Its south exposed face is hare of trees, except clumps
of pines towards the top, and is very steep, grassy,
and rocky, without water. The scenery much resembles
that of Switzerland, and of the north-west Himalaya,
especially in the great contrast between the southern
CANE-BRIDGE AND TUKCHAM MOUNTAIN.
and northern exposures, the latter being always clothed
with a dense vegetation. At the foot of this very steep
mountain is a broad triangular flat, 300 feet above the
river, to which it descends by three level cultivated
shelves. The village, consisting of a temple and twenty
houses, is placed on the slope of the hill. I camped
on the flat in May, before it became very swampy : it
was covered with tufts of sedge and fringed with scarlet
rhododendron, walnut, Andromeda, and small trees of
a Photinia, a plant allied to hawthorn, of the leaves of
which the natives make tea. Rice cultivated in pools
surrounded by low banks, was just peeping above
ground; and scanty crops of millet, maize, and
buckwheat flourished on the slopes around.
The inhabitants of Choongtam are of Tibetan origin;
few of them had seen an Englishman before, and they
flocked out, displaying the most eager curiosity: the
Lama and Phipun (or superior officer) of the Lachoong
valley came to pay their respects with a troop of
followers, and there was lolling out of tongues, and
scratching of ears, at every sentence spoken, and every
object of admiration. This extraordinary Tibetan
salute at first puzzled me excessively, nor was it until
reading MM. Hue and Gabet’s travels on my return
to England, that I knew of its being the ton at Lhassa,
and in all civilised parts of Tibet.
As the valley was under the Singtam Soubah’s
authority, I experienced a good deal of opposition ;
and the Lama urged the wrath of the gods against
my proceeding. This argument, I said, had been
disposed of the previous year, and I was fortunate
in recognising one of my Changachelling friends, who
set forth my kindly offices to the Lamas of that
convent, and the friendship borne me by its monks,
and by those of Pemiongchi. Many other modes of
dissuading me were attempted, but with Meepo’s
assistance I succeeded in gaining my point. The