horse, until he alights at the end of his journey, without.any pause, or
intermission in the sound. The faculty of prolonging the sound of a
wind instrument to any period, is by no means rare among the natives
of Bootan; nor does the operation appear to be performed with pain.
I have heardthem, and endeavoured to mark any variation of countenance,
for more than .five minutes, without having been able to distinguish
the least degree of discomposure.
It has probably occurred to many who hav.e' resided in India, and
indeed I have myself heard a Brahmen sound his Chaunk,“ with little'
variation, but no Sensible intermission of sound, fpr. more than .a
quarter of an hour. This is sufficiently explained,' to my satisfaction*
by the power of inhaling by the nose, and exhaling by the mouth
at the same time; an operation, with a little practice, almost as
certain, as ’ though these members were divided by.- a valve,; the
quantity of wind which the cheeks are capable. of holding; between
them, being sufficient to keep up the vibration, that produces' sound
during the act of inspiration.
We were continually approaching a milder climate, and.- more,
populous country ; and presently,, on turning round the .sharp projection
of a hill, we came at once in sight ©f the castle pf Wandipore;
a most respectable object, towering high upon the narrow extremity
of a rock, which stands between the Matchieu-Patchieu, and the
Tahantchieu rivers, both which streams unite at its sharpened point:
they then form together a river of considerable magnitude, that takes
' a The shell of a species of buccinum, used as a musical instrument in their religious
exercises.
the nunc Ch hnti hich'v^cl^^^jJ^yVts^oh^s'di’gL^Lgh* the frontier
mountains, flowing finally along the fl it surface of the district of Bijucd
iht^the BuhAmnOoKa*5 -V-?l?u£lgl{o\u1’ tfl^lTTOmtu^PucMeijfkedh''
d u cte dtoHhc fl ilie W-mShpofh^rfhjdsS I
ffilwf^rett®H»tb'Uh% '’rein.ultabi'“ vfrm hire, to give jApanimllr cL«
Iff i pt
After we liffl affeOTuelnme h il^ ^ R m e ly wearied witl®K^e^*noh'rs1
ef'toilsbme travel’, vie w ifetom luaurm jrhinftj’rfvii roijw&lbl wludi
we had scarcely entered, when a large pot of tea, accompanied With
roasted rice, and -many':'po|i|8 inquirii s, were brought hNdiWm&ihel
Daeb. Plenty o(,pdultr^.?cggs, 'afiMvcghlafths, 1soon follfBvidV but'
being destitute of cooking utensils, and without the chance of seeing
this night, any of those things wInch we hadJ mspitoltaldriJTrP'Taifsr-;
sudofr ir» the ffionfir^buf i5h)spc(VVasJ'tOTiSn,el>5fHl:,ifiaIP^iii;'th&,
^oiusion^Vamef^adued ’ to 1lfmv rembmh^srherit, ilftm alfedl^lkdwbij^t
distress. At length, reduci d by hunger to the last extremity, we contrived,
by the diligence and dexterity of our friends, the Booteeas, to
render two fowls subservient to our appetites, and produced a meal,
that would have diverted any spectator, whilst the relish with which
we enjoyed it, might-have excited thef-envy of an epicure.
Having so successfully surmounted ||ife material difficulty, it had
been well, if night had not exposed us to other ahfl 'mbre serious evils.
We were lodged in a spacious housdybf a > i ? * ,j v i i
but its interior, ill agreed with its outward promise. A short time
before, it had been successively occupied by the rabble of the rebel
party, and by the loyal forces, who had left behind them, all the evil