the valley, and when we rose In the morning, the tops of the moun*
tains were covered with it. The harvest had been gathered in here,
and we saw them thrashing out the grain, but not after the active
example of the maids of Parb; for the straw was spread upon the
ground, and a couple of oxen, driven round in a circle, trod it out.
We travelled up a narrow valley, on Friday the 12th of September,
between the mountains, near the river, which poured a perfect torrent,
foaming violently among the huge masses of stone that obstructed it's
course. It was augmented by the way with many currents, flowing
from the mountains on the right and left: the road was rocky, with
a moderate but perceptible ascent.
In our progress this day, we were presented with many beautiful and
highly romantic views. The sides of the mountains thinly cloathed
with unthrifty pines, the rapid flow, and hollow roar of the river,
partly concealed by clustering trees, enclosed in high verdant banks,
which rose, as they receded, into bold bare rocks, with here and there
a fir starting from a crevice, while other ridges appeared completely
covered with them, served altogether to combine the most striking fea-*
turns of wild nature, in her barren, as well as her most luxuriant dress,
It was past noon when we arrived at Sana, eleven miles from Dukka-
jeung, and the last village in Bootan, It consisted of about ten houses;
and we were welcomed to the best of them, by a brisk landlady, with
a round fat face and little black eyes, who suffered no want to remain
unsatisfied, which her interest and activity could gratify. Our room was
hung with military accoutrements, martial caps, and the cane-coifed
shield, with quivers, bows and arrows; all of which seemed to have
descended, in a pacific train, from one possessor to another, and to
have suffered their chief injury, from the impaiiipg influence of time,; *
There was an industrious appearance in this little : Village.t fyj&Èffî
people, sitting before their doors, were busied in weaving their narrow
woollen cloths, with the hand and shuttle : they are extremely coarse,
and bear a very long knap, We saw other villagers mounted upon a large
stone, who were thrashing wheat in the following manner. Each person
took at a time, as much as could be-conveniently grasped in the, hand ;
and,'having set fire to the beards, first shook, and afterwards struck
the ears against the stone ; when what remained of the grain, after the
shaking, fell out, and was received upon mats spread beneath ; this is
the third mode of practice I have observed in J^uotan, &r disengaging
corn from the ear.
At six o’clock in the morning of Saturday, the lStfi of iSeptembèr,
the thermometer fell, in the open air, to 46°. It was never lower at
Tassisudon than 60°.
We set out early, and found, by the river side, a, guard-house, where
a party of Booteeas were stationed, who permit no one to pass their
frontier, without a passport from the Daeb, We crossed the bridge
thrown over the Patchieu here, and on the opposite side saw several of
the black chowry-tailed cattle ; their backs were lightly whitened with
hoar frost, which gave them a very remarkable appearance, as their
bodies were covered all over with thick long black hair, •
This very singular and curious animal deserves a particular description.
The bull is denominated Yak, the cow Dhé.