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

52 BOOTAN.time had acquired a surprising thickness. I asked her how old sliewas: she told me, ninety; tliat this was tlie place of her birth, and thatshe had lived here, ever since.The neighbourhood of Murichom is dreadfully infested by a small "fly, differing much from the musquito, both in form and size; butit fixes itself in the same manner, and draws blood with a proboscis,whose puncture is not felt, till some time after the attack. Whensatiated, it flies off, leaving behind a small blister full of black contaminatedblood, which enlarges, inflames, and becomes exceedinglyirritating and troublesome. Most of the inhabitants are so marked bythe wounds of this venomous fly,that the parts of their skins exposedto the air,are covered with scurf, and being sometimes attended withtumours, acquire a most diseased appearance : a severe tax this uponso delightful a place as Murichom, which by nature isone of the mostbeautiful I have seen. While we were there, though in the height ofthe hottest season in Bengal, we enjoyed a pleasant temperatureof air.We 'proceeded from Murichom, on Sunday the 25 th of May, onour way to Chuka, and passed by Tetim, once a considerable village,situated on the left side of the road, upon the brow of a loftymountain, but of which the greatest part was destroyed by a dreadfulaccident, not many years since. In one tempestuous night, a hurricaneswept nine houses down the steep, \\'iththe people that were inthem ; and though much search was afterwards made, not a vestigeof their inhabitants was ever seen. Three houses now remain, andtheir tenants, unawed by the dismal fate of their neighbours, still keep