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

60 BOOTAN.emergency. Halfway up the rock stands a square stone tower, withIa bastion to defend the approach to the castle, which is gained by anexceeding steep ascent. The rock supplies it abundantly with ammunition:those who have possession, require no other weapons to repeltheir assailants, while they have stones to rolldown upon them.This kind of natural artillery is common to all the fortresses of India,which are situated on hills •- theyarc called mudivallahs, or drunkards,from their continually varying direction in their descent, occasionedby their irregularity of shape, and the protuberances they meetwith in their way.In the assault of Chunarghur, in the year 1764, or1765, our European grenadiers were twice repulsed by these formidableweapons. •-#The mountains we saw this day, were but thinly covered with pines.We met with maple and willow trees, the dog-rose bush in full bloom,and sweetbriar with, and without thorns. We rested for the night,atPauga.The road, on Friday the 30th of May, led by the river along thesides of the mountains, and there were few inequalities from hence toNomnoo, an easy stage of about eight miles. We saw hermitagesand villages spread over the sides and summits of the mountains, toeach of which is allotted a spacious portion of cultivated ground: stillmuch more appeared capable of improvement ;for over the whole ofthese mountains, except where precipices or steep points project, thereis a great deal of soil ;yet vegetation is not so strong as in the neighbourhoodof Bengal. The trees are no where so numerous or flourishing,nor do the pines grow with that luxuriance, which might be