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

BOOTAN. 29those two who had accompanied me from Rungpore.We had mucliconversation respecting our journey to the capital : great objections|were started, on account of the thin population of the frontier, and the ''consequent difficulty of carriage, as every thing must be conveyed onmen's backs ;the steepness of the mountains, and badness of the roads,not admitting the use of beasts of burden. The Soobah professedhimself desirous of affording every supply in his power, but seemed tohint,that it would be necessary to procure assistance from the capital,for the conveyance of our baggage.These impediments vexed me much, and I could not help expressingmy disappointment at finding that no preparations had been made formy journey, after I had already passed so much time at Rungporeespecially as Ihad conveyed intimation of my approach to the Daeb,and received his answer to my letters, with information that everything should be ready. Much violent altercation then followed betweenthe Zeenkaubs and the Soobah. I did not exactly know thepurport of it, but I suspected the latter to be in some measure toblame. It ended, however, in a declaration to me, that, as they wereservants of the Daeb, they were equally servantsof the English, andwould exert all their powers to serve us- It was at length agreed thatthey should send to the adjacent villages, and assemble together all thepeople that could be found.The Soobah assured me, that if he couldnot send allmy things with me, he would forward, after my departure,and with the utmost dispatch, such as should be leftbehind.About noon on the following day the Soobah came down to ourtents. I had given him a telescope, and I shewed him how to adjust