force of prejudice. The table was spread with raw joints of fresh
mutton, and some of the same, -boiled- We -certainly preferred the
boiled mutton, which was cokL, and exquisitely tender and sweet; but
the Tibetians shewed a {different taste : and though both of-i^s, wet®
equaflyipleaSed, .neither envied the opposite propensity of the other ;
tmt we Were aft afrerwardb equally disposed to j o in in deep dmwghts
of chong and a social pipe, in the use of which,-practice h&d.frow rendered
me tolerably expert.
A road to Lassa branches off between these hills, east by .south from
Gangamaar, which village is subject to that government. We continued
our journey nearly north, and about a mile and a half farther
on, met with a hot well, which was surrounded with a stone w aft
and covered -with canvas. Within -the enclosure, a tent was pitched;
which-seemed crowded with people, i soon learned, that the virtues
attributed to this spring, were various and powerful, notbeing{confined
to invalids of any particular description, but extending to all the sick
and aged, whether they seek a cure from infirmity or from disease.
The mode of treament, is to continue immerged in the water, for some
minutes up to the chest, and on coming out to be covered with warm
clothing : this is repeated five or six times, a day. The mercury of the
thermometer stood in the open air at 44°; when plunged into the water
it rose to 88°. The vapour arising from the surface had a sulphureous
smell; and on all sides, to the extent of two hundred yards, was seen
much white incrustation.
The surface of the-ground on which we travelled, was a mass of
-hard matter, like scoria; ,it sounded hollow, as the horses trod upon
it?;- and some detached piec^s^hiat yjwd ptetod npi were 83 p0H>¥3 8S
a honeycomb.
-We: still-fdlowed. the tsourse jft.the riyer; it was evgiry .harvest
time, and numbers of people were iaasiedin.the fields. They
not reapasg, as we had seen in other the eicjdev but they
plucked up the corn by sfche roots, and afterwards placid it, upright,
bound:in smal|h. Undies, to dry. I know »0t whether the: sight.,-pf 30
toany horsemen in there solitary ways, or puje^ptic app<eflr,ance, prin-
cipally attracted their notice; faut the people were tStoucJc with wonder.
They desisted from their labour, and looking with amazement, as they
grasped the .-grain, which happened tp hide tfreirhapds, .at.fjif pjppp^flt
of o u t -approach, stood still, with wide .extended arms, tagfe they had
gazed as, out of sight. ....
Having; turned round, the point a rocky frill, yre -iCgrpje length
te a road, much encumbered with huge blocks jof hj^feen jtfo^k. -JThfe;
river had a. considerable fell, and hurried with sapd ;v*ftleiqe #$gr its,
uneven bed. Oneifter dde,:B0se high rocks, -ptapend&ailar
exhibiting an .infinite variety of forms, bring split by :Ae shivering
frost, and shaped mto many.tallpyramids,.and (vast impending cr^gg,
whose slight support aeemed; to rtiweatenhtbe bahaldsr wMi «sfi»-
teneous ruin, and made itheir aspect, truly trewendes*?- tfe .thp largest
of thoseithat were’tumbled in the way; were pEed
flint, to which it *is the custom.-hei>e,.&r eyeiy .pastenger ^o ipigke,-scrap
addition, from a motive of humanity; similar to thabofthe pyofessqip
of •’too th teligic®«i|inr3fridia, whiefrindjsces them to cover the ifrp4*W of'
men, found dead in the fields, w ith,clodsj of «earth, .which ft?. rains