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

BOOTAN. 121the most probable was, that the party (disheartened by the check theyhad met with) were divided, and many of them dispersed. The Zoompoon,with those adherents wlio were steady to his cause, had retreatedto the castle of Wandipore, which he commanded; itlies about twentyfourmiles off", in an eastern direction, and is esteemed, according tothe nature of fortifications in Bootan, a place of great strength. It issituated on the end of a rock between two rivers, which wash bothsides of it, and unite in one stream, at its point.This is one of the consecrated palaces of Bootan, and a certainnumber of Gy longs are constantly stationed in it,for the performanceof worship in the temple ; it has also an establishment of Zeenkaubs,Poes, kc. who act in a civil as well as military capacity, though theyproperly belong to the latter order. The numbers of the enemy thatcomposed the garrison, were not well known ;but detachments were continuallymarching, during the whole day, to hem them in, and preventtheir reassembling in the field. Zoondonier, who is the treasurer andgeneralissimo, together with the Zoompoon of Punukka, were appointedto conduct the siege of Wandipore : a blockade was understood to bethe plan proposed ; this castle being considered as not reducible byany other means, than those of intercepting its supplies of water andprovisions.The Raja assembled, as I was informed, all the Gylongs in thetemple, on Tuesday the first of July, to offer his thanksgiving for the latevictory, to implore an early termination tothese inihappy lumults, andthe ultimate success of that party, whose chief was best disposed to theperformance of the duties of their faith, and the service of the state.