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

48 ^^B BOOTAN.thirteen miles, by a rough and rocky road, the ascents and descents ofwhich, in general, were too sudden to admit of a regular slope; butthe Tangun horses are accustomed to stone steps, and scramble withAvonderful facility over disjointed rocks, and up the steepest precipices.On these, as well as the preceding mountains, the traveller frequentlyyx^ -%:( finds water conducted to the road side, from distant springs through•J"^Ihollow bamboos, with which he will seldom fail to allay his thirst;but the Booteea generally adopts the precaution of previously strainingthe water, for fear of meeting with leeches, or withany other of thevarious kinds of insects that harbour among trees, or are generated bythe putrescent vegetable matter, which covers the surface of the rockbeneath their shade.Nor must I omit to mention the safer and moredelicious fountain, to which the Avary Booteea most commonly hasrecourse. This is a hollow buflalo's horn, adapted by straps to be slungacross the shoulder, and of considerable capacity, which the prudent travellertakes daily care to fill with a new and fiery spirit, such as is herepromiscuously extracted from any sort of grain, and called arra.I couldnever partake with them in their ardent draughts ;accustomed to travelling among these mountains, Ibut when I becamelearnt to replenishmy horn with chong, which, being slightly acid, was a grateful liquor;and when wearied with struggling against acclivities,and panting forbreath, itnot unfrequently gave gladness to the parched palate of manya thirsty passenger.In the course of this day's march, we passed by a wooden bridgeacross a large stream, which came tumbling down, cataract over cataract,from the top of a lofty mountain. We stopped at the village