burrowed like moles in an immense heap of goats’ and
sheep’s droppings, piled up for fuel, upon which the
family lounged. An infant in arms was playing with
a “ coral,” ornamented much like ours, and was covered
LEPCHA GIRLS (THE OUTER FIGURES), AND TIBETAN WOMEN.
with jewels and coins. This custom of decorating
children is very common amongst half-civilised people;
and the coral is, perhaps, one of the last relics of a
barbarous age that is retained amongst ourselves.
One mother was nursing her baby, and churning at the
same time, by rolling the goat-skin of yak-milk about
on the ground. Extreme poverty induces the practice
of nursing the children for years; and in one tent I
saw a lad upwards of four years of age unconcernedly
taking food from his aunt, and immediately afterwards
chewing hard dry grains of maize.
The tents were pitched in holes about two feet and a
half deep; and within the tent a wall of similar height
was built all round: in the middle was a long clay
arched fire-place, with holes above, over which the
cauldrons were placed, the fire being underneath.
Saddles, horse-cloths, and the usual accoutrements
and implements of a nomade people, all of the rudest
description, hung about: there was no bed nor stool,
but Chinese rugs for sleeping on. I boiled water on
the fire-place, and obtained an elevation of 15,867
feet.
A Lama accompanied this colony of Tibetans, a
festival in honour of Kinchinjhow being annually held
at a large chait hard by, which is painted red, ornamented
with banners, and surmounted by an enormous
yak’s skull, that faces the mountain. The Lama
invited me into his tent, where I found a wife and
family. An extempore altar was at one end, covered
with wafers and other pretty ornaments, made of
butter, stamped or moulded with the fingers.* The
tents being insupportably noisome, I preferred partaking
of the buttered brick-tea in the open a ir ; after
which, I went to see the shawl-wool goats sheared in a
pen close by. There are two varieties: one is a large
animal, with great horns, called “ Rappoo; ” the other
smaller, and with slender horns, is called “ Tsilloo.”
* The extensive use of these ornaments throughout Tibet, on the occasion
of religious festivals, is alluded to by MM. Hue and Gabet.
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