an
attitude of hostility opposite Dorjiling, with a ragged
company of followers, but now sought peace and
friendship as much as the Dewan. The latter told us
he was waiting for a reply to a letter addressed to Mr.
Lushington, after which he would set us free. Campbell
said : “ As you appear to have made up your mind,
why not dismiss us at once ? ” He answered that we
should go the next day at all events. Here I came in,
and on hearing from Campbell what had passed, I
added, that he had better for his own sake let us go at
once ; that the next day was our great and only annual
Poojah (religious festival) of Christmas, when we all
H 2