An Embassy to the Court of the Teshoo Lama in Tibet - Prajna Quest

;IJOBOOTAN.impelling us to take an hostile part, or whether they wished to securethe assistance of the English to their cause, I cannot pretend to saywe were however saved the trouble ol resistance. A few days onlybefore the rupture, Ireceived from the Zoompoon of Wandipore, whowas at the head of the rebellion, a present of fruits, with a very handsomecongratulatory letter, regretting that urgent business at presentprevented his seeing one, who had come from so great a distance, andwho belonged to a nation, for which he entertained the highest esteem.His servants, having performed their commission, joined him as he wasadvancing, and I had certain information, that they were among thenumbers, now occupying the conquered villages to the south. A reinforcementto the insurgents, shewed themselves upon the brow of a hillto the south-west, which the pickets in that quarter effectually opposed,and for the present prevented their junction ;at the same instant twoparties marched from the castle to the attack of the villages, in whichthe insurgents had taken post ; a measure which I considered to bemeant merely as a diversion. Both divisions, with some interval betweenthem, advanced at first full in front of the villages, but as theydrew near they divided into small parties, and crept slowly along, shelteringthemselves behind banks and bushes.The use of the bow and. matchlock,on both sides, at first was very slack; but the Raja's peoplecommenced, after a while, a pretty smart fire. The rebels seemedcareful of their ammunition, using it sparingly; and not choosing to bedrawn out of their post, they remained almost completely concealed,except that now and then a Booteea would start up fiom behind awall, which flanked the lower village, and brandishing his sword, shout