'The Journey up 7,000 feet of 1 ternate jungle and tea-gardens wa very happy experience, with vier ever the plains growing wider every turn, and the ait growing lighter and crisper, with wild orchids, Lougainvillea and' poinsettias rot at our fect. After a pause Kurseong, we reached Darjeeling at room, and were i rounded by "gaily dress women who carried our luggage up to the Hotel.
Two days were spent tu preparation for our trip to the height taking in star and saddles a Sirdar, Tenjin Wangdi capable hands was placed the leader-Of our expedition. The nine from Ghum to Jorepokei were! mostly enveloped in cloud, but rare lews were very beautiful, a over the jungle and across the hills. The last two miles ted through an attractive native village, Sukiapokei, with queer little shops and roughly' paved streets, and then up a steep grassy lane cut through a forest to the open place where stands the Dak Bungalow—a travellers' re house, consisting like all the others en this route, of one living room and two bedrooms.
Leaving Jorepokri, we dropped over 1,000 fect, riding when we could, but obliged to walk all down the steep incline after passing the village of Simana, which marks the Eastern boundary line between al and Sikkhim. Although the mist but seldom lifted during the 3,500 feet we climbed in the afternoon, the occasional views we obtained were extraordinarily beaut ful, sweeping across dense jungle, dipping precipitously down the mountainside and away into infinity over a. bark of clouds out of whi the mountain summits reared like islands ina silver sea, Distant Darjeeling by Night At Tonglu bungalow the Sirdar disturbed out fireside circle to show, usa rare and wonderful! sight: out of a framework of frosty, moonlit cloud banks em-larged a telescopic view of Darjeeling, twinkling with a thousand lights Uke fireflies settling on a fairy pool.
Early next morning we were dazzled by a wide view of the complete snow range under the glow Of the rising sun—a sight of intense, inspiring purity. We rode through luxuriant forests with rushing waterfalls, an undergrowth of feathery bamboo and a tangle of ved and orange autumn tints, gradually changing to open stretches, with pine and fir growth.
The last stretch to Sandakphu, along steep precipices and wild, stony pathways, with the world an rose abruptly. to, alinsignificant, forgotten dise below—
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.